Yes, this in yet another "out of the box" message. I loved the reference to Jesus taking the deaf man "Away from the crowd" to get him out of his own element. Ummm. This had me doing some really deep thinking today. I had been thinking about being "out of the box" that I had been in, but out of my element is something entirely different. In so many ways this past year has seemed like I have been taken "away from the crowd" into a totally new place. And I have felt that unease of being out of my element. It has been a place of discomfort with a bit of feeling really lonely. One thing that has been very clear for me has been the increased dependence on Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. I had a sudden realization that the tunnel I found myself in and that rushing river running through it were just Jesus taking me "away from the crowd"! Clearly I was not willing to get outside of my box and out of my comfort zone any other way. So, there was the tunnel. And the river. Don't you just love it when you get an explanation - even if it is hindsight - about why something is happening?
I managed to get my hair cut today also. For the last several months I have been really having trouble with my hair! Doesn't this sound like a silly, small thing? I have very short hair, but it has just been TERRIBLE! I really started to wonder what was going on. I changed my shampoo and still didn't get any fix. About 4 hair cuts ago I got a really bad cut. At the time I thought..."oh well, it will grow". But alas, here I am 4 months later and it seems to get worse and worse. Today I went "out of my element" to a brand new hair salon. I got a wonderful young gal who really knew what she was doing! She took one look at my hair and said "who cut your hair?". There were some sections that were more than 2" shorter than others. Apparently the last 3 people who tried to fix the first cut, had actually made it worse! She was willing to take lots of time and much effort to really get me headed in the right direction towards my "normal" hairstyle. After 45 minutes of very careful cutting, my hair looks great. She told me that I would still need at least one more cut to really get things evened out, but I looked in the mirror and FELT NORMAL!
As I was driving home after the hair cut (with the car windows down and the WARM air blowing in)
I realized that this was such a strong message for me. Sometimes you have to just get through those really silly little things that really bug you. And you might have to go out of your element to get relief from the issues. This makes flowing along in that tunnel, on that river, a bit less scary. I guess I have figured out knowing Jesus only wants the best for you lets you breathe out and relax. So now I will focus on Jesus taking me "away from the crowd", rather than trying to figure out what is going on and more so, where I am headed. I confess, this has been a long and sometimes confusing period of revelation for me. But I love when I can have one of those "ah ha" moments, especially when it comes with a "normal" haircut!
Jesus, thank you so much for taking me "away from the crowd". Thank you for wonderful devotionals and for Beth Moore. Jesus pour out your blessings on her. Thank you for a wonderful hair cut and the amazing gal who took so much time to get it right. I love that you can reach me in the silliest little things! Holy Spirit, you are amazing! Jesus, help me to stay in this place of relaxed, acceptance. Continue to speak clearly to us all, in our day to day life. Amen
