Month: January 2017

What If?

On By LisaIn FaithLeave a comment

I chose the emptied toy room, the furthest room from all the action, as my writing space. Moving games, spy gear, costumes, shelves full of feathers and balloons and old nerf bullets to create my own space with a door, a place of solitude, a clear message to my family. A commitment, an investment, utter selfishness with newly hung pictures of old trips and a scattering of tidbits that are meaningless to anyone else, my sanctuary. Mostly words surround me, scripture on little signs, words of empowerment or calls to action, letters in a Scrabble box. Baskets of correspondence, cards yet to be sent, scraps of paper from long ago lists, I am comforted by letters arranged into words, words into sentences, order created from scribbles, rich meaning mined from the jottings. I don’t imagine I will ever write or say something worthy of a mass produced sign, I don’t aspire to such greatness. My ambition is lesser, to sit undetected in my little room surrounded by words and arrange my own alphabet into meaning for me. I have finally accepted that this is my gift, I no longer shy away from owning it, I don’t have to be the best writer to know that what is in me comes from God and is enough.

Some people see the world in colors, a rich array beyond the primary lot, they notice the shadows and the blues in the yellows, the black in the orange. I will never notice those, I have no gift for the deeper appreciation of layers, of hues that build on each other to create the beauty and glory that ultimately a non-artist just knows is good stuff. I silently edge close to those with these gifts, wondering how my world would change if only I were capable of seeing more, deeper.

Others see in numbers, quickly able to compute and assess, to formulate and distribute. Numbers jumble in my mind, I lose count when scooping measures of beans for my morning grind of coffee. Not that I can’t count to six, I lose focus, I day dream just that quickly. Was it 3 or 4? The brew today will either be extra strong or weak, a coffee adventure each morning. I wish I were capable of quickly determining the percentage off price or the long term cost or the needed sales to hit the goal, except I have a Chef who can do this so I mostly stick to scooping coffee in the morning and arranging my letters into words.

Other people see the world in connections, in relationships. They find the webs that join, delight in discovering the missing links. These people shine in groups, marvel with the many. I watch these people from afar, lurking on the fringes. I envy their joy in relations, I am jealous of their easy smiles. Proficient at drawing in, I notice when their gifts are aimed at me, I know I am  being pulled and am helpless to resist. These people build bridges for all of us to cross.

Musicians who hear the world are the furthest from my skill set. They notice sounds and something called harmony, melody, tune and tones, meaningless mixtures of scribbles on paper to me. Finished products though, I adore what music can do to my soul. I know God speaks to me through the notes and voices of those who are gifted with music. I inch closer to those who sing, play instruments, a groupie at church who looks right into the eyes of those who bring song to us all. I adore musicians, I sing quietly and try not to mess up what they bring.

Millions of gifts, talents, personalities, each as individual as snowflakes, designed not to be more beautiful or worthy than the one before but to shine together, to blanket the winter ground with light so bright and glorious night feels like day.  I’ve been thinking about the Genesis story a great deal, the very beginning of us all. Creation out of the void, how the story begins. It gets pretty messy from there, choices disturb the simplicity of God’s plan. Light, water, people, creatures, vegetation, so simple. From the very beginning each were endowed with a gift, a purpose, that they could embrace and share or ignore with dire consequences. Jealously over the talent or power of others laid gifts to waste throughout the rest of the Bible and in our current newscasts and social media feeds. That damn snake who brought temptation and doubt and longing for more, fear that what Eve had was not enough, resides is us all, as if the bite of the apple changed our DNA to include snakiness. A certain serpent-like inability to glory in the gifts of others without the accompanying doubt about our own, an asp-ish quality that means we forget about collaboration and see only competetion instead.

What if we start again, before the fall, before the bite and the blaming and the realization of what we aren’t and what others are? What if today we begin as if we walk in the garden filled with the knowledge of only God’s unfailingly love, the surety that we are enough, that we are so cherished that all of our needs are provided and we have a purpose? What if today is the day we give our gift openly and freely to the world because we know it isn’t from us but from God and we trust He wants it out there to care for the creatures, to feed the people, to make music and count the fish and build bridges and create art? What if today is the day the Lord had made and we rejoice together in each other and the portion in ourselves that is God?

