Gratitude

Looking for gratefulness in the most inconspicuous of places. My husband bought me a two-person swing for Mother's Day. We have enjoyed it almost every day since then. The first time we swung in it, we recollected swings of our past. Both our grandmothers had porch swings and we told "swing" stories. My great aunt had one hung in the tresses of an old, unused wind mill. I fondly remember swinging, attempting to make it hit the upright legs of the windmill, but to no avail.

I almost fell asleep in the new swing one morning recently. The morning was warm and the sun shone such that my meditation turned into a nap. All's well when I can nap like that. The motion of swinging must be an inherent nap-producer. We do it to babies to get them to sleep.

This new swing has been that kind of constant invitation to rest and relax. I am grateful for the call to rest. I know God is interested in resting because He did it and invites us to reach for his eternal rest. I wonder if there are swings in heaven?

A Moment of Gravity

#24
I quit the day.
It had already been inconsolably long,
though it be only 11:00 in the morning.
I quit trying.
I quit hiding.
I quit wanting.
I gave into the endlessness of trauma, loss and pain.
They could not be avoided any more.
It took too much effort
and I didn’t have the energy anymore.
So, I gave into the abyss, the darkness, the smothering.
I let it go over me, convinced I would die.
At a critical point, I did.
I tried to die.
I let death have me.
But somehow I emerged on the other side, still alive.
There was still trauma, pain and loss
but they no longer had me
they no longer covered life.
They just became another part of the day
like hunger or tiredness, which could be satisfied by food or sleep.
I found that all three—trauma, pain and loss—
could be satisfied by prayer, by rest and by the comfort of others:
wordless comfort, distraction, nurture and more prayer,
satisfying that which once terrorized.

Gravity and Gratitude

Gravity is more than the force which keeps my feet on the ground. The gravity of life often draws my attention to the somberness of the trouble and struggle of the day, leaving me enmeshed and mired. Gravity keeps me bent low and my coutenance dragging just below the fresh air God offers. 

On the other hand, it is a heart of gratitude that draws me towards heaven. No travail can hold me, no complexity in life can deter my aim to stay heaven bound. I believe the "secret" (an open secret if we look for it) of successful Christian living is developing a grateful heart where being content in all things (Philippians 4:10-13) and counting it all joy when trials come my way (2 Corinthans 8:1, 2; James 1:2-5) are the rules of the day. The apostle Paul calls it "throwing off all encumbrances." 

The Psalmists often declare in their distress their thankfulness for what God is about to do, depending on His Truth and not the calamity in front of them. Both tell me to free myself of gravity. Gratefulness lifts the burden and raises my vision towards God as I know He is able to do and deliver all things. Gratefulness causes me to seek my Creator and Redeemer to thank Him for pushing me towards the positive.

Communication I

What brings us to communicate? What brings us to communicate the faith? This is only a feeble attempt at trying to communicate the journey of faith. I develop ideas constantly as part of my work and walk. I like to hear others' reflections, especially since I know I have such a narrow view (i.e. my view) of things.
So, welcome to that process. If you feel called to reflect on these musings, poetry and challenges, please do so. I will consider them all and might even use them in my teaching, always remembering to balance all my thinking with the Word of God.