The White Wall

You sit in your room. Everything seems so familiar, so known, so close to your heart. You have been living at this place for the last decade and you know where everything is.

Right now your room looks somewhat organized and clean, but you know would you look into some of the corners or open some of the drawers, you would find old things, memories and things which have not been needed for years. You look around you. The furniture you see is pretty old and the things hung up on the walls are not really the way you would do it now. You would really like to change the look of your room, make it more like you.

People have already come up to you and offered their help. You neglected their help. You want to do this on your own.

When it comes to decorating other rooms you do great but somehow whenever it is about your own room, you feel hindered, held back. It is as though creativity just leaves you. You really do not understand this because ususally you are such a creative person...



You know what, I know the feeling because I have been there and I know now why it has been like this.

We have a tendency in our lives to clutter things - at least I do. Then at some point it is so much it hinders you. It is like a wall that is built up and all that helps is tearing down the wall, starting from ground zero.

That is what I did when I moved into a new appartment. Yes, I took some of my furniture with me, but in the process of packing things I took time to declutter my life. I threw many things aways and started a whole new, empty clean room and I decorated it the ways I wanted and liked it.

I felt so fresh, new, cleaned, organized and I try to keep it that way. Now I do not allow any stuff to hoard up anymore. I know that when I open my drawers and look into some of the corners it will be what I like and what is there for a purpose.



Do you see where I am going with this? I am trying to give you a picture (which actually happened) of something that can also happen in our spiritual and emotional life. We let things from the past heap up in our lives. These things hinder us to be creative in our life. But not only that, sometimes they hinder us from seeing the future, the new things, the new way. Sometimes it is good to renovate and renew our old room and make something new. Start fresh with Jesus. But you know, renovating is always a process of tearing down some old walls, cutting things away to make the room look brighter and more beautiful.

What are some of the things in your life that hinder you, that hold you back from where you should be and what you should do?



Renovating and renewing is a process of hard work, pain, being soar but it is also rewarding because the outcome is far more than beautiful. You tear down an old wallpaper and all of a sudden there is a new white wall. Give Jesus room on this wall, on every wall in your room to paint His picture on it, to fill it with His thought and to show you a new decoration, a new You and ultimately a life far beyond of what you could have ever imagined.



Start today!



xoxo



Ramona

Timelapse

"only the eyes of owls can be seen here;
they are the stars, they radiate.

and every constellation
is a fraction of God's DNA
that we were made to notice and navigate.

as the moon commands the tide
to balance the weight of change,
we must learn to follow all the same.

when the northern lights were born,
the color poured into our eyes,
like tipping a glass with the ocean inside.

into the darkness,
we will send our symphonies -
a shorthand of existence,
a slowly turning key,
the voyager will leave us
with this modest memory of home.

when the sunlight wakes the earth
from its deep sleep,
all creatures bloom.
and through lifted lashes, all is new.

as a newborn recognizes
its mother's voice from inside the womb,
may we remember the warmth of our youth.

the overture was written,
like the calm before a storm.
with hummingbird precision,
we must follow every chord...

time-lapse reveals a slight of hand,
it unties the rules of time and plan.
stillness is only a state of mind,
a blind spot that brightness has left behind.
wet paint is a privilege that we will find.

as the wrist of an artist
pulls the foreground into the frame,
we must learn to focus, all the same.

all these restless conversations
have tied a string to every living thing,
and our illustrations will draw them near."

~ Sleeping at Last

Enough to let me go

I have been listening to the new Switchfoot Album a lot lately. One of their songs always gets to me as it can be interpreted on so many different layers. The song is called "Enough to let me go"
Here's the song:



One of the lines of the song says: "Do you love me enough to let me go?". I want to show you 3 different angles to view this from:

1. God let us go
Now maybe you think, what? What do you mean God let us go? Remember the garden of Eden and how God created everything out of love? We were creating by love and through love and because of love.
When God created us he could've made us like puppets, but he created us with our own will, risking that we would forsake him and not love him back. But he had breathed His life into us and loved us enough to let us go to trust that we will turn back and love him back and have community with him.

2. We let God go
This phrase can also be looked at as a question posed to us by God. What do I mean with this? Often times we just try to do things our way, the way we want it, but we have limits, we can't do it all by our own and we can never reach our full potential if we don't draw out of God's guidance, potential and love.
Therefore we can be asked the question if we love God enough to let him go. And with go I mean let Him do it, fulfill it, make it happen. It will always exceed our wildest imagination.

