Wednesday, October 30, 2013

First Kiss


Frost has kissed the forest.  Many of the leaves and grasses have succumbed to its deadly touch. Yellow and brown leaves flutter from the trees. The stream is littered with autumn’s golden snowfall. As I wander off the soft, sandy trail, my feet crunch noisily through the leafy debris.  Looking up, I see many of the trees lifting dark, barren branches skyward. Others sport a few green and yellow leaves, but these too are destined to drop to the forest floor.

It’s silent here. No birds call. No animals chatter to their mates. High above in the treetops the wind blows, rustling the remaining leaves. The rustling soon grows to a roar as the wind rushes past barren branches. So much around me seems dead, lifeless. Yet, I know the forest lives.  As I walk I hear rustling in the dead leaves and know small animals run and hide from this human invading their territory. I stop a moment at the stream, listening to the rushing waters bouncing over the rocks. The sound soothes my soul.  I look at the brown grass and the barren trees around the stream and I imagine their roots digging deep into the soil. Above the soil they appear dead, yet their roots continue to draw nourishment into the living plants.

So it is with my soul. At times it becomes brown and looks lifeless. Life is difficult, and I struggle from an unresponsive spirit and lack of enthusiasm. But then I go to a still place and listen. Just like the wind rushes through the trees, God’s voice rushes through my soul, giving me peace. I listen. I learn. I allow the roots of my soul to draw up spiritual nourishment. I rejoice, waiting patiently for that first green blush of spring to sprout in my soul.

Psalm 30:5b NIV “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for this encouragement on this gray morning, Nancy. So much lies ahead in the next hours ... and yet there is that call to be still. To know that He is God. And to be enlivened by and energized and fortified by His magnificent presence ...

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    1. Thank you, Linda. Your comment provides me encouragement.
      In our busy world, it seems we need those frequent reminders to be still and know that He is God.

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  2. Thanks for your beautiful post, Nancy! The changing of the seasons sometimes makes me sad, but God's grace is fresh and new each day.

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  3. Thanks, Carol. It is sad when all those beautiful leaves fall, leaving the trees bare. But, as you've noted, God provides grace even during the winters of our lives.

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  4. Dear Nancy
    Your posts today made me think how we also experience so much of our outward beauty and comfort when we are experiencing our winter seasons. And you know how deep our faith roots draw closer to Jesus when this happens. Great post, my friend.
    Blessings XX
    Mia

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  5. Thank you, Mia. And thank you for sharing your insights, both on your posts and on your comments. You are so right; the greatest growth always occurs during the winters of our souls.

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  6. These sentences in particular really resonate with me:
    "Yet, I know the forest lives."

    "I listen. I learn."

    Great advice for all of us in any season of life! Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Isn't it wonderful to know that God lives in us even when we don't have visible evidence of His presence?

    Thank you, Lisa, for stopping by.

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  8. Love this. It speaks my own heart, "But then I go to a still place and listen..." If one knows God, that can change everything.

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  9. Thank you, Sylvia. Time in that still place with Him certainly does change things, doesn't it? Thanks for stopping by.

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