We see through a glass darkly.
A fairground hall of mirrors with shadows on the wall, distorted views.
Feet sinking into clay for those rooted to earth.
Easy to get stuck in the pit and lose The Way midst its miry depths. Feel the pinch as Master Potter re-shapes our clay form.
We cling to edges. Cry out in fear. Paste on clown smiles while bleeding on the inside.
For what is loss? What is gain? What or whom can be trusted with all the grief and pain?
Who has the upper hand when we’re all just kicking dust and sand?
Calamity calls and we cringe away, bewildered, running scared. Reluctant to face or embrace.
Until..
We remember One who ate dust as we do, choked on tears, felt pain within, without, gave and gave some more to secure our freedom and release from all that stings painful.
He didn’t deserve to die. We don’t deserve His sacrifice. Bad things happen to good people. Sadly, this is a sinful, fallen world.
We live in an upside-down, here-but-not-here-yet Kingdom where we begin to accept the cloud of unknowing is part of belonging.
And we look to the cross. Consider Calvary. Weep for the loss and rejoice in the resurrection. Marvel that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
All He asks is for us to lean on Him. Rest on His word. Seek strength and help in time of need. Find comfort and share it with others.
Meanwhile, we live with smoke and mirrors, with mystery and mayhem, with pain and with promise, with unanswered questions and faith.
One day all will be made clear. We will know even as we are known. For now? We trust and obey. Believe all sorrow, sadness, suffering and pain will come to an end and glory will come out of it all.
Prayer draws us nearer to God’s heart and there we find all the comfort and reassurance we need to keep us afloat. We begin to see an open door of hope through the painful places.
Though we may still emerge with unanswered questions, in the listening and leaning we learn to release the pressing need to know and rest in trusting all that we do understand.
God’s words to me a few months ago still hold good for today. I hope and pray they will bless you too.
Prayer Whisper:’Surrender’
“Remember that I am only a breath, a prayer away. I live within you by My Spirit. You have access to all My gifts because the greatest gift of all is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Deep in your spirit rests the Spirit of the Living Christ. All of His qualities and abilities are available to you by faith. Though He works through your human body, there are still no limits to what can be accomplished according to My will.
As you surrender more and more of yourself to Me, as you allow Me to take, make and break you, as you let Me work in and through you ~ then the possibilities are limitless, for I have no boundaries. Take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances and focus on Me. Do not allow yourself to become swamped and overwhelmed by the challenges before you. I am keeping you safe through every storm.
Rest in My provision for you. Despite how it seems, nothing shall in any way harm you. The quiet centre of your being where I reside is invulnerable. Seek Me. Seek the Quiet Place and you will become renewed, refreshed and restored for the journey ahead.”
“In returning and rest you shall be saved,” says God through the prophet Isaiah, “in quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). They are all parts of each other. We return to our deep strength and to the confidence that lies beneath all our misgiving. The quiet there, the rest, is beyond the reach of the world to disturb. It is how being saved sounds.” ~ Frederick Buechner ‘Whistling in the Dark’
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
Poetry Joy 
“The quiet centre of your being where I reside is invulnerable. Seek Me. Seek the Quiet Place”.
these are the words i love best this morning as i read your post. As an adult who struggles with ADHD (always did, but didnt’ know what it was) being quiet long enough to reach that Quiet Center to be a challenge. But it’s worth it.
Carol, I’m so pleased these words spoke to you. They certainly meant a lot to me when God first whispered them and I draw comfort from reading them again. I thought I knew how to be quiet and still due to having M.E, but I soon discovered how restlessly active my mind is! It takes great effort and determination for me to press into the Quiet Place and meet with the Lord, to lean in close and really listen. Whenever I do I always come away deeply blessed and changed. Maybe it will get easier over time. As you say, “it’s worth it.” Blessings of rest and peace to you, my friend. 🙂 x
this is beautiful, and needed, so needed by all of us living in the “why?”
Karin, I think we all live there, don’t we? Unanswered questions may floor us, but in the pursuing of answers we demonstrate an active faith being stretched and prepared to wrestle until we can rest content (to some extent) with the ‘not knowing’ and trust what we do know and understand. Blessings, my friend. 🙂 x
Thank you! This is a refreshing blog for my heart!
Jedidja, my own heart is blessed and refreshed by your visit! Lovely to see you, my friend. Thank you for stopping by. 🙂 x
Prayer draws us nearer to God’s heart and there we find all the comfort and reassurance we need to keep us afloat.
It really happens that prayer draws us nearer to God’s heart. That is such a great way to express what happens when we pray. I think we let go of our “me” centered life and God takes hold of us and draws us into God’s beautiful heart.
Newell
Newell, I love how you express these great truths about prayer, “I think we let go of our “me” centred life and God takes hold of us and draws us into God’s beautiful heart”. And what a wonderful, comforting place it is to be close to! Bless you for stopping by to read and offer your own insights. I really appreciate it, friend. 🙂
OH, beautifully said, Joy. Finding our way to center – in every sense of that word. That’s the only thing that hushes the noise, stills the chaos. Thank you for this lovely contribution to this week’s conversation, Joy. So grateful for your voice.
Diana, you always add such weight, depth and worth to every insight you share. I love your depiction of finding our way to centre, “That’s the only thing that hushes the noise, stills the chaos”. Amen! I am craving the quiet stillness of His heart more and more. Contemplative prayer is becoming a growing desire and halting yet wonderfully blessed practice. Thank you for the richness of your post which sparks so much thought and great expression from the group as a whole. It’s a privilege to ‘do church’ with you all. 🙂 x
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