Proverbs 2:2, turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
Has a person delivered a message to you, which you ultimately realized was from God?
I became a parent at age 27, several years later than I had hoped to start my family. While I was a little old to be called a “young mom,” I was so naive about what parenting would be like, that I think the phrase still fits. See, I love being around kids. I started babysitting as soon as anyone would let me. I was a camp volunteer and an elementary school major. I’d worked in the schools for four years and a private daycare for a year. I was sure that I knew everything I needed to be a calm and effective parent.
From the second I went into early labor, I realized I actually had no clue what parenting was going to be like. And, about 15 months in, I knew I was too isolated and too overwhelmed. So at my friend’s invitation, I joined our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. There I could meet with other women experiencing similar things and grow as a parent and in my faith. Over time I built relationships, learned more than I ever could have imagined, and had a lot of fun. But there’s one morning that will forever stand out to me, crystal clear.
It was the first time I was sure, absolutely sure, God had used someone else to tell me something He knew I needed to hear. It was after our meeting when another mom and I were standing beside our cars, just catching up a little. We both had been struggling with kiddos who had a mind of their own, and she shared, “This morning, I just lost it. I screamed at her, ‘Why can’t you just do what I ask you to do?’ and I’d no sooner finished the sentence when I heard in my mind God asking me that same question. Why couldn’t I just do what he asks me to do? And it…it just shook me. I had to walk away and pull myself together.” Tears streamed, and her voice shook, and my eyes filled as this feeling I’d never felt before exploded inside me. I finally knew what people meant when they said something was like a ‘punch in the gut.’ I’m sure my friend said a little more, and I probably tried to say something encouraging to her, but all my focus was on what was happening inside of me. I was in awe at how very certain I was that one sentence applied to me and my relationship both with my son and with my Father. I felt humbled and convicted.
I learned that day how to listen just a little differently, how to be just a little more sensitive to the undercurrents of a conversation, and to be open to answers for questions I had never actually asked. This is good because now, usually, God doesn’t have to trigger an explosion of feelings for me to lean in, to ask the question I didn’t know I had, or pray the words, or take the step I’d been avoiding. It doesn’t happen often, and I probably still miss the ques more often than I follow them, but that day forever changed the way I experienced listening for my Father’s voice.
Daily Prayer
Father, thank you for the many, many ways you reach out to us. Thank you for giving us each other to learn from, encourage, and strengthen. Today I pray, God, that you would continue to give us those internal cues, those gut feelings, that slight change in heart rate when it’s time to listen closely. I pray that we would have open minds and open hearts to all the ways we can “listen” for Your Truth running through our lives. Amen
Christy Close is the Volunteer Coordinator at Commonway. Christy is a Yorktown native and graduated from Ball State with her degree in Elementary Education in 2002. She taught for five years before moving into educational standards and publishing. Christy attended Commonway and served on the Ministry Team for many years before joining the staff. Christy is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeremy, and they have two sons. As a family they enjoy board games, hiking, and other outdoor pursuits.
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