Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. Psalm 33:1-3

I love the book of Psalms; it was the first book of the Bible that captured me. These poetic songs of thanksgiving, lament, wisdom and praise affirm God’s majesty and attune my spirit to hearing Him in each moment.

I had many beautiful moments and hours on my walks with the Lord. So many, it was hard to believe that these were the very parks I had walked for years, never experiencing anything like the wonderment of walking those same paths with God.  I had walked through creation, but not side-by-side with the Creator.

My life can display this distinction, too. I can exist, endure and survive each day or I can acknowledge, honor and praise God with the moments in it. Is there anything more essential than dwelling in these beautiful moments with God?  It is vital to my relationship with Him, and my spiritual wellbeing.  Time spent rapt in God’s presence is time spent beautifully.

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. Psalm 27:4

“Let Go and Let God” can be a powerful slogan for those who are trying to get out from under an affliction or the desire to control something or someone uncontrollable. I’ve used it many times, trying to be free of a frustrating situation. I ask God to come, take the problem from my grip, and heal it in only the way He can. Then I sit, hands in my lap, head down, breathing out slowly and back in slowly, accepting and reclaiming my powerless state.

Powerless. The word may bring panic at first when I am under the illusion that it is I who needs to fix everything.  My powerlessness, however, is ultimately beautiful, reminding me of God’s powerful presence, His infinite power, His perfect care for me and my loved ones. I cannot do it, but He can. God is the One from whom all power comes. He is the fount.

Omnipotent. This is the word that singularly applies to God, no one and nothing else. He is all-powerful, He can do all things. He is the ultimate source of love, healing, reconciliation, peace, strength and all things good.  To Him I offer my powerlessness.

When I come to humility, surrender, acceptance and admit that I am powerless, that I am not the source of answers and miracles, I turn to the One who is. He hears my prayers. He moves in my life and in me and shows me His power in all things that He, and He alone, be glorified.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The first story I wrote was about a young girl whose rowboat had crashed upon the shore of an island. She walked the island asking the animals for help to get home. Naturally, there was a wise owl and a large tortoise who carried her when her feet hurt. There were beavers who cut down the trees for her raft and monkeys who tied the wood together. Finally, a bird guided her harrowing escape across the sea.

I wanted to be a writer. I didn’t know how to make it happen, but I knew I was to write. In college, the only compliment I received from a professor was in a writing class. She asked me why I wasn’t in the school of journalism. I said I didn’t know, but I think I was afraid. I kept writing, though, because God had put it in me and it felt right and good. Later, I had a family and it felt right and good to be a full-time mom. I kept writing, though, because I loved it.

God has put seeds in me, of talent, of love, of faith. These things I can feel deeply and have always known, somewhere within myself. He intends for these gifts to reach out and beyond me too, for His glory. I want to embrace and nurture what God has started in me.  When I do, God will bless it to blossom.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:4-6

More than once on my walks, I encountered deer at a time when I was feeling uneasy, worried or distressed. I might be walking along, staring at the ground, hands tight, my mind gnawing and then a sound would make me look up into a woods. For a few moments, my eyes were upon a deer, while my mind saw nothing but brush. Like walking with the Creator of the universe, while feeling angst.

The deer always stood very still and stared directly at me, just like those fake ones people put in their yard. I would stop and stare back, maybe say a quiet “hello” and tell them how exquisite they are. Or smile, breathe and take in their very presence.

The life force of a deer is like an Olympic sprinter at the blocks. Beautiful, motionless and mute, they are teeming with life, an essence so vital and raw, that with a swoosh of a white tail, it bursts and drives them off in an instant to slip back to their secret places. The messengers gone, my feet would begin to walk again. My hands were loosened, my mind clear. My arms might swing, sweet peace sliding through and around them, bolstering me with lightness.

God shows Himself in His creation in gifts of gentleness and compassion. They are His provision of peace for me to behold. I don’t ever have to endure fear while walking with my Creator.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

Recently my oldest friend came to visit with two of her children. She’s known me since I was wee. We like to laugh about our childhood adventures and unlikely pairing—Steph is fearless. She told her daughters, “Jennie knew all the houses where dogs lived in town. She’d say, ‘No, we can’t go that way! There’s a big dog behind that fence!’” True, and still true. Though my walks with God through the dog park did diminish my fearful reactions to strange dogs, I still prefer to avoid them when possible.

