When My Words are Small

June 12, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

Hey y’all?

How was your week?

This post is a little different than normal, because I just feel like chatting today.

I love writing on this blog, but some days I stare at the screen and wonder what on earth to say. Most of the time it’s not that I lack things to say, it’s just that I don’t know whether it’s worth saying.

I love words, but words are so small.

They’re too tiny to explain the vastness of the Creator of heaven and earth. I can’t comprehend His love for me. I can’t even begin to appreciate all that Yeshua Messiah sacrificed to save my soul, and how He lived and died and rose again so that all may live in Him.

I can’t capture the beauty of the world around me and fully express the joy that overflows my heart sometimes, and makes me happy just to be alive. And I can’t share the heartbreaking moments either, when I’m a crying mess, because…well…those are personal, and this blog is not the right place to share them. And yet, I try to share bits of these moments on this blog, hoping–and knowing–that they do encourage others.

My words will always be small, because Yahweh is so much bigger.

And that is a beautiful thing.

Fullness of Joy (and other beautiful things)

June 4, 2015August 30, 2016 ~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

photo by my sister Sharon — photo courtesy of my sister Sharon

Sometimes I’m not joyful. Sometimes I’m ungrateful. I can come up with some pretty good excuses for being grumpy sometimes, but still I feel that longing of my soul to “snap out of it” and focus on all the beautiful things in life. Sometimes I need reminded of this verse:

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Sometimes I have to ask myself hard questions.

Do I let Him lead me in the paths of life?

Do I find fullness of joy in His presence?

My heart longs for life to be perfect, for everyone to get along, and for every day to be showered in sunshine. But this doesn’t happen. At least, not everyday. And as long as I’m living in this broken world, life will never be “perfect.” There will always be a storm cloud looming in the distance, or a worry in my heart that I need to deal with. There will always be tears. And there will always be myself. And myself drives me crazy sometimes.

But you know what?

There will always be fullness of joy.

At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Only when I put Him in center view can I see this. Only then can I delight in the simple beauties of life, no matter how small they may seem.

Today I want to find fullness of joy in Him. Today I want to focus on the beautiful things. Today I want to be thankful.

So without further adieu, here are some beautiful things:

new friends that feel like old friends

the sweet scent of honeysuckle

♫ Morning Light ♫

muddy little hands and feet

looking at the world upside down

green leaves against blue sky

hands folded in prayer

shoes that can survive anything

♫ This Little Light of Mine ♫

seeing the bright, full moon through the kitchen window

handmade cards

wearing a jacket in May

French braids

Psalm 103

smiles that can’t be tamed

cold, damp grass beneath my feet

This song–especially this line:

♫ You are everything that is beautiful.
You are all that I long to see in me ♫

Now it’s your turn…What are some simple beauties of life?

Surrender is Freedom

May 22, 2015 ~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes I think we forget how small and fragile we humans really are.

Sometimes I think we forget how much Yahweh is in control, and how much we can let go and trust Him.

Sometimes I think we forget what freedom feels like, because sometimes we forget what freedom is.

There’s a philosophy skipping around in our heads, and consequently our lives, telling us that freedom is following our hearts. Freedom is finding our own truth. Freedom is being independent, making our own decisions. But true freedom isn’t about us. It’s all about Him, the Maker of our hearts, the One who holds the stars in his hands.

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

True freedom comes when we realize the Maker loves us and knows us better than we do. God is smarter than we are. He has a plan for each of us that is greater than we could ever imagine. It’s only when we surrender our fears and doubts, and accept His direction in our lives that we can know true freedom.

It is only in letting go of the idols in my life that it is well with my soul.
It is only in finding the One who made me that I truly find myself.

So why do I battle the Maker of the universe?
Why do I challenge the Master storyteller, insisting that I can write a better version of my life than He already has?
Why do I cross my arms when my heavenly Father is reaching out to me?
Why do I close my eyes when His truth is all around me?

Fear and doubt never want me to surrender. They remind me of the pain of letting go, but they forget to tell me of the joy. They forget to remind me of the closeness that I feel to my Savior when I put Him first. They refuse to dazzle me with the truth of what surrender really is.

Surrender is freedom.

Perhaps there’s something in your life that you know you must surrender. It terrifies you to think of letting go, pestering your heart and haunting you at night.

Don’t let fear and doubt win. Trust your heavenly Father. Know that He loves you. He’s leading you, and He wants what is best for you.

Don’t fear surrender.

