Light Therapy

My son Lawson gives us many laughs during the Christmas season because of his intense appreciation for lights.  He absolutely LOVES Christmas lights and always wants to find more to string up around our yard.  He spends hours fixing broken strands and finds the most creative places to place lights inside and outdoors.  When he gets it in his mind to put more lights up, he can't be distracted into doing anything else...he is incredibly persistent!  This year we let all of the kids put up our Christmas lights for the first time.  If you've seen them, you know it is a menagerie of different lights strung on every possible surface of our house and yard.  But I like to think of it as a joyous celebration of all that Christmas means.  

Why light?  What is the significance?  Light is therapeutic....literally.  Light has an affect on our physical health and emotional well being.  We need it to live.  The stark contrast of light versus darkness is what helps us to see that there is something much greater worth living for beyond ourselves.  Christmas starts with a light...the Star in the East that marked the location of Christ's birthplace.  On the night of His birth, glorious angels lit up the dark night sky to sing of birth to a group of humble shepherds.  What a performance that must have been!  Jesus, God's own perfect son, entered a world, into a place that was filled with terrible suffering and oppression inflicted by the Roman empire.  He walked among the people, felt everything that they felt, knew pain, sorrow, fatigue, discouragement, hunger, persecution...and yet he loved people...all of them.

One of my favorite Christmas memories....2019...the grumpy angel!!

2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ."

During the coldest and darkest days of the year, isn't it interesting that we celebrate Christmas, a season of many lights?  I guess I never really thought much about it before...but I think it is very significant.  When I think of all that Jesus did for me, for this world, the way He came, literal Light and perfection entering into great darkness, I am in awe.  

I know there are many many Bible verses that compare Jesus to Light, and I wanted to find another Christmas carol that also references Light.  In the third verse of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" we find the line, "Light and life to all He brings..."  Indeed, He is our Light and brings us life more abundant than we could ever hope or dream for.

"Hark The Herald Angels Sing"

Hark the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic host proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of the virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased with us in flesh to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

Hail, the heav'n-born Prince of peace

Hail the Son of Righteousness

Light and life to all He brings

Risen with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that we no more may die

Born to raise us from the earth

Born to give us second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

I Heard the Bells...

 As Christmas approaches, I've been reflecting on some of the old Christmas Carols that I've listened to since childhood.  Many of the songs have beautiful back stories to why they were written. I'd like to take some time to share about some of the songs that are most meaningful to me during the next month leading up to Christmas.  

I have always loved the song, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," but never knew the story about why it was written.  This song was penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas day in 1863.  Longfellow had experienced a great deal of pain in his life, losing two wives tragically.  His second wife burned to death right in front of him and he was unable to save her.  He had a son badly injured in the Civil War who was home recovering that Christmas when he wrote these words.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

I found this website with a great summary of the story behind the song if you'd like to read more.  https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/finding-praise-through-pain-in-i-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day.html

There is a sort of sadness that creeps in for me each year, as Christmas arrives.  So many memories come flooding into my mind, of years past when loved ones who are no longer with me were present.  Perhaps too, it is because the Christmas season has become so completely inundated with materialism and commercialism and frantic schedules that overshadow the simple and sweet story of Jesus's birth.  Though I love the decorations, the tree, the cards and the presents...I don't ever want them to be the focus.  I relate to this song because while we can cover up some of the pain we see around us with the trappings of Christmas, there is still plenty of sorrow to be found.  At times it may even seem like all hope is lost...but that's where Jesus steps in.  God is not dead...He lives and loves each one of us so very much.  While the Civil War was literally raging around him and he was caught up in the despair of so much family tragedy, Longfellow captured the true beauty of all that Christmas has to offer.  And I hope you too can find some of this beauty, this PEACE, this hope. 

Being Glad...

