SIFTED

Sifted.

Oh, the journey of a name!  This blog has had a name for two years, but is just now being birthed! Talk about a long “pregnancy”…

But I was being sifted.  That whole process just takes some time, ya know?

So, what does “sifted” have to do with anything?!

One of my favorite things in Scripture is wheat. For years, I’ve been obsessed pouring over Bible verses and pictures of wheat fields! I’m also really fascinated with the process of how wheat is harvested.

Reaping. Gleaning. Threshing. Winnowing. Sifting. Collecting.

In the Bible, these are a few of my favorite wheat related stories: Ruth was a gleaner (which is someone who walks behind the reaper and collects the stalks of wheat that have been left behind). I’d love to have coffee with her, and have her talk me through the process. Gideon wanted to avoid drawing attention from his enemy, so he processed his wheat in a wine press. Then there were the disciples. They were known to walk through fields and grab a handful of wheat as a snack. Oh, and let’s not forget that Satan wanted to sift them like wheat.

But to be honest, there’s just something “free” about wheat. I love how it dances in the fields. I love how the sun is reflected off of it. I love knowing that there have been generations affected by wheat and the processing of it. I also love how complicated it is, and that a million different beautiful things that can be created with it (complicated status and all)!

Because all of the above describes us, right?

Free. Dancing. Reflective. Processors. Complicated. Creative.

There’s just something so “life giving” in the messiness. Something so “God” in all that.

Some of my sweetest times with the Lord have come from me crying it out during a time of being sifted…while the impurities are being stripped away.  Of course, they didn’t taste or feel sweet at the time, but the memories and journal entries are some of my favorites.

One of the things the Lord is sifting out of my life right now is busyness.  I’m on a quest to find REST!

This coming Friday, November 21st, will be the first time to observe Shabbat in my home.  I can hardly wait!

I’ve been an honored guest in a friend’s home for Shabbat once, but I have never been the one to light the candles, say the blessings, etc.  I’m nervous and excited all at the same time.

Sabbath is a new sifting for me. You can follow my journey or better yet, join me! In fact, I’ve been waiting for the right timing…for a “go ahead” sign from God to release and publish this blog. It’s been a 2-3 year project that I’ve kept in the recesses of my heart. I’ve deleted many previous entries not knowing when and where to start. It’s all be a part of the process. I am guaranteeing right now that I’ll mess it up along the way, but years from now I know I’ll be glad that I took this first step.

Just like the priests had to stick their toes in the swollen Jordan River before it would part (see Joshua 3), I’m proverbially sticking my toe in the water and inviting a holy rest into my life. I pray you’ll do the same!

Lord, please sift the busyness out of my life and teach me how to Sabbath well. Amen.

Tags: bible, disciples, gideon, ruth, sabbath, sift, sifted, wheat

This entry was posted on November 22, 2014 at 9:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.