Holding Up the World

Five hours separate me from my brother. Five hours and years of sparse communication. He's not a big talker and we were never close, but I love him and he loves me. Love bridges the gap in our conversations but there are five hours of travel to think about. I'm talking about traveling the state of Maine in January. Snowstorm today and tomorrow diving to record low temps and another snowstorm on Monday. Tuesday the high is -5 degrees. It's difficult to leave the house and fires unattended on a day like that. Then there's the little detail that I have been sick for the entire month.

My brother will undergo open heart surgery on Tuesday, with high risk because he also has muscular dystrophy. He lives alone and is fiercely independent but this challenge is big, even for him.

This morning, before I knew for certain about the surgery, I took five minutes to look at my collage journal. I hadn't reached for Liz's poetry book in some time. As I picked it up and flipped through, I noticed a small piece of paper tucked inside. She must have placed it between the pages before sending it my way. I pulled it out and read, "you don't have to hold up the world today." Immediately I glued it on the picture in my journal of the woman holding up the world.

After receiving the call from mom about my brother this afternoon, worry kicked in. What about his apartment and bills to be paid and food left in the fridge and ...

"You don't have to hold up the world today."

A familiar whisper skimmed across my thoughts.

You can trust Me to care for him.

Snow is gently falling outside. Tomorrow the wind will turn beauty into blizzard-like conditions once again. 

 God who holds serenity of today is shelter in the storms of tomorrow.

My shoulders feel weight shift.

 Let me let go. 

 When talking to my brother last night, he made a statement that has stayed with me.

"God's will be done."

I'm a more specific kinda gal - wanting to cover all my bases kind of pray-er. But lately God is drawing me into a new season, a place of rest and trust. Unscripted prayers will carry my heart and cover the distance of miles and obstacles.

I'm grateful that my brother has returned to the faith of his teen years and uttered those words. I can think of no better ones in this moment.

Simple Altars

For decades, the Word of God has been my anchor, my go-to place for encouragement, direction, and comfort. Normally I have a plan all set for the new year way before January. 

When January 1, 2015 arrived, I was still without a plan. I have a few devotional books that I read regularly so I turned to them. 

Nothing. 

Flat. 

Words on a page.

About three days into the year, I came across a post about the "She Reads Truth" app. I had downloaded it months before but was disappointed because there was a price to the plan I wanted. However, a new plan was designed for this year and its free. Bible readings for 365 days.

That is so not my style. I've never been into "let's read for the sake of getting it done." Yet I felt a tug in that direction.

Today was day 11 and I discovered how to write notes in the app, too. I went back over the places that the Holy Spirit had highlighted for me throughout the week and noted them.

Then I wrote this question in my journal:

"What is God's story saying to me this week through these people's lives?"

I looked over my notes and there it was. 

He leads ordinary people daily. Altars were a place where God could bring heaven to earth through simple prayer. It was when they ventured out on their own, judging the situations according to human standards that they got in trouble, but many times God had their backs.

I loved the story of Abraham's servant who hadn't even uttered his prayer, but was praying in his heart. Before he finished God was answering. To be fair, other answers were long time coming.

But they came.

Simple prayers for wisdom are mine these days. 

Simple altars. 

My green chair, my head on the pillow at night, driving down the road or washing dishes (I know. I'm one of the few who still does this task by hand.)

Knowing that He hears when the words are only in my heart.

{For a little extra check out my crafting plans over on Fearless Lines.}