What would you do with today if fear and doubt and judgement didn’t exist? Not good enough doesn’t exist in God’s garden. Let’s go for a walk in our inner Edens today and bring our gifts out to play. Will you join me?

Capable
Unseen

Now

On By LisaIn Faith2 Comments

Someday I will quit smoking. Someday I will train my beasts to stop jumping. Someday I will deal with the totes brimming with family photos upstairs in my old office. Someday I will take vitamins as directed. No, that is probably not true at all. Maybe I won’t stop the leaping beasts either, but rather wait for age to slow them down. Yet the list of my somedays is actually pretty short, I no longer wait for the things that are important, I have wasted to many days already. My dreams are small, my bucket list relationship oriented with a heavy dose of travel to places that don’t include exotic beaches. My mind doesn’t often wander to SomedayLand, danger lurks there.

“Someday,” a progress pauser, a motivation masher, a perspective pincher, a word that floats us into a foggy future that forgets now. Someday may give hope but only with a wistfulness, a longing not backed by muscle or action, by goals or plans. Clinging to someday, when we win the lottery, our soul mate arrives, we have time for church, we  hand off the responsibility for the moment to the fates, the perfect way to miss today.  I know, I waited for my someday for entirely too long, gave up too much time, wallowed and sacrificed many days. My someday of my dreams never showed, instead I didn’t notice the flowers or the sky, I didn’t wonder about the lady at church who needed something I had. I didn’t take any pictures of my cats doing nothing hilariously. I missed out on my current day hovering about thinking wishing dreaming of my someday.

I’ve heard it said the opposite of faith is not doubt, not fear but certainty. Faith requires that we believe what we cannot understand, trust what we cannot see. Sureness means we can act without consultation, we need not consult other voices, we need not check ourselves. Becoming so confident is not a positive, pride and falls leave bruises. Assurance in anything, anyone other than our God sets us up for the “someday” thinking that ultimately leaves us clinging to scattered cards, our house having fallen with one good gust of wind.

Now, this moment, this time right here, the only promise we have have. If we give this back to God, ask for a consult, follow His directive in just this moment, we find our somedays of yesterday fall into place. We can’t leave the dishes for someday, the laundry won’t wait for someday, children can’t just eat dinner someday. Now, today, starting at this place, with obedience and thanksgiving for just this moment, we can begin. Without knowing what is next, with no concern for the lottery or the when the ship will come in, we can rest in our now. Looking back on our now, we will discover we have WON.

(Also, I have reached an agreement with my brother, brokered a deal if you will, to stop smoking. Seems my someday is now. Any prayers along for strength on this would be appreciated!)

Cling
Someday

Treasure of the Broken

On By LisaIn Faith, The Chef10 Comments

Sparkling glittering shining objects gather dust under Plum’s bed, old jewelry boxes and  wooden drawers become secret compartments for his treasures. Chains from dogs who have passed away, slivers of ribbon, an earring I left on my dresser, a burnout lightbulb, anything that glimmers is stowed away amongst the stray bits of beast hair and cracker crumbs, the sweeper unable to manage the maze of riches. He sleeps, dreams above his stores, his slumber content that his wealth safe. He protects prizes that are castoffs, items no longer wanted by anyone else, he sees glory in the imperfections, maybe doesn’t notice the missing parts, uneven edges. The lock that doesn’t have a key, the scrap of paper from an old valentine with a trail of peeling glue where specks of glitter once were. He knows wealth is truly understood only in our hearts.

I too like broken things, the bits of imperfection speak to my soul. I find comfort in artistry with flaws, incomplete sets of dishes, mismatched furniture. Stories live there, both in what has survived and what is missing. When pressed to display Christmas dishes given to me many years ago when the donor was due for a visit, panic set in. Too many pieces, every imaginable plate or bowl, glasses, cups, a gravy boat and salt and pepper shakers, overwhelming in the utter completeness of it all. Too perfect. Too much pressure. No story in these dishes, nothing to imagine or dream about, every detail filled in, there is no room for me here. I collect broken things, stray cats, real people with scrapes and scars, a bit disheveled by life.

