"You know a lot of people...that you don't really know", God said to me one day. "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked with a hint of frustration in my voice. "You know," He said, "people you're acquainted with...you know their names, where they live, perhaps what they do for a living, maybe even the names of their children. You may know their interests, their likes and dislikes, and their favorite way to spend free time, but you don't really know them...at least not like I do. I know their thoughts, their fears, and the intents of their hearts; I see their weaknesses and strengths, their personal struggles, and all things they choose to keep private from the rest of humanity. For me there are no barriers, but I will not go where I am not invited."
In the last several months, I've given this a lot of contemplation. Outside of the privacy of our homes or the quiet corners of our hearts, time marches on, life happens, the sun rises and sets sometimes without so much as a hint of our personal experiences to the rest of the human race. But God, who sees all, waits patiently for us to beckon to Him, and petition His assistance. Some days my heart hurts so much the pain threatens to crush me, until I fall to my knees and tearfully beg God for relief. It comes in waves always as fiercely and unexpectedly as a lion springing on it's prey. The hot tears gush from my eyes and stream down my cheeks. plopping into puddles on the hard wood floor beneath my knees. I feel so sad, so broken, so vulnerable...but I immediately feel God very near. Instinctively I lay my weary head on the soft quilt covering my bed, as if to lay my head in His lap...and I feel a peace as gentle as a warm summer rain encompass me. "Be still", He says, and He softly and tenderly calms my troubled heart.
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