Power Source

Recently I have been hopping on my bike and enjoying lengthy bike rides. Cycling is a great way to get my legs in shape and enjoy some cardiovascular exercise while enjoying the outdoors. Sights and sounds I wouldn't normally see or hear from a car can be experienced while exploring the area on a bike. By just listening a little on these bike rides, I have heard unusual bird species, children playing in the distance, streams bubbling over rocks, and the breeze flowing through the trees.

Last week I ventured onto a trail, and after a few minutes, turned the corner and found myself riding underneath a giant power station. Dozens of massive power lines spanned the area over my head - blanketing this otherwise rural location with gigantic spheres of power. As I headed west on the trail and pedaled underneath the power lines, I noticed a substantial buzzing sound coming from above me. It was actually a bit frightening because I sensed the immensity of the voltage flowing through the lines.

The power lines are capable of producing electricity for thousands of businesses and homes in the area. I can't really measure or comprehend the extent to which these lines send power to our community, however, hearing the buzzing sound above me so distinctly, I was reminded of the vast power source right above my head available to the surrounding area.

After going about three miles on the trail, I turned around and headed back east. This time, approaching the power lines from the opposite direction, the buzzing sound could no longer be heard. The wind was hitting my face and drowning out the power around me. No doubt the buzz was still happening in that same spot - the electric lines were still carrying massive amounts of power where needed. The difference was I couldn't hear it. The wind against my face was so strong it erased the presence of the power. Sure, I still saw the lines, knew they were there and what they could do. Yet without the experience of that strong buzzing sound, they were really just sticks joined by wires in the sky.

There is truly no greater power than that of the Holy Spirit. The strength He offers believers is even more immense than the power lines that were above my head that day on the bike trail. God is always there, but sometimes we don't experience His presence because the wind is blowing in our face. The sound of trouble or distractions literally drown out our ability to hear and experience the vast power source available to us.

We arrived in Cape Cod yesterday, and this morning I was helping my mom plant some begonias around a large tree in her front yard. Busy placing the plants in strategic locations, making sure the hole was dug just so and the delicate flowers or seedlings did not get damaged, my focus was on the task around me. The spot is also on a slight incline, so it was a bit of a challenge bending over and keeping the watering can upright as I worked my way around the tree. Busy focusing on the job, I didn't notice other sights or sounds around me. Getting tired though, I decided to sit down. For the next few minutes I rested my legs, sat in the shaded grass, and let out a sigh or two. Just then, in the midst of my resting, I began to hear some things around me. In the middle of my busyness a few minutes prior, I had not noticed birds chirping, squirrels scurrying, or the breeze moving through the leaves. Those things were there all along, but now I was fully aware of their presence.

Across the street from this tree, and about fifty feet above the nearby house, I heard an unusual bird calling. Circling overhead was an osprey! Now that isn't a bird a girl living in Virginia sees every day! As I sat and observed the bird's patterns, I began thinking of some plans Jonathan and I have for our future. There are some things we would like to see happen that haven't happened yet. I gently sighed again and then began to hear a whisper to my spirit - "My ways are not your ways... My thoughts are not your thoughts...your ways are not My ways." It was God. I can plan all I want. But what I think is going to happen now may not happen for months to come - if at all. But yet as I stopped, rested, and heard this message, I felt comfort in knowing God has got it no matter what.

The Holy Spirit wishes to speak to us on a regular basis, and He does so in various forms. For me, it is often a gentle internal voice and is usually God's own words as found in Scripture. His power is right there all around us, like the power lines were. It is a vast, beautiful, comforting, and purposeful power source offered freely to us. However, if we are too busy working or focused on a million things rather than sitting and just listening sometimes, we are like I was that day heading east on the bike trail. The wind will drown out the power.

Resting takes practice and is not something I am personally very good at. Notice that as I worked hard planting the flowers, focusing on their placement and safety during the process, it wasn't until I was tired that I stopped to rest. Thankfully, God chose to honor my choice to rest by sending me a beautiful message. I wonder though what I missed prior to that while I was so busy performing my duties in the dirt! Similarly, while heading back through the power station area on the bike trail last week, what if instead of choosing to ride right through that area with the wind hitting my face, I had stopped riding for a few minutes, pulled off the trail, and just stood in that spot to listen? I bet I would have heard the power buzzing through those lines again.

I'm finding more and more that by removing the things from the scene that are distracting me, making a conscious effort to stop and rest, the power source that is there for my spirit has the proper environment to communicate. It takes a conscious choice, but in doing so, we can clearly recognize the presence of the perfect power that is all around us.