3. We let People go
Of course there is also a very obvious interpretation which I think is very essential too. Imagine you love someone, a good friend, a boy/girlfriend but they just keep going into another direction, making decisions which are not good for their lives, do you hold on to them, trying to hold them in your grip so you do not lose them? Or are you willing to let them go, like God did, trusting and knowing that everything will have a good end and that they will come back on the right path?

I know that letting go is a process of pain and trust and putting yourself out there, making yourself vulnerable, but it sets us free and sets other people free as well.

Therefore, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7)

xoxo

Ramona

A Psalm for every day

Sometimes it is so interesting how certain things come together. Today I will post a Psalm and it used to be one of my favourits (it still is!). When I watched The Book of Eli lately, Eli quoted this Psalm. Then yesterday at you(th) all of a sudden I had to think of it again and then my youth pastor quoted it also. I love verse 5 because it reminds me of yesterday's post Security is like a table.
Therefore I have to share it with you!

Psalm 23

1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

xoxo

Ramona

Security is like a table...

I have been wanting to write this blog for a week already but haven't really found the time yet. So I'm taking a little afternoon break and reflect with you on a few thoughts.

At you(th) we talked about "Good Days" lately and last week our youth pastor talked about Security. He brought an example that was so remarkable I want to share it with you.

When you think of security, what are some of the things you think about? Well, I guess one word that doesn't come to your mind is a table. But when I think of a table, I first think of a table where my family and best friends are gathered, we're all sharing a beautiful meal. In this group of people I feel safe. I can be who I really am. They accept me the way I am.
Now, in order to sit at this table (let's assume it is a wooden table) a tree had to be made into a table, meaning the tree basically had to die.
Now here is another thought in between: during an earthquake, what is the safest place to be? Under a table.

Well now... Jesus died on a cross our differentyl said on a tree. He endured the cross and all its shame (crucifiction was the worst and most horrible torture there ever was - so bad the romans abolished it a couple years later) so that we might be saved and made righteous before God through our faith in Him.
Therefore he became the tree of life for us. And in him or through him we have security and can share and have a beautiful life in Him.

To finish this up want to quote John 10:10 and also give you a to other verses to read

"The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. "

Acts 3:10
Hebrews 12:2

To wrap this up I want to ask you, where you find your security?

xoxo

Ramona

The Friday Chicken...

It is Friday again.... and I've got a great weekend ahead of me.
Lately I have really been exploring the art of cooking and I love it (though this will NOT become a cooking/recipe blog). So I though I'd share one of my recent creations with you.


Chicken with tomato sauce, salad and yummy bread

Happy Friday!!

xoxo

Ramona

At this Moment

Ok, so I totally just needed to see this.
Hope you enjoy it too:



***for Facebook viewers please go to original post.

xoxo

Ramona

New Awakening

Ahhh... Spring is slowly coming.
Punctual for the first day of March Spring gave us a warm welcome with a clear blue sky, painted on clouds and a warming sun.
I decided to have a coffee downtown and spend some time reading in my lunch break. The sun on my face felt so good and reviving.
I loved seeing how the street cafés put their tables out so downtown was crowed with people sitting outside in the cafés. Also the latino singers were back in town and their folkore songs sure create an atmosphere that soothed my itchy feet.
So all that's left to say is, good-bye winter, Spring I welcome thee.

In honour of Spring I post one of Goethes poems about spring (only in German though).

Hope you enjoy it and enjoy the beauty of the weather.

"Wie im Morgenglanze
Du rings mich anglühst,
Frühling, Geliebter!
Mit tausendfacher Liebeswonne
Sich an mein Herz drängt
Deiner ewigen
Wärme
Heilig Gefühl,
Unendliche Schöne!
Dass ich dich fassen möcht
In diesen Arm!

Ach, an deinem Busen
Lieg ich, schmachte,
Und
deine Blumen, dein Gras
Drängen sich an mein Herz.
Du kühlst den
brennenden
Durst meines Busens,
Lieblicher Morgenwind!
Ruft drein
die Nachtigall
Liebend nach mir aus dem Nebeltal.

Ich komm, ich
komme!
Wohin? Ach, wohin?

Hinauf! Hinauf strebts!
Es schweben
die Wolken
Abwärts, die Wolken
Neigen sich der sehnenden Liebe.
Mir!
Mir!
In euerem Schosse

Aufwärts!
Umfangend umfangen!
Aufwärts an deinen Busen,
Alliebender Vater!"

xoxo

Ramona