April 24, 2013

Fellowship in the Light

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

I love John’s first epistle, and I especially love this verse. What a beautiful summation of a profound truth. It reminds me, too, of a sweet time in my life when I experienced this verse firsthand. I was nineteen, and in the midst of forming the friendships that are my dearest today. 1 John 1:7 was the theme verse for our residence hall, and it was perfect. Over the last year, the Holy Spirit had completely transformed my heart and mind, and He was faithful to give me friends who walked each step of the journey with me. The intimate fellowship we experienced as a result of our mutual transformation was, and is, precious.

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April 5, 2013

The First Warm Day

The first warm day is a new freedom—a surprise each year, as if it’s never been before, as if the bright sun has never called me round the bend to a bigger world. It calls now for the first time, and the breeze kisses legs that have never been bare. Feet that know only wall-bound paths fare farther, now their only boundary the horizon. It is the season of wandering. And wander I will, as each breath in blows dust from the corners of my mind, in this new, expansive world, this world of branches and blooms and bare feet on fresh-cut grass. Flung suddenly into beauty that commands my focus, I feel a grin take over my face—I know the binding frost has lifted. The world is new-born, and first warmth brings a thrill at the thought of freedom.

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