Deep Restoration

Are you looking for a bit of break in this harried, hurry scurry busy life? Me, too, friend. Me too. 

I have a new favorite walk. I set out one day craving a change-up to my usual walk….

What I needed was a walk that breathed some life into me, far from the busy city streets (which is not very easy for a suburb girl!) I found myself wandering down past from my house into the green field of a park. Yes, here my lungs felt like they could breathe deeper and my eyes had places to wander and settle on. Not so much hurry scurry here. I soaked it in and continued on….

And on…

until I found myself on this (still somewhat busy city-like) stretch of country road with an old farmstead on the side.

Instantly my heart relaxed… the tightness that had been wound tightly inside…. Began to unravel and release.

Maybe it was the the smell of fresh growing farm grass, or perhaps it was the feel of open air, or the melody of the birds? Or maybe it was the bray of horses or the feel of sidewalk beneath my feet softening as it becomes dirt— complete with little outcrops of dandelions, and crabgrass.

Yes, I believe it is all these things combined. My five senses realized the difference of the surroundings around here and instantly, my soul feels grounded ( To see more about how I wrote about the five senses, and how it can help us in moments of trauma, see my blog link. (https://melanietalevski.com/2021/03/13/safe-secure-and-held/). But more than any physical thing… it was the fact that mindfulness was added to my day… or that SPACE from my schedule was made through this simple walk. 

Have you found yourself in a situation like this? Perhaps it was beach side, on a mountain hike, sitting in the backyard or wandering down a neighborhood path… no matter where you find it… it always feel the same…. A deep release. A deep sigh of our souls. A release of all that heaviness that has somehow crawled onto our world weary hearts without us being completely aware. It feels like we can breathe again. Our eyes, which have been so focused and centered on the tasks before us— now get a break and we find ourselves truly SEEING the things around us. We are able to stop just surviving and (existing) and are now present… mindful of what is going on around us. And in this process, our system relaxes…. Right is restored. 

This, my friend, is God’s deep restoration. He has a variety of ways to minister to our world weary minds, bodies, souls. I find often that He does this deep ministering for me when I get out from my normal habitat and walk around in His nature where I hear, see, smell, feel… anew. We are so good at every day going through the motions and doing what is supposed to be done. But friends, we were created to be human beings— living, interacting, feeling. God did not create us to be machines…. But rather His friends. Human beings who see, feel, taste, touch…. 

I, like you, crave relief on a daily basis. Yes, coffee breaks, watching silly youtube videos, and laughing with friends (or reading a chapter of a latest fiction book) offers a break, but often it is just a reprieve. 

Reprieve (relief) is summarized as:

“a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.”

(dictionary.com)

Restoration is:

“to receive back more than has been lost to the point where the final state is greater than the original condition”.

Oh wow, that is so much deeper than just temporary relief! Did you know God has that deep restoration for you and me today? And every day? It is not withheld… often we just don’t take a break from our list of tasks to tap into it or we think it is beyond reach… when really it can be found in a simple moment on the back porch, a silent walk, or a deep breath after the kids sleep and we purposefully become mindful, present, and breathe. We often need to TURN OFF LIFE for a moment to see, hear, and be present to open the door to deep restoration. 

This is what God says about the situation: 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 

It is funny to think that this coming to God, slowing down, simplifying is a “skill” we all need to be taught to remember, but in the fast pace of this world, it really is a treasure to be guarded, practiced, and remembered. It is way too easy to keep busy, entertained— our mind a constant swirl with thoughts, ideas, motions. 

I know that as a mom, I am responsible for helping my kids enter these slow moments and have them as a part of life. The more I can teach them now to seek out and embrace quiet moments, still moments… the more they are going to know how to do that as teens and adults. It is really an important skill. This resting, stopping, pausing.

Let me tell you though, that more often that not, MY KIDS teach me mindfulness. We are driving to a practice… my mind is on the thoughts— “will we get there on time? What about so and so… etc.” Then I hear a voice from the back seat, “Look at the sunset! Wow!” Or “Did you see that silly dog, mom?” Moments that bring my focus back to the here and now. My youngest is especially good at this. Just today she went with me on my morning walk. As I passed the side streets, ready for the beautiful country lane part of the walk, she stopped to climb a tree. “Mom look at me!” She called, causing me to stall my walk. I stopped, watched her, and smiled. When did her limbs get so long that she was able to hoist herself into the tree un assisted? We walked a few more steps and she laughed at the birds balancing on the phone line… causing me to look up and laugh too. Friends, this is a depth of life that we all must strive to remember. We used to live like this, and I believe by having a few more of these moments in each day, our lives become deeper. 

Perhaps this is a bit of what Jesus meant when He said,

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3

Kids are amazing— they are able to stay focused on the single thing before them. They are aware, in awe, and observant— not to mention: trusting, joyful, and believing. 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

How can I become like a child in some of my ways of relating to God? Trusting Him completely. Believing He will do what He says He will do. Stop maneuvering, manufacturing my own way and trust Him and His way. 

How can I become more like a child in my day to day living? Take a moment to feel the grass, climb the tree 😉 , and laugh at innocent, simple things. God has been teaching me a lot the last few years about being present (see my blog all about this: https://melanietalevski.com/2021/02/26/fully-present/ ) and being mindful. The more we practice and treasure this ability, the stronger we will feel the effects. 

We can start slow….and recognize and appreciate every moment of progress we make. I believe it has a type of snowball effect… the more we encourage ourselves to live in the moment, do  it, realize it, open our eyes in awareness towards it… the more it will grow. 

Other ideas we can do this week: (I’d like to hear yours too!) 

  • We can mindfully read the word. Maybe instead of just “getting through the chapter for the day” we can try slowing down and reading until a verse catches our attention. Then we can sit with that verse, dwell on it…. Try not to hurry and scurry from it. Perhaps we’ll just place a bookmark there and (gasp) not get through our chapter for the day. That’s okay. We are on God’s schedule now. 
  • We can take “five senses” pauses in the day. We can take breaks to see what truly see what is around us. Maybe while at the coffee shop… we can stop scrolling for a minute and look around… what is there to see? Or when the call, “Mom, mom!” comes we can challenge ourselves to take a moment to truly look into our kids eyes. I know it sounds basic but at the pace of life we are living in this world, even little things like this can be lost. Just recapturing them and treasuring these moments can lead us to deeper and fuller lives. 
  • And like I said before… getting into nature automatically ushers me into a place of restoration. Whether it is sitting on the porch, taking a walk, even looking at a favorite nature picture (maybe a favorite beach or mountain scenery) all these things can lead to a heart “break”: a moment for us to truly just BE. And breathe. 

It is often in these moments… the space that is made… that we can finally see and hear God. He’s been here all along, but often our urgent to-do-lists, social connections and life situations cause us to put Him on hold— when really it would majorly benefit us to learn the skill of putting life on hold for our connection with the Lord. 

So, my dear friend, my prayer for you this week is: 

May you see, feel and experience the true presence of God through deep restoration. I pray for moments of relief in your day to day life but even so much better than that— moments of restoration. May God meet you in a deeper way in the pauses you allow for Him this week. May you follow the tug of His spirit when you are prompted to slow down, rest, or even just make space for Him. May our perspective be retrained…. May we become like children in our faith and in mindfulness in the midst of our days. May the busyness of this world be replaced by a love for the Lord, a trust in our Father God. May you find moments of deep restoration as you yield and release your life, situations, worries and schedule to the Lord. May He lead you in a deeper and fuller way of living.  

