My Soul Thirsts
There’s something that happens in our soul, when we take time to retreat. A letting go, a laying down of the burdens we didn’t even know we were carrying. But it takes time. The good news is the Bible says there’s a time for everything under heaven. This photo is of me with a friend at King’s Fold Retreat Centre in Alberta (the friend is holding the camera, not sunning on the path to the chapel).
Photo by Monica Stiles
I’m sure we all have a dear friend who makes us ask, “Why do they do so much? Are they okay?” And in our heart of hearts answer with an unsteady, “No, they’re not okay.”
But it’s hard to know what to do for a doer. They must grow still, and only they can “do” that… but we can all ask good questions. Many of us need a nudge, to sit down. Be still.
This is important, since only in stillness do we come to sense God’s provision and vision for us, which is what gives us energy to do what we need to do, which is often less than we might think or imagine.
If you have a mystic-side to your soul, then you know beauty is essential. That being in touch with God’s wonder of creation keeps you alive on the inside. There is a gentle word, out here, in nature, or close to God’s Word read and absorbed indoors, in a quiet moment, that speaks to us on a deep level.
The Bible says deep calls to deep. This is a truth to dwell on when tempted to think our soul will thrive on grayness all around us or dull routines within.
We are no longer slaves. We are freed! And Jesus has come so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Enjoy. Soak in God’s goodness. And grow strong, in your soul, as a direct and lasting result.
FOR MORE, check out my AUTHOR PAGE ON AMAZON, for related poems especially.
risk being right, even when peace
is within reach, if only you’d let go of what you know —
risk being right
why? because when peace is cheap
and you sell out for a good night’s sleep
you will find
something akin to doubt creeping in, stealing
your easily won peace and good night’s
sleep
THIS POEM APPEARS IN MY BOOK “Outside the Fairy Tale”
Available on Amazon
When we risk being right, sticking to our guns in gentle, but firm kind of way, we risk becoming known as a person with convictions. Someone not easily defeated, or swayed to take the easier path. But someone with a destination. A goal. Someone who’s had a glimpse of glory and is willing to risk to get there.
Photo by Gio Mazzuca
poetry guides us to the gentle heart at centre–
where God hosts our stories, queries
into what he might mean when he writes:
deep calls to deep
here, in the desert tent where he made his home
the years before the formal temple
held his glory-seat, there is a law–
trust only one who’s gentle, as a guide
to the centre of your heart
all things, even guides, poetry in the desert,
being partial in the time of waiting, while we
plait our will with the Holy–
bid him come, reside
THIS POEM APPEARS IN MY BOOK “Outside the Fairy Tale”
Available on Amazon
The journey to the centre of our story with God is not a straight line, from A to B. It’s a long and winding road. So, we need pace ourselves. To know when to press in, and when to take time to pause & reflect. To discover what it means to walk with the Holy.