Autumn is such an interesting season. A season of beauty and of harvest, of reaping the benefits of what was sown. But it is also a season of loss and a season of preparation. Preparation to be able to endure difficulty until the cycle continues to shift into new life and hopes are redeemed. I feel as though I have been in an Autumn situation of life for a long time. Too long. I am so ready for Spring. A few weeks ago I was inspired to do a quick poem as I sat on a shore line amidst strewn leaves, half naked trees, and wind whipped water. I believe it needs additional lines and that the poem is not quite finished. I will share what I started and there will be another post to come to continue this story. Before continuing to the poem however, I want to make a note of something. On that day at the shoreline, as well as many days that have gone by that have felt like a season of autumn going on and on, just as I noted about autumn being an interesting season of a combination of things above, in my experience there has been some beauty and goodness amidst loss and pain. And though there are still many questions, confusion and concerns, there are times when God feels close and brings a measure of peace and comfort. Waiting For The ShiftI have seen winter snows
Melt away to reveal new growth I have seen spring rains Bring color and life again I have seen summer sunshine Create an environment that thrives But I am in the autumn I am waiting and longing Waiting for the season to shift Longing for God to mend the rift Oh God my God show me how I can continue to cling to hope now
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Step number one onto the path of this blog... this first blog post. I had a blog for awhile in a past season. And I felt with this new season of mine, it was time to blog again. But on a new website for my new season and new day. The past half dozen years have been quite the time of learning and growing, of facing feelings and experiences of the past and processing through that with a shift of perspective. Due to all that processing and perspective change, and realizing some things about my purpose and identity, I felt it was time for my new season and new day to start, and to step into that by boldly stepping on a path pursuing ways of getting my story out there, to spread hope, joy, peace, freedom, truth... and long story short, I just launched a podcast - Coffee, Tea, God and Me - and am now beginning this blog. For awhile these will likely be short posts as I focus more on the podcast. But I am definitely capable of long ramblings when I have the time! In spoken and written words! Hahaha. Speaking of rambling (or rather writing of rambling hah), I feel that this post is about to become what I call "reflective rambling." I have been waiting a long, long time for many hopes and dreams to come to fruition. Some things have materialized in part, but mostly I have had to settle with glimpses of what I wait for as time keeps going forward and I feel like I am stuck. And sometimes hope almost all but disappears and I am clinging tenaciously to the tiny shred of hope left. And there have been times I am about to lose the grasp that I have even on that last shred. But then... God steps close to me... and when I am willing to listen to him... hope rises... and I rise in that hope. Key part of that - when I am willing to listen and believe God. The following verses are ones that have helped me hold on when there's only that little piece of hope left that's about to slip away. Powerful truth. Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us. Our faith guarantees us permanent access into this marvelous kindness that has given us a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory! But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us! "...enjoy true and lasting peace with God... permanent access into this marvelous kindness... we have a joyful confidence... we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit..." Yes and Amen, thank you, Lord! And now with "joyful confidence" I am putting hope and faith to action by courageously moving ahead with these steps that I can take right now, the podcast and blog. And I am finally going to self-publish a book in 2023! Details and release date to be determined. I could say so much more on hope, but as Thanksgiving Day is coming to an end to transition into another day and another season, I will bring this post to an end with this idea... I am thankful that I have a living God who is a God of hope, and that he has been with me through it all and has turned ashes into beauty and mourning into joy, and he has turned suffering into strength. And this wonderfully powerful but gracious God will continue to walk with me into the new day, and so I will continue to rise up and shine. Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope! |
AuthorHi, I'm Angela Terese! Archives
February 2024
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But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect--
life in its fullness until you overflow!
~ Jesus (from John 10:10, TPT)