 As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow with family and dear friends, it is so easy to let the day slip by without really devoting much time to being thankful.  Some years, as Thanksgiving approached, I'd have the kids write down something each day that they were thankful for and then read them out loud as we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner. That always brought on some good laughs!  This year, I unexpectedly stumbled across a classic book that we have been reading together, that I feel embodies the spirit of Thanksgiving.  The book is called "Pollyanna" and it was written back in 1913 by Eleanor H. Porter.  Pollyanna is a young girl who has lost both her mother and father.  But before her father died, he taught her to play a game and it is a game she lives by every day.  It is called the "just being glad game" and the game is simply to, "find something to be glad about in everything - no matter what it is."

As the story progresses, Pollyanna teaches more and more people to play this game and she astonishes almost everyone she meets by showing them that they too have many things to be thankful for, even when they thought that everything was very bad.  The story is refreshing and uplifting and has challenged me to rethink how I can be more glad throughout my days.

Tonight I was reading 2 Corinthians and came across a passage I've read many times before.  It reminded me, in a way, of the gladness game.  

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 MSG says, "All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

We can always find something to be glad about.  We can always draw from our difficult experiences and use them to help others who struggle and are hurting.  We can always find a reason to wake up and thank God, Who gives us all good things.  

There will be empty seats at our table tomorrow at Thanksgiving dinner. Not a single holiday passes that I do not grieve the losses in our family and think back on years past.  This year I've often felt that sadness creep in as I did simple tasks that I might have shared with my mom or when I recounted a memory of something my family did together when I was young.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds me to "Give thanks in all circumstances..."  Even when things are difficult, unfair, unclear, or painful. 

Please Dear God, don't allow me to fall into the traps of negativity, ungratefulness, and constantly wanting more, that plague so many.  Help me to see, every day, all the ways that You are blessing me and give me reason to lift up my hands in praise and thanksgiving for all that You have done in my life.  And help me to take whatever You give me and teach me and use it to help others who are also struggling.  Amen.

Taking Notice...

It's already halfway through the week, but have you allowed yourself the luxury of slowing down to enjoy just one "moment"? Everyone lives by the go-go-go mentality these days, and I'm trying, so hard, to change that in our family. I want to let my kids take that super long bubble bath that spills out all over the bathroom floor in a flood...not because I want to clean up another mess at the end of a long and exhausting day, but because I see how fast their childhoods flash by and I want them to have memories of spending time together in crazy, messy, relaxed ways.

I love when we are reading great literature together for school and we find a nugget of profound truth in it. Yesterday, while reading "The Phantom Tollbooth" we read this section of the book and I was just floored. My kids were pretty much oblivious to the relevance for our society at large.  Considering this book was written in 1961!! it is even more astonishing.  This is before the internet, smartphones, streaming television, or social media took over our lives.

"Many years ago, on this very spot, there was a beautiful city of fine houses and inviting spaces, and no one who lived here was ever in a hurry.  The streets were full of wonderful things to see and the people would often stop to look at them."

"Didn't they have any place to go?" asked Milo.

"To be sure," continued Alec, "but, as you know, the most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.  Then one day someone discovered that if you walked as fast as possible and looked at nothing but your shoes you would arrive at your destination much more quickly. Soon everyone was doing it. They all rushed down the avenues and hurried along the boulevards seeing nothing of the wonders and beauties of their city as they went."

Milo remembered the many times he'd done the very same thing; and as hard as he tried, there were even things on his own street that he couldn't remember.

"No one paid any attention to how things looked and as they moved faster and faster everything grew uglier and dirtier, and as everything grew uglier and dirtier they moved faster and faster, and at last a very strange thing began to happen.  Because nobody cared, the city slowly began to disappear.  Day by day the buildings grew fainter and fainter, and the streets faded away, until at last it was entirely invisible.  There was nothing to see at all."

"What did they do?" the Humbug inquired, suddenly taking an interest in things.

"Nothing at all," continued Alec.  "They went right on living here just as they'd always done, in the houses they could no longer see and on the streets which had vanished, because nobody had noticed a thing.  And that's the way they have lived to this very day."

"Hasn't anyone told them?" asked Milo.

