The Eyes of Love

I make my lists.

I plan my days.

I look at the beauty before me

And anticipate

The sense of accomplishment I’ll feel

At the end of my day’s journey.

The sky’s wide open,

Filled with promise

And opportunity.

And then,

The diversion comes…

Can you..?

Will you..?

Would you..?

OK, I respond.

And my grand plans

Fly off without me.

The horizon

Seems even farther away.

How will I ever get there

With all these interruptions?

And then it dawns on me…

These diversions…

These people…

Are not an interruption.

In them

Is my real purpose…

Those scheduled stopovers

On the way to

My Ultimate Destination.

Of course

There are distractions and requests

That are not mine to pursue.

But I must be willing,

Ever willing,

To see people

Through the eyes of love.

…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me [Jesus] (Matthew 25:40, NIV).

It Comes Together

So many elements combine

To create flying conditions.

Warm fronts.

Cold fronts.

Wind speed.

Updrafts.

Downdrafts.

They all come together

And affect the skies

Before me.

Many of them have an affect

On where I end up

On any given day.

Time and time again,

I’ve seen things come together

That direct my flight.

Yesterday

I shared a passage

From the Flight Manual.

Because of one friend’s response,

I was led today

To yet another passage.

I know the words,

But they haven’t been

Active in my mind

For some time.

The book I’ve recently read

Also ties in with this passage.

I find

When the neon signs

Start to flash…

And they’re all pointing

In the same direction…

It’s time to

Straighten up and fly right.

I love how things come together.

May I be evermore

Attentive and obedient.

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2, NIV).

Mom

The balloons.

The banner.

The cake.

The candle.

The little old lady.

White hair

With hints of the black

That once was.

The smile.

The pictures.

The “Happy Birthday to you”

Sung twice.

Once in the dining room

And once in her room.

Hugs.

Teasing.

Determination.

The perfectly timed

Phone call from her son.

These were all good.

But the sadness.

The confusion.

The disappointment.

The frustration.

These were not.

They tugged at our hearts.

How could we leave her?

But we had to.

Oh, Lord,

Grant this precious

Eight-six-year-old heart

Flight even now.

Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12, NIV).

Off Course

In my planner…

read Origins

post on free2soar

post on fitness blog

accomplish chore

edit eight pages

study doula materials

exercise

work on novel

read Radical

organize boxes to be picked up

update website

prepare doula information package

As of 5:30, I’ve accomplished the following:

visited with my son

grocery shopped with my daughter

picked up lunch

stopped by our accountant’s…twice

Yep, that’s it.

Sometimes the best flights

Are the ones where

I’ve been blown off course.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9, KJV).

I Must Fly

Too many times

I have been guilty

Of looking at

The size of the problem.

The moutain

Too high to climb.

The ocean

Too wide to cross.

The expanse

Too vast to fly over.

Though my To Do list

Is long,

Do I throw it away?

Though there’s

Much to learn,

Do I stop

Adding to my knowledge?

Though there are

Countless hurting people,

Do I stop reaching out?

Though they don’t want to hear,

Do I stop sharing Truth?

Can I do it on my own?

Of course not.

But I must fly.

They’re counting on me.

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:22-24, NIV).

Of True Worth

Twenty-four hours.

Fourteen hundred forty minutes.

Eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds.

It sounds like a lot.

But the longer I live,

The more I realize,

Each day is gone

Before I know it.

I rarely,

If ever,

Accomplish all I plan.

The solution?

Simply a shorter To Do list?

No!

It’s time to re-evaluate

My priorities.

To focus my attention.

Let go of the unimportant.

Make sure I know

What is most valuable.

Instead of trying to get

A little bit of everything

Done every day,

I must devote

Serious chunks of time

To each pursuit.

I must evaluate their worth.

Not measured by

Personal satisfaction

Or

My level of happiness.

Does each endeavour glorify

The One who gave me wings?

Does it benefit others

And help them soar?

Those are

The true measures of worth.

If an entry in my day planner

Passes the test,

I must fulfill it diligently.

If it doesn’t,

It’s time to cross it

From the list.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Luke 10:27, NIV).

Immediate Opportunities

Excitement mounts

Concerning future possibilities,

Those dots on the horizon

That may become

Huge opportunities.

While it’s OK

To look forward

To what lies ahead,

I have a responsibility

Today.

From my limited perspective,

I can still see much.

Much that needs to be accomplished.

Much I am equipped to do

Right now.

I believe the future holds

Many blessings

I haven’t even imagined.

However,

Today’s perspective.

Today’s provision.

Today’s potential.

These are all things

I must draw from

To bless those

With whom I fly

And those below

Who do not yet know

How to fly.

So,

While I look ahead

In anticipation,

May I look around

And make the most of

Immediate opportunities.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:15-17, NIV).

Epiphanies

After nearly a year,

I’m beginning to repeat myself.

But as a wise woman once said…

Each time we find ourselves

Where we’ve been before,

We come at it differently,

With our new knowledge and experiences

Giving us a new perspective.

I’ve shared with you

That when I experience

An Ah Ha Moment

Or an Epiphany,

It’s as if I knew nothing

Before that moment.

Today,

Those moments

Have been rolling in

Like waves at high tide,

One after another

After another.

I thought I’d flown high before…

I can’t wait to share with you

The things I’m learning.

Bless you all!

…the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6, NIV).

God Bless

While I believe prayer is

More than a God Bless list,

It’s always a good thing

To ask Him to bless

Those who help me fly

And thank Him

For experiences

That lift me higher.

God bless…

My family,

Who love me

No matter what.

My friends,

Who are more valuable

Than any possession.

My fellow writers,

Who encourage me

To keep at it.

The authors

In whose works

I’ve experienced

Those Ah Ha moments.

Those who’ve

Touched my heart

And brought a smile

Or a tear.

Each one I encounter

In the course of my day,

Whether in person

Or online.

God bless you all!

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him (Psalm 34:8, NIV).

Reasons to Fly

No coincidences.

Abundant provision.

Theological confusion.

Unexpected detour.

Undeserved blessing.

New beginning.

Shared certainty.

Fulfilled dream.

Amazing phone call.

Directed relocation.

New life.

Open doors.

Exciting possibilities.

“…all the days ordained for me were written in your book” (Psalm 139:16, NIV).