Sometimes you are lucky enough to find a community that feels just like the place you want to hang out. You know when you visit that it feels like home and once there you don’t want to leave. It’s the feeling you get when you sit across the table from a friend with your favorite coffee or tea. The conversation flows and the friendship flourishes. There is such a place that gathers every week at Kate Motaung’s. It’s called Five Minute Friday where coffee and chocolate are always available. Some friends meet on Twitter Thursday evenings to begin the party and others join after a one word prompt is given for all to ponder. These are my people and this community is HOME. Come join us as we write for five minutes on a word and share your own ponderings.
ABANDON
GO…
The snapshot of an empty swing swaying gently in the wind. Or the glassy surface of a lake that is crystal clear. Perhaps you see a blue sky on a summer’s day that seems to stretch for miles. All provide a glimpse of nothing nearby to disturb the picture. Each one tells its own story of emptiness, loneliness, or complete abandon.
The empty swing shares a story of the child who loved it well, but now is grown and has no time for childish endeavors. The lake shows no remnants of the geese who usually dwell along its shore. A perfect blue sky indicates clear weather ahead. If you look closely all seem to be missing a piece to their stories. Part of each picture tells a story of who or what was there to make it complete. But now the missing pieces leave a picture in our minds of abandonment.
Pictures don’t always tell the whole story. What we see with the naked eye is not always reality. There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes. We don’t see the emotions or scene that changed the whole landscape right before the picture was taken. God sees the whole picture. When we see emptiness or a snapshot that looks like all has been abandoned, He sees opportunity, new creation or a story that is just beginning.
[Tweet “God speaks His beautiful truth and infuses our story with His strength and redemption.”]
God never leaves nor abandons us. He wrote our stories but we choose the parts we are willing to display. He takes our fear of the unknown and our lack of courage and brings us in close to show us we are His. God takes any pieces that we purposely abandon or the parts of our story that others leave behind and shows us it is good. He leads the way to Himself through the emptiness, loneliness and anything else that challenges us throughout our stories. God speaks His beautiful truth and infuses our story with His strength and redemption. He promises when we are strong and courageous, He will personally lead us.
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
May you feel God’s courage as you walk out the storyline of your life. May you know God will never abandon you as you choose to walk with Him.
Blessings,
I’m glad I took the time to read your post today. What a poignant reminder for us all! I love the thought that where I see a blank page, that the Author of my story sees something new– “a story that is just beginning.” Really beautifully written. I’m glad I found you this week on FMF.
Welcome Nichole! I’m blessed you joined me and I am humbled by your sweet encouragement. I hope our paths cross again.
I don’t often feel strong and courageous, but I know He is calling me to that reality. At least in a spiritual sense. And I know He will never leave me or abandon me. Such a beautiful truth, Mary. Thank you, friend, for sharing these encouraging words!
I believe you are stronger and braver than you think. God calls all of us to that reality. We just need to say yes and hold on. Knowing God walks with us every step of the way makes us stronger in the journey. May God keep revealing to you the beautiful brave that He has for you.
This –> “Pictures don’t always tell the whole story. What we see with the naked eye is not always reality.”
and this –> ” God sees the whole picture. When we see emptiness or a snapshot that looks like all has been abandoned, He sees opportunity, new creation or a story that is just beginning.”
Yes and Amen! xoxo
Thank you friend! What a blessing when we know that God is in control. Blessed you stopped by sweet friend!
Oh, I’m too familiar with that feeling. So I agree so much to this. Never has God abandoned me.
I love knowing that you hold the truth of God’s promise dear too. He will never leave nor abandon us. Blessings!
Amen friend! You and I were thinking along similar lines this week. I’m in the 41 spot this week.
Love seeing you join me here today! Happy weekend!
