Hold Tight...

Clutching the bible to my chest I hear the Father say...'Hold fast to me, Hold tight to me.'

Oh Father...I will hold tight, hold fast...you are mine and I am yours...

We are His beloved; His love covers, creates and comforts....

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the

brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour

and the day of vengeance of our God

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who gieve in Zion--

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of His splendour. " Isaiah 61:1-3

Truly, our purpose here on this earth seems clear. Our time spent in help to others only cements and builds a foundation of love, of kindness, of understanding that but for the Grace of God it could be us sitting in despair...riding the waves of grief and sorrow...drowning in seas of confusion and loss...desperately climbing, climbing until fingers are raw, feet are tired and sore, muscles aching from the fight to conquer the deep dark pit victims and survivors have been thrown into.

But for the Grace of God....

We have been blessed for just such a purpose as this...we have been loved, created, fashioned for just such a purpose...to give back...understanding in humility that we have been given much and must needs share in whatever way we feel is right...fight for those who are lost and downtrodden...fight for the innocent who cannot speak for themselves, silenced and forgotten; faded into the background of life, floating through as filmy as ghosts...disconnected and overwhelmed.

I see it each day...I speak on it during the week with a crew member going through the healing process of her own trauma...feeling invisible and forgotten, fighting to keep head above waters that threaten to overcome and drive to the depths.

A kind word spoken creates a ripple effect of hope, of peace, of comfort and costs us NOTHING...

A compassionate ear bent to listening and standing in the gap creates a bridge to love, to hope eternal and quiets the voices speaking words of destruction.

Let us stand this day for those who come within our bailiwick...within our view...let us determine to never leave a space, an office, the tim hortons while grabbing our coffee without leaving a smile, a kind word, hope and love.

It costs us nothing but gives much to that lost one barely holding on to their sanity...

It gives much to that suffering woman who just lost her child...to that child feeling unseen or worse a burden, a weighty mess...

Oh my friends, we have much to do....

"To whom much is given, much will be required" Luke 12:48

I have been given much, so much that it pours out wherever I step...so much love, acceptance and grace from those who hold me close...you know who you are, but I wonder if you know how MUCH you have given with just a few words, a hug, a listening ear and more, oh so much more...acceptance for who I am, who I will become...accepted, cherished and loved.

I sit in humility and am swamped with a heart of gratitude and thankfulness...

Let us move and have our being in love, in mercy, in compassion...without judgement walking out our days and nights.