Until next time, 

PS. John Eldredge (Christian author) has a whole app ( https://www.pauseapp.com ) to help cultivate pauses in our days— to invite Jesus into our situations, unify with him… release worries to him. Check it out (it’s free)! It seriously only takes one minute and I have found that it brings a peace into my life and more mindfulness daily.

PPS. I LOVE this song and often find myself singing the chorus again and again. 

“YOU RESTORE MY SOUL” sung by Sarah Pearsons

Waves of Grace

It’s officially summer time at the Talevski house! We wished the last of school days a “good riddance” and “farewell” and are now sailing into our favorite season: SUMMER! 

I could wax poetic about all the wonderful things about summer (truly try me— I am sure I could list 1000’s as summer is my most favorite season of all!) but instead I will focus on a few of our favorite things to do in the summer… 

  • Softball and baseball. (Pictures to come soon and maybe even a blog post as it is our family’s favorite sport!) 
  • Lots of lazy days around the pool, hiking, meeting with family— cousins, grandparents, and so many others. 
  • And… vacation! One of our favorite, most favorite, places to go is San Diego. These are a few pictures from our last trip to the coast. It’s our happy spot! 

It was on this trip God met me in an overwhelming season I’d been walking through and spoke to me through the waves…. 

I was able to sneak out one morning for a quiet solitary walk down the coast. It was during this time of searching for relief— my looking for answers for deep down questions of my heart that I didn’t even know particularly how to voice— I heard the waves in their fullness, the call of the seagulls. I watched the birds come and dig up snails as the tide went back out. I stood in the ocean, standing still, while the waves would come close and lap against my legs, then fall back away slowly, until…

a new wave would come over and lick my toes again. In and out. Constantly. And there, I recognized the similarity of the waves and life. As long as we are on this earth, situation after situation will come up. Some will gently lap against our legs in a peaceful manner, some lick our toes. Some will come crashing in, the tide changing and soak us through and through. But the constant is that it comes, then it goes. It comes, then it goes. Somehow that fact was oddly comforting— impermanence of the waves. There is always a reprieve in the middle to breathe before the next wave comes up. 

I was contemplating this, (and by contemplating I mean asking God, “Why does overwhelming situation after overwhelming situation come?”). As the next wave licked my toes I heard His whisper in my heart. 

“Just as sure as challenges and situations are to come and come, constantly with no stop, even more so my love, my presence comes in over and over again.“

I watched the salty water submerge my toes, my ankles and listened a bit closer.

“With each challenge, each situation, there is an overflow of my grace and love. So focus on that. Not on the waves or challenges or problems, but on the consistency of my love.” 

The whisper dug way down in my heart, the truth resonating through me. 

Yes, I could… I could focus on the grace, the love He sends on wave upon wave. Yes, this world will send challenges and trials and problems, but God, in His mercy, sends wave after wave of love and grace.

That’s a constant we can take comfort in. 

The waves will not overtake you. Here’s the words for your heart straight from God Himself: 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

    I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

    they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Psalm 43:1-3 

“I am there with you. My love bigger than anything,” He whispers to both you and I today. 

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Ephesians 3:18-19

So as the waves continued to lick my toes, then my calves, and eventually thighs… I let His love crash over me. He is more than enough for anything we face. 

Let’s take out eyes off of the challenge and instead, moment by moment, ask God to teach us to see Him, His peace, His love, and grace in every moment. Because if we will look for it, we will notice it is there. 

So friend, may you know this truth, may you be settled in it so much that when a HUGE wave crashes in on your shore bringing challenges and difficulties— may you remember that His grace comes in— EVERY TIME and offers more than enough mercy to cover the situation. Yes, this is the promise from God himself (and we always know He keeps His promises— every time!) 

“But where sin (problems, pain, separation) increased, grace increased all the more…”

Romans 5:20

Never doubt, my friend, that He is more than enough to handle every situation. The key is to be found in HIM. Tuck your hand in His, focus in on His face, and allow Him and all He is to overwhelm every situation that comes your way. 

You are safe, protected, held… (More on this topic at https://melanietalevski.com/2021/03/13/safe-secure-and-held/ ) and He is more than enough and provides more than enough GRACE for any situation that comes our way. 

Let’s trust it, believe it, and live like it is true even when we are in the midst of it. 

And to take it one step further… (I urge you to really dial in and hear this):

His love for you… it is so precious it reached down and poured LOVE upon you even when you were unaware. Even when all that you were was against Him. When everything in you pushed Him away. 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 

This is one of my most favorite verses EVER. He calls us to Himself. Sacrifices Himself. We were too blind to see it. But still He did it to provide a way. His great big ULTRA love couldn’t be pushed away, barricaded or stopped. It broke through. Changed our lives forever once we said YES. Now we take that way, walk that way… and see the precious blessing of His love and grace. We feel it coming in wave by wave each day. Now if that isn’t “super hyper abundant grace” (as the Passion Translation describes it) I don’t know what is!  (read more about GOLD GRACE here: https://melanietalevski.com/2021/05/28/gold-grace/ )

My prayer for you this week: 

May your eyes be opened to the ABSOLUTE TRUTH of the matter: that God’s grace does come in wave after wave in a super abundant way— it is much bigger than the problems. It has the power of God in it, able to handle any and every situation with grace to spare. It never runs out or falls flat, short of its goal. May you feel that GRACE rise up in your heart, given by God, and may you trust and rely on the giver of that grace— God Himself— to get you through any circumstance you face. He is more than enough. His grace and gentle love are more than enough. They are promised to you each and every time. So, let that beautiful smile slip back on your face, replace your trust not on yourself but onto the ultimate GIVER OF GRACE, and be ready to see how He comes through for you. It may not be on your time line but it is always far above anything we can think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) in the long run.

I’m excited to share my grace laced stories with you and I can’t wait to hear yours as well. 😊

Keep hanging on tight to Him. Letting the waves of grace crash over you. It’s more than enough. He is more than enough.  

Until next time, 

Gold Grace

With May being the month that we focus special attention on our mothers, I would like to highlight my mom and the blessing that she is to my life. This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom. Can’t you just see abundant grace & joy radiating from her? 

I inherited my middle name from my mom— who inherited it from her mom— who borrowed it from a woman who encouraged and blessed my great grandmother’s life so much she named her firstborn daughter’s middle name after her. Jean. It means “grace of God” or “graciousness of God”. Along with this middle name, a special blessing of God’s presence and anointing for His ministry has accompanied those in my family named after it. My mother and grandmother are two of the most godly woman I know. Both have immense ministries encouraging others, praying for others, and ushering the presence of God in a greater measure into other’s lives. (I’d like to believe that passed on to me too! 😊) I have watched year upon year as God uses these ladies to draw people into His presence, into salvation and into daily communion with Him. 

My mother’s first name also means “God’s grace”. Mom will often smile and say, “Yes, I’m just blessed with a double portion of grace.” Which is a great thing for a Pastor’s wife and child of God to be blessed with, right? And let me tell you, like us all– she has needed every ounce of grace God has bestowed on her! 

