The Light

***********Pics from Tea Party - pre-hospital visit #2 **********

Right now the soft orange glow peeping over my neighbor's roof is spilling into my living room creating a glorious golden view all around me. Sometimes this room can look like a dull yellow, but right now it is a rich gold, Restrained Gold by Sherwin Williams to be exact. The orange and turquoise accents on my throw pillows look especially good in this light compared to harsh, mid-day brightness. Light changes the way you see things.This is even more true with the LIGHT, our Almighty Father.

During our first hospital stay two sweet friends brought me a copy of "Jesus Calling," by Sarah Young. It is a pocket size devotional focused on "Enjoying Peace in His Presence." I've been reading this book and the wonderful truth on each page affirms that Jesus is waiting. He is waiting for me, for you, for all of humanity with arms spread wide like a parent eager to greet his child. He wants to be with us, spend time with us, dwell in us. Spending time in the Light each morning changes the way I look at things. It shifts my focus from worldly concerns to more serious matters. Now let's be real, of course I look in the mirror and complain that my legs used to be three inches longer before my rear became such close friends with my thighs. I long for Aniston hair and Jolie lips, or at least some lips. I want my home to look like a Pottery Barn catalog and my yard to earn accolades from Garden Club. But I don't set my heart on these things. My being is not made up by the texture of my hair, size of my features or aesthetics of my home. Those are minor details, mere grains of sand under his holy feet waiting to be swept off and forgotten.

My time to dwell in the Light works best first thing in the morning before the girls wake up. No sounds other than the occasional hum of a truck or clicking of Nash's nails on the hardwood floor. The amount of physical light changes with the seasons. During the school year I read the Word in a quiet, dark kitchen gripping a coffee mug. Sometimes I am sweaty from a work out and sometimes, like today, I am still in my tank top and sleeping pants. But summer allows me the privilege of watching the sunrise over the pine tops, still in my pjs, no rush. Light is currently spilling across my face at precisely 8 o'clock. I can see the glowing tips of my new bangs and dust fairies dancing around the table that props up my long feet. I don't have to do anything, just dwell.

PS- TAMSEN...Thank you sooooo much for the care package that did arrive in Little Rock! Harper and I were blown away! Please send me your address!