Daddy’s big brown eyes always drew me to him. Never did I peer into them and see anything but acceptance and love. Granny shared with me that Daddy’s Sunday school teacher reported: “To look into William’s eyes was like looking into deep pools of love. His pure heart was hungry for the things of the Lord, even as a young boy.”

I have Daddy’s tiny little first-Bible. Worn at the edges, broken spine, and now held together by a rubber band, it was used for years as Daddy’s only book in the house. It’s hard for me to imagine a house without books, while my home study looks like a mini-library. But this little boy-sized Bible brought truth to my Daddy’s heart…and passed on to me through his unconditional love. He explained to me that his youth was spent working the fields for food…no money nor leisure time wasted on such luxuries as books…other than this one.

Those eyes…pools of love…how I miss them. Yet the memory of them builds a bridge for my trusting Father God to watch over me with even more perfect love. With Daddy having only one book, The Book, this centered his soul upon Truth without distraction. No wonder Daddy’s eyes were as pure pools and built within me a trusting heart.

David gazed heavenward: “Unto You do I lift up my eyes…” [Psalm 123:1] Jesus looked always to Father, recorded by Matthew: “Looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples.” [14:19] Continuously keeping His inward eyes towards His Father, it is written in John 5:19, “Jesus therefore answered…truly, truly…the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He SEES the Father doing, for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner.”

John wrote: “Behold the Lamb of God.” [1:29] Distractions do hinder us; but, once a heart is committed to Him, even after brief detours of the soul, attention will return again to Him. To ‘behold’ is defined as to look upon one who is impressive. No doubt we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that the habit of the soul in gazing upon Father’s eyes will center us upon the One who loves deeply. He eternally impresses our lives,  and He then transforms us into the likeness of His Son. The inward gaze of our souls must earnestly be upon His beautiful eyes…deep pools of Perfect Love.

A true worship experience cannot be captured on a musical staff. It can’t be practiced beforehand. It can’t be evaluated by the top ten pop chart. It cannot be pre-planned, pre-canned, or warmed-up leftovers. True worship is fresh ~ hot off Heaven’s press…the God-kind-of-worship that is delivered through His people but formed only by the Spirit of God.

I’ve witnessed its manifestation–and I’ve been immersed in it–to describe it is beyond words. The joy that filled me was inexpressible, just as Paul said it would be. It’s unpredictable because it’s not man-planned. It cannot be packaged and labeled because Paul said it was “joy unspeakable.”

The best way to describe the true worship experience is: “You had to be there!”

Once we taste and see that the Lord’s worship is so very, very good, we find ourselves greatly disappointed when our experience is anything less than what we have once tasted. Our souls beg for more…the ‘more’ that only He designs and dispenses.

YouTube is loaded with good music. Television viewing of anointed corporate worship services are very moving. CD’s can be valuable collector’s items. But nothing compares to being in the midst of the river of God yourself, very present in His presence, and receiving the fullness of the Spirit tailor-made just for you.

I can listen to testimony of a great service. I can be touched by a beautiful song. But nothing beats the song He gives me in my own heart…a new song for a new day. A song that is given to me, for me, and is to be sung through me.

There’s a deep hunger designed just for our souls that is intended to only be satisfied by the real, true worship. It’s very essence is “full of glory.” Anything less fails to bear the fruit that was intended. Oh, it can stimulate, inspire, and even motivate…but it cannot deeply satisfy. May we never settle for less.

I watched our grandchildren pretend to step back in America’s history as they vacationed with us in Williamsburg, VA. Watching the wonder displayed on their faces stirred my heart to see as a child once again.

Our youngest granddaughter, Gracie, was excused from school by working on a project called “Flat Stanley.” Her teacher required “Flat Stanley” to travel to the historical places with Gracie, and for pictures to be taken of his so-called adventures. You have to be young-at-heart to see the world through the eyes of a 7-year-old and her companion paper doll [explaining why he was flat].

Wonder lies at the core of our fascination. It’s the miraculous and the amazing that cause us to experience its beauty. Usually we associate wonder with childhood. But what happens to us? We grow up…become responsible…become objective…and leave precious little room for wonder. Gracie and “Flat Stanley” helped to stir my interest for more.

Jesus taught His disciples that maturing faith is also child-like faith. Matthew 18:3-5 reads: “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom  of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.”

Christmas beauty in Williamsburg, or wherever we find ourselves, brings us to the heart of the very reason for wonder: the Christ child. The world changed forever that magical morning when He entered earth in human form. A door of wonder was opened to us. Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock…”[Revelation 3:20] He opened Himself to us so that we can experience the child-like wonder of the greatest love ever expressed to mankind.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts towards us; there is none to compare with You; if I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.” [Psalm 40:5]

While studying the words of Jesus, I read: “Blessed are the merciful…” and I was halted right at that passage. I asked myself that, if graded on a scale by the Lord Himself, where would I rate? Admittedly I was greatly humbled; He sees my weaknesses so clearly.