"It doesn't do any good," Alec replied, "for they can never see what they're in too much of a hurry to look for.                  Juster, Norton.   (The Phantom Tollbooth. Yearling. 1996. (pgs 117-118))

So what do you think?  Are you allowing yourself time to see things that you are passing by, whether it's on the road or just living our your life inside your own home every day?  Or are you walking through, as quickly as possible, just staring at your feet, forgetting what the real world looks like.  Make time to look someone in the eye today and speak a kind word to them.  Ask questions and wait for an answer.  Take the longer route and enjoy some of the stunning fall leaves that are on full display right now.  Psalm 90:12 says "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  And I find great wisdom in that.  If we are living like this day might be our last, we are certainly making more effort to appreciate the small things, show love to our neighbors, spread joy to the world around us, and making every moment count.  So take notice today...it might just be the best day of your week...

Draw Near...

 James 4:8 - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...

How often to you take the time to get up close...to really lean in and appreciate something with eyes wide open?  How often to you talk to someone, face to face, and really listen, really examine their facial expressions, really focus on what they are saying without thinking about your next statement?  How often do you just stop...stop whatever you are doing to take a deep breath and just appreciate the moment?  To me, these moments I am able to stop all the chatter, the demands, the urgent things to be attended to and just meditate on God, these are the times when I feel truly alive.

My dear Eva has taught me a lot about noticing the small things.  She is so immersed in the world of bugs and butterflies every summer and spends hours a day chasing after them with her net and bug cage to catch, observe and release them again.  I love the way there is no bug too small or too hard to catch for her to go after it.  Her enthusiasm to share with others about everything she finds is contagious.  She is able to get even the most timid kids to hold wiggly beetles and gentle moths within minutes.  And once you take that plunge, to enter into the world of nature, to appreciate something you may never have noticed before, you are changed...  Perhaps you won't be a bug enthusiast like Eva, but you start to notice things a little more when you see them.

Let God draw near to you...it is a choice you have to make first.  How crazy is it that that's how it even works.  God doesn't force Himself on You like some demanding dictator.  He's given each one of us a choice.  He gives us so much beauty, so much order and intricacy in Creation, and in this we can start to get a glimpse of how much He truly cares about us?  Have you ever stopped to wonder why He created so many different kinds of birds, butterflies, flowers and trees.  Why is the grass green and the sky blue?  Why all the color and texture and vibrancy that surrounds us.  It could have been so very different....

A relationship with God seems untenable to  many...it starts small, basic, simple.  But as you begin to know Him better, to know His character, His mercy, the depth of His love for you, your eyes are truly opened.  You begin to appreciate everything more.  You begin to have a whole new outlook on the meaning of each new day.  If the God Who made all of this gave me life and wanted me to wake up this morning, what does He have in store for me? What is His will and His plan for me?

But will we take the time to draw near? To ask Him these questions?  To wait for an answer?  That is the beauty and the heartbreak in it all.  Many of us, even those who acknowledge Him, don't give Him the time to even show us.  We jump right into our days with both feet, head down and following after our own agenda...missing out on the detours, the moments of joy, the opportunities to touch another's life, or to be touched by another, all along the way.  

Draw near....and He will draw near...

So simple.  So straightforward.  So true.

Draw near...stop...listen...and learn to see the Father in a whole new way today.

The Longest 2 Minutes

 You can try to hold on to the ones you love SO tightly, but in a second they can slip right through your fingers...

I've discovered this truth too many times already in my life...and yet, I still manage to slip into complacency.  I forget how much I have to be thankful for, and to take the time each day to meditate on that, to be grateful, and to express my gratitude to God.  Oh how easily I can jump from one grievance to the next in a period of 24 hours, overlooking countless opportunities to show my appreciation for all of the good.  And the good so overwhelmingly outweighs the bad.

