A world that exists

In Him

Through Him

And

By Him

We live in a God-soaked space

Where He is,

He was,

And

He will be.

We hold our questions of life

Of suffering,

Of pain,

Of treachery,

Betrayals and deception,

In this God-soaked world.

We hold them before Him.

We hold our angers,

Our incredulties,

Over the extent of wicked words,

Evil deeds,

We hear and see

In the best humans

In our God-soaked world.

We hold these before Him.

We live in a God-soaked world

We exist in Him,

Through Him,

And

By Him.

We hold our questions,

Our angers,

Our incredulities,

And our pain

With – Him

In this God-soaked world.

We are held.

Acts 17:28 For in Him, we live and move and have our being. (Bible)

* I first read this idea in Dallas Willard’s book Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God where he writes about our world as God-immersed and God-bathed. On similar lines, Chris Webb has written a life-giving book titled God-Soaked Life: Discovering a Kingdom Spirituality. I recommend both the books.

Photo by Matheus Bertelli: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sun-setting-on-horizon-7163710/

The post God-Soaked World* first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

In your presence.

I hold my peace

Before you.

I listen to your still

Small voice.

In my silence,

I listen.

I hold my silence

Before you.

I know you are here

In this space.

I turn my worries

Into prayers

And hold my silence

Before you.

I hold silence before you

Because of your goodness

And your love.

I lay my pain in that silence

And let your calm

Fill my space.

I am silent with you

This is too precious to me

I love you

And

I am loved

As I remain

In silence

With you.

Photo by Engin Akyurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photo-of-woman-1446948/

The post Silence of the Soul first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

When we stand with

Another in pain.

We stand on holy ground

When we stand

With friends who love

In the presence of a hating world.

We stand on holy ground

When we are in the midst

Of trees

And chirping birds

Or flowing water.

We stand

On holy ground

When we see

God

Present, Holy and Active

On that Holy ground.

Photo by Hrishav Jha: https://www.pexels.com/photo/moody-sunlit-kitchen-in-delhi-india-29887876/

The post Holy Ground first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

I feel the joy in your heart
When I discover
What you already knew

I hold the love in your eyes
When I become aware of
The plans you have for me

Oh you are good
You are good
You are good to me.

All of my life
I am discovering
Your goodness for me.

I am in you.
I am held by you.
I am
Because You are.

And

You are good to me.

Photo by David Bartus: https://www.pexels.com/photo/light-inside-chest-box-366791/

The post Unearthings first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

To arise means
To get up.

To smile means
To set aside pain

But the weight,
The burden
And the ache
Makes it hard
To leave,
To get up
And set aside.

So why not
Hold on,
Rest,
Lay down.

Hold on
And fly
Intertwined in the arms of God.

Rest
With a smile
In His embrace.

Lay down
And arise
In His green pastures.

He is with us,
He is for us.

He never leaves us
Nor abandons us.

He understands
Our frailty,
Our weakness.

He will
Meet us
Right where we are.

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-in-a-white-dress-lying-down-on-grass-5616967/

The post To Fly first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

Lord,

Help me be,

By your side,

Holding your gaze

Of love for me

In my suffering.

In my suffering,

Lord,

Let me place my feet on yours,

Like a child,

Feeling your embrace

In my suffering.

May my whys,

And my cries;

May my frailty,

And my loss,

Lead my hand

Into yours

In my suffering.

Photo by AJ Ahamad: https://www.pexels.com/photo/solitude-by-the-sea-19600322/

The post Love in Suffering first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

What do you do
When God surprises you with immense courage
To do something
You never thought you could?

What do you do
When you are surprised by grace
To overcome
A difficulty you thought was unsurmountable ?

What can you do
But
Receive
With thanks
The surprises
Of peace, courage, and grace
That create a longing,
And a thirst for more
Surprises
To be with Him
Each day
Everyday.

Photo by Kim Stiver: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-s-holds-brown-gift-box-842876/

The post Surprises first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

The ache may be painful,

The tears may keep flowing,

And our hearts may grow tired.

Like Job we may carry

The pain of malicious words

From one’s own friends.

Like David we may carry

The pain of contempt

From the one in power over him.

Like Joseph we may carry

The pain of abandonment

From one’s own brothers.

Or like Jesus we may carry

The pain of the fury ,

And the hate

Of one’s own priests and leaders.

The burden may seem heavy,

The ache may be painful,

The tears may keep flowing,

And our hearts may grow tired.

But this is not the end.

Flame your hope to fire,

Because Our glory ,

And the lifter of our head has come.

He who lifted up the head

Of Job , David and Joseph,

He who lifted up Jesus,

He will lift your head too.

He sets a table before our adversaries .

He sings over us.

He is for us.

He is with us.

Defeat and brokenness,

Deadness and decay,

Will never have the last word.

Though the burden may seem heavy,

The ache may be painful,

The tears may keep flowing,

And our hearts may grow tired.

The Lifter of our heads is by our side.

Photo by Matheus Bertelli: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-of-a-child-with-arms-raised-13872522/

The post The Lifter of Our Heads first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

It, in fact, became more me-like.

Allow me to explain.

Once I surrendered, I found out through a series of events that teaching and not nursing (the career I was pursuing) gave me great joy. And when I say great joy, think ecstatic, dancing wild, going crazy joy. I was happy. In few years after that first discovery, I also discovered that I could not be truly happy marrying someone doing a regular job. No offense to those who do regular jobs. I knew I had to be with someone who was in full-time ministry. I just knew it. So when Royce, who had entered mission work just one year before, asked me to marry him, after a period of prayer and consideration, I knew for sure he was the right person and this was the right decision.

So here I was in full-time ministry as a teacher in a tribal school – something I would have clearly run far away from if I had known where the surrender would have led me. But at the right time, I found myself being fully me, embracing the gifts of embracing my call.

I wonder, why I resisted surrendering to Christ…

I resisted because I thought He would make me do something I did not want to do (which He did).

I resisted because I dreaded that He would take me into the jungle (which He did).

But what I did not expect was that that surrender, half-hearted and incomplete though it was, led me to my deepest happiness, my utmost fulfilment and my surest joy. My surrender to Him led me to live and be who I was meant to be.

Has that made it easier to surrender? Absolutely no. But I am becoming aware of my resistances and I know I can tell Him what I am feeling. And I know He loves me enough to walk with me through my fears till I find my joy in discovering freedom through surrender.

Invitation to reflect:

Do you sense God’s invitation to surrender? Perhaps He is calling you to embrace your true self, the purpose for which you were created. You may want to take some time to reflect on what He is calling you to do. Is it something you truly love? Why is there resistance? Spend some time talking to Jesus about it.

A song to listen:

I love this song because it is true to our struggles to surrender. Give it a listen.

The Triune God is with us and for us in our surrender and even in the lack of it.

Photo by Nikita Nikitin: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-mother-and-child-holding-hands-14005325/

The post Incomplete Surrender first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.

I have been saved
And I am being saved everyday.

I have received grace
And I need His grace everyday.

My eyes have seen
And I see Him everyday.

It is a journey
A journey with Him.

I am growing
And becoming
We are growing
And becoming
More and more like Jesus
Now and through eternity.

Photo by Tuong Chopper: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ta-nang-phan-dung-27628187/

The post It is a Journey first appeared on Stirrings in my soul.