Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice. (1Kings 19:11-12)

Friday, May 30, 2014

When All You've Got is NOTHING ~ Five Minute Friday


I've got nothing. Seriously. I wish I could write fast for five minutes and weave you a wonderful story to inspire you or a beautiful piece of poetry to leave you lost for words.

All I can say is I've made it to the end of the week and I'm about as empty as the blank screen before me.

I'm digging deep for something profound and I coming up gasping for air. I'm chasing after the wind; I feel it in my hair, I watch it dancing in the tall poplar trees out back, but I can't grab hold of it and pin it down.

I watch the birds soar high into those poplars and listen as they trill their songs. They are busy guarding their nests and caring for their hatchlings. They have not a care in the world. Except when something threatens their young. Then their songs turn to calls of alarm. They do exactly what they have been created to do. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Those birds can't keep harm from their nests. The wind can whip around those trees and destroy everything they have built. Predators are on the prowl. 

Some days it feels like life is falling apart faster than we can put back together again. Those were words my husband let slip this week as we walked just steps behind our own young children.

As hard as we try, we can't keep harm from our young. We call out in alarm. We gather them as best we can under our wings. But the winds of life destroy and can leave us feeling empty. Helpless. There is only so much we can do. Nothing more. Nothing less.

What we need on days like these, when everything seems empty and nothing seems possible, may not be the profound, but rather, the simple lesson we learn as we pay attention to the birds soaring high on the breeze.
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." {Matthew 6:26, 27, 34}

***
It has been months since I joined in with the crowd at Five Minute Friday at Lisa-Jo's place. It couldn't have been a better day to have this prompt for it is exactly how I felt. I had about five false starts and finally fumbled out a few thoughts that took a few more than five minutes. 

This week the prompt is: Nothing

Officially, the rules are:

Five Minute Friday1. Write for 5 minutes
2. Link up at Lisa-Jo's  and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...


13 comments:

  1. You feel as if you have nothing. What you have written is beauty and grace and real. What you have written is something we can all identify with - only not put into such beautiful words. I loved reading your nothing and will be back to read more of your something. Love your choice of words and your honesty. Thanks for sharing. FMF is a wonderful thing. I'm always so blessed to read others writing.

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  2. When nothing=God that's something in my book. Beautiful words, Rebekah.

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  3. i loved reading your thoughts...i liked the tie in from the birds nesting in the trees shading your house and the way God boils down our worries...that we aren't to worry about tomorrow...(I always like that Jesus acknowledged the woes of life in His comment "each day has enough trouble of its own"...He knows we are dust and we carry the weight of our worlds on our shoulders) I think you definitely found something to say :)

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  4. A pretty amazing bunch of "nothing" if you ask me. I am glad you wrote. I like how you wrote of the birds. If the predators come, if the winds blow hard, if they lose everything that they have built they still go on being birds. They still sing, rebuild, fly....they don't stop being who they were created to be just because hard times have hit. It is a profound concept really. Thank you for making me think.

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  5. Such an encouraging post. When I was a camp counselor, my camp name was "Sparrow" so these verses were very meaningful. They bring great hope that God sees each moment and each struggle and is involved, even when we can't see what He is doing.

    Along the same lines, here's a little poem to brighten your day:
    “Overheard in an Orchard” by Elizabeth Cheney

    Said the robin to the sparrow,
    "I would really like to know
    Why those anxious human beings
    rush around and worry so."

    Said the sparrow to the robin,
    "Friend, I think that it must be
    That they have no Heavenly Father
    such as cares for you and me."

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  6. crying out to the Lord on behalf of your beautiful heart today, friend. Thank you for being brave to publish your raw feelings. Your words are reaching weary women and giving them permission to rest on His promise when they can't stand. xoxo

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  7. Your "nothing" is so filled with God's arms around you. His "everything" takes your heart and keeps it warm, beating, and loving.
    Caring through Christ, ~ linda

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  8. Oh I know this feeling, that I have nothing to give, nothing to say, no words. I haven't written for 5 minutes since December. I miss it. I am thankful that God comes and meets us in our nothing and continues to remind us that with Him, we are everything.

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  9. I'm agreeing with Linda's comment because your "nothing" was so filled with God's arms around you. It was beautiful, as always, because it came from you. Love you.
    Btw, wow . . . noticing your featured writer from your linkup. I'm so touched. Thank you!! How do you do that? I'd love to start doing that for TWT.

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  10. Rebekah, I think we have all felt what your words describe. But the joy is in knowing that God will take your nothing and make it into something. And you do have something -- a gift of words that described how you were feeling and I could feel God in those words. Stopping in from Still Saturday as well as FMF (welcome back!).

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    Replies
    1. I'd love to do a featured writer too from The Weekend Brew! I would love to know how you do it too!

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  11. From nothing, you made something real and inspiring. Sometimes we just feel all poured out, but God can fill us up again. Even when we have nothing to give. Bless you!

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  12. Your *nothing* was a beautiful *something* that honored God. Thank you for helping me realize yet again that I can be empty and still filled with Him.

    GOD BLESS!

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