writing – You’ve Got A Friend

Find me in the river

Find me on my knees

I’ve walked against the water

Now I’m waiting if you please

We’ve longed to see the roses

But never felt the thorns

And bought our pretty crowns

But never paid the price

Find me in the river

Find me there

Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare

Even though you’re gone

And I’m cracked and dry

Find me in the river

I’m waiting here

Find me in the river

Find me on my knees

I’ve walked against the water

Now I’m waiting if you please

We didn’t count on suffering

We didn’t count on pain

But if there are blessings in the valley

Then in the river I will wait

Find me in the river

Find me there

Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare

Even though you’re gone

And I’m cracked and dry

Find me in the River

I’m waiting here

Find me in the river

Find me there

Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare

Even though you’re gone

And I’m cracked and dry

Find me in the river

I’m waiting here for you

Come find me here

Find me in the river

Find me here for you

Oh wash over me

Find me here

~Find Me In The River, 1995,

Delirious?

Yesterday, WordPress sent me a notification of two of my posts from 8/15 from years past. One of them was called Find Me In the River…based on the 1995 Delirious? song. It reminded me of how hard it can be waiting for answers and difficult circumstance to change. Sometimes waiting is all we can do. We might be parched and thirsty, but we have to continue to wait and go through the process. We have to sow our tiny mustard seed of faith, even if we feel like it’s barely there. We aren’t truly alone even if we feel like it. It’s okay to plant our seeds even through our tears.

Seeds aren’t picky about moisture, and tears can be a catalyst for growth.

This morning, I ran across the following devotion and wanted to share it. I hope it encourages you to keep pressing on.

Blessings.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Tears of Faith (YouVersion Bible Devotional)

Have you ever had your heart broken? Or your dreams shattered? Or had your plans crushed by reality?

That happened to the Jewish people when they were forced to leave their homes and become exiles in a foreign land. Their grief was surely deep and their questions surely plenty, but even their tears couldn’t stop new growth.

Recorded in Psalm 126, regarding the time “when the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem…”

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126:5 NLT‬‬

Like the Israelites, you might be in a season of unexpected sadness, but joy, fruit, and abundance are waiting on the other side.

Are you worried about someone in your family? Are you frustrated with someone at work? Are you devastated or numb regarding a situation in your life? Are you baffled by what you see on the news? Is your health failing you? Is this season not quite what you’d hoped?

Maybe you truly want to make a difference and you want the people around you to know God, but it’s hard—because you’re trudging forward through tears.

The great news is, seeds aren’t picky about moisture, and tears can be a catalyst for growth.

Like any good book or movie, there’s conflict before there’s resolution. Like a woman in labor, there’s pain before there’s new life. Like a prisoner, there’s the angst of captivity before there’s the relief of freedom. Like any real farmer knows, there’s dirt and sweat before there’s any kind of harvest.

We don’t always get to choose the environment in which we sow seeds. But regardless, we—people made in the image of God—are called to love Him and love people, to be fruitful and multiply, to go and make disciples, and to trust Him with our grief.

Joy is often preceded by tears, which should give us great hope.

So, let’s continue to do the good work God has put before us. Let’s continue to plant seeds in faith, even through tears. Let’s honor Him as we sow our seeds and trust Him with the harvest.

If You Want Me To (Ginny Owens)

The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear

And I don’t know the reason why You brought me here

But just because You love me the way that You do

I’m gonna walk through the valley if You want me to

‘Cause I’m not who I was when I took my first step

And I’m clinging to the promise You’re not through with me yet

So if all of these trials bring me closer to You

Then I will go through the fire if You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen

When You lead me through a world that’s not my home

But You never said it would be easy

You only said I’ll never go alone, yeah oh oh

So when the whole world turns against me and I’m all by myself

And I can’t hear You answer my cries for help

I’ll remember the suffering Your love put You through

And I will go through the valley if You want me to

I’ve had this blog for several years, but for the last couple of years at least, I haven’t written much here. Life has been “lifeing” and I haven’t really made it a priority. However, I’ve been surprised, honestly, about views I continue to get without writing new content. I was recently told by a reader that my blog was “interesting and intelligent.” It surprised me a little and it caused me to consider writing more frequently. I have plenty to share still, and honestly if what I have to say encourages even one person, I think it’s worth taking the time to post my thoughts here. So lately, several areas of my life have been really, really tough. Quite honestly, I’m at a loss of how to improve the situations in those areas. I feel stuck and pretty discouraged about the circumstances.

My youngest child, a 13-year old with autism, loves to take car rides every evening. He won’t let me forget and always approaches me in the afternoon or evening and says “car ride?”. I almost always make sure he gets his evening trip and we listen to music while we are riding. Sometimes we listen to kids songs, love songs, or classical music, but many times we listen to praise and worship radio on Pandora. I’ll be honest, sometimes the tears start when I’m listening and singing along. Sometimes I pray out loud. Sometimes I don’t say anything. There are times when I’m quiet and I feel God speak gently to my heart. Recently, I had one of those moments during the evening drive. God placed a song in my mind that I hadn’t heard in years called “If You Want Me To”. The artist who sings the song is blind. Her name is Ginny Owens and I heard her perform live once when I was in college….many years ago. At the time I was going through a really devastating break up and had some depression to go along with it. I had the chance to speak to Ginny and tell her that her song had encouraged me and inspired me to keep going even while in the middle of the valley. God brought the song to my memory recently out of nowhere. I believe that was a sign to share the song here, today. If you’re going through a really dark, hard place, you’re never walking alone. God guides our paths and even carries us when we aren’t even aware. While we are never promised an easy life free from problems, we can take comfort in the fact that we never walk through the difficulties alone.

Blessings.

Your friend,

Tiffany