Light of the Broken World

My mind is on those who live with a chronic illness or have a continuing battle of some sort. Many times we can see the pain in people's lives, but often there is pain that is too deep to see. During the holidays, I am always aware of those who have hardship and are struggling to celebrate anything.  This doesn't mean that I feel guilty about my own joy. I am able to empathize to some degree and recognize the need we all have for Christ's joy to be in our hearts. I never want to discount someone's situation, but always want to draw the eyes of others to Jesus. This is the perfect season to do that. If someone is downtrodden, let the heart of Jesus shine through you and bring light to the broken world. May the Spirit of God dwell richly in, around, and through you this Christmas season, and may Jesus be as tangible now as he was lying in the manger.

That's Power!

My thankful heart is focused on the love of God and the intercession of Christ on our behalf with the loving Father. At times I do not know what to pray or how to pray for other's or even my own situation.  At this moment I ask Jesus to step in with His words to ask the Father. There is no other way to go, but to God, especially when the way is dark. I've learned to walk with Jesus, taking each step with Him and focusing all of my attention on Him. There are times when only step by step is how we can move because the end is unknown. The beauty is that in those times, Jesus knows exactly where to step and what is coming and with Him we are more than conquerors of the darkness. That's power!

Too Great To Grasp

In this first week of advent, I am thinking about the gift of Jesus. The love of God to send Jesus to the world to take the punishment of my sin is unfathomable. And yet, He gave that gift to me, to each of us. It's humbling to think about the cost in Jesus' coming for everyone involved.  It wasn't simple for Mary and Joseph either.  Their course was changed completely. I've been lamenting the fact that I have not accomplished all that I thought I would have by this point in my life.  I'm following God too, however, people don't look at me in judgement because of my change in course.  As a matter of fact, no one would even know my life is different than I expected. So my lamentations are selfish. I cannot even begin to know what Mary felt or the hardship Joseph endured.  But beyond that, to understand what Jesus did and the weight that he carried not only for me, but for the entire world, is too great for me to grasp.  What I can grasp is the love of God that has called me to Him and the transformational grace that has changed my heart so my circumstance, my course, is nothing compared to my life in Christ. I am grateful for the gift of Jesus this season and the hope that He brings.

The Blessings of Tragedy

In preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I've been noticing things I'm thankful for. I think we all do that. :-)  Seriously though, it's the blessings that I don't think of as blessings that I'm starting to see more and more. The frustrating financial situation that has drawn me nearer to God. The waiting and wondering that leads me to tears, but gives me a tangible grasp on Jesus. We often only look at blessings as being those things that are all good all the time, which some blessings are. The reality is that we do receive blessing out of the worst experiences. Blessing is anytime God is near, and frankly, the nearness of God is at its fullness when we are in tragedy. What blessings have you received this year out of the "tragedy" you've had?

Prompting a Hiatus

I've been doing a lot of thinking about social media lately, and trying to decide how that's fitting into my walk with Jesus. Jesus desires a personal relationship and social media is about as far from that as one can get. I spend time "connecting" with friends and looking at what others are up to, but I'm not really building any lasting relationships. Beyond that, social media is a time sucker for me. I spend more time scrolling through a feed or watching ridiculous videos. There is definitely a time and place for it all, but I feel as though it is easy to get caught up in it. I'm planning to take some time off. We'll see when and how that happens.  God and I are in talks about it. He's prompting a hiatus is coming very soon for me. I'll keep you posted. ;-)

My All

Father, I pray for your clarity and peace to come over me. May I see your working and lean on your understanding. Give me hope in the midst of the waiting. Give me peace amidst the chaos. Give me strength in the throes of weakness. You are my all. Amen.

Assurance in the Uncertainty

My mind seems a little mushy these days and I don't know why. My time with God is spent sitting in silence with my mind drifting to Jesus. I go in and out of thoughts of when I have seen God moving, things I'm waiting for, things I'm hoping for, and how I have been changed.  God has transformed my heart this year pretty substantially.  I find myself questioning things, and not in a whiny or uncertain way, but in an anticipatory way. I'm taking account of all that has happened and trying to piece it together. I can feel I'm being molded for something very particular, but I don't quite yet have the vision of what that is. I think this is how God works in us. We find ourselves changed, and we didn't even realize we were being changed. We find our passions and interests have led us to a certain place and we weren't intending to go there. We find Jesus in places we would have never guessed Him to be. Then we try to figure out the calling. The good thing is God is very good at being clear. I'm seeking and have been faithful. I know God will be clear when He is ready to reveal His will to me. It's good to reflect, but I'm looking toward the future too.

I'm Normal

No particular thoughts are coming to mind today. That's what I get for writing each day, I guess. At least now you know one, I do write these daily, and two, sometimes God is quiet with me as well.  I'm just on my path doing my thing and God is right here with me.  I'll just revel in that for today.

