A time to be born
A time to die
A time to laugh
A time to cry
A time to love
A time to hate
A time to start
A time to wait
A time to keep quiet
A time to speak out
A time to grieve and mourn
A time to dance and shout
A time to heal
A time to kill
A time to take action
A time to be still
There is a time and a place for every last thing under the sun
But to know what a moment calls for, you must be present for one.
I think I know why people are uncomfortable with stillness; being alone with the quiet of their mind.
What will my thoughts be? Will I be sad? Judgmental? Angry? Hateful? What if I am tormented by my racing mind? The inevitable underlying fear behind it all remains: Who am I?
But you are not your thoughts. Nor are you your feelings. If you can grasp this truth, you can learn to separate your self from your mind. The freedom that arises from this sort of separation will change your life. You will find that your thoughts are nothing to fear afterall. And more importantly, you will learn the healing power of stillness and the truth about how amazing you are, and have been all along.
“Whatever has happened before will happen again. What ever has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9
Have you ever noticed how cyclical your life is? I sure have.
As unpredictable as life can be, it’s cyclical nature is just as predictable.
For everything that dies, something else is born.
For everything that ends, something else begins.
For every door that closes, another one opens.
After every high, comes a low.
After every storm, comes the sun.
After every loss, comes a gain.
In fact, the cycles are so predictable, it’s a wonder that we worry or doubt at all. Perhaps this is why we’re told to give thanks in ALL things, because another change is always just around the corner.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Some people spend their whole life waiting to live.
Waiting to love.
Waiting to create.
Waiting to move.
Waiting to apply for that job they always dream of.
Waiting to start that business they envision.
Waiting until they’re ready.
It’s not uncommon for people to spend their lives in this way; waiting to live.
There is no way of knowing which of our actions will forever have things hanging on them. And so, we tread carefully.
Alas, how innocent we are of our own mistakes and how responsible we are for them, also.
It is written, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3) Child, I meet you where you are. Because I am always here. Have you forgotten how close I am to you? We are inseparable. Take comfort in this. Relinquish your attempts to control your day’s direction. Let Me lead you. This will not only relieve your frustration, but it will also increase your faith.
Trials are an opportunity; a blessing. A chance for My power to be on display. A chance for My will to be done. When things don’t go as you imagined, hoped, or planned, consider this: My thoughts and plans are higher than yours. And I turn ALL things to good for you. This is your joy, My promise to you, which has already been fulfilled through My Son, Jesus Christ. It is finished.
I am all over the place.
Of everything I want a taste
Both physically and mentally
Dipping toes, intentionally
Maybe this… Could that be better?
Taking flight to chase the weather.
I fly right through,
both high
and low.
People say I’m interesting.
It’s true, I have seen many things.
The more I see
the less
I know.
I run around both day and night.
“So productive!” They’d be right.
The more I do,
the less
I show.
I’ve had nothing come from this
but conquered goals and to do lists.
Checking off the fears I’ve faced,
I am all over the place.
It’s risky business
Falling in love
Electrical currents
Eyes lit up
The onrush of bliss brings
an ambush of sorrow
Wondering if it will last
Praying it will tomorrow
Such complicated feelings
For such a decidedly simple thing
Love conquers all
Even the fear that it first brings
Discipline is not God trying to pay you back, it’s God trying to bring you back.
It is written, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) What does it mean to abide in me? I want you to look up the word, “abide”.
Abide: “To have one’s abode; dwell; reside.”
Consider this. I am your Home. Dwell in me. In my presence, you feel me most strongly, but even when you are distracted, you can still be in your Home.
Home: “the place where one lives permanately.”
Notice, I am not your house, but your Home. I am calling you to live in Me every day, all the days of your life, and even after your death. When you invited me into you life, I became a part of you, dwelling inside of you. The old you is no longer here. I am your Home.
You are in better shape than you often think and closer to me than you often feel. We are one. I in you and you in Me. You cannot exist apart from me and you cannot bear good fruit on your own.
Take comfort in your Home. It is your place of rest, security, where you always come back to, your foundation; it is Me. Now go, live like this is true, because I have said it and it is so.