A Wink or a Baptism?

In one of my first postings I talked about “God Noticings”; those times when we know the coincidence is not merely a coincidence, dots are connected, the missing piece is found which completes the puzzle.   Encounters that we know at the very core of our being is about something bigger than us – a “God Thing”, if you will.  A friend said she calls these a ‘wink’ from God.  It’s as if He enjoys sending us opportunities to glimpse His presence in our life.

But I have recently been introduced to a new idea when it comes to God noticings.  In his book God Hides in Plain Sight by Dean Nelson, he writes about witnessing baptisms in the muck and mire or our every day lives.  I’m not talking about baptism in the church, although certainly that is the foundation from where we begin.  Rather Mr. Nelson suggests some of our noticings may go deeper than a ‘wink’ from God, it might be something that will cause us to shed our old skin and take on the new.  Our journey happens upon a detour, we realize there has been a change, we are walking a new path; we have experienced a baptism.

I believe our recent vacation to Hawaii was a baptism experience for me!  On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it a six – Bill on the other hand would give it a ten.  He was able to get past the wind, rain, and rocky beach, I was not.    So how does this equate to a baptism encounter?   I began to realize God was handing me an opportunity to wash away yet another layer of my need for perfection.  Not only my need for perfection, but my need to cover up those times that are less than perfect.  I made the decision I would be honest when asked how I enjoyed my vacation;  a change of direction on my path of not only accepting myself, but also not projecting to others that which I perceive they want to hear.

Let me close with a quote from God Hides in Plain Sight:

“. . . the Kingdom of God is continuously visiting, interrupting, invading, disrupting, what we perceive to be the world.  We step into the Jordan River throughout our day.  When we let it wash the chatter around us, we hear the voice that says ‘you are more than your job, your role, your mask.  You are mine.  And I am pleased.’  When we step out of the river, we are initiated, illumined, and clean.”

Have you witnessed a wink from God lately?

 How about a baptism?