O Lord, You have searched me and known me;
Sun, breeze and towering clouds
Clouds that remind him of Africa, he says
Such a beautiful day, he says
Because he always does
He always sees the beauty on the horizon
or on the page
or in a face
or even in me
He sees lovely like many see it, but he says it;
he speaks it out
like many won’t
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thoughts from afar.
The day feels like spring
as I follow him on an errand
watching his car in front of me
thinking of his hands
on the wheel
wondering again
what he’s
thinking
feeling
believing
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me.
Wishing deeply
and dearly
that I could rescue him
scoop him up
and fly him far from here
far from fear
far from any chance of winter
A place beyond the reach of reality
Where can I go from Your spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I could
I would
Paint his healing in the sky
and in the sea
(he would be the first one to notice it there)
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
I would write a song
a victory chant
a victory dance
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
But instead
I will write a story
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You. But the night shines as the day.
of afflictions temporary
and
eternal, weighty, dripping glory
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
I will write
and letter by letter
line by line
page by page
And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
I will find the beauty
that comes so easily to him
How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!
I will notice it
and I will speak it
I will say the story
of hope
How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more than the sand of the sea. When I awake, I am still with You.
Blessed be God
who sees
and knows
and moves
Winter into Spring
Well written.
This touched my soul. Thank you, Bo
Right now I have a four year old bundled up on my lap and as we watch his super heroes cartoon this morning I’m trying to hide the tears that this blog post elicited. So thankful for your writing and exemplary relationship with the lord and your family. Praying for you guys today and looking for the beauty in His creation with fresh perspective.
Bo, as I read your words this morning, I noticed my breathing begin to change….slower, deeper breaths. As I continued to read, it was as if someone had placed an oxygen mask over my face and every word – breath was 100% pure, new hope for this day…. may God bless your every breath today! XO
Wow. Beautiful.
Oh Bo.
You’ve done an extraordinary thing today.
In one sweeping, moving page you have shown us why you love the man you love, why you serve the God you serve, and why you share the story of it all.
Your determination to find the beauty and the hope in each day and then to tell us that story – well, it’s just about the most wonderful gift I’ve ever been given. You are carving a trail through a jungle none of us would choose. And you are showing us that God sees us in the jungle, and in his seeing there is hope and beauty and a future beyond what we can imagine.
Thank you. I know it’s not an easy choice you’ve made.
I love you for it.
Chris
Thank you for this stunning reflection of true beauty from ashes. I love you so much friend and am overwhelmingly grateful for you. Miss you so.
Faith moves mountains. But tonight I’ve experienced, through your heart on paper, that so do words.
Thanks so much, friends. These few words – more than any I have ever written – were deeply mingled with sorrow and joy…costly. Thank you for giving them value.
Achingly beautiful.
…also. I was praying for you today, asking Jesus to be strong and kind. I switched my radio station and this song was playing. I remembered a spot in my life when I needed to know that it was OK to let EVERYTHING ride on Hope. This song helped.
And I thought it might be nice to hear a friend say it.
It’s OK to let everything ride on hope.
Love you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH6sNNJ4u8o
Oh, Jennie, I loved it and will promptly add it to my go-to playlist for rough days. Thank you for sharing. Sometimes it seems so risky to let it all ride – and other days it’s a great adventure. Today, I’m all in. Tomorrow? I’ll listen yet again. 🙂 Love you, sweet friend.
OK….this goes in your NEXT book! So beautifully written!
Bo,
You don’t know me, but I attend Westside and while searching the church’s website I stumbled across your blog. I LOVE a good blog, and when I saw you had one I was truly excited. When you speak at church I’m always so thrilled. Not only because your are adorable, and funny, but mostly because your oneness with God is so evident in your speaking. I am always challenged to deepen my walk with Him when I hear you speak of Him in such the intimate way that you do.
I only learned of this season of life your family is walking through a couple of weeks ago when I found your blog. Know that you and your entire family are constantly on my mind and in my prayers. God does that to me. Lays someone on my heart and there they are with me everywhere I go through my day. Thank you for sharing the silly stories AND the deeper more personal ones. It gives insight on how to pray more specifically for the Stern family, and brightens my day!
You are held in prayer dear sister.
Thank you so much, Sandi, for your lovely words…such a blessing to me. Please find me at church some time so we can meet in person. 🙂
And blessed be Bo, who is God’s mouthpiece in so many lives each day. Love you friend. Remember 24/7, that’s our dealeo!
Nita – ha! I almost cashed in on our deal two nights ago…such a dark one. But I kept thinking that calling someone wouldn’t work because all I would do is cry and then all they could really do is call 911. 🙂 God is good and is showing me new angles of this whole battle and helping me stay steady in them. Don’t worry though…I won’t hesitate to call when I need talking off of ledge or just a reason to laugh. Thanks, friend.