A Chrysalis Coming-out

 

The quote made me stop and think: ”You are born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” – Rumi.

So many people do.

I came across a favorite scripture this morning, 1 Samuel 30:6:  “…but David found strength in the Lord his God.”

Oh, the memories that brought back of my husband’s teaching on Bill Johnson’s book on the subject. It was probably one of the most important lessons a person can learn.

So how do we “strengthen ourselves in the Lord?”

The quote at the top of the page made me think of butterfly wings, and how important the process of getting out of the chrysalis is to the butterfly’s well-being. Without that struggle, the butterfly dies; it needs the difficulty to develop its wings so that it can fly and thrive. An internet search revealed that “over a period of 1-2 hours the butterfly stretches and strengthens its wings by forcing blood into its veins.”

Oh, what an awesome picture that presents of what my devotional time does for me! It stretches my mind by forcing God’s blood-soaked thoughts into my veins so that I have the strength to wing my way through the day! Thus, how I start my morning truly matters.

Once again it all comes down to choice: “Crawl on your own, or let His strength carry you.

I choose to fly high.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

(Romans 12:2 NIV)

(photo credit: Unsplash/BankimDesai) 

The Silence of an Empty House

 

And so the house is quiet once more.

A little too quiet… I had to turn on a nature ambience video on the TV to take the edge off.

All the holiday revelers may have left, but the house is not empty. No, their presence still fills every nook and cranny of the place, even as the sound of their voices and laughter fill my memories and my heart.

The last leave-taking always leaves me a little down… but I had decided ahead of time that I would not be sad. Rather I will fill the hours of the day with tasks that have been neglected in the past week in favor of better options while family was in town. I will shop and restock my fridge, pay bills and pat attention to the to-do list that slipped from its top spot in my “notes” app to way farther down on the page. I will look ahead to the adventures written on the calendar for the rest of the month and look forward to the next time all the pieces of my heart are gathered in my home once more. And God in His love and mercy knew that I would need my regular Wednesday Night Family Night with the local son and daughter-in-law for extra cheer, so I have that to enjoy tonight, as well.

The house may be silent, but the love they all left behind still echoes so very loudly in my ears. 

“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, and in undisturbed places of rest."

(Isaiah 32:18)

Sliding into Focus

Apparently, God loves a slip-n-slide, too.

I think about the videos I saw of a recent party… people lined up waiting their turn to jump onto the wet and soapy plastic runner, only to arrive at the bottom end with a splash and laugh their way into the next stage of the competition.

And I think of how God uses the exact same delivery method to slide a point of connection into my day. Perhaps He, too, is waiting for His turn and time to compete for my attention.  

Can’t picture it? I think of the many times I have been busy with my own plans and activities, oblivious in those moments to any thoughts of God. But suddenly He’s next up and slides into my consciousness through a word, a memory, or the lyrics to a song that suddenly takes me back to a moment with Him. Oh, the joy of the recollection, and the realization that He is very much with me right now, my Partner in the game of life. How can I possibly win without Him? We join hands, hearts and forces as we battle together from that point forward.

God wants to enter our fun and will always find a way to slide into our day. He brings the party!

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Photo credit: Unsplash/KellySikkema) 

(Psalm 118:24 KJV)