“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27—speaking of Moses)
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:13-17) “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17) Unseen I want to see what is unseen Because what I see is so unclear My focus has been scattered Cause the unseen to come near I want to see what is unseen To see what is hidden, veiled away I need the darkness of the clouds To be removed by an unseen Day I want to see what is unseen To behold the Holy, to see True I want to gaze on the invisible I want to behold the glory of You I want to see what is unseen To rest in ethereal unending bliss I want to feel Your invisible touch I want to know Your unseen kiss I want to see what is unseen To see death swallowed up in life To truly see the invisible God I need only look on Jesus Christ I want to see what is unseen God is Spirit without mortal form Christ is God wrapped in flesh Our sight revealed in His flesh torn I want to see what is unseen Gift of the Spirit causes sight God in Christ indwelling us Makes our darkened vision light I want to see what is unseen So I stop and quietly am still And allow my true eyes to open As with His holiness the Spirit fills I have seen Holy, felt His breath Heard His voice whisper my name I have seen the invisible eternal God And I will never be the same… “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen,” according to Hebrews 11:1. It is the clear evidence of what is invisible. Faith is seeing by the Spirit what can’t be seen with our natural eyes and hoping for it as if it had substance. Moses endured, ‘as seeing him who is invisible.’ I like to make the word of God personal sometimes like this; ‘Anne endured, as seeing him who is invisible.’ I’ve endured some things in my life. I am currently enduring some things in my life. How about you? The only way I have endured all that I have been through is in knowing that He is with me. I can’t visibly see Him, but He is with me. Every day. Every hour. Every moment. He is the Rock I stand on when I can’t quite reach. He is the Rock I hide behind when enemies encroach. He is the Rock of my refuge when I simply need to rest. He is the Rock of protection when storms rage all around. He is the Rock of my foundation; steady, sure, and firm. He is the Rock of grace that crushes the shame of my soul. He is the Rock of truth amid a flood of lies. He is the Rock of my salvation to which my heart is forever tied. I am coming to realize that what I can’t see is far more important than what I can. So, what are you looking at today? Your circumstances? An empty checking account? An illness that threatens your life? A relationship far removed from what you thought it was? A marriage on the brink of divorce? A wayward, disobedient child? A devastating loss? A body covered in bruises? A heart that is heavy? A hurt so deep you can't put it into words? Ask God to show you what you can’t see. Endure, as seeing Him who is invisible. Written by Anne Marie Hawke January 2022 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com
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"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) Life Cause me to choose life Lord to cleave to You though others fall Cause me to choose life to make You alone my all in all Cause me to choose life Lord at every turn, in every place Cause me to revere and honor You to behold the beauty of Your face Cause me to choose life Lord in my thoughts, actions, and speech Cause me to rise above all the death; the things which pull me underneath Cause me to choose life Lord for You are the air I breathe Cause me to rest in Your arms to know You are everything I need... The term 'life' used above is the Hebrew word 'chay' (khah-ee), and it means alive, raw(fresh), strong, renewed, vigorous. So, when we read, "therefore choose life" we can substitute the Hebrew meaning and say, "therefore choose to be alive! choose to be raw/authentic! choose strength! choose renewal! choose to be vigorous!" Then the verses above tell us to "cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days:" He is our very life--He makes us alive, he is our authenticity, our strength, our renewal, and our vigor! But we have to choose life: in every moment, in every hour, in every day, in every place, and with every word we say. If we are not choosing life, then we are choosing death. In Proverbs 18:21 we read, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." We can speak life, or we can speak death. The choice is ours to make. So, what are you choosing? With your words? With your actions? With your relationships? With your heart? With your mind? Are you choosing He who is your life? Or are you choosing to live your own life, and in so doing choosing death? "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NKJV) As we choose Him we choose life, and His life flows through us and overflows out of us. Father, let us choose life, choose You, in all we say and do. Let our thoughts be thoughts of life and not death. Cause us to cleave to You and to trust You to bring life from every place of death we have previously known. Renew us today with Your life I pray and believe in the mighty, matchless name of Jesus... Written by Anne Marie Hawke January 2022 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God." (Isaiah 61:10)
