Awakening

I hear the crunching of the gravel beneath me feet. I see birds and little lizards darting about between the cacti and shrubs. I taste the dust that is swirling around me.  I smell the new morning air. I feel the warmth of the sun as it begins rising over the ridges. As I begin my early morning hike along the trails of South Mountain in the deserts of Phoenix, a melody drifts from my iPod growing from a simple note to a symphony. A cry comes from my heart:

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
-Awakening, Chris Tomlin

These early morning hikes were my favorite. The trails had very few people on them.  Even the animals and plants seemed to be slowly waking up, as I would make my way up the mountain. I had yet to be distracted by the day's activities. I would hike up to the top of a ridgeline and sit and watch the valley come alive with the yellows and blues of the sunrise. And I would connect with God. I'm not sure that it was on these hikes where I knew Awaken (awake, awoke, and all the various forms) would be my word for 2011, but it was here that I really saw it begin to unfold in my life.



Awaken? As a my word for 2011? 


Yes. 


I had taken the challenge from KLove radio station to pray and, together with the Lord, choose one word—just one—that would become something to focus and pray into throughout the year. The challenge came early in January as most people would be creating and breaking New Year's resolutions. Instead of focusing on something we wanted to do ourselves, the challenge would be how would this word be something that God could take and transform our lives with. It wasn't until almost February that I knew this would be my word.

Awaken. It seemed like an odd word, but I knew it was my word as well as I know I am a tall redhead. It couldn't be hidden from me. So I began praying that I would be awoken to what God had for me. Haha. I hardly knew what that would mean at the end of 2011.

A few weeks into January of 2012, I am reflecting what did it mean? How did Awakening come in my life in 2011? What did God awaken my spirit to? It was so, so much:

His voice- My dad used to come into my room many mornings and softly say my name to get me out of bed. It drove me nuts, his low bass voice echoing my name when I wanted to keep sleeping. But that low bass was the identifier that it was him and not my mother or a sibling.  When he sings, my dad's bass voice almost vibrates in palpable way in a room. There's no denying it's him.
Like the way I can identify my Dad's voice, this year I've learned and identified Abba's voice more clearly. He speaks. Audibly. In scripture. In prayer. In actions. In dreams. He speaks as if I was sitting across from him at a cafe table. I wish I always knew it was Abba speaking, but I don't. Each day I was awoken to a new way that he speaks to me, and each day I will continue to learn.

His passion- God loves his children with an everlasting love. A love that is unbroken, unfailing, and full of truth. His love doesn't stop with on person or group of persons. We are all being offered His love equally and he wants us to show that love to others. Before this year, I knew love in some sort of way, but I've become so much more aware the depths of his love. People are God's passion. He has put us above animals for a reason. He's put us together with other people for a reason. He allows us to communicate for a reason. We are to be in relationship with Him and with each other.


His gifts- He wants to give them to us freely and abundantly. Abba wants to give us good gifts. Gifts we don't even know we want. Gifts that we think are too extravagant. In all reality, this entire blog is about the gifts God has given me. I really began to focus on writing this blog about 2 months after returning to Phoenix from my first visit to Northern Ireland. I knew then God had given me gifts, but I didn't know what they would lead to. In 18 months time, my world has been shaken. There was so much involved to come to Coleraine and each was a gift that I had to yes God, I'll accept this.
This is the key. He wants us to accept them wholeheartedly. My niece loves Webkinz, and her birthday is in a week or so. If I bought her a Webkinz and she said she only wanted the doll and not the code that would bring the character to life on the website, I would have to object. The toy just doesn't make sense without the code.  It would be a stuffed animal yes, all cute and cuddly, but it's a webkinz for a reason- to be an online game as well. I would want her to take the code and enjoy the toy in it's fullness. Abba wants us to enjoy his gifts in their fullness too.

He loves me- Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so... a simple child's song that has been engrained in my brain. It's a simple concept, but one that we try to make so much more complex. God's love can't be so simple we argue. But yes. It is. Jesus loves me, Katie, through and through. He loves my height. He loves the fiery personality. He loves the way I question everything. He loves my dreams. He loves my flaws. He loves that I want to travel. He loves my green eyes. He loves how I mess up pronouncing my own last name. There is nothing, ever that is going to change that. Every bit of what makes me Katie is his perfect unique assignment for me. It's who He's created me to be.

The battle- This might not be an area where I wanted to be awoken to, but I have. There are serious heavenly battles happening around us. At every turn there are dark forces that want to stop us. There are little lies we hear and agree with. I'm not good enough. I'm not pretty enough. They talk better than I do. There are ailments that we have. There are clashes. There is heartache. Battles come where we have a weakness. The devil preys on our weaknesses. But where we are we, Our God is Strong!!

It's been crazy how I've seen the word awaken come up everywhere. My mother highlighted that since I was a baby, when I was awake I was really awake. People have said to me that my demeanor looked awake. Songs have popped up that are titled with Awake or Awakening. So I've had to make a playlist of them. These are just some of them:

1. Awakening- Chris Tomlin
2. Awake My Soul- Mumford & Sons
3. Awake My Soul- Ian Hannah
4. Awakening - Switchfoot
5. Come Awake- David Crowder Band
6. Awaken Us- Building 429

I find myself longing to be on the trails of South Mountain again to watch the world come awake.  I long being there because it's was I felt in communion with Abba. I even felt like the trails would have been like the pathways that Jesus would have retreated to pray.

But if there's another thing that I've been awoken to, it's that we can find Him anywhere, at anytime.
There will be things trying to stop us that may seem successful. However, we've received encouragement.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39 NIV

It is really amazing how one word can shape a year.  It's now nearing the end of January and again I'm trying to pray into what this year word will be. There are a few ideas I'm throwing around. Dreams, Desire, Freedom, Trust and Hope are the top of the list. So keep tuned... I'm sure you'll read more here.