Carpe Diem

This year I am fortunate to have an extended spring break from work and a chance to visit my brothers.  As a result I've purposed to set aside time for written reflection in hopes of stirring my latent blogger desire.  

After a healthy dose of last minute preparations day one has brought me to my oldest brother's beautiful A-frame house nestled on the hillside of a modestly sized eastern ski slope.  I have been refreshed by the company and the atmosphere of this place.  My brother Gooch has a thoughtfulness and perspective that I admire.  His passion for life and the joy he shares with his children makes me proud.  The excellent dinner we shared was a small piece of the fabulous hospitality that he and Liz have demonstrated.  Their company is one that I too seldom share.

This morning as I was reading from the book of Exodus something really stuck out to me.  Here's the passage:

Exodus 3

¹ Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."

 ⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" 
      And Moses said, "Here I am."

God always desires to speak to us, and sometimes I wonder if I'm tuned to hear.  In the past when I have thought about this piece of Moses' life I rarely have thought about what would have happened if Moses didn't go over and look.  It makes me wonder if I miss moments when God is wanting me to come and take a closer look?  Leonard Ravenhill says that, "Opportunities of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity." 

I imagine this was an awkward decision for Moses, one of discomfort and uncertainty.  That is often the case when God is leading us into a deeper place of knowing Him.  At first it looks strange and uncertain.  Perhaps we chose to ignore the sign, the thought, the leading.  However when we respond glorious adventures are presented to us.  Reading this helps me prepare for those moments.  I'm okay with being inconvenienced and setting aside my agenda for the opportunity to experience the glorious. 

Father, keep me sensitive to these moments, day by day, I pray.