Being vulnerable enough to show our own wounds allows the air to reach them, starts the healing process. Injuries hidden away grow infected, abscess, destroy the whole body. The mask of perfection appears shiny, glittering, but will never be treasured in any soul box under God’s bed. Those masks keep us apart, distanced, hide our tears, the real shine of honesty unseen. I can’t find anything in the bible about Jesus wearing fancy robes or stylish sandals but I do remember the verse that says He wept. I imagine his brown skin gleaming with the mix of water and salt as those tears glistened in His eyes, ran down his cheeks. The ultimate in vulnerability, shininess of broken made whole only in Him. I see that same sweet truth when my pastor gets real on the raised bias as he teaches us weekly or as I pour out my broken fearful heart to him and he hears me, really helps carry my pain. His eyes sometimes leak out realness. I see a man who understands broken things and collects us all into his congregation, stores us up, asks us to go find more beaten and battered people to bring in to God’s love. Being broken doesn’t mean we need fixed, it means we are healing, we are allowing the air of hope and truth to reach our wounds. Allowing others to know we have pain alerts the whole body of Christ to our sorrows, allows them to share our burdens, encourages them to lower their masks and display their own mismatched pieces. What if we all got so real that we wept at church and cried out to God together to heal us, heal our world? What if we stopped saying “I’m fine” and truly answered each other? What if we listened and watched and valued the glistening of tears as the treasure of a soul being bared?

I know that God collects the broken, the weak, the poor, the needy. The perfect have no need for Him. They are already complete, like my Christmas dishes. Have you any room in your treasure box for another broken soul? Can you see the shine of bits and bobs, the cast offs? I encourage you to lower your mask, remove the obstruction from your eyes, uncover your ears, listen with your heart. Broken treasures surround us all.

Shine

Uneven

When the Birds Sing

On By LisaIn Faith1 Comment

Bitter cold air robs any desire to move beyond the blankets. Projects and dishes and showers become burdensome, each requiring too much effort. Thoughts swirling like snow slowly covering the grass, millions of flakes of worry and fear too tiny to grasp. Melting, landing, blending into all the others before we can arrange, analyze, construct a snowman of goals. Depression feels like the blankets, enticing, chanting “stay here where it is safe and comforting.” The mantra is soft at first, little whispers of winter winds, left unattended become howls that blow away all other voices. The joy of sparkling snow, the delight of beasts romping, winter birds persisting in the chill, all lost in a cloud of despair .

My mental health background ensures I understand the biology of depression, I know warning signs and when treatment should be sought. Sometimes I wonder though if this affliction isn’t straight from the devil, an evil concoction that stops us from being who God asks us to be. The lies of depression, that we can’t, we aren’t, no one cares, don’t even try, nothing our God would have us believe. The work of pure evil, the theft of hope. Ugly voices drown out what we know, what we trust until lies become truth, fear overcomes faith. Stuck in a chair, under blankets, we no longer feed the birds, barely ourselves.

I can’t help thinking about those winter birds who still seek food and find it. They don’t go hungry. I don’t ever see piles of starving birds left neglected, frozen, forgotten. What is the purpose of birds really? How many do you actually notice each day? They surround us, always fluttering on the edges of our view. The bible tells us this:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. …Matthew 6:25-35

Winter birds in the cold Indiana snow may find some berries but depend on our feeders each day, the sight of suet draws them in, tells them God is providing. I can’t sit in my chair and wait for God to carry a bucket of seed out each morning, He has entrusted me to have a heart for the feathered ones among us, to see the hungry and take action. I am rewarded with chirps and colors to brighten the dim January view, I draw new air into my lungs, I am refreshed from completing the task and move to the next. One step becomes two. Feed another creature, hear a song, the lying voices grow fainter.

Depression needs inaction, requires all of our attention in order to be sustained. Any movement, one goal set, a bird feeder restocked, strikes a blow to despondency. A good day of activity does not bring a cure though, the night comes, another morning to be faced. Quieting the discouraging voice again seems impossible. Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety! Isaiah 38:14  We forget we are not alone, another lie we believe. The birds do not come to the feeders one by one, they sing to the flock that they have found sustenance, they bring friends along and share the good news.

