Strength Will Rise

I always struggle at this time of year.

When it's dark by the time I get home from work and it's cold outside, all I feel like doing in the evenings is curling up on the sofa with a film or a good book or taking a nap.

I feel so lethargic and sleepy.

I feel tired and weary.

And I wonder if I will ever feel energetic again.

The Bible talks about these feelings of exhaustion and shows us that God can restore our energy when we are run down and worn out.

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

[Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV]

I long to run and not grow weary and to walk and not be faint. But that only comes when I trust in the Lord and put my hope in Him.

I need to trust in Him and rely on His strength, instead of relying on my own.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.

Il Dolce Far Niente

Il dolce far niente.

The sweetness of doing nothing.

I'm always envious of those people who seem to enjoy doing nothing.  Not always doing nothing, but having guilt-free moments of doing nothing.  Just resting, relaxing, enjoying the company of others, or enjoying being by themselves.

 

I am not very good at doing that.

 

I am usually too busy trying to do something, trying to be busy.  Even when I am 'resting', I will be thinking about other things, or I will check my phone, or my emails or do a bit of internet shopping.

 

I am the queen of multi-tasking.

 

I struggle to separate my worth and my value from what I do.  I think that the more I do, the more valuable I will be.  The more God will approve of me.  I struggle to feel valuable or approved when I am doing nothing.

 

But I'm getting better.

 

I'm learning that I am not defined by what I do or don't do, and am allowing myself to have moments of doing nothing.  And to actually enjoy them.

 

I love this verse which talks about being in the moment and forgetting everything else, to enjoy God's presence.

 

"Now listen daughter, don't miss a word: forget your country, put your home behind you.  Be here - the King is wild for you."

 

[Psalm 45:11 MSG]

 

I love this translation.

 

Be here.  The King is wild for you.

 

God is wild for me.  When I am doing nothing.  When I am enjoying doing nothing.

 

Nothing I do changes the way He feels about me.

 

 

 

 

Levelling The Ground

I thought the building work opposite my flat had come to a bit of a stand-still when I glanced out of the window earlier.  I couldn't see any builders and there was no obvious work going on.

 

However I soon realised that, whilst things near my flat have stopped, the builders have been focusing their attention on the opposite end of the building site.  The building site is on a hill and the ground is much lower at the opposite end. 

 

Whilst they have stopped work at my end (or have slowed down at least), they have been working frantically at the opposite end to make the ground level.  They have built the foundations up by about 10 feet, so that the flats will be level.

 

I have written a lot about building and construction work lately and about the need to have firm foundations. 

 

Sometimes that means levelling the ground - sanding down the bits that are too tall and building up the bits that are lacking.  Sometimes we have uneven ground and we need to fill in the gaps before we can start building.

 

The Bible talks about making the ground level -

 

      "Every valley shall be raised up,
      every mountain and hill made low;
      the rough ground shall become level,
      the rugged places a plain."

 

      [Isaiah 40:4 NIV]

 

I feel that I have needed to raise up lots of valleys and make a lot of rough ground level recently, so that I can start building again.  But I can't do it myself.  I need God to be my builder. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wardrobe Of Our Thoughts

I bought the film 'Eat, Pray, Love' the other day and am just rewatching it this evening.

 

It's about a woman who is dissatisfied with her life in New York and decides to travel to Italy, India and Bali to find herself again.

 

At one point, when she is on a spiritual retreat in India, a man she has sort of befriended tells her she has to start choosing what thoughts to 'put on' in the same way that she chooses what clothes to wear.

 

I don't spend very long choosing what to wear in the mornings.  The formula is simple: always work from the feet up.  Is it raining or freezing?  Yes - boots and something that will go with boots.  No - heels (or sandals in the summer) and something that will go with heels.

 

But when it comes to our thoughts, too easily we let ourselves think things without thinking about them - we think without thinking.

 

We throw on any old thoughts, regardless of whether they are flattering or 'our size' or if they suit us.  We put our thoughts on without wondering if they are true.

