by Marcie Bridges, @Marcie_Bridges
And the Lord,
He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not
leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8
He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not
leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8
Except for the whirring of the fan, the hotel room was
quiet. A new favorite space. There’s
nothing quite like the soft whisper of God settling within the walls of such a
sacred place.
quiet. A new favorite space. There’s
nothing quite like the soft whisper of God settling within the walls of such a
sacred place.
But only if the television is silenced, the Internet is
turned off, and the phone is made mute.
turned off, and the phone is made mute.
Inside this dwelling my heart sought after His love. His
peace. His direction. Prayers spoken into the void waiting to be captured by
His ear. My soul in desperate longing to receive whatever He had been trying to
say through the noise of life.
peace. His direction. Prayers spoken into the void waiting to be captured by
His ear. My soul in desperate longing to receive whatever He had been trying to
say through the noise of life.
Sitting at the desk, pen in hand, a poem began to churn within then spilled out onto the pad of paper the hotel provided. Not sure of what I was writing, I wrote anyway:
I’m not
brave.
brave.
I’m just me.
I am
learning
learning
to do
things
things
I thought
I could never do
I could never do
learning
to be
to be
who I need
to be.
to be.
I’m just a
person
person
struggling
like everyone else
like everyone else
finding my
own place
own place
in this
big, wide world.
big, wide world.
I’m not
extraordinary
extraordinary
I’m not a
puppet
puppet
I’m an
eagle, a baby,
eagle, a baby,
learning
to fly.
to fly.
It’s never
too late
too late
to do
something new
something new
that doesn’t make me
brave.
brave.
It makes
me
me
a better
woman
woman
someone
alive
alive
thriving, working,
to be all
I can be.
I can be.
And isn’t that
what
what
God wants
us to be?
us to be?
Bravery,
Love.
~Marcell
Warner Bridges
Warner Bridges
82016, All Rights Reserved.
Unsure
of why I had penned this, I hopped up onto the bed to take a break. Picking up
the book I had been reading my eyes began to tear up. Because sometimes God
shows up and says, “Here.
This is what I want you to know about you.”
From Audacious by Beth Moore in her chapter “Waking the Dead”:
“What all of us could use right now is a big, fat dose of bravery . . . Taking the risk of failing or looking foolish as you figure out who God has placed you on this planet to be and what He’s placed you on this planet to do is scary. An inevitable part of discovering what we’re good at is discovering what we’re not. (I must insert here that when I read that last sentence it took me a good ten minutes to pick my mouth up off the bed linens!) Anyone you see out there putting their gifts and experiences to full use with profound effectiveness has had a lion’s share of misses. They fell forward as often as they leapt forward . . .
The
paradox is that it takes God to actually serve God. In the terminology of
Zechariah 4:6, it’s “Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,”
says the LORD of Hosts. We have to trust Someone we cannot see, be empowered
by a Holy Spirit we often cannot feel, and go with Someone somewhere we have
never been….
paradox is that it takes God to actually serve God. In the terminology of
Zechariah 4:6, it’s “Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,”
says the LORD of Hosts. We have to trust Someone we cannot see, be empowered
by a Holy Spirit we often cannot feel, and go with Someone somewhere we have
never been….
You’ll
see with absolute clarity that you are way over your head but you do it anyway,
holding your breath, because you know it is the will of God…
see with absolute clarity that you are way over your head but you do it anyway,
holding your breath, because you know it is the will of God…
Because love makes you brave. And Jesus makes it worth it.” ¹
I
have been having trouble just sitting and reading tonight. Feeling jittery I
came to my computer to type out some poems that I’ve written lately but not
actually edited and put on the computer. This was the first one I laid eyes on
and just couldn’t believe I had written it then read that in her book. Like um,
God knew where I was heading and wanted to let me know He’s got this. He
understands. He needed me to write that first so I could pay attention to what she wrote. I needed Him to reveal to me what bravery really looks like―trusting God even when I think the risk is too great and giving up seems to be the better decision.
have been having trouble just sitting and reading tonight. Feeling jittery I
came to my computer to type out some poems that I’ve written lately but not
actually edited and put on the computer. This was the first one I laid eyes on
and just couldn’t believe I had written it then read that in her book. Like um,
God knew where I was heading and wanted to let me know He’s got this. He
understands. He needed me to write that first so I could pay attention to what she wrote. I needed Him to reveal to me what bravery really looks like―trusting God even when I think the risk is too great and giving up seems to be the better decision.
Todaymany will celebrate Halloween. It’s dark and it’s scary. But there is no need
to fear or to be dismayed. God’s been asking me to do things I don’t think I’m
up for the task of doing but I know that He will be with me through every part
of it.
So
I wonder, what is scaring you too much to obey God? My husband says faith is like walking up to a
cliff, turning around, and jumping off backward. What brave thing is God asking
you to freefall into His hands with today?
I wonder, what is scaring you too much to obey God? My husband says faith is like walking up to a
cliff, turning around, and jumping off backward. What brave thing is God asking
you to freefall into His hands with today?
From My Heart to Yours,
Marcie
¹Moore, Beth. Audacious. Nashville: B&H Group, TN.
Print. pp.60-62
Print. pp.60-62
What brave thing is God asking you do?
Love makes you brave and Jesus makes it worth it
For the month of November I will doing 30 Days of Thanksgiving Poems again. I would love for you to join with me in the fun at Marcie Bridges Poetry Writer https://www.facebook.com/mwbheartthoughts/
Don't you just love how God does prepare us to understand what He truly wants to reveal to us? I got goosebumps reading your poem and reflection, Marcie, and felt that I, too, can be brave when I allow God to lead.
Blessings!
It was a goosebumps kinda night for me Martha! 🙂
I love this because I see God working it out in you! I see you stepping off that cliff and landing on both feet. I have felt so shattered lately that I needed this encouragement. Thank you for sharing your heart!
I'm trying Norma, I'm trying. With God's help we can do whatever God asks us to. 🙂
Oh. My. Goodness! This is fantastic and just what I needed to hear. Thank you my sweet friend. I remember you sharing this with me this summer, but reading it in your written voice just blessed the socks off me. Thank you for sharing your beautiful heart.
I love you Nan 🙂