mountains quake
As the snow falls lightly outside my kitchen window, accumulating a white blanket covering the green grasses and fall leaves in my yard, I can start to feel like I am falling into a winter of sorts in my soul. Dark mornings, cold winds blowing, hiding inside warm spaces are days I know will be long and dreary if I dwell on the parts I don’t love about this wintry season.
When those days can get me down, I know that I need to be getting up. I need to change my cadence to the music in my head. One of my favorite recent songs had me listening to the story behind the song. Tasha Layton talks briefly about the inspiration for her song, “Into the Sea - It’s Gonna Be Okay” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gBHEHWFKFY and even though the events, situations, craziness of the world is evident all around us, our perspective can change. Have a listen.
The mountains remind me of the way I can approach winter and life. From afar, they are magnificance set against the sky. There is wonder and hope about the future. I know summer is over, but the closer I get to autumn and the peaks, the more daunting they are with rock faces and snow crusted tops and approaching winter. I can cringe in fear of them falling or devour the beauty with my eyes and see majesty. Because there is wonder all around, I am going to choose to see beauty and not fear.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear; thought the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46: 1-3 NIV
Scatter the seeds
I am watching my garden grow each day. With some warmer weather now and a few showers of rain, I can actually see various plants coming up. Growth! I am also watering my flowers and I even picked a lilac bouquet from my neighbor’s tree to admire on my kitchen table. I am also noticing a few green shoots in some dirt where I threw a handful of seeds from a package that came in the mail.
The beauty of nature is like our thoughts. We learn, we gain knowledge, we grow in wisdom and through time, we see the results of the nurturing and the care. Sometimes we borrow ideas from others and keep them for ourselves. Sometimes, we randomly throw out thoughts to the the universe, prayers to the Almighty and admire or wonder at our own creations. How surprising and pleased we are when they show as blossoming colors and flowers; yet, there are times when the flowers wilt or don’t pop through the soil. These seasons in our lives are also for growth. Sometimes it’s a time just to rest, to wait, to watch for the new possibilities and opportunities that will be there.
God wants us to grow in our faith. What new learning are we reaching for? What new insights can we glean from his Word? What areas of our life are we working on to improve ourselves? How can we gain wisdom? If we are stagnant and never reaching for the light, our growth will be stunted. Jesus tells of the Parable of the Sower that is mentioned in three gospels: Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15. Let’s be the seed that understands and believes. Let’s keep growing in our faith.
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 (NLT)