Today was a day filled with peace, much of it spent marveling at the beauty of creation that surrounded us in the Sierra Nevadas.  I felt an unusually close connection to my traveling companions, but one of the most astounding occurrences was a business meeting that my wife and I had to attend at the very start of the day.  It was a meeting that we had dreaded and that I had prayed about for several days.  Now, this was not a particularly important meeting, but the last time we had attended a similar meeting with a representative of this company, it was most unpleasant.  During my last prayer about this meeting, I sensed God assuring me about the meeting, telling me not to be concerned or anxious, because God would be present as well.  As we entered the meeting, with no forethought, I explained to the man with whom we were meeting what had happened the last time we were in this situation with his company, how unpleasant this had been for us, and exactly what our point-of-view was concerning the business at hand.  He smiled, apologized on behalf of his company, and told us that we would have a better experience this time.  We did, and I left filled with joy that God had worked in me to change my attitude, that God had led me to speak frankly, and that God had answered my prayer by transforming me into a better person from the outset of this meeting.

Once more, I was reminded of the need to be still and wait for God to enter my heart.  Only a few weeks ago, I would have prayed by telling God what I planned to do in this situation and asking God to intervene in some way if I was taking the wrong course of action.  I would have acted on my own initiative with the expectation that it was up to God to stop me if I was wrong.  Now, I am trying to be open to God's leading by being still and waiting on God.