My Front Porch

I have a front porch with a swing. Beside my porch is a little water garden with a flowing creek. It is so peaceful sitting outside and listening to the stillness of the morning. This is my prayer closet. My morning coffee and little talk with Jesus place. I love to sit out there any time of year and see the seasons change, lay on the pillows, and even snuggle under a blanket and pray. It was a beautiful fall morning yesterday, so I got my coffee and went outside on my porch to swing. As I sat down, I noticed the seat cushions were faded and a little moldy. I hadn’t been out there in a while for many reasons, illness, busyness, weather, etc. I sat there and began to pray and noticed many other things around me. The plants were covered in spiderwebs, debris and dirt were everywhere and needed to be swept. The porch light was burned out and the creek wasn’t flowing. As I sat there trying to ignore my surroundings and pray, God spoke to my heart.“Look around, the porch is the same as it always has been, but you have neglected it. I am here everyday waiting for you….I haven’t changed. Where were you? If you neglect our time, you will become as the porch, dusty, dark and have no living water”.It broke my heart and after a good cry and prayers of forgiveness, I decided to work on my porch, God’s place. My daughter helped me clean, replace the cushions and decorate the porch with beautiful fall leaves and flowers. My son-in-law is coming to fix the pond and my husband changed the bulbs in the lanterns.This morning as I opened the door and walked out with my bible and morning coffee; I felt His presence, His peace, almost like, “Good morning, I have been waiting for you”. My porch is nothing special, just a small front porch to others but to me, it is where I talk to God, my special prayer closet. It is a place where I can spend time with the one I love and long to see.Deona Headrick