Thursday, May 28, 2015

It's Time to See

I held the prescription bottle at a distance. Oh, so frustrating. I could see this just yesterday.

I'm losing my nearsightedness. Or maybe it's the lighting. Those blasted energy-saving light bulbs.

Admitting defeat, I ask for help.

"Baby, is that a 5?"

"Yes, Mama, that's a 5."

It happens so gradually. We see the distance, but we lose sight of what's near. The things close to us slip away. Slowly slipping. And it's hard to admit it. It's hard to acknowledge those glasses are needed.

We get so busy doing ... just doing.

What do we lose sight of?

Our children.
Our family.
The love of our life.
Our first love.



The tiny critter hopping down the path.


The seashell on the shore.



And the question we need a crystal clear answer to is this:

Do we want to see?

If we are weary of blindness, there comes a time to admit. Time to put on the glasses. Time to see.

Really see.







Friday, May 15, 2015

Forgiveness is like a Shoelace


Have you experienced the withholding of forgiveness?

When truly repentant, the lack of forgiveness is painful. It makes one feel like a human yo-yo ... loved one minute and hated the next.

I love you.

I hate you.

When we withhold forgiveness, we might look prettily flowered on the outside, but on the inside, we are an unraveling hazard.

Unlaced.

If we withhold forgiveness, we will flip-flop between love and hate. Without it, we are unable to walk in freedom, continually tripping and hurting ourselves and the ones we truly, deniably love.

Unnecessary tears.

Withholding forgiveness creates prison bars of tear tracks.

If we withhold forgiveness, we aren't securely fastened, and we'll forfeit walking in cleanness to drag ourselves and others through dirt and mud continuously and unnecessarily.

But if we give our grievances, our pains, our wrongs to God, He will lace them up and we'll be walking in freedom.
 
Forgiveness laces the good in our lives with the bad in our lives, allowing God to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
 
Do we trust Him?





Forgiveness is the sweetest bow we could place on the gift of freedoma gift worth keepingto offer others and ourselves.
























Wednesday, May 6, 2015

You Get What You Get


When I was a little girl, I wanted a horse more than anything. But because we didn't live in the country, owning a horse just wasn't a possibility. My grandmother who lived two hours away had a horse, Charlie Horse, and I think to ease my heart, she'd tell me that the horse was mine.

But I didn't let that stop me from riding. No. I took advantage of the opportunities surrounding me ... and my ride turned into a gallop around the entire yard. 

Barefoot.

Completely content. Joyous. Unashamed.



A good friend always told her boys, "You get what you get." That meant ... you'll eat your supper. You'll wear that shirt. You'll play that game. You get what you get.

That so applies to life. We don't always get what we want, do we?

What do you want?

What do I want? What are my heart's desires?

Peace, love, purpose, life.

~And a wealth of adjectives, behind and before, to accompany every one of those nouns, some that only God knows.

Sometimes, we just ... get what we get. It's up to us to evaluate the surrounding opportunities and decide what we'll pass on to our children, family, friends. In this short time we have. 

Our sweet baby at 18 months, after six months of chemotherapy ... her hair finally coming in. And she can finally walk!


What are the surrounding opportunities?

A child's tiny hand to hold.
A baby's dress to fold.
A teenager turning bold.
A kid's self-esteem to mold.
A pup needing aid from cold.
A spouse to value as gold.
A story waiting to be told.

Take it and ride. Gallop around the yard. Gallop around the pasture.

Gallop with abandon.



Completely content. Joyous. Unashamed.

Barefoot.

Feel God's loving breath in your face.
Feel His hands hem you in behind ... and before.
Feel His hand laid upon you.

You get what you get.

Yeah, I'll take that.




~This song has blessed me all week long.
May it bless you,
beautiful thing.