So, I have been on an incredible faith-building portion of my journey over the past several months of life...and I must say, God has been alongside of me every step of the way; giving strength for the weary, shelter from the storms, supply and provision, and comfort as well as joy ~
Now, this may not come as a surprise to anybody, it certainly does not really "surprise" me - but it surely blesses my socks off..in so many tangible ways. I can't even begin to list the number of things that have been thrown my way in a curve ~ and the Lord has been one step ahead of every single one; when I have turned my face toward Him, He was always already there :-)
"...I am not alone because the Father is with me." John 16:32
"...The Lord is the strength of my life" Psalm 27:1
"...The joy of the Lord is my strength" Nehemiah 8:10
"...Be gentle to all, able to teach, patient..." 2 Timothy 2: 24
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
A Psalm of David
37:1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. [2]
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord [3] shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree. [4]
36 But he passed away, [5] and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
~Amen
Footnotes
[1] 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
37:1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. [2]
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord [3] shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree. [4]
36 But he passed away, [5] and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
~Amen
Footnotes
[1] 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
God's Faithful Provision...in odd ways
In my last post I mentioned that I would share some of the ways God provided for me (and, I should say, looked out for my best) this summer ~ showing me over and over that HE is available and in control.
Two days before our annual trip to Hilton Head, SC, my contract was approved to begin working part-time as an independently contracted Occupational Therapist with a local Parent-Infant program. The beauty of this is that God provided this opportunity/lead the day after I discovered I needed to start working again, and might have to give up homeschooling. This job supports my need for income while allowing flexibility for me to continue to homeschool my daughters. He provided the window of opportunity for this in May, and I followed - despite having to work double time within my then current busy schedule, taking five state regulated classes for agency requirements, and three national regulated classes for my license renewal, as well as renewing my CPR and First Aid certification....With HIS help, I was able to complete all of the classes and process the stacks of paper requirements (license, knowledge, request for proposal, liability insurance, etc.) by the mid-June deadline to submit it to the County for approval. Because the approval came two days before our trip, and I had one child "waiting in the wings" - despite there not being an official contract, the company allowed me to see that one child and then plan for the rest when I returned from the beach (my contract would be mailed by that time). This process could have been very daunting (needed money, had to pay out a lot to get the job, uncertain about how the job would work out with my schedule and needs, etc.) but I trusted the LORD and followed...and it has worked out beyond my best expectations at this point in all areas ~ even the delayed contracting worked out best because I was just TOO BUSY in July with family needs to be running for work and it would have had a negative effect on my kids...HE knew this and provided funds for that month, and the time I needed with family :-)
Forward on to my visit with the one child I was approved for (kind of getting my feet wet) the morning before we left for Hilton Head. After the visit was completed, I got in my car, mind flipping through all of the "to do" things on my list for firm up prior to departure...and my van would not start. I was at a relative "stranger's" house, my children were at a temporary sitter (who had very little time available), and I was stranded...as I looked at this and wanted to cry from stress, I decided instead to thank the LORD for HIS provision ~ as I knew He had a purpose and this was an opportunity I had not yet recognized. A few phone calls later, and I was on my way to a friend's auto-body shop, my car was awaiting a tow, and my kids were being picked up by a neighbor from the sitter and brought to another home...which was amazing in itself since the timing of my call to my neighbor was right when she had left for work (her husband works from home, they share a car) so she was able to turn around, return home, and have him drive her to work (on time) so he could go pick up my kids.
As I sat in the auto body shop for several hours, kids safe and no major obligations, I was able to read Max Lucado's book John 3:16 and visit some with my girlfriend from homeschool who ran the inside of the shop her husband owned. It was a lovely visit, and when noontime came he fed me one of the best homemade burgers I had ever had...I almost cried then in gratitude for all the help and love I had recieved that morning. God is so very good! The best part of the day was recognizing that HE allowed this to happen when I was able to get the help I needed, from people who loved Him and would care for me well, BEFORE I was driving ten hours down the road with four young girls in the car. Imagining how it would have been if the battery had gone (which is what ended up being the case) when I had come out of a McDonald's "somewhere" on the interstate the next day was all I needed to praise Him again for His faithful care.
