Recovery

Today I took dinner to a friend who is recovering from a double mastectomy. She is an incredibly strong person who had the surgery on Wednesday and was texting us all on Thursday and has been answering the door for us the past 2 days since she got home from the hospital. It is amazing how quickly her body is healing and how good she looks.

I am often in awe of what doctors are able to do to make us “better”. I am also often in awe of how much we take being “better” for granted. When I think about my friend recovering, I am so grateful for detection of the cancer early enough to do something and for a quick recovery. When I think about Haiti and the time it will take not just for the people of Haiti to heal, but for the nation to heal, I am unsettled. I wonder how long it will take for them to recover. I think of the roof over my head and the extra beds in my house and wonder why I am “better”. But then I see images of people rejoicing at receiving water or finding a friend alive and I don’t want to be here. I want to be there, helping. And then I think, my house isn’t “better”, it’s just not as hard. I live an easy life compared to the people of Haiti…compared to a lot of people.

So in the midst of people recovering from a variety of things, may I be His hands and feet. Taking food to the recovering, sending money so food can be given to the recovering…while my life is easy. For when it is hard, I will need someone to help me recover too.

Are you recovering or are you helping someone recover?

Making a Difference

There is nothing greater than having the opportunity to share joy and help someone else. Each day we have the opportunity to make the most of an encounter. We can choose to make that encounter about us, and the woes or rejoices of our day, or we can choose to consider our brother/sister. It is when we take our focus off of ourselves and place it on others that we have the opportunity to make a difference.

So, as I go to bed tonight I pray tomorrow, I will focus on those with whom I share space. My family who I will ride to church with, the random people who will sit around me as I worship and listen, and whoever else I may encounter throughout the day. May it make a difference in their lives that we shared the same space for a moment in time.

Today, my husband sat at a table with me and 2 of my girlfriends and walked one of the friends through her potential marriage ceremony and his perspective on marriage. Not only did he do it with grace, but he also did it with a transparent honesty that not only made me proud, but I think helped my friend understand a little more about what marriage means to us. Today, he made a difference for my friend and in that moment, made a difference for me!

How did someone in your life make a difference today?

I made it!

My goal was to fast until the 21st of January and post a poem daily here. This has been a very stirring time for me and while I am proud to say I accomplished both of those goals, I am thankful that some of the pressure that came with them is over. So tonight, I breathe a sigh of relief (although I feel like I should force myself to write a poem) that I ate my usual Friday night pizza and I’m not writing poetry for my post.

I do appreciate the faithful few who read my posts each day/night. It gave me a sense of support when I would check and see that someone had actually read my post.

So tonight, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reading and in that way showing support for me!

Response

May your name be on my lips and your delight be on my face.
May your words be in my heart and your spirit be in this place.
May I hunger for your company and delight in your great love.
May I long not for tomorrow but for the kingdom that’s above.

Let your righteousness remind me of forgiveness that is mine
Let your grace and your humility in spite of my humanity shine.
Let my feet follow a path that you have walked before
Let my ears follow your voice and my lips still praise you more.

For your grace is sufficient to meet every need that I may see
For you power is much bigger than all that is in me.
For I have sinned and fallen short of your majestic glory
For I am but a bit of time in your redemption story.

I am Israel

Israel
A land
Taken by the hand
and
led away by God.

Israel
A race
Who saw God’s face
Embraced
Then tried to replace.

Israel
A reclaimed
Who came to God ashamed
Exclaimed
Then forgiven, proclaimed.

Israel
A nation
Who is a representation
Translation
Of all of creation.

What I learned from reading Isaiah

Grace

He who was perfect was tempted.
He has been in my shoes and knows the way to walk.
He empathizes with my weaknesses and will guide me.

I can approach God’s throne of grace.
Confidently.
Knowing I will receive mercy and grace.

So why do I pretend like everything that happens is new?
Why do I allow my weakness to lead me into solitude?
And why, if I’ve been invited, don’t I approach the throne of grace?

I see myself as unworthy.
And that is why He gives me His grace.

His Love

This is the day the Lord has made
Let us give thanks and rejoice.
For we have been given another day here
To praise Him and lift up our voice.
Though trials will come and pain we will see
He’s walked through the fire before,
And will do it again with you by His side,
For you are the one He adores.

It is there in your pain that His healing is found.
In your weakness He makes you strong.
So call out to Him, hold onto Him,
He’s been by your side all along.
Breathe in His presence; know He is there,
No matter what you will go through,
For you are His beloved, you are His child,
There’s nothing that He wouldn’t do.

In His Eyes

If just for a moment we could see through His eyes
The world that surrounds us would come as a surprise.

The things we’ve seen so many times we don’t notice anymore
Would suddenly become so clear no longer could we ignore.

The beauty in the big blue sky or the dark clouds over head
The pain that briefly surfaces when we’d see a smile instead.

We’d see the poor as a sibling, down upon their luck
We’d see them as an equal, and try to pull them up.

We’d see the truth behind our lies, the faces that we wear
The emptiness we hide behind a look that we don’t care.

We’d find within ourselves, a person we don’t want to be
One that knows to do better, but lives irresponsibly.

But despite our pleas for His eyes, we only have our own
Although if you look closely, your weakness will still be shown.

So decide this day who you will be, and choose to make yourself more
Than you thought you could ever be, for He has greatness in store.

If you could see through His eyes, you wouldn’t believe what He sees
To Him we are His everything, and all we could dream to be.

Responsibility

Responsibility

Difficult, Necessary

Growing, Accounting, Defining

Mature, Decision, Immune, Exempt

Blaming, Failing, Burdening

Guiltless, Childish

Irresponsibility

Which describes you?

Where is God?

We are searching for His hand
And wondering where He is,
Praying for His light
To shine upon what’s His,
Fasting for our future,
Praying He will lead,
Questioning His direction
Why he won’t answer our plea.

He is searching for our hands
Wondering where we are
Shining down his light
On a world that’s hurt and scarred.
He sees into the future
Wonders when we’ll lead
Instead of always searching
At home on bended knee.

If we will look outside ourselves
The wealthy lives we live
We will see the hurting,
The broken who are His.
The ones He’s called us to care for
The ones He longs to hold
The ones who’ll never know Him
Unless our story’s told.

So today instead of wondering
What tomorrow brings for me
I’ll do my best to shine His light
So that He is what others see.
For tomorrow may never come
But today there are poor, unclothed and hungry,
Who need to see His love
Pouring out through you and me.

Thoughts taken from Isaiah 58