Restoration

As summer days turned to Autumn this year, I started feeling restless. Restless because we were approaching the final quarter of the year. I was agitated. Agitated because I didn't get enough of summer and the renewal and refreshment that summer often brings to me. I usually look forward to Autumn ~ My favorite time of year with its earthy scents, mellow weather and the rustic beauty displayed in rainbows of crimson and gold. As the days of August, September and October rolled like a freight train towards November, I became more and more anxious. I have struggled to find rest. To find peace. To find the refreshment that my soul craves. The kind of rest that can be found only when I am alone with my God. And so I retreat to the mountain.

Reflection. Renewal. Refreshment. Restoration.

My heart sings with joy when I am on the mountain. My God is here. His glory abounds all around me. My senses are overloaded with the beauty of creation. The warmth of the golden November sun flickering through the trees casting beams upon the forest floor. The brilliant blue sky giving way to the bold grey clouds rolling over the mountain. The crunch of leaves under my feet as I climb through the wooded wonderland to the mountain ridge. I close my eyes and breath in the soothing scents of pine and rich earthy decay. Swirls of leaves dance upon the mountain side as the gentle breath of impending winter whispers through the trees. Trees that reach their outstretched arms to the sky in glorious praise to the one who set the stars in space. Waking up to a frosty wonderland dusted with snow from a fleeting overnight storm. Breathing in crisp mountain air. Sipping coffee as the steam rolls over the the cup's edge and delicately suspends itself in the stillness of the morning. I am filled with excitement and thanksgiving. I give my time and my self to my God. I am still. I am filled. My soul is at peace as I let him speak.

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator

for all I have not seen. 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflecting. Wondering. Questioning. 

Trusting my creator with all that I am. It's hard to do when we don't understand. We don't have the answers to things that trouble us. Our lives are filled with turmoil, disappointment unexpected outcomes, loss, heartache. We get tired of asking and praying for something that never produces an answer. Or worse yet, an answer we didn't want.  But yet we must go on trusting a God we do not see and waiting on him to give us the strength he promises us. 

In Isaiah 40:31, we are assured that God will be with us if we wait on Him. ~

“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; 

They will mount up with wings like eagles, 

They will run and not get tired, 

They will walk and not become weary.”

It all begins with the renewal of our mind. In Romans 12:2, we are reminded to not be of this world. 

“And do not be conformed to this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 

so that you may prove what the will of God is, 

that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

When we allow ourselves to be renewed by God, beginning with our mind. We must set ourselves on the path that he has created for us and follow the words that he has provided along our sometimes weary way. 

"...And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind." 

~ Ephesians 4:23

One of our Nation's founding fathers, Thomas Paine once said, "The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection." 

And so I come to the mountain. To reflect and be renewed by my God. On the mountain is where I hear Him call me by name. He assures me that he is my God. His command is simple. Walk with me. Surrender. He is the God of my life and he has created all that I can see and all that I cannot see. Through this journey called life, I am finding (when I actually stop to listen), that perhaps surrender is the key to renewal. On this mountain, I find it easy to surrender my all to God. To give him all that troubles me. To worship Him. To praise Him. To thank Him. For the bountiful blessings of my life. By praying, reflecting and surrendering, I am renewed. And through renewal, I find refreshment and restoration to the God of the universe. Through him I am made strong.

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends. 

His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; 

his mercies begin afresh each morning."

~ Lamentations 3:22-23

Seasons Change

Autumn in all of it's golden glory fades to withering hues of decay. There is a tender solemness in the air as fall warns of the impending winter that will soon come. It is but a season. A season of change. A season of endings and death. And we will endure the winter and its shades of grey as we wait expectantly for the renewal and rebirth in the springtime. For in death, there is life. It will come, just as our God promises. 

"Behold, I am making all things new." 

~ Revelation 21:5

It's a fact of life. Seasons change. The natural earthly seasons. Our own personal physical seasons and our spiritual seasons.  The seasons of our life. It's true. As we go through life, we experience difficulties, death and decay, but we also experience rebirth and growth. There is a time for each of these in our lives as God has ordained. We endure tough times and trials. We experience the death of loved ones, of relationships, of jobs, of so many things that were once an essential part of our lives. Sometimes things that were once a vibrant part of our life find their way to stagnant decay and eventual death. It is during these times that we learn to rely on God and to trust Him. We may not understand why we are experiencing a particular season or what God is doing, but one thing we do know is that God is at work. And when God is at work, you can believe that the outcome will be a glorious one. It will be worth the suffering or heartache that you endured. It will be made beautiful! In His time.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon reminds us that God has ordained how many days we will be upon this earth. He also knows the day, the time and the circumstance for every event in our life. We must remember that no matter what we are going through, there will be an end to it that will bring about a new beginning. 

"For everything there is a season ..."

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for it's own time."

~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

Trust God. Rest in the season that you are in. He longs for you to open your heart and listen. He is with you always. Even in the tough seasons, he speaks. Let him speak to you. He will bring you through the seasons just as he promises.