Making space for joy

All is quiet on the home front for a little while. Our sweet twelve week old grandson sleeps sound, his exhausted mother rests, father and grandpa are shopping, the washing machine whirrs soft and I am alone.

I sense room to breathe, exhale tension and tiredness and inhale grace. Make space for Holy Spirit utterance. Lean in and listen for His voice. 

See a gap calling me to pause. Be still. Rest easy.

My mind rolls over the last few busy days of meeting, greeting, welcoming, sharing meals, sharing life, being family.

And gratitude seeps into my spirit. Soothes those long parched places. Brings lightness, joy and peace.

At moments like this I am glad to be alive. Feel blessed beyond measure. 

So I sit and savour the moment ~ all the more delightful for its rarity.

Consider the way we all stoop to see to this beautiful little boy who melts hearts with a smile, causes happy creased up faces and laugh-out-loud moments with his gestures and coos. 

Serving his needs is a pleasure. At this early stage, cries only enhance the desire to comfort and console one too young to speak out his needs. 

And I revel in the fact that being a grandma means all of the joy and none of the sleepless nights and heavy responsibility!

We all delight in him and rejoice over him with singing. Just as God does with us.

Jesus bent low to come to Earth as a tiny dependent infant. Yet He willingly chose to share our humanity. Become frail flesh for our sake. 

Our Servant-King. Still serving us from on high. Still bending low to see to our needs, as Mary and Joseph once did for him. The Christ-child become Messiah, Lord and King. 

Leaning close to befriend, coming alongside to comfort and support, offering Himself continually. 

We are God's children. As weak and dependent as babes in arms. Even when adult and supposedly strong, our neediness of Him doesn't change. It just becomes more obvious. Feels more humiliating. Requires more from us. 

Surrender and servanthood remain defining characteristics of Christ ~ and His followers.

As a person needing a lot of support myself due chronic health problems, if I get an opportunity to serve the needs of others in whatever capacity I can then I do it happily and willingly. 

And this little fellow has so captured my heart that I'll go way beyond my normal capacities to offer him love and embrace his life with grace.

I'm discovering holy ground is anywhere heaven touches earth ~ in the banal, beautiful, breathtaking and bizarre.

Moments of magic midst the mundane. Gifts of glory in the commonplace. Joy springing up in dark spaces as bulbs rise eager to greet sunlight.

Finding calm can replace chaos and peace pervade the everyday pain and problems.

We tread mindful of mercy in all our days and ways. Feel nourished by His presence. 

Our lives becoming mirrors to reflect His glory. 

Joy given is joy multiplied. In the service of our Lord and KIng we bring our live's daily offerings and experience them increase beyond measure. 

More given than we ever expect. Making space for God is no hardship when He enlarges our capacity for sensing joy in His presence. 

So I sit a while. Inhale and exhale. Remembering my grandson's sweet baby smell reminds me of the fragrance of grace seeping into everywhere we offer space. Give room for Holy Spirit to move in. 

I listen to the whirring washing machine and I realise I am also listening to my life. Hearing the holy whispers. Pausing to pray grateful for it all. 

Aware that this moment will never come again.

And being surprised by how good it sounds. 

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*Note* This was written in snatches of time over a busy few days with our family visiting. I just felt the joy of the occasion was too good not to share. I hope you are blessed in the reading of it and encouraged to make space for God and for joy in your own life.
Joining with friends:Holley, Nacole and Jennifer