Have you ever walked through an old house letting yourself go beyond admiring the architecture and the top layer of wall paper you know hides 3 or 4 other layers underneath - and simply start to wonder what had taken place in the rooms you now wander through?
"I wish I could be a fly on the wall" fits in that same frame of mind - the desire to know what went on. And then Amy Grant sang; "If these old walls could speak". I was a fairly new believer when it hit the charts some 25 years ago, and it stirred that poetic, musing, pondering part of my heart.
So what if the walls started speaking - would you listen? Would you believe what they said?
If you walked through the temple courts where Jesus had been interrogated before Pilate - or inside the home where they let the man down through the roof - or in the home of Simon the Leper where Mary pours perfume over Jesus - if these walls started speaking of these events, would you then believe?
Or are you looking for the writing on the wall as it happened to king Belshazzar - or the speaking donkey that rebuked Balaam?
Maybe God could make walls speak since he truly is the maker of miracles, but would you then need a translator? Would he speak in Greek - Hebrew or choose English for your sake?
What if he chose to speak an universal language that everybody can understand? And not only that, but that if you listened you could hear him speak no matter where you are?
I believe he did!
Don't you ever stand under the starry night sky and gaze and gaze, getting lost in the never ending vastness of it? Doesn't a sunrise or sunset stir your heart with its beauty? When you arrive at the ocean, don't you breathe in more deeply? Aren't you in awe driving through mountain ranges? Or stunned when standing at the top of a mountain and seeing the beauty stretched out before you isn't there a song trying to be set free inside of you?
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy." Psalm 19:1-5
God is speaking!
Will you listen?
Will you believe?
-b
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
letting........ go
Letting go!
How soon does that lesson start? When does it end?
More often than not, it seems hard to do - the letting go. And although it's an ongoing adventure, I can't say that it's become much easier for me, or that I have gotten any better doing it. I fast forget that what I have - is only borrowed........even the presents given, I sense I have to hold loosely.
Our daughter, is the most wonderful present God could ever place in our hands - but I have always known, that although she is our daughter, she is also God's.
And though she is the most tender spot in my heart, it has been so important that I do hold her loosely. Why?
- so she could grow,
flap her wings
and as time went on, venture out and test the water on her own.....away from us.
Does that mean I didn't love her as strongly as I could/should? Absolutely not!
It is a very hard balance to manage -
to love deeply and at the same time, be,
if not ready, then willing to let go.
When we shipped our daughter off to Denmark, or 'the land of the Danes' as she likes to call it, it was one of many previous send offs - filled with the same emotions; joy and sadness mingled together. Sadness in the knowledge that it would be a while before we would see each other again, but joy overflowing in the knowledge of how wonderful this time would be for her - the maturing that was bound to happen, the stories yet to be told, and the unnumbered memories to be written on her heart.
Letting go -
is it good for me? But of course.
Is it good for her - hello!!
Does it feel as if she is slipping away through my hands or like I'm loosing her? No, not really, it feels more like she is moving to the next season or stage. Just like she moved from a nursing baby to a toddler, and on to kindergarten ....each transition demands adjustment, but it must be!
What is the alternative? - to "love" our children so very much that we stifle them? Keep them from growing into their own through each small departure from one stage to another?
Don't we desire to raise up independent - or rather God-dependent children?
But if we micro manage/hover over them/ check and keep track of every move or appointment,
we not only contradict our desire, but make a clear statement of
trusting neither our child nor God with their future.
Oh we - we the parental units - we want the very best for our offspring...... but in our loving efforts, let's not stand in the way of The One, who has prepared for them -
"what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined..." (1 Cor. 2:9)
-b
How soon does that lesson start? When does it end?
More often than not, it seems hard to do - the letting go. And although it's an ongoing adventure, I can't say that it's become much easier for me, or that I have gotten any better doing it. I fast forget that what I have - is only borrowed........even the presents given, I sense I have to hold loosely.
Our daughter, is the most wonderful present God could ever place in our hands - but I have always known, that although she is our daughter, she is also God's.
And though she is the most tender spot in my heart, it has been so important that I do hold her loosely. Why?
- so she could grow,
flap her wings
and as time went on, venture out and test the water on her own.....away from us.
Does that mean I didn't love her as strongly as I could/should? Absolutely not!
It is a very hard balance to manage -
to love deeply and at the same time, be,
if not ready, then willing to let go.
When we shipped our daughter off to Denmark, or 'the land of the Danes' as she likes to call it, it was one of many previous send offs - filled with the same emotions; joy and sadness mingled together. Sadness in the knowledge that it would be a while before we would see each other again, but joy overflowing in the knowledge of how wonderful this time would be for her - the maturing that was bound to happen, the stories yet to be told, and the unnumbered memories to be written on her heart.
Letting go -
is it good for me? But of course.
Is it good for her - hello!!
Does it feel as if she is slipping away through my hands or like I'm loosing her? No, not really, it feels more like she is moving to the next season or stage. Just like she moved from a nursing baby to a toddler, and on to kindergarten ....each transition demands adjustment, but it must be!
What is the alternative? - to "love" our children so very much that we stifle them? Keep them from growing into their own through each small departure from one stage to another?
Don't we desire to raise up independent - or rather God-dependent children?
But if we micro manage/hover over them/ check and keep track of every move or appointment,
we not only contradict our desire, but make a clear statement of
trusting neither our child nor God with their future.
