The closer I walk with God, the more patience fills my soul. There certainly does come “a peace that passes all understanding” when I look to Him continually. Not only do I receive relief in the present, calmness and peace of mind, but I also begin to see Him work in my life in unexpected and perfect ways, so I am blessed with reassurance for the future.

How selfish I’ve been, expecting that my problems and desires be addressed instantly, how ignorant of God’s ways. Life unfolds slowly, change and growth is a process. God made it that way. The real blessing comes when I ask God to unfold it for me, when I put the process in His hands and let go.

So I wait in faith. I know with peace. My souls sits in His promises. I walk in His presence. My spirit listens to His Spirit. As I go, as my days pass and His will unfolds, I see that He graces me with people, experiences, words and trials. He leads me through my days, teaching me and blessing me all the way. I see God working in my life and behold what He brings to me when I am willing to receive His ways and gifts. He sends what I need. I live in faithful expectation.

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Matthew 6:38

We live in a fallen world. Genesis 1:2 says “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” The state of things was chaos and darkness, but “…the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

One day in my youth, my friend Cherie and I rode our bikes to the Mill Pond. We loved to play there on hot summer days.  Ankle deep in the clear water and solitude, I held a tiny frog the size of my thumbnail while Cherie dropped pebbles into the shallow water. Suddenly, a man came up behind us and told us to get into his car. My memory of those moments is as clear as the spring water. I flung the frog into the pond, ran past my flip-flops in the grass and jumped on my bike. The long, desolate country road home flashed into my mind. If he followed us, we were doomed. My eyes darted across the pond to a parked car. Were they with him? Were they safe? The spikes on my pedals dug into my feet as I raced toward them. Cherie was far behind but I knew I had to reach this car. The two people had seen the man approach us and said we could stay with them until he left.

I will meet with darkness in this world. Sometimes I make a quick escape and sometimes darkness seems to be winning. Sometimes darkness appears to cover the face of all around me but evil never has the final word, for God is above all. Jesus has defeated darkness. He has the final word.

 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.  2 Thessalonians 3:2-5

The book of 1 Samuel tells two stories that illustrate the importance of leaning on God in times of fear and pressure. Saul, the king of Israel, and his troops were facing a battle against a huge Philistine army. They grew nervous at the sight of their enemy and forgot that God was on their side. Instead of waiting in obedience to God for Samuel the priest’s arrival and guidance, Saul decided to take things into his own hands and acted in fear and arrogance. As a result of his disobedience and lack of trust in God, God removed Saul from his throne.

A few chapters later God sends Samuel to anoint the new king. David, a shepherd, had no army but he had God’s favor. He single-handedly killed Goliath, a giant who men greatly feared. While Goliath carried swords and spears, David needed only a sling and a stone because he acted in the name of the Lord, believing God would provide.

Where can I find strength when I am up against armies and giants, weapons and multitudes of problems? Should I gather artillery? Should I make myself look bigger, more powerful, more frightening than my opponent? Do I need to impress God and my enemy to win my battle? No. I lean on Him, I walk forward in His name, carrying the knowledge of who He is, and I show up. He will provide the rest.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

I don’t know what I have to offer anyone. The good I have is God’s. If I try to do one thing on my own, one good thing for my loved one or a stranger, it is like squeezing a lime. There is a little juice, a little zest, and then nothing. I’m left dry. Or if there is a problem in a relationship and I forget to carry the Spirit of God into the space between us, things can easily go sour.

Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice is vital to my relationships. If I stand under that cross and humble myself, I can act from a greater love, the love I receive from Him. I return to a proper perspective, my humble place, for I am only righteous in Him. There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands… Romans 3:10.

The Bible tells me to live peaceably with all people. It tells me to be a peacemaker and overcome evil with good. Without Jesus, my broken heart and my earthly mind is incapable of that kind of love. With Him, the sun comes out. The shadows that once ruled fade back and a light comes over the two, warming, healing, creating a connection that can not be seen in the darkness of ego and self.  What if I met each one at the foot of the cross?

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3

 

How do I go from wizened to full? What makes my step move not in a halt, but a flow? How do I reach with arms hanging low? How do I climb to a perch but from the root?

There is an endowment of good things from God complete in the life around me. I thank Him when I sense it change my moment, when I feel it shine. And when it seems to fade, I breathe and know and remember. It hasn’t really faded, it doesn’t go away. God is always there attending to all things in some way.

The more I discern the all-magnificent nature of God, the more beauty I see in nature, in people, in the potential He put in me and my children, in all of His creation. There is more than I can see with the naked eye. My eye must be on Him to see the rest.

