Tag Archives: heart

Breathe

Breathe

Breathe – Photograph property of www.OntheWingofaDove.com

Breathe – life is short so we need to live it…

”Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  Genesis 2:7

Breathe

Life is short, so we need to live it.

Life is not about chance.

It’s a gift…we need only to receive it.

Man determines his steps, God directs his paths.

When we step out, there’s no turning back.

That I can assure you; believe it.

When we’re all caught up and fear grips us tighter…

Open up, let Him in…and breathe.

They say we control our own destiny…is that really true?

Can we cause the sun to rise? Can we cause it to set?

Does the world stop based on the things that we do?

There is nothing that happens beyond God’s control.

All power in heaven and on earth is in His hands to extol.

Darkness can’t exist where His light abounds.

Feel His love…and breathe.

Felecia R. Weber 2018, www.OntheWingofaDove.com

Breathe – Have you ever thought what it would feel like to not be able to breathe?

Breathing is one of the most elemental of all bodily functions.  Without it, we simply cannot survive.  From the time we enter into this world until the day we leave it, there is something we must all do…breathe.  Certainly breathing, in the physical sense is essential…but what about breathing on  the spiritual level.

When we breathe physically, we inhale, taking oxygen into our lungs, and the oxygen flows through our bloodstream, where nutrients are carried to our cells for sustenance and healing.  Then we exhale, and carbon dioxide is expelled from our lungs, ridding our bodies of toxins.  Although we have the ability to hold our breathe for activities such as swimming underwater; breathing basically happens automatically.

The breathing process is instrinsic to our spiritual well-being as well.  Like inhaling oxygen, we require regular intake of God’s living Word, the Bible, to nourish our souls.  The more we fill our spiritual lungs with the truths of scripture, the more we are able to expel what is not part of God’s good and perfect will for our lives.  Similarly, when we choose to breathe in the polluted ways of our imperfect world, we eventually feel the suffocating effects of not edifying our hearts with what truly gives us life…God’s Word.

”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”  John 1:1-4, 14 NIV

In preparation for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, may you take some time each day to open your Bible…and breathe.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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The Light Shines in the Darkness

The Light Shines in the Darkness

The Light Shines in the Darkness – Photograph property of www.OntheWingofaDove.com

The Light Shines in the Darkness – all that is hidden is revealed…

”The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.” —John 1:5

The Light Shines in the Darkness

A new day starts at midnight…way before dawn.

A new life starts in the womb…precious months before birth.

A seed is nourished underground…sprouting leaves coaxed out by the sun.

Closed eyes cannot see…the beauty of what the heart feels.

The light shines in the darkness…all that is hidden is revealed.

Felecia R. Weber 2018, www.OntheWingofaDove.com

The light shines in the darkness – Have you ever considered this phenomenon?  How so much of the beauty in nature is spawned from dark, quiet places?  A baby is conceived deep inside its mother’s womb and a new day starts in the wee hours of the night.  A tiny seed is buried under the dark earth and grows into the most fragrant flowers and delicious produce. When we close our eyes, we cannot see…but even for those who are blind…the light within our hearts allows us to imagine a world that is brighter than reality ever could be.

Indeed, into the darkness, light does shine.  As with all things in nature, however, the light eventually fades and turns back to dark.  We live our lives, grow old and pass away.  The sun rises, soars slowly across the sky and sets at regular intervals.  Plants reach maturity, are harvested or shrivel and die once they’ve reached their peak.  Yet, there is one light that never goes out…

“Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again.  ‘I am the light of the world,’ he said.  ‘Whoever believes in me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.’” —John 8:12

When we put our trust in Jesus, though our physical bodies whither and fade, his light of life that flows within us never goes out.

Those who follow the light of life need never traverse the darkness that can easily overshadow us throughout our lives alone. For not only does his light guide our steps here on earth…it will shine on for us throughout all eternity.

