Breath of Heaven

I remember listening to this song over and over when I was in high school. I had the Amy Grant Christmas album (or cassette!) and would rewind again and again to hear it.
Mary's Song.
In the past few years and again recently, I've sang it at church- I know Amy does it better!
I suppose this year more than ever, as I sang, I selfishly thought a little less of Mary, and more of others, self included. Not to take anything away from Mary at all. When we think of her, we do think of her special calling, and yes, she was favored among women.
But as the words sung out amidst nervousness, it really was a prayer from own my heart, and for so many on my mind.

"Breath of Heaven, hold me together....Lighten my darkness...."
So many hurting hearts around us.
I've been there- some days I still am.
We pass people every single day, and little do we know that inside they feel like life is falling apart. A sickness, a wayward child, a terminal diagnosis, a marriage in pieces, a family without a loved one this season, a loss of a child, a broken heart, an fear of the unknown, anxiety, depression, addiction, a military spouse overseas, a foster child.....we know the list goes on and on...that which seems like a cloud of darkness over them.

"Frightened by the load I bear, In a world as cold as stone, Must I walk this path alone....."
The load is sometimes unbearable. The world doesn't seem to care. Sometimes it feels like even those closest to us do not care.
Mary had those same feelings, I am sure. To know the story is to know that she was probably forgotten, shunned, shamed and lonely many times.
Much like Mary, those feelings seem to prevail in us more than those of hope sometimes.

"Help me be strong, help me."
Even on the days when Mary probably felt confused, afraid, and uncertain, she knew Who was in control. The angel told her the power of the Holy Spirit was upon her. Luke 1:35 says the power of the Most High will overshadow you." In context it refers to the work of the Holy Spirit that allowed her to conceive. He who was within her was God, the Word- Christ.
We too have access to that same Word. If we are His, He is in us.
This song is not just for Mary- it is for all.
The same breath of Heaven that was in her is in us!
What encouragement we can find in that truth!

As I sang this song last week for the last time this Christmas season, I saw tears being wiped away from a face who no longer sees her precious mother. I knew that was her prayer, that the Breath of Heaven would hold her together every second, every minute, every hour that her hurting heart cries. Or at least, if it wasn't her prayer, it was mine for her.
You may be in a similar season.

We can relate to Mary. We know later she would have had these same feelings of fear, grief and uncertainty at the foot of the cross. But maybe, just maybe, her mind went back to her song of praise found in Luke 1:46. She recalled His promise to be with her and her soul was able to magnify Emmanuel, God who was with her.
Emmanuel, God with us.

Breath of Heaven, hold together those who are hurting today.
May they feel you ever so close, and can look back like Mary and say, "the Mighty One has done great things for me- holy is His name."

Honeysuckle and Briars

As much as I love writing, I CAN NOT BELIEVE it's been a year almost since I've blogged. Have I done nothing "blog worthy" in a year? Well. Maybe it's stored inside rather than on paper. But today seemed like a good day.
This blog will be similar to a past post. But for whatever reason, it must be what I needed today. Yet there's so much more in my mind and on my heart right now.......

None the less, here goes.
So I'm sure they think I'm crazy. My neighbors, that is.
I'm certain most other people I'm around would agree. Some days, more than others. I forget a lot; I ask for repeated directions. I've been known to put wrong things in wrong places. I'll just blame age.

Back to my neighbors.
I decided to go do yard work, at 6:00, after another day of working till 5:00- because that sounds like a fun thing to do on a Friday night. I tried to get Presley to help. That didn't last long.

So my neighbor is sitting in his yard, unbeknown to me, for a little while while I'm "de-stressing" after an hard week. I finally see him and pretend that I had to check my phone. Why? Because I don't know the first thing about cutting shrubs. I tried to get some advice from my mom a few days ago about it. She did tell me I could cut it, but I would lose the berries from this bush that usually turn red in winter. Well, I really didn't mind - and Presley agreed saying, "We ain't never picked them for Christmas before."
Anyway, after I see that my neighbors have gone inside- and hope that they are not looking out their window- I go back to trimming the "shrub."  Here's a before picture.

If you notice, there's a lot of things that don't belong. You see some kind of oak tree. There's a few briars mixed in, and the whole thing is pretty much taken over by honeysuckle. My mama told me this is a Nandina. It's kind of hard to tell though, because of the honeysuckle.
I didn't realize how much honeysuckle, until I started cutting and pulling and tearing it away from the plant.
I was pulling it from the stems, and being reminded of Presley not wanting to cut out all the honeysuckle- because she wanted it to bloom in the spring.
It's sweet fragrance can be smelled from a distance. It's pretty to look at, and you're not country unless you know how to suck the juice from its blooms. Plus, there's the whole attracting bees and pollination thing too.
But so many things in our lives can compare to the honeysuckle- many good and beautiful things, that are helpful and enjoyable. Yet if we let them, they can overtake what we were meant to be. The Nandina stood tall, but was living under the burden of what didn't belong there. The red berries were meant to be the fruit of that plant. Yes, the briars had crept their way in, as briars usually do. No they don't belong either, and represent all the bad things we let in our lives.
But sometimes what seems like the good things can take over our lives. I've heard it said, "The good is the enemy of the best. "
There's been many a Bible study on this very thing. Saying no to certain things, in order to say yes to the best things.
I have to admit, I'm not good at that. And honestly, now, I feel like the Nandina, burdened with so many things. It's SO. HARD. TO. FIND. BALANCE.
And the solution is keeping check on it all the time.
If I were a good gardener, I would have never let it get that bad.

So what now? Does my yard look flawless? Nope. Not at all.
But look at the weight that has been lifted from Nandina. (She's on the right....Well maybe on the left too....I don't know my plants very well. But I'm pretty sure they are the same!) As I carried that pile to the road, I'm sure the neighbors still thought I was crazy because I looked like a walking bush. But it needed to be on the road, carried off to the compost pile. 

Doesn't she look refreshed!? 

What in my life needs to be cut away, even that which seems good?

I'm reminded of the Proverbs 31 woman. I re-read that passage, and found verse 25-26.
"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom..." 
She is confident and has learned through wisdom what to say yes to, and what to let go of.
May we all learn from this passage, and seek the Lord's will for what He would want us to do. 

And if we don't have red berries for Christmas this year, it will be ok.