Releasing Another Dream

I had a dream of the front door of heaven.  A vision of the miraculous...the gateway into a new life where your weaknesses are made whole and all pleas cried out on this earth and questions that gnaw are all answered in their entirety.  

I saw a homecoming...of broken souls reunited to their fullness...to their true identity and character...to Christ.





The masses stood in a crowd while one by one each were called out and brought forward...a moment of attention brought to each life...one at a time.  I braced myself as I waited for the mallet to drop and the deeds done to pay their price.   But the judgment I waited for...each sin and weakness to be revealed...was not disclosed in the way I expected.    Instead I found deep in my spirit that for each life I somehow already knew what that soul had endured in their lifetime...that I was connected and tuned-in in some supernatural way...and the revelation and compassion that flowed from my heart came from the One Crowned with jewels and beauty before us.  My heart and all the others around me were connected to the Royal Facilitator of this ceremony... connected by a beam of light flowing from His Heart.  He stepped off his throne and came toward the single life before Him.  The soft smile He wore never escaped his face....especially as He removed His royal cape and cloaked the chosen one in front of Him...it gave Him such joy to do this as His love gesture.  The touch of His hand on a weather-beaten forehead gave off great light as he spoke out truth and identity...fullness restored...all shame and regret burned up by a fire of acceptance and wholeness.  

I bear no recollection of hearing judgment pass from His lips for the life passed, but He gave truth and words to build up...to assist in stepping into a new life....an everlasting meaning that made sense of  where each person had been and how with His royal command it was all changed...but not as in "completely different" ...because there was still beauty at the core of  each life...containing a unique finger print to their identity...but the parts that, at the time of leaving this life, were raw and worn clean through and marred by lies and daggers were made full and strong completing the identity puzzle...it all made sense.  

Every last moment of this life that ticked away with the second hand of the clock....millions of moments that made up life as we know it...but they were only the beginning, to form the complete fullness to be lived in the eternal.  Those of us that watched bore witness to this transformation and celebrated with overwhelming joy for a life restored and truth set free...as if the truth were our own.

One by one I saw the same display...the Royal One didn't seem interested in placing blame, but gave pieces of His royalty to each...acknowledged the life lived and passed, and provided the road-map for the life thereafter with clarity...with beauty.  With GRACE...His grace.

I saw you in my dream, my friend...and my heart beats with love...much like His... for your fragmented story.  Because I know, one day, He will bring you from pieces to completeness.

(see picture at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037478102/)

Releasing Some Focus

I make this life as if I am at the center of it all...how I feel, what I do, what happens to ME.  It keeps me navel gazing, feeling sad and in pain from the arrows that pierce...annoyed with everyone because they can't seem to read my mind!  Allowing jealousy and anger to fester and grow because it's just not fair!  Allowing the spirit of laziness and comfort to infect and take over my spirit-man who holds life and passion and an ability to reach out and make a difference.  

Allow my boredom to lull my heart of fire and fervency to sleep...and when they are extinguished my vision becomes narrow...all I can see is my own reflection...all I can hear is my own selfishness begging for something to fill the void...ANYTHING.  

I turn to vices... momentary idols to soothe.

Darkness surrounds us...everywhere.  It's a part of life...it's a part of bearing flesh and bone.  Being influenced by the darkness is a human condition.  Any living thing can tell you that hanging out in the dark is fatal.  You can't grow or be nourished, you can't see and often times it's  isolating and lonely...leading to demise...but light and life come from a different place.  We may be influenced by darkness, but we don't have to be overcome by it... light can only be found in One place...A place where life is abundant, where  you can grow and stretch and find truth...where the impossible becomes possible, where disease is made well, where chains are broken and sadness can't rule a beautiful heart brimming with life any more.  Where darkness is pierced...by Light.

When I focus on the Prize, on the One who is saving me and who longs to bring me into the light...where burdens are lifted and failures are erased...where forgiveness wipes the slate clean no matter what the deed, no matter who you are or where you are...when I focus on this I find the distraction of things of this world shrink and begin to matter less...perspectives change...idols shrink...hearts open and the ME I strive to soothe becomes less offended.  It makes the darts easier to dodge... less painful to take when I focus on embracing healing, being saved, made better.  

There's a purpose in all of this.  A purpose to live for and it has nothing to do with the superficial, and everything to do with what He's planned and how He's gonna fulfill it.  And if you only believe one thing today, you NEED to know that if you're here, then without a shadow of a doubt there is plan with your name on it...to be fulfilled...Guaranteed!

But the superficial...how it looks and feels...can sometimes nag away.  But know that this life is not about that...it's in the FACE of that, that I find freedom and His plans unfold.  Regardless of my circumstances...my stiff joints, my graying hair and my worn out shoes... things are always easier to get through when you can focus on the outcome...the purpose at the end of it all.  A woman giving birth, an addict going through rehab, a patient booked for surgery...a Saviour heading for the cross.  When you can visualize the purpose and the glorious ending it makes the pain slightly more bearable, and the focus slightly less narrow.  And maybe you don't know exactly how things will unfold or what the final product will look like, but you do know the One who is taking you there is good and He's promised that he'll make all things good for those who love him (Romans 8:28)...and that's you. So focus on Him...focus on His goodness...and His perfect plan...He's the outcome in your life.

