Four weeks ago, on my oldest son’s birthday, I picked my kids up from school like any other day. Except my youngest let me know she had left her hat on the playground during recess. With four kids in public school and colder weather fast approaching, it’s almost an art, keeping track of everyone’s personal belongings. Instead of getting frustrated and putting off the search through the lost-and-found until the next day, we turned it into an adventure. The kids raced up the hill, avoiding patches of mud, on a scavenger hunt to retrace her steps and find my little girl’s hat.

I walked a bit slower, breathing in the fall air, soaking up the warm sun, watching them run ahead.

A small white butterfly, flitting around, caught my attention. I remembered my blog from last year. This butterfly, this distraction, had me looking up and down and all over the place. And then I saw it.

At first I was simply surprised by this one yellow dandelion in the midst of a sea of grass. A weed, yes; but when your word for the year is bloom, and winter is just around the corner, your eyes stop and you take time to behold the beauty.

And then I heard it. An invitation of sorts.

“Come closer.”

Sometimes it can seem like a silly request from the Holy Spirit. But we walk by faith, with Him, and we get to stretch those faith muscles by obeying in the little things.

As I slowly approached the flower, I realized there was a butterfly resting on it. A light green one, with highlights of purple.

And as I got closer and closer, it stayed. So I took some pictures. It stayed a little longer. And so did I. I was in awe.

Eventually it flew off, and I continued up the hill to the playground. The kids had found the beloved hat and were rejoicing in victory.

But this invitation stayed with me. To slow down. To not hurry. To take a walk. To look around. To see the butterflies and the flowers. To stop. To draw near. To come closer.

❤

Today, I felt like this invitation needed to be shared… “Come closer.” But it seemed a little unfinished.

So I stood in front of my bookshelves, waiting for some inspiration. The Holy Spirit led me to pick up Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray… “a classic devotional edited for today’s reader.” Guess what day 1 is called?! “All You Who Have Come To Him.” It’s all about those who have responded to His call to come (Matthew 11:28, Isaiah 55:1), and that the relationship with Him doesn’t end there. The next step is to abide in Him (John 15:4).

“You did well to come; you do better to abide.” – Andrew Murray

The invitation isn’t to just come close for a moment. It’s not to just draw near for an encounter, or to be filled through an experience and then to be on my way. The call is to abide in Him, and to let His Spirit abide in me.

To come, yes, but also to stay. To remain in Him.

“Come, fellow believers, and let us day by day place ourselves at His feet, and meditate on this word of His with an eye fixed on Him alone.” – Andrew Murray

The Greek word for “come” in Matthew 11:28 is deute; it means “to come, to come hither, to come after.” In John 15:4, “abide” is menō and it means “to sojourn, tarry, to be kept, remain; not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present.”

He wants us to come after Him, to come to Him. And He wants us learn to remain in His presence. To continue to be present with Him.

He bids us to come, and then to abide.

And I keep coming back to this thought: He doesn’t just want our obedience. He wants us. Obedience is important; it often helps us move closer to Him. But what He’s really after is our hearts.

I pray that we keep growing and learning and trusting, that we can come boldly and we can stay. Yes, we may wander off, but He’s waiting with arms wide open when we remember and return.

For more on the Holy Spirit, check out this recent series from Pastor Lon Williams at Liberty Church!