Thursday, January 04, 2007


BATHED IN YOU

Lord, how could I have stood and looked for so long yet not seen you?

How could I have glared and peered and furrowed my brows to witness and missed it entirely?

How could I have read words you breathed life into and still not understood?

Why have I spent the last year trying to out-serve you? When your desire is to serve me? You are the shepherd. I need YOU to help me find my way. I need to allow you to care for me FIRST so that I may turn and care for others. I have to come clean and say tonight...I am tired, Lord. I am so very tired.

Why have I spent the last year thinking growing closer to you meant I had to constantly be doing something, serving someone, supporting someone?

I don't have to do anything.
I don't have to serve someone to feel you.
I don't have to run myself ragged. I don't have to check off every box, dot every i, cross every t. I don't have to be strong although you made me strong. I can be weak. I can weep. I can wail. I can cry and embrace. I can fall to my knees and know...

You
Are
God

You
Are
Mighty

You
Are
Divine

and
I am Danielle
sinner

I need to sit still. To allow you to bathe me. But I am so stubborn-hearted. Let ME do it, Lord! Let ME wash myself.

What am I nuts? I think I darn near turned over the washbin!

"No," Peter protested,"you will never wash my feet!"
Jesus replied, "but if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me." John 13:8


In 2007
I will be bathed
I will be blessed
I will breathe
I will be a part of your love story

Who's with me?

18 Comments:

Blogger BNTonnu said...

the lord is my shepherd, i shall not want.
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
he leads me beside quiet waters.
he restores my soul.

Let lie down in green pastures, beside quiet waters and let the Lord restore our oul my dear friend Danielle.
Like you said, let the Lord bath us...wow..what a gift for the beginning of the year.
Love you.

9:26 PM  
Blogger Sarah said...

You amaze me at how you say exactly what I am thinking and how I am feeling. On the nose.... Washed is the place to be. Submission is the key.
I want to be submissive to Him~

4:26 AM  
Blogger Liza on Maui said...

I'm with you.

Lovely and inspiring poem, Danielle.

Liza

7:00 AM  
Blogger Gigi said...

Me Me ME!!!

7:29 AM  
Blogger Dawn said...

Just beautiful! You have such a talent. And such a heart.

1:07 PM  
Blogger Gardenia said...

You got it, Danielle. You got it.
Beautiful post, beautiful pic as usual.

I am starting a 21 day night watch - day 1 is over, looking forward to tonight, but I have to wake up at all odd hours - I am believing that the Lord is leading me to this tho. It's a study by Chuck Pierce. Hopefully I will gain some victory in submitting to His Will AND in Spiritual Warfare.

I have to go get boxes,

1:39 PM  
Blogger Charlyn said...

Your post is beautiful, but I had to read it several times, cuz I was so distracted by the cute baby butt. I love that picture! But, I LOVE babies, can't resist em.

The part that really hit home was "allowing Him to care for me so that I can care for others".

I really need to allow Him to care for me as I go through this grieving process.

6:47 PM  
Blogger 10apen said...

Oh Danielle, this really touched me deeply... 'Lord, I will be bathed by You, I will be blessed by You, I will breathe freely, calmly & just be loved by YOU.'

4:05 PM  
Blogger holy chaos said...

beautiful!

5:07 PM  
Blogger Danielle said...

BN - ...I shall not want...He provides for everything...I pray to remember this throughout 2007 and my life.

Sarah - yes, mama...REST for all! WE need it!

Liza - love your blog. Hawaii looks so beautiful!

Becky - cool. Let's hold one another accountable to REST!

Dawn - thank you and I hope you are keeping warm this winter!

Gardenia - thank you as always, special lady. : )

Shenna - I'm praying for your throughout this tender time. Holdfast to Him. Your father sounded like such a godly, lovely man.

10apen - keep loving Him and trusting Him!!!

Holy Chaos - thank you!

3:08 PM  
Blogger Dawn said...

Thanks for the encouragement! I now know two other tall blog friends! It does have its advantages, for sure. But you're right, we tend to hide the pounds until it's at a crisis point. The worst is listening to the people who tell me, "But you're tall, you don't look bad!" Ha!

7:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

beautiful Danielle...God Bless

9:41 PM  
Blogger Steve Isham said...

You are exceedingly blessed because you recognize 'the good stuff', the real treasure ... and you've asked for it. (Like a woman in another story who chose the 'better part'.)

10:13 PM  
Blogger owlhaven said...

oh, sweet baby....

Mary

http://owlhaven.wordpress.com

9:36 PM  
Blogger Candy said...

I am jumping on this bandwagon girl! EXCELLENT post! I believe you are definitely getting it! Great picture! I want to be just like that baby - bathed by Him, in Him. I have a friend who has been talking and talking about doing and doing and it has made me feel so guilty even though I am doing. I've been feeling I don't do enough. Time to let that one go.

1:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am DEFINITELY in!

3:58 PM  
Blogger bigshoulders said...

right on, Danielle.
you've hit on something many have clearly needed to learn or re-learn.

kevin

11:10 AM  
Blogger Radford said...

I was reading this post written January 4th 2007. I can't believe we lived so much of our life trying to do it on our own without Christ. It amazes me that we even survived. The great thing is that it is not to late and we have him deep into our heart and lives now. Praise the Lord for choosing us!

AS I read this post, I think of your current days. Has anything changed for you? Are you still over serving? I think of our conversations on service and how you have difficulty saying no. As a result, you find yourself overdoing it, run down, and tired.

you wrote "Why have I spent the last year thinking growing closer to you meant I had to constantly be doing something, serving someone, supporting someone?

I don't have to do anything.
I don't have to serve someone to feel you.
I don't have to run myself ragged. I don't have to check off every box, dot every i, cross every t. I don't have to be strong although you made me strong. I can be weak. I can weep. I can wail. I can cry and embrace. I can fall to my knees and know..."

remember your response to your own question. Remember that you do not have to do anything and everything. there is not enough Danielle to go around to do everything. There is nothing you can do to earn more of God. You have him! HE will not love you any more or less than he does now. I love your servants heart. It is a very good thing Danielle. Don't lose it. At the same time (and I challenge you to do this), are you sitting and resting in the Lord? Are you Bathing in his love and peace? Are you able to worship him without having to do something in service (can you say no when they ask you to serve. It is o.k. to say no sometimes). I will challenge you to slow down and sun tan in his light. I love you Danielle!

7:56 AM  

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