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107: 8,15,21,31) I praise You here at the beginning of 2022 because: A---You are Abba: my Father, my Daddy, my Papa. I can come to You like a child and trust in Your fathering heart. (Romans 8:15 and Mark 10:15/Luke 18:17) B---You are Beautiful: You are more than my eyes can take in; cause me to gaze upon Your beauty this year. (Psalm 27:4) C---You are Compassionate: You feel my pain, my hurt, and my sorrow and You wrap me in Your arms. (Isaiah 54:10, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4) D---You are my Delight. You cause me to dance and sing before You in the secret place we share. (Psalm 37:4, Psalm 91:1) E---You are Exalted. You are sublime, lofty, higher than the heavens. (Psalm 57:5, Hebrews 7:26) F---You are Faithful. You are who You say You are and You do what You say You will do. (1 Corinthians 1:9, 2 Timothy 2:13) G---You are God. You are the one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (1 Timothy 2:5, Isaiah 43:10) H---You are Holy. You are pure, undefiled perfection. (Luke 1:49, 1 Samuel 2;2, 1 Peter 1:16) I---You are Immeasurable. You are vast and limitless in power, might, love, and grace (Ephesians 1:19, 2:7, 3:8) J---You are Jehovah. The Great I AM. (Genesis 2:4, Exodus 3:14, John 8:58) K---You are King. You are my King, the one true King. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 19:16) L---You are Lord. You are Lord of all, Lord of my life, Lord of my heart. I give up the throne of my heart to You. (Luke 2:11, Colossians 3:17, Philippians 2:9-11) M---You are Mighty. No one and nothing can defeat You. (Psalm 24:8, Isaiah 40:26) N---You are Noble. Your character is flawless. (Psalm 8:1, Hebrews 1:4) O---You are Omniscient. You are infinitely knowing and wise. (Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 40:28) P---You are Powerful. There is nothing too hard for You. (2 Chronicles 20:8, Jeremiah 10:12-13) Q---You are Quintessential. You are the ultimate, the purest. (Hebrews 1:1-4, Psalm 108:4) R---You are Redeemer. You purchased me with Your own blood. (1 Peter 1:18-19, Revelation 5:9) S---You are Salvation. You are my salvation. (Psalm 68:19, Habakkuk 3:18)) T---You are Trustworthy. You keep Your word, Your faithfulness stands firm. (Deuteronomy 32:4, Isaiah 25:1) U---You are Unparalleled. There is none like You. (Jeremiah 10:6, Psalm 86:8) V---You are Victorious. You have conquered every foe and set me free. (1 Corinthians 15:57, Acts 2:36) W---You are Wisdom. Your wisdom is magnificent, beautiful, and perfect. (Romans 11:33, Jeremiah 10:12) X---You are XOXOXO. I am held in Your arms and kissed tenderly by my Beloved. (Song of Solomon 1:2, Song of Solomon 2:6) Y---You are Yahweh. The Eternal, Ever Existing One who invites me into His Presence. (Exodus 3:14-15, Psalm 16:11) Z---You are Zealous. You are relentless in pursuit of the object of Your love. (Jeremiah 31:3, John 3:16) This past year has been anything but easy. I've suffered great loss personally. Perhaps you have too. Underneath all the loss...He was waiting... For me to come to the end of myself. And here at the end of myself and this year, and the beginning of the next, I want to worship... because God is still so very good even when life is hard. Written by Anne Marie Hawke January 1, 2022 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-3)
Raw Grief You say you are concerned about me I’d say I’m concerned about myself I’m concerned I will always be empty Like an unread book upon the shelf I didn’t know Grief was so tangible It has a form, a feel, a face I didn’t know Death’s unyielding stare Until Life brought me to this place I can’t get better, so why do you ask? I can only take Grief’s hand in mine The life I had, who I am, what will be It all changed when he suffered and died It raised up all the other losses They all walk with me upon this path My heart is shattered, fragmented, broken How am I? Do you really need to ask? I’m adrift, I’m torn all apart inside I’ve lost my bearings, I feel all alone I ache, I bleed, and I try to function Truthfully, I just want to go home I want out of all the pain here I want release from Sorrow’s weight I want to rest in endless beauty I want to behold Your glorious face I want to cease this endless striving I want to be restored, made whole I want to never shed another