Noise grrr...

I live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet...(perhaps a little biased but if you were here and looking out at lush forest, listening to the rushing rapids, surrounded by birdsong and flowers, perhaps you would agree).

I wouldn't have chosen this is a place of residence, I thought the rent was too high. It's a beautiful cottage with three stories and it is filled with the sweet presence of God inside and out. He chose it for me and when I asked, how I was going to save any money (as the rent was so high), He asked in answer, what are you saving for? I was stumped so I moved in.

More than three years later, I have grown comfortable in my sanctuary hidden in the mountainside. The forest is my backyard and usually the only sound is birdsong and even they seem to go to sleep at night. This morning, on a public holiday, my plan was to spoil myself with a great (yawn) lie in.
At around 8am, I was awoken by an electric saw. I shuffled around in bed and hoped it would stop very soon but off course it got louder. It stopped after a little while and I promptly fell asleep again (I've been tired from several late nights in a row) but the peace didn't last very long as it started up again.
I dragged myself out of bed, put on my robe and poked an annoyed face through my bedroom window to find tree surgeons working their way through a tall and mighty fir. In my mind I thought, Lord, I just wanted some sleep, it isn't fair to have this kind of noise on a public holiday, who cuts down trees on a public holiday anyway?

The noise continued for another two hours. By this time I had, had my breakfast, was fully awake and able to hear what the Holy Spirit had to say about all this racket.

As usual, He had a different idea. He prompted me to serve them, to bless them instead of cursing them (through my thoughts) for inconveniencing me. When He suggested this alternative thinking, I felt like I was behaving as if I was a princess in my high tower, banging my petite fists against the bedcovers because I didn't get my way, I had wanted the world to quieten down for me. Et voila, the pride in my heart was uncovered!
But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:22 (NKJV)

As soon as Holy Spirit kindly brought this to my attention I sprang to action. I hadn't planned on getting out of my pyjamas and robe until much later but I got cleaned up and pulled back my sleepy hair, all the while checking that the tree surgeons hadn't left. I launched out of the back door. The fir was cut down but they were nowhere to be seen.
I don't usually like walking outside in my bedroom slippers as they are really indoor shoes (I can be finickity like that) but I had to find them, I was determined to bless instead of curse, I chose to ignore that I was wearing bedroom slippers and proceeded down the steps. A small victory over pedantics.

Their truck was still there and I was relieved to find them eating their elevenses (mid-morning snack). So I offered coffee and one of them gladly accepted. As I walked back to my kitchen, I was suddenly overcome by great compassion. I wept in the kitchen as I made the coffee. Holy Spirit opened my eyes and showed me how He loved them and how He wanted to bless them today. So He chose me to work with Him to bring about this blessing...

Later on, as they continued (for hours) working on some other trees, I prayed for them and Holy Spirit said to me (of the one who accepted my offer of coffee): "He is the eldest child in his family and he needs the firstborn blessing spoken over him."
Genesis 27 shows us how important the firstborn blessing is, in fact so important that when Isaac found he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau "he trembled exceedingly":

And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. ²⁵ And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank. ²⁶ And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. ²⁷ And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed: ²⁸ Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: ²⁹ Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

³⁰ And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

³¹ And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.³² And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. ³³ And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. (KJV)

I needed a chance to pray this blessing over this man. But as I had felt resistance from his colleague, I waited for an opportunity to speak to him on his own. But no opportunity seemed to come. I thought I had missed it. Oh me of little faith! If only I had realised that it was God's plan to bless him, not mine and certainly not in my own strength, I would have remained in hope, thanking God that the opportunity was yet to come, instead of thinking I had missed it. How often do we quit because we think we've missed it.

A little while later there was a knock on the door. The guy I was meant to pray for came to say thank you and goodbye. We had a little chat and I asked him if he was indeed the eldest in his family and he said, yes. So I told him God had revealed it to me and asked him if he would accept prayer. He said yes.

My friend, Greg Violi (http://www.greg-violi.com/en/) teaches this: God will always cover your mistakes but He will never cover your pride. Humble yourself and accept His discipline.

How gracious of God that He gave me an opportunity to repent and be blessed by blessing someone else. What a wonderfully, noisy day I've had!

Love thy neighbour as yourself.