The Victory Lap

I found myself smiling as I drove home from work yesterday because I knew that my family would greet me on the front porch, and once again, I would have the privilege of watching Avery take the "victory lap". The "victory lap" is what we have termed Avery's reaction to spotting my little white car approaching the house. She jumps off the porch and starts making laps around our front yard yelling, "Daddy!"

Yesterday's "victory lap" didn't disappoint. Avery made her usual laps around the yard, and then she quickly greeted me as I stepped out of the car. She lifted her arms and said, "Fly me, daddy!" I picked her up and proceeded to launch her into the air while she erupted with a cackle of a laugh. When she finally stopped laughing she said, "Fly me higher!" So, I happily agreed.

Our next door neighbors witnessed Avery's passionate greeting as they stood on their driveway watching. They smiled and said, "Enjoy it now. They don't do that when they are teenagers!" Sad but true...

Perhaps that's one of the reasons Jesus pointed to children and boldly exclaimed, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) Children don't care what people think about them. Avery didn't temper her enthusiasm for daddy because there were people watching. I don't think she even realized they were there. Her focus was entirely on the fact that daddy was home, and it was time to play!

I am not the sharpest, but I do know when God is teaching me something. In that moment, God revealed his desire to be engaged in real relationship the way that Avery engages me. It's his passion. It's his heartbeat. Romans 8 says, "...The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) The word "Abba" means "daddy". That one word gives us a window into the heart of God, and it provides revelation into how personal God is.

I am convinced this is what we were created for. God is not an idea, concept, topic to debate, or a passive spectator to your life. He is the perfect Father who longs to be engaged on an intimate level. His posture towards you has never changed, nor will it ever.

The question is has our posture towards God changed? Has our passion for the Father dwindled because of the expectations of others? Are we fearful to engage him on a deeper level because of the opinions of others? Are we humble and courageous enough to possess the attitude of a child in our relationship to God?

The risk is that you may lose respect in the eyes of others. The gain is that you'll experience true life. Maybe you'll even experience your own cackle of a laugh as you discover his personality. He's been known to do that.

Gone Loco

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Here's a quick challenge for you... Try and sit still without thinking about or doing anything for 60 seconds. Go.

The first time I attempted this, I think I made it 4.5 seconds before my mind began thinking about other things. I am now up to 9.5 seconds before I'm distracted. I am making serious progress, my friends.

This challenge is a result of an interesting question God recently asked me. I was pondering God's long term plans for my life when my thoughts were suddenly interrupted. The heavens didn't part, nor did I hear a booming voice from heaven, but the question was clear. He asked, "Gabe, have you noticed that most of your questions for me deal with 'doing'?"

That simple question had me thinking for days. As usual, he was right. Most of my interaction with God had been centered around the idea of doing work for him and asking about his future plans (work) for me. I am convinced that we should ask these questions often, but I am also confident that he wants more than just our actions and our work. He wants us to stop all the "doing" and "be".

In response to this revelation, I have started practicing a new habit. I sit before God with a clear heart and a clear mind and make myself available for him to speak. I don't think about anything. I don't do anything. I force myself to sit there and be fully present. Most men know how challenging this seemingly simple task is. It's almost as if we need a bull riding buzzer to beep after the 8 second mark to celebrate our accomplishment.

The voice of the Holy Spirit speaks in very personal ways, but he is always presenting truth. This is the identifier we should look for. Again, I've never heard anything audible. It's more of an impression on my heart, or a thought or train of thoughts that enter my mind. The common denominator is that I recognize it as being from God based on the undeniable amount of truth that the statement contains. How do I know it's truth? I recognize it from the Scriptures. I tell people that it's extremely important to spend plenty of time reading the Scriptures in order to easily recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, they are revealing the exact same thing--truth.

I realize that by simply stating you can learn to hear God's voice, I have landed myself in the "crazy camp" to some. You see people all the time doing bizarre and harmful things because, in their words, "God told them to." I see how some people have arrived at their "any normal person doesn't believe God speaks" theory. But, do the actions of a few flaky or truly disturbed people really disqualify God from being a deeply personal God? Isn't this the same God who was nailed to a wooden cross and endured excruciating pain to demonstrate his desire for personal relationship? What is personal relationship without personal communication?

I am currently pursuing my master's degree in counseling at a local university, and part of the degree program is to study mental health disorders. During our last class, my professor stated that some perfectly sane Christians can be diagnosed with "schizophrenia" because they claim to hear the voice of God. Interesting.

I wonder what Adam and Eve would have been diagnosed with; they claimed they were tricked by a talking snake. Moses surely would have been diagnosed with some kind of disorder; he claimed God spoke to him from a burning bush. Noah may have been the person tagged with the most mental disorders as he built a large ark in the middle of the desert announcing that God was going to save the world through him. Oh, and don't forget about Mary. She claimed that she was pregnant--but that she was still a virgin. Huh?

Maybe learning to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit isn't that strange after all. But, even if it is, it's quite alright. We "crazies" are in good company. I can picture the look on their faces as they mockingly asked, "Aren't you really Joseph's son? Crazy man."

60 seconds...Go.