tear I want Your light to flood my soul I want to hear You say my name I want to be where Grief meets its end I want to feel Your arms embrace me My Love, my King, my Jesus, my Friend For as long as You choose to keep me here No matter what I must face or endure Let Your steadfast love my comfort be And in Your heart rest safe and secure You are the hope I have and need You are the path out of Grief’s domain You are my anchor in this storm You won’t let me drown in all this pain Hear my cry even when it’s a whisper Lift my head when all I see is earth Hold me here in all this inner angst Lord The day of my death is truly better than the day of my birth… We are truly bad at grief. In her book, It’s OK That You’re Not OK, Megan Divine says that grief is not a problem to be fixed, it’s an experience that needs support. (pg 199 paraphrase) The loss of my brother Bill is not something you can fix. He’s gone and he’s not coming back. He died. Nor can you fix the loss of my good friend Meg, or the sweet young man who committed suicide who was like a son to me, nor my Mom’s death, nor my Dad’s, nor my friend Michaela’s death, or my friend Theresa, or my grandparents. I carry them with me, those and others who have chosen to leave my life rather than watch the pain and beauty of me unfold and open up and find space. Grief is love. If I hadn’t loved I would have no grief. So my grief speaks of my heart, my hurt, and also of my hope. The tangible hope and knowledge that if they were Christ’s, there will one day be a glorious reunion and an embrace that will be never ending, as we stand together in glory with our precious Jesus. So often we miss the grieving person’s heart while looking at our own. Another person’s grief is NOT about you. It is personal and as unique as our fingerprints. It is a process and a passage. I am not and cannot be who I was before my loss, so don’t expect me to be. And please be patient, grief takes time, sometimes a lifetime. None of us will escape grief, so perhaps we should learn how to support each other in it—not give platitudes and patches, but rather real, honest love and support. If you don’t know what to say, just show up…be there, in person. Hug them, bear the burden with the grieving person, even if it’s awkward and hard. I can’t even begin to tell you what it meant to me that my friend Carol R., after finding out about my brother, came to my office and just wrapped her arms around me and cried with me…I so needed that hug, her love and support were tangible…and I won’t ever forget what she did for me in that moment…just to know she didn’t dismiss my pain or turn from it but fully embraced it and me---priceless. “Being brave—being a hero—is not about overcoming what hurts or turning it into a gift. Being brave is about waking to face each day when you would rather just stop waking up. Being brave is staying present to your own heart when that heart is shattered into a million different pieces and can never be made right. Being brave is standing at the edge of the abyss that just opened up in someone’s life and not turning away from it, not covering your discomfort with a pithy “think positive” emoticon. Being brave is letting pain unfurl and take up all the space it needs. Being brave is telling that story.” (pg 36-37 Divine) Written by Anne Marie Hawke November 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." (Luke 23:42-45)
Unveil Yourself my heart's cry Reveal the depths of Your love Invade this place of longing Lord with quenching mercy from above Unveil Yourself my very breath Uncover the air that I need Overtake all the stifling forces Lord which keep Christ from permeating me Unveil Yourself my song in the night Unmask false notes off key Display my spiritual opus Lord with songs of grace and humility Unveil Yourself my love divine Undress my worn rags of shame Crush with passion the depths of me with the intimacy of Your name Unveil Yourself my warrior king Undermine my warring schemes Inhabit the enemy's camp Oh Lord even if the enemy turns out to be me Unveil what's been veiled for far too long Subdue what would stand in the way Pervade every ounce of my soul my Christ with the glory of every word You say You are the Word made flesh Lord The Father has spoken in Christ I am a tablet of flesh God Write Jesus all over my life... Written by Anne Marie Hawke October 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak." (Genesis 32:24)
