Shake Me Up

I was folding laundry earlier this afternoon when I felt the ground start to tremble beneath me. It was not a scary, the sky is falling trembling, more like a fun 'wiggling'. Since it persisted for about 30 seconds straight, I thought it was fair to assume that this was more than just our upstairs neighbors or a large piece of farm equipment coming down our street. My suspicions were confirmed after texting friends and family and talking to a few people outsde- I had just been in my first (hopefully my last, I guess) earthquake!  This Tuesday fast has been wonderful in helping me start the day off with a great sense of purpose, praying for God's spirit to be present and lay on my heart needs of others. But today I was just not that energized. The kids and I were out most of the morning and by the time they laid down for their naps, I was definitely feeling like joining them. Before I could, however, I decided it made sense to fold and put away the laundry that was scattered all over the living room- the couch, the drying racks, the floor- you know how it is! I had this sort of ho-hum attitutude about it and since I was starting to get hungry I was just looking forward to a nice nap to relax and pass the time until dinner. Now I'm not saying that God sent this 6.0 earthquake from VA to DC just to stir me up, but after this event, I didn't feel like sleeping any more. I was just in awe of the world, felt connected to others on this planet in other places where people felt it, and my strength was renewed. Then this verse came to mind:

"This day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" Neh 8:10

Next time I am feeling ho-hummish about my day, I may try and create a spirtual earthquake of sorts- looking all around, seeing creation in a whole new powerful way, feeling connected to my neighbors, and drawing in the renwed joy and strength that I know God wants to provide. He drew me back to Him in prayer and blogging, and entered into mundane tasks to fill them with joy.

God tells us in His Word that he draws people to himself, but it also tells us to seek him with all of our heart and we will find Him. I am thanksful to God for stirring in my heart, and pray that this blog is just one way I am trying to respond and seek Him more deeply. But up to this point, I have not told anyone that I have been writing it- I think my two followers happened upon it by accident and stuck around- yay! But I think that welcoming more family and friends to read this blog could 'shake me up' even more, destroy compacency by increasing accountability, expand my scope of prayer and view of God at work in the world, and maybe inspire other ho-hummers to really seek after God with me- through prayer, fasting, or otherwise. So if this is the first entry you are reading- thank you and welcome! Please consider yourself on this journey with me by responding in any way you feel led- questions, prayer requests, funny stories of your own, thoughts on fasting, writing tips, etc. This blog and I are a work in progress, but we're havng fun!