I have seen my mom tap into that power and strength time and time again when challenges, hurdles and unexpected situations come her way. One of the stories to come to mind was several years ago as a group of our ladies from church journeyed to El Salvador on a missions trip. My sister and I also went along on this trip. I was three months pregnant and found the situation to be overwhelming at times: foreign flights, driving on a foreign highway (where there were men armed with machetes), and being surrounded with a different climate, food choices, and living arrangements. Each time, my mom was there, offering God’s grace and strength in the middle of my weakness. I will always value the camaraderie she offered me that trip and the reassurances she spoke during the challenges. Each time pointing me back to the Word and the grace and strength that is found in the scriptures. (She has does this numerous times in every different season of my life. Thank you, mom!) One of the more humorous moments of the trip, when our group was served a luxurious El Salvadorian dinner— fresh caught fish with their heads (and eyeballs 😮 ) still on— mom, armed with the strength God’s grace provides— began to sever the heads from the fish and serve the group of women the now headless meat. 😆 That is something I never thought I would see my sweet, four foot eleven mama do! But brave, strong, and filled great measures of His grace she was! (And is). And what a story this makes to tell the grandkids. 😊 

Yes, I would for sure say that my mom is synonymous with STRENGTH. In fact, isn’t GRACE itself synonymous with strength? When we allow grace into a situation, we allow space into a situation, a space that can bring such strength. 

Have you heard of the Japanese tradition of “glueing” broken items together with pure gold? I find it fascinating! The process is called Kintsugi.

It is “the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold” (wiki.com).

Picture credit to https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi_._/

The tradition began when an heirloom that had been in a family for generations broke. Instead of simply glueing it back together, gold was added to the glue to add extreme strength to the item. In the process of repairing the broken heirloom, it now became stronger and so much more beautiful and original.

Isn’t this just a beautiful example of God’s grace? Each of us is broken, incomplete without the great outpouring of grace and strength that God gives. But then God comes in with His grace and fills all cracks. In this process of filling in the cracks, we are made stronger by His grace and mercy. Because of His presence we are stronger than before. I see this in my mom’s life, my grandmother’s life, my own life as well. 

There is never a situation that is bigger than the grace that God supplies. 

“But where sin (problems, pain, separation) increased, grace increased all the more…”

Romans 5:20 

The Passion Translation says,

“And yet, wherever sin increased, there was more than enough of God’s grace to triumph all the more.”

Romans 5:20 

It goes on to translate from the Aramaic— it’s a grace that is “super hyper-abundant grace. An endless fountain of grace that has been opened for us in Christ” (footnote Romans 5:20, Passion Translation).  

 A fountain of grace? Yes, please! Often in times of stress many of us could prefer a fountain… a fountain of coca-cola or a fountain of endless coffee…. 😂 or how about endless bubble baths or strolls by the oceanside? 😉 But here we are offered SUPER ABUNDANT grace… fountains of it. Unending, Unyielding, Unstoppable. A double portion— to the max! Every time God’s grace will surpass any challenge or situation it faces. Every time. In fact, grace sees problems as a piece of cake! It’s no challenge whatsoever. 

Yes, I want that perspective. 

Then—just like that— a comforting song comes to my spirit, one that I sing often: 

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above

Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it

Mount of Thy redeeming love 

— Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing

I find myself whispering back, Yes Lord, tune my heart to sing your grace….. Against any and every situation I face may it be YOUR grace that is the focus. Not the pain. Not the challenges or the problems that threaten to overtake. No, may your GRACE be the thing I focus on, speak about. May your grace be magnified in my life. May the GOLD veins that hold me together be the focus…. Not the brokenness of myself or my situation. 

And my prayer is much the same for you this week: ❤️

May you walk in the freedom and strength His Grace provides.  May you realize that no matter what you face— God’s grace has a hold on you. It won’t let go. It won’t run out, time out. It is always more than enough to surpass the toughness and hurt of any situation you face. May you feel the tangible grace of God like a strong hand on your back, guiding you, supporting you. May your heart be tuned to sing His Grace in any and every situation. Focus on that powerful GOLD GRACE holding you together. And may you experience breakthrough as you wait, strong in grace. And, may you find yourself— like my grandmother and mother— becoming a dispensers of His grace— strong and true— to the world around you. 

Until next time, 

The Better Path

One of my favorite shows, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart, is currently showing a season in which the main character, who we all love and identify with, has a major choice between two men who have captured her heart. One, mysterious yet kind and patient, the other noble, strong, and a tad unsettled. What choice will she make? It has been the question the whole season long, or more appropriately, for a few seasons long. But with the promise from the executive producer that she will make a choice by the end of the season, we all wait as patiently (or impatiently) as we can. 

*All picture rights go to Crown Media, Hallmark Channel and the makers of When Calls the Heart.*

It makes me think about the choices we have every day. It is easy to decide when we have an obvious bad choice vs. a good choice, but like in Elizabeth’s case, both men are worthy suitors, which one will she choose? Often we are presented daily with choices that are not good vs. bad, but rather good vs. better. It is hard to see clearly when something good is competing against something better. Both options look agreeable! For our life and choices, this is when the Holy Spirit comes into play. He will speak in His gentle way and guide us. 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8 
“You may realize the detour is the actual path." - Anonymous 

A couple years ago, I was following down the highway of my life in what was clear and easy to see was my “right choice”. It was a great choice and great life, but then, there came a whisper from the Holy Spirit and a little plain detour came into sight. To continue with my “highway” analogy, it was like a turn off the highway with a small dirt road. It appeared to not be well traveled…. Nothing special, yet, there was a gentle tug to go down this new road. It was a “detour” of sorts. Along this new stretch of road I have found some of my most favorite treasured spots as well as I can hear more clearly the Holy Spirit’s voice. So what was that? It was trading my “good” for something even “better”.

Often we don’t hear this call to the “better” until the Holy Spirit comes and gently taps on our heart…. Sometimes over and over again until we become aware— oh, there is another path over there! Maybe from appearances it does not look to be anything special, yet the Holy Spirit leads there, His hand outstretched to us inviting us to come. 

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Isaiah 30:21

In making space for Him— for the Holy Spirit to lead— I have found some of the best peace of my life. Something about surrendering our obvious good choice and following Him admits our dependence on Him and sort of quickly gets us in over our heads. It’s this feeling of, wow, if He fails me now, I will be considerably lost and not sure what to do… getting to that place of vulnerability and complete trust is hard… it seems like it could be simple, yet, how simple is jumping out of a plane not sure if your parachute is going to activate or not? But we can know that where the Spirit leads, He will equip and provide for us what we need. It is the ultimate TRUST TEST. Yet it leads us in the path of truth each time: 

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

John 16:13

So today we have a choice…. Instead of a choice like Elizabeth’s between two good men, we have a choice between good and better. The better path can be risky…. It can be unsure. It draws us out from what is comfortable (read my blog post on the Hobbit https://melanietalevski.com/2021/01/30/journey-on/ for more on this).  It can be nerve wracking and lonely at times, yet it can be most rewarding, causing us to lean into God and the direction of the Holy Spirit more than ever before. We can see new sights we never thought existed. We can feel a measure of peace in our hearts never known before because we completely rely on Him and His Spirit. This better path means a deep surrender, a deep fall back and the ultimate trust test, but it can lead us to the most fulfilling and purposeful life yet. 

May we take time this week to listen to the gentle “tap, tap” the Spirit has been giving each of us, perhaps even for years. It’s simple… we can just breathe out an invitation. It can be as easy as this: 

“I hear you. What are you saying?” 

He will be sure to show us. Especially as we learn to tune our ears to His voice. Perhaps it will just be a gentle nudge to step out a different way. 

