I woke up to the wonderful sounds of my children running and playing early this morning!  I love waking up hearing them, it’s such an awesome reminder of joy and blessing and life.  Then like a huge hammer smashing my wonderful dreams of happiness I hear my youngest run down the hallway screaming at her sister “I’m not listening to you la la la la la la la la.”  I chuckled and was reminded of the many times I said the very same thing to my siblings growing up.  Then I was struck with the thought of how often I still do the very same thing.  Now don’t get me wrong, you won’t catch me running down the hallway yelling at John Colegrove “I’m not listening to you la la la la la la.”  But there are times, probably more than I care to admit that I stick my fingers in my ears and yell up to God “I’m not listening”  It may not be an overt thing, most of the time it’s a subtle ignoring or looking away from whatever uncomfortable truth He is speaking in my heart.  What about you?  Ever have those moments when you know you are getting close to something that is a little tender in your heart.  A memory, an old wound, a hidden sin.  God does His thing and draws our attention to a place in our lives He wants to change and often times our first reaction is to stick those fingers in the ears and head on through life continuing to believe the lie that we have it all together.

Feeling the challenge of God in my heart today, that when I get near to those times when I feel a little uncomfortable, and have an urge to stick my fingers in my ears to instead turn my head and look the Father in the eye and face the change He desires for me.  Because when we go through the sometimes painful and uncomfortable process of change, healing and freedom always waits on the other side!

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15:1-4

Lord help us to pull our fingers from our ears and enter into your pruning so that we may be healed, free and bear fruit as followers!  Next time I hear my daughter yell “I’m not listening la la la la”  I will remember the uncomfortable and awesome change that awaits my own heart.

Looking forward to worship on Sunday!

In Christ

Jon