John wrote to us in the 8th chapter about the woman caught “in the very act” of adultery. She was dragged from her house into the noisy streets where voices of her accusers demanded the sentence of death. Harsh punishment, no doubt! The Law demanded it ~ according to the Pharisees.

As I meditated on the sin of adultery, and feeling quite relieved that I was not guilty of my interpretation of this sin , I heard the Spirit of God say: “Look up the synonyms of the word ‘adultery.'”

Synonyms to the word “adultery” [for those like me who oftentimes squirm when truth is declared] are: unfaithful, falseness, disloyal, two-timing, and then infidelity. Before siding with the swelling crowd who cries: “Take her to Jesus! Let’s see how HE will judge her!”… I considered His daunting inquiry: “Stone in your hand?”

I confess I’ve been among the hard faced, hard-hearted crowd, thinking I am counted among the ‘wiser ones’ who demand a judgment ~ at least in the privacy of my thinking. I’m not proud of it…and I am quite grateful for His mercy. As for my own mercy, I’m oftentimes sorely lacking.

I look down the lens of binoculars, choosing the reduction lens to see myself. Pastor Sue Curran [The Forgiving Church] wrote about self-examination: “There I am…so fair I see!” [Phar-I-See] The despicable temptation then is to use the magnification lens to look at the lives of others.

Some of the sweetest words ever spoken by our Lord were: “Neither do I condemn you.” Though He knows our heart condition by the magnification lens, He rules mercy through the reduction lens. Better still…our confessed sins are known by Him no more.

Entering into one of the busiest, most distracting times of year, I read: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” [Matthew 4:19]  I’ve read this many times over, but “follow Me” interrupted my over-worked thoughts anticipating Christmas. Distractions, deadlines, shopping lists, each person’s specific desires…my mind had become cluttered. I wasn’t following Him; I was busy about many things that, eternally-speaking, would not matter.

I envisioned what following looks like. It means to come after Him ~ with Him in the lead. It means to receive and trust in His Word ~ not the dictates of my scrambled thoughts. It means to imitate Him; that means, in every respect as His disciple. Focus =  out of whack! Sidetracked!

Our youngest daughter was shopping with me at the mall many years ago. We’d been walking close beside one another; yet due to a moment’s distraction, she was out of my sight. Frantically, I scurried around the store, imagining way too many possibilities. About one to two very long minutes later, I found my three-year-old staring at a colorful array of toy items. Her innocent expression conveyed: “What’s the matter, Mommy? I know just where I am!”

Focus set ~ in her own mind, she was safe, secure, and totally entertained. In my mind, on the heels of having been distracted, I was flustered and fearful. So who was guilty of not following? Was it me ~ because of a moment’s distraction? Was it her ~ being distracted by a child’s interests? Maybe both.

A further study of the word “follow” led me to understand that it means to come closer and to join Him…to be fully engaged in His purpose, with nothing passive about our attitudes. Jesus’ disciples even boldly left their means of employment at His invitation. His idea was not to have followers who were lollygagging at a distance, but to have disciples who would accompany Him and assist Him in Kingdom work.

Perhaps I’d been staring at my own array of toys…………and had lost sight of Him.

McDonald Lane remains etched in my memory. I strolled many times the two miles one way to Troy Johnson’s Drug Store, even as a very young girl. In those days, it was safe to do so, even by yourself. My mouth watered as I anticipated my order of the grilled pimento cheese sandwich and vanilla milkshake. They aren’t made like them anymore.

On this particular day, returning home, I noticed a beautiful bed of flowers. Various colors, shapes, and sizes. All I could think about was how those pretty flowers would please my mother. I gathered as many as my hands could hold and increased my pace towards home…never thinking that the lady who had planted them had wished to have them in a vase on her own table.

I hollered out for my mom ~ way before I got to the front door!  I could hardly contain my excitement. Anticipation filled my heart as I imagined how pleased she would be. While I stood in our living room, flowers in hand, sharing my glee, the doorbell rang. I wondered who that could be; my parents were not so surprised.

The lady who lived on McDonald Lane had followed me home, several steps behind. She was not happy…so, in my innocence, I offered to put them back in the flower bed. No doubt the adults understood my good intentions…but the flowers would never connect to their stems again. My tears of remorse were plentiful…but the flowers remained stolen.

Picked, stolen flowers are like unkind words that slip through our lips…never to return again to their silence. Though our intentions may be emotionally propelled and short-sighted at the moment, those words can leave a disconnection that may never heal.

I get to pull the ‘youthful card’ on this one. I was forgiven by my McDonald Lane neighbor and by both of my parents, but those flowers … well … they didn’t bring the joy that I had intended. I wish too that I could take back a few words I’ve let rip.

“…If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor…” [Proverbs 6:2-3 NAS]

As the Spirit spoke the words “we win!” to me, I rested. David, inspired by the Spirit, asked why are the nations in tumult, in anger, in uproar, and why are the peoples devising a vain thing? [Psalm 2:1]

“Vain thing…” So I studied the word vanity. The implications are that our life on this earth is like a vapor ~ why waste our time on empty things, ‘nothingness,’ troubles, and even engage in wickedness? Yes, wickedness…as  we succumb to division and disgusting tirades over candidates running in this soon-to-be-decided election.

