Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Bucee’s & Elijah

by 4 Comments

“There it is! That’s our exit! And look, it has a giant Bucee’s! Now we can grab a quick bite to eat before the conference.”

“More important, we can take a bathroom break!”

Bucee’s (pronounced BUCK-ez) is the absolute best road trip stop EVER. The bathrooms are clean. They have a variety of foods: fast food, junk food, fruit cups, cheese and crackers, BBQ sandwiches and more. They have snacks and groceries. The bathrooms are clean. You can tank up your car. And the bathrooms are clean. VERY CLEAN. That means a lot to us women folk.

The only downside to Bucee’s? The crowds. There are people everywhere. Bucee’s is popular, especially around lunch time. And that is exactly when Paige and I got there. 

 

The force of the crowd carried us along like an airport moving walkway. Inside, the crowd dispersed, some going to snacks, most going to the (very clean) restrooms. 

We meandered over to the t-shirt area. I wandered to the left, Paige to the right. Then I heard it:

“Aunt Ellen. Aunt Ellen.” A low whisper behind me. Had I been in a haunted house, I would have gotten the heebie jeebies. But I was in a crowded Bucee’s two states away from home, and not anywhere near any people I knew.

Thern, I heard it again. The quiet, hushed voice:

“Aunt Ellen, Aunt Ellen.”

Someone in Bucee’s must have an aunt with the same name as mine. Either that, or my subconscience was talking to me. And, if so, why was she calling me “aunt?” I couldn’t understand why she was talking to me at all. I hadn’t done anything that needed reprimanded. Had I?

“Aunt Ellen!”

I finally turned to the side a bit. Lo and behold, it WAS someone I knew: my great niece! She lived one state away from the Bucee’s we were in. What are the odds of seeing her there, much less hearing her sweet, almost a whisper, voice?

I am reminded of Elijah in 1 Kings. Elijah looked for God in the mighty wind, powerful earthquake and burning fire. But God was not there. It was not until Elijah heard the low whisper that he realized God was speaking to him. 

God’s work is not always done in a big, noisy way. And His voice is not always loud and booming. Sometimes it is a still, small whisper.

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV

Lord, give us ears to hear!

 

Short & Tweet: Birds Objecting, Holy Spirit Directing

by 4 Comments

Ahhhh, mornings. I’ve come to love them since retirement. Slow, quiet and peaceful. Jesus, coffee and me. 

But not this morning. Gazing out the window, Bible in hand, I saw several birds doing fly-bys under my front porch. Odd. Next, I heard their squeaking and screeching. What on earth?

Bluejays, wrens, cardinals and a mocking bird or two – all raising a ruckus. The cardinal’s fun and happy “Chirp, chirp” was not there today.  “Danger, danger” was what I heard. Chaos disturbed the peace and quiet of my morning. So much who-rah going on outside!  It was not letting up, but growing louder and more urgent.

Standing, I  left my steaming cup of coffee to peek out the front door. Glancing down at the threshold of the door, I checked for a snake. I’ve run into them across thresholds before, and believe you me, it will scare the craziness out of you!

Unlocking the door, I eased it open an inch or two. There it was! The snake I knew had to be there, but I couldn’t see! The danger all the birds were screaming about. I slammed the door so fast and loud, it scared the birds away. 

Running outside, I grabbed a shovel to shoo him away from the door. I’m too chicken to kill him. Finally, he slithered away.

Back inside, settling down with coffee and Bible in hand, I wondered: 

“Did Eve hear birds?” 

While the serpent was talking to her, did the birds in the Garden of Eden warn Eve?

When we sense objections in our soul, we have One who sends directions. The Holy Spirit of Jesus.  Listen for Him.

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.’” Isaiah 30: 21 (NASB)