Farewell…
All is still…
And lifeless…
But nearby, new life…
When something is leaving, something is arriving.
Wait for it.
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
what if.
What if around the corner, everything will change?
What if you could step into another dimension and see life very differently than you do right now?
Life is more than what you see.
Today may be grim with heartache and discouragement. You may be lonely and really believe no one cares.
Things are not always as they appear.
God has figured our sadness into the equation and knows you will smile again.
What if God has your concerns taken care of? And you just aren’t aware of it?
~~~
photo courtesy:
Mary R. Bras
relief.
We never know what a day will bring.
Sorrow grips with cold cruelty.
But the sun warms the earth and brings relief.
And with it, beauty.
Just look very closely and you will see it.
laugh.
monster storm.
When you think about the world suspended in blackness,
When you think about our earthly home being 2/3 water,
When you think about our smallness compared to what is largest,
You are brought to a place of realizing life is way bigger than you.
And this is a good thing.
To know God is the one who has kept us from being consumed all of this time.
Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt?
Job 38
Photo courtesy of NASA
hurricane sandy.
I couldn’t have said this better myself.
Jesus said this: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Jesus’ command was not to be mouthpieces of judgement to the world – but lights – pointing the way to God. And how? Through love.
If you are suffering through this storm, you are in the prayers of many, many people.
And I think this says it all:
Photo courtesy:
anticipation.
I leaned back in the wicker rocking chair – a favorite – the one with the brown and aqua quilt.
Linger. I want to linger here for as long as possible. The warm, scattered sunshine is soothing. Can I stay?
My eyes teared slightly at the leafless branches contrasting against royal blue – recalling a childhood memory of loving the sky.
The smells of autumn were unmistakable. The clean smell of Macintosh apples in a nearby bushel, the carpet of golden maple leaves soaking in the warm sun, and the damp earth preparing a resting place for frost-bitten hostas, salvia, and phlox.
And then one leaf…and another…gracefully floated to the ground to take its place among the others.
Seasons end, but another is waiting. Do we hang on to the old? Or do we anticipate the new?
Even in the midst of the cold and bitter winter, there is life. The wind plays with the snow, creating ripples of purple shadowed dunes while grand, lacy snowflakes rock gently to the earth – breathing life into our weariness.
The pain will end. But in its cold and bitterness, there is still life. Can you find it?
more valuable.
One reason people stay in their pain is because they don’t understand .. or believe .. that God is keeping track.
I’ve found great comfort knowing God said this:
But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
God sees.
He comforts.
And one day, He will make it right.
be careful.
Be careful you don’t stay in your pain too long.
Some people do not want to move on. They may resent the pain and in reaction to it, stay there and sulk.
Be careful of self-pity.
And misery … it does like company.
You may find yourself very alone.
Doesn’t the earth teach us that a long, dark night breaks with morning sunlight?
At some point, you have to welcome the light. How about today?
~~~~~~
Photo Credit: Luz Adriana Villa A.
take heart.
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
– The Bible
It is very troubling to go through painful situations.
There is nothing you can do to prevent it.
You can learn to live with it. And the very best way to do that is to know God is with you.
The fact that God put a rainbow in the sky for a sign to all of us and telling us why it’s there, tells me He cares.
when it hurts 