Look straight through
Some days I see just the fence.
But other days,
I press right up close, eye to the gap,
and look straight through.
Oh my.
When I go outside with God in the Yard, I seek the open space.
I want to look through.
I leave a hole in time.
I ask for the open space.
Breathing room.
Margin around the edges.
Empty spots with no expectations.
What does God want to say today? What does he want to show? What does he want me to see?
I’m sure I still miss him by a wide margin on many days.
But there are days . . .
- when ducks hear me laugh out loud at how God made their bodies flip upside down as they dabble in water
- when I marvel at how trees defy gravity pulling down, and lift limbs up instead, in proud praise to the Son
- when I sit long enough to actually lose track of time (has it been 5 minutes or 30?) as he stills me in the quietness
On those days, the sky is wide open.
* * *
How will you carve out breathing space this week? Please share in the comments.
This here … you’ve said it all, friend ~
‘Breathing room.
Margin around the edges.
Empty spots with no expectations.’
I get pretty crispy real fast without those graces.
I think I need to go there today. No, I KNOW I need to go there.
Thanks for this gentle reminder …
Softly sincere…Bless you for sharing Lisa!
~Yolanda from Speak 2 My Heart via Playdates with God
Lisa, I so LOVED this as just this morning 2YO Jocelyn & I sat watching the mourning doves around our bird feeders. She said to me, “I love your big chickens”. No matter how I tried to explain they were birds, in her eyes, they were big chickens. Amid the laughter, I felt the Lord reminding me to see life through the eyes of a child. Know what? Those mourning doves do move & act similar to chickens 🙂 May the skies stay wide open this week! Blessings!
This is beautiful, Lisa. I love the 2nd picture of the view just beyond the fence. How true that we must be intentionally about seeking God, just like you would intentionally have to look through the fence boards to see the beauty beyond. Next weekend, I am devoting an entire 3 days to going on a ‘listening’ retreat. I have never done this before, but am excited to see how God will work through our time together.
Blessings,
Kamea
I do hope I can get out and ride some this week. Weather and schedule has sure played havoc with it so far this summer. That is my carved out space.
What a great reminder! When I look out my kitchen window lately, I have been frustrated seeing the gaps in my backyard fence – we really do need to do some major repair on it sometime the next couple of years. But after reading this post today I am seeing those gaps with new eyes and heart. Thanks Lisa. Something to ponder anew as I wash dishes. Will be thinking of you…
YES! How I love those precious times of communion with my Lord! Thank you for sharing this. 🙂 God bless you.
Thank you, Lisa, for these words of wonder. During this beautiful season there is so much to be thankful for that our hurrying hearts can miss. I needed this reminder to slow down and appreciate it all.
I so loved this post – and the picture of the gap in the fence really spoke to my heart. Up here in the mountains I am surrounded by beautiful views, but all too often I get mired in the *duties* within – laundry, cleaning, paying bills, etc. How often I forget to literally LOOK outside and see God’s creation. To pause and remember how He surrounds me every day with His love. To let go of the doors that trap me within myself, and open the windows of my heart to His presence.
Lesson taken.
GOD BLESS!
“As he stills me in the quietness…” yes, ahh. That’s my favorite and it seeps quiet over me.
Thanks, Lisa.
Jennifer Dougan
http://www.jenniferdougan.com
Lisa! I had no idea you’d read that book. It has changed my life…. I used it as a jumping off place this weekend at our women’s retreat.
So glad to see your thoughts and mention (even from a while back) here on the blog this week. 🙂
I know that feeling of missing God by miles so well, but i also know the moments of sheer delight when i meet his grace face to face.
> when I marvel at how trees defy gravity pulling down, and lift limbs up instead, in proud praise to the Son
“… it is old earth’s groping towards the steep / Heaven whom she childs us by.”
http://www.bartleby.com/122/56.html
My favourite poet, by a long way.
Thanks for the link. The lines you copied from the poem are the ones that stuck out to me too. Poetry like this is to be pondered, not skimmed.
After hearing about it now from two people I admire, I’m thinking I need that book! I’m thinking hard about self-care and carving out space as summer with four children at home approaches quickly. Thanks for linking, Lisa!
Sounds like God in the Yard might be just the right book at the right time for you, Kelly. The beautiful thing about it is it’s not so much about the book per se, but what the book encourages us to do on our own. I really, really appreciate authors who can motivate us to go make changes instead of just reading about them. Praying you have a restful and meaningful summer with your kids!
I so love this post Lisa. You make me yearn for the wide, open spaces.
‘Breathing room.
Margin around the edges.
Empty spots with no expectations.’
We are doing a little TLC on our deck this weekend so I can have that space to just sit and breathe. This makes me wish we were done with it so I can just chill. 🙂
Hoping you have nice weather for your deck work this weekend! What a blessing that will be this summer for your whole family. Enjoy that breathing room it creates.
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