Lilacs, Warm Fires and Dark Nights

On the journey this morning I built a roaring fire. It's cold and wet here in Cape Town and the fire was warm and comforting. I watched the tiny, hot embers glow and throw off the flame that would turn the fresh wood into the next embers and thought about 1 Corinthians 14:26. What then shall we say brothers? When everyone comes together everyone has a hymn, tongue, song, word of instruction.... The embers all together combusting to produce flame illustrated how like the scripture we are when we come together. Oh, if we could only set aside our differences and love one another and be for one another! I mean in a deep, meaningful way that when that love may cost you everything kind of way rather than blowing off the relationship and moving on. Know what I mean? I can't, for the life of me, understand how that can be God! The Bible says if we don't love our brother we don't love God. Yeah and we fool ourselves by saying we love them we just don't like them. That made me think of lilacs.

Lilacs are beautifully fragrant white, pink and lavendar flowers with the most pungent nectar! In Ned's home town there are many huge bushes of them. And I remember passing by these big bushes on walks in the evening with him. We would try so hard not to pick them for they don't last much after picking. Then we would run across some that were heavy laden with rain or somehow a branch had been split and we would feel it okay to snap a few off and take them home. The joy these brought us! Simple pleasures! How I long for the days! I wondered about the lilacs- tiny little flowers that seem to grow almost in community on the end of stems. I wonder if somehow we weren't meant to be like that in God's heart.

Then of course, I remember the hurts and issues that separate us from God. The hurts we are presently experiencing and I remember a dream I had long ago. In the darkest black of night with no way to move forward or backward; even the air around me was so black it was oppressing my thoughts; attempting to prevent me from believing my God would rescue me. Sounds like the long, dark night of the soul doesn't it? Oh what a pit. But I must tell you about my friend Patience and the dream she had.

Patience's daughter disappeared about ten days ago. She is 13 years old and not coping well with helping her mother in such a full-time way while Mom works to support them. Long story short, Saturday she came and packed her clothes and left while her mom was working. She left behind her 7, 4, & 2 yr. old sisters and disappeared. Patience heart was broken! And she began to ask God, "Why?" Why? "What have I done?" She saw a person so caught up with her situation, complaining and wailing that she couldn't pray. Then she saw that same person praying and worshiping God and saw her prayers being answered. Somehow she had become so caught up with things that she had lost her focus. It's not that God is selfish and doesn't care about our hurts. Au contraire! He cares deeply but without the intimate love relationship we enjoy with him we lose sight of the bigger picture.

My friend Merina was asking God why Patricia, another young, struggling mom was not able to get any business selling her wares at the market. God told Merina Patricia needed to know about the rainy day. Because she didn't plan for it, because she never thought about it and consequently had no need for God. Until the rainy day, that is. Merina who is a new believer herself, now spends her days praying and asking God to show up and reveal himself in tangible ways so that Patricia will believe. She tells Patricia it's all about having an intimate relationship with him so you can tell him what's on your heart. Please pray for Patricia. I wish there were lilacs here, I would love to pick some and tell her about how lovely she is to the Lord! But alas, we are embers- burning coals keeping the fire of Holy Spirit aflame within our hearts and lives ushering in His Kingdom! Thanks for coming along on the journey today! Bon Voyage!