JAC Online

Steep Time Defined
by Captain Ruth Gillingham

 

I returned home from vacation to find a wrapped box on my bed.  I love presents!

 

Upon opening it I discovered one of my favorite things - Chai.  Now this wasn’t just your ordinary box of Chai.  It’s the “Oprah Chai Tea” from Starbucks (Please take note that the current city we reside in does NOT have a Starbucks.)  As I examined the box I discovered a very engaging invitation written:

“Teavana and Oprah invite you to take a few moments to pause and reflect each day.  Your own personal “steep time”.   (PAUSE)

 

Take a moment to read the invitation once again and really drink it in.

 

This is the invitation of God to us on a daily basis.  He just happened to communicate it on Starbucks packaging. The Lord invites us to take moments to pause - Selah - and experience His rich aroma - just like the scent of chai - different nuances of spices infiltrate and stimulate the senses.  

 

The warmth of the drink is comforting, relaxing, refreshing, renewing.

 

I love “steep time”.  It’s actually my favorite time of the day.  “Steep time” for me starts off every morning with a cup of hot Chai, my Bible, a journal, my favorite chair, stillness. And as I sit in the quietness, along comes a wind that stirs up the spices of the Lord. His wisdom, love, nurture, guidance, sustenance, vision, healing, presence...  He meets me daily in the “steep time” and I enjoy His fragrance.

 

What I’m about to share come from my “steep time” mixed with my daily sojourning and encountering the fragrance of the Lord permeating my walk.

 

It all started with Ellen - “Be Kind to one another.”  Pierced at the end of a random TV talk show by a quick benediction. 

Those words inspired, challenged, niggled away at, invaded, planted and echoed in me - “Be Kind”.  The journey into kindness begins.

 

“Steep Time” - Early morning reading Ruth 

 

Not many days later I began reading the book of Ruth and encountered the fragrance of the Lord as I read, “May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and me.” (1:8)  It’s the first of 12 blessings recorded.  

 

The word “kindly” jumps off the page and assaults me. I go to studylight.org to find out the Hebrew root.  Chesed (accents not included).  It’s the kindness, compassion, goodness of YHWH. I’m routed back to Exodus 34:6 where Moses is beseeching the Lord to show Himself.  And what does the Lord reveal?  His goodness/kindness - CHESED.  Be Holy as I am Holy - Be Kind as I am Kind.  

Then I notice the catch in Naomi’s blessings.  May He be kind as you have been kind.  Sowing and Reaping play into this.  May I experience the Lord’s kindness as I have been kind. 

 

Have I been kind?  Where do I lack kindness?  Why does this kindness thing keep echoing in me?  He’s speaking.

 

Kindness in my words.  Kindness in my silence. Kindness in my thoughts. Kindness in my actions.  Kindness in my absence of action.  Oh Lord, help me to be kind like You.

 

So the examination and self-reflection begins. The examination reveals some areas of

disease that require treatment.  I’ve become unkind in certain relationships.  Allowing familiarity, business, rationalization, hardness of heart to become normalized.  

 

I’m in the midst of a long term treatment program and being healed of my disease.  I am growing in the fruit of the Spirit - kindness.  

 

In this journey of healing - growing into kindness - the Lord showed up again to stress the centrality of kindness - chesed.  

 

I was in Chapters with a couple of friends one day - obviously I was not in Yellowknife. Randomly a friend picks up a book and passes it to me.  “Have you heard about this?”  I take the book and read the cover, “The Love Dare.”  My immediate thought is “Stupid”.  But practicing kindness I respond, “No”.  My friend goes on to tell how it was a movie about a man whose marriage is falling apart and he sets off on a journey to bring healing to his marriage through unconditional love. (Note: I may have this totally wrong and this brings into question my attentive listening skills.)  What gets me is as I am feigning interest and dismissing the whole thing in my thoughts I crack open the book and this is what it says, “Day 2 - Love is kind”.  Stink!!! It’s Him.  I buy the book.  It’s interactive and has you engaged in acts of kindness towards your spouse.  I can’t even get past chapter 2.  I really have a lot of work to do in the area of kindness!!!

 

Often when I’ve read “love is kind”,  the fruit of the Spirit is “kindness”,  I tend to gloss over it and believe that “I’ve got that one.”  In theory it’s all good.  In practice - practicing righteousness - I have a ways to go. 

 

My Steep Time is really steep.  It takes me deeper, challenges me to be stronger. Live a more spicy life.  Kindness is not vanilla. It requires attentiveness, honesty with ourselves, humility - cause we don’t get it right all the time. It engages in a battle front of dying to self and preferring others. I find it hard in practice - easy in theory.  But I long for the maturity of that fruit - Kindness.  The journey continues.  Thank God we are being transformed from glory to glory as we behold Him.  Steep time affords me/us the time for beholding so that we will actually be transformed.

 

So here’s His invitation:

“YHWH invites you to take a few moments to pause and reflect each day.  Your own personal “steep time”.  

“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along...”  Come “steep” with Him and you will never be the same.

 

Be Kind to One Another.

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

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