David wrote: “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed.” This is where the real battle rages. David calls to our attention that the enemy’s cords of contempt must be cast away from us. Why? “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury.” [2:4-6]

Our assurance rests in this fact: “But as for Me, I have installed MY KING upon  Zion, My holy mountain.” David came into agreement with the Spirit of God and declared:”I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:”[2:7] The question is: Will we?

The Lord said: “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thy inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.” [2:8]

“Worship the Lord with reverence; and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest  He become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” [2:11-12]

The Lord reigns! Thus, we win!

Scripture tells us that “God works all things together for good…” [Roman 8:28] How easy that is to believe when the ‘all’ is something we embrace. The other side to this ‘working together’ carries with it the things we do not welcome. Some call the despair and gloom we experience during these latter circumstances ‘the dark night of the soul.’

I heard the Spirit of God say clearly ~ even loudly ~ to my spirit: “Brokenness is your friend.” Those words challenged every thing within me. My heart and mind revolted as I argued against brokenness, a strange friend. Don’t we throw out things that are broken? Don’t we devalue things that don’t work for us anymore? How could anything good come from some thing or out of someone who was broken? Who wants to nuzzle up to that which breaks us?

Elijah’s emotions came crashing down not long after a major victory over the prophets of Baal. [1 Kings 18:22] He ran to the cave convinced he was the only prophet left in Israel. He was in a spiritual drought; he was broken. The Lord fed him and spoke to him words of encouragement. God was using ‘all things’ to strengthen Elijah’s weakened soul.

Paul teaches us that God’s power is made great in our weakness. [2 Corinthians 12:9-10] That’s being our Friend. David wrote that Father is near to the brokenhearted. [Psalm 34:7] That’s being our Friend. Deep in the recesses of our brokenness is our Friend whose power and nearness redeems our lives from the pit, the cave, and the broken places of our lives. Brokenness releases His power from within that place of humanity where and when we realize we cannot put the pieces back together again because Humpty has had a great fall.

‘All things’ means ALL. Nothing wasted. Nothing discarded. All redeemed by the hand of the Living God. So, for brokenness to become my friend, I have to learn that the ‘all things’ are permitted by God who transforms the soul. Whatever instrument He uses to chisel my stubborn clay or to construct the shattered pieces of my heart is needful. Therein brokenness becomes my friend.

There’s only one anchor of the soul and that is the hope we have in God. The author of Hebrews writes that it is a hope “both sure and steadfast…” [Hebrews 6:19]

We were boating at Wrightsville Beach several years back. Hubby decided to anchor so we could sit back for a peaceful afternoon to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Anchor was cast overboard. He tugged at it to secure its footing…yet we began to drift. The mud anchor was not sufficient; we would need a sand anchor to hold us steady. After a quick trip inland for the purchase, we maintained our steady hold.

An anchor, used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water, prevents drifting from wind or current. Its purpose is to hook into the seabed and hold the boat fast ~ that is, unless the anchor is broken out of the seabed by motoring slowly around the anchor’s position, causing it to dislodge. “Anchors aweigh”  means an anchor has broken out of the bottom and/or is simply hanging loose from the rope.

As I recently stood by my loved one who was preparing for surgery, I heard words of hope: “Your anchor holds!” As I spoke those words to him, it seemed to bring much comfort. A short time later I realized how much I too needed to trust the hold of the anchor. I needed hope for my soul, that sure and steadfast hope that would keep me from motoring around in fear and anxiety until hope had become dislodged from my soul.

A verse from Ray Boltz’ song says it well: “I have journeyed through the long, dark night, out on the open sea, by faith alone, sight unknown, and yet His eyes were watching me. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees as I faced the raging seas. The anchor holds in spite of the storm.”

To raise a human vessel’s anchor [anchors aweigh] is to prepare for departure…the least of which is to become adrift at sea ~ in this case…without both sure and steadfast hope.

The anchor holds!

Some of my file drawers are packed solid with things that matter and many things that do not. The time to clear them out always seems to be scheduled for another day. The delay suffocates the file drawer itself. Rumbling through all these files just causes confusion.

Consider for example the files we keep of other’s wrong-doings. Assigning ourselves as ‘arm-chair attorneys,’ we build a case, keep it in the file, and have it handy for quick reference.

Reconciliation is the restoring of friendly relations. These healthy relations are compatible because of true forgiveness and restitution. Forgiveness purges the file of its recorded offenses and returns the file to the memory drawer with a new label entitled mercy.

Jesus told His disciples that reconciliation was more important than religious practices. He Himself related in a spirit of meekness ~ displaying strength under control. When He forgives us, we’re no longer accountable to Him for what’s been forgiven. It’s washed in His blood; then enmity between us and our Lord is absolved. No more guilt; no more shame; no more responsibility.

Sometimes all we need to do is to show mercy and to remove a few sticky notes from a certain file. Other times we’re to completely rid ourselves of the file altogether–never to visit the problem again. In any case, our files are to reflect the Spirit of Christ:

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” [Psalm 103:8-12 NIV]