For when you are tired of coming up with a plan, might you be willing to simply come? I’ve thought a lot lately about this space created for souls to breathe and the true meaning behind it. To chat at the sky is to recognize that we have a Creator who sees and cares and notices. He will not come undone. He remains un-overwhelmable. So what does it look like when grace and art and worship mingle together, sweet? Here is a taste, however small.
It looks like the way of the light coming up from the bottom of an endless sea,
the way of her eyes, deep brown and dancing
the way of a sister who brings out the beauty
… and the way of a woman who knows she is loved.
“There are three things which are too wonderful for me, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.”
Proverbs 30:18-19
Would love to fill the comment box with the way of grace today. What are the things too wonderful for you, things which you do not understand — whimsy things that bring a little bit of awe and a whole lot of wonder? The way of …?
The way of the Father, guiding me to places like this that remind me to slow down, breathe and just be …
the way of little birds awakening the dawn with a cheery, chirpy song…
The way of a much prayed for son who turns 20 today by God’s grace.
The way of music opening up the soul to the Spirit.
The way of light’s fall
on autumn leaves
as wind whispers by
and the trees
clap their hands.
I messed up pretty bad a few weeks ago and someone I know and love had the grace to point it out to me in love and help me correct it. I was feeling pretty bad about myself and was feeling like the worst person on Earth. But, I looked into the sky that night and saw the most beautiful moon I had ever seen. It was God’s way of telling me, “It’s alright, daughter. People mess up, but I still love you. And ________ still loves you too. I am giving you grace.”
so thankful for the way of grace, here Tay. beautiful.
such a great post ……….once time i fill that it is related to my life ….but i never thoughts this type of filling…..this article is very nice ….that girl smile is very nice …fill like nothing any problem in our life …thnx for ur great and wonderful post and article …
The way of God’s tender hand on my heart in the
quiet
stillness
of the morning.
Your last picture & caption touched my heart deeply. ~ Thank you!
the way of the young boy-man who wraps his arms around my waist in affection for his momma, who sometimes {often times} fails him…
For me, it’s the way the Autumn sun casts down it’s golden rays each evening, ever so briefly illuminating everything, the good, the bad and the ugly in all the corners of our earthly world. In those last few fleeting moments, before daylight ends and darkness falls upon us once again, all is bright and brilliant and full of golden promise. Day is done and God is good.
His peace bigger than questions and fears…
Love that gives without taking…
Sunshine that thaws my skin…
Color at sunset that leaves me wordless…
These are too wonderful!
the way of how they wake from slumber, cozy and warm, willing to let you snuggle for just a few minutes…fully immersed in the grace of God.
I love this post…it reminded me…
I am woman that is loved…and that is His grace for me……
The way of forgiveness…extended to me and in return me to others
The way of crashing waves back and forth, back and forth
The way of accepting who we are because God made us that way
The way of true love & the love of our God
The way of the seasons turning, shifting shape, purposeful beauty…
Thanks for opening this up in the comments. I love the responses!
After a long hot summer, the windows are now open to catch the lovely morning air. I hear the crickets and the songbirds starting their day off with a song. A little bit of fog down in the valley is catching the morning sun….and my dogs are racing madly back and forth in the yard enjoying life. Thank you Father for all of your gifts to me!
The way of a toothless, 6-year old smile.
The way of a husband who knows how to speak to my soul.
The way of courage, that rises up in spite of myself.
The way I loved my nephew as if he was my own the second I saw him.
The way we hear God speaking to our hearts and know that it is Him… and that it is true.
The way your beloved canine senses your distress through tears and sits right next to you to say “It’s ok.”
the way of the birds playing against the sunrise or sunset…joyfully declaring God’s lovingkindness by day and faithfulness by night
The way of friendship and how you give to others. I love THAT you give.
And I love that Robin brought her dress to the sea.
And I am breathing now, reading this post and these comments. Mission accomplished, friend.
Kelly!!!! That you knew that was me just blessed my socks off my naked feet
. It would’ve been SO fun to have you join us on the beach! Love to you, beautiful friend.
Robin, that pic of you is beyond stunning. So beautiful! And yes, Kelly! Wish you’d been there, too.
…the way I can sit in the water at the edge of the lake and feel the waves gently flowing over me.
…the way my little ones run in the sand chasing after seagulls.
…the way the late summer breeze runs it’s fingers through my hair and calms my soul with smells of sunshine and water.
