Pull Up a Chair


I replaced the old wicker chair in my guest room with a new one that seems a little more inviting. The new chair, with soft gray fabric and shiny silver upholstery tacks, seemed to be calling my name as I strolled by it in TJ Maxx. My old wicker chair was inflexible and uncomfortable, making my guests sit straight and stiff. I wasn’t sure I should replace a vintage chair with a new one. But when I asked my sister’s opinion, she thought the new chair was adorable and offered to take the old one to the resale shop for me. With sisterly approval given, I decided it was time for a new chair.

When I got it home, the shape seemed perfect for the small corner of my guest room. I put a tiny feather pillow on the chair. The pillow gives the chair a vintage flair since my mother had sewn some of my grandmother’s old buttons on it. Now I'm hoping my new chair offers my guests an invitation to sit and unwind. 



My chair reminds me about the times God offers an invitation to me. Sometimes he asks me to step out and move forward and walk with him. Sometimes he offers me a place to sit and wait and rest with him. These times of waiting are not always in a comfortable place. I feel tense and anxious and worried, like I'm sitting in an upright hard-backed chair. But these uncomfortable places are where he shows me what I need to get ready for the next stage of my life's journey. And if I didn't have these times to wait, I'm not sure I would be as strong to take the next step in the direction I'm heading.

I had been in a waiting season for awhile when I felt God nudging me to step out and move ahead to write a blog. But so often on my blog journey, I have no idea what I’m going to write about. I sit with my hands on the keyboard ready to write. But they aren’t typing. I drum my fingers on the keys. I think. I go get a drink. I get a snack. I stare into space. Hoping an idea will ignite like a lightning bolt. It doesn’t. 



But I start typing anyway. A thought. A memory. Something I did last week. And then a few sentences eke out. Eventually I have a paragraph. My thoughts jog over to another idea that sparked from the sentence I just typed. Now I have a few paragraphs. They might be unrelated. They always need reworked. They definitely need polished. But at least I’ve got something to start with.

And then as I’m writing, it’s as if I feel God pull up a chair and sit beside me. It’s inexplicable. A phrase, a few words, a sentence comes to my mind that wraps up the paragraphs on the page like a ribbon on a package. He takes the words and uses them to make them a blog post. Often I'm astonished, knowing what I started with. And how I felt like I had nothing to say.



I keep writing now because I feel like my blog is a little bit of a miracle come to life. Even if writing it is just for me. Because I didn’t think I could possibly write words every week. I didn’t think I could take photos to go with the words I wrote. I didn’t think I was technology-savvy. I didn’t think I could do it. 

And when I wonder why God would even want to use my words, I’m reminded that most of all, he wants a relationship with me. He wants me to know him more. He wants me to experience him in ways I never knew about. He wants me to look for him and see him in every part of my day. He wants me to pull up a chair and sink deep into his promises. 

Where I find comfort and love and courage to get out of the chair when he calls my name and move toward the next place of promise that he has for me. To follow the next dream that he’s whispered to my heart.




I'm linking up with fellow God-sized dreamers today at GodSizedDreams.com. Click the image to read how their stories!


Comments

  1. Thank you for the comforting sentiment. I am stealing your idea of putting vintage buttons on a pillow! How crafty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's a good way to use the buttons for something fun!

      Delete
  2. LOVE the chair! The pillow adds just the right touch. I need to walk through your house one day for inspiration in decorating my own house! We both share a love for all things vintage. Not to mention your sister - I've told her I could live in her upstairs bonus room - LOL! -Shawna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shawna,
      I'm so glad you like the chair! Come on over -- although I think I'd love your house since you decorate professionally! And yes, Dee's bonus room is amazing -- I could live there too!

      Delete
  3. I almost cried when I read this: "And then as I’m writing, it’s as if I feel God pull up a chair and sit beside me." I love that thought, to think of a close and caring Creator who joins us when we join him. Thanks for sharing!
    Christy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christy,
      Much love to you, dear friend, as we both travel on our writing journeys . . .

      Delete
  4. I love the chair too! I feel much the same way as you in getting started now with my writing. Touching story of the rest that awaits us in our Father's arms.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan,
      I love how you are pursuing your God-sized dream of writing. You are stepping out and that takes courage!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading -- I love to hear your comments! To leave a comment, you can choose an ID in the "comment as" box or just choose anonymous. Choose your ID first, write your comment in the box and hit publish. Your comment will be visible just as soon as I can post it!

Popular Posts

Contact Details

I'd love to hear from you! Contact me at valerie@gracewithsilk.com or use the contact box at the bottom of the sidebar.