The other day, while hiking with my husband on a heavily wooded trail that ran beside a rushing river (complete with waterfalls), I found myself, on more than one occasion, in a little shaded spot laced with a dusting of snow. It was magical to me. The cool silence of the woods punctuated only by the gurgling and rushing of the eddying and flowing water below, the pounding of my heart, the nearness of God all gelled and my soul was stilled and filled all at once.
Getting still doesn't have to mean standing in one place, or sitting and looking into the distance. Being still can look like a lot of wonderful things...a walk through the woods, a long swim at the YMCA for exercise, a jog around an empty track, coffee and a good book.These breaks in the tumult of life make us aware of God's nearness. We can actually hear Him. We can absorb His peace.
I brought a chunk of the Cherokee National Forest home with me in my heart. I broke off a tiny piece of it and stored it in my soul for later. Nature is wonderful that way.
There are times when life is so unbelievably and UNBEARABLY painful that it hurts to put our feet on the floor in the morning. The last year-and-a-half have been, for me, filled with events that would rip the lining out of any person's heart. If I had been warned about them in advance, I would have assured all that I would not be alive to walk the forest floor in January of 2015. But here I am. Here I am. You have a story too. You have had seasons of difficulty. You have had Red Seas to cross. I'm not unique. What WOULD make me unique is if I had never had seasons of great difficulty. Let me grab a cliche, dust it off and hold it out to you: "Turn your test into a testimony." There. I am officially cheesy! I want to do this, however. I plan to do this. God has kept me alive (and sane) for His reasons. He will use the hurt I have suffered. I am bruised and battered but, like an old schooner out on the rough and barren seas, I am still intact. I see a lighthouse in the distance and I feel safe again. I know God wants me so close to Him that never again do I lose that overwhelming sense of safety and well-being that I am frequently bathed in now, even though my circumstances are still pretty doggone rough.
Throughout the serious trials of our last few months, my husband has reminded me over and over again not to stop living. Now that I am living again, I understand what he meant. That's because life will never be perfect. We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and believing that there are better days ahead. In a very short span of days (three or four), God brought Jeremiah 29:11 to my attention in a variety of ways, making me feel so very loved! "11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Holy Bible, New International Version.)
Please keep hoping, and keep living while you hope.
Getting still doesn't have to mean standing in one place, or sitting and looking into the distance. Being still can look like a lot of wonderful things...a walk through the woods, a long swim at the YMCA for exercise, a jog around an empty track, coffee and a good book.These breaks in the tumult of life make us aware of God's nearness. We can actually hear Him. We can absorb His peace.
I brought a chunk of the Cherokee National Forest home with me in my heart. I broke off a tiny piece of it and stored it in my soul for later. Nature is wonderful that way.
There are times when life is so unbelievably and UNBEARABLY painful that it hurts to put our feet on the floor in the morning. The last year-and-a-half have been, for me, filled with events that would rip the lining out of any person's heart. If I had been warned about them in advance, I would have assured all that I would not be alive to walk the forest floor in January of 2015. But here I am. Here I am. You have a story too. You have had seasons of difficulty. You have had Red Seas to cross. I'm not unique. What WOULD make me unique is if I had never had seasons of great difficulty. Let me grab a cliche, dust it off and hold it out to you: "Turn your test into a testimony." There. I am officially cheesy! I want to do this, however. I plan to do this. God has kept me alive (and sane) for His reasons. He will use the hurt I have suffered. I am bruised and battered but, like an old schooner out on the rough and barren seas, I am still intact. I see a lighthouse in the distance and I feel safe again. I know God wants me so close to Him that never again do I lose that overwhelming sense of safety and well-being that I am frequently bathed in now, even though my circumstances are still pretty doggone rough.
Throughout the serious trials of our last few months, my husband has reminded me over and over again not to stop living. Now that I am living again, I understand what he meant. That's because life will never be perfect. We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and believing that there are better days ahead. In a very short span of days (three or four), God brought Jeremiah 29:11 to my attention in a variety of ways, making me feel so very loved! "11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Holy Bible, New International Version.)
Please keep hoping, and keep living while you hope.
I loved this Laurie!It was very inspiring,
ReplyDeleteHi Friend, I love this honest and beautiful post. Your word picture will stick with me, "I brought a chunk of the Cherokee National Forest home with me in my heart. I broke off a tiny piece of it and stored it in my soul for later. Nature is wonderful that way." YES. Our kind, gentle Father gives the best gifts, gifts like this, peace, His presence, the beauty of nature. I am storing away a few heart treasures too.
ReplyDeleteI dusted off a cliche of my own recently and you mention it here, Jeremiah 29:11. Memorized, heard a zillion times, taken for granted, until now. What a relief to discover that underneath the dust, the words are still vibrant and alive, able to bring hope and healing to a war-weary heart. He has good plans for me. I can trust Him. Ahhh...and I breathe.
I have found that I too need to keep on living. Not just surviving but living, in the midst of the STUFF of life. As you said, pain and trouble are more normal than we want them to be. I recently tweeted what I hoped might encourage someone else in the trenches, "I have found that peace & joy can coexist with hurt & pain. What an unasked for lesson and treasure. 'In His presence is fullness of joy.'"
Much love to you. I am so glad we do not have to journey alone.
Amber