Writer's Block Jumble

She wrote these words on Facebook about three years ago. She was my son's friend. She was 14.   

Writer's Block Jumble

"I have writer's block. 

So. 

I'm going to write about nothingness. 

Or whatever. 

For a while.

Until I can think of a good idea. 

To write.

I know what I want to write about. 

But, 

the words aren't coming. 

So i'll just sit here and ramble.

I apologize to whoever is reading this. 

I'm just frustrated. 

I want to write about God and His glory.

but I can't.

and I don't know why 

It's annoying.

Dear God, 

help me get over this writer's block so I can spread your love and your words to 

all who are reading/listening/believing. 

Amen.

I might just go read my bible. 

I never have before.

Maybe

that would help

it's like poetry but stories and it's real.

I think I'll start with Revelations.

or Psalms. 

Those are my favorites.

Just from snippets I've seen. 

That's a good word,

isn't it. 

Snippets.

Along with eloquent. 

And jojoba.

and Marzipan. 

I need some fresh air.

I'm going on a walk, with my notebook, clear my thoughts and my brain. 

So I can feel some aliveness. 

In my soul."

I read those words on a day that I too, was suffering from writer's block. She inspired me to say: 

Sweet baby girl, I feel just like you. I haven't written on this blog in ages, and I so wanted to write something profound about, and glorifying to, my God. And I wanted to write it TODAY. Maybe we don't have writer's block. Think about it... 

Are there any words to define our God? Can any combination of alphabet letters describe Him in His fullness? Those of us who write, seek to paint pictures with our words, but is there a palette that contains the color of God? He is fuller than full, completely undefinable, and He is every beautiful shade and color in the universe. I don't think we have writer's block, sweet thing. 

I think we're tongue-tied by His glory! 

There are days where finding words are easier for both of us. Maybe, just maybe, today, Christ has given a special glimpse of His glory, just for us. And He has shown us that He is so big, so awesome, so full of glory, so uncontainable, and so indescribable, that we can do nothing more than fall to the knees of our hearts and worship. Our pens won't write, our keyboards won't click, our tongues are dumb... 

We are blessed today. He has filled us to overflowing with all of His fullness and we can't speak. It's too much! We want others to know, but how do we even begin to describe the indescribable? To define the undefinable? Maybe we just did. 

Maybe we just did. 

You and I ... together ... in our "writer's block jumble".

Did you read your Bible? It's real, baby girl...it's so real. And so is Christ's love for you. Do you hear me? He loves you so much. Know that today. Embrace that today. Let that knowledge wash over you. Feel Love's warmth. Feel His arms around you right now. That is the place where you will feel the "aliveness in your soul". 

Maybe I'll go read me some Psalms or Revelation too. Or maybe I'll just think about what a good word "Marzipan" is.

Thanks, Kelsey...you were an answer to my prayers today! Love, Donna

(2009)

Later that day, she wrote more words.

"Glory 

I'd like to dance before you 

to sing praises in your name

to hear you say those living words

that me, my soul, are saved.

I hope I live to see the day

that you're chariot will come

to shout the words "He is alive!" 

To see your only son. 

When I stand before your glory. 

Humbled and in awe. 

Knocked down by your beauty.

And in front of you, I fall. 

Thank you Lord, for taking away my writer's block. Finally. Phew. I'm glad I managed to write something decent."

She's 17 now. We've lost track of her. 

I hope she still writes.

I pray that she reads her Bible.

It's like poetry, but stories and it's real.

And that she's added John and Esther

to her list of favorites. 

Oh, how I hope she still dances

and praises

and knows that she's saved. 

Because He is STILL alive! 

Your only Son.

We stand before Your glory.

Humbled and in awe.

Knocked down by Your beauty.

And in front of You, we fall. 

And Marzipan is still a very good word.

 

Relax Your Grip

In Joshua 1:9, God says, "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go". I don't know about you, but I see discouragement just about everywhere I go. I'd be lying if I told you that I haven't suffered my own discouragement, as recently as this past month. 