This past Sunday night, I was getting the kids ready for bed.  Sweet Tessa was very tired.  She'd had a fever on and off all day but that hadn't stopped her from playing outside all night with the older kids.  I was walking her down the hall to go up to bed when she started shaking violently in my arms.  I could feel her going limp then, her head tipped back and her eyes rolled back in her head.  Her lips went blue and we could not tell if she was breathing any longer....and all I could think was...I'm going to lose her!  We called 911 and for a few minutes we tried to see if something was in her throat, blocking her airway, tried to get her to revive.  It was horrible...terrifying...humbling beyond words.  We felt absolutely helpless.  The other kids were in shock and crying.  A police officer arrived just as she started to sputter and revive a little.  He told us she had most likely had a febrile seizure and that she was going to be OK.  We spent a tense 6 hours being taken by ambulance to Children's Hospital and waiting for her fever to come down and for tests to be run.  We came home around 3 am and the whole way home I just kept looking back at her, asleep in her car seat, so peaceful.  All the time I was sitting with her at Children's, I heard the sound of other kids crying from time to time, and I wondered how many of them would be able to go home that night.  I replayed what had happened over and over again in my mind...thinking...

Tessa is fine now...completely back to normal and aside from the bruise on her arm from her IV, there is no sign of the trauma she went through just a few days ago.  But what happened, those tense moments of terror and uncertainty, are etched in my mind forever.  Why did God allow this to happen to her? I will never know, but I do trust that God was holding her in His hands the entire time. I can't help but praise Him for the reminder that I am not in control, and that each day we wake up, alive and well, is reason to be so thankful.  

In the days that have followed this ordeal, I have thought a lot more and about how I can keep my focus on what is really important.  In the moments of Tessa's seizure, nothing that had been weighing on us from our to-do list mattered...nothing mattered but seeing her revive.  Maybe, by sharing this, I can help someone else to do the same...to step back from the busy schedule, the to-do list, the projects you want to accomplish at work or around the home....step back and take a few minutes to reflect on your blessings.  And in recognizing those blessings, may we all look for ways to reach out to others who are hurting or struggling and offer encouragement, love, friendship and help to them.  

God, help me never to take for granted a single day that you have given me here on this earth.  I thank you for the GIFT of life...so precious and fragile.  Help me to use my life to serve You and others.   

The Dawn Chorus

But I will sing of your strength, I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 

 Psalm 59:16 (ESV) 

 There is so much beauty in the morning. I love waking up early in the summer months and going outside as the sun is just coming up. It is always such a peaceful time, never rushed like so much of the day seems to be, but serene and filled with so much hope... 

 The other day I read about "the dawn chorus" which is the time of day, in the morning, from March through July, that birds will sing. Typically, it is the male birds singing to attract a mate. Their songs carry up to 20 times further in the early morning than during the rest of the day when there is so much more competing background noise. The dim early morning light is not as good for foraging for fruit and seeds and insects and singing is more likely to attract a predator in the bright light of day, so this is the perfect time to sing. 

 How I long to model my life after this pattern...to wake up, when it is quiet, when the attacks of the day are less imminent, when there is a hush about the world that just beckons me to come before God. How I long to sing out in praise to Him, to meditate, uninterrupted, on all His goodness, His mercy, His wonderful love for me. There is such wisdom that we can find in nature, if we only take the time to look...and to listen.  

 The troubles of the world seem to melt away when we take the time to enjoy creation, in all of its glorious splendor.  Take the time to sit and listen to the birds singing...notice how different each distinct song is...its beauty and uniqueness.  Take the time to look at a single flower, to really look up close (just watch out for bees!).  The order, the symmetry, the perfection of even a single flower beckons us to question, if He cares so much for even the flowers, how much more does He care about me??

Matthew 6:26-34

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Thank you, God for the dawn chorus, which reminds me to seek out that quiet time to sing out my praises to You.  Thank You for the quiet, still morning hours, so unhindered by all the worries of the world.  Thank You for my daily lesson in how to live, delivered by the birds and the bees and the flowers.  Thank You for caring so much about me, even when so much of the busyness of the day diverts my attention from You.  

Gazing on Splendor...