So, when I arrive home that day my oldest daughter tells me that her ear hurts...badly. I was able to get her in to see her doctor (amazing), to discover she had swimmer's ear AND an inner ear infection...again, praises that this was taken care of before our departure as she was heading straight from Hilton Head to Nags Head with her dad. We were able to get her medicine, get packed, and get the animals squared away before her swim team end of year party that evening as well ~ and all I could do was sit in amazement at God's faithfulness to pay attention to even the little things that are important to us...
Next day, we are about 1 1/2 hours into our trip when my youngest daughter suddenly feels ill and within seconds throws up ~ as I dump my bag of "snacks" on the seat next to me and reach back to hand her the grocery bag to use for her "second" heave, she misses and gets sick again...BUT this is not a terrible thing as I had just been looking for a place to stop for breakfast and found one that was only 1 mile away. Also, because she had a blanket over her, still somewhat sleepy, I was able to fold the blanket up from the bottom and trap the fluids versus having them continue to spread in the car. We went in to McDonald's and while the girls were eating I washed out the blanket in the bathroom, wiped down her seat and seat belt, and was able to pretty much clear the car of all traces of the incident...WHAT A BLESSING~ we still had eight hours of driving to go. :-) Rose was able to rest through the remainder of the day without feeling sick again; eating bland foods and sprite ~ I thought then, and still believe, it was related to her taking her liquid antibiotic on a fairly empty stomach that morning (for her ear infection, that was almost healed) so wasn't concerned that it was going to happen all day, and was very grateful that it did not :-)
Finally, when we arrived in Hilton Head, as we were driving the last 10 miles, I noticed that I had lost one of the crosses from my necklace. I have a necklace that is pretty special to me, which I have been wearing for about a year. I consisted of three crosses I had been given at various times in my life ~ one was larger and fairly ornate/filigree (gold), the next was slightly smaller and simple, the third was very small and had a tiny diamond chip in it (I had recieved it from my aunt at my college graduation). This was the one that had disappeared...I was so very sad ~ but I trusted that God knew even about this and what it meant to me, so I believe that there is purpose even in this...not sure if it is because HE has expanded so much in my life since that time that the tiny sparkle did not reflect the power of His light and Spirit as much as He deserved, or if it was time to move on with the necklace, or if I was going to recieve another cross that was perfect for the trio...either way, I know it is okay. I still have my "Father and Son" crosses, and may leave the necklace as it is, return to single crosses, or find the "perfect" representation for the Holy Spirit as He is at this point on my journey to add back to the necklace. Either way, I know HE has me covered, and that is all I need to know. :-)
Two days before our annual trip to Hilton Head, SC, my contract was approved to begin working part-time as an independently contracted Occupational Therapist with a local Parent-Infant program. The beauty of this is that God provided this opportunity/lead the day after I discovered I needed to start working again, and might have to give up homeschooling. This job supports my need for income while allowing flexibility for me to continue to homeschool my daughters. He provided the window of opportunity for this in May, and I followed - despite having to work double time within my then current busy schedule, taking five state regulated classes for agency requirements, and three national regulated classes for my license renewal, as well as renewing my CPR and First Aid certification....With HIS help, I was able to complete all of the classes and process the stacks of paper requirements (license, knowledge, request for proposal, liability insurance, etc.) by the mid-June deadline to submit it to the County for approval. Because the approval came two days before our trip, and I had one child "waiting in the wings" - despite there not being an official contract, the company allowed me to see that one child and then plan for the rest when I returned from the beach (my contract would be mailed by that time). This process could have been very daunting (needed money, had to pay out a lot to get the job, uncertain about how the job would work out with my schedule and needs, etc.) but I trusted the LORD and followed...and it has worked out beyond my best expectations at this point in all areas ~ even the delayed contracting worked out best because I was just TOO BUSY in July with family needs to be running for work and it would have had a negative effect on my kids...HE knew this and provided funds for that month, and the time I needed with family :-)
Forward on to my visit with the one child I was approved for (kind of getting my feet wet) the morning before we left for Hilton Head. After the visit was completed, I got in my car, mind flipping through all of the "to do" things on my list for firm up prior to departure...and my van would not start. I was at a relative "stranger's" house, my children were at a temporary sitter (who had very little time available), and I was stranded...as I looked at this and wanted to cry from stress, I decided instead to thank the LORD for HIS provision ~ as I knew He had a purpose and this was an opportunity I had not yet recognized. A few phone calls later, and I was on my way to a friend's auto-body shop, my car was awaiting a tow, and my kids were being picked up by a neighbor from the sitter and brought to another home...which was amazing in itself since the timing of my call to my neighbor was right when she had left for work (her husband works from home, they share a car) so she was able to turn around, return home, and have him drive her to work (on time) so he could go pick up my kids.
