Tag: light

Seeing the Light

I had a wonderful weekend. What made it so wonderful was the fact that we didn’t have to go anywhere. Minimal running around. Just doing chores around the house, homework. My husband worked on chopping wood in the yard. The younger kids did chores and then went outside to help their dad. Older kids buckled down to finish book reports that are due at the end of each month. I got my shopping done and put away. Got to practice some Christmas music with my husband. Just our family hanging around peacefully together. On Sunday we had a small potluck at our house and practiced more Christmas music with a group from our church. I got a phone call from my son who is in the army now. Sunday evening we sat around the fire and I read a big stack of books to my little kids. Just an all-round wonderful weekend. 

When I was a child and a teenager when I thought about adulthood, if I did at all, I thought about adventures. Travel. Movement. Now, as an adult, I still like travel and adventure, but those are more like fancy decorations on the cake. The cake itself is the main event. And I have found that the main event for me is the everyday living. Getting up in the morning, turning on the lamp and feeling warm and cozy in my bedroom. Rubbing my little boy’s head as I wake him up for school. Listening to the sweet chatter of my kids as they get ready for the day. Sitting in a quiet clean house and reading my Bible. Talking on the phone with my oldest daughter and laughing together over silliness. Going to the grocery store and recognizing the people that work there, having a friendly conversation in the checkout line. Exchanging text messages with my husband throughout the day.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 

They feast on the abundance of your house;

    you give them drink from your river of delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

    in your light we see light.

Psalm 36:7-9

In my younger days when I would hear things like, “The abundance of your house”, “river of delights”, “fountain of life”, I think my mind went to material things. Wealth. Abundance of stuff. Experiences that only money can buy. I never thought about it as peace in the everyday living. Contentment with the path you are walking. The ability to see beauty and wonder in the normal world around you.  I am learning that when we walk with Jesus we are given the ability to see things through a completely different filter. “In your light we see light.” 

This morning my kids were getting ready for school. My son had finished his book report project which included making a board game out of legos for the book, “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. His siblings were very impressed and he took the time to explain it to them. And I sat there and watched them and I felt overwhelmed with how wealthy and rich I am. My children are like treasure chests full of costly jewels. They are incredible! Beautiful! Wonderful! And I have the amazing wonder of getting to be their mom and spend regular Monday mornings with them, eating breakfast, getting ready for school. My life is so rich in blessing. I don’t think there are sufficient words to describe how blessed I am. 

This isn’t a brag fest. It’s encouragement to take a look at your own life. The treasures are there, surrounding you. Take some time to see them! Walk in Jesus’ light so you too can see light. 

Heaven On Earth

I am reading through C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce” again. There is a section that really stood out to me. George Macdonald (as imagined by C.S. Lewis) is a citizen of Heaven, and he is speaking to the ghostly version of C.S. Lewis (not yet a citizen) (don’t read this book for doctrine, just for ideas) and he says, 

“And that is why, at the end of all things, when the sun rises here and the twilight turns to blackness down there, the Blessed will say, ‘We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven,’ and the Lost, ‘We were always in Hell.’ And both will speak truly.”

This really jumped out at me because lately I have been thinking about our time here on earth. I have been in awe of God’s artistry in nature. I feel like I am walking out into a majestic 3D painting every day and I just stop and stare and point out my favorite parts. The fall colors on that tree are amazing! Look at how the light is shining on our house! Look at that! And that! God’s handiwork, his own personal creation, surrounds us. And I am finding it a joy to see and notice and be thankful. And it does feel like heaven on earth. 

I’ve been taking pictures here and there, trying to capture the joy of the moment when you see beauty in the ordinary. 

I thought I’d share some of my pictures with you. 

My son had a leaf project for school. We had to gather some leaves and now he is making a book with an information page about each leaf. We walked through our neighborhood and he picked up any leaf he thought was pretty.

This summer I left some sweet potatoes in my kitchen for too long and they sprouted. I decided to plant them and just see what would happen. I didn’t pick the best place to plant them and my son accidentally weed-eated them once, so I wasn’t really hoping for much. When the cold weather was starting to move in this week, I went out with a shovel and dug in to see what was there. I got a tiny sweet potato harvest!! It made me happy.

Every morning I drive by a corner of the city that always hits me with how bright and cheerful and cozy it is. It makes me smile every day.

Last week I got to spend a couple days with my parents and actually got to grab a little alone time and lay in a hammock. This was my view.

So, those are a couple pictures of my heaven on earth moments. Hope you enjoyed.