Photo by Laura Fuhrman on Unsplash

“That’s crazy!” My husband responded.

But we are trying not to use that language. So we corrected each other. “That’s normal life as a Christian,” we corrected ourselves.

But deep down, we thought, “That’s kind of crazy.”

The crazy hasn’t become routine yet, though if you peruse through this writing, some published and some not (I’m working on it!), you may see hints, blips, or sparks of true Christian livening peeking through the darkness of this writing.

You may see moments where He has been showing up.

And though it is not every day that such experiences happen, they are happening more frequently, as we have been pressing into Him in prayer, scouring our Bibles like thirsty drunks, and asking more profound questions of others in our community.

As we surrender more fully and squeeze moments to pray from the busyness of the day, we have noticed His tangible presence more often. He is always with us – yes – but perhaps a more mute version of Jesus is who we expect. And actually, it is not that Jesus is mute but, more accurately, that we’re deaf. The volume of the noise of our life is turned up so high that we can’t hear Him for the headache-inducing drum beat.

Anyway, here is what happened.

I paid for my to-go coffee and snack.

Leave a tip, I sensed the Lord nudge as I hesitated on the “Add a tip” button.

It was a to-go item. Do they need a tip? I sensed God’s compassion for the barista for a moment. What would it be like to work in this cafe that hardly anyone comes to, and people are brisk all day as they get their coffee? He looked downcast, and I unwillingly felt my heart go out to him.

I had just quickly snipped that I wanted X decaf coffee with one pump of X syrup, and . . . I was in a hurry, ok?! So . . .

I didn’t leave a tip.

Did I hear from God? Maybe not. How can one REALLY be sure anyway and . . .

After paying for my coffee, I handed back the Interac machine, and my mind involuntarily returned to the growing rush of to-do items coming at me during my day like an ever-increasing tsunami. But then, I again sensed that still small voice, gently and patiently. Leave a tip. He spoke again as if I hadn’t just ignored Him. That’s when I noticed a tip jar.

I am trying to grow in obedience, and if I’m honest, all that change in my wallet is a drag, so I dropped one of the heavy, annoying coins into the tip jar.

Immediately after this, I felt a profound wave of God’s love for this young person working as a barista. I felt God say the word Mine, and I knew this young man was one of God’s children, whether he realized it himself or not. At the same time that I heard those words, I felt God’s love for him, which was overwhelming. It made me want to cry. Of course, theologically, this is only a tiny bit of God’s love for this person, but that small amount felt so overwhelming to me.

And that was enough.

Sensing more love for another is enough. God showed up. Love was passed, invisibly, imperfectly to another because God showed up.

But there was more.

And there was a surprise. But perhaps these surprises should become less surprising because we are learning to dance with God. And I’ll finish this story next time.

For now, how do we accept God’s invitation to dance with Him?

• We expect God to speak, not only at church but even and especially in the most mundane of places. (Did you hear God asking you to dance?)
• We get up after we fall. That day, would I tip the second time He nudged me? (What is God patiently whispering to your heart again?)
• We obey the nudges of His Spirit. We get up and dance. (Will you rise from your seat and take His outstretched hand?)
• We open our hearts to God’s love for others, as our hearts overfill with His love for us, as we are held close to His cheek, dancing with Him. (Will you let God open your heart to sense his love for those around you?)

As the song below plays, consider giving some thanks to God and then ask Him, “How are you asking me to dance? Do I hear Your invitations?” Sit quietly as the song plays. What does your heart sense?

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will.

Expect love, love, and more love! . . .

You’ll resume your singing,

grabbing tambourines and joining the dance.

The Message

God, help us hear your invitation to dance with You more clearly, we pray. Clean out our ears. Clean out our hearts to notice the people You love all around us, we pray. Help us learn to touch them with the love for them that You want to pass through Your arm, to our hand, to touch their hearts, we pray.

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