wait.

  It is a duty of ours to create a record of life. Some people do this in various ways. Pictures are a main keepsake that contain many memories but there is something to be said for words. Whether or not you are well versed, words are inside of you. These combinations of letters can most often be named feelings or emotions. There is power in the way words are expressed. Many therapists use writing as a remedy or escape for their patients. More so than releasing emotion at the time of feeling, these records then are tucked between the covers of a book and hidden away until later rediscovered. It may be strange, but at times I try to remember my thoughts during a certain event. I think about where I was and how I felt and try to imagine what I could have been thinking. To my own dismay, I continue to put off penning a piece of history in my life.
  Recently, I dug up some old things I had written. Not only did my rapidly written notes remind me of great memories and feelings, they also resurfaced some rough patches of life that I thought, then, I would never get through. On the other side, I find a circumstance rather trivial and small. It gives me hope. Our flesh is so intimidated by time. For a mother's newborn, life is too fast. For a burgeoning relationship, life takes too long. For a troubled heart, life needs to speed up. This taps into the discontent that humans naturally deal with and attests to our failure to glean from wherever we are.
  Reading excerpts from Whitman caused me to ponder a few ideas. Normally his writings encourage me to read as fast as possible to get through the material and be done. Whitman proposes, "To be ripe beyond further increase is to prepare to die." A somewhat morbid picture, yet it brought me hope. Whitman is not one of faith, but his statement seeps with truth. To my heart, it read, "If we have stopped learning and growing, then we cease to live in a way that would produce fruit." A dead tree produces neither good nor bad fruit. It is stale, stagnant and without purpose. We can fall into a paralytic state if we succumb to our condition.
  Even in a season of winter, the tree has hope of spring. The bare limbs are strong against the bitter cold and fallen snow in preparation for fresh growth come warm weather. We can wait. The word gives us plenty of evidence that a season of waiting is of God. "Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31) He is faithful to grant us exactly what we need for each day. Psalms 27:14 tells us to "Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." David went through the fire. He knew how it felt to be far away from God, or rather feel like he was. We are asked to draw near.
 
Currently Listening: The low hum of voices in the library.