Tag: spring

cracks in the ground

Karla Lees

image

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

out of the dark

Karla Lees

All new life comes out of the dark places.

-Ann Voskamp

Out of the hard broken places, hope can spring. If you keep a small nugget alive…like a tiny mustard seed just waiting to germinate.

You see, I know first hand how this is true.

The dark places help illuminate the hidden truth waiting to be found.

Being abandoned helped me know God as faithful.

Being broken led me to discover Him as healer.

Feeling lonely, He met me within, and has never left me since. God is with me.

Scared when facing hard news, He has been my Comfort.

In loss, He has always Provided.

With storms, He is my Anchor, and brings Peace.

Without the opposite to illuminate His quality, I might miss experiencing them first hand.

I am not saying that God sends terrible actions on us just to reveal Himself to us.

Humanity has enough within it to bring on more than enough terrible acts without blaming God for them.

I am saying God is, always has been, and always will be revealing Himself to all of us who are, ever were and ever will be on earth.

His quality, His true character shines for all to see.
His handiwork in the natural world around us is breathtaking.
His skill and depths of creativeness in making each person on earth unique and original is mind blowing.

The fact He keeps radiating love towards us, despite all the yuck and muck we being upon ourselves, the pain and hurt inflicted by others, our shattered dreams and what its…shows just how amazing that love truly is.

Every winter, the earth prepares itself for a hard time. The ground is dark, hard and nor very appealing as the season passes.

The perennial seeds we planted in moments of hope will come to life when the Light, and spring, arrive
image

.

The dark times will move into their place in our distant memory when HiStory steps in, ready and willing to release the new life just waiting for us to invite Him in.

rain down

Karla Lees

After the winter we just had, even rain looks good to me as I eagerly await spring.

Rain is an integral part of spring,

Without it, there would be no life, just barren desert.

This past harsh icy winter has left the trees asleep, the ground extra hard, and abounding dreariness. A need for escape, light, sunshine, warmth and a new view.

Winter can occur in the soul as well.

A deep freeze, hardening our hearts, locking us into believing hope is nowhere nearby.

But spring too can happen for the soul, in the hearts of those who seek it.

It just takes rain.

A living water than soaks in deep, getting in to every nook and cranny of your being.

Watering the seeds planted, waiting for such a time as this.

A water that restores, causes life to bloom, forgiveness to flow, new life to blossom.

A cleansing away of winter until there is no trace left, and all you can sense is the spring now flowing out of you.

Without winter, the soul would not appreciate spring.

Without rain, spring could never come.

“He comes as rain comes,
as spring rain refreshing the ground. ”
Hosea 6:3 (Message)

If you are stuck in the winter running rampant within, know that God wants to shower you with His presence, soak you in His love, and set spring and life free within you.

Its time to stand up, ask for God’s rain to pour down on you; to find the refreshing you have been longing for in His downpour.

For He will come.
His word is His promise.
Spring is coming.

image

fighting the bluez

Karla Lees

Today was a mental fight day.
I couldn’t take too long off, or I knew I would lose the battle.

I find that when I am in recovery, that period between fully sick and fully well, I am not at strong mentally with my defenses. Certainly, extra napping and strong medications may be part of the factors impacting my state of mind. But there seems to be something else.

Without sun, without warmth, without a kind touch, I begin to feel blue and wither a little within, shriveling up on myself to try and hide away.

Today the bluez struck big time.

image

(image from: http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/2012/01/14/fighting-the-winter-blues/)

I was okay on the bus while cranking my tunes (for me worship tunes are battle music). I ate breakfast, drank my yummy chai rooibos tea while mostly hot. I whipped off the bulk of my to do list before noon.

I took my next medication, and things took a turn for the dumpster.

I felt awful. Too hot, ready to find a dark corner and sleep it off. But…I was at work.

Realizing I could go home early made me feel even worse. And that doing so would be conceding defeat.

I ate my lunch, purged some files, did some techy posty stuff, chatted with some coworkers about a coming project, all the while silently praying that the bluez would subside.

They did.

Until I got home.

When i caught sight of my trashed main floor, 40 minutes before company was due to arrive, I almost gave in.

I pushed up my sleeves, tapped in a strong assistant, and 35 minutes later it was done.

I decided to take a quick recharge my batteries break with two of my fave recent Darlene Zschech songs with my last five minutes before my friends arrived, while the kettle was on.

By the time the first arrived, I was feeling almost like myself again. A little more tired version, but chipper and glad to see my friends. The chatter and resulting laughter helped banish my bluezy feelings.

What do you do when the bluez try to overtake you?

Do you give in?
Do you fight back?
Do you pull out your secret weapon? In my case, praise and prayer?

I am a hardwired communicator, so I find music, books, and movies invigorating and great assets in helping me cope with hope when the world seems dreary and blah.

One of my friends is a garden whiz. She loves to plan, plant, and dream about her gardening.

Another finds fitness helps her stay centered and well.

My husband finds a walk outdoors with a friend, chatting along the way helps him to fight his battles against the bluez.

http://www.austinpug.org/the-minimalists-guide-to-fighting-the-blues/ is a good basic list of healthy ways to face the bluez.

No matter what you choose, know that the bluez do not last forever.
The despair and doubt of the day after Good Friday does not last beyond Easter Sunday.
Good news IS coming.
Spring WILL arrive.
Winter WILL be over.
The sun will shine again.

The rain, although not much to look at, serves a purpose. To soak the ground, to help it produce a good harvest.

May the bluez we all fight soak us enough to appreciate the sunny times ahead, but never enough to turn into despair.