Living in the Extreme

As if Father’s Day itself doesn’t bring about a myriad of emotion for so many of us, we’re all still digesting recent, unimaginable tragedies and heartbreak among God’s people. It just seems our entire country is experiencing everything these days to the extreme.

We’ve got extreme heat and out-of-control wild fires blazing here in California while much of our east coast is sweltering in heat, humidity, rain and thunderstorms. Sorry for that brief weather update, but I think we could all use a little sweetness in our lives in one form or another. A pure and simple, refreshing peace that centers us and reminds us that God knows. God sees it all, shares in our suffering and offers His presence during every single drop-to-your-knees-and-pray moment.

He brings the rainbows, but not until the storm passes.

He brings the cool, quiet evenings, but we have to endure the scorching heat of day.

He brings reassurance and relief, but only after the flames die down.

Everything has its season. In fact, it seems everything has a beginning and an end…except one thing: God’s extreme love for His children. His love knows no season. It’s unconditional and from the purest of hearts.

Normally, I would head out to the garden when I want to collect my thoughts and find some sort of balance, but yesterday (the heat kept me inside) I found solace in my kitchen. I came home from grocery shopping and as I put everything away, I cleaned pantry shelves, consolidated food items, cooked up last little bits of things to get them out of the way and had a great time just being busy at home (Titus 2:5). And all day I found myself praising God; praising Him for His provision, His peace and His love for me.

Oh, and then these happened. I can’t take credit for this recipe, though. This is from Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman). These are so delicious and easy to make. This recipe sort of takes the extreme out of the day, as it requires you to press the crust evenly across the pan reaching all four corners. I think any recipe that calls for the use of our hands to fashion or mold has a natural way of resetting the soul. It just helps to sort of shut out the craziness, the chaos and uncertainty of life. And for that, I am extremely grateful.

" to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, 

and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will 

malign the word of God." (Titus 2:5 NIV)

Thank You For it ALL!

It’s good to be on the back side of several hectic weeks. I can finally breathe again.

Speak in full sentences again.

Relax with a cup of coffee and have a phone conversation again.

Even (dare I venture to admit) work in the garden again!

But in the middle of my running around these past weeks, a simple thought kept rising to the surface over and over. So much so that I finally started to speak the words out loud at random moments and my spirit still jumps with joy each time:

Thank you for it ALL!

…and repeat.

I can’t help but to keep thanking God for ALL of it; all the years and the days, all the "stuff" I may never understand, all the different relationships and people I’ve met along the way, all the experiences that have lead up to this point in my life. I thank Him for all the disappointments and heartache, all the joy and elation, moments that still the breath and bring the tears.

Thank you for it ALL!

I thank Him for the feeling of being settled and resting in that safe and comfortable place with Him. I thank Him for the sweetness of knowing Him and that He cares about all that burdens my heart.

Thank you for it ALL!

Thank you, Jesus!

Photo credit:

Spring Coffee Time by Yana Ray

How He Reaches Us

Most days find her snapping jagged words; how the blue eyes flare red and sting the heart.

But today, there’s solace found in crouching low with her hens and egg collecting, happy in her boots and hay and chill in the air.

Funny how dropping to our knees lifts us.

I noticed her quiet and thinking deep when she climbed in the car with backpack and that end-of day smile. This mom treads light in a teenager’s space and I dare not pierce the quiet with questions. Instead, I welcome what she offers and watch from the window; this girl now a young woman full of life and tomorrows needing room and space and finding it out in the air; with the rake and shovel turning soil and making sense out of the day. She’s a puzzle; each intricate piece chiseled from stubborn stone, yet polished bright to reflect the sun.

I remember my own long afternoons spent in boots and hay and barn and horses chomping to the rhythm of my youth. Life lays out raw in a dusty stable. There, the pieces fit together and somehow make sense. The stuff of life dissolves like sunlight seeping through barn door cracks; the smell of grain and leather saddles and a horse’s coat.

But it doesn’t take a barn or dust or even hard work to find the answers...

It takes a relationship.

He knows when we need our space and our quiet distance from the world. And He meets us in our solitude. He knows how to reach us, and His words speak clear through to the heart.

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

(Matthew 6:6)