During this season in nature, when the hours of daylight are short and the darkness of night long, won’t you consider trusting in the light of life that never grows dim, and will never leave you in the dark?

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Be Still

be still

Be Still – Photograph courtesy of Gail_m

Be Still in the moment, in the quiet dream…

“Be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

Be Still

Be still in the moment

In the quiet…dream

Keep your heart open,

Thoughts flowing like a stream.

 

Be still and know,

That God is right there,

He’ll never leave you…

He’s your help with all you bear.

 

Be still and listen,

He’s got so much to say…

Tune out all that is around you,

Let Him guide you…he’ll show you the way.

Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com 2018
 

This morning I woke up with a calmness that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I took the time to just be still.  With my thoughts focused on God, the words from Psalm 46:10, “ Be still and know that I am God,” filled my mind and heart.

It is rare that I get the chance just to sit and be still…but when I took the opportunity to do just that, I can hardly describe the peace that I felt.  What a treasure it is to take the time to come before the Lord and feel his presence surround you.  [It’s as if the world fades to gray and God’s light shines in and through you.  He blankets his arms around you and the warmth of his love cause you to glow.

Why not give it a try…now.  Close your eyes, breath deeply; be still.  Now contemplate for yourself, the wonder of God’s love, his provision…his will.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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When We Cannot See

when we cannot see

Photograph courtesy of Lisa Richter

When we cannot see with our eyes, it is time to see with our hearts…

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”  Henry Ward Beecher

I often wonder what goes on around us unseen and unspoken. My thoughts have taken me to some unfamiliar places lately – sometimes it is as though the Lord has removed a veil that I had not been able to peer beyond before.  What He has shown me are things that were always there… I am just understanding them in a whole new light.

The photograph taken by my dear friend Lisa at Presque Isle State Park in our home town, inspired this poem. In a way, I believe the photograph depicts more of what my heart wants to say than my words do…

When We Cannot See

When we cannot see with our eyes,

What God is doing behind the scenes,

We can feel that something is happening,

But only in His timing will it be revealed.

When we cannot see

When days are murky like a rain-threatened sky;

Our vision is clouded by our daily affairs,

But when the skies brighten by the promise of the sun’s light,

Then we see with a clarity and joy…nothing is hidden and all is out in the open.

When we cannot see

We must be still and listen, taking in all that is around us.

Sometimes we observe more than what we’ve wanted;

And other times it is as though we are completely blind.

Rest assured, when we seek what God has placed before us,

We will see not with our eyes, but with our hearts…

And we will be filled.

Felecia R. Weber 2016, OntheWingofaDove.com

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”  1 Corinthians 2:9

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

 

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On Healing

On Healing

healingA Quote to Carry You

March 7, 2016

“If Nature has made you a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is full, and you can give things out of that.” Frances Hodgson Burnett

On healing – Although we’ve had a very mild winter this year, it seems like cold and flu season is in full force right now.  So many people in my circle have been suffering from the sniffles, coughs, and the general “blahs” that go along with it.  When I think of all the medications that promise fast relief, it makes me think of how, if given the opportunity, the human body is well equipped to bring about physical healing on its own.  To take that marvelous ability even deeper, I can’t help but think of how amazing God has provided for healing of the heart…and the way it, in turn illuminates our very souls.

Thankfully, I have not succumbed to the cold germs floating around in the air, but I’ve become well acquainted with ailments of the heart, and I’ve discovered that the remedy for those types of maladies cannot be bought.  For me, that kind of healing begins, not when I take something to remove the discomfort of pain, rather, it happens when I give something…then I receive the healing I need.

It is so easy to get caught up with ourselves, trying to filler fix the areas of our lives that are empty or hurting.  Like taking medications for fast relief of our physical discomforts, we so often try desperately to satisfy what it is that we lack deep down inside.  It is not an easy task…and how we go about gratifying ourselves sometimes has the opposite effect.  It seems to me that the solution is more fully attained when we forget about what we lack and focus on what we have.  For it is then that we realize that what is missing from our lives doesn’t matter as much as what we have to offer to others.  Then we find that we do not lack anything at all…but we have everything…to give.