As I sat in the auto body shop for several hours, kids safe and no major obligations, I was able to read Max Lucado's book John 3:16 and visit some with my girlfriend from homeschool who ran the inside of the shop her husband owned. It was a lovely visit, and when noontime came he fed me one of the best homemade burgers I had ever had...I almost cried then in gratitude for all the help and love I had recieved that morning. God is so very good! The best part of the day was recognizing that HE allowed this to happen when I was able to get the help I needed, from people who loved Him and would care for me well, BEFORE I was driving ten hours down the road with four young girls in the car. Imagining how it would have been if the battery had gone (which is what ended up being the case) when I had come out of a McDonald's "somewhere" on the interstate the next day was all I needed to praise Him again for His faithful care.
So, when I arrive home that day my oldest daughter tells me that her ear hurts...badly. I was able to get her in to see her doctor (amazing), to discover she had swimmer's ear AND an inner ear infection...again, praises that this was taken care of before our departure as she was heading straight from Hilton Head to Nags Head with her dad. We were able to get her medicine, get packed, and get the animals squared away before her swim team end of year party that evening as well ~ and all I could do was sit in amazement at God's faithfulness to pay attention to even the little things that are important to us...
Next day, we are about 1 1/2 hours into our trip when my youngest daughter suddenly feels ill and within seconds throws up ~ as I dump my bag of "snacks" on the seat next to me and reach back to hand her the grocery bag to use for her "second" heave, she misses and gets sick again...BUT this is not a terrible thing as I had just been looking for a place to stop for breakfast and found one that was only 1 mile away. Also, because she had a blanket over her, still somewhat sleepy, I was able to fold the blanket up from the bottom and trap the fluids versus having them continue to spread in the car. We went in to McDonald's and while the girls were eating I washed out the blanket in the bathroom, wiped down her seat and seat belt, and was able to pretty much clear the car of all traces of the incident...WHAT A BLESSING~ we still had eight hours of driving to go. :-) Rose was able to rest through the remainder of the day without feeling sick again; eating bland foods and sprite ~ I thought then, and still believe, it was related to her taking her liquid antibiotic on a fairly empty stomach that morning (for her ear infection, that was almost healed) so wasn't concerned that it was going to happen all day, and was very grateful that it did not :-)
Finally, when we arrived in Hilton Head, as we were driving the last 10 miles, I noticed that I had lost one of the crosses from my necklace. I have a necklace that is pretty special to me, which I have been wearing for about a year. I consisted of three crosses I had been given at various times in my life ~ one was larger and fairly ornate/filigree (gold), the next was slightly smaller and simple, the third was very small and had a tiny diamond chip in it (I had recieved it from my aunt at my college graduation). This was the one that had disappeared...I was so very sad ~ but I trusted that God knew even about this and what it meant to me, so I believe that there is purpose even in this...not sure if it is because HE has expanded so much in my life since that time that the tiny sparkle did not reflect the power of His light and Spirit as much as He deserved, or if it was time to move on with the necklace, or if I was going to recieve another cross that was perfect for the trio...either way, I know it is okay. I still have my "Father and Son" crosses, and may leave the necklace as it is, return to single crosses, or find the "perfect" representation for the Holy Spirit as He is at this point on my journey to add back to the necklace. Either way, I know HE has me covered, and that is all I need to know. :-)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Blessings From Our Father
I have had so much going on the past few months...not all in the worldly sense "good" ~ yet God has been blessing me BIG TIME with His faithful presence and reminders of His love ~
I will be writing about some of these things soon (have not had a moment to sit and type, though have had many, many thoughts to share) ~
Today, I just wanted to share one of my daily devotions I receive - it was both interesting about the facts (e.g. what "Ararat" means, the dates that were the same), as well as a blessing to me about how wonderfully perfect and loving our LORD is ~ I pray it blesses you, too. It is from Joseph Prince Ministries. :-)
Standing On No-Curse Ground
Genesis 8:4
4Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
For 40 days and nights, it rained so hard that the whole world perished, except for Noah and those who were with him in the ark. At the end of 150 days, on the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.
