Let There Be Oil

In chatting w/ a friend this week, who was wanting to have a serious convo with her husband about some feelings she's been holding inside, I told her, "Tell it at the deepest level of truth you can."  No fluff.

Taking my advice for this post... 7:01 to now... just as it was, no fluff.

Woke up w/o my alarm at just that time...  which was funny cuz last text w/ C was him saying, "Call me 7:00 if up."  He's been w/ some buddies golfing this weekend.  Not the best weather for that, ew, in my book!

So 7:01 call to the hubs.
We chatted and then I just stayed on my phone, looking at pics and then downloaded a couple older ones to instagram... guess what time it was when i rolled out of bed then... 7:37 - man social media is a time sucker.  No biggie, got me lots of time today.

In fact, I quickly made my way right back to bed.  I have some meditations downloaded on my phone and did one of those before getting up.  It is one of my favorites of the moment and teaches me the sweet value of releasing the past and not planning for the future out of worry.  I've listened to this one a few times this past week and today was the first time I heard this message so loudly.   What joy there is in tuning into to destructive stories we play about the past and rewriting them in ways that foster healing.  And then I'm so someone who plans out of fear.  Plan to protect.  Plan to prevent ill will.  Ugg.  And being still has helped me to see how strongly this is ingrained in my behavior and what a false sense of peace it is.

As I ventured out of bed... it was well past 8 and the house was still dark... blinds were all closed still but the weather, being so stormy and cloudy all weekend, lent itself to the perfect lamp weather.  And I left the blinds closed and turned on most of the lamps in the house.  Love to turn on lamps at nite, and love even more to have them on during an overcast sunday morning where i've found myself with a juice and nothing to do.

As I was making this one, (9 carrots and 1 grapefruit), I was listening to someone's worship station on Grooveshark and it had lots of Jason Upton songs on it.  My juice making session went from it's normal 10 min to about 30...   as I sang along with Freedom Reigns and Mighty River.  Towards the end, my iPad cut out and I was just stilled in the silence.  And it was sovereign timing... the message from meditation, the turning on of the lamps, the worship - it all culminated in the true message of the moment, which was the Lord saying, "Shannon, fill your lamp w/ my oil... need me... thirst for me, want me, be full of me.  Erase the past with me, release the future to me, trust in me this moment & moment by moment, don't get weary in this leading, for you want to go, won't want to miss where I'm leading."

Following the juice making, came picture taking and blog posting :)

Matthew 25:1-13
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  

At midnight the cry rang out: "Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!"

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out."

"No" they replied, "there may not be enough for both us and you.  Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves." 

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.  The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.  And the door was shut.  

Later the others also came. "Sir! Sir!" they said.  "Open the door for us!"

But he replied, "I tell you the truth, I don't know you."

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.