Friday, May 27, 2011

FRIDAY SHOWCASE: Song of the Heart

"Songbird" by bbrunophotography


Have you heard any good news lately? The airwaves are filled with reports of crime, corruption, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Jobs are scarce, and the homeless population continues to grow. Parents bury children and children bury parents. People continue to hate and act upon their impulses. And did I mention the countless wars ravaging our planet at this very moment?

Many are discouraged, on the verge of giving up. They look this way and that for hope, yet the feel-good remedies of this world are temporary and unfulfilling--Bandaids that eventually peel off.   
 
Some say it's hopeless...yet I am an eternal optimist. I believe in something bigger - a God who is not distant from our pain and discouragement, but who actively makes his home in the midst of it, whispering peace into our hearts. He is the same Creator who spoke the world into existence; the same who numbered the stars and who still ensures that the sun rises and sets each day.  I never gaze into a clear night sky without recalling Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God...."


There are times, though, when each of us may need reassurance that God is still there, loving and caring for us.  I remember reading the story of Dutch Christian Corrie ten Boom, whose family hid Jews in their home to protect them from the Nazis.  They were eventually caught and arrested, and she endured years in a German concentration camp under horrible conditions.  While there, she watched her sister die and yet, her rock-solid faith in God  encouraged her heart and gave her hope for each tomorrow.  One morning as Corrie stood in the freezing cold of winter for morning roll call, a songbird showed up.  Birds do not show up in the dead of winter, nor do they sing a beautiful song as if it were Spring, but she was convinced that God sent that birdsong to lift her spirit and lighten her load that day.

Each of us is carrying a load today. For some, it may be a secret burden that you can't bring yourself to share with anyone. Others carry worry and stress that is more obvious.  I have come to believe that each of us has a song to sing, even in the hardest of times.  My song springs from a God who loves me as if I were the only person on earth.  No matter how discouraged, no matter how dim the future may seem, nothing can rob me of that song.  It enables me to take one step, one day at a time. It keeps me from worry, and points me to Hope. 

Today's Friday Showcase is about searching for a song to sing in the midst of life's storms, a song that lightens even the heaviest of loads and makes the next step lighter.

Thanks to the wonderful six artists I'm showcasing today. Please click the links below each image and visit their shops. You're in for a treat!

Happy weekend!
Bonnie

"Joyful Spirit Notecards" by ValerieLorimer

"Chickadee Chitter Chatter" by Sarahkdesigns

"Bluebird" by judithbelloriginals

"Sing Your Heart Out" by atmosphereartsphotos


"Yellow Warbler Songbird" by roxy5235


"Songbird 3 Collaged Bird Art" by AnimalHouseArt

2 comments:

So glad you stopped by!