FOCUS

As I look into the heavens,

I see beauty up above,

I see power from a Mighty Hand,

I see a God of Love.

I look down to the earth below,

And see the beauty there,

I see a Master Planner’s work,

And know that He must care.

Then I look inside and see,

My heart of hurt and pain,

I see the failures of my life,

And sadness then I gain.

I see a proud and selfish man,

Who cared for none but him,

Who hurt the others that he loved,

And found himself in sin.

I see a broken wanderer,

That wants to fix the past ,

But the depth of hurt was much too deep,

He is learning that, at last.

I look at the heart of this broken man,

That longs to love and be loved,

And wonder why he is so alone,

When he has a Father above.

So I turn my gaze back to heaven

And talk to the God who loves me,

And remind myself of His wonderful gift,

That He gave me at Calvary.

I think of the righteousness He's given,

To someone I know doesn’t deserve,

And respond with a heart of thanksgiving,

And seek with my life just to serve.

I know that my Father in heaven,

And the Spirit that now lives in me,

Is moving within all my moments,

To make me what He wants me to be.

So today I will rest in His loving arms,

That He stretched on the cross for my sin,

And glory in His salvation,

And know in the end I will win.

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Food tastes like plastic,

Colors lost their hue,

The world is losing wonder,

Because it seems I’m losing you.

I get up in the morning,

Wishing for a sunny day,

Hope as I would for brighter things,

The sun just goes away.

The aching that my heart now feels,

Goes deep into my bone,

I’ve known hurt and pain in life,

But I’ve never been alone.

I now know hurt deep in my soul,

Like none I’ve ever known,

I wish my heart of beating flesh,

Could somehow turn to stone.

I guess I’ve learned I’ve caused such pain,

In ignorance and pride,

I wish I could undo the past,

Believe me, I have tried.

But now I walk through life alone,

With pain and much regret,

The road I’ve paved with selfishness,

I wish you could forget.

I cannot say a single word

That undoes what’s been done,

I cannot do enough good things,

That clears the path we’ve run.

I’ve hurt you and pushed you aside,

But you walked through all of it,

And now it seems it is my turn,

To spend time in the pit.

I know you are not trying to,

Tear apart my hurting heart,

I think that you a reeling still,

From the pain I did impart.

So I will eat the plastic food,

And walk in colors grey,

And wish again for joy to come,

To take the dark away.

Walking - Day 12

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.

Oh, the earth cannot help but proclaim the greatness of our God.  Very naturally (pun intended), the earth calls out the creativity and majesty of the creator God.  Without effort, the birds and animals point us to the heavens.  Without doing any work, the rocks, and trees, and waterfalls, direct our attention to a designer.  The world sings the praises of an amazing artist by causing us to look closely in awe and wonder.

It has been 12 days of walking now, and every day is different, and every day is sweeter.  The slow pace, the pausing for reflection, the focus on God and His glory have all been wonderful for me.  Today was no different, but again I was joined by my lovely wife. 

We went out to dinner at the Café on the Corner (atop Lookout Mountain) and then took a short drive to the parking area for Glen Falls.  We had never been there before – and it was not disappointing.  We walked down the half mile trail to the small pool and the falls that fed it.  The sounds of the waterfalls, the birds, and the wind through the trees made our stay there very enjoyable.

We eventually found a spot and made it our resting area.  We stayed for about 30 minutes or so, but we really did not want to leave.

Psalm 100 says, “Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.”  It is so easy to do this when you are sitting at a waterfall, resting with the one you love.  It is so easy to be reminded of His enduring love and faithfulness when things seem like they cannot get any better – when life is “good”.

I was reminded of Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “The Mountain” while I was there.  I would have loved to stay in that moment for the rest of my life, but we both knew that we needed to head back to “real life”.  God is always good – in the valley, in the pain, in the heartache, in the difficulties of life…  But the mountain experiences remind us of His Goodness!

God, thank you for your faithfulness and love, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to see it on the mountain.  Help me to hold your hand tightly as I enter the valleys of life.