 

I have recently challenged myself to stop using the word 'should' in my own thoughts and conversations with myself.  'Should' makes me feel as though I am obliged to do something and I don't measure up.  'Should' suggests I fall short.  'Should' makes me feel that there is only one right and perfect way of doing things.

 

As someone who is trying to break free from the hold of perfectionism and the feeling that there is always only one right way of doing something, eliminating 'Should' has been a big help.

 

Now, I find myself thinking, "I could have done that" or "I would like to do this".

 

I have started to rethink my thinking.

 

The Bible talks about taking control over our thoughts and rethinking our thinking:

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

 

[2 Corinthians 10:1-6 NIV]
 

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

If my thoughts - about myself and other people - don't measure up or match what Christ thinks, I need to change them, to make them line up with what God says. 

I need to rethink my thinking. 

 

What Do I Really Want?

I always find it difficult compiling a list of suggested presents for my birthday or Christmas.  Not because I can't think of things, but because I can think of too many things and I feel the need to narrow the list down, so as not to look too greedy.

 

It is easy to make a long list of all sorts of frivolous things that I would like. Things which would feel like a treat, because I don't really need them but they're pretty. Or things which I do need, but can't really afford.

 

I find myself asking What do I really want?  

 

Jesus asks us the same thing.

 

John recounts how John the Baptist's followers saw Jesus one day and started following him.

 

"Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?'”

[John 1:38 NIV]

 

And He asks us the same thing.  What do you want?

To know He exists?  To know He cares?  To know forgiveness?  To be able to forgive?  To feel loved?  To have a new job, or a new car, or a new house?  To have more money?  To move beyond just surviving?

 

Often, we don't know what we really want.  Or we don't want to admit what we really want.  Especially as Christians - sometimes our 'wants' can seem not 'Christian' enough. 

But Jesus sees into the heart of things and He wants us to share our dreams and our desires with Him, regardless of how 'Christian' they might seem.

 

Paul urges us to share our whole hearts with God:

 

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

[Philippians 4:6 NLT]

 

So, what do you really want?

 

 

 

Why Tidying Is Not Always A Good Thing

Whenever people come round to my flat, I always feel the need to tidy things up a bit - even if all I do is 'neaten' the mess.

 

The other day, before a friend came round, I only had time to complete one task.  I found myself thinking: I'll do the washing up rather than the ironing.  Having my washing out is a sign that I am clean - I have done my washing.  But having dirty dishes stacked up seems dirty and unclean.

 

I made my mess 'acceptable'.

 

Or if I haven't had time to tidy, I find myself apologising and telling people to forgive or ignore the mess.

 

I was challenged today by how I do this spiritually as well: I present my 'problems' in a tidy package.  I make my mess 'acceptable'.  Or I apologise for it and ask people to ignore it.

 

I was trying to think of what would be an appropriate response to someone seeing the messiness of my life - both the literal mess and the spiritual mess.

 

Asking them to ignore it or forgive it or imagine it's not there is neither possible nor helpful.  Frantically rushing around before they arrive to tidy up (or panicking over unplanned guests), leaves me exhausted and wondering if I've missed a bit.

 

Perhaps a much better response would be to say, Here is my mess, please could you help me sort it out?

 

I want to be honest about my struggles and my mess.  Because in honesty there is freedom.  And because no one can help you clear up the mess if you don't let them see it.

 

The Psalmist wrote,

 

"And me?  I'm a mess.  I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me. You can do it; you've got what it takes."

 

[Psalm 40:17 MSG] 

 

God does have what it takes to make something of us.  But first we have to acknowledge and own our mess.  Rather than hiding it, or ignoring it and asking others to ignore it too.

 

 

 

Considerate Construction

I noticed this morning that there is a new sign on the building site opposite my flat: "Considerate Constructors".

 

According to the poster, their aim is to 'Improve the image of construction.'

 

I'm not quite sure what that will look like in practice [perhaps  fewer builder's bums around?]

