Rejoicing in the Lord Always

Through the trees, I hear something beautiful.

Children's laughter, shouts, happiness in pure music and joy. Like the very expression of true life summarized in melodic noise. With the singing of the birds, traffic on distant winds, people coughing, walking, living, this noise rises above, and it's music, and it's beautiful. Beside a hospital's hard, white walls and beyond the masked faces and long days, the playground erupts in that noise.

I see something beautiful too.

A dozen colors. Every shirt different, the shades and hues like a rainbow but curving in arches as the children rise up, swing down, rise again.

Legs pump, tiny fists clench, heads thrown back. Their hair flies, more laughter, more screams. They swing a dozen times and then again, again, forever, and "push me higher!" That girl in pink, still holding on as others slip away and go inside. She tries to pump herself higher. Curly, brown hair, still swinging, lower and lower. She doesn't seem to notice, to care, because she's still flying like the stars.

The skies are darker now. Rain will fall, and it will be cold and wet and fierce. But I hear those children, see the colors, and it's the rainbow in this coming storm.

There are no masks. No worries about germs and dumping on hand sanitizer. It's early morning, so they play.

The girl with a red bow in her sweeping, blond hair.

The child swinging so low I can't see him above the rise of the ground.

The one crying, picked up, and running again.

And still, that first girl I saw, the one in pink, she's a bird flying back and forth and singing with her laughter.

I see it all, and I will remember it forever.

I will remember what joy sounds like. I will remember how the masks were thrown off because life was too beautiful to hide from. I will remember the sunshine of their smiles amidst the upcoming rain. I will never forget how that hospital with hard walls listened to the children laughing, and somehow it was more beautiful too, marble.

And I will be like those children. I will laugh and play and not just say God is good but believe it. Live in it.

Rejoice always, He says, and I rejoice.

You are loved, His promises, and they're true.

I will never leave you, my hope.

I'm not scared of corona or this storm or what tomorrow may bring, because I'm too busy playing on the swings and rejoicing in Jesus.

Somehow, that seems more like life than the one we know.

He has made everything beautiful.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

- Proverbs 3:5-6

The girl in pink is gone. Maybe she's on the jungle gym now, dancing and climbing to the squeaks of the swings. Seats flying, hinges scraping metal, and I love the sound.

Wind, cool. Leaves with points and patterns like snowflakes; I wonder if any two of them are exactly alike?

A million gifts and beauties, and we rejoice.

The Lord has done great things for us,

And we are glad. 

- Psalm 126:3

~♥~

Satisfied in His Footsteps

Satisfied.

I'm running through the forest trees until I find where their fingers open up, revealing a palm of rippling water, laughing springs, tadpoles swimming, and fish darting away. I inhale. Those spring flowers, purple, mixed with laughing daffodils and rose blossoms and violets in hues of purple and yellow and white. Drops on hidden soil, the humus and leaves together, and I smell a rainforest.

I walk those paths, the little cleanings through brambles and sharp branches. I see sunrays floating through trees' boughs, and they dance and sing in the wind.

And it's forever; every tree swaying and singing and trembling to the sound of His voice.

The forest watches me, all those eyes and burrows, nuts spread like a bumpy carpet before me. And I walk, always walk, finding those footsteps I long to mix mine with.

Depressions sink into muddy soil, two almost half-moons from the deer, the childlike hands of the raccoon. I see droppings and tree-rubs and holes left from woodpeckers. But the steps I long to see, I search for them.

And when I find His footprints, I run. I follow them. I dance with the trees, sing! I tromp through the creeks and splash in His beauty and presence and friendship.

That's when I'm satisfied.

His path leads me up. We ascend the high hills, enter grassy meadows. I see where seed heads part, where He already passed through. I throw myself forward, follow. The plants itch my legs, but I'm safe in this way He set before me.

The flowers are different here, more harsh with bitter-sharp sides. Little peeks of goldenrod and iron-weed and a thousand other flowers are the walls around me as I follow His footsteps.

Sometimes I fall too. But the beautiful thing is that here, where bird songs ring and air is strong, I'm not alone.

This pathway is His pathway, and He is here. Ordinary things are extraordinary, and life has purpose.

I'm not a slave to fear or people or time or tasks or anything in this world. I'm on the edge of a journey that will last forever, an endless frontier, and I've only seen the beginning. But I'm satisfied here, because the world is gone and I have Him.

I walk or skip or dance down these trails, and when I get off them, I cry and hurt and break. So I find them again, His footprints, the places He went and draws me into.

He is faithful.

Dear Friend,

Are you satisfied, completely and abundantly satisfied?

You're not a slave.

You're not a slave to what other people think of you. You're not a slave to time, to your schedule, to sleep, to eating, to anything. Nothing can control you, can define you; You're His.

Jesus'.

And that's where satisfaction comes from.

So if you're struggling to smile today, if you feel empty, know that He's there. Look for His footprints, and ask Him to draw you to His high places. Remember Who He is, and pray for the fear of the Lord.

He is faithful and merciful and true, and nothing can separate you from that love. Nothing.

Happy Today; you're never alone.

*hugs*

Righteousness will go before Him,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

- Psalm 85:13

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

- Psalm 16:11

~♥~

The Torch Keepers || Audio Book Release

Once upon a time, a little dream was born.

And I'm overwhelmed at how God works. From the first short story to a manuscript and then publishing, somehow, Kadira and Rekém's stories came alive. And today, I'm so thrilled to say that The Torch Keepers is now also available as an audio book!

The narrator, Anna True, is premiering her talent with this audio recording, and I have been blown away by the ability God has given her with accents (yes, all the feels!), emotion, expressions, and so much more.

What's crazy is that God took Anna's and my little dream and helped it grow.

We're not qualified. But God's grace is amazing, and He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.  ♥

The key is surrender. Let go of your dreams and let Him dream bigger.

And in the hard times, push through. After hours of edits, Anna's biggest piece of advice is just that: "Push through the challenging, non-fun parts of your project/art, because, if you love it and believe it's an impacting story you're telling, it will be well worth it. And you'll learn new skills."

No matter what, God has bigger plans than you know.

I wanted The Torch Keepers to be a short story.

      He turned it into a novel + audio book.

I wanted it to inspire someone.

      He used it to change my life.

And way beyond. God is good, even when we can't see or understand how or why. He is good and does good. And He is faithful. It might not always turn out the way we imagine, but, one day, we'll understand why.

If you want to explore this story as an audio adventure, click the links below (more sites to be added this month!)

Kobo

iTunes Books

Scribd

OR.

You can listen for FREE.

We're having a Live Reading every night this week starting today. And the recordings will be up until the next day's reading!

So click here at 7:00 PM est to explore Kadira and Rekém's lives and this story God put into my heart. (and enjoy those amazing accents!)

He is amazing. ♥

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

- 2 Corinthians 5:21

~♥~