He's gonna break through the darkness that plagues you...whatever it might be...nothing is too big or too dark for Him.  But He wants you to rest in His ability...bask in His light...believe in His sovereignty...focus on the Great Physician and let him do the HEART surgery.

(see picture at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037448132/)

Releasing the Innate

She was obviously pregnant...body swollen...slow staggered walk...sitting every chance she could get.  Very unlike most pigeons.  She perched herself in the middle of the walkway... making a statement of the state she was in.  

He kept coming over to her... checking...maybe concerned.  Was it time?  Either way he was protective.  Puffing his feathers - warding off any visitors...coming close to her body...helping her clean off her own feathers... nurturing... protecting... standing guard.

Truth be told, I am not a fan of pigeons...in fact they annoy me and gross me out (contrary to this beautiful picture I've posted)...maybe that's part of living in the city and sharing the concrete with these winged vermin.  But truly and honestly I felt a fondness watching these two creatures interact.  This innate exchange...both accomplishing their roles...watching out for the other.  Devotion...protection of the bond.

And so what do I do with the inconsistencies all around...have winged vermin really got it figured out better than us?  This is what I see...society-ridden with infidelity...secret affairs...broken relationships...broken hearts.  When did the confusion occur? When did it become okay to dishonour a covenant...your word...your wife...your husband?  Relationships are hard...they're work.   Anything worth having is.  It's easy to lose sight of this.

As much blood sweat and tears that you shed...relationships are equally as hard as they are wonderful.  To be cherished...worked on...worked in...fulfilling...give a part of yourself... receive in exchange. Men, women...husbands, wives...when it feels hard, that's when you cherish...love...honour...search with all your might for your innate ability. In doing so you will feed not only the one you pledged yourself to, but your own soul with the light and love you've shed. It will be reflected back at you...and the reflection of light can be even more beautiful...more stunning...more intense than the light itself.  Light refined...like the sun in a mirror.

And when all else fails think of the winged vermin...they stand as a reminder...of our innate ability to honour...to care for...to live out your role.  No one taught them...they just know. 

Stop coming into agreement with the relationship destroyer...the ultimate home wrecker... the father of lies...the evil one. 

If it feels hard...press in...don't throw your hands up. You're stronger than this...stronger than you think. If it feels hard, turn to the One who can shed the light you lack...the One who's never given up on you...is true to His covenant.  He will remind you of your innate abilities... and provide you with what you may be lacking.  

Nurture...protect...stand guard.  If you dig deep, you'll find at the core, it's innately in you.

~wanna read more?  try Ephesians 5:22-33

(see pictures at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037403085/ 
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037403088/)

Releasing the Depth of Insight

This love is in my heart...deep in the core of my being.  It's beautiful when I see it clearly...when for a moment I can grasp the amazement of Christ, and the ultimate gift and that I truly am a part of this royal lineage.  But emotions run high, and brokenness is my thorn and as quickly as I'm elevated to the heights of his grace and mercy,  gravity grabs hard and chokes, tosses me as the waves.

Regardless of my reoccurring uncertain state I can know He remains as always...stable...unchanging...never failing.  Along with my heart of flesh that sings and bubbles over in jubilation, this love must also abound in knowledge and depth of insight (Philippians 1:9).  Where is my grounding force and my light when the night is black as ink?  I can't JUST be hooked on a feeling...as beautiful and soul stirring as it may be.  Mixing the properties of knowledge and insight to the vulnerability of this honey dipped heart I bear makes this love 4 dimensional.  Takes me to a level where Holy Spirit, Father God and Sweet Jesus press me from all sides molding me and moving me into the true revelation of my being...that I am flesh but not just bone, spirit but not just mystical, emotion but not just impressionable.  That I am exactly what He's made me because it brought Him delight.  That I am not a mistake, and despite my best efforts and catastrophic failures He knows my whole story...beginning to end...before any of these moments were ever breathed into life.

I can't possibly understand all that He's doing but I can remain solid on His foundation by being overcome by His relentless love paired with the knowledge of his promises, His character and His good gifts...the meat of his Word to fill me deep within.  


To dive deeper into this nourishment while pressing in to His thick fragrant presence....to ENCOUNTER the One True God is where your belief can rise beyond your momentary bliss.  Where you can praise His name in the height of abundance AND in the lions den.  Where regardless of my outward condition I can know that His life everlasting is bubbling and brimming inside this broken vessel because the depth of my insight is reaching deeper than the depth of the ocean floor.  Where the peace which passes all understanding becomes mine to claim because I truly KNOW where my worth and my identity sit...and NOTHING can change that.  When I open myself up to His still small voice leading me into his throne room, that's where heaven reaches to the depths of my world and moves me to the heights of His revelation.



