beWARM

Picture yourself in a remote campsite, sleeping under the stars, without a tent.

Upon awakening, you feel the droplets of dew that have sprinkled down through the night. The ambient air is a pleasant temperature, so you feel surprisingly invigorated.

Such a lovely image…though I am not sure I have the fortitude to brave the elements in such a way at this stage of life. (Raccoons, coyotes, and bears….Oh my!!!)

Back when I was in my early 20’s and less hesitant (or clueless, I’m not sure which), we did exactly that on a canoeing trip in the Adirondacks.

The beginning was not so auspicious.

Aside from never having hiked or camped before, I was also newly pregnant.

So breaking the zipper on my only pair of jeans at the start of the journey didn’t ease my trepidations one bit.

My multiple nocturnal visits to the open air loo had my fingers fumbling with safety pins, accompanied by the thunder of my palpitating heart.

My sweet husband was kind enough to stand guard outside for “bear protection”, allaying my fears for the first couple of nights until I had the courage to venture out alone.

The whole experience was actually very pleasant, aside from the night when I was so happy to get to shore that I caused the contents of our canoe to be dumped in the lake. (At which time one of our traveling companions shouted, “Get the bread!”)

We pitched our tent that night on a slanted rock and slept in our dampened sleeping bags, after my tears subsided. (I blamed those pregnancy hormones.)

And we did enjoy the bread with our dinner.

What surprised me was that my courage quotient increased proportional to the length of the trip…and by the fifth night, we slept without our tents.

The dewy morning awakening was beautifully invigorating.

My morning devotional suggests that sitting quietly with God can have the same effect, resulting in the quieting of our minds – and providing a clear, unfettered backdrop for the day.

As dew refreshes grass and flowers during the stillness of the night, so (God’s) presence revitalizes you as you sit quietly with (Him). ~ Jesus Calling, parentheses mine.

Can we be brave enough to leave the protection of our “tents”, removing any obstacles that hinder us from spending time with God, and just be still?

Perhaps we can begin by daring to “open up our flaps” so He can enter in; He will help us remove the rest of our protective barriers.

Once we are in this peaceful space, we can fully receive God’s presence…

…and feel the replenishing, lasting condensation of His love.

For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. ~ 1 Corinthians 14:33

Click here to read today’s full devotional from Jesus Calling.