Okay Company Girls – grab a big mug and pull up a chair for a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate).  I think I’ll make some coffee cake this morning cuz I always feel like baking when they predict a “Major Winter Storm” is coming…

It’s been a busy week – Curly has had another bout with asthma, but the breathing treatments really help head off the bad stuff we’ve dealt with in previous years.  I’ve been able to get some studying done, and we got to visit the library TWICE this week, so it’s been a good week.

As I’ve been studying and listening to lectures in my counseling classes this week, we’ve started digging into the variety of mental disorders and issues that people deal with.  There are books filled with the study of these mental disorders – some physiological, some psychological, and some a mixture of both.

As we’ve studied and discussed our impressions and lessons learned, it is becoming so apparent how important it is to be walking in the Spirit every day – whether you’re a mom at home raising kids or whether you’re a professional counselor working with people on a professional level.

Do you know the Spirit?

I had to admit in one of my discussion boards that honestly – I have not known the Holy Spirit much in my life.  It is not that I am not aware of His presence – but I have not fully developed a relationship with Him.  How odd to come to that realization.

I know God the Father – Abba, the I AM, Lord God Almighty.

I know Jesus Christ – my Saviour, my Redeemer and King, the Lamb of God, the Risen One.

But the Spirit?  Hmmmmm.  The Comforter.  The one who speaks with groanings on my behalf to the Father.  And yeah, that’s where it has pretty well been for many years.

>So in my studies and in my personal prayer time, I’m learning to pray in a way that speaks to the Spirit, too.  It’s like a whole new world is opening up.

Kinda reminds me of when I went snorkeling off Grand Cayman Island 8 years ago.  I was on a cruise with my best friend, and we were part of a group that went out on a boat to go snorkeling and swimming with sting rays.  First, we all got out of the boat in about 15 feet of water.  We were swimming around getting used to the feel of the water (and the fact that I was swimming in water where the possibility of a shark coming by was not entirely out of the question).

I could see the shadows of rocks at the bottom of the ocean, dark and grey reflecting in the clear blue water. But when I put my face in the water, it was like an EXPLOSION of color came shining through my snorkel mask.  I could see almost every color possible.  It was literally breathtaking and I could not get enough of it.  The coral was brilliant and the sun’s ray’s would come shining through the water and highlight new spots of color and shapes.  The salty water was warm and inviting, and all thoughts of a shark literally dissolved in the incredible beauty I was seeing for the first time.

Taking my face out of the water, the sun was so bright and all the views that I previously thought were just gorgeous paled in comparison to the riot of color I’d just seen.

I think that’s what the Holy Spirit does for us.  We’re floating along (literally sometimes) and everything is wonderful and beautiful, and then we start to take a deeper look and the Spirit reveals amazing discovery.  We haven’t changed position – we haven’t gone anywhere new.

Maybe we’re reading that same passage of Scripture we’ve read many times for years – and all of a sudden, the Spirit reveals a new nugget of truth – and it’s like God’s Word opens up a completely new view of Who He Is and it’s breathtaking and awe-inspiring and totally amazing.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn how to practically minister to others – in real, tangible ways – but even moreso for the opportunity to GO DEEPER in my relationship with the Lord in the process.

(I don’t have digi versions of my pics from snorkeling or I’d post them.  I’ll just have to go snorkeling again sometime and take new ones…)

And yes, I DID go swimming with sting rays.  I held one as a matter of fact.  It was TOTALLY awesome. But that’s a story for another time.

Be sure to visit Home Sanctuary for more Company Girl Coffee conversations…