I watched as the day was drawn to a close.
Evening descended as I lay in the grass. Looking up to the vast expanse.
A beautiful sapphire sky.
A refreshing perspective to glean every now and then.
The stark alabaster bark of the aged sycamore tree, almost glowing.
High above, the sweet scent of basswood blossoms. Their lingering fragrance drifts down to meet me. Delicate peach-colored blooms fluttering in unison with their green, leafy counterparts.
Orioles swoop and fly among the treetops.
Hummingbirds dart with lightning speed.
And hawks, stories above, float effortlessly catching the wind currents carrying them into the infinite blue.
Hours later the air cools with the setting sun.
Then, rising from the tall grasses an annual feast for the eyes.
Flickering at dusk.
Tiny little lanterns.
Illuminating the hush of a periwinkle sky.
Fireflies.
Oh…the magic of a summer night in June!
Today my mind was clear and free. Like that soaring hawk.
But it hasn’t always been this way.
I remember a winter wish from twenty years ago when I prayed for peace in my head.
Truly.
I had been swirling in a sea of anxiety for months. I could barely catch my breath. A frenzied rush of emotions uncontrolled. An assembly of anguish and constant flurry of fear.
Panic attacks and night-time terror.
I was aching for quiet.
Desperate for a moment absent of thought.
…
The decades between chaos and calm for me were many.
It has been a long and sometimes arduous journey to rediscovering the magic of this life.
Seeing the everyday beauty.
Finding again, my grateful heart.
I have finally arrived here and it is only by God’s overwhelming grace.
I look at the world my Sweet Louise lives in today. The challenges of this life parallel my turmoil all those years ago.
In a world so divided, how do we conjure up the joy of innocence?
We live in a place of palpable anger.
Political unrest. Social unease.
This existence can feel on the verge of coming completely undone.
Totally unraveled.
We grapple for a remedy to delay the discomfort. A plan to postpone the pain.
But it’s there. Repeating.
We turn to outlets for understanding. Instead of gleaning insight, we are bombarded with images of hatred. Cries of calamity. Messages that further tear at the fabric of humanity.
We can find ourselves exhausted.
We try to assimilate the fragments of a shattered system where values are lost.
Kindness absent.
How then, do we grasp a thread of simplicity?
How do we step off the perpetual ride that makes us feel sick?
The reality: the magic isn’t gone.
Our world just hides it.
Our world cursed by sin. This world that God intended to be like Heaven for us all. Now a world catastrophically broken.
Days distorted.
Dreams dismayed.
The playground of the enemy. Or so he thinks.
But our Father God is faithful.
He cares for our aching hearts. He sees our suffering and as a loving father lifts his child out of the misery, so too, have we been offered a way out.
A route in the shape of the Cross.
Psalm 27: 12-14
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Becoming keen observers, we can find traces of tranquility in our days.
We just need to know where to look and what to do.
Like my time spent lying in the grass, a change of perspective can open our eyes to His wonders. Walking with our Jesus, He gives us new eyes with which to view this life.
A different angle.
Is it possible that the chains that bind us could be partly of our own doing?
If so, then the counterpart to that truth is it that we also hold the key.
The key to release.
To freedom.
The key ~ our free will.
The power to choose.
…
We need not look far to see how radical disagreement can create a hostile disparity in the world. And information of this chaos travels to us through media.
Convoluted communication.
Twisted interpretations.
The enemy will use whatever he can to weaken our awareness of the Savior in our midst. Wanting us to believe that this is all there is.
This perpetual feeding of lies.
The brainwashing.
The rhetoric.
But remember…we have been given the key.
When we turn the latch and push open the door, we are able see what’s actually happening before us. And we recognize our ability to choose another way.
For there is no one commanding us to turn on the television.
No one tying us to our phones and social media accounts.
Not even someone coercing us to pick up the newspaper.
This internal struggle that we feel is not about you. Or me. Or anything else. It is about the powers and principalities in opposition.
The war of good and evil.
It is the enemy who calls us to these distractions.
…
When we close out the screen, we open up our time and our hearts to those around us.
When we put down the paper, we pick up an opportunity for breath.
When we shut off the television, we turn on to life.
Real life.
When we dare ourselves to step outside the conventional spheres of existence, we step into His world.
Into quiet.
And suddenly…magic reappears.
The more often we take the proverbial road less traveled, the more we can see.
Clarity settles in.
A new landscape appears.
Not only does this change our life, but our children as well.
They are constantly observing us. When we choose an alternative to the conventional world, so too do they begin to question the cyclical conjuring of confusion in this physical existence.
Questioning the lies of the enemy.
Deepening their faith. Cultivating a lifetime of trust in our Savior.
The chains of this life can not only be challenged.
In Christ, they have been overcome.
The war has already been fought, and God has won!
…
Just one day this week…step outside, away from the hustle and bustle of the day.
Go see it for yourself.
Consider the great towering of trees that surround us. Beautiful living marvels of His Creation ~ providing fresh air to breathe.
Shade for rest.
And shelter for our weary bodies.
The Creator of the universe is the artist who composed this masterpiece.
And He is the same One who loves us to the depths of the oceans.
Can we trust Him enough to provide for us?
He promises a pardon of peace away from the pain of this-worldly existence.
He declares protection from our foes.
Freedom from fear in the struggles of our lifetime.
The wondrous story of healing in my life took many years. But from sleepless nights of desperation, God delivered me to a mind that is free.
Once a trapped soul, now redeemed to delight in His Glory.
In this transformation of my life His great faithfulness can be seen!
What are the stories of your journey?
…
When we step back from our lives every now and then, we can gain a broader view.
See with a wider lens.
Obtain a better vantage point.
And in that scope, we can recount the ways that He has loved and protected us. We can see His provision.
We recognize His amazing Grace that covers our days.
Matthew 6:26-27
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Time ticks on and into the wee hours as I watch the last of the fireflies glow.
I sit in the midst of this quiet beauty. The Big Dipper shines overhead against a vast and dark ocean of sky.
Silence permeates the night.
Then out of the darkness… the call of a loon.
An extended guest on the lake this year.
I think he’s saying ‘goodnight’.
…
So I whisper to you across the miles and between these lines.
“Sweet dreams, my friend.”
I pray that you take some time to unplug from this world and find God’s incredible goodness in your life.
May you be stilled by moments of awe and dazzled by wonder.
As you begin to recognize the magic in your story.
My Sweet Louise 
Please share your thoughts.