Dancing Rain Drops

The light shone through them and they danced as the sun took its first peek over the fence. These droplets glistened everywhere…it was like I was standing in the middle of a beautiful quartz stone! Light seemed to hop from branch to branch even in the stillness of first light. 

Honestly, you would think by now that ‘things’ would settle into a place of normalcy here. But, I guess just like life, there’s always something around the corner that we haven’t seen before. And I must say, I am very happy for that! A life that is too predictable is probably a sign of a bit too much of my own control. A life of expectation is one that leaves God room for His plan, not mine….like dancing rain drops! :)

But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see Him—and in seeing Him, become like Him.

All of us who look forward to His Coming stay ready,

with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.

I John 3:2-3

We’re like those drops, ya know. He has put us everywhere on this earth He made. Scattered about His kingdom and He moves us, shimmers thru us and shines His life thru all us little drops. His Grace makes it possible to pool our perspective with His, to be poured out of our will and reflect only His desire for us….and that ‘s when the real shimmering begins!

Guess, from a not-so-shimmery perspective, it is also possible to loose our shine when we are settled in our own ‘stuff’. Kinda like a muddy puddle, no shimmer, all yuck.

Our lives with Christ are built on working on getting that muckiness out and looking to hand over all that He shows us needs to go. However many days He has given us here, we have the blessing to glisten…to seek Him over everything else. That doesn’t come naturally, but it can come one day, one step, one drop at a time….

rather be dancin’ on the branches, wouldn’t you?!?!?

Where is this newborn, who is the King of the Jews? When we were far away in the East we saw His star, and we have followed its glisten and gleam all this way to worship Him.

Matthew 2:2 

The Voice Version

 

Tangles

Each life is set in its time ~ to live, to be, to choose ~ and over all our moments we live in Love’s touch in the tangles of life.

The thing is, this is God’s weaving…our lives are in His tapestry of time and space. So, who says it is tangled? A very freeing lesson in life comes when we release our views and embrace His will. Labyrinth lesson number 4 million 32!

With many stories like these, He presented His message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when He spoke. When He was alone with His disciples, He went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.

Mark 4:33-34

The Message Version

I have had several visitors to the labyrinth now and they remind me of the learning process this place provides. When you come to the opening, there is no way to see the whole pattern. You do not know your path, or your steps before you enter, tho’ after reaching the center, and hopefully spending some grace filled moments of communion there, you will retrace your steps back out. But, almost to a person, everyone wants the path explained first, or a map, or something that ‘reveals’ it all first.

Kinda like life, right? We walk with the Lord, in His plan, thru His paths and we get to spend time with Him. He is always teaching, it is just that we may not always be learning, or we are in a hurry and ‘need’ to know what’s up beforehand? But, on those beautiful paths that we do learn a central Truth on, we have the privilege of taking it out into our world to share with others. That place of hardship, the newly discovered joy, the times of pressing into our Lord more every moment ~ those are not tangles, they are just steps we have not taken yet.

And those who huddle in night,
        those who sit in the shadow of death,
    Will be able to rise and walk in the light,
        guided in the pathway of peace.

Luke 1:79

The Voice Version

Perspective of One

Before I went to the store the other day, I had just finished reading an article about human trafficking and abuse in China. It went into great detail about the exploitation and exportation of women and children to other countries and the estimated 9.6 billion dollars that it generates toward the Chinese economy. This certainly isn’t limited to China, it is a worldwide epidemic of evil but, that gives you an idea of my head/heart feeling at the time….

You know how when you walk thru the grocery store and you see that poor mother, with children in tow, all asking her for something? And when she says no to their candy, etc., well watch out for the fussing. Well, this mom was pushing a A FULL BASKET OF FOOD!!! I was really struck by the complete lack of gratitude in her kids. They were totally fixated on what they didn’t have, not the bounty that mom was headed home with for them.

I have had that in my head for days….the lack was not in their stomachs, it was in their heart. Thankfully, they were young and there are years yet for that dear mom to teach them of God and His love for them. But, insert confession time here, I get cranky in the grocery store, too. Ya know, when that one thing I need at the store for dinner, isn’t there. Hello?!?!?! There’s a store full of stuff to choose from. None of us ever outgrow the ability (not a good one, either) to focus on the one thing we don’t have. Worse yet, the assumption that we really ‘need’ it in the first place! This type of thinking comes from my ‘perspective of one’…me.

A perspective of one pushes against an open heart and leaves no view of gratitude ~ the wide vistas of God’s gracious provision. 

A perspective of one sees with eyes of want, not wonder at the Love abiding within our very soul.

When we are ‘lacking’ in kindness, compassion, graciousness, gentleness there is an answer…that of opening up our hearts to The One and to allow the Love of The One to raise our gaze to the Horizon of Hope eternal. His mercies are new every morning and within them are the Joys of His salvation and in our every moment, lingers the breath of The Creator Yahweh, He Who speaks every moment into being.

I have a book called, “Praying the Names of God” by Ann Spangler and took it with me today for a walk in the labyrinth. (after the grocery store) This was one of the Scriptures for today…

 I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings, all the things God has done that need praising,

All the generous bounties of God, his great goodness to the family of Israel—

Compassion lavished, love extravagant.

He said, “Without question these are my people, children who would never betray me.” So he became their Savior. In all their troubles, he was troubled, too. He didn’t send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person. Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them. He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time.

Isaiah 63:7-9

The Message Version

Compassion lavished, love extravagant...that is The One who cares for and carries us in our every day! To put the needs of others before our own wants ~ that heart-change alone would change our world!

Brothers and sisters, God has called you to freedom! Hear the call, and do not spoil this gift by using your liberty to engage in what your flesh desires; instead, use it to serve each other as Jesus taught through love.

Galatians 5:13

The Voice Version