love is the flag flown high

and then everthing changes again. this year has been the year of change. just like last year and the year before. and i long for something the same. my heart wants to find a place to rest that is monotonous and everyday. but i am not sure that is possible. if we are on a journey shouldn't the scenary keep changing? i am physically in the same place i was last year but everything looks so different here. and i am learning to trust the truth. my mind may tell me all kinds of lies. but for today i will remember: my God never changes, there are no guarantees except that God won't leave me, love also covers a multitude of fears, it's important to hustle - the days are short and the years are long.

free

Don't follow a defeated foe. Follow Christ. It is costly. You will be an exile in this age. But you will be free. ~ John Piper

all the way my Saviour leads me

last week i was hiking with my husband in maine. it was lovely. it was hard work for me. the first day we hiked on a well travelled trail. on the second day of hiking we took off on a less popular trail. it was foggy and rainy. there were no people around. it was just us, a trail map, and the cairns to follow. we scrambled on rock and we kept climbing higher. and each time i thought we could not possibly go any further my eyes caught sight of another silly pile of rocks. someone had been there before. someone carefully piled stones to guide my steps. it was windy and i was frightened of losing my step, of losing my way, of losing the comfort of shelter.

Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth.
You are my Savior, aren't you?

Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;
Rebuild the ancient landmarks [psalm 25 - the message]

and so now at home again i walk a path. and just when i think - this is it, i must be at my destination - i must travel further. i am thankful for the piles of stones - the promises of peace, of hope and a life abundant. i am thankful for a faithfulness that never leaves me wander on my own.

holding hands

bring it in close

there is so much beauty in this world. sometimes i wonder if other people see it. often when i am in a large crowd of people i will slowly look around and silently beg them not to waste this time. i hope they are noticing the beauty. and i have to believe that too often others are not seeing the beauty at all. because if one could see the wonder in the spring flowers how he could ever harm another person? if he would listen to the birds singing their arrival for the season how could he fill his soul with hate? if just once a day she took in the grandeur that has been created for our benefit how could she ever think that she is not loved?

wait for me

the evidence of a well lived weekend. i woke up sometime in the early early morning and i thought about the dirty dishes in the sink. i thought about how the apartment was a mess. and then i remembered. we ran to the bottom of the stairs during the worst of the storm and were so thankful for our home all the while the lightening pulled the thunder close. we woke to sunshine and wrote out a grocery list and listened to the wind. we worried over wardrobe and the timing of our arrival to our next thing. and we waited for friends to arrive. and we hugged and we laughed and we sang and let the night get away from us. we drove through the dark remembering our present past and how wonderful the wine had tasted. we talked about hiking and comfortable socks and we bundled under blankets to keep the weekend in close to us. we went to sleep tired and well fed. we rested and dreamed. and today i will re-order the house. i will wash the dishes. i will do all the things i should never do on a weekend. time is tricky. it's fast and it's so very slow. and i am thankful for this time.

not just sometimes

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

do you believe this? i mean Paul says right here that it will take strength to actually get all that Christ has to offer us. may we pray for such strength.