Through it all, God, help us lean on you. 

My kids often hear me singing snippets of old hymns… the latest phrase being from “Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus”,

“Oh for grace to trust You more”.

Yes, Lord, this is the cry of our hearts, help us to trust you more. (Isn’t He so amazing?  He isn’t just trustworthy, but he will also help us trust Him more! Now that’s the kind of help we need) 

Along with this path of trusting Him more comes complete honesty. Let’s not be afraid to tell him how unsure or scared or fearful we feel. We can tell Him about the twinges we feel in our hearts… the things that we notice but aren’t sure what they are about and why He is trying to get our attention. And we can take a step…. One that resonates with our hearts and what the Lord has been speaking. We might be surprised to find ourselves “exiting” the highway and going onto what appears to be a “detour”. And often that detour leads to the intimate and “better” path with the Lord. 

So, be brave Dear One… put your hand in His. Be confident in His leading. He cares for you. He will be with you, deliver you. If you are willing, He will take you from the “good” (or yes even the absolute bad, messy situations) and into the better life. No, this better life isn’t without problems or struggles… in fact you may face more challenges on the onslaught of this journey because of the presence of evil fighting against you because your destiny is about to be realized. But hand in hand with Him, you can be sure that He leads to the better path… the path that transforms you to completely and fully you— who God made you to be down in the core of who you are. It’s a place of living completely caught up in His Spirit and living from a place of abundance in your relationship with Him. 

He holds out His hand today… 

Come, Dear Heart. His hands are strong, warm and inviting. 

But I am scared, we whisper. How can I leave all that is comfortable and good? 

His smile is patient, kind, understanding. His hand remains outstretched. Come with me. 

And in that moment we realize that is the key— going with Him. Our hearts tingle with nervousness but we stretch out our hand and instantly His warm hand cups ours. 

One step at a time, He says and leads us off the well-trodden highway and onto the unknown path of the detour. 

It’s on this path that, as we travel on, we see things we never imagined…. The gentle flow of the river of God, the high tops of the mountains in God’s kingdom… a journey, a path that He leads. Yes, it is the better path. 

Friend,  there is nothing greater than saying YES to where the Lord leads and making space for Him and His plan. It seems BIG, perhaps too big… yet it starts with a step… an active choice to listen, respond, and communicate constantly with Him. I pray that your knee-jerk reaction in this life would be to breathe conversations with Him constantly… Place your trust in Him and take that next step where He leads. 

He is faithful to meet you there. And the next step and the next. 

Until next time, 

PS. I would love to talk with any of you who are finding yourself in your own transition time. Believe me, I have gone through a big one the last couple years, but am finding myself starting to emerge on the other side in a place of being even closer to the Lord, trusting Him more and more every day. I’d like to encourage you! Leave a message below and I will respond or go to my contact page and send me an email. I pray that God’s best would be realized and lived in your life from this moment on out. 

PSS. Are you a fellow When Calls the Heart fan? Give a shout out for the guy you wish for Elizabeth to pick at season’s end… the mysterious and kind Lucas Bouchard or the loyal and noble Nathan Grant? 

*All picture rights go to Crown Media, Hallmark Channel and the makers of When Calls the Heart.*

Also, I have a fanfiction devoted to the development of Rosemary’s story (written following season 4) Here’s the link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12658012/1/The-Rosemary-Chronicles I had an absolute blast writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it too. 

Here are a few pictures of my sister and I on our WCTH adventure in 2018. Yes, we were able to go to the Hearties Reunion: a gathering for fans of the show where we got to meet the cast and tour the fictional town of Hope Valley. It was an absolute trip of a life time and full of great sister memories. 

Hope of His Return

Just like the creatures of Narnia in CS Lewis’s “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, we are also awaiting the return of our King. In their case, the land had been covered with a curse, where it was always winter and never Christmas. The simple joyous summer nights filled with festivities around the campfire in the middle of the woods— they were gone, now replaced by cold, snow, and the rule of an evil witch. That can sound familiar can’t it? Which isn’t a coincidence, as CS Lewis’s story was written as an allegory to the Christian life. Here we are children of the kingdom, like, the Pevensie children. Our hearts know what it is like to be in God’s kingdom, and our hearts know that right will be restored, but in the meantime, we belong to a world, covered with snow and with the curse of the fall. But, just like the little whispers that started making their rounds from the creatures of Narnia— we feel a whisper stirring up in our own heart, as well:

“Aslan is on the move. Our king is returning. Everything that is right will be restored.” 

What hope that brings to our hearts. Everything will be restored. The things that make our heart heavy— the things we were not created to endure, like death and separation, sickness, overwhelming burdens and challenges— they will be melted, just like the snow in Narnia. The statues that were turned to ice from the scepter of the White Witch— like the beloved fawn Tumnus— were restored and brought back to life. What a glorious picture of the coming of Christ and of the kingdom of Christ, ruling and reigning! 

With the Easter Story fresh on our minds, I have been thinking about  how hopeless the disciples must have felt after the death of Christ. Jesus had been warning them time and time again throughout all their years together that He would be leaving, that He had a greater call to fill… yet still caught them by surprise. And when His body had laid in the grave and nothing immediately had happened— disappointment, discouragement, and confusion must have plagued their hearts and souls. I’m sure they gathered and tried to cheer each other’s spirit and remind themselves of what Jesus had said— yet before them all they could see was the dark and the hopelessness, their Savior had died, their Savior had left them. Now they were alone, but oh the hope that came on Sunday morning! 

In CS Lewis’s Narnia the creatures of the Kingdom had been under a long and weary spell. Yet hope was restored at the mere mention of Aslan’s name. “Aslan is on the move,” was the proclamation that traveled from beaver dam, to tiny house, to living trees of the woods. “Aslan is on the move,” they would say to encourage their own hearts as much as others. In the disciple’s story, those same whispers of hope, and even shouts of proclamation became more abundant around the city as more sightings of Jesus came, starting of course, with the first one, where he appeared to Mary. (Don’t you love that he appeared to her first? What a great backstory Mary has and how Jesus alone was the one who could save her. So with his death she must have been most distraught… her Savior, her hope… dead. But resurrection morning— there he was before her… fully alive! Praise God!)  The sightings of Jesus continued in many miraculous ways. But even with the whispers of His resurrection traveling throughout the city there was one disciple who doubted— one disciple who didn’t allow the hope of Jesus resurrection in his heart, until he saw it. I don’t know about you, but I sure identify with Thomas, and even feel sad for the poor fellow to be remembered for his doubt. Why did he doubt? Was there some situation in his past that he felt like God hadn’t come through for him? Or was he too cynical to hope? Had he been hurt in the past, and did not want to subject himself to opening his heart to something that could leave him short handed again? We don’t know Thomas’s whole story but what fun research that would be. (In fact, Angela Hunt has fictionalized her own story of Thomas— and his twin!— based on many facts presented in the Bible. Look it up here https://www.angelahuntbooks.com/books/daughter-of-cana/ )

 All I can say is, I want hope to arise in my heart.

