(Raw, soul-expressive poetic meditation from this evening hike, inspired by Psalm 71:19-20 CSB)
Climbing
Consistent climbing
Always climbing
Through the joy
Paired with sorrow
With the laughter
Alongside grief
Keep climbing
You’ll reach the top
And slip back down
Regain your footing
And climb back up
Each climb
A fresh perspective
A warm sunrise
A colorful sunset
A harvest moonrise
A cold moonset
Every step forward
Every stumble backward
God draws us to new heights
To begin again.
The year fades
Seasons turn
Months unfold
And days fly by
With every
Hour
Minute
Second
Until each passes away
To a new beginning
With new height
New depth
To begin again.
“Your righteousness reaches the heights, God, you who have done great things; God, who is like you?
You caused me to experience many troubles and misfortunes, but you will revive me again. You will bring me up again, even from the depths of the earth.”
Holy Week always has a way of drawing my heart to reflect on the raw emotional landscape Jesus modeled, and how it’s healthy for us to do the same.
Longing for His presence
On my hike today, my mind started to wander. I stepped down onto a cluster of rocks where I could stand in a shallow part of Mill Creek.
As I glanced to my right, I gasped—this quiet, majestic gift of a deer instantly calmed my soul.
I found myself meditating on Psalm 42:1-2—
“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. I thirst for God, the living God. . .”
I reflected on this past year and how He’s drawn me closer to His presence and carried me through yet another cycle of highs and lows, as He continues to heal, tend, and transform “My Unruly Garden” (heart posture).
Jesus is a safe space to pour out your emotions
I don’t know what you’re walking through this week, friend. But wherever you are—know that He understands and He’s a safe space to pour it out.
There’s nothing you can feel that He hasn’t already felt, and felt to the fullest extent.
His presence surrounds you whether you’re:
feeling seen, yet misunderstood (Palm Sunday)
flipping tables in righteous anger (Monday)
confronting your own personal “Pharisees” (Tuesday)
feeling overlooked, rejected, or betrayed (Wednesday)
expressing tender, vulnerable love (Thursday)
experiencing suffering or abandonment (Good Friday)
waiting quietly in the tension of the in-between (Saturday)
celebrating restoration and new life (Sunday)
Whatever moment you’re in, I pray that you may know deep in your heart—He’s there to experience it with you.
His presence is a steady stream of living water
And when you get a bit parched in a world that tends to run a bit dry these days, may you discover the treasure of His presence, a steady stream of living water that never runs out.
“But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”
