Sunday, May 1

light up the sky

Dear friend-

I hope these words find you well.  I hope you have a house that you can call home and people you can call family.  I've found both of those things, and they're grace.

"When night is rushing in, falling on my skin

Oh God, would you come close."

It's been a long week that I can't explain--full of really hard, unbloggable things and unexpected grief.  I'm sure you've had one of those before, the kind of weeks that sit like a knot in the pit of your stomach.  But that's not why I'm writing.

In the middle of all these things
I stumbled across something that surprised me.

Something equally unexpected, yet stronger than grief.

Even in the rising feeling of unraveling senselessness, I found love.  I didn't expect to find it in the middle of a hurricane, but it was there.















I've always believed that people are image-bearers of God.

Placed inside each of us is a puzzle piece of the Creator--a diverse and beautiful display of who God is.  And this week, I swear I saw that come to life right before my eyes.  It was like hearing a song sung back to me.  The nearness of God that I prayed for- it showed up in people.

There it was- love out of nowhere.  I held onto it with both hands, knowing that that flash of light marked something beautiful in the middle of chaos.

The love my friends showed me felt like seeing a glimpse of God himself.

In the static of a phone call.  In the stillness of a song.  In a cup of french press coffee.  In the silence of sweet listening.  In a hand wrapped around mine.  In a corny joke.  In deep prayers on my behalf.  In tears that aren't shamed for falling.

In people that take me just as I am.

That's the best description I can give to anyone of who Jesus is- that deep unselfishness that brings me to my knees.  That's how I strive to love other people.  Because I've been shown this love before, and it's compelling and changing and compassionate.  It understands and doesn't judge and its aftermath is freedom.

May you find hope for your hurricanes-
whatever they look like and however strong they seem.

because when life rushes in-
love does too.

2 comments:

Rebecca said...

Wow! Awesome to read!

Elizabeth said...

Thanks, Rebecca! That means a lot, coming from you.