Following

It’s safe to say that I spend a fair amount of time jotting down ideas and chasing words.  There are so many of them to wrangle together and capture on paper.  The problem I find is that many times the words I chase seem to have a life of their own.  They run away from me and I must hunt them down and force them to convey my thoughts and feelings.  They are like stubborn children, refusing to do as they are told, only becoming more willful against me when I become angry with them.

However, if I can take a moment to pause and quiet all that is around me, I find that my words meander down a path where I am no longer the leader but the follower.  They take me to the hidden places in my heart and mind and soul.  Places that I might typically keep behind a locked door.  These words, however, like small crickets in the night slip under and around the barricades.  They steal in, chirping their wings, and lead me forth.  And I follow them.  If I am lucky enough, I get to follow them.  And that is the best time of all with my words. 

When I am lucky enough to follow, it means that I am allowing the words to come to me rather than chase them down.  When I take the time to quiet my mind, listen to my heart and sit in the stillness, I discover that my words speak more eloquently than I ever could.  They find meaning and purpose when I let them come from the space I have created around me.  When they are handed to me like an exquisite gift that I am fortunate enough to unwrap.  And that ability to follow makes all the difference in the world. 

Knowing when to lead and when to follow can be difficult.  When to stop forcing something and start allowing instead.  Especially when following can be viewed as subservient in a world where everyone wants to be the leader.  To be able to follow, we must first be able to conceive that we may not have all the answers and that we are not perfect. If we can do that, however, we can allow God’s grace to flow into our lives.

God gives us many opportunities to follow Him.  To connect with Him.  If you don’t believe me, just step outside. I see Him everywhere I go.  He paints the sky for me each morning.  He sends refreshing rains to renew the Earth and lift my soul. On a warm summer evening, He whispers a soft goodnight on the breeze.

During these times of quiet solitude, I can connect and listen and know that God is speaking to me and through me.  And, that His words will always be more beautiful and more heartfelt than mine could ever be.  And I am grateful that I get to follow every single one of them.