Yes, let hope arise in our hearts even on the dark days, even when it’s confusing or even when it feels like we’ve been left alone, like the disciples must have felt. May we recall His words. May we recall the tenderness in His smile, the kindness in His eyes, and remember that He is God’s son. Our dearest friend. Miracle Worker. The Light in the Darkness. Because He is alive we have hope, unending unswerving hope. And it’s not just a hope that is unfounded or an illusion. It’s True Hope— hope that will carry us through the dark snow covered Narnia days where the land is ruled by evil. 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”  

1 Peter 1:3

May our hearts shine within us— may our hearts glow, telling us that Jesus is on the move. He has already redeemed us. One day He will come in rectify the whole earth— make everything right.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold I make all things new.”

Revelation 21:1-5 

 Another important thing that I have seen from the story in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, was how the animals who believed in Aslan and His rule and reign— encouraged themselves. There was a grapevine of gossip (in a good way) going across the land. In fact, one of my favorite scenes is the scene with the beavers and how they take the Pevensie children into their dam for dinner and protection for the night. Mr. Beaver explain who Aslan is by quoting an Narnian rhyme:

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, 

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, 

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” 

“The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe” 

CS Lewis, Chapter 8 

They fed the children and filled the children’s spirits with the knowledge of Aslan, and who He is and how He’s on the move. They taught the children that even though it looks like the land is ruled by the evil, there is a true King who rules over all— one who will restore all as it should be. They also revealed to them their special place as sons of Adam and daughters of Eve in Aslan’s master plan. Mr. Beaver said, there were whisperings going on. “Aslan is on the move, King Jesus is on the move”. They encouraged themselves with that news. Winter and evil would no longer rule and reign… Aslan was coming to make all right again. Yes, winter would melt away and spring would return again.

May we, as the church and as fellow believers, encourage each other as well. May we tell those who have never heard the story the wonderful news and may there be a light that clears away the darkness in their own hearts and replaces it with Christ’s soft glow. May we help others understand the role that they have in God’s story and may we remember how we fit in that story as well. May we encourage each other as we speak of the Lord and speak of His Word and His promises. This is how hope is born & kept alive inside of each one of us.

We celebrate the hope that Jesus has brought us through His death and resurrection. And not only do we celebrate that, but we also celebrate the hope of His return, “King Jesus is on the move. King Jesus will return again!” 

Until next time, 

PS. If you haven’t read “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis I encourage you to! It is a light and easy read (written for children) and the TRUTH will bless you.

Safe, Secure, and Held

If you read my latest blog post, https://melanietalevski.com/2021/02/26/fully-present/ , you know that…

This being “fully present” has a flip side, doesn’t it? It may be all fun and games while we are being present in adventures and moments of lightheartedness… but what about being “fully present” in moments of duress or trauma… how in the world could that help?

I know in my own times of extreme challenge– focusing on the present moment has helped immensely. Wait– what?  How does focusing on the moment you are so desperate to escape from cause you to feel better? Shouldn’t the opposite be true? 

In a time I found myself emotionally stressed to a max, a mentor advised me to rub my index finger against my thumb. Sounds silly right? I thought so too. But that little action brings me back from thoughts and fears going a mile a minute into the sensation of a present moment– fingers rubbing against each other. Or another  example is deep breathing. Concentrating on the air going in and out. Again, this little action brings grounding to a situation that felt like it was spiraling out of control. What about the advice to lean into the five senses… Could that help? 

 What do I hear, see, smell, taste, touch in this present moment? 

 It can feel silly at first but I found that when I take a moment to do this it helps me feel grounded and steers me away from the mental duress. It seems to give my mind a break and draws it back to the present moment– instead of light miles away in thought. 

How do you do this? Seriously it is just simply going through the five senses and coming up with answers…

  • What can I feel (touch)?
  • What do I hear?
  • What do I smell?
  • What do I see?
  • What do I taste?

I know for some this seems not only futile but also a bit “fruity” (silly) but believe me, it works! (yes, even in the most tumultuous situations)

Just like the tapping into the five senses physically, I have found I can tap into spiritual truths to ground me… Truths like: 

  • I know that God’s word is true (lay hand on the Bible— touch) 
  • I know that He listens and answers when I call (hear my voice call out to God— hear) 
  • I know His promises are true (write it, say it— see it!) 

I know in hard times, just clutching my Bible to my chest reminds me that God’s word works and that God is here with me. Never am I alone.

Reminding ourselves of these spiritual truths provides grounding and allows room for God’s sweet Spirit to connect with us– perhaps even give a new perspective on things. He reminds us: He is the same God who was there in the past, He is here in the present. He will be found in our future as well. He is good. He loves us. Surely His plans for our lives will come to pass. 

Now isn’t that a deep breath of fresh air? 

Take a breath, dear friend, and know that a huge part of being “fully present” calls us to rest… rest on His love for us, His goodness, and trust that He is working all for good.  

Isn’t that the way of a child? Even in some of life’s deepest situations–a child can lean up against his mother or father and rest. Doesn’t the Bible commend us to have child-like faith? (Matthew 18:3) Oh, how hard this is. Especially when I want to white knuckle every situation, take control, get answers, pull through. But Jesus calls in His gentle way,

“Come. Put your head on my shoulder. Rest.” 

Perhaps we are resistant at first. Our eyes still lurk on that dark and scary situation in the corner. 

He again beckons us, this time with hands outstretched. “Here, Dear One.” 

With one eyeball on that “monster-like” problem we come closer, still distracted. “But Jesus…” we point to the problem. 

He lifts us up on his lap and somehow we find ourselves looking full in his face. His eyes… so kind and gentle, his smile so sweet. His presence envelopes us and slowly, our focus shifts to him. 

“There we go, that is much better, isn’t it?” His kindness comes as a balm to our souls.

We find ourselves feeling much more at peace… perhaps quite tired. 

“Lay here and rest.” He pulls us to his chest. 

We hear the gentle rhythmic beating of His heart.

And wearily, we do. Oh, so tired…. 

and the sleep we enter is deep, peaceful. 

No perhaps that problem in the corner has not vanished as we hoped it would… but here, in Jesus’ arms, we realize it has lost all power over us.

Our burdens are no longer our own… Jesus carries them for us. 

His yoke truly is easy, His burden is light.

That doesn’t mean all challenge cease, no in fact, a bigger battle may come. 

But we can know that Jesus is with us. He is an EVER PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF NEED. 

He’s not just in our present moment…. He is ever present and willing to help us. 

God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46: 1 

So, Dear One, snuggle close to Him. Yes, press your head to his chest until you hear his heart beating. It beats with love for you. Feel the gentle kindness of His attention on you– His arm hand holding you safe. He will pull us through. All we need to do in this moment is to rest and trust. 

Yes, these tense, heartbreaking moments… they will pass. We press in and in our imperfect ways we call out for grace to trust Him more. Remember this hymn? 

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His Word;

Just to rest upon His promise,

Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!

How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!

Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

I’m so glad I learned to trust Him,

Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;

And I know that He is with me,

Will be with me to the end.

Louisa M.R. Stead

Yes, may this be the call of our hearts this week. Call out to Him. He answers every time. He is more than enough to get us through all our past moments, present moments, and moments to come. 

Snuggle safe, secure and cared for in the Father’s arms. 

Until next time, 

David Bowman’s “My Child”
Expressions of Christ series 

PS. This photo has always spoken to my heart. The girl in the picture looks similar to my daughter when she was younger. I remember in a period of specific hard times she faced, I found this sketch. It served as a wonderful reminder that it isn’t just her dad and I holding her… it is God holding her and He loves her so much deeper than we ever could. Know this truth for your children or grandchildren as well: Jesus is holding them and His love for them is so much wider and greater than all the love you have for them. 