 

However, the phrase 'Considerate Constructor' reminded me of this passage in Isaiah:

 

       "As a young man marries a young woman,
       so will your Builder marry you;

       as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
       so will your God rejoice over you."

 

       [Isaiah 62:5 NIV]

 

Isaiah compares God to a builder, to a constructor.  He describes how God's relationship with His people - with Israel - is not just of a husband and a wife, but of a builder who is lovingly restoring His people.

 

God is in the business of construction.  Construction and reconstruction.

 

However, whilst He is in the construction business, God is a considerate and compassionate and courteous builder.  He doesn't knock things down or bulldoze them or raze them to the ground and leave them.

 

He gently and patiently and lovingly restores us.

 

He is our Considerate Constructor.

 

 

 

The Still Small Voice

I spent this afternoon in a very noisy coffee shop with a couple of friends. The coffee shop was having the toilet fixed and the sound of the drill was deafening.

However, despite the noise, we still managed to hear each other - mostly with the help of lip-reading. We had to sit close enough to hear and to read what each other was saying. To read their lips and their facial expressions too.

We often complain about not hearing God, or not being sure of what He's saying. Often His voice can be too easily drowned out in the deafening din of life - it can be lost to the metaphorical 'drills' of life.

But how often do we draw our chairs right up to Him - as we had to do in the coffee shop - to hear what it is that He wants to say to us? How often do we look into His face so that we can read His lips and hear what it is that He is saying?

The Bible describes God's voice as being the still, small voice amidst the thunderous roar of life:

"The Lord said [to Elijah], 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

[1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV]

God doesn't usually shout.

He whispers, so that we will draw our chairs up close to be near to Him and develop an intimacy with Him.

Empty

Today I feel exhausted and fed up.  I feel empty.

 

My heart feels heavy.

 

Jesus said in Matthew,

 "Out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks."

[Matthew 12:34 AMP]

 

Whatever my heart is filled with - whatever your heart is filled with - whether love, or anger, or envy, or frustration, or grief, this is what overflows and spills out into our words and our actions.  This is what spills out into our lives. 

 

Perhaps that is why the writer of Proverbs urged us to guard our hearts, as they are the wellspring, the source, of all life [Proverbs 4:23].

 

If I am not regularly spending time with God and letting His truths soak into my heart, all I will have to offer - all that will 'flow out of my heart' - is what I can muster up myself.  And on a day like today, that is not very much.

 

We need to keep returning to God and to His Word, to be filled up again and again and again, so that we overflow with His love and grace and acceptance and mercy.

 

For no one else has the words of life.

 

As Simon Peter said,

“Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."

[John 6:68 NIV] 

 

 

 

Let It Rain

I wouldn't feel very British if I didn't post about the weather and the inordinate amount of rain we have experienced over the last few days.

 

Despite the need for rain for watering the ground and helping the crops to grow, most of us would rather it didn't rain.  Ever.

 

I am happy for it to rain when I am inside and warm and I don't have to go out in it.  But when I have to drive in the rain, or walk in it, I hate it.  I hate that it soaks through your clothes and leaves you feeling damp and soggy.  I hate that it takes ages to warm up and dry out again.  I hate that it makes your hair big and fuzzy.

 

I don't often hear myself saying, Let it rain.

 

But these are the words of one of my favourite songs:

 

        "Let it rain, let it rain.

        Open the floodgates of Heaven.

        I feel the rains of your Love,

        I feel the winds of your Spirit .

        And now the heartbeat of heaven,

        Let us hear.

        Let it rain, let it rain.

        Open the floodgates of Heaven."

 

 

The words of this song are based on God's words in Isaiah:

 

       "You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
       let the clouds shower it down.
       Let the earth open wide,
       let salvation spring up,
       let righteousness grow with it;
       I, the Lord, have created it."

 

      [Isaiah 45:8 NIV]

 

 

Whilst we might not like the rain, it can be a sign that reminds us of God's goodness and grace and mercy and loving-kindness and forgiveness.  Falling on us and soaking us to the bone.

