God speaks to us through all sorts of avenues – whatever it takes to get our attention. Saw this one on Light Seeker.
You’re Allowed to do Nothing
I’m really not much on about things like fortune cookies, et al, but I DO believe God can and DOES speak to us in a myriad of ways- including such things now and then. The key is being open and listening to hearing his voice at any time. I mean, he spoke through a donkey to Balaam once!
For example, last year on vacation I opened a “Dove Dark Chocolate Promise” candy and God used the message on the wrapper to speak to me. At that time I wasn’t sure it was really God, but when I opened another one a day or so later, it had the same message. And because God was “pumping me so hard in the ribs with his elbow,” I knew I needed to take the advice he was offering through this particular medium. I even might have blogged about it at the time.
Anyway, with that preamble I’m here to tell you I opened another Dove candy tonight and was almost bowled over with the message:
“You’re allowed to do nothing.”
Now that probably means nothing to you, but just this morning I said to Debbie: “I’m feeling guilty this year on vacation. Like I shouldn’t be just doing nothing.”
Now you can take that kind of stuff as coincidence if you’d like. But I don’t believe in coincidence – I believe in Godincidence. Either that, or a coincidence is just a time when God chooses to remain anonymous. Take your pick.
This morning in my prayer time, I asked God about my idleness (when we need to be working to win the world) and he told me it was okay to rest. I’ve always believed that, but for some reason, I’m having trouble shutting things out this year and stopping the mad rush of busyness I left back in Maine.
Okay, God – I get it. I heard you and I’ll listen. Too bad it took me over a week of vacation to start thinking about stopping.
Tomorrow we’ve got a few things planned, but I think I might just map out a nice nap on the couch.
– posted by Seeker of The Light @ 6/30/2006
Wow! That is so powerful. When we think that we are supposed to be doing this and that. Going here and there. Then God says — “You’re allowed to do nothing.”
I have to remember one of the first scriptures God spoke to me, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Thank you for sharing!
Okay, now I’m tempted to ask God if I should forgo the cutting-back-on-certain-foods plan I have in case he wants to send me a message through a Dove chocolate morsel. I have a feeling he’s going to let me know he has other ways of communicating with me that don’t involve chocolate. Still…how awesome is our Father to use anything and everything as holy nudges!
Yes Johnnie, we are allowed to do nothing and yet so many of us are conditioned to feel guilty about it. I spent today with my eldest daughter, we went out for lunch, just chatted, and then did things around the house together. I tried real hard not to navigate to my office and computer and found that it was relaxing to do other things! Bless you.
Hi Kathie! Thanks so much for the reminder to REST! You’re being highlighted in the Christian Women Online Team Blog! You mcan view the post here: http://www.christianwomenonline.net/blog.html
Thanks again!
As a doer, the thought of doing nothing terrifies me. Yet God wants us to rest in Him. He wants me to rest in Him. Hopefully this will be the start of be figuring out with Him how to rest and not feel guilty, how to rest and not just be lazy. Thank you.
It was my mom who recently said, “you have more energy than anyone I have EVER met.” I am not sure that I have more, I just resist the urge to rest….I am by nature in motion, and I am learning to stop and relax…it is not always easy, resisting the urge to hop up off the couch…but I am trying..thanks for the permission slip..
great thoughts!!
I’m like you Lori. My great-uncle used to address his letters to me as ‘Dear Mrs Perpetual Motion’…. and I am constantly asked by others if I ever sleep? I tell them I do, but fast.
I, too, find it difficult to allow myself to rest – there’s always something to do and I don’t feel comfortable just doing nothing… I need to really learn this lesson myself.
Hi, I was just doing a search on the word Godincidence because my husband and I thought we made it up…really like no one else would have thought it. I was curious to see. I have found some sites like yours and even a book coinceidence or Godincidence. Anyways, your story is so cute and rings so true to me. If you haven’t gotten it yet please don’t forget that even God rested. He tells us so In Genesis 2:2. Thanks for sharing.
I know this was posted awhile back but I just ran across it in a search for Dove Promise messages.
I have a very similar story to share. A little background first – I suffer from depression and anxiety and have been engaged since October.
About a month ago, I was freaking out about the wedding, having doubts and worries, asking myself what love really is and so on. Mind you, my fiance is a wonderful man and we have an amazing relationship. He is also the person that keeps God in my life by encouraging me to go to church, pray and attend Bible study. I truely believe God placed him in my life so there really is no reason to doubt our future.
Well, anyway, I was freaking out about a month ago about divorce rates and I said a quick prayer that was something like, “Dear God, please help me to not worry about the wedding or divorce rates and just let it be what it is.”
About a minute or so later I had a taste for a Dove dark chocolate piece, which I always keep in the freezer. I went and got one and the message was, “Don’t think about it so much.”
It just hit me at that point that I didn’t need to worry about the wedding or the marriage and that God would take care of it. My anxiety over the wedding has dramatically decreased since that day.
Keep in mind that I eat a lot of Dove chocolate and I get a lot of repeat, generic messages, but that is one message that I have not seen again which strengthens my belief that it was divinely created.
Just wanted to share my story. I’d like to ask anyone who reads this to please pray for me as despite this experience, my faith is very weak right now and I don’t want it to get any weaker.
Thank you.
I just found your website when I typed in Dove’s promises. I love the dark chocolate and so far my favorite one has been “Make someday TODAY.” I pasted it on my computer screen as a reminder. I had been telling my aging father for the last couple of years that I was going to come home (400 miles away) and go fishing with him. When I read this wrapper it dawned on me that I needed to do exactly what it said. I called my dad and told him I was coming. He got choked up and said he had been praying for that a long time. I spent 3 days with him and had a wonderful time fishing. We never know how much time we have to do the things we want to do………so MAKE SOMEDAY – TODAY!!
Blessings,
Brenda Allen
Springfield, TN