I've been realizing more and more that while there are huge differences between what is holy and what is secular, the life of someone in Christ is somewhat of a splatter paint job between the two. Moreover, "listening to the Spirit" seems so connected to a proper ordering of the life. Everything seems to be interconnected, what some people call holistic. What I've seen in my own life lately, especially through giving up fast food for lent, is an appreciation for stillness. In that stillness creation happens. It could be something as simple as boiling water to cook noodles in, but I'm learning about God. I'm learning about creating, about the image we were made in. And then there's washing dishes. I've found that I can get swept away in it. I'll lose track of my "schedule" and exist then and there. That's what I've been praying for: to be able to exist more fully in what I'm doing when I'm doing it. If it's prayer, then I'll be fully praying. If it's study, then I'll be fully into Latin America. If it's cooking, then it's ingredients and motions. And yet, I keep colliding with God in these mundane things. When I stop worrying about schoolwork when I'm not working on it, or about my future plans when all I have is today, God meets with me and I know I'm loved. I'm starting to understand that "listening to the Spirit" is like hitting the proper notes while playing a song. Maybe an even better example would be hitting the notes on guitar hero...although a lot less frantic.
may my love go free
