Last weekend, Sophie and I entered the IKEA domain and explored its many twists and turns. We came upon the room with pillow covers and comforters. A variety of colors and designs awaited shoppers like us. In that moment, I remembered the worn-out and faded pillows on the couch at home. The pillow covers had not been changed for a number of years. So… Sophie helped me select new covers.
Later, I opened the covers and readied the pillows by beginning to find the hidden zipper to unzip the current cover. Much to my surprise, under that cover, there was another. When I last changed the cover, I had taken the whole pillow with its cover and put it inside the new cover. I unzipped that cover, to discover another, and then another. Seriously, there were four different colored pillow covers zipped over each other. Eventually, I found the square inner cushion of the pillow.
Unzip – Unfasten the zipper; to open something; to release; to discover.
Maybe I thought layering the pillow covers offered a convenient means of storage, or perhaps, in the moment, I endeavored to complete my project quickly? Nevertheless, as I unzipped each cover, I felt a bit excited by the discovery buried beneath. This reminded me of the ways God meets with us. He invites us to go deeper with Him, to discover the depths of the riches He has for us.
I notice that often when myself and others have an encounter with God, we move on from that moment quickly. We experience an answer to prayer, feel amazed at the timeliness of a particular Scripture, hear a meaningful song at just the “right” moment, and connect with the Trinity in quiet reflection. In that specific space, we receive gifts from God. However, how frequently do we linger and return to those same experiences and wonder what more God might have for us to discover with Him?
What awaits discovery underneath the layers? I believe God offers us much more than we receive. We are like the child content with the wrapping paper and cardboard box, when gifts like balls and dolls are buried underneath the stuffing. We fail to unzip the zipper because we lack curiosity with God. We stop exploring with God when the first shiny gift catches our eyes.
What if God invited each of us to explore with Him the gifts He offers?
Jesus spent three solid years with His disciples. Yet, the Gospels and books of the New Testament were written 35-70 years after Jesus death and resurrection. I picture the disciples reflecting upon their time with Jesus, reliving it. Using their senses, they unzipped the depths of each moment. Imagine the conversations, contemplations, and connections as these good friends of Jesus relived the best and the worst of their time with Him. Perhaps the more they unzipped their experiences with Jesus, the more hidden zippers they discovered, so that decades later, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they wrote the holy Scriptures.
How might the Holy Spirit deepen and broaden your understanding of His character through answered prayer? Unzip with God His magnificent attributes. In what ways could the well-timed Scripture reveal the heart of God? The depth of God’s activity in the Bible invites discovery – unzip. What moved within your soul that connected with the “perfect” song? God is personally and intimately involved in your unfolding life story – unzip.
I am learning that encounters with God create opportunities to unzip the width and depth of His presence. God remains eager to nourish us again and again with His grace – unzip. Using the five senses uncovers a breadth of being with God. What is seen, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted in that connection with the Trinity? God draws us to unzip His goodness. Discover what more exists with God to be enjoyed by you and shared with others.
When you spend time with the Lord, stay a moment longer. Linger and unzip with God. What more might He have for your soul from that time with Him? Be slow to move on. Wonder about the depth, width, length, and height that God prepared for you to discover and receive from Him – unzip.
This week – – –
Reflect. Ephesians 3:16-19 – “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Linger with these verses. Listen with your heart to the heart of God. How are you invited to experience the magnitude of the love of Christ? What does being “filled to the measure of fullness of God” look in your daily life?
Request. Take a moment to thank God for His faithfulness. The disciples of Jesus experienced three years with Him, which carried them into the following decades. Reflect on the activity of God in your life over the past three years. With your five senses, ask God to help you notice His presence and activity. In what ways might the Holy Spirit deepen your sacred encounters from the past three years? How does the Trinity nourish your soul for the years ahead?
Receive. God has “boundless riches” for you. Rest in His love. Discover the goodness of God as you unzip your encounters with Him. Linger, reflect, and receive. You are loved.
Drips from the Word: Muse about these Bible verses. Let these truths impact your living.
Revelation 1:9-11 – I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Splashes from the Spigot: Drink from deep wells. Read these recommended books to fill your soul.
Julian of Norwich and Barry Windeatt. Revelations of Divine Love. Oxford, UK. 2015.
Rod Bennett. These Twelve- The Gospel Through the Apostles’ Eyes. San Diego, CA 2022.
Sprinklings of Truth: Soak in meaningful songs. Check out these music videos to lift up your spirit.
For King and Country. World on Fire. Click here to watch & listen.
Jeremy Camp. Revival. Click here to watch and listen.
Puddles for Prayer: Thank you for praying for upcoming travel and speaking engagements.
October 16-18 – Buena Vista, CO – Waterstone Church Women’s Retreat
October 24-28 – Quarryville, PA – Black Rock Retreat – Breathe Deeply – A Soul Care Encounter for Women
🙏 If you would like to partner with me through financial giving, click here to give a tax-deductible gift to The Soulcare Anchoress Fund.
Thank you! 🌷
To read Spigots written since 2018, click here: The Spigot