Vignettes

In school, my students are learning about vignettes.  According to www.dictionary.com, a vignette is "a small, graceful literary sketch".  In French, it means "little vine".  It is a moment in time whose very description encompasses all of the senses.  

Having said that, I find myself thinking about my faith and what it means to me.  When did I first come to Christ?  What do I do when I pray?  How do I feel in worship?  What does God feel like to me?   I've never written a vignette before but here goes...

I feel peace.  Lifting the oil to my face, I smell the frankincense and myrrh -- is this what the stable smelled like that Jesus was born in?  My mind goes blank.  Who is it I'm thinking of?  Who needs prayer?  The candle glows as I say a short litany..."come Holy Spirit"... I breathe in the scents again as they take me to a time, long ago.  This is what peace feels like.

I look at the stained glass cross.  I lift the Bible to the passage and smell the smell of an old book -- indescribable but yet, it is soothing.  As people gradually fill the sanctuary, I can hear the murmur of "hello's"...it is comforting.  My mind goes back to the passage.  What is it God is trying to tell me?  I close my eyes and pray.  The charge of music is electrifying, signaling the start of worship.  Yes, this too is peace.

I sit in a giant church.  The pew is hard.  I see the pulpit -- a cross -- images of Jesus.  My friend is in the confessional and I looked around at the strange sights.  I didn't understand this feeling I felt, yet I knew what it was.  It was peace.  It was God.  I knew then that I had to follow Him and give my life wholly.

As I sit on the patio and have my coffee, I feel the coolness of the spring morning.  I hear the birds singing.  It is reminiscent of my life in the Midwest -- the cold, gray winter giving into the warmth of spring.  Yellow crocuses peeking through the ground.  The breeze blows softly on my face.  I lift my face to the heavens and close my eyes.  I feel at peace, knowing He is everywhere.

These are the things I feel when I pray and when I worship.  It is how I found God and continue to find God in all the things around me.  How do you know God is with you?  How are your senses filled with Him? 

Give this song a listen and really think about the lyrics...God is in places you can't even fathom-- He is more than we can imagine!

"More than You Think I Am" by Danny Gokey
https://youtu.be/Su5DG8pQMB8