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?

Writers, Artists, & Cherry Blossoms

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 8 Comments

Remember last year when I started the Thankfulness Journal?

Setting out to write 10,000 things that I’m thankful for was quite an endeavor. I’ve yet to reach that ambitious goal, but thankfulness lives on in my heart.

Here are some joyful things from this week:

Meeting Fellow Writers & Artists—This week I had the privilege of attending a three day writers’ workshop taught by Renee Andrews. She is an excellent speaker and so inspiring. It was wonderful to connect with fellow writers and artists in my community and share our nerdy love for the printed word.

Shannon @ Unfading Joy—I love her entire blog, but especially her post for this week. It resonated with my soul.

Cherry Blossoms—The large cherry tree in my backyard is in full bloom and showering the grass with white petals.

Mason Clover Music—I love the way that he weaves scripture verses and Hebrew into his songs. It reminds me of Revive Conferences where I first heard Clover sing and where I’ve made so many wonderful memories with friends.

How about you…What are you thankful for this week?

Honesty

March 15, 2015 ~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

I like to think of myself as this girl:

I like to think of myself as young and happy with a bright future ahead of me.

Most people think of me as a happy person. They tell me that my name suits me well–I love my name, and I consider myself a happy person too–but sometimes I don’t feel joyful.

I’m a private person (sort of confusing when I have a blog, huh?). I don’t share all my feelings. If I did, people would clearly see that I’m not always smiling on the inside. My emotions are generally a roller coaster. I’m happy; I’m sad. I’m calm; I’m worried. I’m peaceful; I’m fearful. It’s an ongoing circle.

I like the way tears feel on my cheeks. I like listening to melancholy tunes. I like staring out a window at the silhouetted evening.

But I also love sunshine and crisp, autumn air.
I love the giggles of my niece and nephew and siblings.
I love happy music and laughing and celebrating life.
I love these things more.

I want to be Joy.
I want to be known by my smile.
But I’m human too, and so I struggle.

Is joy a constant state of happiness? Is it the art of smiling when you’d rather be crying? Is it a hug when you’re falling apart, and a lilting voice when the world becomes a dirge?

If it is, I can’t be that. Not all the time. I never will. Try as I must, I’ll never fully be my name.

And in admitting that, I’m content. God is joy. I’m not competing with Him.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t do everything right. I cry sometimes. But I’m not afraid to fall on my knees and look to Heaven. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m broken inside. I’m not afraid to be honest and tell God that I don’t understand.

I want to be Joy.
I want to trust God.

There’s a gentle peace in my heart reminding me that even when I change, Yahweh never changes. He’s always there for me.

He is my joy.
And I want to share that joy with others.

Blog of Joy

sharing the random joys of life

memoir