The Art of Life
Photobucket I'm so glad you're here! "The Art of Life" is where I share my journey as an artist & Momma. It's a place where I hope to encourage other women that they are artists too. In this small little space I seek to share, document, and be reminded of God's wonderful grace, all around us. ....And I would be so happy to have you journey alongside me! So grab a cup of coffee and linger for a while. I hope you leave feeling refreshed. Photobucket

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

I Want to be a Songbird



~~This past weekend we decided to take the girls on an overnight camping trip to the Great Salt Plains. Camping was one of my favorite memories as a child and it's something that Dustin and I are excited to pass down to our daughters. So we loaded up our tent, sleeping bags and board games and headed off on an adventure. The girls were so excited!
~~As we stood on a small strip of sand along the bank of the Great Salt Plains Lake, the wind was blowing intensely. It pushed hard against our bodies and whipped our hair around our faces. Now, I was born an Oklahoma girl so I'm no stranger to the wind.
But this wind was incessant and strong.
I closed my eyes and wondered if this might be what a hurricane felt like.
~~Dustin and I sat up chairs and watched the girls as they played in the water. After they had spent some time building lakes and tunnels in the sand we turned around to walk back to the campsite.
Suddenly we all realized that there was a large flock of birds floating above us.
Not flying..........
Floating.
They held their wings open against the driving wind and effortlessly soared like many small kites all together.
It was a beautiful sight and we stood there watching for a while.
~~Spontaneous and daring.
Those are not two words ever used when describing me.
Cautious and calculating would be more like it.
My husband is sweet and supportive but at the same time I think I must drive him a bit crazy.
On the two hour drive to the campsite I had been talking, once again, about different worries on my mind.
~~It's as though I'm desperately flapping my wings,
pushing against every wind,
looking for all the right moves so that I can fly.
~~As I stood there, watching the birds so graceful against the sky,
I realized that they soared because they had surrendered. They weren't fighting the wind
but instead were using it.
~~I know who I am. I know what I do best. I know that God made me with my own unique purpose just as He made each of us.
In my heart I even know the steps I need to take.
So why don't I just do them?!
Quit reading and searching and trying to figure it all out.
Quit trying to fit myself into every mold and stop looking for the right way to be me.
How very silly that is.
~~This morning I was listening to the beautiful songs of Jillian Edwards.
I was struck by the words to "Songbird" and my heart echoed right along.
Yes!
I want to be a Songbird.
To soar freely in the love of my Saviour.
To learn. To grow. To treasure.
There is freedom in surrender.

I wanna be a songbird

And I wanna watch sunrise
With my love by my side
And I wanna grow and I wanna learn
I wanna fire and I wanna burn
I wanna rise and I wanna fall
I wanna run and I wanna crawl
I wanna be a songbird

And I just wanna try to know how far and deep and wide
This love is that You give
That's what it is to really live
To just try and look around
See You in our breath and hear You in our sounds
I wanna be a songbird
Ahhh ahhh

3 comments:

Misti said...

You can do it! :) *hugs* from the Panhandle of Texas where the wind is blowing strong, too.

Jo Castillo said...

Such a lovely post. Happy Birthday to Dustin, too. Your writings always sooth and inspire. Thanks.

Susan said...

I so appreciate your blog! I have been reading it for a few years & not been technically savvy enough to respond. I am completing my Masters in Christian studies; I am also a poet, artist and writer, youth leader, fabric artist... mother of teens, wife to an amazing man... Similar to you! I appreciate your focus on your faith, family, art and trying to keep everything in balance. THANK YOU