This is how we combat depression, surely with medication when needed, but leaving the safety of the nest and trusting everyday that God will provide His infinite wisdom. Someone will fill us with enough, someone will listen to the Word of God and see the joy hidden in our breast, the delicate wings that can lift us to soar again, someone will see. Most often that someone is us. Ultimately it has to be. Mornings are tough but that is when the birds sing the loudest.

May you see the joy in you today and find your own worth to be enough. May you know you were created for more than sheltering, you are meant to fly. May the voice of the Most High speak louder, clearer, entice you to sing your own song.  May you rise up today and trust the truth of God. He will provide, you just have to leave the nest.

Infinite

Mistake or Message, We Choose

On By LisaIn Arrow, Faith, Plum, Stella1 Comment

I learned somewhere along the way, before my daughter was born, that nursery rhymes were actually pretty dark tales. Instead of singing those songs to my new sweet innocent child, I changed the lyrics. I sang my own version of “Rock a Bye Baby” that always had me catching her at the end. I altered “Hush Little Baby” mostly because I was exhausted and could never remember the real song, but made up my own rhymes as I walked and rocked a colicky babe hours on end. She was born close to the holidays so Christmas carols were always on my mind, I could remember those easily. She fell asleep to those year round, as did her brother when he came along. “Silent Night” took on new meaning when sung to children at the end of the day. Gazing at their tiny faces, finally resting, finding the angels in the orneriness that so swiftly replaced, holiness that sustains parents.

As she grew older, I created tales for bedtime stories with her as the main character. She begged for these stories nightly, I drew from her experiences throughout the day to color my creations, after hours wakefulness when I felt the least able to make something new. I used her nickname, turned it backwards into an individual child who made bad choices or didn’t want to listen to her parents. She did things like not wear her shoes outside or put on a coat, she was often a bit rough with her brother. This child splashed all the water out of the tub or refused to eat at dinner. Then along comes the heroine of the story, the name turned back right, the child realizes her true self and in an instant begins to right her world. She puts on her shoes or her coat, she cleans up the water in the bathroom, she always says nice things to her brother and kisses his boo-boo’s. Stella adored these stories, they made sense of her life and unwittingly I was reinforcing her memory, reciting each night all that she had done each day.

I have told some stories like this to Plum, we sometimes skip books at night or snuggle in afterward them when he needs a bit more chatter time. He loves to hear my stories with him as the hero, who doesn’t? Mostly though we end our evenings with our “love books,” the sweet and beautiful books by Nancy Tillman. He thinks he is the child in each picture. I so hate that the day will come when it is just an illustration, when he realizes those words are for millions of children, not specifically him. Hopefully the telling every night of my love, the deeper theme of God’s love, will have permeated and it won’t matter.

As a writer, I understand that words matter. I edit and consider and ponder, wondering if my message is clear, concise, truly expressing my meaning. Still sometimes typos sneak through, auto-correct or a rushed publication, maybe a hurried post written with too much emotion and not enough distance, mean the wrong word is out, is said, is written and cannot be taken back. As many times as I have sang songs and read books and created stories to help protect my loved ones, I have mistakenly or wrongly allowed words that hurt to pass from lips or my pen. The entirety of my work surely can show the characteristic of my soul, can one piece be judged by the typo? How I long for the opportunity to edit old letters to my children, to republish the ones filled with love and support, to remind them of our life’s work together. Currently they are stuck finding all the errors, missing the messages. I pray one day my sweet Stella will change back into the other child, who rights her world and remembers that forgiveness and grace are characteristics of the heroine. I take comfort in knowing our story has not yet ended, we are in that middle part with the tension and suspense. One day God will bring restoration, my words will be filled with the glory of reconciliation. Until then, I will keep honing my gift, measuring my words, sharing my stories with those who understand that we are all a bit broken and imperfect.

