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.