Phoenix rising out of the ashes

I once heard someone say that he didn't know where the conversation was going; well, I don't really know where this blog is going but I have been wanting to write more. it has been a long time since I connected through my writing and it is time for that to come back. I think today I am realizing how the little joys of life get us through the bigger, harder times of life. Its the sunshine on our shoulders while perched in the backyard on the grass; its the father pigeon that keeps tucking his wife in with new twigs and leaves to keep her and the nest safe; its the notes of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata played on the piano, or the simple joy of walking, being grateful for legs to walk with, arms to play the piano with and fingers to write with. Sometimes its the little things that get us through.

Sometimes its the little things that keep us sane. Sometimes the world seems to spin so fast around us that we spend our lives playing catch up to some great need to be perfect, to do the best, to be the best. But what if that is all wrong? What if instead, we are meant to walk around with perfectly imperfect lives and through our own brokenness learn to reach out to others and seek solitude together. What if, somehow, God transforms our brokenness into something he can use for his glory--a light that explodes the darkness, a light that explodes the past, what we thought was real, and instead gives us a new perspective? Sometimes I think we look at life all wrong, like we are trying to see it through rose colored glasses, when God is saying gently, "no, my child, remove your glasses and see the world as I see it. See your brokenness and pain, and see how I want to transform it into something beautiful." Sometimes I think I hold onto that hope, that God will take my own pain, my own struggles and transform them into something beautiful--a phoenix rising out of the ashes if you will. Sometimes I think we all have to cling to that, because if we didn't we would miss out on the beauty of life and the joy that life can bring. Sometimes we have to open ourselves up to something bigger than ourselves in order to understand the beauty and the joy. And if we do, if we choose to surrender, to move through the pain, I think God draws us closer to him and our hearts begin to beat in tune with his, to his song, instead of our own.