Specific

Gliding into Gratitude

On By LisaIn Arrow, Faith, Plum, Stella, The Chef2 Comments

Tissues piled on the table, a glass of orange juice and a cup of hot tea, trashy tv that requires no mental faculties, a warm blanket, all indicators that a virus has hit. I lay on the couch searching for self-pity but none comes. It is just a cold, just a dumb sinus thing and how blessed am I that it waited until after the new baby, after school started, after Christmas and all the celebrations? So I snuggle under the blankets and Chef brings more tea and I doze, floating along in a daze, remembering that rest is healing.

When my children were little, I told them the fighter guys inside of them worked while they slept, that is when they got better. I explained those guys were too busy during the day dealing with all the stuff of just making their bodies work, so at night while they slept, or during the nap I was trying to convince them to take, that is when those guys could work on just the sickness. Medicine was extra fighter guys, sometimes we needed back up. I tell the same thing to Plum, he is more skeptical than my Stella and Arrow were. I often have to get more realistic with him, remind him the doctor always says rest and fluids, get some back up of my own. They slept, he sleeps, I slide into unconsciousness on the couch to the sound of trashy tv and dream of fighter guys healing me, a days gone by when I nursed my children.

The hot tea I drink, a new addition to my fluid choices. After at least a year of me saying I don’t like tea as we met weekly, Janet offered up a cup of the one I thought smelled so good. I curled my lip, I wrinkled my nose, I prepared to waste the cup she brought to me. I already knew the aroma was enticing, still I hated the flavor. I was sure. Yet I sipped, just one tiny taste so as not to be ruder than I already was and then discovered like many times at Janet’s house I had to deliver my “I was wrong” speech. She most often already knows and patiently smiles without telling me so. Like the silent fighter guys, there is healing in trying new things and especially in admitting our own mistakes. The tea I drink now replenishes the fluids I lose when I blow my nose every 10 minutes, warming my hands as I clutch the mug, reminding me of soul healing on better days. The blessing of friendship hovering like the steam that wafts with each new portion.

Chef attends to me, so much sweeter than I when he is sick. I am an impatient nurse to him, physical needs met and then out the door. Maybe more like an orderly, just dropping off food, cleaning up the tissue pile, next dose of meds administered, on to the next patient. I am blessed that my Chef is willing to bring more orange juice even when it isn’t time for rounds, that he will watch dumb tv with me and get up 100 times to deal with the beasts. He offers food multiple times and makes sure I have taken meds. He lets me rest, allows my fighter guys do their thing. He doesn’t add the emotional toll of making me feel like a burden, something I need to work on. Especially because I heard him sneezing yesterday. More tissues, more tea. More rest. As I heal, I must remember that sometimes sickness looks different, sometimes fighter guys need  back up doing waking hours. My Chef deserves a more attentive nurse, more than tea refills.

This forced slowdown is a chance to focus, to zoom in on either myself and my misery or on just how very blessed I am. As the tissue pile grows higher I can’t help but choose to list   all that is right in my world. Maybe I have a fever, maybe I have completely lost it, but laying on the couch with a warm blanket covering me, surrounded by evidence of love and the healing nature of my God, I can barely utter a worthwhile moan. Maybe it is appropriate to begin the new year resting up and drinking more tea, with fighter guys working extra hard. With no crystal ball to see what is ahead, never guessing all that 2016 would have brought, I consider my choices. Sink or Swim? I hope to share more healing this year, less germs and viruses. I hope to remember how it feels to be cared for when I am weak, how freeing it is to admit when I am wrong, how to generously accept others admissions. I hope to swim in a pool of gratitude, never sinking into despair or self-righteousness, ugly viruses that spread more readily than the flu.

May your year find less piles of tissues, extra fighter guys while you rest and many ways to nurture those around you. Warm mugs of tea, trashy tv and cozy blankets during the cold days ahead, shall we count our blessings with each other?

