Fields rolled by and I wondered which farm was her’s. I took photos just in case this was the one.
It wasn’t. But we were getting close to the gravel road that would lead us to our resting place. After speaking at a women’s event in Ontario all weekend, I was traveling with my friend Leah to the Farm to visit with my sweet friend, Ann Voskamp.
I couldn’t wait to see Ann and meet her family. Each one as unique and wonderful as I had imagined. Two boys hid (and giggled) under the porch while we visited. Her girls sat on the swing and listened. Flowers bent in the breeze behind the white picket fence.
And a zip line waited for us in the backyard. I didn’t know about it until dinner time. Listening to each child describe their father’s creation and how much time it took to build, voices echoed excitement. So I decided to ask if I could try it.
Smiles stretched big across their faces. No one there knew that this city girl is a farm girl at heart who loves a little adventure.
I even talked their mama into trying it for her first time!!
The next day we sat on the porch, eating apple slices and talking. We talked about the power of naming things like self-doubt, anxiety and fear, as well as the beauty He brings that we easily miss. How naming them can bring clarity to our thinking and invite God into our everyday moments.
Then we talked about framing the moments and messes so we can see God in them and worship Him there. Will you join us on the porch?
_______________________
Lord, we want to see You. We.Need.To.See.You. Open the eyes of our hearts and our souls, slow us and show us how to frame the gifts You give us each day – the moments, the messes, the simple, the sacred. In Your Name Amen!
Join Us On The Porch
Slip a note in the comments below this post by clicking “Share your thoughts.” As a special gift, when you join Ann and my conversation you will be entered for a chance to win one of three copies of A Confident Heart or a copy of Ann Voskamp’s New York Times Best-Seller, One Thousand Gifts.
Discover more from Renee Swope
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Thank you for the reminder to see God in the every day moments of our lives. The plain, ordinary days are always full of His goodness. I constantly need the reminder to change my perpective and to keep my focus on God and not on my circumstances. Thanks you again for sharing your passion with others and for allowing God to work through you.
What an inspiring message today. I love to take pictures and you have given me a whole new perspective to how I view the world. I like the thought of moving the frame to focus on the light rather than the darkness. Thank you both for sharing the porch with all of us!
What a great convo! My 6 year old daughter says she is going to be an artist and she regularly shows me the beauty in everything. Thank you for sharing!
We are all God’s perfect masterpieces. We need to remember that fact as we focus on the light in this dark world. Very nice to hear your perspectives.
Thank you so much for sharing this, I love porches and swings and most of all thank you for sharing this prayer.
Lord, we want to see You. We.Need.To.See.You. Open the eyes of our hearts and our souls, slow us and show us how to frame the gifts You give us each day – the moments, the messes, the simple, the sacred. In Your Name Amen!
Elaine
I love this…I latly been think like I’m looking a camera:)
Beautiful friends on a peaceful porch having a lovely conversation…..doesn’t get any better!!
Thank you for inviting me onto your porch conversation. I look out my front window that has 6 long frames that allow me to see outside. I see branches moving that are rich with green leaves in the summer, golden leaves in the fall, and heavy laden with snow in the winter. Even in the spring, after the snow is gone and before the green leave dance on the branches, the window frames the sky through the brown arms reaching to heaven. I am seeing God’s Gifts.
We need to be reminded. We also need to open our minds and hearts to welcome the reminders. Take it all in as if we are sponges. We become so full that we cannot hold anymore and we then release the gifts He has given us. Thank you for being sponges and releasing. 🙂
I loved this very down to earth video. You two make me seem like I could jump in the car and join you on the porch. I love the “frame the moments” part. Just perfect!
Thank you so much for your perspective and willingness to share.
Enjoyed listening to this…framing the moments and taking the focus off of me, off of the problems and struggles, to see the light, the hope to inspire others and that God be glorified! I am job searching and this is my daily request to God…show me where you want me to serve you. Faming each job situation helps to see what that might be.
Thanks for this timely message God is Good
My prayer this morning, after reading my devotional, was “God, help me to see you in every moment” This is confirmation to my spirit, of what God is teaching me. Thank You.
I thank God for both of you framing a conversation about God’s glorious creativity between two sisters in Christ. I see you both sitting on the porch and sharing about the Lord’s magnificence and His purpose in our lives and I love being a part of the conversation on your porch, out in the open, free to share with God’s family! The two of you make a beautiful masterpiece in God’s eyes along with all your other sisters in Christ who are joining you in this conversation. Praise God for He is worthy of our Praise!
Thank you for this message today :-). I am in the midst of reading Ann’s book, One Thousand Gifts, and it is transforming my thoughts and ideas of life and God and how he works in our lives. Thank you!
Sounds so simple and comforting, but I let busy stuff get in the way of stopping to share and frame the moment. Thank you for reminding me and bring these things to the fore front of my day.
Thank you so much for this reminder. Such an anointed conversation that God has used to speak truth in our lives. A great message that I needed to hear. Will now look for ways to step into the framed moments instead of hiding in the background. Thank you.
I LOVE the expression Godfidence! I intend to incorporate that into my vocabulary. What a great reminder that it’s not in ourselves we have confidence, but through God!
I love listening to you ladies convesation. You look so peaceful and at rest in the Lord. Thanks for reminding me to frame God’s moments that are given to me in all situations. Our prespective can change without our sitautions changing. That’s very positive. I will continue to look for moments to frame until God heals me. I know he promises are true.
Thank you! It is an ongoing challenge to choose what I focus on. The journey of truly believing that God loves me and has an abundant life for me even in the midst of challenging, at times heart-breaking circumstances is one I never thought I’d be on.