Rest My Mind

Today is a quiet day with Jesus. It's been a busy week in my mind, not so much physically, and I'm needing to rest my mind. In order to do that I sometimes focus on a word or a phrase, other times it's a picture or a memory. Just like our bodies need rest, so do our minds. We need to make time to let our minds drain of the worldly clutter and fill with heavenly thoughts. It's not that I'm avoiding what's  going on in my life, or that I'm choosing to not deal with it. It is simply that I need my mind to refocus on what I know is truth. I need to let God's thoughts become my thoughts, especially when my thoughts are cluttered with the world's viewpoint. I'm looking for a heavenly viewpoint on my earthly situation. I'm seeking rest in the thoughts of the Father. This is how I rest my mind and gain perspective for journey.

Relinquish Control

I've recently been trying to take back something I had turned over to God. I get going along, doing just great with letting God do His thing, then a bump in the road pops up and I'm back to my scheming again.  I try to figure out how I can fix the problem, even though for the last 4 months I've let God work on it.  That frustrates me about myself, that I keep picking up my problems again. I'm getting better at handing them back over to God quicker, but I just want to be able to leave them to Him for good.  I'm strategic. I'm a thinker. I'm a "pick yourself up by your bootstraps and get it done" kind of a person. It's hard for me to relinquish control, especially over things I think I'm supposed to be responsible for. God has done a lot of work in my heart to help me with the control. I've learned that I just changed the word to responsible instead of control and that was how I'd made it "okay" for me to be in charge. God has shown me that when He calls me to a thing, He is in complete control of it and He takes full responsibility for the outcome. He is growing me deeper with these situations in which I want to take responsibility, by making it impossible for me to be strategic.  It's tough learning, but He has made my heart much softer and I can feel Him molding me.

The Hustle and Bustle

As we head into the holiday season, I am reminded of the anticipation and hope of Christmas.  There are so many traditions and memories, all of which make this time of year special. The trick for me is keeping myself grounded and not running myself into the ground.  There are so many opportunities to get together with friends and family, presents that can be bought, treats that can be baked, and decorations to be put up. It's easy to get caught in the busyness trap. I tend to say yes to many things at this time of year. The way I keep myself from feeling burned out is that one, I keep the main thing the main thing. This is really all about Jesus. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I focus on Jesus.  The second thing I do is those things that I say yes to are the ones that are life-giving.  They are my spirit fillers.  Instead of saying yes to the things that drain me, I keep returning to those things that God has given me that make my spirit overflow during the season. I pray that as you enter this season, you find those things that help you keep the main thing the main thing, and that you do the things that make your cup runneth over.  Christmas time's a-comin'!

The Value of the Soul

Lord, may your peace come to us. May you give value to each and every person who is searching. May they find you and find themselves in you. Help us to see that the value of a person is his/her soul.  May they know us by our love for one another. Amen.

A Quick Tongue

Something I've learned, and maybe already have written on, in the last five years is the importance of taking time to respond. I used to be very quick to react, whether that was to an email, a phone call, or an action. And generally, I can say my reactions were typically accurate for how I felt and thought days later.  However, as I've learned in the past 5 years, taking time to react is invaluable.  It's not that my response changes, necessarily, but the way I respond has changed.  My tongue was quick to speak my mind. I've become cognizant of the words I use and how I use them.  I recognize the power my words have and how utilizing a larger vocabulary invokes a more focused and emphasized response, while at the same time conveying my feelings. Taking time to react gives your words and actions more weight, because you can speak the truth with love. It's not easy, I'll give you that, but it is so important.

It Won't Matter

It's kind of a great thing that this life is temporary. This truth keeps me grounded when the things of Earth are a little more than I'm willing to deal with. Sometimes I need to take a step back to focus on what is lasting, my relationship with Jesus is all I will leave this world with. I won't have my house, or my family. It won't matter what clothes I wore or what food I ate. It won't matter how often I read a book or rode a bike. It won't matter who I voted for or what church I went to. All that matters in the end is, do I know Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior? Do I have a relationship with Him? When my body is laid to rest, my soul will be with Jesus, of this I am certain.  Praise God for the eternal and give God control over the temporal.

Freedom In Christ

I was reminded today about my post two years ago about being right versus being righteous.  My goal is to be righteous, meaning put Jesus at the forefront of all of my actions, words, thoughts, etc.  I believe God speaks to each person as each person needs. It is key to spend time listening for God's voice and learning how to discern His words. The world is broken. It is tricky to navigate at times. People don't handle pain and hurt terribly well and we lash out at one another to prove we are right or justified.  The truth is we are only justified in Jesus. Our actions, our words, our thoughts cannot be justified by us, so whether we are right or not isn'trelevant. We are called to be righteous through justification granted to us by the blood of Jesus. Focus your effort on being righteous through Christ rather than on being right. There is freedom in Christ.

Cick here to read my "Right vs. Righteous" post from 2014 

What a Blessing!

I'm finding joy this day in thinking on my blessings. God has bestowed many, many wonderful things along the journey that have made life joyful...family, music, church, job, friends...just to name a few. Those are the obvious ones that bring happiness most of the time, blessings that are easy to identify as blessings.  But the blessings that overwhelm me, are the ones that are not so positive from the start, those things that hit you in the gut.  Mom's cancer, losing a loved one, emotional stress, debt...these are all things that I can now look at and say, "What a blessing!" Why, you ask? Because, to me, blessings are things that draw me close to God. Blessing comes when the Spirit shows up and life with Jesus gets real...tangible. The blessings from suffering are worth so much more to me than the blessings from rejoicing. My soul has been deeply impacted more so by those things that cause me pain, than those that cause me instant happiness. So do I hope for suffering? Heavens, no! But I can say that I do not fear suffering, for I know the blessing that I will receive will be far greater. Glory be to God for He is the Giver of all good things!