Thomas Blackshear’s “Watchers in the Night”

PPS. I also love this picture… how it reminds us of what goes on behind the scenes– what our natural eyes cannot see. May God remind us, give us glimpses into the spiritual realities of our days. We are never alone. We are safe, secure, held, and protected.

Fully Present

I learned about living in the present moment from my creative, life-loving Grandma Huston. Oh, no we never had a conversation about it, but just observing her for a day (or even just a good ten minutes!) you would realize that she lived differently. She lived in the moment and said YES to the opportunities brought to her.

One of the ways I saw her model this “embracing of the present moment” was through the Famous Sledding Excursion. As kids, my sister and I watched Grandma Huston grab one of our sleds and sail down the side of the snow covered hill, leaving us both to figure out how to get along with one remaining sled. She was living in the moment and enjoying the sledding adventure with her grandkids… not content to sit on the sidelines and observe, but rather ready to be going down the hill, side by side with one of us (or the both of us crammed on the remaining sled) hearts beating with passion, fun, and adventure in the current moment.

One of the other many ways she displayed this to us was when my sister and I visited her home as kids and played in the woods she had cleared for us. A game of baseball together (using the tree trunks as bases), a sip of sugar water in a special cove she had made into a hide out, and learning to suck the sweet nectar from the honeysuckle– these were all things Grandma did with us, taught us by example. She didn’t just observe or stand by– she was there in the middle of it with us, present. She was an expert at living in the present moment.

In recent years, I called up to invite my grandma to join me for lunch as I stayed at a famous castle for a writer’s retreat that was located not too far from her home. She was quick to say YES to the opportunity presented her and we discovered the castle together, ate luxurious food and laughed– all in the moment. And somehow this adventurous grandma of mine also found out a way to finagle a seat next to the popular author and lead teacher of the event, without batting an eyelash. She sat there and enjoyed herself, even sharing funny stories (that is just how she was) and becoming the life of the party. It’s as if she was able to fully dive into the moment presented her and also fully be herself. I absolutely loved that about her.

Much of Grandma Huston lives on in me– all the way from the creativity that bursts forth from my heart to the gentle tinkle of our laughter (yes my sister and I inherited her giggle- especially when together).  One of the things her life taught me most was to be engaged in the moment– to live fully in the present moment.

Lately, I have seen my own opportunities to live in the present moment crop up in my day to day life. It’s an invitation to fully participate in the present moment. A few of the smaller opportunities being:

Sledding:  (I made sure to bring my own sled 😂) The kids and I raced to go over the jumps and compared how far we could get our sled tracks to go. By participating with them I was not just “hearing” about how awesome the jump was but also experiencing it side by side with them.

Iceskating: Again, resisting the comfortable urge to cheer them on from the sidelines and instead lace up my own pair of skates, identifying with the joy (and frustration at times too) of the experience.  

Laughter moments: It may seem like no big deal, but even just taking a moment to belly laugh with my kids  over silly things they say or faces they make or accents they make up (you can ask my youngest about that last one!)

Karate: Yes, I said Karate! Through a series of events I found myself with a choice— sit on the sidelines and cheer the kids on (no problems with that folks) or participate in class with my kids. I wanted to say YES to that “Grandma Huston moment”– living in the present moment that so innocently presented itself to me. I have to admit it was a bit intimidating taking those first steps… the adults watching, the current class filled with kids, and even the instructors were so young they could probably “technically” be my children! But I am so glad nothing stopped this mama! I was amazed after the 1st class just how much fun we had together and how empowering it is to kick collapsible boards and bring out all your ninja moves with no limits (talk about full out abandonment). I’ve chose to go back again, and again, and again. We are getting in a routine and it is fun and there is nothing like our hearts beating in tandem as we all complete our kicks and at the end of class we high five each other. And, after yesterday’s class, I just realized I am teaching my kids a powerful lesson too, that they can do what they put their mind to and they can always choose to live in the present moment regardless of age, situation or any other factor. That is the lesson of the “Grandma Huston” moment.

This being fully present (in whatever shape or form it presents itself) makes our hearts beat with excitement, passion, adventure. It adds an extra little sparkle to our eyes, a pep to our step (or a sore limp to our step depending on the week at karate! 😂) In fact, it is a bit reminiscent of the verse in John 10:10,

“I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.“

In Scripture we read many verses about dealing with anxiety and worry. Each time Jesus makes it clear he doesn’t want us to live in a haze of the past and in anxiety for the future. No, instead He wants us to revel in the present moment and all He has done for us through His sacrifice on the cross. We don’t have to wait until we enter those pearly gates to have abundant life- we can have it here and now because of what Jesus has done for us.

I have found that living in the present moment takes a child-like faith (Matthew 18:3). With this faith we can be brave enough to look at the circumstances ahead and the situations in the past and say: I will rest here. I will choose to live in this moment knowing God is taking care of all of my tomorrows as well as all the days past. There is an immense joy and blessing to be found in today and I will not miss my chance to say YES to it and anything else God brings my way.

This week, may you find yourself saying YES to “being fully present” daily. May you recognize the nudge that calls you out to do more than just observe… and may you have the courage to act on it. All we really hold on our hands is the moment of NOW. Trying to hold the past or the future is like trying to hold water. It just trickles out of our fingers… but the water flow of NOW– let’s splash in it, soak ourselves in it, fully immerse ourselves in it. Let’s thoroughly enjoy the time of NOW and saying YES to the “Grandma Huston” moments that come calling in our days.

Until next time,

PS. I would enjoy hearing your stories. ❤ Was there someone who encouraged you to live fully in the present moment? Comment below or message me.

An Unlimited Supply

What a sweet time of year it is! With treats around every corner, it’s easy to keep reaching for a sweet, but what happens when they run out?

Growing up, we had a crystal cookie jar. Yes, crystal! It was impossible to open that jar without alerting my mother (and maybe the whole house) to the fact that I was sneaking a cookie before dinner, which of course was against our rules. Believe me, my sister and I tried everything: muffling the lid with a towel, pulling the lid off quickly, pulling it off slowly. No matter what we did, the clang of the crystal glass would always happen in one way or another causing an echo to ring across the house.  Wherever mom was in the house, we would hear her call out our names and we knew that we had been caught. Rats! 

 As kids probably one of our best dreams would be to have an unlimited supply of cookies in the cookie jar— with unlimited hours of availability. Thank goodness, our parents knew better than to allow us to afford us that luxury as it would not be healthy in the long term. 😆  

But wouldn’t that be just dreamy? A cookie jar that we could reach into that would never run out? I guess the only better thing was a cookie jar with tasty calorie-free cookies! 😉

Well, we do have an “unlimited cookie jar” of sorts. No not a physical cookie jar (I can hear your sighs of disappointment) but rather there is an everlasting container that holds just what we need, and it never ever runs out. In this “jar” we find the unconditional love of God that’s always stocked! It doesn’t matter if it is Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July or just a plain old ordinary day in-between. It’s always stocked— crammed packed— with the unconditional love of God. Now that’s a sweet treat! (And no cavities either!) No matter how many times we dip our hand into this “cookie jar” it will not run out. Even with the crystal laid ringing and alerting others…there will always be more of that sweetness within the jar. And unlike the cookies that were not allowed before dinner, there is never a limit to the amount of times you open this jar of unconditional love or when or where you can access it. Now doesn’t that just make your little seven year old heart sing?  Unlimited cookies of God’s unconditional love! That sounds pretty good.