 

That's the kind of rain I want to be drenched in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love Letters

I have been watching the film 'Dear John' this evening.  I joined it halfway through, so I'm not 100% sure what's happening, but I think I'm just about up to speed.

 

At the heart of the story is a young couple, separated by distance, who write to each other (or, to be properly American, write each other).

 

The letters are filled with messages of love between the couple and stories from their days.

 

When we talk about prayer, this is what I picture.  Not a stuffy ritual.  Not a list of wishes or wants.  Not a hands-together-and-eyes-shut affair.  But messages of love between us and God.

 

This is how Jesus taught us to pray -

 

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.  The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  Don’t fall for that nonsense.  This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply."

 

[Matthew 6:6-13 MSG]

 

When we write letters to those we love, we don't try to show off or pretend we're someone we're not.  We don't hide the truth.  We express ourselves honestly and openly.  We share our hearts and we share our love.

 

God speaks to us through prayer, but He also speaks to us through the Bible.  His Word is a love letter [there is a brilliant and beautiful description of the Bible as God's love letter to us on this website - http://www.fathersloveletter.com/text.html].

 

God loves us and wants us to know the love He has for us.  He has already written to us.

 

We simply need to open the letter.

 

 

 

 

 

Make A Meal Of It

I have just spotted that the yoghurt I bought yesterday has the phrase "Eat well, feel uplifted" on the lid.

 

That's a pretty bold claim.

 

I have definitely experienced some degree of uplifting from a satisfying meal - a warming casserole on a winter's night; hot bread or cake straight from the oven; butter melting down the sides of a jacket potato (I am making myself hungry just writing those).  But I'm not sure that food can really uplift us in the long-term.

 

I love it when supermarkets have samples of food - pieces of cake, cubes of cheese, sometimes even thimbles of something alcoholic.

 

However, whilst these are tasty, they are not a meal in themselves.

 

They don't satisfy.

 

They whet our appetite and create a longing for something more.

 

In the same way, if we just sample snippets of God's word, nibbling our way through odd passages here and there, we will never feel satisfied.  We won't be truly uplifted.

 

We need to take the time to sit down and 'eat' God's word.  We need to make space to savour His words and chew things over.  We need to be like the Psalmist who said, 

 

        "You thrill to God's Word,
        you chew on Scripture day and night."

 

        [Psalm 1:2 MSG]

 

Or,

 

       "I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
       I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
       I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
       I won’t forget a word of it."

 

       [Psalm 119:16 MSG]

 

 

We need to make a meal out of God's word.  Not just a snack, which staves off our hunger for a short while, but doesn't really satisfy.  But a sit-down, take-your-time, three-course meal.

 

Yes, it's more effort.  But it is also more satisfying.

 

And, like any really good meal, it leaves us wanting more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single-Minded Pursuit

I watched the film 'Mr Bean's Holiday' this afternoon.  I've never seen it before, so I had it on in the background whilst I was doing other things.

 

He wins a holiday to Cannes in the south of France, but inevitably struggles to get there in a straightforward manner.

 

At one point in the film, he has mistakenly taken the wrong taxi across Paris and ended up in the furthest place from where he wanted to be: Gare de Lyon station.  He finds a tourist 'You are Here ' map and locates where he currently is in comparison to the station.

 

Once he realises he is as far away as he possibly could be, he sets his compass for the direction of Gare de Lyon and begins walking.

 

And he walks in a completely straight line.

 

In true Bean style, he stops walking when a stationary pedestrian is in his way and he waits for the pedestrian to move.  When he encounters a row of benches, he simply walks over them.

 

He walks along main roads, in the middle of traffic and nearly causes many accidents as cars swerve to avoid hitting him.

 

He is a man on a mission and several scenes later he arrives at Gare de Lyon.

 

He pursues his mission single-mindedly and he doesn't veer off course until he reaches his destination.