People are discouraged because their pain isn't going away. People are discouraged because no one is calling to set up an interview. People are discouraged because they stand in the window, night after night, ready to run with open arms and embrace a prodigal who isn't coming home. 

A synonym for the word discouragement is "hopelessness". 

Relationships look hopeless. Marriages look hopeless. Finances have crumbled. Singles think finding a mate is just downright hopeless after all these years. 

Just fill in the blank: "I am discouraged because________________________." 

If you can't fill in the blank today, I guarantee that it will get filled, one day soon. It just seems to come with the ebb and flow of life on planet Earth. But Almighty God says, "Do not be discouraged". Are you thinking, "For cryin' out loud...how do I do that"? Me too.

I was reading Psalm 46 in my quiet time this morning, and came across that very familiar verse that says, "Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10) In the margin on that page, I have some notes that I must have taken in some sort of Bible study at one time. The notes reminded me that in the Hebrew language, the word used in this verse for "still", pictures a physical position. It's like letting your body go limp, or relaxing the grip of your hand. 

STOP! 

Before I go on, I want you to re-read that last paragraph. I want you to walk away from your computer, take a seat in your favorite chair, and think about what those words just said to you about your "fill in the blank" situation. I'll wait while you go...

I pray that the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart loud and clear. He sure as shootin' spoke to mine early this morning!

What I heard was, "Baby girl, take your manicured, pink and white, gel-nailed hands off that situation.  Relax the grip of your hand. I AM God!" 

Message received...loud and clear. 

We need to acknowledge that God is God. There's never enough room for two sets of hands on our situations. You may have been holding on for so long that your knuckles are white. Let God pry those hands off, one stiff finger at a time. Relax your grip and place your hands in the hands of God. 

His hands created the universe. His fingers wrote the Ten Commandments. His are the hands that stilled the storm and calmed the sea. They are the hands that gave sight to the blind, made the deaf hear, set the lame to dancin', and raised the dead. 

God's hands are strong hands. They are big hands. And most wonderful of all...His hands are loving hands. They will never hurt you. They will never release their grip on you. 

Every time you're tempted to grip tight, remember that there is pair of hands that have you and your situation held much tighter. Isaiah 49: 16 says, "See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands." That word, "engraved" means, "inscribed or cut into." God is holding you so tightly that you are leaving an impression, a mark, an inscription, on the palm of His hands.  His right hand holds you fast. (Psalm 139:10)

Be still. Relax your grip. He Is God. He's got you! 

Now there's the cure for discouragement if I ever saw one!

 

In His Eyes

I don't really know why, but today I was remembering the day that I attended the renewing of wedding vows for friends of ours who had been married thirty years. First of all, thirty years is a long, long time to share a life with one person. In light of the state of our present world, dare I say that what we witnessed that day was nothing short of a miracle? God's grace was on glorious display right before our very eyes! 

What I want to write about today is the groom. Bride-zilla would have us believe that wedding days and vow renewals are all about her, but I was so taken with that groom. So was the lady sitting behind me. We were anxious to see my friend, and how she would look when she walked down the aisle. But we both agreed that there is nothing like watching the face of a groom when he first lays eyes on his bride walking through the door.

It was like watching a tennis match. Glance at the door. Glance at the groom. Glance at the bride of thirty years coming down the aisle. Glance at the groom again. Oh, we were not disappointed! We saw the sweetest smile come across his face when he caught a glimpse of his wife in the doorway. That smile gave way to eyes that sparkled with just the slightest hint of tears. He whispered something into the pastor's ear. How I wish I knew what he said.

Maybe he said that she looked even more beautiful today than she did all those years ago. Maybe he whispered that he'd do it all again. Maybe he said that he wouldn't have missed her for the world. 

Did you know that every time Jesus Christ, your Bridegroom, looks at you, He thinks those same things? He remembers where you were, and exactly what you looked like, the day He found you. He remembers the day that you made your vow to follow Him forever. He thinks that you are infinitely more beautiful today than you were all those years ago. You are a beautiful bride, radiant with His Holy Spirit.

He has no regrets about choosing you. He'd do it all over again in a hot second. For better or worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Through laughter and tears. From eternity past, until death, and in eternity beyond. He would choose you over and over again. 