Daybreak I let go of my wisdom and strength As You wrestle my flesh to the ground Let my life no longer be mine alone Let my life in Christ be found No more striving for my righteousness No more striving for my place Dying to self I yield my soul Let me be clothed in Your grace You know me, You know what I need You know the exact place to touch Cripple me in my selfish walk Lord That I may be sealed in Your love Let the pain remind me with each step Let the wound stay within my view Let all my flesh be utterly consumed As I rise in the daybreak of You Crush me with the weight of Your glory Leave no trace of who I once was Overshadow all of my small suns With the true Light of heaven above Yours is the kingdom I long for Yours is the embrace that I choose I lay my life down that it might be saved I gain everything when once I first lose You do not walk in man's wisdom You do not walk in man's ways You are Almighty, Holy, Only God I give up my freedom, to be Your slave Better is one day with You Better is the life that You give Better to die in Your arms So that I may truly live Set me as a seal upon Your heart Set me as a seal upon Your arm Many waters cannot quench love I drown, but I feel no harm You sing songs of deliverance You draw near where others run You alone are my Deliverer In surrender the victory is won... “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)
Bursting At The Seams Some things don’t have answers Only questions You’re gone and it’s both rolled into one The questions are the answer The answer is more questions It all goes around in my mind like an endless blur Maybe I’m not supposed to know Maybe my heart just needs to rest Maybe in all I don’t know an answer exists I could never guess What if all the things I ponder make me ache for something more? It’s like standing at the waters edge wondering what’s on the distant shore So I reach out and touch the Infinite My heart explodes, bursting at the seams You are gone and I am left here My heart grasps to know what that could mean It’s all about you but it isn’t You are gone and so I strive I have to ascend these ashes So I breathe out all my whys Why wasn’t there more time? Why couldn’t I see more change? Why am I left wondering? You are gone and I will never be the same May I change only for the better as this grief pulls out all the worst In your death I’m finding freedom I’m learning life is precious and of great worth… Five weeks out and sometimes it feels like five minutes. I can still hear your laughter, and the last “I love you” when we spoke. I miss you. Life truly is precious and of great worth. Your life. My life. Our lives. I have watched life, opinions, circumstance, pride, anger, selfishness, lack of vulnerability, lies, lack of communication, personalities, lack of understanding, and mere stupidity divide my family, my friends, my country, and my own heart at times. And then my brother died… all of a sudden, without warning. And instantaneously everything was brought into its proper perspective. Please hear me…if you haven’t talked to your siblings in awhile, if you have let a past hurt get in the way of grace, mercy, and reconciliation, if you are holding a grudge for any reason, if you are punishing someone with your silence, if you are keeping someone in a cage of their past, if you are mad at someone because of their political preference, if you are burdened with unforgiveness in your heart toward anyone, if you can only see the bad and not the good in people…I implore you…Make the call, let it go, say the words, restore the relationship, give some grace, forgive them, put away your weapons, unlock the cage, know that a difference of opinion is not a reason to hate anyone, see the good again, reconnect…because life is precious and you never know when it may be cut short, when the time might run out…and you may never get the chance to make it right, to say “I love you,” to realize the reasons, to give them a hug… Let compassion overcome. Let love conquer. Let God heal. Written by Anne Marie Hawke October 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV)
Glimpse I saw it yesterday in a hawk landing close A whisper, a shimmer, a glimpse It haunts me sometimes like a specter The beauty, the mystery, the hints The ocean's sound so glorious, expansive The sway of leaves caught in a breeze Light caught on the water's surface My soul aches when I think of these Yes, there is heartache and pain here Yes, what we see can certainly betray The veil of this earth hides the truth We are left wanting at the break of day The glimpses keep our minds focused Eternity has been placed in our hearts The moments in Your presence Lord They cause the veil to shift and part There's so much more than what we know There's so much more we haven't seen There's so much more than all of this Lord Help me cling, help me abide, help me lean When the days get dark and murky When loss and anguish are all we feel Take a moment to look and remember This world we see is not what's real There is a kingdom beyond this realm There is a Savior; righteous, brave, and true There is a battle raging in the heavenlies And it's waged and fought for you One day all of this will be diminished What we see will no more exist All will be made new