A Metaphor of Recovery

Dearest Lord,

I watch with amazement as these creatures, small as they are, recover and walk again after being blown over and over by the wind. These are days in which some that I love seem to be tossed by one gust after another in their storms, and as I feel weighed down and weak to help, I find myself before You on their behalf. There is no other place I can go with my heart and all that it desires for them.

You have told me to come. 

You have told me to make my requests known to You.

You have shown Yourself to be the One upon whom I can cast my cares.

You have demonstrated Your power over the wind and the waves.

You have revealed Your sovereignty over all.

So, I am here pleading with You again.

Please calm these storms with Your command.

Please stop the bleeding, bind the wounds, and heal these souls.

Please draw them still nearer to Yourself and guard their hearts and minds with Your peace.

Thank you for sending 

the Comforter, 

the Holy Spirit, 

to be 

our Advocate, 

our Guide, 

and 

our Helper.

You owe me nothing, but You have promised me so very much. 

Great is my debt, and I praise You for Your kindness and Your grace.

Amen.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. 

For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, 

but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us 

with groanings which cannot be uttered.

~Romans 8:26

~End Quote

Downtown

Run/walks for my daughter have always translated into snapshot time for me, and because of that, the annual St. Jude Run for the Children is my favorite among those races. The start/finish line is only a stone's throw from the Mississippi River and the Old State Capitol, and this year I was particularly interested in seeing the river because of its swollen banks.

Unlike other race mornings, this time I brought along a little shadow, and the two of us ventured toward the water . . .

[Click here for higher quality & captions.]

When the river is deepest

it makes least noise.

~Italian Proverb

~End Quote

Impenetrable

Do you recognize the scene? Lost in the impenetrable reeds with seemingly no hope of finding an outlet  to open water, the unlikely pair haplessly pressing on through the African waters?

My friends, this is how my mind feels today.

Yesterday, with a pile of thoughts and tasks and people and events before me, I could feel the panic begin. A pulsating panic. With my desktop computer (a.k.a. my real brain) down and containing the information I needed to get through this murky stretch, I watched myself (as though an onlooker) respond to the mere thought of proceeding. It went something like this, again and again:

1. The task would present itself.

2. My hands would begin to move toward the phone or computer in an attempt to complete it . . .

3. I would freeze, throw my head into my hands, pray, and sit back waiting for the tension to pass.

4. Again I would try, continuing in this well-established pattern until I was finally able to make the phone call or search for the information needed, etc.

Advancing, I am -- but only by inches -- and there are miles to be covered.

I have always struggled with/against procrastination, but there are times when it truly feels like I am Bogart and Hepburn making their way through that maze of reeds. (Oh, and let's not forget the leeches! I'm sure I could work them into the analogy, too!) It is exhausting!

Accomplishing even the most menial of tasks while in the throes of this mental/emotional battle seems impossible; and while some might call it "sheer determination" that ultimately gets me to the other side, I submit that even the strongest pushes of my raw will are not enough -- no, I cannot "Just do it."

With answers of strength from my Father, I accomplished two significant things today. Now I have three more calls to go and I should be able to breathe just a little. Open water will be a wonderful thing.

Quote of the day:

"This is not going to be a problem."

~ a man named Steve

~End Quote

Repair

 

When the Japanese mend broken objects,
they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. 
They believe that when something's suffered damage
and has a history it becomes more beautiful. 
                                            
                                                                  ~Barbara Bloom

~End Quote