Within the Vine

It’s called Gully Road

One of many dirt roads

Worming its way down the side

Of The Barrabool Hills

Recent heavy rains

Washed dirt roads 

Cutting edges into deeper gutters

So I sit on Gully Road

Thinking afresh of

The Teacher’s words

The Master’s teaching

He had spoken of the ground

Where the Sower’s Seed may fall

Then urged

Really See

Really Hear

I travel to Gully Road

On hard tarmac

With heavy frequent traffic

Busy fast moving

Ground hard pressed

Set in ways

Uninterrupted ribbons

Galloping by

Approaching Gully Road

Signs warn

This is a softer road

Less stable

Washed by rains

Pressed by traffic

Much runs away

To the edge of the road

Where cracks appear first

But constant changes

Disturbing

Interrupting Life

Making all fragile here

Broken

Stony ground

Where life takes hold

Then fails

With

Hot sun

Frigid frosts

Heavy rain

The broken remnants of Gone Before

Lay as reminders of shattered hopes

Fragile

Unreliable

Physically weak and easily broken

Reclaimed from this chaos

Earth softer but as yet shallow

Where grows weeds and seeds together

Separate from most trials of life

Though deeply furrowed

In times of urgency

 All this moves closer to a fence

Beyond where lays deeper ground

Earth settled

Confident

To receive

To hold

Deep

To grow and nurture

To weather the storms

To return when even flood sweeps o’er

Stable Earth holds roots

Leading to more stability

I am Earth Refined

Perhaps

Bad for the road

Is good for me

I wonder

Is that roadside chaos

Necessary for change

Are

Disasters

Difficulties

Hurts

Wounds

Disappointments

Chronic Ill health

Disability

Storms of Life

The agents for change

Each challenge closer 

Closer to The Deep

Each tumult

Necessary to turn

From hard resistant stony earth    

To softer receptive ground

In Chaos is danger

In this Chaos

God has hidden treasures to be found

Treasures of darkness

Riches of secret places

Places where His wisdom

His love

His Fruit

Grows

I will give you the treasures of darkness
      And hidden riches of secret places,
      That you may know that I, the LORD,
      Who call you by your name,
      Am the God of Israel.
       Isaiah 45 v 3 NKJ

Words and Pictures © Denise Stanford 2011

~ by Denise Within the Vine on 27/01/2011.

Posted in Encouragement, I See, Inspiration, Meditation, Praise, Thanksgiving, Treasures of Darkness, Walking with Him