Slipping by far too quickly

Yesterday, I stopped in the road, grabbed my phone, and snapped this picture of an osprey.

It’s a frequent sight, but as I watched the bird land , I realized I’d never taken the time to stop and get a picture.

Instead, my mind is normally filled with the day’s tasks and I just glance at it.

Sometimes, I don’t even look.

But yesterday morning, God pulled the blinders off my soul, blinders placed by me, and I saw this beautiful part of God’s creation with new eyes.

Once uncovered, my heart has to admit, I’ve been caught up in the busy.

For longer than I care to calculate, I’ve been letting life slip by far too quickly.

God brought me to a pause.

Several of them, actually.

Throughout the drive, my heart was filled with awe over the majestic beauty everywhere I looked.

When back at home, God pressed upon me to put quiet time at the forefront my mind.

He also blessed me with many moments of praise, for with my eyes focused on Him, instead of my list, His blessings and goodness were clearly recognized.

The Lord also had an appointment with me, to discuss grief and disappointment.

For 2024 has been riddled with grief for our family and I hadn’t taken the time to let it out, to pray through it, to allow God to comfort my hurting heart.

I’d been too busy.

Part of me also had fallen prey to a lie.

“You’re over this. Move on.”

When, I’m not.

I think I felt guilty for still struggling with emotions when God has so abundantly carried us through.

But thanks to an audio posting sent to me, I realized that in allowing the busy to distract me, I was missing the blessing of being comforted.

Once, our son hurt his leg while playing.

I looked at the indent in his shin bone and it was purple where bone had met metal.

I picked him up and carried him in the house, treated the wound and administered all that I felt was necessary.

Including, comforting him, as he was embarrassed by his accident.

At no point did I feel disappointed over him hurting himself nor his need for comfort.

Matthew 7:11 KJV — If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

God has far more compassion than I will ever have.

He sees our exhaustion, our pain, our joys, and all the busy.

He is well aware of “what needs to get done” and His priorities are right.

“Thank You, Jesus!”

For in all of this, I was brought to the realization that trying to ignore or cover over grief is actually refusing to surrender.

It’s stubbornly stiff-necked, refusing to allow God to remove the plaster we’ve caked on the wound, which only allows it to fester, that He might pour the balm of Gilead into our soul’s pain and allow the light of His truth to dry out the stinking flesh which in it’s rebellion is infecting it’s self.

Surrender is good.

Matthew 11:28 KJV — Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word! Thank You for Your blessings. Thank You for Your comfort. Thank You for grief, that it walks us through the pain of loss and through continually coming to You is the way to healing. Thank You for showing me that I’d been living life too quickly. Moving faster, busier, fuller that my grief was buried next to my ability to appreciate Your comfort. Thank You that You never look at my emotions with disdain, but rather call me to surrender them all to You and for that heavy burden You give me peace! Praise You, Lord! Thank You! I love You, Jesus. Amen.