The healing power of giving has certainly been demonstrated in my own life.  It is true; when I concern myself with giving what I have to others, and there are so many ways that I have been blessed to do so, not only has healing happened at my heart level…it spills over into every aspect of my world.  For is there really anything that we possess that is worth having if we don’t share it with those around us?

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

Peace and love,

Felecia

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All I Ever Wanted

all I ever wanted

Photograph courtesy of Martin Watson

All I ever wanted – how can I describe it with words…

“Sometimes life fills you with the thing that you’ve longed for the most…when you finally have it, how is it that you ever lived without it?”  Felecia R. Weber

All I Ever Wanted

All I ever wanted;

How can I describe it with words?

You can’t capture the beautiful simplicity of a clear blue sky, and trap it inside a bottle…for it is too vast to be harnessed, it is the essence of freedom.

All I ever wanted;

What is it about finally having it that makes your life seem like someone suddenly unveiled the most exquisite painting…the kind that invites you to step right into its beckoning magnificence.

All I ever wanted;

It is an amazing thing that happens when what your heart craves is not simply a fleeting desire, not just a moment in time…rather, it is something that is so essential it becomes a part of you.

Felecia R. Weber 2016, OntheWingofaDove.com

When you receive the thing that you’ve longed for, when it unfolds before your very eyes…it shakes your world like a violent storm.  Yet the calmness, the peace, the wholeness that follows, is like the freshness of a dew soaked meadow…it waters your soul, continuously.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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On the Surface

on the surface

Photograph courtesy of Alice Kish

On the surface – you are you, the person who others see on the outside…

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.  Ephesians 3:21

On the Surface

On the surface,

You are you, the person who others see on the outside.

When you laugh, when you cry…

Those emotions are reflections of who you are inside.

On the surface,

You can be who you want to be,

Strong, happy, brave, always on point.

But, is that all of you that others truly see?

On the surface,

If you dig deep, search your heart, you will know,

God has a specific purpose planned just for you.

When you seek to find what it is, His answer to you He will show.

Felecia R. Weber 2015, OntheWingofaDove.com

I think from time to time, we are all guilty of saying, “I’m fine,” when asked how we’re doing.   When really, we are having a bad day, month, or even year!  Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to make it so, nothing seems to go the way we would like.  Even though we appear to be okay on the surface, it is what lies beneath our smiling faces that truly matters.

I am the first one to admit that I do not know exactly what God has planned for my life.  In the same way, on the surface, I don’t always know why troubling circumstances happen.  But deep down inside, I know that whatever the reason, ultimately it is absolutely for my own good… because God makes it so.

On the surface, there will be times when it seems like life is going totally in the opposite direction that it should be.  It is during those times that I encourage you to diligently seek out and ask God to guide your steps.  And as He works within you, may your heart fill with joy as His goodness unfolds before you.

Peace,

Felecia

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On Promises

On Promises

on promisesA Quote to Carry You

September 14, 2015

“I believe that to keep a promise, to keep your word, is a marvelous opportunity to show others what dwells within your hear.”  Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

On promises – When someone follows through on a promises they’ve made, when they actually do what they say they will do, I believe that speaks volumes about a person.  The very definition of promises, to commit oneself to definitely doing something, leaves no leeway for not following through on that which was pledged.  I believe that to keep a promise, to keep your word, is a marvelous opportunity to show others what dwells within your heart.

To me, the fact that whenever a commitment is made, the expectation that the action will be carried out, is what makes promises so valuable.  When a person keeps his promises consistently, he actually builds a reputation for reliability, honesty, and integrity; characteristics that display outwardly what lies within his heart.  These are the things that make for lasting impressions; the things that relationships are built upon; the things that follow a person throughout their lives.  I’d say that keeping promises is something to strive for…always, don’t you agree?

May your promises made always be promises kept.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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