Fear may keep me from adventure and fun, but more importantly, it can keep me from the pleasures, gifts, revelation, growth and increase God wants to give me. There are times when God works in my life mysteriously and quietly, but most of the time I must be willing to step forward and answer His call. I must be unafraid to listen for His voice and then I must have the faith and boldness to move.

Sometimes if Steph’s ideas were a little too risky, she needed my counterbalance. We’ve decided that perhaps our personalities were a good mix of eagerness and pause. But in my relationship with God, there need only be eagerness. When I know He is moving in me, I need only go. There is nothing to fear, no reason to doubt. Confidence and trust in Him brings blessings to me.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

When I was young I had a German Shepherd named King. A retired trained guard dog, he was seven when he came to live with us. One summer down at the farm, I wandered into the thick woods, we called “The Bear Swamp,” behind our field. King was at my side. There were a few favorite places I liked to visit:  the huge beech tree carved with my great-grandfather’s nickname—Hoopie, the four downed trees that marked a clearing where the sun came through, and the ditch that ran from our property, cutting far into the woods. At some point this day, I became disoriented, lost in the dark, shady trees and began to feel panic. Then I remembered who was with me.

I didn’t know if King knew the word “home” but I tried it anyway. Go home, King! The dog sprung into action, turned on a dime and made a beeline home. I ran to keep up, though I knew he wouldn’t leave me there. Since the day we got King, it was clear that he assumed the job of my protector and he never once failed to do just that.

When I am lost, I call to God, my King. My words may be simple.  I do not know how He will respond, but I ask. He responds, always.  He begins to show me the path He has prepared for me. I will watch to see where He leads, I will run behind Him eagerly with assurance, and I will arrive at the place that is pleasing in His sight.

The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8

I am sitting on a stool in my office window. It is a two foot wide ledge between two closets where I prefer to write, perched in a cubby. My view is my sweet front porch and the construction site across the street, four new houses for my new neighbors. There is a makeshift bird feeder on my porch wall, an old fireplace screen with votive cup holders. I moved it to the porch this summer and instead of candles, I fill the little cups with birdseed so the cardinals and sparrows can perch along with me.

There is more. My youngest is playing Bach Prelude No. 1 on the piano in the next room, a piece my mother taught him yesterday, and we just shared a fresh corn and tomato omelet with provolone cheese and tiny bits of onions. Then, out of the blue, my friend Patty from the old Bible study stopped by to grace me with even more vegetables from her overflowing garden.  These are golden moments, tiny bits of great blessing.

Just from this spot in the world, I could list hundreds of blessings, things, people, memories and opportunities for more. All around me and beyond, the world is full of God’s blessings. Absolutely full. Enough for a lifetime of abounding in the abundance. It would be just as easy for my fingers to type about some things I don’t like right here at this same window. But why? Why perceive lack when I can behold blessings and consider the Source?

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 1 Corinthians 12:12.

As one or just one? I struggle with the two. Society, organizations, church—they have a structure, a system, a framework. I am not always sure how I fit into those things, or if I want to. I deeply sense the losses that inevitably occur when I relinquish my individuality to a group and tend to weigh those heavily against the gains.

Sometimes I have wondered how any worship could be better than being alone with God, acknowledging His creation, feeling gratitude, humming a song of praise, smiling with Him. I can focus, let go and, finally feel as one—with Him. But the Bible tells me that I need also to meet with others, the “body” of Christ, to worship Him, work together to His glory and encourage one another.  This, I finally understand.

As I have come to know who God is and who I am in Him, I see that He has given me, like every one of His children, strengths and also weaknesses. I share the gifts God gave me with gentleness and love. I receive others’ gifts with humility and grace. The Holy Spirit works in us, blending and uniting us into a greater whole. Any “losses” are opportunities for a sweeter gain, as I acknowledge the Source of it all—not me, not mine, but Him and His. As one, in Christ, is where my spirit fits.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25