Enthusiastically, Dawn

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5 :23-24

Friday morning, after dropping my daughter off, I turned left instead of right as I pulled out of the High School parking lot. I don’t always. Often I surrender myself to the daily routines that define my life presently. Every once in a while my routine gets interrupted by…life. But hey, I strive to keep a steady pace and confess the need for the security of knowing there are things that need to be done and the fact that I need to do them. The drumbeat of life beats on.

But, another week has passed and Spring is caressing my cheeks through the open car window, so I do the best thing I can in the beauty of this particular  morning. Before heading back into another day, I turn left.

Left leads to the beach where I live. The fact is, I live a few short minutes from the wide open ocean. But, I don’t always pause to greet that beautiful expanse of water. Why, you ask?

Good question.

There are, of course, many answers. We all have a multitude of answers why we don’t answer the call of the soul for stillness. We are “too busy”. We have so much to do, life presses in and squeezes us and we are maxed out. There’s work, and children, spouses and in-laws. There’s mortgages, and car loans, car problems, job cuts, and the big daddy-taxes…and more taxes (in Rhode Island there are even MORE taxes, but that’s another story). Then there’s the daily inconveniences that arise leaving us feeling discouraged, disheartened and somehow disconnected. We wonder how we can rise above these momentary troubles. We long for escape. We long for restful days…days where we still feel Sunday’s joy flowing through our veins.

One cannot ignore the soul’s plea for long without breaking down. The heart hardens in increments. The mind compartmentalizes, rationalizes, justifies. The soul begins to fragment. Is it any wonder we run from one thing to the next skimming the surface, seeking satisfaction in superficial pleasures that cannot satisfy the inner longings of the heart, mind and soul.

We were created to find satisfaction in one place only. Go ahead and seek it somewhere else and you will find an unsatisfiable void.

The only way to satisfy the inner yearnings and overcome the onslaught of the day with confidence, calm and peace is to remember that you can always turn left.

You may not have a beach down the street. But, everywhere I have lived I have learned to find the places where I can turn left.

Left leads to the peace of God that passes all understanding. Left requires overcoming the need to “do” and instead allows for the Being part of your day to be magnified.

God is magnified in your being not your doing.

I pass the beach because it is the start to beach season and at 7:30 in the morning, it’s already busier than I prefer. I decide to head to a favorite quiet place where I can grab a few minutes of glory before jumping back into the mundane. 

Once I am there, I am struck by the blue sky touching down to the ocean’s surface while sunlight shimmies and dances over the darkness of sea. I had not intended to stay, but feeling the warmth of rocks and sun inviting me, I oblige and sit. My first thought is regret- why did I not bring my journal? My Bible, nothing. Just the phone. A very weak substitute for either.

It is then that I realize the beauty of the moment, the presence of God, and the gift of solitude, in this moment. If I choose, I can bask right here in His love, without pen, paper, without Scripture (for it is written on my heart through years of reading)…I can listen to Him, undistracted. If I choose. So I choose…for the few minutes I have to do so. Forgetting what I wish I had, embracing what is before me. I tune in and listen with my eyes, ears, heart…mind, soul. All of me. And He is faithful.

I watch the crabs, and ponder faith, love, hope…

You can be a busy bee for God with all your doing, but I know that God is most pleased with me when I am most pleased with Him. I’m mostly always pleased with people I spend time with. Let me rephrase that, I am most pleased with people I communicate with and I usually feel more connected to those I communicate with regularly.

So, if communication is key to feeling connected, I wonder if we feel disconnected with God when we fail to communicate with Him…whether through prayer, obedience, being honest in bringing requests, frustrations and desires before Him? Just a thought. Perhaps we tend to distance ourselves more when we start to feel the pressures of daily life. Surely the enemy of our soul desires that we should feel disconnected from the true lover of all souls.

But what about those days and weeks when life throws curve balls into your game? When quiet time and anything that resembles it seems a million leap years away.

Turn left…and see where it leads you.

*This post is dedicated to my sweet friend and planner pal Kate who I am praying despite a very full week of curve balls will have a few left turn moments to keep her encouraged. Please check out and enjoy the images I took Friday morning when I turned left via my One Drive : http://1drv.ms/1dqJWmc

I have more to write about the details of what I pondered which I will share in my next post. It is too much beyond this already wordy offering! Thanks for reading.

Looking for a way to connect with God through Journaling? Join Journaling Your Journey [with Jesus] for encouragement for your quiet time and journaling journey.

Linking with Create with Joy and a new (to me) link called Small Victories SUnday @ Mom’s Small Victories; also linking with Tell Me a True Story AND Cozy Reading Spot