A Gift of Challenge

For week's now, I have written a devotional most every morning for someone near and dear to my heart. It was originally a challenge to see how disciplined I could be to writing on a regular basis and also to open my heart to the Holy Spirit delivering the devotional to me. It's worked out very well and I will now begin to share those devotionals regularly on The Narrow Path page.

His Hands

He has a blister on his hand from hammering 45 fence boards in place. I catch him eyeing it now and then. His hands are beautiful and not meant for physical labor, yet they are so strong. His hands have held babies, played peek-a-boo with little children and his hands have comforted their mothers. His hands have softened the cover of his Bible over a lifetime of teaching from it. His hands have the power to heal broken hearts and seal loving marriages. His hands lift up high in praise and come together in humble prayer. His hands are his living history - one of honor and truth, strength and passion. These are the mighty hands I love to hold.

Soul Ties

As I round the corner of the office, I spot the back of her head, sporting the new short "do" that suits her so well. She is the epitome of a mom to me in the way she dresses, speaks and carries herself; I admire her healthy happiness. I was led to approach her soon after my arrival to this job to find out where she went to church - I could tell she had something I wanted to have. I have come to love this woman and our God-connection. I seek her out for quick conversations when my spirit needs a lift. Today, we chatted, and is often the case, I was gifted with some of her wisdom. She's on a journey, too, you see, but her path is narrow and she knows her way. In our conversation, she drops a term I am not familiar with: SOUL TIES. I ask her for clarification and she explaines, in her brief, informative, home-schooling mom manner (which I adore), that when we love, a bond is created that connects our soul to that person. And while that love may pass on the outside, it can remain on the inside causing us to carry it around. Doing so means it affects our current relationships in positive AND negative ways. Sometimes we have to break that SOUL TIE in order to move past it's negative impact on our current relationships, she further explains. This is all I need to hear, for I know the solutions I need lie in my research of these SOUL TIES. Ever the mom persona, not wanting to leave me hungry, she feeds me by following up our chat with an e-mail that contains a link on SOUL TIES and I'm off on my journey again, to discover more about what lies ahead for me. Once more, she has met me on life's road and beckoned to me, "Come. This is the way."

Sundays

Arise! Shine! For the Lord is come! On Sunday mornings, he sometimes sings this hymn I don't recognize from the collection of favorites I carry around in my head. The newness of it (because it's "new" to me) mixed with the sound of his voice (masculine melody) echo in my heart sometimes.

The Journey of My Life...

...is not so different from yours I would imagine. The circumstances that have shaped our hearts are different, sure, but as women who seek God's presence in their lives, we long to celebrate our differences with the bonds of friendship.