“It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs but what a ship is… what the Black Pearl really is… is freedom.”
Now, I bet you’re trying to figure out what on earth I’m talking about, as far as answering the prompt. Lucky for you, I plan on breakin it down for ya! As Castle says, “It’s what I do!”
If we assume that my ship is a metaphor for my heart, or spirit if you want to call it, then the quote might look something like this:
It’s not just flesh, blood and oxygen that sustains this vessel, that’s what the human body needs but what a heart is… what Wiwohka’s heart is really filled with… is freedom!
Now it should make more sense to everyone reading this blog response. I’m proud to say that I’m still alive and breathing, singing His praises, sailing in freedom through life’s many storms, and dangers!
In a world where black is white, up is down, and right is wrong, we may sometimes feel as if God isn’t paying attention… or is sitting idly by, while we suffer through things that He could easily rescue us from. Our human hurt, confusion, anger and/or grief overwhelm us, blotting out the SON!
For me, it is very easy to become discouraged about my circumstances, when I naively begin assuming that He isn’t paying attention. If I let myself, I can have a myriad of differing types of pity parties… all in an instant, if I hold to my own understanding and forget to look up!
Look up for what, you may be wondering? When I look up to see what God has done, is doing, and will faithfully continue to do for my good, and my future within His purpose!
It is so frustrating to observe how we humans have such a propensity to take our eyes off of God when things are going good, but when we experience anything beyond our understanding, rather than being angry at Satan and his minions for the wickedness they’ve caused upon this earth, in our hurt and confusion, we blame God!
Oh, we don’t blame Him for causing a thing… no no, we just like to blame Him for apparently doing nothing to help us!
For so many, it is far easier to make a list of what God wouldn’t, couldn’t or won’t do for us, his children… than to believe and trust in who we know He IS!
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
When I am struggling with a thing, regardless of what or how difficult it might be, I tell you this… I go to His word!
Writing down a list for you, reflecting my grief credentials and qualifications, might be great for playing the “I’ll show you my scars, if you show me yours” game, but not for expressing genuine empathy to others, who are hurting desperately, over a thing.
Another blogger wrote an article the other day about understanding why God seemingly steps back and allows bad things to happen to good people, refusing to intercede. That is an age old question… mainly because humanity has a habit of circling the wagon, as far as repeating a thing over and over, expecting a different outcome.
Things went sideways from the moment Satan tempted Eve, and in turn, Adam. We could go all the way back to asking why God allowed Cain to murder his brother, Abel? Or what about the flood, why didn’t God let anyone else on the boat… well, that was ultimately their sinful choice, if you want my two cents.
Or, how might things have gone with Abraham and his son, Isaac? How must the man have struggled with the why’s, as he walked his only son up that mountain to offer him as a sacrifice to God, on blind faith? Did God actually ever make him kill the child… of course not! It was all about the man’s faith!
Let us not forget Joseph in the well, Moses and the Israelites, or King David, all those years before he was actually sitting upon the throne. Oh, the questioning and doubts they must have wrestled with, deep into the shadows of the night! We don’t have all day, so I’ll leave you with one last example before you go:
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Just in case you were wondering, the Son of The Most High God felt our human emotions… though HE overcame all of it, for our sakes!
When I am in the depths of things beyond me, I hold to that!
We sinned
But He wouldn’t turn away…
We turned away
But He wouldn’t abandon us…
We denied Him
But He wouldn’t refuse us His only Son!
I ran, I fought, I raged, I sinned, I screamed for Him to just smite me… blot me out of His vision forever…
The mood around the barnyard has been rather sad, as of late, due to the sudden departure of Squagon. Earlier this week, as I sat studying in my office, a thought occurred to me, regarding our guests within the rafters.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that the arrival of our Twilight Dreamers, as I like to call them, occurred suspiciously around the time of Squagon’s kin disappearing from Acorn Valley!
Right about the time that I sent Brutus to start searching for them, young Squagon began having bad dreams, often waking in tears. The tiny squirrel’s nightmares were the reason I’d gone and sought answers from the Holy Rollin Ravens, if you recall the musical and cryptic song they offered up.
There were a number of nights that I simply slept in the barn, as the squirrel’s night fears began to spread like a sickness through the barn, causing quite a disturbance among the rest of the babe’s. No one was getting much sleep, including myself, what with all the crying and asking for a juice cup!
It seems to me, like, right about that time, we discovered our little guests appearing up in the barn’s rafters. Oddly, as soon as they showed up in our midst… the nightmare’s of each babe, began to subside and fade away. All that is, except for young Squagon, who still continued to suffer within his little dreams, though not as badly as before.
Anyway, I’m still digging into my memories of that time, to seek a number of answers that are yet missing, regarding the connection between Squagon and our little dreamers. Nothing worth knowing is ever that easy, so I’m still studying.
When I say studying, what I really mean is observing. I know little about these small flying creatures, but one of the first discoveries was their sleep schedule…
Why do you think I’ve begun calling them TWILIGHT dreamers? Yup! They are nocturnal, or awake during our sleep time, if that helps. What this means for me… a great deal more coffee than usual, that’s for sure!
I’ve set myself a schedule of observing their activities for several hours each night, while the babe’s are all dreaming… and yes, that’s where I chose the Dreamer portion of describing our guests. Early on in their stay with us, I noticed that these little things are the most active during the time when the babe’s are sleeping.
