I don’t think There’s such a thing as peace In these days of So many promises Of instant satisfaction That only bring dis- ease
But even still This peace I seek Getting up at 5 Gazing at stars As I await sunrise Is it a glimpse of God I seek Or more elusive yet A glimpse of me
The me that I’m Not even sure I can define Because too long I’ve drawn My own reflection With someone else’s lines At what point did I trade Thrive for survive
Perhaps this frustration With the way I’m living Is what will help me Finally Come alive
(click video below for a spoken word version of this poem)
I love to watch hummingbirds flit to flowers and feeders and back. I’ve noticed when they land on an empty feeder or another object such as a branch or a wire where there is no nectar, they spend very little time there.
These lovely little creatures must always pursue more sweet nectar in order to sustain their high metabolism and very active lifestyle of almost constant flight. Without new sources of sweetness, they would simply die.
I hope we can learn from them and never stop pursuing the sweetest moments and memories that give our very souls life.
I’ll end with a little #Haiku for you:
like a hummingbird as we pursue sweetness we find ourselves sustained
I’ve been a self help and leadership training junkie for quite some time. I have noticed some themes summed up in the 3 words above that seem to be essential ingredients if we are to lead and communicate well in whatever we do.
Incidentally, my most current read (the framework in which the amazing company I work for functions) is:
Even if you aren’t reading it for work like I am, you may find it very helpful. To me, this seems more like a simple framework that’s easy to apply rather than just the latest trending business book. I see it’s principles applied throughout Enhabit Home Health and Hospice and I am truly impressed!
I don’t just want to keep being a consumer of the latest work wisdom, but I want to live out solid principles throughout the rest of my career and my life.
The song “Good and Gracious King” by CityAlight has become an anthem for me lately.
Let’s face it… on most days, even the best around us want something from us. Bosses want us to produce. Family wants us to love, support, and nurture. And church and community want us to serve…. As they all should. But it’s no wonder we can easily slip into falsely believing our identity is what we do rather than who we are.
That’s why time sitting at the feet of my Maker remembering that He is “the King in need of nothing” who loves me simply because I am His is an absolutely necessary recentering moment for me. Walking into my day singing “empty handed I rejoice” and “by Your love I am accepted” frees me from being overwhelmed by my tasks for the day because of a desperate need for acceptance weighs me down with the fear of messing up. Instead, I can face the tasks and people in front of me as a completely loved masterpiece of my Maker.
How I perform today doesn’t make or break me, but simply allows me to imitate my maker by creating love and beauty all around me from the over-flowing joy and love of His Spirit in me.
“You deserve the greater glory Overcome with joy I sing By Your love I am accepted You’re a good and gracious King”
I’ve heard this verse my whole life. (And I mean that literally because my earliest memories are of church and Sunday School 🤷♀️).
But because of the way my day started, these words hit me in a whole new way. I have always thought of this verse as an important reminder to have my Maker’s strength, voice, and guidance as the foundation of all I do and “build” in life.
Today, though, the first thing I heard upon groggily waking was my husband saying, “It rained hard last night so I am going to walk around and check the house.” Now, my first thought was appreciation for my husband because, not only did I not realize it rained hard last night, but I’m not great at noticing little things about the house that could become big problems like missing shingles or cracks in the concrete. (I’m probably too busy having conversations with birds and squirrels).
I began to think more my husband’s ongoing assessment and repair of small things that aren’t quite right with our home. All of these little but diligent and ongoing steps he takes to keep our home in good condition are steps toward creating the strong shelter that will be our place of safety and security for years to come.
This made me think of the verse in Psalm 127 a bit differently. Building a house isn’t a “one and done” thing – not if you want it to last, anyway. It is an ongoing process of upkeep and assessment that will enable the home to be a beautiful sheltering oasis for generations. I mean, just look around at ever-changing creation and you can tell that our God isn’t a “one and done” creator. He doesn’t breathe things into being and then leave them to decay. Seasons, night, day, weather, migration, and many other aspects of nature remind us that creation is a process.
This also makes me think of another one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 139:14, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” It’s beautiful enough when you think of this verse in the context of our intitial formation and creation in our mother’s womb. But the realization that God just doesn’t “create and release” gives me chills.
Though we may not realize it, our Maker never stops making us and keeps assessing and reforming His creation. There are many days in each of our lives when He lovingly checks us. Perhaps he is saying even now, “Life rained down pretty hard in this child yesterday. I’m seeing some cracks. Time to patch them up!”
Ragamuffin Oasis: Finding Our Places to Just Be 