The Last Hours...

“He loved them to the last and to the highest degree” – John 13: 1

Jesus was about to face the biggest challenge of His humanity, what did He do?  What did He say? What was His last request? What was on His heart in The Last Hours...

Jesus gathered His closet friends, He spoke from his heart, He made promises and He asked them to remember Him.  Afterwards, they walked together to His favorite getaway place, the garden on the Mt. of Olives.  

With his friends around him, Jesus asked them to watch and pray.  He did not ask them for their advice or opinions; He did not ask them to join Him in a prayer circle, to prophesy, pray in agreement or to lay hands on Him...He asked them to pray, so that THEY would not fall into temptation.   He asked, more like begged them to become one with Father, for their benefit, not His.  Furthermore, He did not need their swords, even though He requested they bring them, He did not need them to intervene or provide protection! 

With the cross before Him, He was concerned about their well being. Jesus knew unless they trusted in and were one with the Father, they would not be able to get through the next few  hours and days.  He knew they needed to rely on the Father to get them through, scattering and running away, denying Him, their bereavement, their doubt and their confusion of what lay ahead.   

Jesus asked them to pray so that they could find their way back.  He asked them to pray so that they could believe again.  He asked them to pray so their sorrow could be exchanged for garments of praise, their grief into joyous strength.  He asked them to pray so faith would defeat fear and blessed assurance would conquer confusion. He asked them to pray so hope could be released into their tomorrow. He asked them to pray so His promises would be fulfilled.

Today, Jesus still asks us to watch and pray.  Not for His benefit, but for ours.  He asks us to pray, so that we may become one with the Father, as He and His Father are one.   He asks us to watch and pray so that we can be filled with His strength, with His joy.  He asks us to pray that we might overcome the world.  He asks us to pray so that we can hear the voice of the Father.  He asks us to pray so that our spirit would be filled and heart and soul comforted.  He asks us to pray that we might be forgiven.  He asks us to pray that His kingdom would come and His will be done.  He asks us to pray...because He loves us.

Happy Easter....

Old, Worn and Outcast

When I saw the photo of this piano, the image held me captive. My heart ached; I was saddened by her broken and forsaken appearance.

Long ago, a tree was selected; its wood carefully cut and then ornately designed to house her masterfully woven strings. At one time, she was precisely tuned to produce perfect pitch and harmony. The ebony and ivory keys were once flawless. Polished and full of luster, they lured the pianist, “caress me with your dancing fingers.” Now feeble, old and worn, she is an outcast.

How many tunes has she played? Endless melodies sung; ballads, jazz, hymns, folk or rock songs. Was this piano a dear companion to a composer? Perhaps, she served a virtuoso, a student of classical music? Maybe she was played in the theater, a church or possibly a pub? Cast off and abandoned, was she ever cherished, considered priceless, a family treasured heirloom?

Wondering, I kept looking at the photo; focusing on the unseen. Grayed and weathered, with her frame splintered, her keys warped, and her strings brittle and broken, she stands resolute. As I continued to look, my sadness surrendered to her mystery. Untold buried stories. I longed-for her forgotten music. Closing my eyes, I listened for her unsung song. “I made music, beautiful music. Once upon a time, lively audiences gathered around me, dancing, singing, and celebrating. An instrument of hope and purpose, my listeners felt free and alive!” Today, her youthful beauty has faded. Discarded, hollow and muted; only creeping crowds of entangling vines surround her.

This old wooden instrument returned home; a solemn carved-out tree in the midst of nature. At night, solitary and alone, does she secretly play melancholy tunes of days gone by? Or, do the nightingales and evening primrose beckon her to play choruses of triumphant joyful sound? Oh - to sit silently on a starry night and listen to her hushed lullabies. I imagine moon beams awakening her dormant keys, and nocturnal vines and spider webs, mending her broken strings. Bending my ear, I hear nature's clandestine choir. Upon her aged frame, creatures of the night; crickets, frogs, and owls conduct their evening symphony. All the while, fireflies dance like fairies, performing a glowing ballet. In her twilight years, nestled in the garden of life, encore performances forever play. In her solitude, she tenderly serenades...

“And the night shall be filled with music,

And the cares that infest the day

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs

And as silently steal away.”* 

Now, as I gaze at this piano, I am caught up in wonder of what once was, and enveloped in the hope of what could be. No matter how lost, old, worn, forgotten or abandoned you feel. Don’t lose heart! Hope!

“Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” What lies ahead of us is a glory beyond all comparison. I encourage you to “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Look beyond, look closer and see what could be – the unseen!


* Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

---

Absent

If I am where I am suppose to be at any given time, my path will intersect with those I am destined to meet, or encounter.  I will be there to reach out to someone, or someone will be there to reach out to me.  If I am where I am expected in the scheme of my story, I will act, by engaging life; not merely exist.  If I am present at my appointed time, life will challenge me through conflict or connect me to its essence through a rare experience, or “aha” moment.   

