Stepping on the shoot.

Every morning, I start the day by sitting on my couch in my office.

Usually, I sit and stare and try to make comprehensible syllables with my brain's mouth as I talk with my Father.

But today, I decided to read some from Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas, and had to get up immediately.

I had to write something.

First off, I'm well aware it's not Christmas, but I figure the Christmas story is for every day of the year.

Secondly, Ann hit me hard with this quote in particular:

"Because in the rush, in the hurry, in our addiction to speed–it might just be a bit like stepping on the shoot that sprouts from the stump." 

The stump she's referencing is Jesus, who grows from Jesse's broken family tree to become the Savior of the world.

And what Ann communicates so beautifully here is what's been on my heart for a good while now.

I spent my previous church season rushed, harried, and hardly had time for the people in my circle.

Can anyone relate?

It felt like breaking God's heart–that I was hearing the Word, but not doing it. I was more Martha than Mary, and had tricked myself into believing that I must do "all the things" to be a good servant of God.

But who was I really serving?

I guess I'm writing this to tell you not to ignore the Holy Spirit. Don't ignore God's still, small voice. And remember, Jesus never ran around like a chicken with its head cut off.

I can't tell you how many people I know and love who have fallen into this stupor like I did, only to sacrifice the meaningful relationships right in front of them "in the name of serving Jesus."

Maybe serving Jesus isn't always so loud and obvious, and dare I say, abrasive.

Maybe it's small and still, and speaks when no one's watching, and doesn't care how many people are sitting in the pews or how much money is tithed.

Maybe it cares more about the change within our hearts and the outward fruit, the expression of this change to those we hold dear, and even more importantly, to those we don't.

May we sprout gently like the shoot and bear intentional fruit in the name of Jesus.