We use the word awesome a lot.  I'm sure I use it at least 20 times a day, every day.  But when was the last time you were truly in AWE of something.  When was the last time you literally stopped in your tracks, stopped everything you were doing, to pay full attention to something, appreciating it's unique wonder or beauty or the inspiration it provided?  Dictonary.com defines awesome as this:  extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.  

I thought about this a lot over the past couple weeks when our family had the opportunity to see two different fireworks displays.  The second that first firework goes up, everyone stops what they are doing just to watch, to be silent, to be awed.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, "I am the Light of the world..."  I think about how much darkness is  in this world, how easily we can go down a path of thinking there is no goodness, no meaning, no hope.  Jesus smashes through that darkness and hopeless to give us LIGHT...amazing, awesome light.

Tessa really hates fireworks

 Lamentations 3:22-24 says,

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Every morning, His love waits for us...His amazing, perfect, awesome love.

I've been blessed enough to be able to travel out west multiple times and see some of the incredible landscape that is part of our National Parks.  Standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, you can't help but feel very small and weak.  You can't even grasp it's depth or width....it makes your knees shake (or at least mine!) and your heart beat a little faster.  This is what I think of when I think of the word awesome.  But we are so quick to overlook the splendor in our own backyards, every single day. We are so quick to affix our gaze elsewhere, to forget about God.

God please help us to see You, in all of your awesome power and spectacular glory, each and every day.  Help us not to take You for granted or think that we can have a relationship with you, at arm's length or on our own terms.  Help us to gaze on Your splendor and to never lose our sense of wonder, of appreciation for all that You have done for us, of Your innate goodness and mercy to keep forgiving us over and over and over again, if we only ask.  You gave everything for us, undeserving, self-centered, backsliding humans who think we have it all figured out.  Break through our thoughts, our aspirations, our agendas to show us Your light, Your truth, and Your plan for us.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Strength Training...

I wake up, still tired.  The weight of all that will happen in the next 14-16 hours makes my heart race.  I'm out of breath, heart racing at the anticipation of the long day ahead.  How will I make it...how much strength do I have in me?  The answer looms...never enough

How strong are you?  When put to the test, how much will you be able to endure?  This is a question most of us try not to dwell on, because no one seeks out adversity or pain or disappointment...

2 Timothy 4:17 

But the Lord stood at my side and
gave me strength...

A couple of weeks back, we gathered all of the kids to do a little strength training in the backyard.  It was a warm summer evening with a light breeze, the perfect night to be outdoors together.  Derrick took them through a series of weight lifting exercises, then he gave them a challenge...see how long you can hold up a plank and how long you can extend your arm with a weight in hand.  Seconds passed in agony as the kids' faces grew redder and redder, determined to be the last man standing.  It was all in good fun.  There was no prize to be won.  But a deeper message spoke to my heart that evening...our strength is limited, no matter how hard we try.  

How do you train for a race...a big game...a weightlifting competition?  Do you rest your body right up until the night before the event and then train for hours and hours?  Of course not!  If you are serious about it, you will work for months or even years, preparing yourself to be at your peak performance.  

Walking the walk of faith takes a great deal of training too.  If we are to be secure in our faith we must train, and train well.  There will be constant road blocks, injuries, distractions to keep us from fixing our eyes on Jesus.  And ultimately, no matter how hard we train, the fact is that our strength will still have limits, we still need Him to stand by us and help us, every single day.  

Are you tired and weary?  Have you been walking in a season of discouragement or struggle or pain?  I've felt pushed to the limit many times over the past few months and yet in those moments of extreme fatigue and anguish, I have remembered that God was with me, always ready to lift me up and set me back on the path He has ordered for me.  Why do I have to get to that place of despair, again and again, to be reminded of this?  Pride....stubbornness...self-sufficiency...distraction...my greatest enemies.