My one fear in life is not being there, missing the moment, being tardy for a divine appointment. My mind spins and my heart pounds, thinking I might forsake another, by not being there. I fear being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Zigging, when I should have zagged.   Absent.  Nonexistent.  Vacant from life.   I don’t want to be standing on the shore, looking out to sea, and realize my ship set sail without me.   Good or bad, I want to be present in all of my moments.

I believe time can be our biggest foe, or our best friend.  Like it or not, time is a companion through our life’s journey.  We live daily.  The sun rises, the sun sets, calling it a day.  Time elapses.  Days yield to months, months comprise seasons, seasons unfold into years.  Years add up, their sum a lifetime.  Time becomes our greatest enemy when we race against it.  If we attempt to defy time, we fight a losing battle.  On the other hand, when used for our benefit and well-being, time can be a comforter, our greatest ally.   We can seize time, by making it ours. Or we can waste time, by letting it slip away unnoticed.  

"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in." - Henry David Thoreau 

I am by nature, a scheduled, organized, properly ordered, sequential person, living, “Life by the book- my book!”  A number of years ago, I decided to embrace time as a faithful friend, instead of my antagonist.  (This was not an easy task, by the way!) By doing so, I no longer race against the hour glass; as the sands of time fall, I open up my hand and capture each tiny grain, each moment.  As a result, I am less fearful of “not being there,” because I am no longer hurried, or enslaved by my fear. 

Liberated, I enjoy time.  I use time, it doesn't use me.  I daily face my fear of absence, by allowing myself to be present in the moment.  I choose to be still, not scheduled.  I silence my restlessness by giving myself permission to get caught up in time:  getting lost in a thought, soaking up sunshine, gazing into nature,  being captivated by a good book, breathing in life, instead of gulping it down.  Recently, I sat for over an hour watching a tiny snowflakes dance outside my window.   Many might say, I wasted my time, au contraire.  By yielding time to a dancing snowflake, years of understanding were added to my life.

Today is a new day, full of once in a lifetime moments.  Don’t miss out on any of them. This is the day that the Lord has made, take the time, pause for a moment, and rejoice and be glad. After all, our times are in His hands.  I cherish Charles Spurgeon’s words; the “atmosphere of our existence” is in the hands of God. Forever present, never absent.  Amen. 

Random Thoughts about God, Life and Stuff

About a year ago I began writing down my random thoughts.  At times they are truly bizarre.  I amaze myself at the ideas and images that pop into my mind.  God truly reveals Himself to me in a unique fashion.  We truly have a one-on-one relationship. It is rare, certainly one of a kind, and there is no religiousness about it. He tells me secrets and I embrace them.  At times, I feel I can actually finish His sentences. God thinks about me, He thinks about you too!  When He and I talk, I ask Him what He is thinking about. What He is up too? And what are His plans concerning me? In these times... I get to be me, vulnerable and unashamed.     Yes, God and me... we be mates.

I am required to bring only one thing to our intimate rendezvous... stillness.  

God often speaks to me in the tub, or late, late at night. I have received profound revelation while ironing.  I have been stirred into deep contemplation while staring at the ocean. Countless divine dialogues have occurred in the evening with a glass of wine.  Some of my most dynamic inspirations have come through nature.  I totally get Ralph Waldo Emerson when he wrote,

 "Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful.  It is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament."   

Yet, sometimes God's passion and the depth of His heart manifest when life is ugly, unfair and violent.  He desires me to feel His heartache. He wants me to listen to Him.

Just to give you a taste, here are today’s random thoughts:

Jesus defied the forces of nature when He walked across the water.  He walked as a man, not as a spirit. Although at first glance, his disciples thought He was a phantom upon the water.  Jesus always looks unreal, unrecognizable from a distance.  It is only up close, in his presence that His realness is revealed.

My random thoughts:  I wonder if Jesus feet got wet?  I am curious if He felt the pressure of the water as He reached in and grabbed Peter’s hand?  Lastly, did his clothing leave a puddle once He stepped on board the boat?   Contemplating the Divine...


Until next time,
Cheryl

Could This Little Bird...be Me?

See the little bird in the tree,

Hidden so masterfully.

Nestled, camouflaged delicately

Among the branches intricately.

Could this little bird...be me?

A silent statue on a limb

Shrouded, thus stoically dim.

Perched, yet poetically prim

A faint, fluttering rhythm.

Resolute, what stirs him?

Could this little bird... be me?

Change of posture, a sound slight

Suddenly, the bird takes flight.

A secret signal, soaring to the heights

The horizon lures his keen eyesight.

Flying higher, higher without fright

Sweet liberty, glorious delight

Could this little bird... be me?

Is there a height to high?

Is there a song, a shrieking cry?

A melodious lullaby?

Could I soar, attempt to fly?

Are there dreams beyond my eye?

My heart and soul, softly sigh.

Could this little bird... be me?

Dedicated to my children:  Christopher, Erica, Daphne and Natalie.

More ... but Most of All

I want to cry, but I want to laugh more,

But, most of all I want the heart of Jesus.

I want to engage in battle, but I want the victory more,

But, most of all I want to be a warrior commanded by Jesus.