Embrace its freedom, and discover its joy.

You won’t ever regret it.

What can you surrender today?

Something New: Cherry Tree Poet

May 14, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve recently discovered a fascination for poetry.

I love the way that words sing and my heart sings along too.

I love free verse and rhyme.

I love long, well-crafted poems that leave me in awe of my Creator who spoke melodies and words and rhythms into existence.

And even though I know very little about poetry, I’m not going to let that stop me from trying my hand at it too.

Thus I have started the Cherry Tree Poet.

It’s my adventure into the world of poetry, and a journal of some of the random poems that I will write along the way. At the moment it seems that I’m only capable of short poems, but perhaps that’s the best place to start. So in addition to this blog, you can also find me happily scribbling little poems on the Cherry Tree Poet.

Here’s one of my favorites so far: Heart in the Sky

How about you…Do you like writing poetry? What’s your favorite verse form?

Unbroken

May 7, 2015November 18, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 5 Comments

Last week I watched the movie Unbroken with my family.

I suddenly felt selfish for every time I’d ever complained about my little troubles in life.

I’ve never floated on a raft on the Pacific Ocean for 47 days, battling starvation, storms, and sharks.

I’ve never been that close to death or been through the horrors of war.

Louis Zamperini’s story is dark. It’s real. But it’s also beautiful in a heartbreaking way.

It’s the ending that touched me the most (although the movie doesn’t highlight it much).

After all the darkness and nightmares and scars, Loius Zamperini found God.

He felt the redeeming power of forgiveness and shared it with others.

He visited Japan and forgave his prison guards in the POW camp.

He lived to the bold age of 97 and died with peace in his heart.

This is the type of story that knocks me off my feet and shoves my selfishness in my face.

Today I don’t want to complain, y’all.

I just want to be thankful for life. For the endless blue sky above. For the birds chirping in the treetops. For the songs my siblings sing together. For the breeze kissing my face.

Today is for living, not complaining.

Today is for thankfulness.

Today is unbroken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LHLud6lnL8

Full song here: This is Just So Beautiful

How about you…What are you thankful for today?

Old Things

April 30, 2015May 6, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 6 Comments

public-domain-images-free-stock-photos-high-quality-resolution-downloads-around-the-house-7 — from publicdomainarchive.com

Yesterday I visited an antique store with a friend of mine, and was reminded of my love for old things.

I especially love old books.

There’s something charming about picking an old book off the shelf, opening it, and smelling that familiar scent of age. I love the rhythm of old words, and the way they transport me back in time.

Old things also make me think about the future.

They remind me that everything I hold today will someday be old.

They remind me that today becomes tomorrow–again and again.

They remind me to live. To put my trust not in the things that I hold, but in the One that holds that whole world in His hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEsafC3b5OM

How about you…Do you love old things too?

Beautiful Things

April 22, 2015August 30, 2016 ~ Joy ~ 8 Comments

A dear friend of mine (who blogs over here) has inspired me to keep a diary of beautiful things.

I’m always finding a new excuse to start a journal, and this idea I knew I couldn’t resist. Keeping a diary of beautiful things could brighten my life and cause me to be more observant and appreciative of the beauty around me.

Beautiful things remind me of my Maker’s heart. I love beautiful things, because He loves beautiful things too. Creation testifies to that. He could have placed us on a dull planet, but He placed us on this earth where we have oceans and deserts and hills and meadows.

So often beautiful things are free, just waiting to be discovered. It can be the way sunlight slips through Venetian blinds in the morning, or the way that a baby’s cheeks dimple when he smiles so big.

I want to keep these things close to my heart. I want to capture the art that the Maker has created. I want to bring Him praise.

There’s so many beautiful things yet to be discovered, here are some so far:

♫ You make beautiful things out of the dust ♫

The many shades of spring green

Trees towering into the sky

♫ Heaven’s Knife ♫

People smiling

Hebrew

Windblown hair

The way that skirts make me feel pretty and feminine

“We love Him, because He first loved us.”

The crisp evening breeze blowing through the kitchen window

The way the moon makes me feel small

Some reflections on growing older

This song & video:

How about you…What is something beautiful that you’ve discovered lately?

In Remembrance

April 16, 2015September 12, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 3 Comments

A memorial to Jewish soldiers who fought against the Nazis

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

I don’t quite know what to say…

But I must say something.

There are horrible things that happen in this world. And sometimes I wonder why I am blessed to be alive and happy and to feel the sunshine kiss my face.

