Month: April 2013

Will you be my alligator?

On By Charis PsalloIn Photography8 Comments
You Raise me Up
You Raise Me Up

My little granddaughter said to me today, “Nana, lift me up, cause I need to put my dolly on the high shelf.”

I said I would put dolly up there for her if she wanted.

She said, “No. This is my job cause she’s my dolly and I want to make sure she is safe on the high shelf, so will you be my alligator and lift me up so I can do it myself?”

“Your alligator?” I asked.

“Yeah, like the alligator in the hobsible when you get in and the doors close and up you go.”

I placed my hands under her arms and lifted her up above my head. She set her dolly on the high shelf of honour where she would be raised above the threat of the marauding toddler sibling and his friends.

Sometimes the Lord gives us responsibilities for those he places in our care. We know our assignment is to seek their well-being, to protect them from potential harm and to raise them up to be who they are meant to be. This can be a daunting task, an overwhelmingly difficult task when often we feel so out of control.

I was asking the Lord how I should pray for the people he has placed in my heart when I feel so inadequate, when I am so aware of my own short-comings.

Then, as he often does, He sent a child to show me the way.

Abba, will you be my alligator and lift me up so I can do my part and bring my loved ones into your presence where they will be visible to the ones who would threaten them, but still be out harm’s reach? I recognize that you are the one who has made everything possible, yet you give me the privilege of working with you with my little bit of mustard seed-sized faith clutched in my pudgy hand. Thank you.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)

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Press on to Know

On By Charis PsalloIn Art, Mountains, Sky7 Comments

come as showers raincloud pastel IMG_0310

My favourite episode of Star Trek the Next Generation is one in which the crew makes contact with beings who speak entirely in metaphor and allegory. Instead of saying romance they would say “Romeo and Juliet on the balcony,” for example. The “translator” program doesn’t work, so the captain of the aliens meets the captain of the Enterprise on a planet where they will face great adversity together against an invisible monster enemy. This is all in an attempt to communicate.

I am beginning to understand that God goes through times of adversity with us not only to teach us about his character of love, holiness and faithfulness, but to attempt to teach us His language. He says, “hard-hearted at Meribah” meaning  complaining in unbelief and taking things into our own hands. He says, “crossing the Jordan” meaning belief and trusting him by moving on into something new. He says, “Joseph in jail,” meaning waiting on the Him to exalt you at the right time.

Sometimes when he brings up memories of personal traumas we have been through, he is saying, “Remember. Was I not sufficient for you?”

God is so good at using what the enemy of our souls intended for harm, like the invisible monster in the Star Trek episode, that we think He was the one who hit us with it. Obviously we live in a place where everything is not yet in line with what is happening in heaven (I have more prayer requests in my inbox today that are a reminder of that) but he is teaching us to battle, and to persevere and to trust His character.

Today I am seeing the goodness of God and his provision in the midst of difficult circumstances.  Already I know that God wants us to know Him better, so He is meeting us in here in this place to go through the circumstances with us. He is beside us and someday He will say, “Do you remember the time….?”  and I will smile and say, “Thank you, Lord for walking through that with us. You were indeed sufficient. And look at the fruit that came out of it!”

God is good.

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Re-established

On By Charis PsalloIn Photography, Trees and forests11 Comments
Breaking through
Breaking through

As you live this new life,

we pray that you will be strengthened

from God’s boundless resources,

so that you will find yourselves able to pass

through any experience

and endure it with courage.

You will even be able to thank God

in the midst of pain and distress

because you are privileged to share the lot

of those who are living in the light.

For we must never forget

that he rescued us from the power of darkness,

and re-established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son,

that is, in the kingdom of light.

For it is by his Son alone

that we have been redeemed

and have had our sins forgiven.

(Colossians 1: 11-14)

My daughter wrote this note today about her husband, who has been in critical condition in ICU for the past nine days.

“He opened his eyes. He even nodded for me and could hear everything I said. So I sat by his bed for 3 hours talking and listening to music with him and he would move his face around a bit and just show me he was there. It was medicine to my heart!

His improvements are small but bring me joy none the less.”

God is good.

On By Charis PsalloIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Christ comes juggling our tombs

Charis: Subject to Change

I love this poem by Eugene Warren in The Risk of Birth edited by Luci Shaw

Christ Came Juggling

Christ came juggling from the tomb,

flipping and bouncing death’s stone pages,

tossing those narrow letters high

against the roots of dawn spread in cloud.

This Jesus, clown, came dancing

in the dust of Judea, each slapping step

a new blossom spiked with joy.

Hey! Listen — that chuckle in the dark,

that clean blast of laughter behind –

Christ comes juggling our tombs,

tossing them high and higher yet,

until they hit the sun and break open

and we fall out, dancing and juggling

our griefs like sizzling balls of light.

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Come Awake

On By Charis PsalloIn Music3 Comments

This morning, on Resurrection Sunday, our son-in-love, who has been unconscious and in critical condition for over a week, opened his eyes.

He went back to sleep again and there is still much to pray for towards his recovery, but we thank you, Heavenly Father that you have overcome death by death and you have already won the victory.