Come Awake

"Are we left here on our own? Can you feel when your last breath is gone? Night is waiting heavy now. Be quiet and wait for a voice that will say,

'Come awake from sleep. Arise. You were dead. You've come alive. Wake up. Wake up. Open your eyes. Climb from your grave in to the light. Bring us back to life.'

You are not the only one, who feels like the only one. Night soon will be left dead, friend. Just be quiet and wait for the voice that will say,

'Come awake from sleep. Arise. You were dead. You've come alive. Wake up. Wake up. Open your eyes. Climb from your grave in to the light. Bring us back to life!'

Rise. Rise. Rise. Rise. Rise.

Shine, Oh Shine.

We will Rise. We will Shine.

Love will Rise. Love will Shine."

If you look closely there is a tiny yellow boat in the vast expanse of that ocean picture. Except for the fact that this photo is illuminated by the daytime sun, this has been the mental picture that previously came to mind when I would reflect on my family and our new placement after the tragedy that was "Katrina."

I just emailed a friend that I haven't seen in over 5 years, and all of a sudden the grief, pain, and the story itself began to pour into my fingers. When I neared the end of the "spill" I realized that some of my own family and close friends had never heard any of this either, so I copied a few of them rather than respill the story a second time.

This image...I am coming forth from this image. The above song by David Crowder had a poignant line that caught me as I was jamming to my ipod and making dinner, "You are not the only one who feels like the only one." Yeah! It's true. How many times have I heard these feelings expressed by others in all of my ministry and counseling work?! And yet I have to be reminded! What a silly, stupid sheep I can be. And thus I have a need for a shephard, a loving God.