and perfect The glimpse will become eternal bliss... What is your hope attached to? Everything here is fleeting. It's a vapor. A blip. And those glimpses we get...the beauty, the love, the kindness, the learning, the growing, the light that overcomes the darkness, time spent in His presence...they are the things that ignite the eternity which has been placed within us. Even death speaks of eternity for the believer, because death is not the end, it is the beginning of the unfolding of all we truly are in Christ Jesus. Just in case you've forgotten amidst the blur of fear and turmoil in the world; Let me remind you: This is not your home. (Hebrews 13:14) Other people are not your enemy...the enemy of your soul is the enemy. (Ephesians 6:10-17) Let your focus, your vision, be set on Christ alone, not on all the chaos of this world. (Colossians 3:1-3) Your hope is in God. (Psalm 62:5) You are not alone. (Hebrews 13:5) You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:37) You are set apart, chosen, and called. (1 Corinthians 6:11) You are not of this world. You are in this world. (John 15:19) You are peculiar, different. (Exodus 19:5) You were made to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. (Galatians 5:16) You are a child of God. (1 John 3:1) You were called to walk by faith not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) When it's all said and done...We Win!!!! (Revelation 21, 22) "When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis If you are running with the crowd, you are running the wrong way. Turn around, look to Him, awaken from your slumber, and arise...The Bride Groom is coming! Written by Anne Marie Hawke September 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…” (2 Corinthians 6:10a)
I wrote this poem on the 19th of August, thinking I would turn it into a blog the next day...God had other plans...and now, here on the other side of my brother's passing, I want to share it with you as I and my family grieve our loss...he left a big hole. Seeds of Joy What is this joy mixed with my sorrow? How do joy and sorrow become one and blend? While this loss is bringing tears to my eyes There’s joy in knowing it’s not the end What is this sorrow mixed with my joy? Sometimes life is full of such deep pain The loss cuts like a two-edged sword Exuding death, yet bringing life again What are these tears both salty and sweet? One part elation, one part depressed Cascading down as pieces of liquid glass Piercing with sorrow yet joy is expressed What is occurring in all I cannot see? This Presence which gently blends the two As sorrow and joy flow and collide in me Unfolding, revealing, making all things new What is unveiling as I yield to this? Peace hovers over my barren soul I hear a whisper of wisdom, “Let it be.” Holding, caressing, taking control What is this sorrow mixed with my joy? I tremble as though I will melt into dust My heart is so heavy yet vastly alive “This child, is what it feels like to trust.” “Yes, it hurts when it does not go your way Yes, your sorrow is tangible and real But it is nothing compared to the depths Of the joy you will know when all is revealed Sorrow and joy are often intertwined The roads they travel often collide Sorrow often tries to overpower joy Joy often seems to disperse and hide Yet in every place of Sorrow’s work There exists the seeds of glorious joy When you yield into Sorrow’s cold ground The power of my Spirit I then employ Up from the darkness of Sorrow’s earth Up from the depth of all you cannot see Joy comes with the morning light As you keep your heart and focus on Me So let Sorrow complete her perfect design Let your heart grieve and feel the pain Knowing that Joy’s flowers will bloom still Yielding immense beauty after Sorrow’s rain…” Joy wrapped in sorrow. Sorrow wrapped in joy. These packages seem a bit overwhelming, sort of like receiving a box marked ‘Candy!’ when what is really inside are ‘Rocks.’ It is very easy to get consumed with sorrow. Sorrow falls like a cloak over our deepest disappointments and losses. But I have found that when I stop and look, when I listen intently, I can hear and see joy mingled in with my sorrow. A memory comes and I smile, the Spirit moves and I am reminded that He will make all things new. (Revelation 21:5) Hope sparks joy. And we need hope most when we find ourselves in places of sorrow. We need Romans 8:38-39; “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We need Revelation 21:3-4; “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” We need to know that God is still on His throne, that His love never fails, that His mercy endures forever, and His grace is inexhaustible. Sorrow does not have the final say unless we allow it to. As Jesus prepared for the Cross in the Garden of Gethsemane we read this in Matthew 26:36-38; “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” Jesus was overcome by sorrow, the Amplified Bible states, “My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow.” Why? Why did He take on this kind of sorrow, the sorrow of all of humanity collectively? Hebrews 12:2b tells us, “…who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It was the joy set before him that caused him to bear the intense sorrow. The joy of redeeming you and I, the joy of setting us free, the joy of setting everything right that had gone so wrong in the Garden of Eden. There, Adam and Eve went from great joy in the paradise God had made for them , to the sorrow of shame and depravity at their fall. