A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days at my cousin’s cabin deep in the mountains where you hear only the whispers of the aspen leaves. I sat there on their deck looking out to hear the rustling of the Aspen leaves. I went there to process what is next in my life and have some time in God’s creation. Little did I know, my dog was going to teach me about presence!

The next morning, I heard the whispers of the aspen leaves hiking with my adventure buddy, Freckles. We hiked a couple of miles back into the valley near the cabin! It was beautiful and off the beaten tracks. He all of a sudden paused and looked out to the valley, and then looked back at me! It was like he was telling me to just be present with him! We sat there together in silence and enjoyed the sounds around us and each other. He I heard the leaves and was surrounded by large aspen trees. At that moment, I reflected on Psalm 73 that I had been reading and reflecting on for the few days I was there. There are a few verses that the Lord kept reminding me of how close He is to me and He is the strength I need to lean on.

Psalm 73:26-28
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

In this time of transition between jobs, I have been reminded of the Lord’s presence in my life. Being in the midst of the aspen trees and looking out to the valley reminded me how I am surrounded by the Lord’s presence through people, His word, and my heart! The view alone was a reminder of the Lord’s presence! My dog reminded me in the moment to take in the whispers of the trees and pause! I needed to listen and to take a moment in order for the Lord to work through me and teach me! He does that often now just sits to take some time to enjoy moments with me! This is what the Lord desires from each of us! Spend time to hear His whispers.

Lord,
I felt stuck in a place where I wanted to serve you but felt like I was not being seen but some people. You took me out of that place and placed me in your arms. Your strength and comfort are guiding me to seek you and seek the future. But for now, I am taking time in your presence like my dog showed me to enjoy moments! I do not want to take this time for granted! I want to see you and feel you! AMEN!

Psalm 8
(1) O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory
above the heavens.
(2) From the mouths of children and infants
You have ordained praise
on account of Your adversaries,
to silence the enemy and avenger.
(3) When I behold Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place—
(4) what is man that You are mindful of him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
(5) You made him a little lower than the angels
You crowned him with glory and honor.
(6) You made him ruler of the works of Your hands;
You have placed everything under his feet
(7) all sheep and oxen,
and even the beasts of the field,
(8) the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
(9) O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Occasionally, God provides us with moments where we catch glimpses of Himself or His Kingdom on earth. It is when we see moments of heart-wrenching beauty through His creation and the created, and through actions of faithful followers of Christ such as, compassion, forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, mercy, grace, and love. These moments are not of this world but the Lord’s handy work.

Falls is coming when the trees, bushes, and grasses are transformed, I am reminded of the Lord’s artistic hand in creation. The colors of fall transform the whole scenery of a mountain side from all greens to vibrant fall colors. I always see God’s artistic side in the colors he transforms during the fall. The beauty of creation becomes a new beauty of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns.

Life is truly a profound gift that we need to be present for to appreciate. When we are present, we can notice things- simple things- that often do not attract attention. These glimpses of God are often seemingly simple moments, but they are treasured gifts which we are blessed to see, experience, and even participate in from time to time. My desire to is to be about these visions- these glimpses- whether that means simply noticing them in life, writing about them, or creating them.

Prayer:

Lord, our lord how majestic is your name in all the earth! I pray to open our eyes to the transformation happening in our own lives and the lives of people around us. Lord let us see your artistic work in your creation and in your created beings. Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth! AMEN.

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31

Before the verses above, Jesus was asked which one was the most important of the 600+ commandments in the Torah! I imagine the person asking was curious how Jesus would place one commandment higher than the others. This person’s curiosity drew them to Jesus. At that moment, Jesus paraphrased Deuteronomy 6:4 and Leviticus 19:34. Jesus met this person in their curiosity. The command he quoted starts with the word in Hebrew, Shema, which means to hear or listen. Listening is the foundation of our call to love God and love our neighbor! If we zone in on the word, listen, it is one of the most common words in the Bible! In some form, it appears over 1500 times!  

