The Little Things

I've realized a few things in the past few days, so I thought I'd share them.

If I've learned anything in my 23 years of life, it's that God usually speaks to me in three different ways:

1. Through nature

Countless times when I have had big or small decisions, or just get wrapped up in the societal pressures of making the most of my time, I try to make it outside. There's just something about the physical world he has placed us in that make things clear to me. If I can feel the wind, and see the trees, and the little grubs and insects, and see everything for its parts, not the whole, I feel better. Not only that, but I feel God speaking to me. I have made many big life decisions this way--and they've worked out, so I've determined this is one way how God gets to me.

2. Through dreams or semi-consciousness

Maybe I'm crazy, but I can't deny that this happens to me. Most often in that little area between falling asleep and being asleep, things pop into my brain that I know are truth, and I make a mental note to remember it. Since I'm not a person who actually writes down my thoughts a lot, especially when I'm finally able to be falling asleep, I make a mental note of it, and if it's a truth God wants me to remember, it's always the first thing on my mind when I wake up. For instance, this post came to mind in that state last night.

However, every now and then God gracefully helps me along in dreams. A number of times I have had a dream about a person that lingers over my head, and I learned a long time ago to pray. I found out pretty quickly that when I was dreaming about such a person, he or she was actually in need of that prayer. It's pretty cool to me--sort of like dreams are God's way of putting into my head what I should be praying for. Sometimes, he even allows me to make little decisions in my sleep. The other night I was stressing over a relatively minor decision that would have no drastic consequences, and I just couldn't make up my mind. I woke up the next morning to find out that I had made the decision in a dream, with all the pros and cons considered. It was actually pretty funny. And I'm grateful for this.

3. Through other people

When I say this, I don't mean a stranger walking up to me and laying a hand on me and saying "God wanted me to tell you your purpose in this life." I know that such things happen, and I think it is so amazing that people can step out in faith like that to speak to another, or to be at the receiving end of a conversation. What usually happens to me, however, is that someone in my life already will say something, or do something, and without even knowing, share God's truth with me. It's happened countless times, and has come from the mouth of Christian friends sometimes, but more often then not it has come from those who even deny that God exists or is doing anything in this world at all (which is very ironic). It's pretty cool to have someone tell you what God wants you to hear without them realizing--and without some big dramatic scene.

As I was thinking about these three things last night, trying to connect them in my brain, I realized that the primary idea connecting them all for me was that they all often centered on the little things. Whether it be finding 20 minutes in a day to stare at a leaf, or taking 2 minutes in the morning to pray for a friend whom I just had a dream was running away from some crazy monster, or in seeing an email in my inbox from a dear friend who just wanted to brighten my day by sending a little love, God uses these things more in my life than others. If I briefly glance at my Bible for 20 seconds in the morning, there is always a gentle reminder.

Another example--last night, I was talking on the phone with a close friend from college whom I hadn't gotten to speak to in a while, and it turned out that both of us were dealing with a similar issue in our lives, and both of us also felt there was no one we could talk to about it. I laugh now thinking about it, because we had been just storing it all up inside ourselves, not talking to anybody about it, when we could have been talking to each other. But again, God used my friend to remind me that he is there, listening to those thoughts I don't speak out loud, and finding people in my life to reassure me that he is there (and I hope he did the same for her).

Of course, the little things aren't always nice things. Often a small sentence leaked from someone's mouth convicts me so greatly that I actually have to do something about it. And sometimes I choose to ignore the little things because they are pushing me in a direction I don't want to go. Either way, I've determined that I can't really deny that this is how it happens.

I realize that this is just about me, but it is cool for me to think about all the different ways that God speaks to people. I encourage you to look for that in your life--you could be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised at what you find. The things is, once you know, you have to listen. :)