One of my best childhood memories

In continuing going through The Sacred Romance workbook, one of the exercises was to recall one of my best childhood memories, when times were simpler and the outlook on life so much purer, remembering the sounds, smells and how it made me feel. So here's what I cam up with.

It was a traditional Colorado Christmas, complete with fresh powder on the ground and bright blue skies. Only instead of staying in the city that year, the entire family was going up to a cabin in Estes Park to celebrate.

It seemed like it took forever to get there: past the familiar doghnut shop where my Grandpa always liked to stop, past the huge slides that kids slid down on old pieces of carpet during the summer months, past gurgling brooks and finally to the breathtaking majesty of the Rocky Mountains.

As we pulled up to the cabin, it looked as though the scene was taken out of a storybook...the white snow covered trees with shoots of green poking out here and there, the lumbering wrap around front porch with hand carved benches. The sound of my fuzzy calf-high snow boots crunched to the front door through the drifts that had already formed throughout the week, my cheeks and eyes bright from the bitter winter cold.

The cabin was well used and stepping over the threshold, I saw ghosts of visitors past, decorating Christmas trees, cooking in the small, well-lit kitchen, sitting in front of the fireplace. The worn carpet, old upholstered furniture and faded wood held their memories.

The excitement was too much for my little tender heart to bear: I loved these mountains...her steep, jagged peaks, sun-warmed pines and raw beauty made me feel like I was gazing into the face of God. What made it even better was sharing it with those I loved, and my close-knit family always promised a memorable time.

My sister, cousin and I raced downstairs to place our claims on a bunk bed and to settle in. The stark snow-lit light pouring in through the blinds created a magical setting and we all thought about the presents we would get to open in the morning.

But more than that, I couldn't wait to get outside and soak in the environment. I stood breathless on the deck taking in the view before me, my breath escaping in small white puffs in the cold mountain air. Snow capped peaks, a myriad of blues, grays and greens all rising dramatically out of the valley below seemed to me like the gateway to heaven.

The snow-covered silence was a facade...for underneath the surface, the rocks and far-reaching trees, rivers and peaks shouted their songs at me as I inhaled their message deeply, closing my eyes. It was a message of enduring hope, love, romance and passion and it stirred a longing in my heart. I was in the presence of my Creator. His beauty caressed each of my senses and awakened my soul, filling me with life, peace and joy. The steady thump, thump, thump my heart made inside me kept time to the song and music all around me: the pristine non-smell of snow, the fragrance of the laden pine branches catching the breeze, the far-off sound of my family's voices preparing for dinner, the sun setting over the horizon, triggering millions of crystalline lights to come to life on the white ground. Nothing could touch me here, the world was right and I drank in the wooing of my Savior.

I sighed and took one more deep breath, peeling myself away from my eternal love letter...and went back inside.

The Wellspring of Life

"In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart."

I have been reading Sacred Romance by John Eldridge as my devotional and have been inspired to journal about what I’m learning. This quote I found today lends itself perfectly to the lesson.

The more I read, the more I realize just how true it is that most Christians have lost heart when it comes to our spiritual lives. We go through the motions of church, praying, service, tithing, but are our hearts close to the Lord? Are we living a love relationship with him? Are we living it with passion and intimacy with all the fullness that He purposed for us?

I have had to do a major spiritual inventory as to what level my heart is engaged in my relationship with the Lord. I am reminded of the verse “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Mark 7:5-7 God forbid (literally) that I be that person although more and more I find myself scheduling in time with the Lord on my calendar like just another “to do” to check off. It is a chore and not a pleasure, an obligation and not a joy. How sad it is because out of the heart stems a “well-spring” of life, which the Bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23. When we disconnect our hearts and replace them with head knowledge, we become thirsty, desolate and unfruitful, like a spring that’s run dry.

I think this quote applies to more than just our prayer lives. Our hearts can express themselves through our actions that should be indicative of our inner prayer lives…through loving others, showing peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control. Instead of just talking about these things, we should emulate them in our examples. What a huge challenge for the week!