What makes me different than any of those six million lives that died in the massacre of the Holocaust?

Nothing really.

We are all just as human, just as loved by God, just as fragile and dependent on Him.

Life isn’t fair, and that is hard to understand.

The holocaust is atrocious. It’s a reminder of how wicked mankind becomes when we reject God and follow our sinful inclinations. But what I want to share today is not another graphic reminder of the horror that engulfed so many.

What I want to share is hope.

Mount Herzl in Jerusalem (near the Holocaust Museum)

The Nazis tried to put an end to the Jewish people. But you know what?

They failed.

Israel is a living testament that the Nazis didn’t win in the end.

I’ve been blessed to visit that land several times. I’ve seen with my own eyes that Yahweh has returned the Jewish people to their home. I’ve walked in the streets of Jerusalem and heard the Hebrew language being spoken and songs being sung.

I’ve visited Holocaust museums in the Jerusalem, but after each dreadful visit, I’ve always stepped outside into the sunshine again to see Israel alive and well.

I’ve met Holocaust survivors and seen smiles on their faces. Yahweh can heal–somehow, someway.

I’ve heard stories of the courageous souls that defied Hitler. Some gave their lives. In every generation, there are those who will stand for justice. There are those that believe in hope.

We live in a broken, sinful world, y’all, but Yahweh takes the brokenness and makes something beautiful in the end.

We can shake our fist at heaven or we can fall on our knees and let Him lift us up again.

He alone can give us hope.

As we remember the Holocaust, let’s also look at the future.

Let’s put our trust in the God of Israel.

Let’s remember hope.

Love is Humble

April 8, 2015 ~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

Last weekend my family and I celebrated Passover and the Last Supper.

I feel like there are so many things that I could share about what I learned over the weekend, but a lot of it is still spinning in my heart and not ready for words yet. It was truly a blessed time of encouragement and fellowship and memory making.

Last year, I shared a bit about the significance of Passover and how my family celebrates it, but this year I want to share one of the many lessons that Passover teaches me.

It teaches me about love–my Savior’s definition of love.

Love is humble.

Love knelt down before his disciples and washed the dirt from their feet. Love spent the last hours of His life on earth as a servant to broken humanity. In the garden, Love felt the deepest anguish of the soul. He knew the torture that awaited Him, and yet He prayed, “Thy will be done.”

Love is sacrificial.

Love pierced His hands and feet to the cross. Love adorned Himself with a crown of thorns. He bled his heart to win mine.

Love is alive.

Love rose again on the third day. He conquered the grave and quenched the sting of death. Two thousand years later, His love for us hasn’t changed. It never will, because His love is eternal.

It’s steady and true.
It’s righteous and pure and inexplainable with words.

This same love He gives to us, not so we can lock it in our hearts, but so we can give it freely, and lay down our lives for others, as He did for us. Feed the hungry. Heal the hurting. Be the love that this broken world desperately needs.

Love is our calling.

This is My command, that you love one another, as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: that he should lay down his life for his friends.
–John 15:12 & 13

May we have the courage to say, “Thy will be done.”
May we be His Love.

How about you…Have you ever celebrated Passover? If so, I would love to hear what Passover has taught you.

For Love of Poetry

April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 1 Comment

At some point this last year I discovered a love for poetry .

A poem can be so simple–sometimes only a few lines long–and yet it can leave me speechless.

What is it like to have a baby
Fall asleep while holding your finger?
It is a soft, precious touch.
It is relaxing, yet exciting.
It is a feeling of trust and importance.
It is so soothing it makes me want to
Fall asleep.
It is a sign of peace and love.
What is it like to have a baby
Fall asleep while holding your finger?
It is a great gift from Heaven.
–Mattie J.T. Stepanek 1999

Sometimes a poem says what my heart would say, if it could speak so freely, and sends my heart spinning with joy.

I love poems that bring me closer to God and remind me of the truths in the Bible.

I love Psalms.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me.
–Psalm 23

I love the melody that words sing and the way that my heart beats along with them.

I love poetic prose.

It is slowly dawning on me
that I did not get to God by Nature,
like the poet,
but that I have got to Nature by God.
Nature is more and more a sacrament to me,
I mean the real presence of God comes to me
in the common elements
of earth and air,
the sea and sky and moon,
and human love and friendship.
–Oswald Chambers 1916

I love my Creator who gives me my love for words.

He is the purest poetry.

How about you…Do you love poetry? What’s one of your favorite poems?

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