Clearly, wildflowers inspire contemplation.
This year, as I trimmed and arranged, I was again amazed by the beauty one can gather from highway and byway.
God does that. He gathers us far, low places. He isn’t limited to the hot-house carnation. In His loving grace and mercy, He brings us up, invites us to His table, calls us His.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints not is weary. His understanding is in searchable.
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary , they shall walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40
There is no shame in realizing I have no might. Realizing I am more weak than yesterday! God is in the business of glorifying His name as earthen vessels are emptied of their own selves and are filled with Him.
This looks like “He must increase, I must decrease.” It looks like a growing awareness of my incredible lack, and greater knowledge and experience of His surpassing power to those who believe.
Not many words, though plenty of them are swirling around this pollen-fogged head of mine. While four children lounge on a couch, watching Little Bear on an overcast summer morning, I will post photos.
Lots of growing. Babies make you stop and say, “Oh my!” Seven-year-old-boys who are almost eight don’t scream for attention in the same way. They slip quickly and steadily toward manhood and suddenly my heart is in my throat and I want to yell, “Stop!” They don’t stop. If they did, mothers would squander (we’re human beings, prone to a bit of lazy and selfish, after all.) They don’t stop, and so I must live purposefully. Give, sow, love. Every day.
babies discovering windows: top 5 favorite things to watch
my glamorous life, captured by william
slowly becoming the full, crazy patch of flowers I’ve been dreaming of
she hit the mother lode
simple pleasures
just mama and babe, on an evening errand
this boy knows when he’s tired
I promise, I do have beds for my children
playground + ice cream date outing with mama. sometimes you just gotta eat a huge ice cream cone for lunch and call it a day.
Pastor them. Shepherd them.
Amy Carmichael wrote, “The salvation of a single child—who can measure what that may mean not only here but There? You can’t do everything. ‘After it, follow it, follow the Gleam.’ For us the Gleam is the salvation of children, and it involves the prosaic towel. ‘He took a towel.’ So we won’t mind if our feet are bound, for it is Love that binds them.* His were bound on the cross.”
*Tamil proverb: ‘Children bind the mother’s feet.’
Take a towel. Serve them.