Messages From the Spirit

Every once in a while Spirit sends me a message.  I can usually tell when this happens because I will get the same message from two completely unrelated sources. It used to freak me out a little bit but now it just energizes me.

The first time this happened was when a friend of mine first suggested the idea to me that I move from Los Angeles back to my native Vermont. At first I couldn’t imagine the idea. What, me leave my precious Los Angeles? Then we talked about it. What is so precious, the traffic? The two and a half-hour public transportation commute? The people that hassle you after hours on the train? Your ever rising property taxes and mortgage rates? Your stress level at your job? Who couldn’t live without all of that?

I quickly realized my friend was right. I was on anti-depressants and sleeping meds. I was completely stressed out by my commute and my job, which, in the wonderful world of Los Angeles Unified School District, was ever in flux. I had just broken up with a guy that was making me miserable. All I did was complain to her about my job, commute, and basically everything that had to do with the City of Angels.

I was worried though. I really was still trying to make go of it with my music and felt like I needed to be in Los Angeles to do that.

“Juliet, there is this thing now called the Internet. You can live wherever you want. You can have that cabin in the woods like you always wanted.”

I started to smile on the outside and on the inside. Was there any place to play music in Vermont though? What was their music scene like?  Is this something God wants for me or am I jumping the gun? Am I giving up on LA too soon? What if I make the wrong decision? Sigh.

So I told her I would pray about it. I did, all the way home from her office.

I stopped to get the mail on the way home. In my mailbox there was a copy of Vermont Life, with a cover story entitled “Discover Vermont Music.” I got chills down my spine. Okay God, I’m listening.

The second time I received a message from the Spirit from two unrelated sources was this past week. I’ve been listening to and studying the audio version of “Forgotten God,” by Frances Chan, where he talks about the Holy Spirit and how we need to bring it back into our lives and religious institutions. I’ve been praying a lot to the Holy Spirit, asking it to direct everything in my life from decisions to conversations, do my teaching for me, live my life, help me stop obsessing, save my brother-in-law, etc.

Well, ask and ye shall receive.  A few weeks ago I was on the edge of despair over my brother-in-laws illness and my sisters burdens with it.  I was grieving and sad for their situation to the point of codependency.  I was feeling horrible for a week at a time. So my friend called me on it. She said I go beyond sadness and grief into codependency by feeling their feelings.  She also said I need to learn to look at the positive side of everything. I can learn to see the positive in every situation if I only ask for Gods help and practice.  At least he is getting treatment, she said. How great for him to be living in the Bay area where the medicine is some of the best in the nation, instead of in the jungles of Africa. She said I needed to learn to apply this positive thinking to every area of my life.

Okay so I’ll practice that, I said to myself. I’ve been working on it.

This same week I began listening to my copy of  “The Me I Want to Be,” by John Ortberg. John is a minister and author and has put out many awesome books including “Faith and Doubt.” He has a fantastic voice and I recommend getting his books on audio, just for the sake of hearing him speak. Very cool voice and great rhythm of speech.  He definitely keeps your interest.

Mr. Ortberg stated that we have the power to change the way we think. We can approach life from a more positive point of view if we commit to changing our habit of negative thinking. We have to practice replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts. We can do this in all areas of our life and God is there to help. All we have to do is ask. Scripture is there to help too. God wants to help. God wants us to be the best we can be.

I felt the same chills down my spine. Okay God. I’m listening.