Jesus reemphasizes the point that to love God and others, we need to listen to God and listen to others actively. We cannot live and love without being in tune with what the Lord calls us to do or what others need! It is impossible to live and love without listening! Listening allows us to be present with the Lord and the person in front of us. Active listening is when the hearer can repeat what the person said.

This skill is something I practiced often in years past. To be a person of presence, one must hear. Hear from the Lord and hear the person you are being present with. If we do the tasks at hand, we miss out on a relationship and conversation we could have. I learned this when I was a case manager for teenage mothers. My supervisor regularly asked me what I learned about one of our residents today in conversation. I never imagined using car drives to learn about someone and be present with them. I started asking better open-ended questions because teens are the queens of one-word answers. My supervisor taught me to use each moment for purposeful conversation. This allowed me to build relationships naturally. Then, when they came to my office for meetings, I had built a bridge of trust and respect from our daily conversations.

Active listening is crucial in building relationships with others. When genuinely listening to the person in front of us, we should not be distracted. Being fully present with someone means we are focused on the person in front of us, not on what I need to make for lunch, what I should say next, or what task I need to accomplish. I need to be able to shut all of those thoughts off! Then, I can truly be fully present and hear what they say.

For me, I ask the Lord to clear my head and be able to hear the person I am going to be present with. I need to make a to-do list before going into a conversation. This helps me clear my head and not think about tasks at hand! I desire to be fully present with others and with God!

What do you need to do before listening?

Lord, please fill our hearts with your love in order to be faithful to your guidance. Push us to listen first and respond second. Listening allows us to hear and to love! Lord, Send the Holy Spirit to quiet our minds and hearts to be fully present with you and others. May we hear in order to love! AMEN.

When I think of the word joy, I picture myself on a hike, at the beach, or in the rolling corn fields of South Dakota. I find joy in being with friends and family while in some of my favorite places to hike, relax, or have a bon fire. I love exploring new places and finding places to rest and recover amid God’s creation. Creation reminds of God’s wisdom, love, and faithfulness in my life. Where do you find joy in your life?  

I remember multiple times going to various lookouts in the Black Hills of South Dakota to look out over the Needles. Its breath taking to think about how the needles came to be this grand formation of rocks sticking up in the middle of ponderosa pine forest. When I am in awe, I remember who the Lord is and what he does for my life! Even in the highest of highs, and lowest of lows we are called to find joy!

In this 3rd week of Advent, we are called to remember Joy. What does Joy mean? Joy has multiple different meaning to different people. Some would say joy is happiness, and others would say joy is the source of delight. One definition I have when I think of joy is

In Psalm 126, the Hebrew word for ring cry, shouts of praise, רנה, is used three times. In the beginning of the psalm, the shouts of joy and praise are amid experiencing God’s blessing of being let free! Remembering all the great things the Lord has done should bring us joy (Psalm 126:2-3). Then the psalmist continues in looking forward to what will or may come. Calling for the Lord to remind them of their captivity and evening amid sorrow and pain one is called to find joy (Psalm 126:5-6).

Psalm 126 reminds me of the song Titled “Joy” by Rend Collective. The beginning of the song is breaking out of freedom. In other words, out of captivity.

“We’re choosing celebration
Breaking into freedom
You’re the song
You’re the song
Of our hearts

We cast aside our shadows
Trust You with our sorrows
You’re the song
You’re the song
Of our hearts”

Then later in the song it transitions to how the Lord is constant and the song of one’s heart. The song of the heart always bring joy and is the joy of the writer’s heart.

“In the shadows
In the sorrows
In the desert
When the pain hits
You are constant
Ever-present
You’re the song of my heart.”

Does not matter what we are at, but we are called to praise the Lord and find joy!
The Joy of our lives is the Lord and we are called to shout with joyful praise to the Lord!

Where are you finding Joy amid a world of chaos? Where do you need to go or who do you need to be with to find joy, hope, and peace?