Hope and Ezekiel

I know time goes by more quickly than I realize when I look at Hope's fishbowl. I swear I just cleaned it and added water up to nearly the top of the bowl. But after apparently weeks, her bowl is only half-full again, and my fish has lost some serious swimming real estate.

Sometimes I feel like that. Life is good, my water is still pretty clear, but I feel a little more confined to a smaller space--soul space. And it takes more time to let God clean and refill me completely than my fishbowl takes me. I really need that time, but I'm having a hard time finding enough of it.

So for now, I try to make the most of the little windows of time where I can be still enough to open myself up to God's light and let it fill me at least enough to "just keep swimming."

It's been a full weekend of people and, once again, seeing God work in ways that are far beyond what I can fully grasp. It's exciting--but I can't process it all. So maybe that's why I feel more of the weight of my introvert-fatigue at the moment.

It's in that context that I am starting into the vivid colors and drama of the book of Ezekiel. There is this mixture of beauty and awe along with feeling overwhelmed at God's revelation and calling, but there's also God's personal comfort and empowerment that sustains. I found plenty of meaningful lessons in the first four chapters, so I decided to write down a few, and share them here as well, in case it's helpful for anyone else who can identify with this unique season:

1. When I sense how powerful and awesome God is, when He reveals Himself to me personally, my fear of people diminishes. (I need more of this).

2. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by God's calling. I am fully dependent on His Spirit to carry it out in me, and for continued time in His glorious presence to strengthen me again.

3. God's calling doesn't require "success"--just faithfulness. (Yes, I know that is close to a Mother-Theresa quote, but it fits Ezekiel's experience as well).

4. Even though God already knows many of us will not listen to His warnings, it's important that we are warned anyway. We can't claim ignorance. It reveals our rebellion if we choose to ignore His warnings. (From Adam and Eve to the Israelites to us.)

5. God desires that His message be internalized by the messenger before it's shared. It should be meaningful and life-changing to me so that I care about the message and the people I share it with.

6. We don't have to worry about the details of how to carry out God's calling. He will make that plain step-by-step.

7. God seems to come closest and reveal Himself most to those with the most challenging assignments.

Lord, my prayer today as I am tired and a bit "peopled-out" is that You would do for me what You did for Ezekiel:

"The Spirit came into me as He spoke, and He set me on my feet. I listened carefully to His words." Ez. 2:2