Redeemed

Sunshine and blue sky

preceding afternoon storms

hope and peace – still mine

By Martha L Shaw – ©  6–2015

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT!

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

Psalm 119:114 ESV

 

“My hiding place” initially seemed like a joke.  Sure, before I truly knew the Lord, my life was one big hiding place.  Thinking about it now, my new life as a reborn creature reveals so much more yet my hiding place and shield are REAL and always there but seen by me while mystifying others.  For example,  Let’s  look at Daniel in the lion’s den.  Pretty vulnerable, no?  But the story didn’t end there, did it!  The lions walked on still hungry.

Then there’s David . . . young and small and left to defeat Goliath, well – expected to lose  the battle against the giant warrior.  But who was it that walked away unscathed?  The psalmist sure got it right! My hope is in Him – my Lord and my God.

 

WHERE HE LEADS, I WILL FOLLOW!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIFE WAS SO BLACK AND WHITE

and then I met Jesus

and gave Him my heart!

By Martha L Shaw – © 2018

 

JESUS WEPT- SO CAN WE

Cry

Tears are like refreshing rain

Restoring the parched land of the soul

And welcoming new life.

By Martha L Shaw ©2015

Becoming

Soft lips touch my finger.

Teeth grip my knuckle.

Smiling eyes . . .

New tooth coming!

Marked by love.

By Martha L Shaw – © 11-24-2013

The Splendor of Being

I lift my hands

But you lift my soul.

As the autumn breeze stirs the dry brush

I mourn the loss of color,

But you prepare a place

For the splendor of spring

And its bounteous increase

While using the seemingly dull and sad fragments

As manna.

I close my eyes and look with my soul,

Taking a deep breath

I can almost smell the increase,

The new life,

As I smile at the beauty

Of eternity . . .

With YOU.

By Martha L Shaw – Copyright 10-22-12

Marked As His

Becoming

Soft lips touch my finger.

Teeth grip my knuckle.

Smiling eyes . . .

New tooth coming!

Marked by love.

By Martha L Shaw – © 11-24-2013

It Doesn’t Have To Be!

When my new sweater didn’t fit properly, I was quick to return it for the right one.  When the new gallon of milk didn’t smell fresh, I quickly brought it back for another.  It never occurred to me in either case to decide that, though not as they should be, they were good enough.  Why then do I accept a life that is only “good enough” when it doesn’t fit?  Why do I settle for okay?

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

We were created for greatness.  We were made in the image of God.  Greatness is in our DNA.  As we begin Advent and a new year and with it another new opportunity to regroup, to reevaluate, and to re-create ourselves, let’s look beyond society’s expectations and  limitations.  Let’s turn inward.  Let’s look to our hearts, our souls, and our dreams.  Don’t settle.  You were made for MUCH MORE than that.  Be truly realistic!   Our God is AMAZING and through Him we can be as well!

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Birth of a Season

Autumn has come

And the leaves in all their glorious splendor

Wither and move along

To prepare a place for something more!

But do the old leaves die?

Oh, no!

They only rest in the damp, cool earth

And wait to feed and live on

In the branches and buds of a new season

yet to come!

By Martha L Shaw – © 9-10-2013 – Words and Image

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

Love this challenge!  Getting lost in the details means, to me, an invitation to slow down a bit and appreciate God’s creation at a deeper level than I normally would in this rush and hurry world.

Hope of Spring

Copyright 3-1-2013 – Martha L Shaw

Hope of Spring

My heart,

Still chilled from the long hard winter,

Fluttered just a bit

At the sight of

A simple, tiny flower

Poking its pretty face

Above the cold ground

By the rocks and trees

In the woods nearby.

Smiling,

I realize the coldness in my heart,

Like the snow,

Has begun to melt.

By Martha L Shaw © 3-1-2013