Silence.

I have felt the Lord holding my hand, helping me pull away my junk - my need to feel important, my desire to control things, my desire to fix things, pride, selfishness, codependence, self-importance, anger, jealousy, even the good things - family, friends, heaps of beautiful blessings. And there, when all of it is stripped away, I am me: my most revealed self,sitting in the presence of my Creator. He looks at me with loving eyes and says, "well done. I have made you this way and you are mine. You fit into my world. You belong. Welcome, daughter. I have made you, you. Glory in that. Sit a while with me - me, your loving father and you, my beautiful unique daughter. You are beautiful when you are real. And here, when your soul is exposed, with your outer beauty and strengths of this world stripped away, you are lovely. This is your essential self, directly connected to the root of who I am, who you are." Ears of my ears awake, eyes of my eyes are opened.I see two souls, whole and vibrant, radiating love for the other. We sit together, across from one another, underneath a massive oak tree that He made. We gaze upon each other, exuberant with joy to be in the other's presence. He smiles, I smile. My heart feels wide open, soaking in the fullness of God. Were it not for the silence, I fear I would not have found him waiting. He asks me to join him in appreciating all he has made, all he has created. No fear sits with us. Only love and all that it encompasses. Be still, my soul and enjoy God. Exodus 14:14 reads, "the Lord will fight for you and you have only to be silent."

I wholly cherish these moments of clarity.