Stop, Look and Listen — In the Wild+Wonder

A couple weeks ago we had a beautiful snow fall. Church got cancelled and Kody asked our girls if they'd like to go call in coyotes. Of course my little adventure lovers were screaming in agreement because this would be a first for them.

We got them dressed in snow pants, coats, hats and gloves. I told Kody I wish we had more neutral colors for them to wear besides they're pink and turquoise coats, but he reminded me that coyotes don't see color.

"Oh, yes, then they should be good!"

I don't think he really planned to actually call anything in, this was more of a learning experience for the girls. So the pressure was off, thankfully.

Locked and loaded they headed off to find a spot along a creek in the pasture.

Kody explained to me that both girls had a hard time making it to their spot because they kept tripping over frozen cow patties that were hidden by the fresh snow. He said every time he looked back to make sure they were getting along alright one would be recovering from her fall or one would be flat on her stomach. Darn cow patties! Not to mention that it was still snowing and the wind was starting to pick up. My tough cowgirls!

So finally they found their spot and sat and waited. Sat and listened. I'm sure if you know any 3 and 5 year old little girls, sitting still and being quiet is excruciatingly hard! They literally cannot sit still for more than a moment.

My patient husband was teaching them a life lesson in this instant.

Stop...stop the motion, the busyness, the chatter in your head and quiet your spirit. When you do this there's something that happens. You may be conscious of your breathing, the beat of your heart and you will even be able to feel what parts of your body are tense.

Look...look for what God is trying to show you. It may be a flashing light up sign that helps you make a wise choice when faced with a decision or more than likely it' something very subtle. God loves to use His creation to speak to His creation. Sunrises and sunsets are something that always speak to me. As well as my horses and cattle.

Listen...listen for God to speak to you. My Pastor says this usually is a thought or words that come into your mind that sound way smarter and deeper than anything you could come up with yourself. Let those words wash over you. Meditate and focus on them.

Learning to take time to do this everyday I promise you will open your heart up to hearing from God on a more intimate level. A place in the Bible that Jesus spoke on this Stop, Look and Listen was in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:38, Jesus said, "My heart is overwhelmed and crushed with grief. It feels as though I'm dying. Stay here and keep watch with me." Jesus was wanting His disciples to be praying, to be listening and to keep watching not for the betrayer and his men to come and haul off Jesus to prison but to be listening to what the Father's heart was in this solemn, consecrated time. Jesus was preparing His mind and body to take on the sin of the whole world. To be separated from His Father for the first time ever because He would have to go to the pit of hell first before He was resurrected. At the same time, these men who had spent every day of the last 3 years with Jesus would turn their backs on Him. They would be persecuted and run. They may have been spared of this if they would've followed Jesus's orders to stay awake, listen and pray.

Be careful to take time each day to do this...especially when things are going good. This will help sustain you when things go wrong, when persecution comes and you're left all alone. You'll be peaceful in knowing that you're hearing Papa, you've been sitting still long enough to see His love and hear His heart.

Much love,

Cooped Up Cowboy's Wife