The sun has added fingerprints 

To the background hues

Of tender greens, shoots and leaves

Singing songs anew

About the season as it hosts

A joyful bright return

Adding brilliance and delight

Oh so much to learn

Every morning boasts another

Freshly colored show

Painted blossoms at their best

Represent the glow

Of the Master's steady hand

Gently sharing love

Giving us a glimpse of Him

Revealing what's above

If we had a bigger view

Of what He has in store

Our hearts could not absorb it all

We'd fall and just adore

A God outstanding in His ways

Full of majesty

We would gasp and be amazed

There'd be no need to speak

All  the beauty that we see 

Is only just a part

Of the joy He wants to share

Of the Father's heart.

There are days when it seems that perfect possibilities are squelched by perfect storms!  It is easy to be sad or complain, especially when our expectations or desires happen to be very different - in fact, perhaps opposite - than the outcome.  There are days when our music gets drowned out by the noises of the world and the clanging of life's demands.  And sometimes just when the sun seems to want to shine, an unexpected wind gust and dark clouds swirl across the horizon and determine that uncertainty is still very real. 

The truth is, life is full of surprises....good and bad.  We typically do not get to choose our destiny, try as we may.  I am trying to learn to dance in the rain...paint the storm....and sing louder than life's noises.  When the downpours threaten to wash away my joy, let me see the beauty and color that remains beneath the deluge.  May I realize that even floods cannot wash away what God has established for the purpose of glorifying His great name.  And may I see that the water simply cleans the dust and residue from the very one who has asked for refreshment, refinement and restoration!

Just as this flowering tree is beautiful all by itself, there is something about the drops of rain that bring it to life and make it sparkle with brilliance all the more.  Thank You, Lord, that even the challenges of life can add unexpected beauty and provide platforms for yet more of You to show through me.

I have asked myself....is it possible that while feeling terribly alone in this life, one can still reflect God's best?  Is there a chance that we can go against the grain of many, even in the face of rejection...simply by being what we were made to be - and still represent the One who we love to serve? Can we, even in our isolation or neediness, still reverberate the sounds of heaven in a dark and harsh world? Can our frail humanity burst to life with the glitter and grandeur of our great Sculptor - even when we are so small? Can His incredible goodness break forth from beneath our layers of sin and shame? Can He truly come exploding through our rock-hard defenses and man-made shields?   

The answer is apparently YES!  

"One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek;  That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.  For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of his tent He will hide me.  He will lift me up on a rock."  Psalms 27:4,5

Sometimes you just stare at something marvelous, and the rest of the world takes a back seat.  Thank you, Lord, for wonder...

Sometimes one can almost see

The blue of sky and fields so free,

Just beyond the fences firm

The barbs and thorns, oh how we yearn

To break away from life's strongholds

The walls and doors and endless molds

That tie our hands and hold our feet

Keep us tethered to the beat

Of pounding life and constant drum,

Driving forces, even some

That pound and grind and hold us down,

Help me breathe, Save me now.

Lord in heaven, grant me grace,

Give me peace, let me face

Another day, another hour;

Fill me with Your living power.

Raise me from this place of death,

I feel no life, so give me breath.

Give me balance, take me past

The fences, chains and strongholds fast.

Break the things that capture me,

Grant me favor, set me free.

I have observed seasons when the waters have been wide....and deep....and angry.  My heart felt the surge and heard the powerful force of it's turbulence.  In moments of our lives, it might seem as if there is no easy answer.  No way to peace or a crossing to land's safety.  In those times, it is easy to panic....perhaps even try to wade head on into the thrashing current.  It is also not uncommon to feel a such a strong pull toward hidden or exposed rocks that it becomes dangerous.

An interesting thing that has dawned on me as I progressively grow older is that it's not a bad practice to stand on the banks of these wild forces and contemplate before attempting to reckon with something so powerful.  A glance upward....to the Source of power itself becomes not only insightful but redeeming.  

Just when there seems to be no help.  No answer.  No opening.  No bridge....our eyes are led down stream where the foam and churning settles and the rush becomes a hush.  The swiftness turns to a slow, shallow picture of peace, and wading across is but a simple removing of our shoes! 

Lord, help me to wait.  Give me patience to pause and contemplate Your thoughts...see with Your eyes...listen to Your voice.  May I wait upon You until I hear the clear instructions to take off my shoes and walk where You would lead me.  Help me to trust in Your amazing grace - in Your infinite wisdom.  Show me where to look, and give me Your eyes to see.

Inside my heart are melodies

That rise above the sway of trees

Or any steeples, cliffs or clouds

Heaven's music, distant sounds

They sing about the memories

Of love and life and precious things

And take me back - right to a place

A certain spot, a special day

Songs that flow with perfect rhyme

Constant heartbeat, keeping time

Floating tunes that never cease

Make me smile, bring me peace.

I cannot stop the constant flow

Makes me swell, makes me grow

More in love with their sweet song

Gives me hope, Leads me on.