To know God is to know grandeur, excellence, wholeness, possibility. He bestows the light I need to see Him more clearly. When my perspective starts with God, when I see Him and His creation through the eyes He created, beholding Him, receiving Him and praising all that He is, everything becomes beautiful.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Every bird is graced with fine unique traits. I came to cherish these little messengers who, from one fleeting moment to the next, accompanied my walks with divine precision. Song, design and presence is their language.

I love the silky gray catbird. It sings its long chatty songs in the woods, reminding me to be a listener. Black crows travel in threes and call down to me from high perches. When I hear the pleasant tapping of a woodpecker, I know to keep pursuing. Keep at it. You’ll get there. Whirling around the pond is that happy pair of ducks sporting smart suits, tucked neatly with a splash of iridescent teal.  They know how to keep things fresh.

The red-winged blackbird is a sweetheart of mine; his song is the air of the reeds. I awe to witness one alit on a thin stalk, swaying for an instant with frailty and gone across the water to another bank. I can only follow its vibrant trill.  The red-winged blackbird is alive in the ever-present now.

The red-tailed hawk arrives to prove the easy. How often I have plodded along, a ponderous load defeating my pace, when a hawk glides out from a tree line and circles wide above me. Silently, smoothly, confidently it is carried by God’s currents. It trusts, it flows, it thrives on His breath

Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. Psalm 62:1-2

God works anew in my life every day. Each morning offers His promises and blessings.  I have often heard this and believed it was true, but I couldn’t always see it in my life.

The pavement I walk has depressions that fill with water when it rains. There is one long stretch that fills quite deep and makes me slosh in spongy ground to pass and duck under a low hanging tree.  The one along the woods is sure to fill but always leaves a narrow dry strip to balance upon, if oncoming walkers take turns passing. And then there are the two or three depressions along my way which hold the rainwater in the shape of a heart.  I anticipate them. These are my sweet little ponds of grace.

Interesting thing about these spots in my walk, I can’t detect the heart til the rain comes. On dry days I see nothing special at all. There is no reflection of gnarly tree limbs and puffy clouds, no colored leaves like gondolas turning gently on the exquisite black water. Until it rains, that spot in the asphalt is just another step in my mile.

Oh, but it isn’t! Every step with God, each and every day holds the potential for beauty, renewal and transformation. Look closely! God is reaching into each day with hope, His heart always before me with pictures of love.

Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.     Psalm 57:8-10

I started my walks on August 28, 2017.  Stepping into the park that day, I had no expectations of the 364 beautiful mornings ahead.   Somewhere along the path, I passed under an oak tree and felt God saying, I will be walking with you and in that moment I responded. Well, then I would walk here every day…every day until…my birthday.  It was a random date which I figured later to be 157 days.

That was 402 days ago and I am still meeting God at the park every day.  A few weeks before my birthday, in the life of winter, I realized I wasn’t going to stop at 157.  I couldn’t stop–I loved our walks!  I decided I’d continue on to walk a year with God at the park and write about it.  I have 208 entries left to write, but I cannot foresee a time when I will stop walking.

One hundred and fifty-seven days ago I decided to walk with God every day until my birthday.  As the day approached I realized I had become attached to my new way of life. There would be no final day. I would walk on to a year and beyond that year into the next. God is here and I will meet Him every day. If there comes a day I cannot walk with Him, we will meet in my garden, in my quiet prayer room, by a window or simply in His word.  He promises to be there, so I will meet Him.

 

There is a precious One who mustn’t go unknown                                                               There is a precious book that mustn’t go unread

There is a precious Son of His who would for me atone                                                                  He died for my sins and waywardness, and suffered in my stead.

All this so I can know Him, and love Him by my side.                                                               All this to draw me to Him, to give me life beautified.

I stand amidst a miracle, I cannot turn away.                                                                        There is no life without Him, no other reason for today.

I will meet you here tomorrow.

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18

Jesus promised that when He left the earth, God would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in believers to counsel, comfort and guide them, to remind His children of His word, and impress upon them the ways they should and shouldn’t go. It is good and necessary that I hold a fervent awareness of this great helper so my life will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

These fruits are listed in the letter to the Galatians in the New Testament. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When I am filled with the Holy Spirit these qualities grow and overflow into my life. If I acknowledge and hold that presence like the godsend that it is, the Holy Spirit will continue forever to teach me and mold me into a person whose life bears God’s fruits in more and more beautiful ways.

I have so much to learn. Yes, I have the Holy Spirit, but I want to listen, heed, and honor it.   I must live in awe of this gift. There is no limit to the way God can use these fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in my life. So I will tend to this garden and let it grow.

“All this I have spoken while still with you. but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  John 14:25-26