Songs of Joy
As I stepped outside, the symphony of sound and sight was almost startling. I wanted to investigate more. The fog had transformed the visage of all that was ordinary into imploring objects of interest. The trees stood just out of focus while cranes echoed their signature call through the mist. Sunlight sparkled from the dew as it gently clung to each blade of grass. As I walked I searched for any sign of springtime life emerging on this serene morning. Among a blanket of dry leaves, I saw it. A solitary Lantana bloom. A thought began to form in my mind. "The new is replacing the old." Taken a little further, "What is alive is replacing that which was dead."
Joy is a difficult feeling to explain. Not quite happiness, not exactly excitement. Yet, " the 'joy' of the Lord is our strength." Today I am reflecting on the fact that God is at work replacing and renewing that which is dead. Those things in our lives that do not glorify Him are in need of replacement. Faith that has fought the battle of discouragement is joyously rejuvenated by the loving power of God.
It was only a foggy morning. Or was it? For me, it was a misty canvas of beauty conveying a message of joy and hope from my Heavenly Father.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
His Only Son
I noticed something today. A certain, "connection." I was in a store purchasing some balloons as gifts for Valentine's Day. Many other people were there, choosing various items for those that they loved. One man stood at the checkout with at least three bouquets of flowers. "Daughters," I thought pleasantly to myself. Standing in line, I noticed how cheery even the employees were. Smiles were the order of the day. How could you NOT smile at someone who was obviously planning a surprise of affection for a very special person in their lives? Total strangers connected today with unspoken, yet knowing, comraderie. Those with gifts in hand were invisibly bonded in a mission of giving.
When Christ was born, the angels proclaimed, "Peace on Earth, good will toward men." They knew the plan. Jesus would give His life on the cross so that all those who believed in Him would be saved from an eternity away from God. Rejoicing was the order of the day. How could they not appear to mortal men, praising God? Mankind was estranged from Him in their sin, yet the promise of forgivenes would be offered through the sacrifice of the Lamb. All of heaven was surely united in the joy of God's redemption of His people. We are the children of God, the body of Christ in this world. We are connected to each other by God's Spirit, invisably bonded in a mission of love.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Heaven's Dew
Only a ten minute drive from my home lies a quiet, somewhat concealed area of calm water, lush green trees and a hint of solitude. On one occasion, I stopped and got out of my car. Capturing the stillness in a photograph, I traveled on. God has blessed us in so many ways.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Season
It is quiet in the house as I sit here alone with my thoughts. I am reflective and still. Somehow, anything more would seem out of place. Just this evening, I found out that a family member of a friend was killed in Iraq. He was scheduled to come home in days. Scheduled to come home. He was a Christian. As I ponder the unknowns and the injustices of life, grief and it's bitter friend--despair---I am aware of the small view I have of reality as it truly is. This young man, with a bright future on earth, had an even brighter eternity to hope in. As the bomb exploded, his spirit was transported in an instant to the presence of our heavenly Father. If I were there awaiting his arrival, would I fear the moment he appeared? Surely those that he loved who have gone on before are welcoming him into their arms, thrilled to have him at their side.
I have no human answer as to why. Why now? Why so young? Scheduled to come home? Home to his earthly family or home to the Heavenly Father? When our own son was killed in a car accident, on the way to tell his little brother what had happened, we received a cell phone call. It was a message from our son, who had just died. He had recorded it the night before. He said, "I'll be home tomorrow." Indeed, he was home. God is sovereign. It is He that created our souls. His love never fails. It may seem that we are alone in death; yet He is with us, even then. A time to be born and a time to die. God holds them both in His hands.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Light of God's Face
The light of God's face. How can we, as mere humans, describe God's glory? I don't think we can. We may only grasp a part of the characteristics of God revealed to us while we are yet on this Earth. The light of His love. The light of His mercy. The light of His forgiveness. The light of His faithfulness. The light of His enduring compassion.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Beyond Your Reach?
Do you remember being afraid as a child? I do. Many challenges were wrought with the unknown and the possibility of failure. The first ride without training wheels, the first day at the new school or the first swimming lesson. It didn't go away, did it? That nagging feeling that we don't have what it takes when the going gets rough. At any age, lack of confidence can rear its ugly head--the first ride on the motorcycle, the first day at the new job or the first lesson on the company's new software package.
How do you feel when it is God that is speaking to you about attempting an unfamiliar task or developing a skill that is unlike anything you have previously done?
Were your parents there to help you when the training wheels came off? Did you have someone to come home to after the first day of school to encourage you about your adventure? Was the swimming instructor in the water beside you to guide your every stroke? There are those who could not answer, "yes" to these questions. It is a fallen world with less than perfect situations. However, God's way is perfect, and He is ready to equip us with whatever is necessary to accomplish a goal that He sets before you. First time to try to share your faith with someone? He's there. First time to teach a class on Sunday? He's there. First time to welcome storm refugees into your home? He's there, too. He will never leave us or forsake us. Nothing is too difficult for Him.
Friday, February 08, 2008
The Underside of a Rose
Have you ever looked at the underside of a rose?
My husband sometimes brings home a rose for me, just to say, "I love you." Roses are so pretty and so delicately and intricately made. For all their beauty, one thing is often overlooked. Before it blooms, the bud is present, developing rapidly while encased in the protection of the green outer covering. Once the covering is opened and the fragile petals begin to unfold, the attention is drawn to the magnificent color and fragranse it displays. No thought is given to the service of the stem in the creation of the bloom or of the protecting leaves that now suspend the flower gracefully above the ground.
Others may look at our accomplishments in life, heralding the skill, talent and fortitude they detect in us. Yet, with a grateful heart we must realize that it is God who gives us our strength. It is God who forms us in these budding years of earthly existance to one day emerge in the fullness of life eternal in Heaven with Him.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
I Am Lonely
Recently, someone told me that they felt so alone. Only yesterday, I was reading a book about a character who lived all alone. They had come to decide that solitude was good, because they could make all their decisions apart from the influence or preference of someone else. In the end, through another's encouragement, they realized they were truly lonely and in need of friendship, even though relationships would take work to maintain.
Sometimes, it might feel as though God has left us alone. At those moments, He still knows us. He understands the disappointments. He feels the sluggishness that overtakes us, and the heaviness of our hearts. God wants us to come to Him when we are brokenhearted. In the end, it is only He who can mend our afflictions.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
He Will Rejoice
This often happens to me. I get up in the morning and I realize that a song is playing in my mind. It's as though a radio is on when I am first becoming awake and I come to realize that the music is there. Almost always, the song being proclaimed is one of praise. This is intriguing to me. Today, when I awoke, a hymn was playing; All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus. I suddenly became aware of the melody and lyrics. Then, the tune changed to the new adaptation of Amazing Grace, which is My Chains Are Gone, I've Been Set Free. The final selection to occur in this way was a song by Lincoln Brewster--Lord, I'm Amazed By You And How You Love Me.
The song "Amazed" by Lincoln Brewster actually begins with, "You dance over me, when I am unaware." It's as if songs of praise are in my heart communicating with God even when I am asleep. I also feel that they are placed there by God at times to remind me that He is there. It makes me happy to think that God rejoices over me, because He loves me.
Monday, February 04, 2008
The Most Distant Land
Have you ever felt lonely or left out? Perhaps you have felt the sting of rejection--that sinking feeling of being all alone in a matter. I know I have. Rejection is real. So is loneliness. Jesus felt these things. He also looked to the Father in prayer. God is able to comfort us. He is able to restore and renew. There is no place , solitary or crowded, that He is not aware of you and your need. There is hope. 
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