 

Yesterday I wrote about God guiding us along the path to everlasting life.  But it's not enough to just have the path mapped out for us.  We need to walk in it.

 

The Psalmist advises a similar, single-minded pursuit to that seen by Bean:

"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.  You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.  That's right - you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set [...] I’m single-minded in pursuit of you."

 

[Psalm 119:1-3, 9 MSG] 

 

 

How do we stay on course?

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in."

 

[Hebrews 12:2 MSG] 

 

This is the kind of pursuit I want to have.  This is the single-mindedness I want. 

 

The path is before me.  I have only to walk in it.

 

 

 

 

 

Instant Upgrade

I have spent part of this morning updating all of the apps on my phone.

 

I have had notifications for weeks that there were new versions available and I have ignored them.  But something this morning moved me to action.

 

I'm not sure that they were all necessary, but I am now fully up-to-date (for the time being).

 

About a year ago, I attempted to update the software on my phone.  However, far from being the quick and simple task that I had imagined (and which I have enjoyed this morning), after four hours, not only had my phone not updated, it had crashed and frozen.

 

I had lost all of the data on my phone.

 

Apparently my laptop only had USB ports and not USB2 ports (who knew they existed?) and so the information couldn't be transferred because the USB port wasn't powerful enough (I'm sure it's more technical than that, but that was what I gleaned after many hours on the phone to the help desk).

 

Eventually - after locating a computer with the sacred USB2 ports - I was able to save most of my data and upgrade it.

 

However, since then, although I have upgraded the apps on my phone, I have avoided upgrading the software.  I don't want to risk losing everything again.

 

I think sometimes with spiritual growth and self-awareness, we have a similar approach: we hope that there will be some sort of 'Instant Download' or 'Instant Upgrade' that we can install in our hearts with very little effort or fuss.

 

The fear in engaging properly is that, as with my phone, the 'upgrading' process might wipe all of our previous data.  It might not be a simple task, we might have to re-enter some things and accept that other things are lost.

 

It might change us.

 

When David prayed and asked God to search and test his heart, he knew that it would be uncomfortable and would change him.

 

        "Search me, O God, and know my heart;
        test me and know my anxious thoughts.
        Point out anything in me that offends you,
        and lead me along the path of everlasting life."

 

        [Psalm 139:23-24 NLT]
 

Point out anything in me that offends you.

 

I'm not sure I like that prayer.

 

It is much more comfortable and much easier and far less time-consuming to simply not bother.  So what if we don't have the latest upgrade?  Are we really missing out? 

 

Lead me along the path of everlasting life.

 

If I want to walk in the path of life, I need to choose to engage with the process of 'upgrading', no matter how time-consuming or costly or inconvenient it is.  No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, or how much effort it takes.

 

If I want the full, whole life that Jesus came to give me, I need to wrestle with the issues that are holding me back.  No matter what it takes.


 

 

 

Presents and Presence

As Christmas creeps on to the horizon (and, more importantly, my birthday), thoughts turn to presents.

 

You have perhaps seen the play on words in wedding or birthday invitations: It's your presence we want, not your presents.*  Or No presents thanks, it's your presence that counts!

 

There is something powerful and significant about our presence - about being present in a situation.  Not just being there in person, whilst our hearts or minds are distracted.  But being really present.

 

When we are really present, we can connect with people properly.  We are completely focused on them.  We can listen to what they're saying and what they're not saying, but longing for us to hear. 

 

When we are really present, we share something of ourselves with others.

 

It's the same with the presence of God, too.

 

When we enter His presence, we learn something of who He is. 

 

I have had the words of two songs about being in God's presence on my heart for the last few days.

 

The first is 'I Love Your Presence':

 

         "In the glory of Your presence
         I find rest for my soul
         In the depths of Your love
         I find peace
         Makes me whole

         I love, I love, I love Your presence
         I love, I love, I love Your presence
         I love, I love, I love You Jesus
         I love, I love, I love Your presence."