Time Got Away

Some days, time gets away from you. These are the days that I take a moment to just be with Jesus and recoup to move forward.  God knows that we have busy times. The key is to make sure that the busy times don't become the norm or start to continually take you away from God. Live life to its fullest, but always make time for Jesus in each day, even if it is just a few minutes. Time with Him matters.

Was, Is, and Will Be

I'm somebody who likes to look ahead to the next thing. Sometimes there isn't a next thing to see, which is kind of where I am right now, or the next thing is a long way off maybe without a time line attached. These are times when I have to take a step back and think about how I have gotten to this point. There are so many ways God moves and many different actions He asks us to take.  Some of those actions land us in a great spot. Others put us in quite an earthly predicament. That's how I feel right now. The actions God has asked us to take, and the obedience of taking those actions has put us in an earthly predicament. It is not life or death, but we feel hard pressed on every side. As I've written before, it becomes imperative for me to look back and see where God was faithful in the midst of the action. And, in order to move forward, I stand on the solid rock of Jesus with my feet poised for the next step of faith.  I do not know what will happen next.  I do not know what action we will be called to take. I do know that God was, is, and will be faithful to the calling to which He has given us. I don't need my "what's next" question answered; I need to stay connected to Jesus.

In the Name of Jesus

Father, as we head into another week, I pray for your Spirit to guide us. Lead us to the life everlasting and lift us from despair. Bring hope into the broken world, and give our souls rest from the strain of life. May we find our peace and joy in You, Lord, as we seek Your face. You are holy and worthy of praise, Father. May our hearts be ever seeking You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Day of Rest

Taking a break today, or rather, a day of rest. ;-)

Whammo!

I'm amazed at how in the smallest moments of the day, I get a glimpse of the work of the Spirit. I'm going along, doing what I do, talking with people, and whammo! the Spirit moves. Yep, I said whammo. It is a sudden moment sometimes. Nothing seems special and then suddenly, I feel the Spirit move. It's quick, but it's unmistakeable. I get the goose bumps or my heart beat quickens and I'm instantly energized spiritually. It's fun! That's what living in Christ is. It's recognizing that God is at work in, around, and through me all the time. It's expecting Him to move in the unexpected way. I know that sounds a little odd, but think about it. Walk through your day expecting to see God or feel the Spirit move, and it will happen.  It won't be at the time you think or in the way you expect, but it will happen. God will move. Just make sure you give Him the credit. ;-)

Set Free

John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

I needed to read Jesus' words today. It seems so simple, to trust, but it is one of the hardest aspects of my walk with Jesus, especially when life starts to come at me a bit. I am so easily shaken by particular things, and each time they rear their ugly heads, I am shaken. I know I have more growing to do and I know that God is working richly in me. It's just that sometimes the refiners fire is a bit painful and even scary. This verse is perfect because it reminds me of where to look. Look to God because He looks at the heart.  All of these things that shake me have no impact on my heart. My salvation is secure. I am loved by the Creator of the universe. I am resting in His power and I live in His resurrection. I can trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross and my heart is not troubled, it is set free. Amen!

Fear Is Set Aside

My biggest fear is being misunderstood.  I know that sounds silly, but it's the truth.  God has been really challenging me with that lately. He and I have had many conversations about this topic since I've been facing this fear pretty hard core. On Sunday, God pointed out something very obvious that I'd never thought of before. Jesus spent much of his ministry being misunderstood.  He eventually died because of it. I don't think I'm going to die because of this, but I do have a new understanding of how I am understood by the Savior in my fear. Jesus has so much more to offer than I realize. I have been walking with Him for a long time and yet, the most obvious things about Him go right over my head sometimes. My prayer has been that I would come into closer, deeper relationship with Him and I'm finding that means I end up facing many fears I would rather leave alone. However, there is something that happens in those face to face moments that can only be described as Jesus moments. The fear is set aside and I am able to focus on the face of the One who is my salvation. Circumstances are becoming less and less and my relationship with Christ is becoming more and more.

Snuggle In

I've been having lots of candid conversations with God about waiting. It has been a year of delays. I don't have a clear picture of the timeline for many things right now. I know God is working and He is providing as needed, but the waiting is getting a bit nerve-racking. God has been working in me, making so many big changes. It's actually been kind of an uncomfortable 2016. It's seeming that the things I was expecting would happen in 2016 will not be coming until at least 2017. This is okay for a few of those items, but for others, it makes me sidle up next to God as the waiting is uncomfortable. I guess that's what life's all about anyway, sidling up next to God when things get uncomfortable. We never seem to get close to him when things are going the way we expect, so I'm going to smile at the fact that He is drawing me near with the waiting. I guess I'll just embrace it and snuggle right in. I think it's going to be a while.