The strange little creatures spend much of their wakeful hours, busily flying silently overhead of my little ones sleeping hidey holes. What are they doing, you might be wondering? Well, I was wondering the same thing, so I camped myself in the corner of the barn for an entire night, just watching and listening.
Guess what these little things do all night? While they flit to and fro across the barn, occasionally hovering over one babe or another, these little dreamers are singing softly, sometimes even praying tiny little prayers of comfort and rest. In case you were wondering, they are rather quiet, even when they are singing.
I had to put ear phones in and listen through a high powered recording device, just to hear them.
I’ve still so many unanswered questions, as I’m sure you do too, but only time and continued studying will truly uncover all there is to learn. What I can tell you is that I’ve begun getting to know one of these little night flyers. She caught my eye, right from the beginning! I compare her to popcorn, because everyone knows how popcorn in the microwave can make the whole room smell yummy! That is Beatrice!
I’m still getting more familiar with my new friend, so you’ll have to wait until next week to learn more of her, along with her kin. I think that I may have struck gold with Beatrice, as I think she may be the eldest, and possibly the most knowledgeable of the bunch!
While I will be sharing everything I discover, if you have any suggestions or first impressions about all this, I welcome the help!
I recognize that Thursdays are normally when I write about my thoughts, but just this moment… there aren’t any thoughts. It’s as if I’ve somehow discovered that elusive Nothing Box that men swear by!
It’s rather nice in there… all spacious and peaceful. Metaphorically speaking, my brain’s barn doors are just lazily swinging back and forth, from a soft heavenly breeze.
I’ve been simultaneously reading through the Psalms and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, for several weeks now. While I’ve read them many times over the years, this has been the first time reading both Old Testament and New, side by side.
I have to say that if you read the Psalms next to the four Gospels… it’s an amazing experience! Reading through passionate poems by David and other Psalmists, and then moving to read through Jesus’ life, I’m seeing the life and holy purpose of Jesus, from those looking toward His coming… to those that watched as He came to earth, fulfilling each and every prophesy foretold.
I don’t know, my bible always has this familiar feel to it, upon first opening it for a re-read… but then I find myself getting lost in it, as if it were a brand new book that I’d never before read. It really is true, you know, the scriptures are God’s living and breathing word! Whenever I pick it up, he’s right there with me… I can feel his presence, as of one sitting close by.
I suppose that today it just feels good dwelling in His presence… and I’m in no hurry to leave.
But, I will walk over to the microwave and reheat my coffee. OOh, and grab a breakfast muffin… mmmmmm!
So, remember how I told you that my brain doors blew open yesterday, while I was taking my trail walk?
I spent the rest of the afternoon, and then even more hours this morning, doing research. I began digging deeper into the story behind our bat thingies that are flying around in the barn. Remember them?
It turns out that there is an entire community of them, roosting in our rafters. When I discovered this… I was inspired!
One by one, each of their little faces and personalities began appear. Quickly, they found their way out of my brain pan, and all the way onto the page, so to speak.
I’ll introduce them to you in the order that I discovered them. Keep in mind that while being cute and adorable, each one of these creatures carries something very valuable within their tiny little frames.
For today, we will simply make introductions, so as to give each of you a chance to make your own initial impressions, without my intrusive input… there will be time for that later.
From first to last, there are ten…
We begin with,
Mother of,
And,
Then there’s,
and her little one,
Next we have,
and his little brother,
Followed by,
and her orphaned cousin,
Tune in next week, as we learn their story, their purpose and the gift carried within each of them.
*P.S. No spoilers will be forthcoming, so don’t even try. As they say, all good things come to those who wait…
Yup! With only two intersections to cross, I got there… and two hours later, I’m just sitting down to write.
It was wonderful, I tell you, simply divine! Remember me telling you that I was missing my literary mojo, with this living in no mans land stuff? Well, oh my! I found that sweet spot… just inside of those two hours in the fresh air.
Long story short… my brain doors flew open, somewhere around mile two, and now it’s once again the Willy Wonka Factory in there!
I leave you with a song that should leave you with a visual of how I’m feeling right this moment…
You the Sculptor and I am that which can be molded.
Dear God,
I love it when someone writes words of love to me, and I just realized that You might really love it, as well. Though I know you are well aware of my feelings, I thought to write them down for you. You’ve shown me who you are, and it has forever changed me!
Now I can see me as You see me…
I am the seed that flourishes in Your garden. Were it not for You, there would be no Son for my soul! I am Your firefly in the night, carrying the light of Your truth throughout the darkness. Willingly, I choose to be Your branch… reaching for the heights, knowing that Your roots are firmly anchoring me to the ground! This child is so very broken, and yet… Your healing hands have made my scars beautiful!
I need You to carry me each day, giving me every breath I take, Lord. You’ve tirelessly worked to soften this lump of hardened clay, masterfully shaping me into the beautiful creature that I am… the way You see me! God, You are all that I want, all that I need, and the one who carries me home to the place You’ve prepared for me.
I love you so very much and thought it was only right that I make mention of it… I mean, nobody should have to assume that someone loves them. Sometimes it’s really important to say a thing out loud, to let another feel the truth of your words. I hope you have a wonderful day, and remember… this girl loves you so!
If you want to write me back, I’ll look for your letter within the book You left for me. It’s just there, resting next to the tree that You planted in my Lobby.
Journey With Me! 