Apples of Gold

It is hard to believe that Apples of Gold is celebrating its first Anniversary. I am so thankful for the support and encouragement many of you have given me on this journey. As the first year of this venture comes to a close, I thought taking a look back at where it all began was fitting. While to many you of as readers it may be new, for those who helped launch Apples of Gold and have walked alongside me, I hope that you will glean new insight and encouragement.

Processing Your Pile

Lately I have found myself struggling with sitting still, both physically and spiritually.  I normally am laser-focused and productive.  My husband and I are on a much needed get away where I am spending the bulk of my time walking the beach and interacting with God.  Listening to the waves and soaking in the sun is probably the arena in which I feel most in tune with the voice of God.  

As I navigated the coastline yesterday morning I asked the Lord why I felt so disjointed and out of sorts.  I heard the gentle whisper: “You have been avoiding your pile.” 

This was not one of those conversations where I needed to ask what He meant by that or attempt to provide any resistance to accepting the reality of those words. It didn’t feel like a rebuke but rather a loving glimpse into the current reality I found myself in.

Avoiding my pile. Yep, I immediately recognized the truth of those words. I realized I had been acting like a toddler not wanting to listen to their parent; closing my eyes, putting my fingers in my ears, and pretending my pile wasn’t there. The kind way in which these words washed over me was an invitation from the One who loves me much more than I deserve to make a correction in my approach. My pile really feels more like Mt. Everest at the moment. Avoiding it had been a kind of self-preservation mechanism with unintended consequences. There are some serious things in my current pile ranging from family concerns, to church issues and like most everyone right now: “What in the world is going on in our nation?”

I began to systematically remove one item at a time from my pile and spread them out before the Lord.  Somehow dealing with each item individually was more approachable than staring down the gigantic pile of issues.  My concerns didn’t all vanish into thin air never to cross my mind again.  This is going to be a process, but it is a process that I am no longer avoiding.  

James 1:5 tells us:

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” 

Wisdom is something I desperately need on several fronts.  Decisions need to be made, difficulties need to be faced.  Somehow this Scripture means more after receiving the gentle reminder to process my pile.  

We all have a pile. Are you processing yours or avoiding it like I was? If you find yourself feeling discombobulated perhaps the issue is with your pile.  There are things in my pile that are too much for me to handle, but remember there’s nothing we go through that is too big for God.