Straight from a Romanced Heart
By Lisa Elliott
“My beloved spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.’” (Song of Solomon 2:10).
The invitation was clear and I wholeheartedly accepted! It was our fortieth wedding anniversary, after all.
Rising early, driving a hefty distance and boarding a large water vessel before driving once again, this time across rugged terrain. We finally arrived at our remote destination—a quaint little cabin in the middle of nowhere overlooking a beautiful lake. My dream getaway! All ours for the next three days.
Amenities included a cute, fully equipped kitchenette, a small wooden table for two, a cushy love seat, soft, fluffy blankets to curl up under with a good book (of which there was a wide selection to choose from), a washroom complete with shower and handmade soap and a comfortable bed to nestle into at the end of each day. All working together to provide a welcoming, warm, cozy ambiance.
The cool-ish weather lent itself perfectly to enjoy an indoor wood stove as well as a hot tub on a private deck that overlooked the serene lake at the foot of the hill from our cabin. There, awaiting us was a wood burning sauna, fishing dock with two lounge chairs, and a hammock calling my name. Everything I needed to restore my mind, refresh my spirit, fill my senses, and speak undying love into my heart. My husband knew me well and knew just what would make my joy complete.
After a lovely anniversary dinner out, we sat in the hot tub and watched a beautiful sunset over the lake. Glowing orange-lit clouds in the western sky provided the perfect finale to our day.
Next, we lit a fire in our wood stove and my husband pulled out and presented me with a framed poem he had thoughtfully and lovingly crafted he entitled, “I Choose You.”
My heart swelled with all the love poured into my being. Reflections on forty years of marriage through sickness and health, for richer and poorer, in life and death. But he wasn’t the only one to express his love toward me.
The One who created my heart knew even more what I needed to make my joy absolutely complete. I became acutely aware of this when I realized this romantic getaway wasn’t simply the invitation initiated by the love of my life, but from the Lover of my soul!
It wasn’t until the middle of the night, I sensed the voice of the Lover of my soul beckoning me once again, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me” (Song of Solomon 2:10).
How could I resist? I quietly slipped out of bed, grabbed my jacket and went out to our deck. Alone in the darkness I looked heavenward. There I stood. Speechless. Mesmerized by the magnificence surrounding me as I gazed into the star-laden wonder filling the night sky. The Milky Way, planets and constellations aglow along with multitudinous others from the starry host above. I sat down to take it all in.
Just then, God put an old camp song in my heart that brought me back to my teenage days when I fell in love with my First Love and I first acknowledged His deep endless love for me. "In the stars His handiwork I see, On the wind He speaks with majesty… (Chorus:) Till by faith I met Him face to face, And I felt the wonder of His grace Then I knew that He was more than just a God who didn't care, that lived a way out there. And, now He walks beside me day by day, Ever watching o'er me lest I stray, Helping me to find the narrow way. He's everything to me."
The next morning after a fitful sleep and delicious breakfast, prepared by my husband, I went back to the deck where the starry host had been replaced by a cloudless, sunny blue sky. I looked up in awe as a bald eagle soared above me. Bringing to mind the words of the sage prophet Isaiah, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Is. 40:31). Rest. Strength. Perspective. Perseverance. Yes, the Lord had blessed me with all of this and more.
That afternoon I sat in the quiet on the deck and dared to close my eyes. No longer than a few minutes later, I was stirred by a louder-than-a-bumblebee buzzing and opened my eyes to see a hummingbird hovering about a foot from my face. Looking directly at me as if to say, “Don’t miss this.”
I didn’t want to miss any of it! Eyes, ears, senses, and heart wide open to the beauty my Lord wanted me to behold. I breathed it all in. The melodic singing of the birds: trilling finches, cheerily chirping robins, cooing mourning doves, cawing crows, seagulls crying out and the charming clucking of chickens in the coop nearby. Then there was the soothing ripple of the water, the rustle of leaves in the trees, the colourful flowers surrounding the property. Bright Purple Iris, stunning pink peonies, pale yellow potentilla, dainty white daisies, delicate mauve lilacs, tiny orange blossoms that opened throughout the day and closed as the day drew to an end.
And then came the full blown firefly display! The gentle breeze, not only keeping the mosquitoes away, but filling my senses and making me fully aware of the Lord’s presence right here with me. It’s then I realized our romantic getaway was not just sublime, it was divine!
My heart was refreshed. My spirit revived. My soul invigorated. Yes, the Lover of my soul had outdone Himself to woo and meet me here. In response I couldn’t contain the love and praise I felt. My heart responded from Psalm 8 which says,
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
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Need a little extra encouragement? Discover more inspirational blogs by Lisa Elliott, Straight from the Heart.
About this Contributor:
Lisa Elliott is an inspirational speaker and award-winning author of The Ben Ripple, Dancing in the Rain, and A Ministry Survival Guide. She’s also a writer for Just Between Us Magazine, theStory, and Good Ground. She and her husband, David, have four children (three on earth, one in heaven) and serve the Lord together in Stratford, ON, Canada.