THE INVITATION

Set deep in the woods near our home an icy bridge makes a path over the frozen stream; sunlight sends an invitation, "Come this way." Laughing through the snow I realize I haven't been listening or following lately. Sure, on the outside I appear fine to most, but inside the joy and dancing has dwindled in the darkness and doubt.

The shadows of the trees still fall across the path, but they are from without, not within. And this is my challenge: to find a place within my crowded heart and mind to hear the Voice of One saying, "I am with you, I am mighty to save; I take great delight in you, I will quiet you with My love, I will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 It's as if my soul needs hearing aids because my life is so full it cannot hear its Maker.

He knows how I'm wired and helps; silence and nature are essential components as well as the joy of laughter and friendship. Solitude and stillness allow my soul to dance and sing. I wonder, will you and I heed His call and follow, will we take the opportunity to listen as He longs to lead?

Need Someone who knows you to guide you?

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"The sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him." John 10:3, 14

LIGHT

In the early morning glow the day stretches out before me while the moon still hangs on the western sky, as if the sunrise waited for his permission. I have been up for hours sitting with the darkness, unable to see the fringe of the trees for the thickness of the night. Ever feel like you are in the waiting room of the dawn?

  I saw the sky peppered with stars and the moon holding onto its realm of glory, but I don't have a lens on my camera to catch the details. Looking at this picture I am so disappointed, you can see none of the deep beauty, the glorious darkness giving in to the coming day; it was tangible, the movement of darkness and light giving way, one for another.

This is true in my spiritual life; when I cannot see it may be that I do not have the proper lens to detect the deeper realities. "Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the Name of the Lord and rely on His God."Isaiah 50:10

 

Looking through a glass darkly will change the quality of what is captured; be careful of what you perceive in the dark, it may not be the whole picture. Stepping outside, steeped in the frigid air, waiting for the tree tops to be illuminated, I found the best photo. The moon appears like a blurry star,though, instead of a crescent of hope precisely placed by the Creator's hand. We cannot know if our perceptions are accurate until we have more light.

Trust the Mover of darkness to guide you.

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"For with the Lord is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." Psalm 36:9

SO DOG-GONE EASY

Our rescue mutt is untrainable; he has taken to eating whole apple pies off the counter, stealing from the bread drawer and now opening the pantry shelves to help himself to granola bars and uncooked oatmeal. An "indoor fence" with a shock collar might become part of his near future. (He looks so innocent, doesn't he?)

It isn't difficult to obey; we provide all he needs for life and all we ask is that he keep to his own food and not follow his instincts to eat everything; there's the rub. It is just like our obedience, God provides all we need for life and godliness 2 Peter 1:3, but it seems hard and narrow; we are called to act a certain way, love a certain way and become more and more like our Master, trouble is we have so many survival instincts and natural pulls towards fun and ease that we sometimes end up like our pet Wilbur, with a face full of pleasure and a heart full of shame. (He won't look when he's ashamed).

What are we to do when life seems burdensome and our responsibilities more like obligations than opportunities? To face the world able to bear what is required of us, to be fully ourselves, using all our gifts and talents, free from survival instincts and raw sin, is challenging indeed. Maybe we need a shock collar too; instead God gives us gentleness. "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 of heart and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28, 29

How gentle are you with yourself and others?


Medicine from Sacred Writing:

"Fear not, nor start away from the yoke that lightens you from  many things, but put yourself under it with all forwardness, then you shall know the pleasure of it. For this yoke does not bruise your neck at all, but is put on you for good order's sake only, and to persuade you to walk well and lead you to the royal road, and to deliver you from precipices on every side, and to make you walk with ease on the narrow way. Since then so great are its benefits, so great its security, so great its gladness, let us with all our soul, with all our diligence, draw this yoke that we might find rest for our souls.

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

REFUGE IN THE STORM

This week's brooding winter weather turned into a tiny dusting, even though preparations were being made and provisions stored; we were all a little disappointed. But I am weary of storms ~ inside and out; I want Spring and joy and lightness of heart, even though there is pain and suffering and brokenness all around. People, marriages, countries, families, they bend and break under the weight of sin and lack of mercy one for another.

Even the tiny bird's nest in the yard is weighed down by the ravages of the season. There is a Divine Springtime, though, an endless melting of all we know so that God might recreate and make new all that we are and all that we see. Perhaps deeply connected to my desire for the storm to end is the belief that Someone comes to, "make all things new." Revelation 21:5 I cannot avoid the storm, I must be made new in it.

Just as Peter, we must learn to walk on water because of our desperate desire to be with Christ; in our challenges we come to an end of ourselves and seek the One impossible to reach by our own effort. It is the seeking and reaching for God that changes us.

There's a hedge of protection in the Father's heart. Found it yet?

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"But is there no one to lead you? Come to me and I will show you the places of refuge of holy men...for they, as being strong, are able even in the midst of the raging waters to enjoy a calm; but you, who are leaky on every side, have need of tranquility, and to take breath a little after the successive waves."

