Settle
Sue Tell, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
Long before he laid down the earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love … (Ephesians 1:4, The Message Translation).
I was sitting in the doctor’s office for my annual eye exam last summer. An older couple with a Mastiff “puppy” their service dog in training, shared the waiting room with me. The puppy was kind of the size of a small horse and definitely very puppy-ish. The frustrated owner ordered his pup over and over and over in a rather loud voice, settle!
That was the first of four times in the next three days I heard the word settle. Sometimes God speaks with a rather loud voice. As a verb, one of the definitions of settle is to make quiet, orderly, or calm; to come to rest; when speaking of an animal, to impregnate (to create new life). Merriam Webster Dictionary.
I’d been pondering stewardship and what it looks like at this stage of my journey. I had recently finished facilitating a course on Living in the Reality of God’s Grace and was wondering (like I had been 7 years previously) what was my ‘next.’ The couple urging their Mastiff puppy to settle turned out to be a message from God to me.
Seven years ago, I was asking this question, what does it look like to continue to mature spiritually, to bear fruit in old age? (I wasn’t there yet, I just wanted to be prepared.)
Seven years ago, I was looking for something to fan my spiritual growth. Perhaps seminary; perhaps a spiritual director certificate; perhaps ________? Interesting – God’s answer was not something that was on my radar. Yet He faithfully brought His answer to me.
More recently, the question morphed to, what does stewardship look like at this stage of my life? (Old age was a tad closer – still not there yet.) Now there was a different trajectory to my question. God was not leading to another program; for now, stewardship was settling into who God created me to be. As I’d been pondering my question, I’d also been reading Emily P. Freeman’s newest book, The Next Right Thing. (Highly recommended even if you’re not looking for a ‘next’.) This is the second place the word settle popped up. (The other times came in conversations with friends.)
“What if your next right thing is to settle in right where you are and come back home to yourself?” p. 192, italics mine
Summer was just a week old; the time Bill and I enjoy many quiet days at our Sanctuary, our small cabin tucked in the Wet Mountains of Colorado. God’s message to me was Sue, settle. Be where you are. For this summer, listen for My love, don’t ponder the next. And perhaps allow Me to create something new. “Stewardship was settling into the gift of summer, the gift of white space, the gift of rest, and the gift of anticipation.”
I’m reminded of Psalm 32:9, “Be not like a horse or a mule (or an untrained Mastiff puppy), without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” Interestingly… God’s word in the previous verse, “I will instruct you and teach you … I will counsel you ….”
PRAYER
Father, it was almost a year ago that You counseled me through that puppy and the word ‘settle’. Is this time for moving on, or do You want me to continue to settle into Your love for me? Is this a time for continuing to ponder who You’ve created me to be? Father, please help me to listen well for Your voice and to discern Your path of righteousness. Amen
Copyright, July 2019, Sue Tell, Echoes of Grace
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sue Tell and her husband, Bill, have been married for almost 46 years and have served on the staff of The Navigators for 46 years as well. Although their official roles have changed over the years, the campus ministry has always been a part. Sue writes a weekly faith-based blog, Echoes of Grace, that you can find on her Website. Sue also enjoys facilitating Sabbath-Living retreats to help women grow in their friendship with God. Bill and Sue have two married sons, five grands, and her favorite walking buddy, a Golden Retriever named Lexie.
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Originally published Friday, 11 November 2022.
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