the key is listening.

I don't think that this summer could have ended any better than it did, not to sound cheesy or anything.  I was given the opportunity to go spend a weekend in Huggins, MO to help out in the kitchen during the JRLC summer-fest/back to school retreat.  I went in to it understanding that for the majority of the time I would be working, but what I didn't know was how much I would learn from the experience.  I worked for a woman named Robin, she is probably the most intense person I've ever met, but with a kindness and understanding that certainly out ways her fierce first impressions.  And while working for her I learned a lot about myself such as my innate ability to "zone out." I'm a right brained person, which means to understand something I usually need to have it explained and demonstrated before I try it myself.  I learn best by seeing not by hearing.  But God took that preconceived notion I had of myself and threw it out the window when He unleashed this working-machine-woman in my life and let her loose on the rampage.  And every effort I put into the kitchen that weekend seemed to fail miserably but, with the understanding that God gave Robin for someone like me, she just kept reminding me that God put me there for a reason.  I've come to understand that sometimes, which is most of the time for me, God will work things together that will seem chaotic and crazy and I won't understand until it's over and I look back and say, "oh, I see what you did there." At the retreat though, that wasn't the case.  I was in the worship meeting the second night of the retreat and as I was praying I felt that unmistakable,  still, small, voice say, "hush." So I did.  After I finally slowed down and tried listening to God instead of always doing the talking, I realized how much He wanted to tell me.  That whole weekend turned into a lesson of listening.  Something I've always tended to neglect - especially when it comes to instructions.  Out of that weekend though, I learned how important it is to completely listen to every word and not try to guess how it's going to end.  God showed me that I do that with not only human instruction but also with His, I'll take in half of what I read in the Bible or heard at church and then let the rest go in one ear and out the other, I realized that to know God's Word better, for a right brained person like myself, I have to study it, understand the example He gave us, and then practice it in my own life.  Reading all of this back to myself, it all sounds so trivial or elementary but I think that's also why it's so easy for, not just me, but any one to fall into doing. We're all products of our environment and the american environment is all about moving faster and making life easier, but I learned the hard way to slow it down, listen first, work hard by putting everything you've got into doing what ever it is you're doing, and talk last.  It's simple, but when I finally took the time to hear it it was profound.  Obviously i'm still working on it, struggling, but reassured to know that I've already overcome any obstacle that might come before me.  More than listening, God is teaching me more of who I am in Him and not who my sinful nature pushes me to be.  I'm excited for this new journey I'm on and with a new camera to document it all.  I hope the realization I had encourages you as much as it did me - enjoy the iPhone pictures I took while at retreat - have a great weekend!