We hired a babysitter, and we had lunch at a cafe. It had been three months since our last date.

It had been too long since we talked without the looming shadow of our next appointment, or to-do item.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Flickr user vkurland

We sat across each other and smiled, happy to be together. I cut my hamburger in half to share. He shared one of his two fish tacos.

The hamburger was topped with just the right mix of sweet, salty, and a little crunch. I confess I almost didn't share with him.

But love gives, right?

There was no agenda beyond enjoying each other's company. We strolled around downtown, dipped into smooth yogurt, then went for a short hike.

Time sprinted faster than we could walk and talk, and soon it was time to go home.

Although we try to discuss heart issues regularly, and not only the daily schedule, there is no substitute for extended slow time together.

Conversation where we ease into and out of it, as opposed to dashing in and out, creates a deeper connection. Some things can't be microwaved, but need a slow cooker to bring out all the nuances of flavor.

It made me think of how I can dash through my conversations with God. When I rush, it tends toward monologue instead of a dialogue. And I miss out on experiencing the fullness of God's presence.

"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

Life's demands can make extended time with God seem like a luxury, but if I really believe He is Living Water, and the Bread of Life, then it isn't. It is a necessity.

Just like my body needs food and water daily to be healthy, my soul and spirit needs the food of His presence. Jesus alone can fill my deep soul thirst for significance.

Only the Bread of Life can fill my soul's need for unconditional love and acceptance. When I don't let Him feed my soul, then I am more likely to seek after cheap substitutes, or idols.

Idols are anything we deem worthy of our time because we think they give us something we need, apart from God. For example, many seek power because they believe power gives them control and importance.

Or some of us seek perfection because we believe if we are perfect then we can control the outcome of our lives.

When I quiet myself in God's presence, He reminds me what is truly important.

What is seen is temporal, while what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

My eyes constantly see messages that what I really need is what is temporal (a nicer home, a more fit body, more money etc.). There is nothing wrong with the temporal because God does bless us, sometimes, with these temporal blessings.

But my soul needs to be reminded of what is the unseen and the eternal, such as people's souls, and relationships. And I do so is by praying and reading His Word, and/or being with friends, who are also seeking God.

I know some of us may be in a season of life (e.g., caring for an aging parent or a child) where extended time seems impossible. I have been there, but I also know whenever I have longed for God, and asked Him to show me how to do so, He has answered. Creatively. Surprising ways, sometimes disruptively.

And sometimes just the longing can be a reminder of what is important.

God will meet us in whatever seconds or minutes we surrender to Him.

How do you savor your relationship with God? I always learn so much from your comments.

Thank you for your presence here.

Linking with these lovely communities:

Sweet and gifted friend Laura Boggess, 

Linking with encouraging and talented friend Jennifer Dukes Lee,

and the amazing Jen 

Linking with encouraging Emily at "imperfect prose" at

It's Five Minute Fridays, where we write for fun, and/or for free therapy for five minutes. Then we post our unedited work (I correct typos), and we visit the person, who linked up before us.

Our gracious hostess is the encouraging Lisa-Jo, and she selects a word as the guest of honor for each week's writing party.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Flickr user Don McCullough

This week's Guest of Honor is "Song."

Start.

When does God give you a new song? Do you go up to some heavenly jukebox, stick in a prayer coin, and a song plays?

Psalm 40:1-3 gives a surprising answer. In Psalm 40:1-2, the psalmist complains and then calls out to God, and then God answers him, and puts his feet on solid rock.

All after the psalmist struggled in miry clay. Will he stay in the clay? Will we? It may feel at times like we will never get up out of the mud and place our feet on solid ground.

But we can take hope, because in verse 3, the psalmist declares that God has given him a new song to sing, a song of praise to our God.

A new song after the shifting sands and struggles. And it is true.

Some of the people I know in person, and online, who have gone through some of the darkest struggles, and made it through, sing the most beautiful songs.

They tell of how God rescued them, although at times, it seemed as if He had abandoned them. They point to where they were and where they are now because of God's work in their lives.

And when I hear their song, I want to sing along.

So may we be encouraged to know that we will have a new song to sing although our lives may seem song-less and full of sand right now.

STOP.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
² He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.- Psalm 40:1-3 ESV

Prayer:

May you wait patiently for the Lord, as you cry out to Him,

Knowing He will draw you out of the pit, and out of the miry bog,

and set your feet on a rock, so you can walk secure,

May He give you a new song to sing,

a song of praise that will cause many to see and

revere God and trust Him.