(see picture at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037385958/)

Releasing the Shopaholic

I'm restless...maybe bored. Searching for something to fill the pit of want.  I dash from place to place...wildly looking.  I'm unaware that this is becoming my idol.  Instead of resting in the place that he's asked me to, I'm trying to fill the void with shopping therapy. 

 

I touch the clothes...the fibers.  They aren't mine but I will pretend for a moment.  I feel happy in this change-room bliss, filling my mind with the possibilities of something new.  Like the things I have are no longer the treasures they once were.  But I do this every week...every few days.  I promised myself to keep my money where it is and to keep my focus on Him and to stop looking outside of what I have for happiness and worth.  But some days it's hard. Discouraged I exit the automatic doors and sit on the bench that greets me outside.  I'm exhausted...from this searching...coming up empty handed.

I like pretty things...things that make me colourful or soft or a newer version of myself.  But it's an illusion...every moment reveals a new me, right where I am with just what I have.  

Want not...I say to myself.  Love what you have...your life, your dwelling, your closet...just as it is. Maybe the void that needs to be filled is the one that is stuffed packed with my own greed...to empty it out and start fresh...a different concept for something new.  To look beyond myself and give.  See the needs beyond the change-room doors...to see all the beautiful things I own and give a part of it away...to make it more beautiful...to share a part of  me with the world.  

I am more than the colour and texture I wear on my back...I am more than the label tucked in at my neck...I am hands and words and a soul that could help to fill the void of another...just by giving a part of myself away.

I look at my reflection in the store window...I am enough, I whisper.  I have all I need today.  I sit, right here and now, in His presence like He's asked me to...because there I find my worth and I am filled.

(see picture at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037358963/)

Releasing Expectations

The weight of expectation unfulfilled.  My heart bleeds and turns stone cold with resentment because you didn't come through. 

My cheeks burn red as something inside feels wounded...offended.  My eyes dart wildly to blame the culprit...point my finger and stamp my feet.  I search hard, and for a second I catch a glint from someones eye...I rush over to stare them in the face...to spread the guilt thick and tell them how heavy the disappointment presses...how deep the scars run.  How dare you inflict this pain!  I get closer and my eyes focus as I take a breath to place the blame...I see a familiar face...a reflection.  It's me.

The sticky web of expectation...of placing a need of my own in another...I get stuck in my own head, my own selfish-want and need and wounds of the past driving my expectations of today.  I'm not always aware, but I'm desperately trying to control my world and everyone in it.  My inner dialogue is fear based and only harms a party-of-one when my offences rise up and my ego convinces me this life revolves around MY need.

Working out bumps and bruises, we are all stumbling through this life.  When I hold expectation in another I am distorting the reality of our finite and marred condition.  How can any other human being heal me or save me or fill some void that lays desperately hollow...because this burning offence and deep hurt stems from a need being left unmet. I haven't been able to fill it myself and so maybe someone else can...someone I love, someone I trust...but someone who's imperfect, just like...well...ME.  We are in this whole messy life together as comrades, but certainly not as heroes or saviours.  Putting anyone on a pedestal...any pedestal... will certainly cause gravity to work against them.  

It goes without saying that kindness and love should be the gift we bring to our fellow-man, simply because we share this time and this earth together.  But if you find your teeth clenched and your back up and your soul bruised because you EXPECTED, remember that searching in hollow and empty places will leave you hollow and empty.

Lay down the offence...perhaps I have been wronged...ripped off...but it's only because I started it!    Allowing offences to fester and disappointment to rule my space harms only me and leaves little room for the need to ever be adequately filled.  

Forgiveness clears the mess and lets light flood the hollowness...lets the real Hero be the hero and the real Saviour save me from myself.

(see picture at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037320433/)

Exposing the Darkness

It's a dark cancer of the soul...it starts out microscopic, inconspicuous, and goes easily undetected until it has infected all that which is healthy and beautiful.  It's a murderer...a destroyer.  It chokes life...my life sometimes.  Crushes my inner-man...my fragile and sensitive soul...attacks the unique and beautiful character that my Maker has created in me.    Makes eyes heavy and joints ache...heart burns and head foggy...everything spins.  This dark cancer squeezes tears from it's pit of regret and sorrow.  Reminds me with a screech of rage that I'm not enough and poisons the powerhouse to the soul...sends me whirling and spinning in my head so I don't know which direction is up and I'm so disoriented I can't find the truth.

I am familiar with this enemy...this cowardly demon looking to devour my heart of flesh...pray on a soft and beautiful heart because it never had one.  Leaving it raw and exposed, poisoned with lies.  I rush to cover it...protect it...hide it...isolate it so it can't be hurt again.  Perhaps good intentions, but isolation doesn't breathe life into the soul desperately gasping for air.  If I expose this demon of the dark to the light by naming it...describing it, then it shrinks under the power of TRUTH and I can RELEASE it.

Speak your truth out loud into the light allowing healing to begin.

John 1:15 - The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

(see picture at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523037309313/)