12 January 2012
Dear Dawn:
When the news came of your unjust dismissal from work, I sent out a swift reply from my heart to yours. I promised to pray and entrusted you to His care. Since that time you have poured out your heart in this post at your blog-site and many wonderful friends have left their words of encouragement in your comments. Conspicuously absent is a response from me.
Sometimes it happens this way . . . I just have to wait . . . and carry you in my prayers until I hear or read what He wants me to share. Shortly after dinner, I picked up my Henri Nouwen devotional volume and read today's selection. My spirit leapt as I read these words, knowing in an instant that they were for you.
The Spiritual Work of Gratitude
To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives . . . the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections . . . that requires hard spiritual work. Still we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.
Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.
I commend you, dear friend, for the hard spiritual work you are engaging in as you determine to give thanks in this difficult time.
Standing with you,
Andrea Dawn
P.S. Just before turning out the lights I reached for the Message, wanting to review some verses I have been chewing on. More words from Papa's heart were highlighted for you, dear Dawn.
"We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand . . . out in the wide open spaces of God's GRACE and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
These's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectance such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary . . . we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"
Romans 5:2-5 (MSG)
13 January 2012
Dear Dawn:
Do you know how much your Papa loves you? I do!
I just finally found my copy of The Daily Light yesterday and as I turned to this morning's reading, there it is. His love for you . . . saturating the pages and crying out to be shared. Giggling with delight I am overwhelmed with joy to have found Him so faithful, once again, to give words of spirit and life to one who is hurting and so needing comfort, encouragement and direction.
- Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Isaiah 26:3
- Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22
- I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2
- Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Matthew 8:26
- Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7
- In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15
- The effect of righteousness shall be quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:17
- Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
- Peace, from Him which is, and which was and which is to come. Revelation 1:4
Praying you are encouraged and find grace and peace as you wait to see what God is up to. God is good, all the time.
Much love, Andrea Dawn
Oh, Andrea!!! This was just so perfect today. Dawn has been on my heart these past days, too, and I it is so wonderful to know there is an army out there holding her up in prayer and encouraging her in this time of difficulties. Sometimes we wonder why we go through things, or why the Lord gives us a word on a certain day, and then we become like Esther and realize that it is "for such a time as this." Not only will this post lift Dawn's heart, I'm sure, but it has lifted mine. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cora, I knew I would share these words with Dawn yesterday, but only felt the nudge to make it a post this morning. Happy to hear it touched your heart too.
DeleteTears are pouring down my face as I receive all this blessing for Dawn and for others in such deep pain... Clint and Janet's daughter Danielle has just been diagnosed with stage two breast cancer (invasive duct carcinoma)...O why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? ...fear, Father we lift this to you in thankfulness because in You, In quietness and confidence in You, shall be our strength.
Delete""We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us."
love this so much Andrea Dawn!
Your photos are perfect.
the leaf alone, dripping, saturated... to the world, one lost drenched leaf... to those in Christ, covered in showers of blessing, dripping in grace, shining in the beauty of Christ's Light....
We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectance such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary . . . we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"
Romans 5:2-5 (MSG)
I love this wording of Romans 5!!!!!!!!!. . . we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"
love all you ladies! I thank God for His encouragement through you all.
Dear Andrea Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't come to your page until now. I was needing just to do mindless things after I met with the Human Resources woman at the hospital this morning. She was kind and wise. She gave me lots to think about before I begin the grievance procedure on Tuesday. I just want the termination paper saying I falsified hospital records removed from my file. It is not true. I do not want my job back or any of my sick time pay or anything else. They can have all that. I just want the dishonest part removed. That being said, I realize that that may not happen because there are no witnesses. It is my word against another's. It has been my experience that administrators stick together. So then...
I come to The Art of Life and there is the title "Letters to Dawn". I am undone, but I continue. Henri Nouwen? Could you have chosen any better theologian than Henri Nouwen to speak to me? No, you couldn't. To me, he is supreme! And, not surprisingly he cut right to the heart of things with this phrase "dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget" That is what I have been doing all week...trying to separate the thorns from the roses. If I do that, I will never know a rose, will I? It consists of both flower and thorny stem. Both, aha! So then, I have to consider everything that is happening to me. Everything makes me who I am and, therefore, everything is under the the divine providence of God. If that be so, then I am remiss not to give thanks for everything because God is using it to make me into His image.
Once in the thankfulness mode, the blessings start:
peace
confidence
trust
stillness
quietness
assurance
All these are mentioned over and over in your list of beautiful verses, and afterwards this song wells up inside me, this song God wrote for Keith Green when Keith was feeling like I do:
When I hear the praises start, oh, I want to rain upon you
Blessings that will fill your heart, I see no stain upon you
Because you are my child and you know me; To me you're only holy
Nothing that you've done remains, only what you do for Me
http://youtu.be/fIgVU_5FsqA
This is the second time this week I mention Keith Green. His songs have really spoken to me through this intense time, and you, Andrea Dawn. You have spoken and redirected me through the Word.
Praising Papa for your love for me, dear friend, and all these anointed words you spent so much time putting together for me here,
Love you,
Dawn
Dear Dawn . . . I am so happy I can post replies. I don't know how it happened, but I never could before today. I have tried on several occasions to go into the design and templates to allow for replies to comments but could not get it to work. Enough of that.
DeleteI am thrilled that once again Papa has shown me how well He knows His kids and what will speak to them. I am truly honoured to let Him speak to you through me. I hope the pictures ministered to you too. I see the first photo as you hanging there, a single leaf, all by yourself in the rain, on a branch stripped bare. I imagine this is how you felt as you got the news of your termination. As you let your situation be known, others have come alongside you with prayers and encouragement and are hanging in with you, waiting to see what good things God will bring (2nd and 3rd photos)
Rest in His love, dear Dawn,
Andrea Dawn
Bless you Andrea Dawn... it seems my morning moment of "catching up" on reading has left me wet with gratitude. :) Thank you...
ReplyDeleteDear Andrea Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI came back here today to read your words to me again and then I noticed the pictures. I should have known you would have a plan with the pictures too and I DID get it, but not till now. AND THEN I realized you had responded to my first comment and I read it and I was blessed again. Thank you, Dear One, for your great ministry to me as the days go on. It is a process...
I feel like the piece of clay Susan blew into as a child, a lifeless lump desperate for the Spirit. I find Him here.
Thank you a thousand times,
Dawn