Every time He sees you coming to spend time with Him, each time He hears your voice, in each moment of joy when you praise Him, and in each dark night, full of tears, His eyes are fixed on you. You are His beloved Bride, and He grins from ear to ear. His eyes well up and sparkle with tears of joy over you. In His eyes, you are the most beautiful sight He's ever seen.

He turns and whispers to His Father, "I wouldn't have missed her for the world."

 

Vital Ingredients

When I buy vitamins, I read the labels carefully. Due to some weird lab results, I have to watch out for one a days that contain potassium. 

The other day, I found myself reading labels in the aisle at CVS. I'm a woman. Always have been. Always will be. So needless to say, I buy women's vitamins. Without fail, every bottle stressed the importance of three things that the company considered vital ingredients for my health as a woman. Man friends....you share one out of the three, but I will pass on the testosterone, thank you very much! 

My distinctly female vitamins contain ingredients to promote and support
  

heart health, bone health, and memory. 

Aren't those the very same vital ingredients that I need to promote and support my spiritual health? Let's look at them in backward order.

Memory is one of the most important things to keep sharp when we're fighting a spiritual battle. Each and every one of us is going through something today. If you're not, trust me, you will be facing a challenge, a trial, or a circumstance soon. It's life on an imperfect planet Earth. It's tough. It's not always fair. Sometimes the pain of it all is excruciating. One of the most successful weapons you and I have against despair over our situations, is remembering what God has done for us in the past. 

When David was greatly distressed, he "encouraged himself in the Lord." (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV) Encouraging oneself is remembering, recalling, having memory of past deliverance, provision, and help, from the One Who calls Himself, "an ever-present help in time of trouble." (Psalm 46:1) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) The same God who brought you out before, will bring you out again. Sit a spell and call to remembrance what God has done for you thus far.

 "Thus far has the Lord helped us." (1 Samuel 7: 12) 

      

Bones surround you. Lifeless bones of situations and relationships and life. When you look around, all may seem lost. You may seem lost. Have you ever been just sick and tired of being sick and tired? I've been there friend, when I hear you say, "I'm just so tired." 

Tired of. Tired from. Nothing left to give. Dry.

Can these bones live?

"Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! I will make breath enter you , and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 37: 4-6) 

Be assured today, sweet one, that nothing is utterly dead until God says it's utterly dead. Nothing is hopeless or beyond repair. You may be set in the middle of a deep valley today, but if God has set you there, like He did Ezekiel, His Spirit is right there with you. (Psalm 23: 4)  He is asking you the same question. "Can these bones live?"  He wants to hear what you think. He wants to test your faith. He wants to know if you believe Him. 

"O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."  

You alone. 

God alone.

The Heart is literally the heart of the whole matter. Girlfriend, in a world that is bombarding you with the compulsion to be perfect, it's no wonder you're exhausted. All around us is the pressure to be the perfect wife, the perfect mom, the perfect employee who brings home the bacon, and fries it up in a pan. Let's not forget the perfect face, the perfect body, the zillions of programs and exercises and guidelines and strategies to do it all, be it all, look all that, and collapse in our beds and do it all again tomorrow.  

Can I assure you today that there is only One Who is perfect? The Lord Jesus Christ. 

And you have His heart. He loves you with His whole heart. He loves you so much that He promises to give you a new heart...a heart like His. He's not concerned with your earthly perfection. "He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103: 14) How freeing is that?

The standards of God are nothing like the demands you are feeling from the world around you. The pressure's off because...

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 

(1 Samuel 16: 7)

I want to close this out but I don't quite know how. I wish we were sitting across from one another, sharing an iced Mocha. Women are hurting terribly. We're under attack from an enemy who wants no less than our destruction. I think it's because we are the nurturers, the caregivers, and the force behind the generation after us. We can beat him. We don't have to let him destroy us, or the ones we love. We have been put here, today, in this place, for such a time as this, and we can stop the madness, in Jesus' name, and with His Holy Spirit's power.

Our lives and the lives of our precious loved ones depend on it.