Just these two words He spoke
changed my life,
"Enjoy Me."
What a burden I thought I was to carry -
a crucifix, as did He.
Love once said to me, "I know a song,
would you like to hear it?"
And laughter came from every brick in the street
and from every pore
in the sky.
After a night of prayer, He
changed my life when
He sang,
"Enjoy Me."
by Teresa of Avila
In her book, An Altar In The World, Barbara Brown Taylor recounts being in seminary and all her fellow students were talking about God revealing to them His perfect plan for their lives, where they would go, what they would do, with whom they would do it. She however, only heard silence.
So she hatched a plan that was certain to compel Christ to reveal her specific destiny. She planned to climb out on the roof of an abandoned building and call out to God to answer. She would show up every night at the same time and offer herself. God would surely show up with tickets to Mexico or call her to a celibate lifestyle. Maybe He would give her the blueprints for an orphanage in Calcutta. Something.
After a month of silence she was desperate and cried out to God to tell her what He wanted her to do. A soft answer came back, "Do what you love and belong to Me."
When I read Teresa's poem and yielded my soul to the invitation, "Enjoy Me", I could not help but feel the pure, lovely, unembellished truth of it. The humble, graceful truth. The truth set free like barefoot children on the beach, toes in the sand, connected to life. The truth that Christ is in all and calling out for us to be simply joyful with and in Him.
My every day life needs laughter that descends from the sky and rises from the street. I want to hear Jesus sing to me about the fullness, the pleasantness of it. I want to take off my socks and toss then into the ocean. The ocean where my sins have sunk into the black deep never to be resurrected.
Two words and I am all toes.
"Enjoy Me."
Are you coming with me?
He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy. Psalm 105:43
Grace's Toes by Kimberly Lorentzen
Posts
Kathy, I read this and tears welled up in my eyes.... I have forgotten to enjoy HIM... I have been so focused on the challenges that I had forgotten, or maybe even lost the JOY He is..... thank you for your words, authored by a spectacular God who reached through your words to kiss me and reminds me that He longs to be ENJOYED... and my soul cries YES!!
ReplyDeleteI know just how you feel. I sometimes think I am that piece of furniture that has changed hands and every time got one more layer of paint covering the real finish. But Jesus breaks the bread and hands it to me and says, "Enjoy Me" and the years dissolve and the wood glows rich with communion. I cry with you, Yes and Yes!
DeleteA soft answer came back, "Do what you love and belong to Me." Doing what I love - The truth set free like barefoot children on the beach, toes in the sand, connected to life. Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of doing what I love and being able to "enjoy you"! Love what you wrote, Kat, so pure. . .RS
ReplyDelete"Do what you love and belong to Me." That this answer surprises us (me) shows how addicted we are as humans to the idea of earning our way to Heaven. -K
ReplyDelete