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

FROZEN

Narnia? A friend recently suggested our world, wrapped in winter's robe, looks like C.S. Lewis's land where the White Witch reigned and it was always winter and never Christmas. We have a lamp post out our front door and I couldn't help being reminded of Lucy's meeting with the fawn.

The unknown terrifies and opens our hearts all at the same time.

The fountain I love is frozen solid; no little bird could grasp for a quick drink here, no refreshment in sight, not for months to come. The icicles drape the edges like the trim on an unworn dress, and I wonder. Is this how we make it through the storm, the cold, the days of, "always winter and never Christmas," by patiently waiting for the thaw?

Driving home recently I received this message on the dashboard of my husband's car. I immediately thought of my fountain; I must take care to look inward if I am to survive storms and such harsh conditions.

Child, 

I will come to you 

in glorious light.

Streams of living water

fill your soul.

Here you are to drink,

to feast, to refresh yourself

for a weary world.

Do you need to refuel?

Medicine from Sacred Scriptures:

"Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear, come to Me, that your soul may live." Isaiah 55:2-3

GATHERING STORM

Snow gently gathers on the worn red canoe across the pond layering her in white; she's upside-down, as is my spiritual life. Liking structure and predictability, but experiencing chaos is confusing. Plans change, I make my way somewhere only to find I am hopelessly lost. God gently whispers, "you will be late, but you will arrive when I will."

 Jesus's prayer haunts me, "Not My will, but Your will be done." John 22:42 So simple to simply pray when we don't go near our will- keeping prayer for others, ourselves, our situation, but not seeking purity of our intentions and motivations.

I would enjoy another white water rafting trip with the family; I don't want a bigger boat alone on a deeper lake. So it is in our interior life; the invitation is to deep water yet we long to hang back on safe shores.

Yesterday this came to me:

"I, the Lord, am blocking your will; it is as if you were out to sea and would like to go to Cancun, but I have caused a great storm in your soul, and not only can you not go, but you do not know where you are and cannot find the familiar sails to use, neither can you find the rigging to make fast your boat in the tempest. You question the destination you desired, but neither do you know to where you should set sail. Ride out this storm in your soul. Trust Me in it." 

Have you been there, facing the storm within but desperately searching for a little red canoe or shore or safety? I want to scream, "good luck!" but know what is true: "Be still and know I am God." Psalm 46:10 

I wonder what your storm is? Be assured, God will meet you in it.

Medicine from Sacred Writing:

"God has displayed no slight token of His providential care by having preserved you whole and unharmed...Now if He has not permitted any shipwreck to take place in the midst of so much rough water, much more will He preserve your soul in calm weather and lighten your burden."

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

DRINKING AGAIN

Streams of living water. I wonder. Could it be that prayer is more a drink of water than a conversation. I know prayer is a two way conversation with God, I understand. But what if we admitted that our words are so inadequate for our needs and those of family and friends? Imagine yourself praying before God, but instead of speaking you bring your whole heart and all your needs and just kneel before Him. Then, you find God asks you to, "drink from His mercy," to be filled with His love for yourself and the one you pray for.

Like Michelangelo's Pieta  we hold our hurting, broken loved ones in our arms- but there is more. We can bring those we love to God, carrying them in our arms, asking Him for mercy; we have no words, only love as we carefully hold another, broken as they or we may be, and carry them to a loving Father.

Sometimes people are wrapped so tightly in our hearts that we cannot actually give them to God, (or we are too angry, too hurt or too bitter), for this we must drink deeply from the streams of living water within us. Just as a forest pool in January reflects the coming dusk and the trees, so when we look deeply into the pool of God's love within us we will reflect His love. We "know and rely on the God has for us," 1 John 4:16, and this will give us freedom and courage to give others to God. Maybe we will be brave enough to leave ourselves in God's hands as well.

Is there anyone you are praying for? Try giving them to God.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"Let us take refuge in the King that is above. Him let us call in to our aid." 

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

Drops of rain patter unceasingly outside as the cold fog builds like a cloud coming in; the summer bench sits empty and the branches drip, their snow caps melted by the unseasonably  warm weather. We've had so much thick fog lately, the kind you set out in, but then turn around to the safety of home because it is treacherous finding your way anywhere.

I wonder if our spiritual lives are so different? Perhaps when the way is clear the journey is simply a matter of one foot in front of the other; but when things get foggy, how are we to go on? Survival.

Like the birds of winter we find a feeder and we meet our needs, what that source might be is entirely our choice. Even when we do not know our way we still must somehow make provision for ourselves. Especially when the path seems uncertain we look inward and there find cisterns in our souls we run to when we are thirsty or tired or hungry- things that comfort and seem to sustain us. 

And there is also a fountain, filled with living water and we must choose. When life empties us and crushes us, or the way seems blocked by an uncertain fog, will we fill ourselves in the old ways that are so familiar, or will we dare to draw near to the fountain of living water within us, seeking truth and healing?

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"Many are the streams of that fountain which the Comforter sends forth, and the Son is the Mediator...opening our minds. This fountain is a fountain of light, spouting forth rays of truth." 

