Blossoming in His Presence

The trees have begun to blossom where I live.  Even so, there are still plenty of trees that are slowly recovering from the winter storm which occurred just a few weeks ago. When compared to their counterparts these trees seem to be barren, dry, and lifeless.  Yet, there is something so beautiful and hopeful about the arrival of springtime. The contrast between the tree in full bloom and the barren tree is like a cool river in an arid desert. It is a promise that eventually each one of these trees will once again be clothed in green. This reminds me of the lyric that says “ things that we thought were dead are breathing in life again .”  Life is the same way with ever-changing seasons. There are seasons where it feels like one is walking through the wilderness or desert. Perhaps it even feels like one is camped out at or stuck in these places. Such seasons are typically periods of refinement meant to prune away that which encumbers and hinders, while drawing you clos...

First, let me start off by saying that today's blog post was not my original plan. There are quite a few blog posts that are waiting in the wings, but my heart has been stirred to bypass those and share something different.  Whoever this is for, I hope you will be reminded of the strength of our God and leave with your heart refreshed. _______________________________ Recently I was surprised by some news. Instead of saying,  "Ok Lord, this is big but I know that You are bigger. I give this to You,"  worry was allowed instant access to my mind and heart. My planner's brain was running through all the complexities of this scenario. I was trying to figure out how I was going to make this work. As a result, a heavy burden weighed down on me. The next day, a friend asked how I was doing and was met with a bit of verbal vomit as I poured out my worries/frustrations. She lovingly reminded me that this was just another area to trust Jesus in. It was also another area for the ...