 

And the second is from 'Set a Fire' by United Pursuit Band:

       "No place I would rather be,

       No place I would rather be,

       No place I would rather be,

       Than here in your love,

       Here in your love."

 

This desire to be in God's presence is something that David understood.

 

        "The one thing I ask of the Lord —
        the thing I seek most—
        is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
        delighting in the Lord's perfections
        and meditating in his Temple."

 

       [Psalm 27:4 NLT]

 

Is this really the one thing I want?  The one thing I desire?  Is it the thing I seek the most?  Is there really no place I would rather be?

 

I'm not sure.  Probably not.  But I want to want it to be.  For it is in God's presence that we find rest for our souls and peace that makes us whole.

 

It is in God's presence that we find ourselves. 

 

 

 

 

*FYI This doesn't swing with me, I'm much more of a presents girl.

 

 

Creativity and Perfection

I love all creative things.  I love creating.

 

I have listened to a fascinating talk this evening by Julie Burstein about creativity and the tension in creativity between what we can control and what we have to let go of.

 

She describes how when we are creative, we can't control everything - we have to let go of some things.  If we have a strict idea of what we want to achieve and what we want our creativity to look like, we will restrict ourselves and our creativity.

 

Creativity and perfectionism are often enemies.

 

I remember in Art GCSE at school my Art teacher telling us how she had been at a workshop and each person had to paint something.  They were asked to pause after about 20 minutes and share with the rest of the group which part of their painting they liked the most.

 

They all proudly pointed out which bits they thought were best and explained why.

 

And then the tutor asked them to paint over those perfect parts - to wipe them away - and to continue painting.

 

You can imagine my teacher's feelings as she was asked to paint over what she perceived to be the best part of her work.

 

But she said that after wrestling with the idea, when she did finally paint over the 'perfect' bit, she was much freer in her painting.  She wasn't limited or restricted by trying to make the rest of the painting as 'perfect' as the small bit she was proud of.

 

If we hold on to the idea of doing something (anything) perfectly, it will stand in the way of real creativity.  We will tiptoe around the perfect bits, scared to disrupt or ruin them.

 

Scott Adams says,

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes."

 

Or perhaps we could say, Creativity is allowing yourself the freedom to be less than perfect.

 

As someone who has spent a long time trying (and obviously failing) to be perfect, this is so freeing.  I want to be creative, I want to be free to make mistakes.

 

Paul urged the Galatian church,

"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand!  Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you."

 

[Galatians 5:1 MSG]

 

Even something as seemingly good as perfection can become a form of slavery.

 

Let's not let our drive for 'perfection' strip us of our God-given, messy, colouring-outside-the-lines creativity.

 

 

 

 

Autumn

I love this time of year.

 

Every year I am surprised by how bright and vibrant the leaves are on the trees.  Some of them are so beautifully rich that they actually seem to be glowing.

 

I love seeing the leaves on the trees and I love watching them drift silently and slowly to the ground, like snow.  I love kicking through them on the floor and scuffing my boots through huge piles of dried, curling leaves.

 

I love how predictable the trees and plants are through the different seasons - even with our awful British weather. 

 

The Bible talks about their being different times and seasons for things in life too:

 

         "There is a time for everything,
         and a season for every activity under heaven:

         a time to be born and a time to die,
         a time to plant and a time to uproot."

 

         [Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV]

 

We don't tend to think of 'death' as having a season or a purpose.  It usually signifies the end of something.  But when we look at the trees in Autumn, we see that death is part of a necessary cycle.

 

In the film 'Calendar Girls' one of the characters describes this cycle:

"Every stage of their growth has its own beauty, but the last phase is always the most glorious."

 

We don't usually think of death as being beautiful or glorious.  It is something to be mourned and grieved.  But there is a real freedom in stripping away the things in our life which are dead.  Things which have no life left in them. 

 

It may make us feel vulnerable and exposed, in the same way that trees are bare through Winter.  But without shedding that which is dead, we cannot expect and eagerly anticipate new life.