Float

Joy Got on the Bus

On By LisaIn Faith, Plum, The ChefLeave a comment

The bus just took my Plum off to start the 2nd semester, the beginning of the end of kindergarten. I was tempted to pretend I didn’t know the date, forgot that school started again today. Our home is too quiet without the giggles of this little boy, the crashing about as he searches in his toy rom for just the right weapon, the shouts for me as he wakes. He exhausts me, uses up every ounce of energy, I long for my bed mid afternoon most days when he is here. Snacks that seem to come just after dishes are done from the last meal, crayons scattered about the dining room rather than his art table, couch cushions endlessly needing adjusting, I can never rest. As soon as the beasts finally lay down, he erupts in laughter or a race around the room, they come alive again and begin battling, chaos ensues. I should welcome the bus, delight in the sight of that orange vehicle stopping at the end of our driveway. Yet I am tempted to wave the driver on, keep our little noisemaker for another day.

Plum discovered a really annoying game that he and Chef play on the tv, something that is ridiculous with music that makes my head hurt. I sit in the other room while they goad each other and trash talk, cackles and shouts of triumph filling the air. My little boy who used to delight in gran time, baking and cleaning, now drives monster vehicles up hills and crashes to get more points than his grandfather. I try to tempt him into mopping the floor, dusting the furniture, instead he slides around the wet tile and practices his cool falls. He is turning into a boy, full of testosterone. He doesn’t want to be hugged at the bus stop, he rebuffs my attempts to cuddle when he bumps his knee. No longer little, he is growing and every attempt to push him back into my little boy is thwarted. He loves all the time with grandpa now, they talk about farting and butts and think they are hilarious. I stay in the other room. Still, when I snuck away to my bed for a nap, he lined the hallway from his room to mine with candy canes and set up a complex trap for me to find in his room with various figurines, marbles, bionicles, and blocks. Then he woke me to play, unable to wait for me to discover his evil plan. He wanted some gran time after all.

The music of his tinkling giggles, this child’s delight lures me closer, like bells at Christmas or the ice cream truck melody. You just know that this sound holds joy. My mood, my energy is always lightened, I want more. His chatters, his songs, talking to no-one and anyone, I want to hear every word, I am his willing audience to it all. Encore please, chatter some more. Stay home with gran, I will listen to it all. Yet the bus comes and he gets on, his teacher will hear his chatter. Our home is quiet.

I wonder as the bus pulls away if the driver realizes how precious he is, if his teacher knows she has an amazing child in her midst. Can anyone see this boy and not feel awe? The driver has many children, just as the teacher does. Maybe his giggles aren’t music to them,  lost in the cacophony of so many. So we wait for his return. We clean up crayons, return weapons to the toy room and rest up. He will bring his music back, each time with added vocabulary and greater math skills. His voice will grow deeper, he will grow taller. Yet his gran and gramps will always be here, his oh so willing audience, listening for the sound of our joy returning.
Tempted

My Own Rosary

On By LisaIn Arrow, Faith, Plum, Stella, The Chef2 Comments

I have a tattoo. It adorns my wrist, a charm bracelet that never dangles or is removed because it clashes with my outfit. I have to be honest to say that I chose to walk into the tattoo parlor not in my twenties or during a bachelorette party but when I was 50, fully aware of the life choice I was making. Because this marking falls on my wrist and onto my hand, if I am not wearing mittens, it shows. Exactly what I wanted. I get asked about it all the time, compliments from young people and musings about the point of it from those closer to my age. What I tell people is this: it is kinda like my own rosary beads. I grew up in the Catholic church, we were taught to pray a specific prayer for each bead on the necklace. This charm bracelet is my prayer minder, my constant companion, my own list of joys and concerns.

One charm is of a knife, fork and spoon set, it signifies my husband. It takes the place of honor closest to my heart, where my pulse can be felt. Another charm is an arrow, the symbol for my son, who has always been protective and has a choice of which direction his life will go. The elephant charm is an ode to the trip I took with my daughter, a fiercely independent and loyal child. Next comes the tiara for my grandaughter, my little princess and then the globe, for my grandson, my whole world. Finally, a tree, to show my family, friends and faith. They keep my rooted and reaching for more. With two more grandchildren on the way and a bonus granddaughter here, I have been considering additional charms. My bracelet, just as my heart, holds the capacity for more.

