Walking on a New Path

"Open a new window, open a new door,
travel a new highway that has never been tried before..."

Although the words are from an old musical, this is a new song in my heart.  As I went walking and talking with God today, I sensed that God wanted me to take a new path.  Usually I have the habit of doing the same thing, the same way every single time.  This could be one of the reasons for my insanity.  However, one of the few times in my life I listened to God, I found myself riding on a new path through Santa Barbara.

As I listened to the ocean tide come in and out, I said the Jesus Prayer.
"Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me" I breathed in.
Hold breath.
"A sinner saved by grace."  I would exhale.  Sometimes I would be vocal.  However when others were near, in silence; so that they did not think of me as one of those crazy homeless people.  Although even if I am mentally ill, I have chosen to love myself.

The first gift God had in store for me was seeing a lone dove.  Was this a sign of the Holy Spirit or my Grandma Zoch visiting me from heaven?  All I felt was that God loved me and my Grandma loved me and I loved them. 

"He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it."

As I continued riding my bike through a part of Santa Barbara I had never been, I saw a bunch of sparrows.  I tried to feed them but they kept their distance.

"I sing because I am happy,  I sing because I am free,
if Your (God's) eye is on the sparrow,
then I know You're (God's) watching me."  I sang a song my Grandma Zoch taught me when I was a little child.

As I continued to chase after the sparrows, I found myself in a flowered area of a park and what do you think God had in store for me?  A butterfly.  A single beautiful white butterfly floated and lighted for a moment for God to remind me that this little caterpillar is going to be a beautiful butterfly.