 Here’s some favorite “Valentine Verses” all about the love of God. (Good news- they apply to us all year long!) 

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 

1 John 4:9-10

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” 

Jeremiah 31:3

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

    His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100:5

It’s obvious through these verses that God’s love is so GREAT, undeserved, enduring and everlasting. Now, that is one amazing kind of love. In fact, God’s kind of love is referred to as Agape Love. 

Agape Love is the unconditional love of God that’s there for us. No matter what. It’s not an earned kind of love or a falling in love kind of love even though it can feel like that.

It can feel like the excitement like that of a first falling in love yet it outlasts that “newlywed” season and is so much more steady, strong and sure– perhaps like married couples who have proven the test of time.

Have you ever watched the show were teams race around the world completing challenges for the chance at a lump sum of money? The teams, usually made up of couples, either will be teams that work together or attack each other— either to their team’s betterment or their team’s detriment.  There’s often young couples or people deciding if they’re going to marry as they race around the world. And more often than not, because their relationship is just newly starting out— they don’t know how to work together. They often don’t know how to unconditionally accept each other, inspire each other or encourage each other that well. Then every once and awhile there’s an older couple in the race. Perhaps they will not last long on the race because of the physical demands, but the entire time you see them treat their partner well with respect and unconditional love, many times showing and conveying with their words, the importance of the relationship above the race. That kind of love is steady and sure. That’s the kind of love I’ve seen between my grandparents who met when they were in fifth grade and who will soon be celebrating their 67th wedding anniversary. And also my own parents who met as teenagers— set up because they were both those “crazy Christians” of mutual friends. Immediately their relationship was based on the Lord and the passion and fire in their hearts for him. It’s the kind of love I see between my husband and I, as well. It’s a love that grows and love that steady and true. (Remind me to post our story about how we met… it is Ah-mazing!) ❤️

Even though a human can’t ever convey the depth of unconditional love that God can, we can see from this example, how steady, true, strong, and supportive unconditional love can be in our lives. 

So whether you celebrate Valentine’s with your honey after many years of marriage or if you are spending your first Valentine’s with a new special someone or if you’re celebrating with your children, or even celebrating on your own— God’s sweet jar of unconditional love is filled for you. So come take off the crystal lid and dip your hand in and then dip it in again. Grab hold of this sweet love that God has for you. His love is more than enough. His love has conquered oceans and has conquered every problem to reach us. His love is the deepest, steadiest, most true unconditional love that we will ever receive in our lives. 

Thank you God for your unlimited supply of unconditional love for each of us. Thank you that your unconditional love never runs out. It’s not limited to certain times or certain seasons. It’s always there for us. Open our eyes so we can see the truth of this. Speak your words over us so that we can experience your unconditional love in a deeper, fuller, and stronger measure than ever before. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Also, you know how that crystal lid caused a clang to ring out around the house? When we reach for the lid on our “unconditional love” jar, it causes a clang too! People all around us hear it, see us dip our hand into something so wonderful they might not understand it. It’s our opportunity to invite them to the jar of God’s unconditional love. They can dip in too, maybe for the first time experiencing the love of God. Oh, they will be addicted to the sweetness from the start. So invite others to dip into that jar of unlimited supply of God’s love today! 

Until next time, 

PS. Here are a few of our pictures over the years of the kids enjoying Valentine’s. Each year, the kids go down to the table and there’s always something sweet as well as a special book on the table. And don’t forget the special card– it expresses how much we as a parents love and treasure them. And of course, Telly and I exchanged cards as well. What a special day to share the love, not just natural love but the wonderful, unconditional love of God. 

PPS. One of our favorite cookies to reach for in the cookie jar are these oversized soft sugar cookies. They are a family favorite to decorate and enjoy at any time but especially perfect for making a special cookie valentine. ❤️ I dare you to give them a try! 

Or find the recipe online at http://peppermintplum.blogspot.com/2011/03/thick-soft-sugar-cookies.html?m=1 

Journey On

Bilbo Baggins, who became the unlikely hero in The Hobbit, was completely fine with staying in his underground hobbit home, eating his normal seeded biscuits and buttered scones, wearing his normal outfit and performing his normal routine. In fact, he and his family “never had any adventures or did anything unexpected” (Tolkien, p.15) and they liked it that way.

So how could it be that suddenly he found himself whisked away on a wonderfully dangerous adventure amongst mismatched dwarves where he faced evil forces, unknown dangers, and confronting the notorious dragon Smaug? It was because there was more of a deeper plan for Bilbo than he knew or could see with his own eyes. He was a vital part of a much bigger plan.

Like Bilbo, most of us have found that we don’t want to easily move from our comfortable spot. Whether that means the job you’ve had for years, the place where you live, relationships, or even just the way you handle things— the perspective you have on life and what is expected or not expected of yourself. I believe each one of us has ingrained in us a thankfulness and a contentedness for comfort, routine, and the simple things of life— and that is so, so good. But, I also believe that, like Bilbo, we can hear a new call… deep down in our spirit. A “call” that means we are made for greater things than just our regular routine. Have you felt that call? Maybe it comes in the form of a thought, idea or dream that wakes you up in the middle of the night. Or perhaps it was more subtle, like when engaging with something new your heart just starts to sing… a new passion may be arising- a passion from our King himself. 

Like our fictional friend, Bilbo, we have been called to a higher and different purpose, more than likely something far beyond imagination. Bilbo never even comprehended the adventures he’d go on, the bravery that would rise in his heart, and the way his character would be renewed, changed and challenged.  The Bible says,

“It is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ — the things God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

The adventure, the break away from our own life, routine, and “normalcy” is awaiting us. And the good news is it is Holy Spirit led. We don’t know where to start, what to go, what to do… but the Holy Spirit does.

We are being led by the spirit the new things God has for us to do before we walk on from this earthly life, they are being revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

Remember the little twinges in our heart for more—the things that clue us into the fact that we were meant for more? That’s the Holy Spirit. It’s His gentle tap tap on our hearts.

“Wake up, sweet one.” He whispers whether we are physically asleep or even just “asleep” in our own normal lifestyle. “Wake up and come with me.”

We rub the sleep from our eyes, or maybe the more stubborn of us will turn around and go back to sleep until that gentle tap tap comes back again.

“Come with me.” He calls again.

“But where? How? Why?” We want all our questions answered before we inch one foot to the ground from beneath our comfortable blankets.

“Come and see.” He says with a sweet smile.

Somehow we know all will be okay. Somehow we have been waiting for this exact moment even though we did not know it. The moment we come alive again. A Great Awakening of sorts.

So, we inch one sock covered foot out from underneath our warm covers. Perhaps, like Bilbo, we look longingly at our warmth, our comfort, our place of normalcy. Will we shirk back and ignore the call or follow?

The Holy Spirit stands there like a gentleman, waiting. No pushing or shoving, but we can feel an urgency from him.

Finally, we sweep ourselves from the warm environment we have been so comfortable in.

We take one step.

His face lights with a smile. “Now let’s go.”

Together, hand in hand, we are led out to the new calling, the new adventure.

Oh, I guarantee just like the fantasyland of Middle Earth, there will be danger. There will be uncomfortable moments. But somehow, we are becoming who we were meant to be, who we really are. And there is no greater joy than to be fully alive, fully who God made us to be.