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

" For with You, God, is the fountain of life. In your light we see light." Psalm 36:9

LEANING

We've a beautiful frozen pond in our backyard where snow is falling once again covering the skating rink we enjoyed on New Year's Day. Leaning against the deck railing, the shovel waits to be put into service once again. Somehow the idea of this tool leaning there waiting to be used draws me to my spiritual reality: I lean on so many things, do you?

Mostly I lean on my own understanding. As I was praying this came:

"My Child, I have come to dwell in your home; worries and distractions keep you from seeing Me. I never leave you or forsake you, child, but when you begin to let the cares of the world overwhelm you, you cannot see Me. Look with the eyes of your heart, child. Do not lean on your own understanding. When you descend with the stairs of your mind and try to live in your own strength it all goes so poorly, doesn't it, child? This is how I want you to begin each and every morning: with mercy. You need mercy for the morning, mercy for the day, mercy for each person. I would have you know My mercy and wisdom deep within you."

Under the deep layers of snow and ice the life of the pond rests: the turtles, fish, and river otters; and in my soul, beneath the swirling demands of the day lie the deeper truths of God.  I cannot muster mercy on my own; I do not possess in myself what God would ask for, but as I wrestle I find He gives what He would require. 

My garden rake and hoe are still outside, but they cannot wield any power this season. My understanding, my way of seeing things does not always serve me. I can ask God to give me eyes to see, wisdom to put away the tools that no longer work and grace to look deeper than the surface. 

What are you leaning on?

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean  not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5, 6

NEED A FRIEND?

 

Ever just need a cozy fireside chat with a good friend? Something about a conversation with one who understands us and thinks the best of us cheers our hearts and warms us in ways little else can. Someone who journeys with us carries our memories in their hearts as well, and the blessing becomes remembering together the faithfulness and love we have been given.

I imagine God lighting a fire in my soul where He invites me to remember with Him. "See, Child, My mercies are new every morning. I am faithful and true; My love for you is higher than the heavens and deeper than the deepest sea. Come, let Me show you how to live and love and have your being. You cannot lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Me and I will direct your path. I will upset your plans, bring more than you think you can handle, but it comes from My hand. Trust Me."

  
It is almost as if God invites us to a daily feast where He longs to, "satisfies us with the finest of wheat." Psalm 147:1 and cheer us with His friendship. When the older boys left home for college our huge family table seemed too big for the four of us, but our youngest insisted that we keep the leaf in because the small table made her miss her brothers more. I wonder if God misses us.

Is there a place in your heart where God could meet you?

Medicine from Sacred Writings:


"By this grace we have become the beloved of God, no longer as servants, but as sons and friends."

John Chrysostom  Fourth Century

SURPRISED BY GRACE

 

Long lift lines, packed parking lots and expensive tickets made the mountain unappealing, so we trudged north through the notch up to Bretton Woods; we had packed no lunch, so we ambled into the Mount Washington for a late brunch. The feast that met us was truly spectacular.

Graces come to us from the hand of our loving Father; we need only ask for eyes to see. What was to be a stressful day at a busy mountain turned into a refreshing late morning at a resort. The winter scene, the wreaths and vestiges of Christmas fed a part of our hearts we didn't know hungered.

Truly the day was a gift of grace from God the Father. I wonder if you are in need of grace? Ask God and He will supply grace upon grace.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"And of His fullness we all have received grace upon grace..." John 1:16 God Himself is the very Fountain and Root of all good, very Life and very Light, and very Truth, not retaining within Himself the riches of His good things, but overflowing with them unto all others." 

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

NEW YEAR'S INVITATION

Snowflakes piling up as they tumble from the sky fill the air with swirling white. I wonder if memories are like this? Could it be that every meal, every conversation, each picture and playful moment pile up in our minds and we find ourselves wrapped in love as the world is wrapped in white?

Our days have been full of family, friends, food, wonder, and winter. I can barely breathe for the pace of life, and then this verse comes crashing through my calendar.

“From His fullness we all have received grace upon grace.”

I know this is a theological statement about God and His Son, but our theology must be lived in our reality: God comes to us, Emmanuel, and says, “I am here with you- giving you grace upon grace. Draw from My fullness for your emptiness, lean on Me in your weakness, Come to Me and know grace and love.”

The blessing of a family rich in love and time crammed with precious memories like so many snowflakes in a snowstorm trains us to see God and good and love. Some have not had this foundation, so we must share. We come close to the heart of God and find our place in life when we give love and the grace of God so that others might hear the same invitation to receive grace from the fullness of God’s heart.

“From His fullness we have received grace upon grace. The Law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; it is God, the Only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made Him known.” John 1:16-18

So will you, will I, accept the invitation to grace this New Year?

“I long to flood your life with grace- each moment of every day you can know My Presence with you and dwell close to My heart. I long for the fullness of My love to fill you.Trust Me, Child.”

Medicine from Sacred Scripture

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are.” 1 John 3:1