Be Still and Know...

This morning I was awakened at 5:30AM. This is my normal time to wake up, when it seems the Lord has something to teach me. I've learned that when I wake this early, unable to go back to sleep that I need to get up and petition the Lord, seeking His face.

This morning was beautiful, as if the Lord was telling me, "Come see what I've made for you to soak in, revel in and enjoy!" I watched the chipmunks scamper across my front island flower bed where my honeysuckle is not yet blooming, the clematis is getting ready to burst in to bloom, the lillies are filling in the space behind my clematis' trellis and my gladiolus are still sleeping. My locust tree is budding out in bright yellow-y green leafettes and gives our yard quite a bit of beautiful color. The burning maple tree is completely full and gives our front yard glorious shade and a bit of privacy from one direction. What a lovely and glorious morning! I listen to the birds sing such beautiful songs that I've dubbed "The Dawn Chorus" for a few years now. Honestly, I believe I'd heard it on a Winnie-the-Pooh animated show one time when owl wanted to be a part of the dawn chorus of birds and woefully failed. After hearing it in our old town when my children were little, then moving here to our current home and actually hearing a dawn chorus, the name fits so well.

It was as if the Lord was soothing my soul, loving me, long before he began to gently teach my spirit.

I logged on to my computer to read scriptures and to think and pray about the day ahead as well as a dear friend whose daughter had been in labor for 2 days. This weighed heavily in my mind, many times throughout the past few weeks, in fact. But none so much as it did this morning. As my thoughts went to my day yesterday, I had to laugh because I told God my plans yesterday. LOL And suddenly, I put my laptop aside to kneel in front of the couch, as if it were drawing me there. No one was awake, so I was all alone with my Lord. What peace! But wait...

...and my own gentle, loving, humbling lessons began.



I was so very exhausted afterward that I could have gone back to sleep. I didn't, but just sat on the couch watching and praying in thanksgiving for a God who loves me enough to not only teach me, but to humble me...ever so gently.

And for that I am thankful....