In Hebrew, the word “Ararat” means “the curse is reversed”. The waters of judgment receded, causing the ark to rest on the mountains of Ararat, on new ground where the curse is reversed. And it happened on the 17th day of the seventh month on the Feast of Firstfruits — the exact date that Jesus rose from the dead 4,000 years later!
When Christ rose from the dead, we were raised together with Him. (Colossians 2:12). We who are in Christ our true ark stand on resurrection ground where the curse has been reversed (Galatians 3:13), where diseases, poverty and failures have no right to operate!
A church member shared how God delivered him from cervical spondylosis, a medical condition which causes the neck section of the spinal cord to deteriorate. An X-ray taken four to five years back showed that that area of his spinal cord was deteriorating fast. He was in pain and had to take medicine to manage the condition. And whenever he had a relapse, he would get depressed.
During his last relapse, he went to the doctor, trusting God that he was already healed, had another X-ray taken and was given some medication. He took the medication, still believing God that he was healed. The following morning, the pain in his neck was gone and he was able to turn his head. When he finally collected his X-ray results a week later, his doctor actually told him that his spinal cord looked better than the doctor’s own! The doctor was very surprised because patients with this condition usually don’t get better. God had reversed the curse of cervical spondylosis for him!
My friend, as a believer, you are on no-curse ground. You stand in the blessings zone where it is very easy for God’s blessings to rain all over you!
I will be writing about some of these things soon (have not had a moment to sit and type, though have had many, many thoughts to share) ~
Today, I just wanted to share one of my daily devotions I receive - it was both interesting about the facts (e.g. what "Ararat" means, the dates that were the same), as well as a blessing to me about how wonderfully perfect and loving our LORD is ~ I pray it blesses you, too. It is from Joseph Prince Ministries. :-)
Standing On No-Curse Ground
Genesis 8:4
4Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
For 40 days and nights, it rained so hard that the whole world perished, except for Noah and those who were with him in the ark. At the end of 150 days, on the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.
In Hebrew, the word “Ararat” means “the curse is reversed”. The waters of judgment receded, causing the ark to rest on the mountains of Ararat, on new ground where the curse is reversed. And it happened on the 17th day of the seventh month on the Feast of Firstfruits — the exact date that Jesus rose from the dead 4,000 years later!
When Christ rose from the dead, we were raised together with Him. (Colossians 2:12). We who are in Christ our true ark stand on resurrection ground where the curse has been reversed (Galatians 3:13), where diseases, poverty and failures have no right to operate!
A church member shared how God delivered him from cervical spondylosis, a medical condition which causes the neck section of the spinal cord to deteriorate. An X-ray taken four to five years back showed that that area of his spinal cord was deteriorating fast. He was in pain and had to take medicine to manage the condition. And whenever he had a relapse, he would get depressed.
During his last relapse, he went to the doctor, trusting God that he was already healed, had another X-ray taken and was given some medication. He took the medication, still believing God that he was healed. The following morning, the pain in his neck was gone and he was able to turn his head. When he finally collected his X-ray results a week later, his doctor actually told him that his spinal cord looked better than the doctor’s own! The doctor was very surprised because patients with this condition usually don’t get better. God had reversed the curse of cervical spondylosis for him!
My friend, as a believer, you are on no-curse ground. You stand in the blessings zone where it is very easy for God’s blessings to rain all over you!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Growth Process
God has been pruning my life...I rejoice in this, knowing that He loves me and since I desire to be more like His son, He has willingly and happily obliged to propel me in that direction. However, it is a painful, sometimes confusing, process.