…the way I feel His presence as a balm to my hurting heart when I take those few moments at the end of the day to quiet myself before Him, and the way He is always faithful, every day, to provide whatever strength I need.
Thank you for this. I needed it today.
the way He takes the ordinary, the plain, the sinful and makes it into His Masterpiece for His fame, glory and honor…. undeniably amazing!
the way He stirs my soul and asks me to wait for Him is come near and then possibly, hopefully hear Him speak. This is my grace.
The way of a little boy in a soccer uniform too big, waving from between goalposts at his mom on the sideline.
mmm…
the way light dances behind my lens, inviting me to capture it… and preserve its beauty
the way morning comes faithfully up, every morning
the way God gives us 41 years of life… today… healthy, and strong, and able to love
food to eat, a roof over our heads, creativity birthing itself in our souls…
The way God uses something that seemed unreal to me–blogging? What’s that??–to bring about some very real blessings in my life. Blessings like knowing you.
And now you’ve got me thinking in so many different directions, all of them good, and all of them eventually pointing back to Jesus, the Way. I love how you do that!
The way of a sweet child on her bicycle. All smiles and giggles. The way of a boy with a frog all puddles and jumping.
Brooke
chubby hands reaching out to hold me in a fierce, strong, toddler hug – even after I’ve lost patience with him. Grace.
Oh, Emily…do you know? Do you know how deeply your kindness and accommodation touched me? That using your camera’s eye to draw from the center of who I am? That you pressed me to play and delight in the moment (rather than shrivel up and DIE like I was feeling on the inside? I had NO idea everyone was going to be on the beach when we did this…).
Your kindness, your encouragement, your playfulness…was liberating. Thank you. You have no idea how greatly you blessed me. This post is icing on top of icing.
xo
The way of a cool morning on the cusp of autumn. The way of the hummingbird in our tree. The way of words from a sweet friend. The way of a husband who never ceases to surprise me with his love.
The way of a little boy’s hug around my neck. The way of a teen girl’s steps tentatively in life, like dipping toes in unknown waters.
I need the reminders of how much He loves, and that will affect “my way” today.
The way of my nephew’s big blue eyes, son of a brother newly come back afresh…
The way of a smile, bringing warmth to the soul…
The way of the Father’s way….that is so deep, so big, so HIM!
a sun setting on pink and blue skies, God’s faithful promises, a wonderful best friend for a Husband, hearing our roosters crow, cool morning breezes breaking record heat, children maturing into little men
The way of a morning mug-full in solitude…
The way of a hand-made card with inspiring words of friendship…
The way of his kiss, still electrifying, even in quick parting…
This morning’s sunrise.
Not really “wonder” but a Trajedy leaving us all in shock; Yet, a Mamma’s eyes full of hope and a heart full of forgiveness. I will walk beside her, and follow her lead. Christ is All.
Sunrises over the endless ocean with it’s hues of orange, pink, and blue.
Birds singing their morning tune.
Warm mugs of caffeinated brew early on a chillly mornings.
Friends full of grace.
Summer rains with sweet breezes.
A husband who is endlessly patient with me, even though I often don’t return the favor.
Sweet memories of parents now living in heaven, leaving a legacy of love.
A family reunion this summer that brought together relatives who haven’t seen each other in decades.
Precious grandchildren of all ages . . . from the sweet and cuddly 1-year-old just learning to toddle into my arms, all the way up to the college student who approaches me with arms open wide for a hug.
Voices raised in song praising the Giver of Grace.
The way my baby laughs when I just look at her. The way my kids always come back for more. The way my husband looks at me and I feel beautiful.
the way that God gives me a gift, when I haven’t asked and I don’t deserve it at all, to remind me how much He loves me no matter what.
the way that a very dear friend has spent so many years helping me learn how to communicate and showing me that I totally loveable in all my fiestiness.
Thank you Emily. I really enjoy coming here and reading what you have to say. It is a joy.
what a wonderful post! the lovely blue sky created by my Father’s hands, the way my husband makes my heart flutter when he looks at me, giggles, belly laughs & hearing a child pray….such wonderful things in a very long list of things that are so wonderful to me.
My entire life is a whole lotta grace…I just wrote a post about it last night…
http://abarefootday.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-perfectly-cliche-weekend.html
I have this verse taped to my mirror. It always brings me such peace! Another thing that brings me peace is a chair by the window that the sun pours in. A little break from my desk takes me to that chair at least once a day and it is so hard not to feel the Love of our Father pouring in through the glass.
