afraid

Running one morning I saw darkness up ahead of me and my well lit path appear to end.

This was a different route than usual for a weekday and as such the time of day made the darkness more pronounced. Usually this place is reserved for weekends and later hours.

But there I was, outside of where is typical for me most mornings and where there is hardly any light.

I clearly remember approaching darkness as I was leaving the cushy comfort of a well lighted path.
Concern welled up in me. I was afraid.

I talked to myself about what it was I was feeling.

Why this fear? 

There could be . . . deer, or skunk. (You know, the real scary threats!)

Soon after identifying to myself that there isn't anything to be afraid about, I felt peace wash over me.

Words bubbled up in my mind with a suddenness.

     "I will follow you where ever you go. 
     Even in the darkness, I will be there." 

And just as suddenly, I was in the darkness. Yet, it wasn't so dark. I could see.
There was light enough to be right where I was at that very moment.

Where ever I go, He will be. Where. Ever. 

Today He knows where I'll go. What dark path I'll find myself choosing to curiously explore or run down.

Yet, His love never fails. Never stops. Never lessens. Ever.

I need not be afraid. Not even of myself.

His Light is truly that bright.

Today's post was part of my friend, Lisa-Jo's fun challenge each Friday to take five and Just. Write.

     "...for five, short, bold beautiful minutes... unscripted and unedited...

     without worrying if it's just right or not."

Share your heart . . . add a comment below.

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what fear can do

light

What was once so burdensome is no longer.

Sweet relief fills my soul.

Delight resonates.

Joy abounds.

No matter the circumstances I face, they pale in comparison to the peace.

Heaviness becomes light.

I didn't ask for this grace. Nor would I ever imagine my fullest need for it.

How I can See, even in the darkest moments--
     it's true beauty.

This Light saves the world.

Our pride infused selves become softened by His love.

We surrender to the breaking of ourselves and fall enraptured.

Today's post is part of my friend, Lisa-Jo's fun challenge each Friday to 

     "Write for five, short, bold beautiful minutes... 

     Unscripted and unedited...

     Without worrying if it's just right or not."

_______________________________________________

Follow A {Grace} full *life* on Facebook and Twitter.

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the question I asked that changed my perspective

Sitting at the dinner table a question rolled off my tongue.

"What did you do today to show the kindness of God?"

I'd never asked that question before.

Typically I'd ask, "What did you do to help someone today?".

This time, specifics seemed to be required.

Helping someone comes from God and His Spirit lives inside of us.

Without question, the Boy-Man begins to think about specific interactions he had with his second grade peers.

"I just spent time with my friends."

Without hesitation, I celebrate this choice with him.

"Your just being there makes a difference."

A day later that conversation replays in my mind. I think about the wisdom behind it and thank God for speaking through me.

I revisit a conversation my boss said about how when I am disengaged something is missing. And then I remember a sermon I listened to on a recent road trip for work. About how we are called to be a Light.

A light doesn't do.

A light just is.

Without the light, life is different. 
Not as it's supposed to be.

We have a purpose. Our lives really do matter.

Just *being* is evidence of Him.

Period.

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{Grace} Unwrapped...

...how children don't question the questions...

...and how they are just so open to ideas and story...

...the incessant chatter of a seven-year-old Boy-Man...

...remembering how he quietly observed a lot until he was three...

...a quiet weekend without obligations...

...a little hockey star in watching professional ones showcase their skills...

...sleeping in two hours later than most days...

...celebrating hard work in school with a dinner night out...

...our bedtime routine of thinking about how we've lived deliberately today.

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a mere silhouette

Just before the sun fully rises, the sky {slowly} begins to fill with light.

Silhouettes of trees and peeks of houses are outlined in dark. The eye has to focus intently to see below the brightness above.

Darkness is hard to see in brilliant light. 

I have to squint to see the houses below--where it's darker--and just barely I See, windows first. Always *windows* first.

Brightness of the impending rising sun and full bright sky draw the eyes upward, nudging them to Stay there--speaking: Don't miss This!

My eyes want to be *There* when the sun splashes pink and orange beauty in the clouds. To notice.

It takes just a brief moment until the eyes can see the houses more clearly without squinting and focusing.

Our windows open to Grace-splashed beauty. 

In those precious few minutes when the light is just beginning to fill the sky and the dark joyfully welcomes in the day, preparing to dissolve in her shadows--it's almost Heavenly. A rare moment to notice.

A blending of the dark and the light, silhouettes are the *standing back*--honoring this majestic moment. 

I feel the same about dawn breaking open, as with my life.

The comfort of who I am is tucked safely in the shadows of His light radiating over me.

A new day begins and I can't help but See. My eyes are drawn upward as Grace is unwrapped in tendrils of beauty.

There's a blending here. He does not overwhelm Me, a silhouette of His Majesty. I have Purpose, and I Hope to be evidence of Him.

If I am fully There--my eyes focused on Him--I surrender, as a silhouette.

Light is most evident on the darkest canvas. 

I understand this through the reading back of my story. Of His Grace.

Thank you, Father, for being beauty in me and giving me eyes to See. 
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Gratitude for {Grace}-unwrapped...

...*noticing* that the Boy-Man is still a child and his voice still young...

...the attention the Boy-Man gave fellow pianists at his recital, and how he was inspired to keep on...

...Seeing that a busy weekend for the child provides opportunities to *learn*...

...the ability to afford opportunities and choosing to sacrifice selfish wants for the Boy to experience...

...yellow, orange and red leafed beauties dusting the ground with crispness...

...radiant blue skies of pure blissful beauty...

...a simple moment of smiles captured and frozen in black and white--a perfect gift...

...how my *work* brings me to tears with gladness to be a part of it...

...joyful anticipation for Different {than we expected} in our lives...

...the still, quiet of the morning to See...



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