Stirred is the difference between living and living for God.
I don’t exactly know when the Holy Spirit began to stir me. I guess he has all along. It’s just a little nudge in my gut. I’m sure you’ve felt it too although you may not have known what it was. I encourage you to listen for it, to wait for it. I encourage you because this is the compass of your soul.
For many years I have said that I just need someone to point me in the right direction and push. I know what to do from there. Automatically I know what to do. And there are times that I feel as though I’ve stumbled on the right direction but then nobody said “ready, set, go!” I’ve been waiting for years for that starting pistol to go off. Really what I wanted was a parent to tell me what to do. But because my parents died so young I didn’t have that. Alright, I need a mentor to take up my talents and tell me these would work out so much better over here, you’ll be so appreciated over here. But there was no mentor to come forward. Then, I thought, oh, I need a life coach to tell me what I need to do. No, I don’t. That guy didn’t tell me anymore than what I already knew. And I told myself after that, if this doesn’t work, I’m giving up on ever knowing.
I don’t have to give up and I don’t have to have someone to point me in the right direction and push. I’ve had that all along. I’m like Dorothy, I have always had the power. I have always had the Holy Spirit. He hasn’t taken me by the shoulders and turned me around (except at that one time maybe). He hasn’t pushed. But I will tell you what he has done. He has sent butterflies into my belly to get excited about something. He has made my face flush when I have a good idea. He has made me turn around in my car to go check on something. He has made me regret not doing something. He has put my heart at peace. This he has all done with a stir.
Thank goodness. I don’t know if I would be able to handle being shaken. If he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook the devil out of me I don’t think I would have responded. He hasn’t shaken me into submission. He has not caused knots in my gut. He has not risen my blood pressure over the limit. He has not hindered my driving. He has not called me every 5 minutes nagging me with that person I didn’t want to talk with. He has not shaken my heart to be peaceful. He knows when I need to be shaken but usually he is stirring me to be aware that the shaking is coming my way.
All this he does for me because he knows that I want to live for God and through God and in God. And he’s right.