I awoke one morning before the dawn, wide awake, and thinking about so many things at once. Before long, I had a litany of cares to bring before God. And, all before sunrise! I love the early morning time before the whole world awakes. It is a time of prayer and settling the order of the day. It is best to start the day in quiet meditation, with a vision of peace and calm. Yet, on this morning my thoughts were anything but peaceful. Instead, I started the day with a very long list… For one thing, the world is beset with troubles, too many troubles to count. It is enough to make your head spin, and surely enough to break your heart. And then, there is my own list of personal worries which can weigh heavy in the early darkness before the light of day.
A thought occurred to me as I recited all these thoughts of angst. My list sounded kind of burdensome. I wondered if God could ‘stuff’ some of these heavy-laden notes into His deep pockets. Afterall, I was asking about so many things. He could read some of my notes later…
I know it sounds silly because God knows my thoughts better than I know them myself. He knows my heart, and He knows every single thing I worry about. But, at the same time, it gave me such a deep sense of peace that my Heavenly Father was listening to me as He always does. He listens even when I go on and on and on… He always has the time to take my concerns to heart. His ‘deep pockets’ overflow with love for His children. He knows everything we need before we ask.
I think of the scribbled notes from my children and grandchildren that I have saved from when they were very little. I treasure these notes! I know that God cherishes our scribbled notes as well. He understands what we meant to say, even if the words are not perfect, or the handwriting is a little sloppy.
Easter is coming, and we are so blessed! In the light of Christ, all darkness is dispelled. There is only light. In these early hours when I wake and worry, I know that God is always near. I say my prayers and place my fears in His deep pockets. I know beyond a doubt, that He has ‘room enough’ for all the notes I pass along.
And so, I press a thank you note each day into that soft lining of love, my heart full of joy, knowing that God will read my prayer letters. He will cherish the words I have spoken, and even the words I have left unspoken. He understands the language of my heart, and He longs to comfort me.
The truth is, God blesses the whole ‘Santa sack” of cares. He whispers, “I love you” in the darkness before dawn. He holds us close, the notes of worry safe in His pockets, and we are free to embrace the abundant life He offers day to day.
Peace is the gift He offers. As scripture reminds us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to 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)
Be it sunrise or sunset, “Cast all your care on Him; for He careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Waves of Life
Beautiful dawn of lavender haze, the world is full of wonder…
We set our cares upon the shoreline; God washes away the tears.
Slowly, wave by wave, we understand our calling, find our way.
It is not for us to know all things;
It is enough to know our God is there with us.
The dawn we carry within our hearts, a lavender haze of wonder…
The grains of sand scatter beneath our feet, fleeting touchstones.
Like the glitter of stars in the universe, the sparkling sea
and the changing tide marks our days.
We celebrate these waves of life, touched by stardust;
deep within our souls, the light endures…forever.
Happy (almost) Easter!
Linda, this touched my heart. I’m so happy I was able to be here today. “Deep Pockets”. God cares about our “santa sacks” of notes and holds our scribbles deep in his pockets. There’s nothing silly about this at all. It resonates with my soul. There’s so much beauty, wisdom, and truth wrapped in your amazing words. Your poem is stunning, as are your pictures. Thank you for inspiring us all and sharing God’s love and peace. Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! We often try to do it all on our own. God assures us that we never have to. His peace is there for us every moment of every hour. Learning to trust in that peace is an ongoing process. It is all too easy to slip back into old habits. The Lord provides in all things and His provision is exactly what we need. God sees our every movement, now, and into the seas of eternity. Our vision is clouded by so many things; His lens of love does make the impossible, possible. (Matthew 19:26) (“With God, all things are possible.)
Amen! Happy Easter! Your words and wisdom say it all! Praise God!
Happy Easter!!! Wishing you blessings! 🙂
💛💛💛
Amen. It IS enough to know our God is there with us.
Amen. God is good. He is always good. And, He always keeps His promises!
A wonderful reflection, Linda. Your reminded me of the quote by PopeJohn Paul II. “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
Yes! That is wonderful! We are Easter people! 🙂
your faith is so strong and such an essential core of your being … I pray that we all have such deep faith!
If we did, no matter the label, then all this harm would cease … gun runners would become bankrupt, oh how I wish 🙂
We do pray for the world…the heartbreak is real. But, so too, is our prayer real, and our prayers reach the heart of God. His love transforms the hearts of men. It can change the world, one person at a time.
Sometimes all the troubles of the world, combined with our own personal worries and challenges, can overwhelm us. And sometimes I do wonder why I should bother outline all my worries in a prayer, since God already knows them. But like you, I think it is good to do that. It reminds of that God is with us no matter what we’re facing, and I agree that God probably treasures our trust and faith when we bring out problems to him. Thanks for this timely reminder! And happy (early) Easter to you too!
Happy Easter to you as well! We love to hear the sound of our children’s voices, and all of their concerns matter to us. How much more, our Heavenly Father, the author of love, rejoices in our conversations. Our talk is not small talk to Him. He cares deeply how we feel. We are so very blessed!
