...A Still Retreat ...

Sometimes

I dream of Pemberley.

...A Jane Austen retreat waiting for me up on a hill...

"Every disposition of the ground was good; and she looked on the whole scene, the river, the trees scattered on its banks, and the winding of the valley, as far as she could trace it."

Jane Austen

 *  *  *

 Sometimes
I remember that my Heavenly Father
prepares for me

a Glorious Kingdom retreat

every time I meet Him. 

 *  *  *

And now,

. . . Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett . . .

~ a humble retreat ~

...look up and see...

Be Still and Know

Be Still 
 
~

~All is Gift ...... All is Blessing

The Gift of Stillness

252.

Setting my clock time


to awaken

every moment

and Live Now in His Presence.

Even in the noisy parts of my day
I want to hear his whispers.

~All is Gift ...... All is Blessing

Falling on My Knees

When I was in my late 30's, I went through a time of spiritual searching.

My husband ~ wonderful
My children ~ healthy, beautiful.
Home ~ comfortable, secure.

Yet, there was a dull ache and the 'ground' was moving sand.
How could I feel this way?
What in the world did I want?

I have to admit, although I had a nice devotional time in the morning, and attended Bible studies...
my 'prayers' were mostly about self...
my past disappointments, my desires for the present and my hopes for the future.

So much time went by repeating prayers about self.

Then...one morning, before dawn...
like the bright light that knocked St. Paul off his horse and made him fall to the ground...
...for the first time in my life,
I began an understanding of Jesus in the garden the night before He died...
I fell off my horse ~ dropped to my knees ~ bowed my head
and
stayed there for the longest time.

It pierced me through and through and changed me forever.

The sweat, the blood, the prayers of the night before His death were for the
horrific physical torture that lay ahead.

... but only after...
The sweat, blood and prayers of how He gave up the Self.
He had thousands of followers.
The power of God.
He could have it all.
Worldly dreams,
the temptation of self aggrandizement shaking the ground...

But, to fulfill the will of the Father, Self needed to die.

When Self dies... Everything changes.
...and the instrument of torture became a path to the divine...

Prayer changes.
Wants, needs, self ~ fall to the wayside,
The Father knows about these things...

My Prayer changes.

Husband, still wonderful.
Children still beautiful
Home still comfy
for these I want to express gratitude...

I stop the noise in my head
wait for 'human noise' to quiet

and simply be with God.

~All is Gift ...... All is Blessing

The face I wear

In the world, but not of the world.

This is the face I wear in the world.
This face wears 'sunblock' and faces a fluorescent light.

This is the blush of worldly love.
Underneath, I look pale.

. . . When I step away from the world . . .

This washed clean face looks to the 'SONshine'

and feels the blush of Heavenly Love
warmth on face and in heart.
Sweet forgiveness, grace and joy to help me Walk With Him into Kingdom living where form does not matter ~ only heart and soul.

~All is Gift ...... All is Blessing

Joining Ann and many others at Holy Experience...
as we share our faith walks with one another.
Join Ann over here.

Photos: new makeup that covers
sonshine through the sunshine on yesterday's walk
rose: picked long ago from the internet