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went from great sorrow in taking on Himself all of the sin and sorrow of fallen man, to the joy of restoring us and all that had been lost. It’s been two days since my brother Bill passed away. I am in the throes of sorrow yet I still feel the subtleties of joy underlying my tears, mixing with my emotions, stirring in my soul….as memories come, funny things he said and did, thoughtful things he’s done, wisdom he’s given when I couldn’t make sense of things, hugs, and his amazing laughter…ever an optimist, ever a little bit clueless, ever my brother Boolly. So if you find yourself in the place of sorrow, know that He is planting seeds of joy, know that you will smile again, and laugh again. Keep your focus on Him and watch as your mourning is turned into dancing…if not in this life, in the one to come…take heart brave soul, there are always seeds of joy being planted in the garden of your heart, even in the midst of deep sorrow. Written by Anne Marie Hawke August 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
“But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see our calling brothers, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:24-29) Weakness Is Strength Your strength outweighs my weakness Your power overshadows my strength Your light overtakes my darkness Quieting all my chaos and inner angst You appropriate what was taken You reclaim ground that was lost You raise a barrier of protection Your grace is ever more than enough You are all-sufficient consummation You dance upon the grave of shame You are all-consuming mercy Yielding to the beauty of your name You carry me through completely You add to what is wanting in me You bring an end to my false self Accomplish your purpose, set me free Your loving-kindness is sufficient Your strength is fulfilled when I am weak Therefore I glory in my weakness That the power of Christ may rest on me… His grace IS sufficient for me—not was, not will be, IS. It is sufficient right here, right now. Why? Because His strength is made perfect, complete in weakness. To God my weakness is a place of strength. Most people see weakness as a thing to be shunned, dismissed, abhorred even, but God sees it as a divine opportunity to display His strength. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” I would not have known God’s strength fully unless I had known what it is to completely run out of my own. Have you been there? Do you know what it is to have your body, soul, and spirit so wracked with pain that you can’t lift your head? Do you know what it is like to only breathe the air of weakness into your lungs—to choke on it? Do you know what it’s like to have your emotions wrung out like a wet dish cloth until you have nothing left to give? I can honestly say over the course of my life that it was in my places of greatest weakness where I saw and experienced the strength of God the most. And now I know that my weakness is where His strength dwells. I now know that I can do nothing without Him (John 15), nor do I want to. To the degree I am yielded to Him, to the degree I become weak before Him, is the degree to which I will know and experience His strength. So what are you facing today? Are you trying to stand in your own strength? Is the door closed? Is your womb empty? Is your child gone? Is the illness overwhelming? Is the relationship over? Are your finances thin? Is the depression too heavy? Is the anxiety too thick? Is the loss devastating? The loneliness palpable? The time over? Don’t fight your weakness, yield to His strength. Don’t stand far off thinking He has forgotten you, let his grace cover you and draw you close. His grace is enough, so stop trying to be so tough… Written by Anne Marie Hawke August 2021 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com |
qUIET IN CHAOSQuiet in Chaos is a blog about nothing, everything, and all things inbetween…it’s a space, an ellipsis, a deep pause. Life can be chaotic, and often needs more moments of quiet…So join me as I share and give through the written word, the place I find my Quiet in Chaos… Archives
February 2022
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