Let me draw a picture for you...

I remember back in the day, watching a Veggie Tales video with Zoe about these lil guys called "Snoodles". It ended up being quite moving actually, not that I was too surprised- it seems as a mother my "toughness" fades whenever you pop one of those moral-filled kiddy programs in. I kinda feel all choked up inside when some profound statement is acted out by little sounding people- as if maybe my daughter were saying such wise things TO ME. (It does happen often in this house when my daughter tries to teach me a lesson or two...)

Part of the storyline of this "Snoodle" animation, was all these mean Snoodle-folk were drawing mean Snooodle-folk pictures to describe this poor little baby Snoodle. He carried around these negative pictures in his backpack and they weighed him down, they held him back and they designed his opinion of himself. In the end- yup, for writing purposes, I AM going to ruin the finale for you- the Snoodle happens upon a "man" who draws a NEW picture of him. This new picture makes this little failing guy look older and stronger and ABLE. The "man" takes the bad pictures and throws them into the fire, and places the new picture in this Snoodle-guy`s backpack. He didn`t feel weighed down! He didn`t feel heavy and burdened! ***AWWWWW*** Really, the story gets me every time- there's quite a few more dimensions to that little storyline- so feel free and look into watching it- I'd like to know if anyone else tears up or if it just happens to be me. ;)

But anyway, I got to have an encounter with a quite similar story the other day. A few friends and I decided to steal away to the beach to seek some peace and as brides, seek some "romance" with the King. We have made a tradition out of joining together and blessing each other with encouragement and beauty treatments- and importantly---amazing prayer times. We have gotten some pretty incredible things out of those times in the past- and this time, we made quite the big deal out of our beach trip. God whispered, "Come away with me" and we were fully prepared and intent on doing just that!

I spent the week prior to the trip trying to quiet my heart enough to even begin preparing for what would happen in our cozy suite at the beach, but the week was hectic, the days were long and in the end, I didnt find myself being able to really shed any layers of the "stuff" Id been carrying around. I hate feeling cluttered with past stuff when Im trying to get excited about dealing with future stuff. But amazingly- the day of, my week slid off and I slipped into something more comfortable- something quite a bit lighter and a whole lot more inviting for pampering and refreshing.

Every part of our trip was special- certainly. We danced on the pier, we shopped, we walked the beach, we picked wildflowers and hunted shells, we talked about old stories
new stories
celebrating stories
frustrating stories,
we made each other dinner and ate with plastic dinnerware on wedding plates by fake candlelight, we swam in the pool, soaked in the hot tub, we even sang in the acoustically perfect "gym"--- it is beyond tempting to sing "The Star Spangled Banner" in every echoing room I encounter. All that lead up to---the night in the hotel room. We retreated back, to settle in, and there we met. With soft songs playing a dance formed in our hands. We had little white poster boards for each of us and markers to create with. In that moment- we began drawing pictures for each other. As we would pass each board around, new words and meanings and thoughts would spring- and you would hear someone ask "Who has Rosie`s board?" "Whose board are you working on now?" Things popped into my head that had no explanation of whence they came, but they were there- and once on those boards, and those boards were in the hands of their owner, made so much sense.
There were tears,
and laughter
and sighs of complete impact because these pictures we were drawings of each other were speaking- loudly- against all the things we seemed to be fighting. They were saying things like "there is a new start coming, a new season" or "be your life`s leading lady and walk through those open doors" or "you feel burdened by others` lives because you are called to wash their feet and ready them to return to their calling". It just made so much sense. 4 people all drawing different pictures coming together to make one big picture that just MADE SO MUCH SENSE. We all kept shaking our heads, knowing we were blessed and pampered.

How often do we get to see a picture of how we really are SEEN by Him without a mirror or a world to taint the picture?

That night, after those conversations, those revelations- I went to the balcony by myself. I felt like God was saying "come away with me". Every one was inside- doing communion, but I took mine and just followed. I went outside- the air, the height of the balcony, the night, the ocean- all of it moved with the beat of a song- a slow dance song. I wanted to pray- I felt like I was supposed to say something. You know, maybe thank God for what He was doing- for what He was blessing me with. But my soul had no words- and He wasn`t asking for any- He wanted sweet sweet silence. A song came to my mind- and I listened to it from my phone- and as every girl wishes- I felt like I was being sung to. Danced with. Loved on.

"Rosie`s Lullabye"
She walked by the ocean
And waited for a star
To carry her away
Feelin so small
At the bottom of the world
Lookin up to God
She tries to take deep breaths
To smell the salty sea
As it moves over her feet
The water pulls so strong
and No one is around
And the moon is looking down

Sayin- Rosie come with me. Close your eyes and dream

You would have thought I wrote that song for myself- I slightly wish I had come up with something so cleverly beautiful. But it was written and there for my discovery- just as cool. Few moments are more perfect than that.

Later that night- I was reading a devotional- my new devotional gifted to me by my dear friend Joan- and on the day of my birthday this is what was written:

THE QUIET TIME

My beloved spake, and said unot me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Song of Solomon 2:10

"There may be many times when I reveal nothing, command nothing, give no guidance. But your path is clear, to grow daily more and more into the knowledge of ME. I may ask you to sit silent before Me, and I may speak no word that you could write. All the same, waiting with Me will bring comfort and peace. Only friends who understand and love each other can wait silent in each other`s presence."

So my night ended- with Him reminding me how after my heart He really is. He gave me a reflection on a crooked cut white board, he gave me a song (one I can`t seem to successfully download for the life of me) and written words jotted on the day of my birth- all painting quite the perfect picture, "Rosie, come away with Me".