The rains have come
cleansing the earth
washing this lovely green canvas
speckled with early autumn’s yellow leaves.
It is a blur today
through the rain-streaked windows;
summer is fading and autumn is making her debut.
My Hibiscus is happy, so much rainwater
nurturing this tropical beauty
with flaming red flowers.
It is so very beautiful, as if an eternal springtime
were captured in a single flower…
As if all were well in the world,
a glimpse of eternity, like a flamboyant sunrise
rising in the midst of all the chaos, all the rain
having cleansed every corner of the earth.
Proverbs 4:18: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter, till the full light of day.”
Genesis 1:3: “And God said, Let there be light and there was light.”
Matthew 5:14:” You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom should I be afraid?”
John 1:15: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Changing Seasons
Autumn has brought me to a new place after the busy pace of summer. It does seem as though the world slows down a bit as the seasons change, giving us cause to pause and reflect.
We cannot change the world, but we can bring our best to the world. In that respect, we each have our own work to do. Every day is a new opportunity to start again. We often think that as we grow older, the important work is behind us. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Hopefully, with age, we have gained wisdom. And hopefully, that wisdom allows us to view the world with a more discerning eye. Most of all, we hope that this inner vision will allow us to embrace life with a heart full of love.
Love is the one thing that never fails us. You cannot love too much. The more we love, the more love we have to give away. In that regard, it is the very best currency.
When you trust God with your heart, the ‘tank’ is always full. You don’t have to worry about stalling out somewhere on the road of life. You might feel at times like you are stalling out, but God is right there filling up the tank.
It is this one thing that will keep you motoring along on earth’s highway…love, specifically God’s love, poured into your being.
It can be a very scary highway full of jagged curves and foggy places where it is hard to see the road ahead. You do not venture out on this highway alone. God already knows this road you will travel and he knows your heart may sometimes get broken as you navigate the dangerous terrain.
In the midst of this, you could keep your heart safe, and stay off the crowded highways of life. Or, you can take God’s hand and trust this earthly passage, full of bumps along the way.
Our life prayer must be to love more deeply every day of our lives, for this is God’s plan for us. The seasons come and go. The rains come, and the rains end. God’s love for HIs children does not end. It is forever and ever and ever.
Eternity is full of God’s light and it is a place of love, a place of peace. This is the peace God asks us to share with the world, to embody His Holy love and pay it forward. It is a blessing beyond our comprehension, and a joy that has no end.
It does begin with each one of us, and this is how we change the world. One person at a time. One act of kindness at a time…
John 16:33 ” I have told you these things, so that in me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world.”
1 John 4:19: “We love, because He first loved us.”
Thank you the beauty you’ve shared and also wisdom. My Favorite Guy and I are hanging onto God as we travel a couple of bumpy journeys together!
Keeping you both in my prayers! I hope you find some restful places on that bumpy journey as well. I love to focus on the passage of scripture that gives us so much hope, Matthew 19:26: “With God all things are possible.”
A number of time-worn truths here but as salient as ever. For myself, I took away: We often think that as we grow older, the important work is behind us. Nothing could be further from the truth. It reminds me not to be careless as I grow older, nor to fritter away God’s gifts and graces for every season of life. Thank you for this post, Linda. It brought a quiet into me.
Every day is a new opportunity no matter what our age. And every season of life offers new gifts. It is a beautiful thing to think about…We must be open to those opportunities in our midst.
I like your thinking, Linda. Not only is it the truth but it is life-giving as well. It gives purpose to life, which is what we sometimes lose as we get on in years.
I think age is only a number. We must appreciate the wonder around us day to day…Age teaches us to celebrate time because it is fleeting. 🙂
A meme I saw yesterday confirms your words on appreciating our everyday wonders:
There are miracles all around us. But we must look in order to see them.
First of all, I’m really hoping we get a cleansing rain here, and soon. We’ve been without rain for about a month, and everything is so dry and brown. Not to mention the dust! (Which I’m allergic to, just to make things even more interesting.) But now that I’ve got that whining out of my system, I wanted to say how much I appreciate this post. In a time of turmoil and increased violence, it is good to be reminded of God’s steadfast love and presence. And the gift for new opportunities we have with each and every day!
I do hope you get some rain! It is hard to keep up with watering all the plants without the rain!!! Yes! We must focus on God’s steadfast love and mercy, good times or hard times.
Beautifully said.
Thank you! Happy first day of Autumn!
Your words and your photos are blessing me this morning, Linda! I am both comforted and inspired. You write with a beautiful spirit of love. Thank you!
I am glad that this post was a blessing to you! Your posts have often inspired me as well. That is a gift in the blogging world. Sometimes, I come across a post and it is exactly what I needed to hear. We are living through challenging times. God’s love is always with us and we do need to encourage one another.
Thank you for the inspiration, Linda, to keep pressing on–with loving deeds and words of wisdom (as God provides them). We can still make a difference! We’ve learned a lot that we can pass on to those who’re interested. We can be a listening ear, a trusted confidante. We can offer encouragement at every opportunity that presents itself. And we can always PRAY!
Yes! We can pray! God hears our every prayer!
Beautiful. I love what you said about how we can bring the best to this world. Good words.
I do believe that with the help of God, we can each make a difference. I think we underestimate the power of small acts of kindness. It can change someone’s day, or maybe even, their life.