I needed the perfect quote. Okay, okay, okay. So maybe I didn’t NEED it, but it was strongly suggested that I find myself a solid quote. I am easily influenced by others, so obviously, I flexed my only-quote-cool-hip-relevant-timeless-literary giant muscle and googled C.S. Lewis. You can judge, but you would have done the same thing. If you want a good quote, you go to the source.
I found a quote that I liked and slapped it where it needed to go. I proudly showed it to my 12-year-old son. He is a pretty smart kid, but he read it, looked at me, and started to walk away.
“Phil! What did you think of it?!” I hollered.
“I don’t get it.”
Like any good mom, I went into lecture mode, detailing what it meant in great detail. Yes, his eyes were glazed over. No, he didn’t get a thing out of it. Yes, he snuck off the second I stopped to catch my breath.
I was a little surprised, but I was still pretty confident that this quote was a killer. That evening, I had the chance to show it to my husband, Adam.
“What do you think of this quote?!” I excitedly asked him.
“I don’t get it.”
“Are you kidding me? It’s so simple, he means… blah… blah…blah.”
His eyes glazed over, and he, too, snuck away as soon as I stopped for air. My confidence slightly shaken, I kept my quote anyway because I liked it.
The next afternoon, I was walking through the living room to get to the kitchen for a hot drink. Nap time in our house is when I work on my computer, and you simply cannot type without a good beverage. My youngest kids were watching Charlotte’s Web, and as I pulled that coffee mug from the cupboard, Charlotte A. Cavatica, AKA the spider, clearly said,
“With the right words, you can change the world.”
Are you kidding me? That is one of the most brilliant things I have ever heard! I forgot the coffee, ran back to my computer, and googled it to ensure I heard her right.
I am telling you this story today mostly because I wanted to write it down to remember it myself. The Holy Spirit is always speaking to us, but we are so busy trying to jam square pegs into the round holes of life that we don’t listen to His quiet words. There are times, and quite often, that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the words of the greats like C.S. Lewis. But there are so many opportunities to hear his voice that we tend to ignore because it is given in a way that isn’t significant or special enough for us.
Every morning, I offer my life to God to use me in whatever way He sees fit. I need to listen and trust that He is guiding every step and every move that I make. And how precious it is to know that He will take care of me in the big things and even in the little things, like finding the perfect quote.
Until next time, my dear sisters in Christ,
Leah
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