OPEN VESSEL

Mystery of faith, transformer of life

You have descended, Spirit of the Living God
Shaping my soul, awakening my core
Creating the path, leading me on.

Astounded that I see gifts I never possessed
Welling up inside so fearlessly and boldly
Tearing down the walls I had built up
Making what was broken, whole.

My cup of life that had seemed
Broken, flawed and damaged
My perception, not Yours
Perfection never the goal
But my humanness, formed by You

You have given all for me
As witnessed by the gift of the cross
But have I received—really received
And surrendered all I am back to you?

Accepting the forming of my soul
This developing, slow growth inside
Instead of my anxious control
Embracing Your grace, my humanness
Rejoicing in the gift of the Spirit

Cherishing the unsolicited
As offerings of your design
the unknown
To treasure the unfulfilled

Learning to love the flaws
And sure now of their purpose
As I let go in gratefulness
To be used for your glory.

Finally, an open vessel.

Little Solitudes

This morning when I take a little solitude
I am so aware that my loneliness
Has dissipated because in this silence
The solitude I find is in You.

I sit on the deck before the sun is up
And I overlook a small patch of woods
The birds are chirping
And squirrels are already climbing

I love finding you here
And I am so aware
That you constantly pursue me
And I need these solitudes

For in these small moments
Even if the world is busy around
I find in the inner life the solace
That teaches me about listening.

I listen for the rhythms of life
And listen for the whispers in my heart
And the way you direct my path
And for the one true voice I need.

In these solitudes
I find peace in resting in You
I find love that envelops me
I find hope that pushes me on.

All found
by resting in You.

Creative Listening

How attentive am I?
To the world that is around me?
Do I desire to know each person
And see where the Holy is at work in you?

It is only in listening--to both what is said
And many times to what is not said
To the perspective and glimpses I hear
That teach me to listen to my life.

For my life is not about me
But about all I encounter and experience
About each sacred moment I am giving
And how see Christ's movement in it

My eyes need to be wide open to the world
And my heart needs to hold that openness too
For I need to pay attention to the path
To the touch, the smile, the whisper I encounter

Let me "Be Still and Know that I am God"
And recognize the solace and serenity
That I am given as a gift
And find You in the solace.