P.S. Lisa-Jo's word "Song" reminded me of a promise God gave me last year about giving me a new song to sing, Psalm 40:3. I am singing but I don't feel like I have the whole song yet, just parts...but I am grateful to be singing. Even if it is on and off....

Where do you find yourself along the continuum of Psalms 40:1-3?
What song are you singing today?

Please visit The Gypsy Mama and link up and/or read other entries. 

© Soul Stops/Dolly Lee 2013.

In our world, we see an individual's power shine when s/he wins an Olympic medal. Or a company flexes its power, and dominates an industry.

But in God's kingdom, He says when we give Him our weaknesses then His power is revealed (2 Cor. 12:9).

This is an archived post about how Judy Squier, born without legs, reveals God's power in her weakness surrendered to Him. I needed the reminder today.

Thank you for your patience as I have been thinking a long time about the letter "K."

I had the privilege of hearing Judy (who was born 67 years ago without legs) share her story.  She highlights parts of her life in her memoir, HIS MAJESTY IN BROKENNESS:  Finding God's Masterpiece in Your Missing Piece.  I appreciated her raw honesty and courage as she spoke about her struggles.

Her self-deprecating humor also engaged her listeners.  For example, when stopped by a traffic cop, she answered his question about her height:  "With or without my legs?"  The cop remained poker-faced.  To the question about her weight (since she didn't have her driver's license), she replied: "With or without my legs?"

She gave me a glimpse into her daily struggles because she was born without legs.  When she was ten, she was fitted with artificial legs that she could take on and off as needed.  She stopped using her prosthetic legs when she turned 61 and now uses a wheelchair.

Of course, a wheelchair only works if there is a paved road or street. 

When she went to Romania on a missions trip, she faced an impossible collection of different-sized stones unevenly clumped together over dirt for a path.  The path led to their host, Gog's place, where they would spend the night.

Her response:

"No way could a wheelchair traverse the path.  Sure, in one week I'd become a pro at crawling on and off of Romanian public transportation, but no way could I make it to whatever awaited us at the end of the impassable trail...Maybe I could sleep in the car?...I don't know what broke the logjam.  I think it helped when Grace mentioned that our frustrated host [Gog] had a disabled nineteen-year-old son who he carried regularly.  Would I let him carry me?" (pp. 148-149)

What will Judy do?

"Any other time I would have said Absolutely not but it was almost 10 p.m. and we had to be at the airport in the morning by six...Everyone was shocked, most of all me, when I said I thought we could make it work.  Gog was delighted.  In a flash he squatted down beside the back seat...I hoisted myself up on my stumps, positioned myself as high up on his back as I could, then wrapped my arms around his neck."

After carrying Judy across the path and lowering her gently onto the couch, what was Gog's response?

"...Gog's hands shot heavenward and he shouted praises to God in English, 'Number One, Number One.'  As a fervent prayer flowed from his heart, our hands rose upward in thanksgiving."

Gog continued to serve Judy and the team by preparing their beds, making dinner and cleaning the bathroom.  Afterwards, he took care of his disabled son.  He did all of this cheerfully with a joy that can only come from the Lord.

Before Gog could bless Judy, she had to relinquish her pride and be carried by him.  Likewise, we may have to put down our pride and allow God to carry us when we face our brokenness. 

Maybe you are not missing two legs, but you're missing a loved one, or you suffer from an invisible disability, such as depression.  Maybe you come from a broken family, or you struggle with an addiction. Or maybe you regret bad choices that you've made and the hurt you've caused.

Whatever the cause of your weakness, will you come to God with it, and let Him transform it?

Will you let God use your brokenness to draw you closer to Himself as Judy has?

Will you see your weakness as a doorway to reveal God's power in your life?

Will you let God transform your brokenness into a work of beauty that encourages others?

Please do, the world needs the masterpiece called your new life in Christ.

If we believe God's grace can cover our weaknesses, then we will be like the apostle Paul and boast about our weakness, because it is the doorway through which we allow God's power to shine (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

I ask God for the grace to trust and rely on His all sufficient grace to transform my weaknesses into a showcase for His power. Like Judy.

He alone has the power to take what was broken and make it beautiful. He alone deserves all the praise and the glory.

Will you join me?

Linking with these lovely communities:

Sweet and gifted friend Laura Boggess, 

Linking with encouraging and talented friend Jennifer Dukes Lee,

and the amazing Jen 

Linking with encouraging Emily at "imperfect prose" at

Thanks to Val Chown for the photo of Judy Squier.

© Soul Stops 2011. All Rights Reserved.