here in this sand
quick sand
it feels
together
when duties
long stilled
echo the halls
changing plans
i follow the
sun
mete out my
moments
seeking a
firmness
wanting a
strength i
lose my clenching
find what was
missing
seek what is
losing
life laid down
LORD of the
moment he
holds me beneath
where ground
shifts
i watch him plant
seeds in
my feet standing
ground
sand shifting
and life is
here blooming
watered from well
springing up
HOLY GROUND
“'Do not come any closer,' God said. 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.'”
is "God in the ground beneath me,"
with a secondary prompt to experiment with the
no caps no punctuation style of poetry that ee cummings made famous
and my heart started pounding
when i heard a whisper
calling my ground
holy
What if the very place where the trial looks hardest,
where the ground seems most burnt
is actually the place most holy
in the eyes of the ONE who is changing
my heart?
You might recognize that first photo above
as the one I posted here earlier this spring
after the DNR had come through our favorite
prairie park with a prescribed burn.
The second photo shows the prairie transformed,
when we visited just a few weeks ago. It's hard to
imagine the way that fire birthed life into
the worn-out prairie lands.
These burnt-out shifting sand places of our lives
become HIS fertile land
when we let Him have the final say.
But in those days when I stop short, try to shorten the
process, or worse yet,
go off in my corner to pout,
I only hinder His planting,
quench off His Spirit,
and stunt my own growth.
For those of us who seek our corners,
can I offer a prayer?
"Dear Lord of the Harvest,
what an Amazing LORD you are!
Will you open our eyes
to see YOU in the
shifting sands of our days?
Will you help us to loosen our hold
and come out of the corners,
to find YOU at work
in the fertile soil,
the sandy loam
of hearts set free,
to be transformed into
YOUR HOLY GROUND."
with a secondary prompt to experiment with the
no caps no punctuation style of poetry that ee cummings made famous
and my heart started pounding
when i heard a whisper
calling my ground
holy
What if the very place where the trial looks hardest,
where the ground seems most burnt
is actually the place most holy
in the eyes of the ONE who is changing
my heart?
You might recognize that first photo above
as the one I posted here earlier this spring
after the DNR had come through our favorite
prairie park with a prescribed burn.
The second photo shows the prairie transformed,
when we visited just a few weeks ago. It's hard to
imagine the way that fire birthed life into
the worn-out prairie lands.
These burnt-out shifting sand places of our lives
become HIS fertile land
when we let Him have the final say.
But in those days when I stop short, try to shorten the
process, or worse yet,
go off in my corner to pout,
I only hinder His planting,
quench off His Spirit,
and stunt my own growth.
For those of us who seek our corners,
can I offer a prayer?
"Dear Lord of the Harvest,
what an Amazing LORD you are!
Will you open our eyes
to see YOU in the
shifting sands of our days?
Will you help us to loosen our hold
and come out of the corners,
to find YOU at work
in the fertile soil,
the sandy loam
of hearts set free,
to be transformed into
YOUR HOLY GROUND."
I am linking with these great bloggers this week:
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Meg Weyerbacher, #Teaandwordtuesday
Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday
Meg Weyerbacher, #Teaandwordtuesday
Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday
"and my heart started pounding
ReplyDeletewhen i heard a whisper
calling my ground
holy" <--- Wow! I just got the chills. Amazing words, friend. Thank you for sharing.
Dear Jamie,
DeleteThank you for your encouragement and inspiration to find the words that God plants in our hearts. I am so glad that your Mom pointed me in your direction! And isn't our Lord so good to bring His whispers to us? Blessings to you!
There is some good stuff in this post that I will be pondering today. I'm in a season of life where I feel like the fire is coming through and destroying much of what I love. But if this fire is a refining fire I should quit trying to wriggle away, hold still, and let the Spirit have His way. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDear Kelli,
DeleteI am thankful that you found encouragement here today. I'm sorry that you are going through such a hard time right now, but I will keep you in my prayers! May the Lord show you the ways that He is at work in the midst of the storm. Blessings and Peace to you!
Oh, Bettie, this is beautiful! And this spoke to me -
ReplyDelete"What if the very place where the trial looks hardest,
where the ground seems most burnt
is actually the place most holy
in the eyes of the ONE who is changing
my heart?"
Wow! What if it is? I want to trust Him even in the hardest places, because I know He is changing me. It may hurt, but ultimately good will come out of it.
Blessings to you, my dear sister/poet/friend! xoxo I'm glad to be your neighbor at #Glimpses.
Dear Gayl,
DeleteThank you for your sweet encouragement! And thank you for pointing me in your daughter's direction also, her inspiration has been such a blessing to me. Isn't our Lord so amazing to walk with us through the refining fire process? You are so right, that His ultimate good will come out of it when we let Him change us. Blessings to you also, my dear sister/poet/friend! xoxo
Thank you so much for a wonderful reflection today.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you.
Thank you for stopping by and bringing encouragement with you today! Blessings to you also!
Delete"What if the very place where the trial looks hardest,
ReplyDeletewhere the ground seems most burnt
is actually the place most holy
in the eyes of the ONE who is changing
my heart?" Oh Bettie, you have really brought the idea of suffering to a place where God is the objective. Your words are so poignant and beautiful.
Dear Debbie,
DeleteI am so thankful that the Lord brought blessing to you through these words. His ways are not like ours, are they? But oh what incredible gifts He brings to us through the surrenders! I am so grateful for the gift of your prayers and friendship! Love and Hugs to you!
Bettie, I have no words to express how this post spoke to me the very words I needed this morning. So thank you! May you know God has used you and your writing and your photos! This is a beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteDear Joanne,
DeleteOh what encouragement to know that Jesus used these small words of mine. He is so present with us in every moment of our days! You will be in my prayers as you continue on His path for you! Blessings and Love to you!
You have such a gift for poetry. Your description of the holy ground left me wanting more. These words right here --->
ReplyDeletei watch him plant
seeds in
my feet standing
ground
sand shifting
and life is
here blooming
watered from well
springing up
HOLY GROUND
Thank you for this blessing today.
Dear Mary,
DeleteThank you for your kind words! I am so blessed that you would see beauty in these words. We have such a wonderful Lord who plants and waters our hearts, even when we can't see it! I pray that you find Him so close to you today!
You are very gifted! Beautiful, meaningful words, woven together poetically. Your insights connected with the picture were very encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this very edifying post!
Dear Karen,
DeleteThank you for your sweet words. We have such a wonderful Lord who brings us His transformations and encouragements in the midst of our days! May He bring His blessing to you!
WOW! Absolutely beautiful words, I loved how I was able to have a cadence and beat as I was reading your words. You are such a gifted poet Bettie. Thank you for linking up with #TuneInThursday today
ReplyDeleteDear Debbie,
DeleteThank you for your sweet encouragement Debbie. I am so blessed that God brings His Spirit to speak into our moments and days! Thanks for the community of your link-up!
Loosening our hold to find Him at work, I love that Bettie. Such hope in allowing and then watching God move. Blessings, friend.
ReplyDeleteDear Tiffany,
DeleteOh, yes, there is such a sweet hope He brings to us as we watch Him move! And I am continuing to ask Him to loosen my hold, daily it seems. I am so thankful that He is so quick to answer. May you be blessed also, my friend.