Friday, June 18, 2010

Slow Going . . .

I read this today while out running errands and it spoke deeply to me:

PEACE: It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (unknown author)



The recovery from back surgery is taking a bit of a toll on our household, particularly the poor guy who actually had the surgery.


It's very. slow. going.


Lots of pain, small snippits of sleep, (nothing over a couple of hours at a time), and did I mention pain?


Bless him.



So, how do you keep calm and steady amidst such different chaos? I mean, there's normal chaos...like children growing, lives being lived, schedules overloaded with activity.



Then, there's the abnormal chaos...a loved one very ill, losing jobs or homes, or in our case, trying to recover from something that the doctors have told you will take a good year to get through. A year...



All day long, I've had a song playing in my head.

Now, I know lots of songs. I can't imagine just how many are rolling around in my little noodle. But this one, it stuck today.




There is a place of quiet rest,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where sin cannot molest,

Near to the heart of God.


Refrain
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,


Sent from the heart of God,

Hold us who wait before Thee

Near to the heart of God.


There is a place of comfort sweet,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where we our Savior meet,

Near to the heart of God.


Refrain


There is a place of full release,

Near to the heart of God.

A place where all is joy and peace,

Near to the heart of God.


Refrain



Maybe everything is rolling along smoothly for you today.

Kids are out of school.

Summer is in full swing.

Life is good.



But maybe, just maybe, there will come a moment when you feel empty.

Your insides are exhausted, worried, void of depth or wisdom.

Each day seems a little worse than the previous day.



It's then you can think about the Savior who holds you close...near to the heart of God.



I love the comfort it brings knowing my Savior quietly, gently, safely holds me close.



“He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.”

Isaiah 40:11



Blessings. . .

3 comments:

davew said...

I find so much peace in the thought that no matter what's happening in my life, Jesus still loves me so very much. And it seems that it's not till I had real pain in my life, that I came to realize the depth of His love for me. Bless ya.

Cheryl said...

I didn't know Lex was having back surgery. I know he's been in a lot of pain for too long and hope the surgery was a success. Do you need anything? A meal? Restuffed potatoes? LOL xo

robert said...

Thanks for your blog. I hope that the 3 months since this post have brought full recovery after surgery. It was your quotation of Cleland McAffee's beautiful hymn that caught my eye this morning. Do you know the story behind the writing of it? If not, you can check it out today on my daily hymn blog, Wordwise Hymns.

Hello, from a fellow-Saskatchewanian (Lashburn). It was your brief reference to Cleland McAffee's beautiful hymn, "Near to the Heart of God," but I appreciated the other comments too.

If you enjoy reading about our hymns and their authors, I invite you to check out my daily blog on the subject, Wordwise Hymns. (There's an interesting story behind McAffee's hymn that I talk about today.)

And if you’ll excuse a brief “commercial:” With the arrival of fall, we begin to think of the Christmas season up ahead. If you do not have a good book on the subject of our Christmas carols, I encourage you to take a look at mine, Discovering the Songs of Christmas. In it, I discuss the history and meaning of 63 carols and Christmas hymns. The book is available through Amazon, or directly from Jebaire Publishing. (Might make a great gift too!)