Things Get in the Way

Lately, my fingers have been so glued to the keyboard as a requirement, that I’ve not had much time to write for the joy of it. 
As I look around me, there is so much that still needs to be done. So many words left to write in my research paper. So many things left unsaid in my journal. So much housework...well, you get the idea. Yet, at this moment, I’m writing just for the joy of it. Free form. No assignment. Just writing. I am desperately trying to get back to what I love.
I have always loved writing - even from my youth. I had an open love affair with pens and stationary...with my name at the top. I used to write poems all the time. And when I joined church, I wrote a bunch more. I wrote about my love for Jesus and the state of men - my own state as I learned more about sin and God. The words for those poems would just flow. Effortlessly. And I enjoyed taking dictation from my spirit and looking up some minutes later to a completed piece.
Back then, some of my sweet friends would always ask - what poems have you written lately? And I would always have a reply. I even wrote and read some poems for special days at my church. Those days were nerve-racking because those “special occasion” poems were always an edict on some type of behavior. Oh the pressure! 
Yet I did it. And looking back now, and the years that have since passed, I understand now completely why those poems were given to me by the Holy Spirit. They were warnings against what could potentially cause a riff or split in the church body. But they were ignored and trouble stormed the camp...so to speak. 
I stopped writing for a period of time. And in doing so, I lost the thing that gave me the most joy. Things get in the way. And when they do, we always have a choice. Will we subject ourselves to losing the thing(s) we love most to take care of the things we love the least? Think about it for yourself. Is there something that you’ve always loved from your youth and as you’ve grown up, life has gotten in the way of your actively being involved with that thing? Do you still love it? If you do, find a way to get back to it - and don’t put it off. It’s not for tomorrow - it’s for you today. 

Ugh...Stomach Pain


Last night, I had an issue....this is what I wrote in the middle of the night. I hope it blesses you.

I can’t remember when I’ve last had a stomach ache like this. Rousing me from my sleep. Keeping me up in the middle of the night. I can’t remember. And that a good thing. For it tells me that I’m getting to bed each night and getting solid rest. So one night - let’s hope it’s just one night - without the rest to which I’m accustomed should not cause much harm. Right?! 
And since I’m now wide awake - and keenly aware of pain - and the blessing of sleep, I find it fitting to offer up a prayer for those who face pain as a constant companion and who find sleep and a good night’s rest fleeting. 
Would you pray with me? 
Father God, I come to you now, wide awake and humbled. There are so many things that we, as your people take for granted. Health and wellness are two of those things. Thank you for reminding me of what it’s like to watch the midnight hours seep into the daylight hours. The hours intended for sleep quickly passing by. Thank you for reminding me of what’s it like to wish for sleep to come but to hurt so much that one knows that sleep will not come until the pain subsides. Thank you that I am able to feel the pain for it will help me to appreciate the pain-free days and nights to come. You are a blessing to me. Continually humbling me, Your servant, so that I can relate to others and carry your compassion within me. 
And with all of this praise and thanksgiving, for You are a merciful God, I come asking You for divine healing for those who are in pain. You created each of us, and You alone are able to provide exactly what each created being cries out for. You alone are able to mend what is broken and soothe what is inflamed. Therefore, I ask even now that as You search across the Earth, that You heal and deliver someone who is facing affliction in their body. Would you give someone a good night’s rest, free from pain. And would you allow them to know, even as they are waking up in the morning, feeling rested, that their rest was a result of Your power. Not a doctor’s medicine but Your power, alone. 

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