A voice only your heart can hear

a soft sunrise
peeks over watery glass
a pale, pink tingeing
the blue-gray sky
 
fresh fallen snow
caresses the shoreline
making for a palette of white
dotted by wet, black rocks
 
ice-laced air kisses the lake
drawing out its steam
the last breath
of summer’s dying warmth
 
but the birds still sing
they still work, search and toil
finding elusive patches
of bare, soft ground
 
foraging for the tiniest seeds of hope
as the day begins and ushers in
another season’s slide
into a deep sleep of ice
 
but as the tendrils of golden light
begin to chase away
the last of the pastel sky
I marvel at the workmanship
of a creation so a-light
outfitted in simple glory
yet so complex
in all its wonder
to my sleep-filled eyes
 
in this moment
I can hardly absorb
the subtle grandeur
and my dormant mind
is just coming alive
to grasp the gentle magnificence
of God’s stirring in the morning light
 
as the steamy glass before me
begins to swirl and spin
reflecting even more of the sun
suddenly my heart starts to awaken
to His Spirit calling mine
a depth of stirring so intertwined
I can hardly comprehend
 
My mercies are new every morning
He whispers in the vanishing mist
In every element and every order
don’t miss who
                        I AM
and if my presence is here
in a routine that has cycled
since the dawn of time
how much greater still
is my movement designed
to be in the seasons of your life?

Sunday Morning Stillness
Sometimes, but not as often as I would like, words come to me in poems. This morning, I awoke uncharacteristically early and this poem and photo was on my mind from a few years ago. God has invited me to return to it over and over when I am feeling restless, anxious or tired. Let the words sink in slowly and picture yourself just sitting there by the shoreline, taking it all in (all bundled up of course, with a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea!) You can't hear anything audibly. There is a hush over nature as the morning light peeks over the ridge. The air is crisp and cold as it pours freely into your warm lungs. You are alive. You are awake and ready to hear from the Word. It's too early to have the cares of the day bearing down on you... yet. It's just your empty mind and full heart, ready to hear... ready to lean in... ready to have a conversation with your Creator. The King of the Universe right here, right now, waiting to talk to you.