On my way to church yesterday, the girl's and I were listening to one of my favorite Watermark CD's as is typical and all of the sudden, I found myself overcome with emotion. I was listening to the words of their song "All Things New" while gazing out of my window at the budding trees and the little patches of green grass trying to push through the brown, dead stuff that winter had left in it's wake. And all of the sudden, it hit me.
Winter. I've been in a stage of winter. That's not really a bad thing, it's just a different season...a necessary season. Winter has to come. It has to come in order to strip the old and make room for the new. It can feel cold and unpleasant, yes...but at the end of winter, when spring starts to peek through in random days of warmth and sunshine, you start to see why winter was needed.
I've always noticed in my life that when I'm overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of routine and schedule, or when I've placed something or someone else in the position of #1 in my life, the Lord finds a way of removing it. He is a jealous God and therefore, will do whatever is necessary to make me look at Him and put Him back on the throne of my life where He belongs.
He's taken me through seasons of solitude where I had no other option but to rely fully on Him and then He's walked me through seasons of friendship and discipleship where I could be fed by and in turn, feed the people around me as an outpour of His being first priority in my life.
And when I fall into the trap of pushing Him to the side, taking Him off of the throne, He strips me down to the bare minimum. He gives me no other choice but to look up at Him and ask, "What do you want of me, Lord?" And then, He willingly shows me.
Spring is here. It's not my perfect idea of spring, per se, however it's a God given chance to grow and bloom and blossom no matter how cold the winter has been. God has used the winter to strip me down to my bare minimum and now, I can bloom where I'm planted.
"Blue skies that take me back to being a child
Trees with leaves that turn the colors I love
A heart that's beating to Your melodies ringing
And I am a miracle 'cause heaven is a part of me
And You are the song that I'm singing
I was created to love You
I was created to need You
I was created to know You
And I am a miracle 'cause heaven is a part of me
And You are the air that I'm breathin'
Because of who You are and who I am in you
You make all things pure
Because of who You are and who I am in You
You make all things true
You make all things new
And I'm so thankful for this life that I know
That I am no longer what I was
Because of Your love
And the beauty of the cross
I can see Your work in me
All things new
All things new in me
All things ne
All things new in me"
All Things New by Watermark
2 comments on "Stripped."
I love you.
awesome post, photos are even better with the individual meaning behind them.
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