A special treat...

Yes, it's almost Halloween, and since I don't celebrate it, I thought I'd share with you a different treat--the writing from a dear friend. She's awesome! And goodness; she's my right hand...and often she's my eyes too!

She writes:

Don’t move now!

How I began to dread hearing that. Every 7 minutes, for 2.5 hours, while laying on an oh so hard table for two MRI’s in one day, I would first hear, “It’s your break,” meaning I could move, all too quickly followed by, “Don’t move now!”

You know the drill. You’re perfectly fine until those words are uttered. Then, all of a sudden, your nose itches, your leg twitches, or in the unlikely event you actually begin to fall asleep, your head does that big jerk thing – how in the world are you supposed to follow the instructions about not moving!

I actually thought I had it licked after the first hour and ten minutes. I’d made it through; I knew what to expect. Or did I?

The second time around everything was magnified. The intervals seemed to come less often while the break time itself sped by.

Don’t move now! Don’t move now! DON’T MOVE NOW!

I realized it wasn’t the technician talking to me this time; it was God. And He wanted to talk to me about the times in my life when He’s also told me, “Don’t move now.”

God began reminding me of the times when I wondered why doors of opportunity weren’t opening for me. Turns out He was saying, “Don’t move now.”

God may urge us to stay put for many reasons – for our protection, because the timing of a new venture isn’t quite right, because there are still things to accomplish or learn in our current situation, to give us rest, and so on.

And while we can indeed become restless, or bored, or itching for something new, if God is telling us, “Don’t move now,” then we need to tune our ears to hear and then obey.

The children of Israel learned this. When they were running for their lives from Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptians, God would clearly show them when and where to move. “By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take (Nehemiah 9:12, NIV).

I’m betting the “move” part was fairly easy to do since they were being chased. It’s often times the “waiting” that’s so difficult. But the Bible even talks about this in Philippians 4:12 (NIV) when Paul says: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”

So next time you hear in your spirit the words, “Don’t move now,” take heart, dear one. God may be telling you to rest in Him. Know that He’s got a purpose, trust that He’s leading you, and continue doing what you’re currently doing until He tells you when it’s time to move on.

Cindi (Jan’s friend)

Don’t forget, for nuggets of inspiration, visit Jan at: www.janetperezeckles.com. Or to receive her free monthly newsletter, please send a blank email to: splashofinspiration@getresponse.com.