"When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul." - Psalms 94:19
I commented to my husband this morning that with my poor gardening skills, weeds are the only thing that seem to grow for me without a great deal of effort. He responded, "That's true for everyone. I've never heard anybody say, 'Man, I just can't keep those roses out of my yard!'"
Our conversation made me laugh, but the truth of it is ringing in my soul today. The seeds that need to grow in my heart are often the ones I neglect, while the crops that spring up without any care on my end are the ones I really don't want to be harvesting.
Especially the seeds of worry.
I don't have to work hard to get a worry harvest. It seems to come faithfully, all by itself. And what an abundant crop it can be, multiplying again and again from one small, errant thought.
It's why Psalm 94:19 is such a balm to my heart.
When my anxious thoughts are threatening to stomp out all of the life within my soul, He comes like the gentle gardener that He is.
And prunes.
And burns.
And breathes.
And nurtures.
And grows.
What a relief to give Him the harvest I do not want today, and receive instead the beautiful fruit in His outstretched hand.
Project 365
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
This past year, I tried something new. I took a picture every day to chronicle an aspect of our daily lives. It's called 365 Project, and people all over the world have been finding ways to capture and even share a year of their life in photos.
Midway through the year, I remember thinking to myself this would be a one-time event. It's a lot harder than you'd think to remember to take a picture every day, it was one more thing to think about, and my family sometimes rolled their eyes when I would holler out, "Picture of the day!"
Eventually, though, I just got used to the routine of it. Take a picture on my phone every day. At the end of the week, take five minutes to arrange them in order in an album labeled "365." It eventually just became a habit.
And then came the reward.
New Year's Day brought my whole family to the couch, all six of us crowded around my phone. And that's where we spent a solid hour looking through 365 photos of a year in our lives. Photos of things we had all forgotten until we were reminded by our own faces looking back at us from a picture.
The high points, the low points.
The big events, and the everyday occurrences.
The friends around us, and the intimate conversations at home.
The huge road trips, and the mundane details.
They were all there, marching before us in order, chronicling time in a way that sobered me and made me smile all at the same time. Because it's bittersweet to see the way time waits for no one.
Our children's faces changed right before my eyes. The seasons passed, without waiting for a nod from me. And then the year was over, and it won't come again.
So, it's a new year. And I've begun a new album.
I've decided to name this one "365 Treasures."
Author's Note: Here are some of my favorite treasures from last year. I've realized that the ones I go back to look at again and again aren't the huge moments (the big concert, the new car), but the little moments from home. They fill my mama heart.
Midway through the year, I remember thinking to myself this would be a one-time event. It's a lot harder than you'd think to remember to take a picture every day, it was one more thing to think about, and my family sometimes rolled their eyes when I would holler out, "Picture of the day!"
Eventually, though, I just got used to the routine of it. Take a picture on my phone every day. At the end of the week, take five minutes to arrange them in order in an album labeled "365." It eventually just became a habit.
And then came the reward.
New Year's Day brought my whole family to the couch, all six of us crowded around my phone. And that's where we spent a solid hour looking through 365 photos of a year in our lives. Photos of things we had all forgotten until we were reminded by our own faces looking back at us from a picture.
The high points, the low points.
The big events, and the everyday occurrences.
The friends around us, and the intimate conversations at home.
The huge road trips, and the mundane details.
They were all there, marching before us in order, chronicling time in a way that sobered me and made me smile all at the same time. Because it's bittersweet to see the way time waits for no one.
Our children's faces changed right before my eyes. The seasons passed, without waiting for a nod from me. And then the year was over, and it won't come again.
So, it's a new year. And I've begun a new album.
I've decided to name this one "365 Treasures."
Author's Note: Here are some of my favorite treasures from last year. I've realized that the ones I go back to look at again and again aren't the huge moments (the big concert, the new car), but the little moments from home. They fill my mama heart.
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