Truly beautiful post, Linda. And a wonderful light and assurance for all who struggle. Sometimes, my woes weary me so much I don’t know where to begin. Sometimes, I seem to keep bringing to God the same troubles over and over. I used to think it was because I just couldn’t learn the lessons He taught me; because my faith was weak or because I was stubborn. Now I know better. We are both doing it because He has taught us to empty ourselves to Him – so that He can fill us with all the graces we need. Our God is a gentle God. He will not force His way upon us. He fills us, pressed down and overflowing, even in the little space we sometimes give Him. The emptying of our hearts’ burdens is actually a sign of our trust in God. It is a sign that we know His pockets are deep indeed.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful comment! It is true…we must empty our burdens to God and He supplies the grace we need.
Beautiful photos! Have a great day!
Thank you! Wishing you a good day also! 🙂
Linda, you are not going to believe this. I am currently under a huge heavy load of stress and anxiety. I have not been able to sleep well at all. Got up way early (for me) this morning due to my brain not shutting down. I opened up my blog notifications during this pre-dawn timeframe and you were there with this post. I immediately identified with your descriptions here. Thank you, dear lady. God’s grip! – Alan
I am happy if my post arrived at a good moment! Stress does rob us of a lot of sleep!!! I do know God wants to help us carry the load…if we let him. Wishing you early Easter greetings. Christ has Risen. He is Risen indeed. (Luke 24:34) Wishing you God’s peace on this March morning!
Thanks for sharing your amazing words. Anita
You are welcome! Happy Easter…early! 🙂
Such a beautiful post and reminder that our Heavenly Father is always there, listening to our prayers, and He cares about what weighs on our hearts. Thank you for sharing this ♥️
Yes! God is always listening! Wishing you a wonderful Easter!
Wonderful verse & photos, Linda. Thanks for sharing. Hope your Easter is blessed. ☀️
Thank you! 🙂 Wishing you a blessed Easter as well!
I’m glad you found some peace. Beautiful photos!
Thank you! Everything is really starting to green-up now. We are having a cold spell, but nature is right on course. I have a basket of yellow tulips from last year…they are blooming!!!
You’re welcome, Linda.
Our daffodils are in bloom and some tulips are popping up.
I wish you many beautiful blooms in this season. I know your poems and photos will capture their wonder…I thank you for sharing them with us. I have always loved gardens since I was a little child. My mother was always planting flowers! But, I love the roadside flowers as well, the stray things that seem to bloom out of nowhere. Perhaps, those are the blooms we love most of all…the ones we never expected, and yet, in due season, they bloom.
I love it, too, when I see flowers growing out of cracks in the cement or on driftwood.
🙂 🙂 🙂
I love the idea of God saving our notes (written prayers, journal entries, etc.) in his deep pockets! It’s such a loving, affirming act that parents, grandparents (and teachers!) do, treasuring the heartfelt thoughts of their children. Why wouldn’t our Heavenly Father do the same? Thank you, Linda, for helping us see His compassion in new light!
It is upon our hearts that God writes His love notes to us. I know He does treasure our little notes…Perhaps, just as we have a treasury of cards and keepsakes from our beloveds, maybe God has a keepsake box for each of us. One day, it will be revealed to us, the moments we learned a new lesson in love, our ‘big steps’ in learning to forgive, our proud accomplishments in kindness and good will toward others. His light shines a light within our hearts, and it is that light that creates beautiful things within our souls. Only He really understands our hearts, and He is the author of love itself. It makes sense that the things that stir our hearts matter deeply to Him because it is He and He alone that is the closest to us. It is a happy thing to know that we can take these ‘big and little steps’ in love each day, and He is right there with us. He keeps cheering us on…”You can do it!” And when we take a little tumble, He picks us up, so we can try again…
So very grateful that He has such deep pockets! Happy Easter, Linda.
Yes! Happy Easter!!! 🙂
Happy almost Easter, Linda. It’s a delight to know that your faith brings you so much peace. A beautiful poem. <3
Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful Easter…it is almost here!!! We have a mix of sun and clouds today…mostly clouds! Rain is on the way. (We should get some very green grass after all this rain!) 🙂
Yes, I think spring has officially arrived. <3
Yes! Spring is here!!!
Grateful I landed on this post, Linda. Beautiful images and words…all perfect for this Season!
Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful Easter! The raindrops are surely coming down in our little corner of the world. I must say, the grass is getting greener by the day. 🙂
I hope you have a great Easter as well…and yes, I don’t think the grass can get any greener!🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
Happy Easter and Happy Maundy Thursday! Linda, your post is beautiful and your poem striking! I love the line of ‘ We celebrate these waves of life, touched by stardust’. Wow! Such wonderful photos as well! Annika
Thank you! I wish you Happy Easter greetings! We are in the midst of a soft rain…I know the flowers are loving it! There are promises of sunshine for Easter Sunday. I do hope we have blue skies! 🙂
What a beautiful, thoughtful post. Yes I would like to give the great spirit all of my notes to put in big pockets. And they become insignificant and we go on with our lives in love. Happy Easter!.
Happy Easter Monday!!! We have a bit of sunshine and a new month is upon us! Wishing you blessings!!!
So beautiful and meaningful, Linda!
Thank you! I hope you are enjoying these spring days! 🙂 I have been trying to get a lot done in the garden…there is much to do!