PACKING FOR LIFE

What does this look like? This time of moving and plans and changes, as if we can pack a car full of our belongings, hoping our hearts and emotions will follow. We build an existence on one coast and tell ourselves we'll  live on another, whole, free, and engaging the world in a meaningful way. Many do this, some never will. It isn't a requirement, but if you embark on such a journey it will suck the life out of you, this moving, and it will give it back again.

My solution for the twenty somethings: make them cookies. Provisions; a taste of home along a very long road. What will we choose to take with us as we make our way in the world? What do we keep with us if our way is closer to home? Love would be a good thing to carry in our hearts. We are always loved. "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8 When we walk through transitions and face the unknown the anchor for our souls is love; we must wake each morning and remind ourselves, "I am loved, I am loved, I am loved," the fear will subside for, "perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18

Hope would be necessary food for our hearts. The way is often lonely and treacherous, perhaps not in a physical way, but emotionally we lose our bearings, haven't found our footing, this is when we must trust. We speak to ourselves, again, and say, no matter what is swirling around us, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 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." Lamentations 3:21-22 It may be as simple as reminding ourselves of the One who cares for us: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

The journey home to ourselves requires us to pack our own suitcases, decide what we will keep or discard from years of  life, and cherish what remains. A deep sense of belonging and being cared for needs to be cultivated in us so we can effectively live in a broken and fallen world. We choose love, keep hope alive and deepen our faith in God and others as we open our eyes to His provision. He promises, "Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Medicine from Ancient Writings:

“God's works move and breathe; they use and judge the things of sense. The workmanship of such an Artist, will you dishonor Him? Yes, when He not only fashioned you, but placed you, like a ward, in the care and guardianship of yourself alone, will you not only forget this, but also do dishonor to what He committed to your care! If God had entrusted you with an orphan, would you have neglected him? He has delivered you into your own care, saying, I had none more faithful than Myself; so keep this person for Me, and preserve him as he is by nature: modest, faithful, high-minded, a stranger to fear, to passion, to agitation."

Epictetus second century philosopher

NATALIE'S GARDEN

"Do you hear the bicycle's bell? It's Natalie, she will ride through the park and come to the garden." All week I prayed Natalie would appear, as if a single face would help me make sense of the poverty and need found in the brokenness of the world. Years ago I had come to this community with the youth of our church but I could not process the overwhelming stories, the raw pain and sadness I encountered, so I worked in the community garden. I weeded as if pulling crab grass could change lives; it felt hopeless and useless, but we created space for beauty to take root.

As I stepped into the community park this year I was surprised to find the Seeds of Strength Neighborhood Garden well cared for and growing, yet there were still a few empty planting boxes. We worked on the big picture, installing a gutter for the rain barrel and creating a  compost bin, but I waited for the small miracle, the face of a little child. She arrived on Thursday afternoon, ringing her bike bell, as if to let the world know she was on her way. She broke open the hearts of the girls on my garden team and she solidified the purpose in my heart, to sow love, to work at bringing beauty, to never give up hope.

A girl's dream, a garden of her own, replete with the touches that childhood brings: painted rocks and blooming flowers, restored my dream as well. Pouring love and energy into the world around us creates beauty and joy. I am merely a  shadow in the picture of Natalie's garden and life, but we have touched her with our love and she has changed us. We hope, we work, we pray, we love, all in the Name of the One who brings joy and transformation to a hurting world, to a single life.

Who and how are you loving today?

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously... you will be made rich in every way so that on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

 2 Corinthians 9:6,11

CALM SEAS

Sailing on Sunday refreshed and quieted me, though I was holding on for dear life as the boat tipped upwards to gather wind. Perhaps this is the way to following God no matter what the weather. When seas are rough it is natural to reach for God, our own resources not being enough for our circumstances, and when all is calm we carry on with a faithful love that keeps us safe on our journey.

The demands of life toss me about till I am weary and worn. It used to be the incessant demands of toddlers needing one more thing- one more story, one more game, one more hug, one more nap. My "one more" has changed, but the pressure and performance remain. One more berry to pick, another batch of jam to make, this friend needing a call and those children needing a meal. My sailing friend felt this as well, "how can I let go of things so easily out here on the ocean?" It is because illusions are stripped in the sheer vastness, reminding me of my smallness and His greatness.

As we draw near land I let go of my vise-grip hold on the rigging and relax. This is telling. I have found my land legs and lost my perspective. At sea I realize I am a mere passenger on this boat, and have a great King sailing with me who would very much desire that I let Him trim the sails and set the course of my life. My haste to get to land where I can feel the ground beneath my feet and walk where I will, unaided, shows me how very precarious my vessel is. Sailing lessons might be in order.

Have you found yourself, "in over your head," in certain areas of your life? Perhaps this is where faith to follow the One who calmed the waves and the wind come in.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"For they, as being strong, are able even in the midst of the raging waters to enjoy calm; but you, who are leaky on every side, have need of tranquility, and to take a little breath after the successive waves." 

John Chrysostom

HOME

Come home to 

Me, child,

welcome Me in.

Open the door 

of your heart.

