friends in strangers

Well, it seems the impression I may have given of bus rides in my last post ('Through a Window' poem) isn't always correct.

It seems every strange, bored face staring out the window has a unique, special personality, history, and future behind it (or painted on it by laugh lines and worry wrinkles).
In the past two or three days I've had more than just a couple brief encounters with the real people bundled up in winter jackets and waiting at bus stops or sitting next to me. Today's was really neat.

A girl who looked about my age sat down next to me on the crowded 3:30 bus I was taking home. She looked interesting, so I wanted to start a conversation but had no idea what to say (using the weather works really well sometimes, but just seems way overdone at other times) so we sat in silence for a bit as I did my English reading.

Eventually, though, we got talking and for the rest of the bus ride (about 20 minutes or so) there was hardly a silence! It ends up she's a student too, at a college downtown. Even cooler is that she's a believer and has gone on a DTS (with YWAM) and is into missions!

We also talked about our families, and she had something interesting to say. She said that while she used to feel bad for being far from her family because she is so close to them and it seemed like a bad thing ("if you're close, you'll stay close"), but it's when you have close family ties that you're really free to leave because you have their support and always have people to come back to.

Studying a few provinces away from most of my family, I find that this makes lots of sense. My siblings and I have often wondered why and how, if we're so close, we are all eager to go anywhere in the world. Maybe this is why!

And maybe it has something to do with the fact that one Father will always be with us :)

through a window

Glimpse through a window:
embrace silhouetted
by table lamp's glow.
Curtains open to welcome
rosy rays of dawn.

Love seen from a seat
on this crowded, lonely bus.
Silence between strangers.
Why smile? It's
another monday morning.

But doesn't your heart long
for that firm embrace?
We yearn,
hugging oursleves
within our shells.

Entering and exiting,
strangers slip past
potential friends,
scared of intimacy and
dreading emotion.

I sit here silent,
watching with
an ache for you,
that you would feel
His embrace.

the lover of my soul

It's been awhile since I last posted and if I attempted to update on the last month or so this would be pages long, so I'll spare you that because I just want to share what's really struck me lately.

In the span of about two days my brother became engaged (I'm getting a wonderful sister-in-law!!!!) and another dear friend began to wear a ring on a certain finger. All this excitement has made me think of the 'Lover of my soul'.

See, God was reminding me in Church yesterday (okay, technically it was two days ago but we'll call Sunday 'yesterday') that I need not worry about myself, because He's the One pursuing me and capturing my heart. Open your eyes and look around; I doubt it would take much time to see this magnificent God wooing you. One way He's been showing me His care is in timing, working things out too perfectly to be coincidental!

For example, in the morning He was teaching me this, then on the bus yesterday I was reading "Captivating" (by John & Stasi Eldredge - consider this a plug for such a good book) and came to the chapter on how we're being romanced by God.

You'd think that would be obvious enough, but just ten minutes ago I was flipping through the book of Isaiah and came to the verse reading "I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take DELIGHT in my people" (Isaiah 65:19, NIV). That word, delight, has stood out to me these past few weeks, and here He showed me that He is the one fulfilling my need to be delighted in! Only once I am secure in His love can I truly love any other.