So we continue step by step on a wondrous journey that not only brings new steps, but also fulfills the longing in our heart that we’ve had all along: To be a part of HIS plan. Our true identity. Our true place.

The very best first step I have found in taking this new journey is: making space for God.

This can look like:

  • Taking a few moments each morning before getting out of bed to ask God His plans for the day
  • Realizing the next time you have that “heart zing” of a new passion for something and paying attention to it
  • Taking the opportunities God sends your way even if they seem out of the norm, uncomfortable, or something you wouldn’t usually be interested in.

In all these things, “Listening” is the common denominator.

Let’s listen for that gentle nudge towards that new path. Let’s be willing to step out from what has been comfortable.

“See, I am doing a new thing!

    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:19

The awesome thing about this “new thing” God is doing in our lives is it not only transforms us into who God made us to be— but our life is used for His purposes and for His glory— shining the truth to those who wouldn’t have seen the light. It opens new avenues for others to see Christ’s light in us and come to know and love God for themselves. (Matthew 5:16)

Yes, there are others who are dependent on the message He has placed inside of us. They need His light so desperately. So let us go forth knowing that the Holy Spirit will lead us. Our job is to take that first step, to make room for Him. He will continue to lead and guide us. And, what an adventure it will be! And the light… the light that will shine as we journey on and also as we share our stories— that will make all the difference. It will help bring a great ray of Jesus’ light into the world… and as we know the world needs the LIGHT now more than ever before.

So may you be inspired by dear old Bilbo Baggins (it might be time for you to read or re-read that book!) and may you realize that God has great plans for you— adventures! He’s calling you out to a new place… a place where you become who you are meant to be. Let’s take the first step and make room for Him.

Until next time,

PS. I love the worship song “Make Room” by Community Music. Listen to it this week and commit in your heart to acknowledge His ways this week and see where He leads you!

Another P.S. Next blog post I am so super excited to share with you our most delicious sugar cookie & icing recipe as we get ready for Valentine’s Day. (I dare say the recipe would be “Hobbit approved”, those hobbits sure love their snacks)

Snow Storms of the Soul

Living here in Colorado we are not unaccustomed to a snowy, even at times, blizzard-prone winter (and let’s not discount spring too!) We find ourselves at the beginning of the season, singing the four part harmony of “Snow, Snow, Snow” from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, but after the successful or unsuccessful white Christmas, the snow allows for two opportunities: (1) playing in the snow (yes, all the sledding, snowball fights, and building of snowman galore) and (2) becoming discouraged with the amount of snow and frigid days (thankfully Colorado can be quite mild at times, but still…). We are always happy when the ground begins to thaw and that possible “last” snow has passed (even if it is early May- yikes 😮). It’s something akin to the “Long, Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder, although not quite as destitute, yet don’t tell our “hope for spring time” souls that, because it sure does feel long and endless. 

It makes me think about Ecclesiastes 3:1 and how Solomon wisely proclaims that “there is a season for everything”. I do enjoy living in a state that experiences four seasons, but what about the seasons of the soul? How do we endure the seasons of challenge, opposition, or disappointment? I saw a quote (although I do not personally know the author) that resonated with my soul:

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

LR Knost

I think that could be interpreted as a modern version of what Solomon was advising his readers in Ecclesiastes. There’s a time of all kinds of different seasons of the soul, and situations we face… but we can breathe and hold on through them all. And for us as Christians, we are not merely “holding on” to get through these different times, we are actually being HELD during it all. 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 

I think about the snow, and snowstorms, and it reminds me of my favorite blizzard (yes, being a Colorado Native I have been in several!):

I remember a blizzard when I was a kid where we all got snowed in at my Grandparent’s farm. Both my family and our cousins’ family made a visit, and before we knew it, large snowflakes started to fall, and fall fast. Hearing the news updates of the conditions of the road, as well as the power going out, caused us to hunker down using candles for lighting and the stove for heat as vast amounts of snow fell. I always remember that night, because as a kid, it was so magical to be able to spend the night at the grandparents (on the couch & floor) snuggled with my cousins for warmth. I remember, even then, writing in my notebook about the experience, knowing it was a special moment in time. After figuring out cold dinners, how to borrow diapers from the neighbor for the baby, and plenty of story telling by the fire–the next morning came, the skies clear. The snowing had stopped. With plenty of shoveling, we were able to four wheel out with an Uncle’s truck and return back home via snow logged roads.

The point of the story being, what could have been a scary blizzard actually ended up being an adventure (as a kid) because we were sheltered, safe, together, and we knew the storm would eventually end. One thing about storms of any kind (as well as seasons of life and situations) is that they are not permanent. Yes, it’s the impermanence of snow and storms that gives our heart courage. During this instance, I’m sure my parents were frazzled about our house, the powerlines, the pipes, etc.— but knowing the snow would soon stop, the roads would soon clear, and things would return to normal— we were able to nuzzle in at our safe place and enjoy a special time inside during the storm. The clouds were white, the snow poured down, the power went out… yet inside, next to that stove we were all nice and cozy. In fact, we all recall that day with fondness because it somehow tore us from the endless marching on of regular days and gave us space for a deep breath and connection together. 

I know in our own lives the storm clouds can gather, situations can pour down that feel out of our control: relationship trouble, finances, health or any situation of sorts. Opposition, anxiety and fear. We feel like we must hold our breath, get through it. But God’s calling to us: 

“I’m here in the storm,” He says and motions us into the old comfy farmhouse. “Come and be safe.” 

We walk, with weary snow-covered steps to the porch, then enter inside stomping our feet as we go.

He has the stove warmed and roaring, the red hot fire in its belly. 

We would peel off layers of jackets, pants, and wet socks. 

He’d snuggle a blanket around our shoulders, light a candle and come sit next to us. 

Slowly, the cold would release from our fingers and feet, our cheeks rosy with warmth from the stove. 

He’d begin to speak and the time of sharing would begin. 

It’s the kind of sharing that would only happen here and now. It’s a treasure of sorts.

We find ourselves less focused on the flicker of the power lines, and instead, focused on the warmth of His presence, and the snap and crackle of the warm fire before us. 

Instead of focusing on the howling of the storm, we hear His voice and His heartbeat in our ear as we lean on Him. 

The place of the storm is transformed into a place of special connection, warmth, and love. 

Instead of fear, we see Him. We feel His love in our hearts, warm as the embers in the fire stove before us. 

I’m starting to learn our times of stormy, difficult weather of the soul is bearable because He is with us in the storm, providing safe shelter and protection. And not just that (like that isn’t enough! 😮) But also he provides His LOVE and the constant companion of His presence.

All fears are gone because Perfect Love casts out fear (1 John 4:8). ❤️

Nothing can separate us from His presence (Romans 8:38). ❤️

So next time the snow flurries start to fly from all angles– sending storms of challenges and opposition— Let’s get to the fire, the warmth, and the safe shelter of His presence. 

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 36:7

It is a place we can live in. 

It’s a place that we can feel at home, safe and free until the storm blows over and the sun comes out. 

Because even then, even in joy, He is with us. 

(For a great companion article to this please check out my last entry https://melanietalevski.com/2021/01/01/a-guarantee-for-the-new-year/) 

Until next time, 

PS. Here are some pictures of our snow adventures and fun over the years! 

Fun fact: We got engaged in the middle of a huge blizzard here in Colorado in March of 2003. We got over 32 inches of snowfall over 3 days, making it the second snowiest storm in Denver’s history! 😮