If You Feel Tired.

Friday morning I got up. But I was tired.
I'm ok. I was just tired.
Mountains and rain have their own incredible beauty, strength, and provision. But sometimes, everyone gets tired.
It was however a rare day when the kids went to school and I wasn't working. I headed to a couple of appointments and still had an hour before pickup, so for the first time in a really long time, I grabbed my camera, and went for a walk.

I wondered how many people were down in the little box shapes below, many of them... feeling tired like me? Everyone has a story, afterall.

But [quite literally] the moment I looked up from a valley full of stories... the sunshine broke through. I saw all of these little tiny flowers, still bowed down beneath the weight of the rain, opening up under the strength of the sun.

... and it was so beautiful to me.

Think of it for a minute, will you? All of the hundreds and thousands of people in the valley below, bustling back and forth, worrying, wondering, working, and wrestling... while on the mountains themselves towering above them were flowers with incredible beauty, seemingly alone and yet so obviously completely taken care of.

They needed the rain, even and especially when it made them bow down so low. And so do I. It gives us the strength that we need in the sunshine. God knows when we need the rain and He knows when we need the sun. And I want to just simply and quietly worship Him. It is the faith of a child.
It is "being still and knowing He is God."
It is trusting.
It's living what you know.
It is worship.

I trust Him and I love the maker of the flowers. The maker of the sun. The maker of the mountains and the valleys. And the maker of the rain. He knows what He's doing. Sure, there are times when there is a disaster. But He's a shepherd. He's an artist. He's a creator. He works all things together for good. And there's nowhere better to be than in His loving hands, whether He carries us through the sun or through the rain.

I hope you won't miss the point. I'm not depressed or melancholy... I'm AMAZED. I was refreshed within moments as I realized more of the awesome of my of my Father God. Oh my, He loves us so much. He sees the big picture. He loves us enough to reach beyond our immediate comfort and to hold us steady as our roots grow deep.

Even a seed that fell to the ground was so beautiful and so detailed. Why? Why would He do that?!? Many of the flowers and trees that I saw were out of the way.
"Unnoticed."
They lived, bloomed, and died in intricate beauty and detail, without audience.
Or did they?

What does that tell you about my Creator and my God?
I hope you're refreshed if you're tired today too.

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!" Luke 12:27-28