My tattoo is not a piece of artwork, it isn’t the most intricate and holds no colors. Yet for me, the beauty of each glance at my wrist, each reminder to lift someone up in prayer, is that I know my church family is joining me. I can look at the arrow and see years of prayer, faithful friends and strangers alike who have lifted this child and now man up through many life struggles. I am reminded I am not alone. I glance at the elephant and I see friends who know my daughter, really know her. People who prayed for our safety throughout our South East Asia backpacking trip and celebrated her successes as a young woman traveling  on her own, who have wrapped her in love and prayer when she was pregnant with our princess who now receives her own prayers from the same long-distance friends and family, those she has yet to meet. I pray for my daughter and granddaughter but know I am not alone in those prayers.  The globe, these same people have been praying for this child almost from the moment of conception. He is one of our church’s own, a boy so wrapped in the love of God and the faithful acts of His people, I know I am never alone as I lift him up to God.

As I look at the tree, my family and friends, I am reminded to be thankful, to not just ask but to praise God for His blessings of those who are joined with us, chained with our little family into the larger family of God. Those branches give us shelter, encourage us to climb higher. We stay rooted in His Word by their example and know we are bound together. Maybe a simple cross necklace provides this comfort for others, I needed my own rosary, specific beads to define my prayers. A Catholic ritual brought into our Methodist traditions. Joys and concerns shared not just on Sundays but with every glance at my wrist.

I have a tattoo that reminds me I am never alone in my worries, fears, joys and celebrations. May you be filled with such a reminder every moment as well, may you know that even in the darkness when trees seem to obstruct the light, you are rooted in the family of God. May you find comfort in knowing your joys and concerns are shared by all those encircled by the faith.

The Temptation of More

On By LisaIn Faith, Plum, The Chef, TravelLeave a comment

As we made the hour trip to visit family my Plum had questions about houses. He wanted to know what was the very first house ever made. I described the abode Adam and Eve must have created as they left the ultimate shelter. He wanted to see it, wondered why it wouldn’t still be around. As we passed houses we considered how many people lived in each, how many and what kind of pets they might have. Room for beasts like us, cats or maybe a bowl of goldfish? He asked about the smallest house ever and then of course the largest. He was into extremes, sometimes that is how we start, working our way from outer edges back to us. We talked about his old apartment, perfect for just him and Mama but as his family grew they needed more. This apartment has enough space for a stepdad and a new baby sister. We showed him images of the Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina, a reminder of a trip Chef and I took many years ago. Shocked at learning such places existed, imagining getting lost inside, he asked if we would ever have a mansion. I told him we did. We described out home, too much space now for just us but perfect many times throughout the years for all who have needed a dwelling place. We talked about having too much, losing each other in all that house, and about those who have so little that our home is a mansion to them.

We focus often on what we don’t have, the missing pieces, the broken parts or compare to others who have newer bigger shinier versions. With one conversation with my Plum, I gained perspective again, remembering that first home that was filled with everything, all needs met. Still wasn’t enough, temptation to have more, the extra that was out of the budget, the lure of that comes with taking our eyes off of the beauty surrounding us. That is when we lose it all. Lose all perspective and are cast out of goodness and understanding that God is providing. What we have is our enough. Regardless of the beauty of someone else’s enough, regardless of the size of their garden, our enough is from God. We are not called to seek more, we are called to SHARE more. What if Eve had invited that serpent in to share in her garden, to find peace and sanctuary in there? Maybe she had many times, maybe she was broken down by the temptation. Imagining what could possibly have not been enough for her, that she wanted more, with no job loss, with no aging parents, without addiction, with estrangement, without any other worries, what in God’s name could have been so bad that she just had to want more? But that is just it, my list is no one else’s, the things that tempt my sinful nature. Hers were different and show that regardless of how easy life is, still we are broken, we are human. So we compare what we have with others and think we should have bigger, better, newer.

When I traveled to South East Asia, my heart was changed forever. I cannot look at our home with all of its needs and not see how rich we are. I cannot un-know the poverty I witnessed. I am not a saint, I still want to buy way too many Lego sets, especially the new Batman mini figs coming out. It may kill me not to be able to collect those with my Plum. We have reached the place in our financial state where I dare not buy even one packet, I must resist the temptation. Yet every trip down the hallway I pass a toy room filled with Lego, I know he has enough. I find pieces in my purse, on my desk, on the dining room table. Scattered bits of toys that would be precious to those who have not even one. We have enough, our enough is plenty.

