This too shall pass....

This too shall pass…..

When the dark days come and the enemy whispers lies, life must go on. When all you want to do is hide under a warm blanket and lay tear stained face on a cool pillow, life must go on.

Faith is not a bunch of one line quotes about doors closing and others opening. Faith is breathing when breath is lost. Faith is walking when legs won’t move. Faith is laughing in conversation when tears threaten to drown you. Faith is living with shattered pieces. Faith is seeing light pierce through a filter of darkness, and knowing that God Almighty is the Light that overcomes.

The reflective moon found me high above as I swatted mosquitos, while walking out of a weed filled garden, earlier this summer. I held a blessed bag of harvested produce and I gazed up, looking with humidity stained sweat pouring down my face and saw the crescent moon. Lord, my voice raised, please don’t let my faith, on this day of broken dreams, reflect such little light. My child, the Lord responded, your light is blocked by the arms of the Savior, carrying you.

……tears mixed with humid sweat and salty tears began their river down my face and soaked my shirt. Words of old hymns, it is well with my soul, flood my mind and I lay the harvest down, lift my hands in dwindling sun light and sang praise into the dusk.

A few weeks, maybe even months now, I learned that my job, that God gave me less than two years ago, would end in March of 2018. I trust my Savior fully, but on that day, flesh took over and I, like anyone else, began to question. I have since found peace and know that God has a plan, but on that day, I worshiped. I stood looking at the moon and remembered my journey with the Lord about the reflective moon and there, coming from harvest, I found peace.

Father God, when the dark days come and words are not enough, I thank you, that you are always enough. I pray for the person that is facing a storm, show them peace. Let them live in the brokenness, knowing that even Savior was broken, that life could be given. Amen.

Strong Arm

Strong Arm

Early morning traffic and I sit stopped, watching a crane slowly lower a beam onto an unseen platform. I start to turn my view and then stop, hearing the sweet voice of Savior say, there is a message in this….

The crane is large and tall, standing like a giant over unfinished design. The steel beam, on scale, looks small and weightless as it gently swings by what appears to be a thin rope.  The light turns green and I press forward, still searching for the meaning. I think of how large that crane is and again of how small that steel beam appears, but I know that steel beam weighs tons. Then as I make my right turn, tears crest and thank you spills from my lips as the message is spoken in audible sound.

It takes a great big God to carry my heavy burdens.

The world sees a crane, large in statue, carrying a beam, small in comparison. Dangling weightless and guided to its new destination. The crane operator knows that the machine is perfectly balanced to carry a heavy load and that he must slowly carry that load to a new destination, so that it doesn’t spin out of control and break loose or ram into other things causing damage.

My God is the operator and strong arm of the crane that carries me. When my load is heavy, he slowly guides me to a new place and gently lowers me into perfect order. To the world I seem okay with my heavy burdens mask by smiles and laughter, but my God sees the inside and He carries me. When I try to take over the crane, life begins to spin to fast and then I crash into things, leaving brokenness in my wake.

Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle

and humble in heart and you will find rest for yourselves.

For My yoke is easy and My burden light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Father, in a world where we all seek control, I ask that you give us peace in knowing that you are the operator and by trusting you, we will be placed in our perfect home. Amen.

Home with a rising sun

Early morning coffee with book opened, speaking to me about giving my broken heart to others as communion, when my devotion studying husband, exclaims he will not be on social media for a while. Conversation about the way of this world and the hate that comes from the mouth of well meaning Christ followers begins as we in agreement say that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and should love one another.

I, in frustrated tone, say that a brother is not just the suit wearing deacon on Sunday morning, but also the heroine addict, covered in his own vomit, lying on the street somewhere. How do we teach a judgmental world that judgement is not ours? How do we show an unforgiving world, that forgiveness has already been given? How do we love when we are all so different and how, pray you, do we teach our kids? We both agree and then with coffee to lips, I hear that freckled faced boy say, “Mommy, come look!” as he puts cereal in a bowl.

“What is it?” I ask as I underline a sentence about compassion and listen as an excited voice gives the answer my husband and I seek.

“The sun is rising, Mommy!” …….oh the wisdom in those words. My heart leaped as I met my husband’s eyes and smile on both of our faces we walked to the window to see boy on tip toes peering out over the sink to see the sun rise through the trees - rising over our home, and, all of our neighbors.

Before I could even ask, the Father gently answered, “This…this is how we show love and compassion.” I needed no further instruction. Love had already shown us the way – we just needed to do it.

Long before my Great-Grand parents met, God in his mercy gave us his Son, to fulfill His destiny, to free us from sin that bound us. Jesus showed compassion and love by forgiving with no expectation of acceptance. He freely gave His life, with full knowledge that there would be those that would reject his sacrifice with their dying breath. He saw me, saw my sin, yet he still loved me.

Then, with all hope lost, on the third day, he defeated death and rose, giving hope to the lost.

The next time you see something on social media, in the paper, or hear a conversation that strikes anger, remember this….

Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

1 Peter 4:8-9