The other day I was sitting down to my desk and had opened the drawer. Tucked into the corner was my journal, the one I had been writing in pretty consecutively until last year. I pulled it out and peeked inside, flipping through the countless memories that jumped off the page and drew me into what was happening to 2019 Emily. I then began to think about all my other journals….and so began my treasure hunt to seek out some of the writings I had done in the past. Here are a few that I would like to share with you, ones that came from my time in Tennessee, and my two years finishing my college degree.
Fairy Tales (2/3/14)
Have you ever wondered why we love fairy tales and happily ever-afters? What is it about them that draws us in? I think that somewhere deep within the genetic makeup of man is etched a desire for a rescuer, for a love so pure and true. I find it interesting how greatly these stories mirror reality. My life is one big fairytale. I and all of creation play the part of damsel in distress, a fair maiden besieged by a dark and cunning enemy; one who seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy”. We groan in waiting, longing for our knight in shining armor to come and rescue us…and He will come, riding on a white horse with eyes blazing like fire. He will destroy the enemy once and for all, and after He has won the victory He will claim His Bride and ride off into the sunset where we, His Bride, will spend eternity with a love unlike any other, a love divine.
The Ultimate Treasure Hunt (2/10/14)
Sin has tainted the beauty and purity of God’s creation. I mourn for that loss, but joy overwhelms my sadness because I know a day is coming when He will make all things new and creation shall be one with its creator in all righteousness. Man has often become corrupted by sin so much that we are hardened against our Creator, but there is something in human nature, something deep within man that longs for its Creator. So many bury that longing beneath mountains of sin and self-will, like a treasure hidden deep within the Earth. I want to be an anthropologist for Christ, a treasure hunter who goes out and digs deep in those around me until at last the treasure is uncovered. Then I will present the key, which is Christ our Lord, so that they may unlock that longing and finally be made whole by the author and finisher of our faith.
Like the Trees (8/16/14)
I see the trees. I see how they move and breathe, and I am like them. They are moved by the wind, and when the sun shines upon them they flourish and grow, stretching wide their limbs. I too am moved by the wind, by the Spirit of the living God. I too sway and breathe with the breeze sweeping past my face. With the light of the Son I grow and am made whole, I lift my face towards the Son and I feel content, growing in the love that shines upon me. Seasons bring change, trees wither and trees flourish, they pass through times of winter and times of budding. I too see seasons. Times of despair and brokenness, but also times of growth where I am green and ripe with fruit.
I watch the clouds so easily carried through the air. They are pushed and pulled by the movement of the world. I am like a cloud, so easily swayed by the atmosphere in which I dwell. The Lord directs my path, moving me by His spirit. Yet there are times when I am filled with a heaviness that slows my movement, so I must empty myself, finally letting go of all I’ve been carrying, all that has dragged me down. And when I am emptied I once again become light and fluffy, transparent enough to see the Son shining through me, and to continue again in the direction by which the Spirit moves.
With all this I say, “why not like the trees or the clouds?” I am a creation just as they are, reflecting the truth of my Creator. Better but also less. Forever striving to be higher, to be set above and yet in the end I am like a tree. I am like a cloud.
Come! (2/26/15)
Come! He calls and my heart hearkens to Him.
My feet shuffle forward as they respond.
The path is Unknown and the light is dim,
eyes squint straining to glimpse what is beyond.
A glory awaits that is ever new.
To a future full and overwhelming,
Steers my soul towards what is good and true.
The hope, faith, and promise that is coming.
The Passionate Flame (3/17/15)
A strike of a match sets the heart ablaze, the explosions of radiance consuming all. Each flicker is a fluid movement; a great dance of tribal warriors. Amber strokes of brilliance blaze against a crimson core, the passion has been ignited.
Listen for My Heart Beat (3/21/15)
The pounding of a drum sounds in the distance, slow and sure like great footsteps. “Come closer”, He calls and I am enticed. An awareness steals over my soul, smooth like honey. My eyes open to an exotic world. Bewitched by beauty, I draw near. Nearer still and I am embraced by the beat of a heart, the rhythm of a steady lullaby. Then the tune changes, the quickening of a pulse. The voice calls out again, its words filling my ears with its cry, and drawing me in. Faster it beats like the drums of war. “The time is now, the hour has come.”
My lover is here, standing upon the hill. I must be ready; a bride of purity and grace. In stillness, I listen for His heartbeat. When recognition is mine at last, I go to meet with Him, like a daughter come home. Now, I am His and we are one.
