Gathered

In church, on the radio, reading a devotional or from friends, we so often are told that God wants to hear from us ~ that we should pray and spend time with Him in our day. Well, I just love this verse I read this morning!

 

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him

all the things they had done and taught.

Mark 6:30 NIV

 

Right here we read, when Jesus was here on earth among us, He listened. They “gathered around” Him and told Him about their day…as if He didn’t already know! ♥

Oh dear Father, how often in Scripture You call out to us! You call us to come to You, to lean on You, to walk with You…it’s what your Word is all about ~ actively pursuing a relationship with You.

But, in our world we get so busy and distracted by the rush that we never stop to hear You in the pause. Sadly, we just do not gather round as a normal practice.

The gift You have given is that, in the space of gathering around You, we pause and “gather” our thoughts ~ You listen and clarify, You dust off the clutter of this world and help us thru each day. The gathering calls us back to You and Your purpose worked out in the day. For all that we may have “done and taught” is only at Your direction and by Your Grace.

 In the verse just after this Jesus responds to them…

“…Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Mark 6:31b

You know we do not walk this life alone, and in the Gathering, You offer each soul rest. Thank You that You sit, You gather us and remind us Who laid the path we are walking.

 

Your Word is a light for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 119:105

The Mockingbird

 I heard him yesterday morning, singing from the top of the trees. He sang, he flit around and then he sang some more. It was a pretty song today, but it isn’t always.

Mockingbirds are amazing! I like to think they have been given the gift of “bird speech”. Sitting next to a Clay-colored Robin they can whistle along with each other, or he can squawk at the parrot two branches over! Their songs reflect their relationships ~ their proximity to others and there, right in the middle of the squawk, is the lesson.

Who is sitting on the branches of our lives?

 I Corinthians 15:33 says…

  Don’t let anyone deceive you.

Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.

 

Over the years we’ve heard our Mockingbird friends sing some pretty tunes and some, not so pretty ~ Like the whole week we heard him singing out like the neighbor’s house alarm! OR the day he cracked and spewed like a Grackle. His abilities, his “gift” hasn’t changed ~  All his singing reflects is who he is hanging around and what his influences are.

 

Every day, every moment we get to choose light or dark / life or death in our words. There are days tho’, that we let our guard down and we find ourselves sitting with the “grackles”. We all have grackles… Maybe they are actual people, habitual phrases, bad habits or perhaps memories that hold us captive.

 

Lord, our prayer…our daily desire, is that You help us watch where we perch our souls’ ear, that what sings over our lives nurtures our souls’ steps with You.

Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words.

For they release sweetness to our souls and inner healing to our spirits.

Proverbs 16:24