Dear God, please help me to be strong...but not in my own strength that will surely fail me again and again.  Help me to remember that my strength comes from You, first and foremost.  Give me eyes to see You, each day, and to keep my priorities aligned according to Your will for me.  Keep me strength through Your Word, that fills me up so that I do not hunger or thirst for all the fickle distractions of this world.  Give me the will, the desire to TRAIN myself in Your ways.  Discipline my mind and my body, not to give up the second adversity strikes but to remain faithful.  Help me to trust in Your promise, that You will never leave or forsake me, even when things look very bleak.  Give me a peace that passes all understanding, even when the storm is raging around me.  Make me strong, in YOUR strength, not my own.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

2 Corinthians 12:10 

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 

I Will Not, I Will Not, I Will Not...

Hebrews 13:5-6 AMPC

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? 

Be satisfied and content with your present circumstances...

I've been dwelling a lot on those words this week, on a week marking seven years after my brother's passing...

A few months back, on a day that I was particularly down, I opened my Bible to this passage in the Amplified version...and it hit me like a booming voice from Heaven.  God will not leave me, what a revelation that I take for granted.

This week as we enjoyed the beautiful weather and took a day trip back to Lake Erie/Presque Isle, I was awestruck once more by the beauty and majesty of creation.  On the days my soul aches, I find such comfort in His glorious creation....I hear bird song, feel a gentle, warm breeze, smell the spring flowers.  I take a deep breath and remember that I am NOT alone.  The kids' passion and enthusiasm for discovering new things in nature always revives my spirit, makes me more aware of the things I've become dead to.  It reminds me too of the many verses, encouraging us to have a sort of childlike faith.  

How can I pursue Him in a childlike way?  What would that look like?  When I stoop down to tell my kids, "It's going to be ok.  I'm here and I'll never leave you." do they believe me...trust me...find comfort in those words?  God essentially has told us this here, and in MANY other places in the Bible...but do we believe Him or find any comfort in His words?  

Don't fill the void in your heart with meaningless, fleeting, material things.  That may help, for a time, but it's never going to be the solution to find true contentment and joy.  Joy is so much deeper, and can't be tied to things that are temporary.  

Standing on the shore of Lake Erie, I was again brought back to that summer when we stopped at the lake to stretch our legs on a long car ride.  Reese asked me why it was a "Great" lake...and as I looked out over the waters, too wide to see the other side, I was reminded about how great and unsearchable God is...how vast...how far beyond our human comprehension.  May those of you who are hurting, who are struggling for meaning and joy and hope today, turn to Him.  He will not ever let you down.

 

Slow Down

I was driving to the DMV the other morning for the ever-dreaded ritual of renewing my driver's license.  Though it only happens every four years, the time always seems to pass by so quickly.  And for me, it always seems to spur on some personal reflection...I began to think back over the past four years and all that has happened to me...all that has changed.  

As I near an elementary school, I see the flashing yellow lights of a school zone sign, warning me to slow down to 15 mph.  Driving this slow seems painful...like I'm barely moving or making any progress toward my destination.  But of course I dutifully obey...and on this day I am struck by something. Slowing down forces me to pay more attention to my surroundings.  I notice things I definitely would not have seen if I'd been driving at the normal speed limit.  I see flowers bursting forth with their colorful blooms, I hear birdsong through my rolled down windows, I pay attention...

How much of our lives are spent rushing from here to there, all day, every single day, that we miss things that are truly important, or that would be a blessing to us?  How many relationships stay on a strictly shallow and pleasantries-only basis, because we do not take the time to invest in other people...to really listen to them?  How many family memories will never be made, because our schedules are too busy to take the time just to be together?

I get to the end of the school zone and resume the normal speed limit, but something sticks with me as I continue on my way.  Upon arriving at the DMV, I get in line outside the building.  Again I wait...but my soul is at peace.  I look out at the beautiful, sun-filled morning and thank God that He saw fit to give me another day here on this earth.  I commune with the Father, standing in line at the DMV, because He helped me to see on this day that slowing down is not a bad thing...not a bad thing at all.  In fact, I would encourage you to do it too.