I’ve had a few challenges along the way, Mary, as you have…there were times that I did the abandoning but as I look back I see that He never abandoned me. I am so grateful for his grace and mercy. xo
Yes we have faced challenges but where we are now is better because of our faith and knowing God will always be with us. Difficult times hopefully bring us to a place where we stretch out our hands to grasp God’s truth and hold His promises.
I love this, Mary. How what we see as emptiness, God sees as opportunity, a new creation, or a story that is just beginning. And this – “He leads the way to Himself through the emptiness, loneliness and anything else that challenges us throughout our stories. God speaks His beautiful truth and infuses our story with His strength and redemption.” Amen! Thank you for this encouraging message! Have a blessed, restful weekend! Hugs!
God is a beautiful author of each of our stories. He is present in every word, paragraph and chapter. He never leaves nor abandons us. There are times we try to write our own story and we lose sight of God in the process. The promise is that when we abandon Him or other people we learn that they were right there all along. Blessings my friend!
God will never abandon us in our storyline…yes! What a good Produce of our Life Stories! I love that He has each of us hemmed in. He protects us, loves us, and we are never alone. Your image is great here! I love the scripture overlay. Can I be like you when I grow up to be a better blogger? I love this! Love you! Still praying about the FMF retreat. We have lots of summer plans so I’m not sure I can fit it in financially or logistically, but God……<3 jenn
You are so sweet. Thank you for being here and reminding me again that God is the great Protector and loves us dearly. I always say I want to be like someone else when I grow up too. That comment made me smile.
I will keep you in prayer as you determine whether coming to the FMF retreat will work out for you this summer. Blessings!
Mary, this is absolutely beautiful. As I fight to live a life of reckless abandon before Him, I hear His whispers to rest, to cease from my striving. I am thankful that He will never abandon me, even when my footing is shaky.
God is faithful and He will never fail or abandon you. I loved your words about reckless abandon. Sometimes in that surrender we find such joy, peace and fulfillment.
Love this idea – When we see emptiness or a snapshot that looks like all has been abandoned, He sees opportunity, new creation or a story that is just beginning. Thanks so much for sharing!
Blessed to have you here today Barbara! I pray your Friday is amazing and your weekend is a time of renewal.
The opening is poignant for me, Mary; my go-to huggy-dog Dukee dies this week, and his crate still stands mute, a toy and a dish sitting in dreadful stasis..I don’t have the heart to remove them.
I do far better with dogs than people, and Dukee’s kind and calm nature could make the fear of death and the ghosts of past wars go away.
The stillness now is awful.
#2 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/03/your-dying-spouse-282-for-loves-sake-fmf.html
My heart is sad for you and your loss. I read about it at your place. I can only imagine how the quiet penetrates and makes things harder. Blessings and prayers.
Mary, there is deep reassurance in your words. One, we don’t know the full picture,but God always does. How amazing it is to know that He sees the moments before and beyond the one we’re living in. He sees the full context, even those things we can’t/won’t look at.
Two—He is with us. He never abandons us. He is always faithful, and He enables us to walk out our stories. What an amazing Father we have!
It is a comfort knowing that God sees the whole picture. What looks like emptiness to us looks like fullness in Jesus. He does not abandon us in the middle of our stories. Isn’t it a joy to know that God walks out our stories with us? Thank you for encouraging me with these words. Happy weekend!
Mary, I love this view of abandonment. The thought that..”If you look closely all seem to be missing a piece to their stories.” Such truth’s here. Thank you.
Thank you Bonnie. We are a people that reveal only the pieces of our story that make us look good or that we feel safe sharing. I have done that myself even though letting go with abandon will allow God to work more fully in us.
Thank you for being here Bonnie! I’m looking forward to meeting you at the retreat.
Thank you for these beautiful words, Mary. I love the thought of God showing us the parts of our story that we don’t like and pointing out the good in them. I have experienced this so many times in my life–but it’s good to get a reminder now and then!
God never fails to show us how we are loved and the good in all of our stories. I love knowing that and it makes it easier for me on the days that I am struggling. Blessed that you joined me today.