Saturday, January 31, 2015

Say yes




joy

sneaking up

arresting us

stopping us in our tracks

and we

skidding, falling, tripping all over

ourselves

because

of one magic moment saying yes

to really see

stunning beauty

and kindness and mystery

all wrapped up

in the daily and monotony

and grind

because 

life can be purely full of it

this joy

to be chased

and breathed in

and lived full

if we say yes


Friday, January 23, 2015

Longing to fly

 



sometimes

I feel like a caged bird

longing for freedom

to fly

expectations falling hard

why I need grace

not to do whatever I want
to live flippant in sin

but only because

my heart so full

of the not

just never enough

and shame

burrowing its head
into my soul

so flawed

and imperfect

and hovering behind a wall
of unsuccessful attempts

and it exhausts

until this vulnerability

catching my breath
and turning me around
to see

Jesus

calming my fears
with His presence
restoring my broken
with His grace
and breaking my heart
with His love

and then

having permission
to be both flawed and loved

freed

to be myself

no longer needing

to fly



Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Winter




Waking up each morning.
Life is a kaleidoscope.  Ever changing.
The colors.  The shapes.
Making something beautiful.
Sometimes out of pain even.
But changing.
Like the seasons.
And we.  Hanging on.
Looking hard for goodness surrounding.
And counting.  Thankful.
That God.  In control.
When the shapes change. 
And the colors morph into something.
New.



Monday, January 12, 2015

Beauty in the raw

 


Rain pouring down.
In the cold gray.
Beauty in the raw.
And in the cold.
A morning.  A season. 

Layers.  Of life.

And for a short while.
In the early.
Frantic slows.
And time morphs.
Into a river; slow and gentle.
By which to sit.
And be still.

And in the sifting.
Through the layers.
Of hours lived busy.
Cacophony of worry yelling.
Frantic attempts thrashing.  
And confusion filling. 

Raw.
Bubbles up to the surface.
And sits on my lap.
Staring at me.
And I laugh.  No longer afraid.
Seeing the truth.
Experiencing grace.
And it's all okay.

Needing nothing more.
Than the being still.
And knowing.

He is God.

Redeeming the madness.
And the rain.  And the cold.
And the seasons falling hard.

Layers.  Of life.

Giving us beauty in the raw.

And rain pouring down. 

Beautiful.




Monday, January 5, 2015

We are lousy gods




 
A new year.  We have celebrated.
And we all.  Hoping.
To do better.  A clean slate.
Finally arrange ourselves; this one life of ours.
Into something coherent.
Something.
To be proud of.

And so.
We make resolutions.
And stop eating and start cleaning.
Join gyms and organize our spaces.
The self-control god of January.
Rearing it's ugly.
Once again this new year.

But nothing ever changes.
Because.  The resolutions.
Riding hard upon our shoulders.

And the self-control.
And sheer determination.
Pulled on hard.
Like a pair of new boots.
Beautiful to look at.
But painful to wear.

But we wear them.
Those damn boots.
For a while.
Thinking we look great.
Feeling proud even.

Until.

Our feet hurt.
And the shoulders ache.
And we yell; from the trying.

And it all falls away.  Again.
Our weary souls crumpling in the exhale.
Of one more attempt.  One more try.
At being something we can't even.
Articulate.

Because.

We are lousy gods.
And we invent even more.
To bow down to and worship.

And we don't live beautiful.
But in pain.
And no one's kidding anyone.
About it.

And so.  This year.
Not pulling on those boots.
Don't have to.

Because.  All along.

Shame and the not measuring up.
The race for perfection.
Already won.

Freeing us from the tyranny.
Of self-improvement.  Gone awry.

And it is grace transforming.
Unfathomable Love. 
And that is the beautiful.

Not our weary attempts.