Allow Me entrance there.

I come full of grace and truth;

to bring the fire of My love,

to light the depths of your soul.

I am nourished by grace and mercy in ways my mind cannot grasp, but my soul cannot live without. God invites me home, He longs to give me rest: "Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 6:11 When the older boys, men actually, come home I let them sleep until they are rested. It is pure gift; I long for their bodies and souls to catch up with the journey each has been on. 

Our recent guests enjoyed pancakes, fresh picked strawberries and baked doughnuts. I find great joy in feeding others, in creating spaces where they feel refreshed and their bodies restored. And conversation. I pray continually that all we say and do in our home brings hope and healing, that we are grounded in truth and connect by God's grace. 

Is this then God's heart? To bring us His love, giving us rest and joy in His presence and strength for our way if it is weary.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"For He was not, we know, a healer to bodies only, but a curer also of the soul." 

John Chrysostom Fourth Century

LOVE AND BLEACH IS ALL YOU NEED

This is not my best day: I woke and google-searched, "Can you bleach granite counter-tops?" Apparently you can, as well as the handles of all the doors and anything that cannot move. I am holding in tension (huge tension) God's loving words to me yesterday and cleaning up after the stomach flu in our home. God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) but how can I hear Him when my world is not the same yesterday, today and forever. Family members get sick (plural), sons almost break ankles, others move across the country; lives change, we change, people change. He reminds me, "I the Lord do not change." Malachi 3:6

So, I must sit here as He sits with me and refines and purifies me. Why didn't someone warn me that the fire would be so hot, so all-consuming, so untamable. Is it true that the Refiner purifies gold in a fire until He sees His own image? I do not want lessons from Hebrews where God reminds me, "Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29; I want to be taught by a good Shepherd who promises, "I came that you might have life and have it  to the full." John 10:10 

This fire, this kingdom and this abundant life are all connected. He is the way, the truth and the life; to have Him I must be cleansed of all that is not Him. For His kingdom to be at hand, near me, in me, there would need to be a house fire where God takes all that does not give thanks, and worship Him and burns it to the ground. He creates space in me with His holy fire that He might come and dwell within, but the way He makes room is so uncomfortable. Oh, that is suffering, trials, challenges- these break us open and burn away the unholy so that we can receive this unshakable kingdom. All that can be shaken in us will be shaken so that He might be worshipped.

What is a mere mortal to do in such cases? Make applesauce.

This will heal my family members and ground me. All is not lost; love is all I need. God's love carries us when we cannot go on: clean one more bathroom, soothe one more child, let go of one more attachment. He will remain the same, He will not change. His love is my rock, my anchor, my shield and it seems my heart is broken open that I might rely on, trust, and put my hope in His unfailing love even as I bleach the world I live in.


Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"May your unfailing love be my comfort." Psalm 119:76

MY FATHER'S WORDS

Rain pelted us for days as the earth was watered by heaven's storehouses; the ground soaked up the needed refreshment even as the pavement was like a bounce house for raindrops. I wonder what is thirsty in our souls? In the dailiness of life we miss what brings us life. Jesus tells us He came, "That we might have life and have it  to the full." John 10:10 and yet we seem to pave over our souls with busyness and technology so that life-giving water cannot reach us. We leave our gadgets and social media lonely, confused, connected to the cloud, but not planted by a stream of living water. Psalm 1:3

As a  little girl my father called me, "sweat pea." What does your Father call you? Isaiah is full of the Father's words for us, like a rain shower of love from heaven, listen to Him calling:

~"I will sing for the one I love, a song about his vineyard." Isaiah 5:1

~"You are precious and honored in My sight and I love you... do not be afraid, for I am with you." Isaiah 43:4-5

~"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10

~"Give ear and come to Me; hear Me , that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love." Isaiah 55:3

God pours His love into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet we do not always hear His love.

Ask Him today, the Father to the fatherless, to open your heart to His love. It may be a downpour.

Feeling needy, parched, thirsty? Let the love of God saturate your very being.

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water , and the parched ground into springs...so that people may see and know , may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it." Isaiah 41:17-18, 20

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

 that we might be called children of God."

1 John 3:1

SAFELY NESTLED IN

Just outside my sun room window the world of nature wakes to nurturing. The goslings have arrived in all their fluffy splendor and I marvel at how they follow. One set of parents seems to have it down pat but the other are circling their young in frantic hope of keeping them in line. I wonder if God looks at me this way? As my Abba Father, does He chase after me and try to reign in my wandering heart and wayward ways? 

He actually tells me He is my soul's shelter and refuge. "Show the wonder of your great love, You who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."  Psalm 17:7, 8 Sitting under Someone's wings isn't my strong suit, I would much rather fly the coop than stay sheltered somewhere until the storm or flurry has passed and I am safe.

"He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4 

This closeness, where God's feathers touch me, is terrifying. I feel for the little birds who are sitting under the robin, she is on them day and night; so my Father in heaven is protecting me. The Lord, the God of Israel, is the One under whose wings I have come to take refuge; in distress or danger, I am kept safe.

Medicine from Sacred Scripture;

"You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself." Exodus 19:4