The Little Chuch….
This past Wednesday evening, I left home. I silently picked up my keys, walked out the door, got in my vehicle, and drove off into the night. I had no idea where I was going, I was just going. That was a first for me.
The past few days, heck the past two weeks, had seemed like one constant uphill battle hat I was losing. My depression was winning handily, I was physically, mentally, spiritually, tired. I was scattered to the wind, painfully behind across the board, and I in that moment, completely out of cares to give.
My drive eventually led me to an empty parking lot, beside an empty church, and just like Motel 6, God had left a light on for me in that small building called, “The Chapel”. I walked in, stood there for a moment taking it in, then sat down.
I would love to say that my burdens, anxieties, and everything else that I was carrying just melted away within moments but, they didn’t.
I ended up sitting there for well over an hour that night. I talked to God, I listened, but mostly I just sat there in the dimly lit silence.
God showed up and He didn’t say much either. He just brought that Peace that passes all understanding with Him and put it around me, like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer.
That was what I needed most. A reprieve from the tempest, someone to sit with me, say nothing, and just be.
In the brief words I offered while there, I acknowledged the glaring fact that I cannot do “all the things” on my own, and once again, for the umpteenth time, I asked God for His help across the board with “all the things”. Then eventually, I went home.
I didn’t feel any different when I drove home, but I did sleep better that night, the next day was a bit easier, and the trend continued for several days after that.
One storm subsided, while another is certainly gathering itself over the horizon. All directed by a God that tells me to cast my cares and anxieties on Him, tests me to do just that, then sits with me, and coaches me up…. when “all the things” become too much for me.
In this Faith journey I embarked on almost a decade ago now, I have found that there are places on this earth, two specifically, that the enemy and his minions are not allowed to chastise me. One is this little table in my living room where I sit and tap away on my phone, most often in the wee hours of the morning. Another….
Is a little chapel on Old Shell Road, where a light is always on and The God Of The Universe, is always available for a sit down. If only I will take the time to show up and sit down with Him.
Get In The Boat. Do Your Part.
Believe, Decide, Persist…. From Nose To Toes!
Shane / #16