soften – KARLA LEES

The hard placeswithin
cry out for a thaw,
for an outpouring:
of Your
living water,
a fresh breeze of Your Presence,
the radiance of Your face
and burn of Your love
to melt away the
crust formed over
my heart.

Underneath
the seeds
You have planted
are impatient
to erupt,
to emerge
from under the barrier
they have been straining against,
in their effort
to obey the call
of their Creator.

As the thaw continues,
cracks emerge,
fine lined at first,
but space for new growth
begins to look possible.

Seeking more rain,
more Son,
more wind,
the season of my heart
continues towards spring.

The cracks widen
and the first of the seeds
emerges
in its beautiful greenery,
stretching up to
greet a new day
of possibility.

The bud begins to show
as the garden of my hear
continues to grow.

Despite the cold swirling
all around
this new life
is springing up
from the former hard ground.

You make everything new,
and make beautiful things
out of us.

#hopeinHisPresence

I love coming home after a long day’s work to dinner being ready to serve, with only one pot to wash. I plan my meals around our crazier nights to make it easier on us all by having dinner cook slowly throughout the day, instead of a mad dash to get it ready once I get through the door.

One of the women in a bible study I am attending this summer brought up how she thought that God was a slow cooker.

I immediately caught what she meant.

In this age of instant expectation & the rush of the drive thru, we can miss the blessing that can come through preparing ahead, which is something you have to do with a slow cooker.

A tough piece of meat can soften over the long cooking process when the slow cooker is placed on low, and come out tender and as soft as butter. Many people put less expensive cuts of meat in, knowing this slow cooking process will tenderize it to taste like a premium cut.

God does the same with us.

He has prepared a place for us, and the path for us to make it there. If we place our lives in His hands, as imperfect and hardened flesh needing to be softened and remodeled, He tenderizes and makes us into the best us we can be with His loving care. Our hearts, our minds, our souls.

We tend to think God should do everything in an instant, but we only think as far as we can see. God has had a plan in place from the instant He began creation, to unveil His full plan for each and everyone He has ever and will ever create on earth.

His plan has spanned the entirety of human history.

The ultimate slow cooker, indeed.

I don’t get stressed out anymore about what is coming up ahead tomorrow, or the day after that…

As I continue to offer my whole self to Him, He continues to slowly shape me into the whole me He planned, moment by moment, day by day…

The slow cooking process can feel too long, but in His hands I will be the best result possible!

Tag: soften

cracks in the ground

slow cooked