Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Here are the names of the twelve apostles:

The speaker asked the listener to consider what it is like to hear people dear to you call your name. I was then prompted to meditate on how it would feel to hear our Savior call our name. I had never really considered that, before, because I've never actually heard God speak to me in an audible voice. But when I thought about how it would feel to hear Him call me by name...there is something about that that absolutely stirs my soul, and makes me want to sit at His feet. Because, when He calls my name, Scripture tells us in Isaiah 43:1 that God says, "...you are mine." I will need to sit with that, just a little longer. But I will go on.

The speaker then encouraged the listener to take a moment, and listen for just what God may be calling us to. So I asked Him, "God, what are You calling me to, right here, right now?" The answer was simply one word: Abide.

I shook my head for a second, and thought, "O...kay? What on earth does that mean?"

I did what I've been doing a lot of lately: I went to my dictionary and looked up the word Abide. And if you're silently judging me for having to look it up, right now, go ahead and give me a definition, off the top of your head...Uh-huh. That's what I thought. Not as easy as we thought it was.

So, abide is defined this way: "To accept or bear; to stay or live somewhere; to remain or continue."

But there's a little more to this definition: "To wait for; to endure without yielding; to bear patiently; to accept without objection."

And the one which really grabbed my attention: "To acquiesce in (submit, comply or accept)."

That very simple word has so much meaning for me. See, abiding, for me, is so much more than remaining, or enduring without yielding, or bearing patiently; for me, abiding means submitting, accepting without objection.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6

For me, abiding involves my ears and heart being tuned to hear God's Voice, and staying close to His heart and mind through the reading of His Word, and through communication with Him through prayer. This type of abiding will allow me to hear when He is speaking, when He is calling my name, and when He tells me what to do next, when to take the next step, I can respond by doing just that, nothing more, and certainly nothing less. I can disrupt the familiar, and I can walk forward into the unfamiliar, not with fear and dread, but with anticipation and joy, because I am confident that my Savior is leading the way.

I shared on Facebook this afternoon that God is calling me, "...out of the bud, to take steps, one at a time, so that I will blossom into a woman who reflects her Father's image." The words in the photo above were given to me today to consider. I am holding tightly to this calling, from God, in this moment, to abide. For today, and for tomorrow, and for the next day, I am purposing to follow this calling, out of the bud, taking steps, as He directs, as He calls my name, so that I will continue to blossom. Even when it's hard. Even when it hurts. But also, even when it causes me joy, and to sing, and to dance, because it's the work of my faithful Abba.

Here's to disrupting the familiar, and to blossoming, one obedient step at a time.

Blessings.