Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Trust Me

"When God wants you to go somewhere and He doesn’t tell you the direction, it is because He is teaching you trust. You have to trust Him joyfully. If you don’t do it joyfully, you will do it anxiously, which means you won’t trust! All trust must be joyful." ~Graham Cooke

So this happened. Last night, I was driving over to my brother's place to help him pack for an upcoming move. It's a route I take fairly often. It takes me past a thrift store that I love (and which, incidentally, has been crucial to our family's survival over the past months). I was about two minutes away from the thrift store turn-off, my mind focused on the task ahead of me, when from out of nowhere, it was like someone else took over my brain. I suddenly felt very strongly that I needed to go right now and look for a pair of running shoes at the thrift store. My gut told me it was God, but I immediately doubted that initial certainty, and figured it was just because I'd been thinking about that very thing the day before, since my current sneakers are pretty much worn out. I was running late as it was; I was in the wrong lane, and with the exit fast approaching, I wavered. I quickly made a bargain with myself, that if both lanes were empty at that last instant before I had to turn off, I'd go. There was a lot of traffic on the roads, but sure enough, the second before I was past the point of no return, there was not a car in sight, so I crossed the two lanes over to the turn-off and snaked my way through the vast parking lot over to the thrift store. I was still arguing with myself, wondering if I had indeed had a divine inspiration, or if it was my thrift store addiction that was compelling me. 

Long story short - I found the perfect running shoes; a like-new pair of brand name sneakers at a really great price. (I do apologize if buying shoes second-hand grosses you out - if it does, consider yourself lucky; but sometimes ya gotta do whatcha gotta do...) 

Fast-forward to this morning: I headed out in the cool of the early morning for my (almost) daily walk, and to put my "new" shoes to the test. I started out at a slow jog, enjoying the beauty of my surroundings and the little high that comes when you conquer your desire to stay in bed for another half-hour and make a good choice instead (and the perfect fit of the new shoes - I've never had a more comfortable pair!). And it happens again - my thoughts morph into something quite beyond myself and I get the distinct impression that I am now officially in training - and that that's what the sneakers were all about! But - in training? "For what?" is the question that pops up almost in spite of myself. Seems like the logical next step in this line of thinking, right? 

Silence. Wind blowing in the grasses, birds chirping, my feet pounding the pavement...and not a word, not one definite thought or impression. But I could almost see my Father gazing down at me with a loving, knowing smile spread across His face. Then these words: "Trust Me." 

Whoa.