Five Minute Friday – LIFT
It’s Friday again! Every Friday, I join a special group of writers to write for FIVE MINUTES on a one-word prompt. No editing. No revising. Just WRITE. This week, the word is LIFT! Go! //
————————-♥————————-
I REMEMBER THE PANIC. Strange shoes, strange clothes, strange hands. I couldn’t see anything else past the press of bodies around me. Random faces looked down in pity, but that didn’t help still my racing heart.
Then the gentle arms of a kind, old grandpa courageously lifted me up past the crowd, and I could see her. “Mommy!” She turns in relief. I was found.
We’ve heard it said, “Lift up your eyes – where does your help come from?” However, sometimes I need more than just to lift my eyes, I need full-on intervention. God, get me out of here! I need His strong arms of rescue and help.
Perhaps the power of LIFT is not so much about Location as it is about Vision. When you’re down and out, you can’t see past the littered alley and cardboard pillow. When you’re lost in the crowd, you can’t see past the shoes racing past you and the handbags hitting your face.
Being lifted up means clarity and vision. It’s the ability to see your goal without being distracted with the obstacles.
That’s what worship does in my life. Lift. It’s the Divine enabling me to focus on the destination rather than the distraction. Think of it as the chair lift for life.
Stuck in circumstances and can’t see straight? You need a higher vantage point. Can’t see past knees and shopping bags? You need a higher vantage point. Can’t see past doctors bills and grim prognoses? You need a higher vantage point.
Oh that we would allow Father God to lift us higher than our vision to see what He sees. Worship is so much more than repetition. So much more than inspiring melodies.
It’s when Almighty God // breaks past the consciousness of my own realities and He shows me who He is and where He’s going. Worship is when He lifts me up to see accurately and receive peace, comfort, purpose, and direction.
————————-♥————————-
STOP
For more information on Five Minute Friday, check out Kate Motaung’s site!
Truth right here >> “Oh that we would allow Father God to lift us higher than our vision to see what He sees.” Amen! I think this is my first time here so may I say, “It is so nice to meet you!!”
Hi Joanne! So nice to meet you too! I love this community of creatives. So encouraging. Thanks so much for stopping by.
This is so great! #fmfparty
Thanks so much for visiting, Carolina. So enjoyed today’s prompt word!
“Being lifted up means clarity and vision.” Yes! It’s so easy to think the knees and the muck are the norm but you’re right; we need a new vantage point. Lovely. Visiting from FMF #25.
Peace.
Thanks Patricia! So nice to meet you. It’s a powerful thing to have a higher vantage point. I need it regularly!
Shauna, I loved your post. You’re so right. We need to lift our vision. I hadn’t thought about lift in these terms before. It reminded me of something my pastor’s wife told me years ago. We have to choose to live above our circumstances. We can keep our vision in the murky frustrations and other fogs of our circumstances, or we can lift our eyes, our vision, to the Lord and choose to live as if we believe He’s really in control.
Great post today!
Thanks, Jeanne! I’m so glad you stopped by. I love how your pastor’s wife described it too. Foggy circumstances are all too common. Faith means living according to what HE sees, not what we see. Thanks for your comments! See you next week.
Just what I needed to hear, Shauna.
Sometimes I think I need a kick in the you-know-what. Then gentle, strong people with vision and focus come alongside me. They lift me when I feel I cannot even lift the bed covers, let alone face the day.
Sweet Minette. You are so valuable and so loved! It is our privilege to lift you up when you can’t lift yourself. I’m so glad to know you.
“It’s when Almighty God // breaks past the consciousness of my own realities and He shows me who He is and where He’s going. Worship is when He lifts me up to see accurately and receive peace, comfort, purpose, and direction.”
This is my absolutely favorite. It is faith to see and focus on who God is and what He is doing. very good reminder!
Thanks so much, Kristina! This has been such a powerful revelation in my life, and I’m delighted to see others being blessed by it. Thanks for stopping by!
Brilliant Shauna, as always! Love it, very powerful reminder to stay close to Father and His perspective through intimate worship.
Baie dankie, Isy! Missing you terribly, girl! Trust that you are thriving in your corner of the world. (Time for another skype date.) Thanks so much for visiting today! <3
Well-said, Shauna!
Reminds me of the classic verse –
Two men looked through prison bars;
one saw mud, the other, stars.
#2 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/08/your-dying-spouse-192-ki-to-lift-fmf.html
Thanks, Andrew. So true. By the way, how do you always manage to get #1 or #2 spot each week? Hilarious! Don’t you sleep?
Like fathers would lift their children … make then sit on their heads too, God Father lifts us higher than Himself.
He says, walk a single step and I’ll run a thousand steps to help you.
Dropping by from FMF.
Thanks, Raspal. Such a nice picture of Father God lifting us higher. So nice to have you visit today.
What a beautiful post, Shauna – I could feel myself in the crowds panicking with you at the start! Love your way with words and your insights as well!
Thanks, Emma. It’s amazing how one word, lift, can take you back to those emotions and moments in time. I’m so glad you stopped by.