For the past two weeks our family has been caring for some adorable baby mallard ducklings.  It is a time consuming task to be sure...ducks are MESSY.  But I enjoy it because, again, it forces us to be still, to slow down, and just to observe one of nature's wonders.  We sit outside by the little pool and watch them swim and splash around...or in the grass and watch them preen and peck around in the grass for an insect snack.  We slow down to watch...the kids weigh them daily and can see how much they change...it all happens so fast, but if we don't slow down to take notice, we miss everything...

Multiple times last weekend, He gave me the same verse...a verse I desperately needed to see, to hear, to meditate on.  It was my verse for the week and one that I hope will remind me always of my need to give my burdens over to Him...

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30 NIV

This verse speaks to my heart in the same way that flashing school zone sign did...in a gentler and more beautiful way of course.  It tells me to slow down, to stop striving with all my might to carry burdens that are simply too great for me to manage.  Do you trust in Jesus to carry your burdens today?  Take time to be with Him, to talk to Him, and to listen to what He might be trying to tell you.  Perhaps He has been trying for quite some time but you've been flying through your days so quickly that you never have the time to hear Him.

Slow down...

 

Re-Nourishment

Re-nourishment....a word I'd never really considered much until this past week.  I found this definition of nourishment on dictionary.com:

In all of these senses, nourishment is a somewhat formal and perhaps poetic word—it usually refers to something that serves to sustain rather than just feed.

Our family just returned from a week in Holden Beach, NC.  We'd found out just before leaving they there was a major dredging project going on there...though they refer to it as beach renourishment.  I guess that sounds a lot nicer than dredging...but the process is far from peaceful.  We were desperately hoping it would be well past our house, but upon arrival realized there were two worksites and they were converging from the north and the south on our house.  Each day our beach got smaller and smaller and the noise and heavy equipment got closer and louder.  We also had no idea that this was a 24-7 operation...so at nights large construction lights went up and the men kept right on working all through the night.  

Usually I think of the beach as a place that nourishes my soul...and I must admit that about three days in I was ready to throw in the towel on this trip.  But then something happened. I think we all just decided to accept it and make the best of the situation.  I stopped being bothered by the noise so much.  We watched the interesting process of seeing so much sand added to a hurricane damaged beach.  It really was impressive.  Tessa developed a deep fondness for "diggers." And we spoke to a number of the workers throughout the week, gaining appreciation for what they were doing.  A few of the workers even found some really cool shells and gave them to the kids.

The kids caught fish, found amazing shells and huge shark teeth, and enjoyed being together without the other daily interruptions.  They swam in the freezing cold pool at our house every day with so much gusto and grit.  It hurt me to watch them go in, but again, they made the best of it.

Today I was thinking of the irony of being in such a typically peaceful place and having it be so un-restful.  The existence of so much clamor and chaos smack in the midst of such serene beauty.  It made my heart ache to think of this same scenario playing itself out daily, the world over.  God's perfect Creation...marred by sin and ugliness.  

Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.

I go back to that definition of nourishment...something that serves to sustain, rather than just feed.  So many people wished me a "relaxing vacation" before we left and all I can say is that going on vacation with six kids, even without a major construction zone in the front yard, is far from relaxing.  But what sustains me throughout the days ahead is not this week away, but the strength I receive from the Lord with each new day.

Is your soul weary...tired of all the noise and chaos around you?  Are you hungry for rest and restoration of your soul?  Something that will truly last?  I'd challenge you to look no further than God.  He is the only One who can offer you lasting peace, even in the midst of the storm, strength, even when you have none, hope, even in the most hopeless situation, forgiveness, even when you make bad choices over and over again.  He restores my soul in a way that is not circumstantial...He is able to restore me on the good days and the bad.  

I hope that someone reading this might be encouraged...if you feel like you've reached the end of your rope.  If you feel tired, discouraged, alone, hopeless.  No matter what storms you are facing, God is able.  Remember that, cling to it, reach out to Him for help, and He will answer.

Now that we are back in Pittsburgh, most ironically, I'm pining to go back to the beach.  We came back to gloom and snow.  And again, I laugh to myself.  I am never happy.  I need to stop and just be thankful for the incredible blessings in my life every single day.  God knows what I need and He provides just that.