…the way the heart bursts, explodes love on everyone because it is your 25th birthday and you realize finally that it is not about you but so much about the Lord and how He loves. & why He does it. & it’s for ONE MORE SOUL.
The way of resting my head on my hubby’s chest and instantly feeling better, no matter what is ailing my heart
The way of a sunset to remind me that I love The Creator of all things beautiful
They way their nineteen handwritings come alongside their nineteen faces, voices, personalities and inexplicably delight me, even in dry answers to drier questions.
The way cotton bolls begin to show brighter than the leaves in the fields along the highways.
The way she smiles when I assure her that she’ll be sightreading the hard stuff soon.
The way community happens, a surprise, when you thought you were alone with your lesson plans at your desk.
The way looking for one grace brings a dozen more tumbling down about your head and shoulders, so that you can only sit in their midst and smile.
The way a husband and son are happy to see me come home after being gone for a week…
Kristin
The way of a delighted student’s face when he/she in involved in the learning process…even in high school!
The way I feel when I see beautiful Photography or beautiful clouds. They way my husband stares when he thinks I look beautiful, even after so many years.
It sounds funny, but it’s been true for years…. the way that I bite into a perfectly ripe piece of fruit and the sweet juice makes my heart sing praises to the One who created something as little and as wonderful as that.
The way of my husband, loving my heart and my mind, my past and my present.
The way of my son, knowing exactly when I need him to make me smile.
The way of my husband knowing exactly when I need a hug.
The way of my friend knowing when I need a frappuccino!
The calming way of ocean waves to soothe my weary soul.
I am consistently in awe of the music the Lord gives to people to share his word. I have been listening to Tricia Brock’s new worship album in the car and am blown away by the lyrics. Her song Always is amazing. My God is here, Always!!!
Music has the power to touch and heal.
The way of “coincidence”. I call them God winks.
The way of a precious girl with rich brown eyes and a wide-mouthed grin that says I love life! The (only) way of embracing life with all its ugliness–by resting in the arms of the Author of our stories.
Thanks for helping us focus our thoughts on Him!
I am just plain tired today. Too tired to come up with anything – especially not any kind of plan. So I rest my day in His hands and I know he will gentley take care of me today. And everyday if I am willing to turn it over and let go. The best part of it is, when I just show up and let Him handle the everything else, my life is much better than I could ever manage on my own. That is His grace for me and for everyone. I cannot fathom Him or His plans but I know they are beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you, God, for the beauty of a new day.
The way of the man who loves me exactly as I am.
The way of words rising from deep within, placed there by a Being greater than I.
The way my fingers itch for the piano keys.
the way music fills my soul, the way God never gives up on me but continually, and very gently, brings me back to Him when I stray. The way reading His word fills the emptiness.
The way of God’s grace.
The way a few pains remind me that it could be worse.
The way God’s beauty surrounds me.
thanks for having me think these thoughts.
The way a sunset explodes in our yard, and He let’s me know He would do that for me, even if I were the only one on earth to see it.
The way He sends a gentle breeze over me in my porch swing while I spend time in His word.
The way He lays someone on my heart, just when they need it
The way He let’s me see answered prayer
Good stuff, thanks for sharing!
the way of the sunsets.
the colors and beauty.
and i always think,
“did He plan it to look that way?
like, let’s put a spot of red here, and some yellow over there…”
and while doing it, was He thinking of me standing down here, looking up?
“see, I knew she’d like that!” I can hear Him whisper.
and that thought makes me smile.
Grace. Beauty.Love:
The way my big sons kiss my cheek.
The way my husband reaches for my hand sliding his fingers through mine while my breath catches,still.
The stillness of the Lake at home reflecting the sunrise.
The mountains dominating the landscape on my horizon.
The voice of my mother reading the Word over the phone.
That I can say the name of Jesus with such a knowing, that I am His beloved.
The unity of strangers as they worship unhindered by time and space!
Sheer grace..sheer wonder!
Thank-you.
The ways of His boundless grace. Wherever I go, His hand is on me… blessed assurance of my Abba unfailing Love.
The way my husband looks when he sleeps
The way HIS world reminds me of HIS grace
The way my kitties just simply love me
The way that first sentence caught my soul.