When I embarked upon the "do anything, Lord! I want to serve YOU" stage of my fellowship with our Father (this absolutly heartfelt statement came from me nearly ten years ago), little did I know how far off "Holy" I was. While I do believe God was delighted with my heart posture, and continues to be pleased that I desire His best for my life, I had no idea how far apart "my thoughts" were from His thoughts...I didn't even come close to understanding what absolute dependence and complete surrender meant. Of these things I am learning...
This summer, our Lord challenged me with this scripture..."He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Isaiah 53:7...I got the sense that God was asking me to stop responding to the oppressors and stand in silence, completely trusting in His goodness. This is by far one of the least of my developed skills; I often speak against injustice, find myself frustrated when falsely accused, and frequently want to explain situations when I feel that there is significant misunderstanding. Of course, each of these three responses tends to result in further evil being stirred up ~ either in myself or in the one with whom I am speaking; especially when not sifted through the eyes of prayer. Compassion is a gift, but it should be exercised prayerfully, versus through other means when standing for self or others ~ I am learning this lesson the hard way...again and again.
Hurting people hurt people. How many times have I heard this stated, yet have not fully understood that I will always be one who is hurt by others if I do not grasp this concept clearly and hold it in a posture of quiet submission, seeking the lovingkindness of Christ to fill me rather than my "self" perceptions and feelings. I have heard the story about the blind men and the elephant ~ and how each describes something significantly different when stumbling upon the elephant and feeling what they are touching (tusk, foot, tail, ear...) ~ but I still misunderstand that when three people are in the same room, listening to and discussing the same information, there will be three different ways of percieving what has been said and why. That just doesn't make sense to my way of filtering the world (through rose colored glasses, I have been told). I have discovered that looking outside of the lens of simple reality, coupled with the lens of TRUTH (God alone) is the only way we should strive to perceive the world if we are going to not only stand strong amidst the challenges, but also be a healing agent for those who don't know the love and grace we have been so blessed to recieve.
Pray for me to grow in these areas - I would be most blessed ~
When I embarked upon the "do anything, Lord! I want to serve YOU" stage of my fellowship with our Father (this absolutly heartfelt statement came from me nearly ten years ago), little did I know how far off "Holy" I was. While I do believe God was delighted with my heart posture, and continues to be pleased that I desire His best for my life, I had no idea how far apart "my thoughts" were from His thoughts...I didn't even come close to understanding what absolute dependence and complete surrender meant. Of these things I am learning...
This summer, our Lord challenged me with this scripture..."He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Isaiah 53:7...I got the sense that God was asking me to stop responding to the oppressors and stand in silence, completely trusting in His goodness. This is by far one of the least of my developed skills; I often speak against injustice, find myself frustrated when falsely accused, and frequently want to explain situations when I feel that there is significant misunderstanding. Of course, each of these three responses tends to result in further evil being stirred up ~ either in myself or in the one with whom I am speaking; especially when not sifted through the eyes of prayer. Compassion is a gift, but it should be exercised prayerfully, versus through other means when standing for self or others ~ I am learning this lesson the hard way...again and again.
Hurting people hurt people. How many times have I heard this stated, yet have not fully understood that I will always be one who is hurt by others if I do not grasp this concept clearly and hold it in a posture of quiet submission, seeking the lovingkindness of Christ to fill me rather than my "self" perceptions and feelings. I have heard the story about the blind men and the elephant ~ and how each describes something significantly different when stumbling upon the elephant and feeling what they are touching (tusk, foot, tail, ear...) ~ but I still misunderstand that when three people are in the same room, listening to and discussing the same information, there will be three different ways of percieving what has been said and why. That just doesn't make sense to my way of filtering the world (through rose colored glasses, I have been told). I have discovered that looking outside of the lens of simple reality, coupled with the lens of TRUTH (God alone) is the only way we should strive to perceive the world if we are going to not only stand strong amidst the challenges, but also be a healing agent for those who don't know the love and grace we have been so blessed to recieve.
Pray for me to grow in these areas - I would be most blessed ~
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