I want to journey, but I want adventure more,

But, most of all I want to be where Jesus has placed me.

I want understanding, but I want wisdom more,

But, most of all I want to obtain the mind of Jesus Christ.

I want life, but I want to really live more,

But, most of all I want eternity with Jesus Christ.

I want a voice, but I want to be listen more,

But, most of all I want to hear the silent whispers of God.

I want to be fearless, but I want faith more,

But, most of all I want the assurance found only in Jesus Christ.

I want to pursue happiness, but I want joy more,

But, most of all I want to exalt the Savior of my soul.

I want to see, but I want to observe more,

But, most of all I want to gaze into the revealing eyes of Jesus.

I want to climb, but I want to fly more,

But, most of all I want to mount up on wings of eagles and soar.

I want to be free, but I want to unshackle the world more,

But, most of all I want to be a bond servant to My Lord and Master, Jesus. 

I want justice, but I want righteousness more,

But, most of all I want redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.

I want companionship, but I want to be a friend more,

But, most of all I want an intimate relationship with Jesus.  

I want to be me, but I want to surrender all of me more,

But, most of all I want Emanuel, Christ in me and through me.

I want hope, but I want to expect more,

But, most of all I want to wait patiently on the Lord.

I want to dream, but I want to believe more,

But, most of all I want to be found trustworthy by God the Father.

I want to be seen, but I want to be hidden more,

But, most of all, I want to be sheltered under the wings of the Almighty.

I want to move, but I want to “be still and know” more,

But, most of all I want to be found resting at the feet of Jesus.

I want to taste, but I want feel more,

But, most of all I want to see through the eyes of Jesus.

I want to run, but I want to finish the race of life more,

But, most of all I want hear “well done my good and faithful servant.”

I want to tell a story, but I want to be an epic tale more,

But, most of all I want my life to be written by the Author, Jesus Christ.

I want to be here, but I want to be there more,

But, most of all I want to be present in His Presence.

There are countless wants, and seas of endless mores

But, most of all there’s  ...  Jesus.

Winter's Bend

As I sit, deep in thought, I stare out the window.  The sky is cloudy; the ground has patches of snow leftovers from the last winter storm. The grass is stretching, and peeking through the white icy crust.   The peaks of the nearby roofs are covered in a white thick blanket.  As I focus, and begin to keenly look, I see one isolated little snow flake fall, it seems very lonely as it gently floats down.  Then I gaze a little longer, I see yet another tiny flake flurrying in the air.  I realize this is very similar to life at times.  We often feel very lonely and isolated in the world. Sometimes we feel we are one lone flurrying flake. But if we give life a chance we will realize that we are not alone. 

The truth is, we gently fall into our explicit defined places, and we gather and unite, softly dusting our surroundings.  In time, more and more will congregate; soon the land will be completely covered.  Nestled under this layer of glistening goodness, the earth is resting, preparing to give life once again.  Just around the winter’s bend, the sun will shine, the wind will blow. There will be a thaw, a melting.  The earth will be watered.  Winter will end; spring is just around the corner, something special waits for us, at the winter’s bend.

The scripture tells us, that God gives to the earth snow like a blanket of wool; He scatters the hoarfrost [frozen dew] like ashes.  He casts forth His ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? He sends out His word, and melts the ice and snow; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow (Psalm 147: 16-18).

“ I prefer winter and Fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.”  ~Andrew Wyeth

Untold stories are the souls of mankind that are covered with frost and ice, yet God promises a defrosting.  This thawing will melt away heartache, shame, sin, doubt, despair and brokenness. This thaw will give way to wonderful stories full of epic characters, conquering insurmountable conflicts, etched upon the canvass life.

 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

God sent for His Word, and the Word is God Himself and His Word brings forth life.  Jesus thaws the frozen land, He melts the frigid heart.  He speaks life into death; He chisels away at the cold hardened heart.  He looks at His Father’s creation, and does not see frozen tundra; He does not see a wasteland.  He sees a world worth saving, a people worth dying for.  Jesus was sent into the world to bring salvation.  Jesus came into the world so that we could be delivered from the harshness of the world, that we could be protected from the world’s stinging, bitter frost.  Jesus came to the world, that it would be made safe and sound through Him. He stretched out His life, opened His arms, and He shrouded our sins with His blood and His blood washes us whiter that snow. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Knowing this makes my soul rejoice, my spirit spring to life and sets my mind to rest.

Soon, yes very soon the snow covered land will bring forth fruit, all those seeds that have lain dormant, will spring to life. The fields are filled with winter wheat. The harvest will be plentiful!  The vine will be filled with abundant fruit, flowers will bring forth divine fragrance, and herbs will savor the sullen, taste will be awakened and bud in delight. “O taste and see that the Lord our God is good” (Psalm 34:8).  He has made everything beautiful in its time; He has planted life and purpose within our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3: 11).

Look ahead; see the curve that is before you, it is the winter’s bend.  Before long, you will be able to declare, “Winter is past, spring has sprung!”