Oh we - we the parental units - we want the very best for our offspring...... but in our loving efforts, let's not stand in the way of The One, who has prepared for them -
"what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined..." (1 Cor. 2:9)
-b
Friday, August 3, 2012
A moment of 7 miles
Sometimes life runs into you so hard, it knocks you over - usually from behind.... you don't see it coming. Sometimes you land on your knees right away (in prayer) - other times there are 'moments' of floating in limbo.
So often it happen when you get one of "those" phone calls......
I received two of 'those' calls within two weeks. The first one from my brother in-law letting me know something had happened and to call him asap. Unable to reach neither him, nor my mom at 2am DK time, set off thoughts running down every avenue at full speed for 5 hours until my sister called to explain what had happened. Mom had a stroke, but she is ok.
- and she is better than ok, a week later she is back home and almost her former self.
The second one from my mother in-law Sunday morning, - my sister in-law passed away at the age of 44. A medical history as long as Methuselah was old, but still unexpected and sudden.
~
The air seemed to leave me, replaced by a subtle shakiness, thoughts started to jumble, but acting like erupted bag of bouncy balls lead nowhere and make no sense. Unable to focus, eyes roam looking for something or somebody to connect with. Walking from one chair to another, sometimes in circles, picking up something here and there only to put it down there and here instead...... the desire or need to DO something is constant - only there is nothing I can do.
The feeling of not being present is overwhelming and uncomfortable - as if I am walking next to myself. I am performing tasks, but with such a complete detachment it might as well be somebody else.
I found myself in moments of fragmentation knowing I should pray, but unable to focus send up sporadic unconnected sentences as scrambled as both I and my thoughts are.
It made me think of the two Emmaus walkers from Luke 24:13-31. These two, one named Cleopas, were there when the women came running back from the tomb with the news of it being empty - considering it idle talk, they decided to walk to Emmaus.
They were in a state too I believe - still in shock over the death of Jesus, their hope of deliverance crucified with him - gone. Now what? Can you hear them talking? Sometimes to each other, sometimes to themselves, trying to sort out thoughts, events, future. I wonder how scattered they were.
It says their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus when he showed up walking next to them, talking with them asking what they are so engrossed in conversation about.
7 miles later when they share their supper with him, their eyes were opened so they saw it was Jesus.
I don't know what 'eyes being kept from recognizing' and 'eyes being opened' is all about - the why, or how and all that. Were they in such upheaval that they just couldn't focus? Or was it a case of seeing somebody in an unexpected place.....I have found myself not recognizing someone as I met them outside of their 'normal' setting.....Jesus was dead and buried. But maybe it was just one of those acts of God, wouldn't be the first time eyes being closed or opened - as I said I just don't know.
But here's the fact;
even though they didn't recognize Jesus, he walked with them the whole 7 miles.
There is no place where Jesus is not -
and no matter what 'state' I am in, floating in limbo, or walking beside myself -
Jesus walks with me all the time........all the way!
-b
So often it happen when you get one of "those" phone calls......
I received two of 'those' calls within two weeks. The first one from my brother in-law letting me know something had happened and to call him asap. Unable to reach neither him, nor my mom at 2am DK time, set off thoughts running down every avenue at full speed for 5 hours until my sister called to explain what had happened. Mom had a stroke, but she is ok.
- and she is better than ok, a week later she is back home and almost her former self.
The second one from my mother in-law Sunday morning, - my sister in-law passed away at the age of 44. A medical history as long as Methuselah was old, but still unexpected and sudden.
~
The air seemed to leave me, replaced by a subtle shakiness, thoughts started to jumble, but acting like erupted bag of bouncy balls lead nowhere and make no sense. Unable to focus, eyes roam looking for something or somebody to connect with. Walking from one chair to another, sometimes in circles, picking up something here and there only to put it down there and here instead...... the desire or need to DO something is constant - only there is nothing I can do.
The feeling of not being present is overwhelming and uncomfortable - as if I am walking next to myself. I am performing tasks, but with such a complete detachment it might as well be somebody else.
I found myself in moments of fragmentation knowing I should pray, but unable to focus send up sporadic unconnected sentences as scrambled as both I and my thoughts are.
It made me think of the two Emmaus walkers from Luke 24:13-31. These two, one named Cleopas, were there when the women came running back from the tomb with the news of it being empty - considering it idle talk, they decided to walk to Emmaus.
They were in a state too I believe - still in shock over the death of Jesus, their hope of deliverance crucified with him - gone. Now what? Can you hear them talking? Sometimes to each other, sometimes to themselves, trying to sort out thoughts, events, future. I wonder how scattered they were.
It says their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus when he showed up walking next to them, talking with them asking what they are so engrossed in conversation about.
7 miles later when they share their supper with him, their eyes were opened so they saw it was Jesus.
I don't know what 'eyes being kept from recognizing' and 'eyes being opened' is all about - the why, or how and all that. Were they in such upheaval that they just couldn't focus? Or was it a case of seeing somebody in an unexpected place.....I have found myself not recognizing someone as I met them outside of their 'normal' setting.....Jesus was dead and buried. But maybe it was just one of those acts of God, wouldn't be the first time eyes being closed or opened - as I said I just don't know.
But here's the fact;
even though they didn't recognize Jesus, he walked with them the whole 7 miles.
There is no place where Jesus is not -
and no matter what 'state' I am in, floating in limbo, or walking beside myself -
Jesus walks with me all the time........all the way!
-b
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