The new year brings many ads to organize all the stuff that came in for Christmas, ways to stow away and sort all the things we accumulate. Buying more to clean up what we just bought. The temptations are endless, the lure to forget that what we have is enough beyond the belief to so many. Considering that Jesus carried nothing with him, amassed no wealth, built no homes with attached garages and extra sheds to store his extra robes, how can I as a follower think I need more? If I truly believe that every single thing in my home is gifted from God, how can I question if it is enough, can I really go to Him and say I need more?

Houses are structures. Temporary dwellings that can be filled with people, creatures, love, turned into gardens of Eden. Used to satisfy the needs of all who wander, all who need shelter, places for us to rest as we do the work of God. Conversely they can be the casting out places without us even realizing it, brimming with evidence of temptation engaged, apples bitten. May your home reflect your love of God, may it feel like enough. May your home be a refuge for the lost, may you find peace in your dwelling place.  I live in a mansion built by God. May I look around and see not all that is broken, not what is missing, but see just how very blessed I am. And then share it. This mansion has plenty of room for those in need.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/gone/”>Gone</a&gt;

 

Collecting Light

On By LisaIn Faith3 Comments

When I was a young adult I somehow began collecting tins. I have no idea how it started but I amassed hundreds, they lined apartment shelves and countertops, carefully sorted, placed, dusted. I had big ones, like the tins that hold popcorn at Christmas and tiny ones that hold spices. Everything in between, some new and some in the antique category, I found comfort in this collection. I enjoyed the colors, the words on the outside, the playfulness of it all. Some of those really neat tins were rusty inside, were coated with ick that I couldn’t or didn’t remove. The inside didn’t concern me, they looked delightful, especially from a distance, up on a shelf. What I didn’t realize is that I was collecting holders, delightfully attractive outsides that can hide the inner stash. No transparency. I was collecting little Me’s and decorating my home with my sickness. One day I looked at those tins and realized the collection was no longer needed.

Clear empty bottles of all shapes and sizes line my mantle, an ode to my former need to pretend I was full and colorful. None have corks, most are free of their lids. Most of the  bottles are old, like the tins, they have seen a life of service. Some carried medicines, some served wine. Others came straight from a craft store, like the little ones Plum likes to put potions in. These bottles are beautiful to me, I add flowers occasionally, a bit of found grasses or interesting leaves but mostly they just stay empty. The mirror above the fireplace reflects the lights of the room or the sun coming through the back door, the bottles grab that light but send it on out. It isn’t trapped within, there is no darkness with my bottles.

I look at them everyday, sometimes many times a day, and remember that I never want to be a “tin” again. I want to be molded glass, strong enough to be filled with God’s purpose, opaque with the cleansing that comes of grace,  capturing any Light that comes my way and radiating beams outward. Honesty requires though that I admit I have a smaller collection of brown bottles. These don’t adorn my mantle, they actually are sitting on the floor of my office. Minimal chance to capture any light or reflective gazes. These bottles are my reminders that even empty transparent vessels can be dark, can refuse the light. I have been those bottles as well. The struggle to be empty of all of my ick and allow my soul to be filled with Him, to wait for the Light to hit the mirror just right, some days the waiting is just too much. The hurts fill up my bottles, I become dark brooding not worthy of a place on the mantle. Still, a new day comes and my bottles welcome me each morning. An opportunity to empty out and choose what will fill me. My dark bottles stay out of sight, a harder choice. The light finds the mirror, the glass shines. The room and my soul start the day with grace.

I wonder what you collect, how it brings you closer to God. Considering what we store up, intentionally setting in places of honor, these are the stories of us. May your collections reflect light and hope, bring grace into this new year. May you find courage in shedding your tins, the daring to display your own clear bottles, the fearlessness to remove the corks that hold in hurts. May you allow the transparency of His healing to shine through you all the year long .

What do you collect? I hope to collect more Light this year.

Year