No matter how hard we try, the job of revealing the Truth of Jesus is not ours. It belongs to God! Though we are certainly called to live in a way that Jesus’s love is seen in and through our lives, we are not responsible for the revelation of Truth in anyone’s heart. Now that takes the pressure off, but it also calls me to my knees on behalf of those who have not yet received “The Revelation”.
I tend to be a worker bee, a get it done kind of gal. Especially when it comes to events. I prep and work, plan and get excited. Then the events, the days, the vacations come and go and immediately I am over it. Done, ready to clean-up, take down, unpack, put it behind and get ready for what is next. Just coming out of Christmas is a perfect example. Put that tree up early, shopped, had parties, did all of the things in prep and could hardly wait for the day. Christmas came, it was busy and great, but then the day passed and I was done. This year I felt God asking me to stay in “the between”. That phrase has rolled around in my head for almost two weeks now. I did manage to wait until January 2nd to take down Christmas (and if I’m being honest, not because I was being obedient to God, but because we had a party planned for New Year’s Day). Yet, I am beginning to understand that we live mostly in “the between”. So why is it so hard, at least for me, to be okay there? What is the rush, where is contentment in “the between”?
Today I was listening aloud to John chapter 6 and the above verses really spoke to me. The story behind these verses is Jesus has fed the 5000+ and then slipped across the lake to the other side, but now the people have come looking for him. Jesus tells them they are only looking for him because he provided bread to fill their bellies and goes on to say, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you…” (v 27a) So the crowd responds by asking, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” This is so me! Always trying to do the work required for God, for others, for myself. Hurry up, finish the day, the event, clean up, dust off my hands and call it done. Yet, Jesus’s answer is this, “believe in the One”. Believe? So, what does that have to do with “the between” you ask? Everything! Believing is how we live in “the between”. Believing there are good things ahead, more life, another Christmas, family, friends and this moment. Believing that Jesus is Lord of it all and that contentment is found in Him. Since “the between” is where we spend most of life, I do believe it is best lived believing in Jesus!
Whether it is what is going on in the world, the U.S, our state, city, neighborhood, home or heart, “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer”. I don’t know the “right answer”, but I know who does. And I also know that He is a Gentleman and will not force His answers on me, I have to ask. So through the tears, fears and heartbreak, on behalf of myself and for those who can’t, I will ask. Will you ask Him too?
Today is our daughter’s 28th Birthday. It’s funny how every year on the eve of her Birthday I ask my husband if he remembers where we had dinner the night before she was born and the crazy errand we ran that night, two weeks before her due date, to get a plastic bed cover in case my water broke. We laugh, we remember together. I’m always sentimental on her Birthday. Thinking back on every Birthday party, Halloween costume, dance recital, Easter Egg hunt and sweet Christmas morning I smile, and maybe tear up a little too. Being her mother, I’ll never forget!
As for my daughter, I’m sure she remembers some of those things, but not the way I do and not from my perspective. Each year as I ponder the past and treasure the memories, she is excited for her future and making her own new memories.
Today I had a bit of an epiphany, and in God’s loving way He brought the above Scripture to my mind to give me a little clarity. In Luke 2:19 it says, Mary, Jesus’s mother, kept “all these things to herself, holding them dear”. Some translations say she held them in her heart. You see, it’s the Mother’s heart that holds, ponders, treasures and forever looks upon the memories of her children with sentiment. Our children, on the other hand, have a life, a purpose and a future of their on to focus on. That is the way it is supposed to be, and actually, it’s a beautiful gift afforded only a Mother. So be encouraged Momma, you and I are in the company of Jesus’s mother when we ponder and treasure those memories.
“Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.’” Mark 10:27 NLT
My Dad has always been a forward thinker who believes anything is possible. Throughout his lifetime he has many different jobs/careers, including being a business salesman for others, owning a few small businesses of his own and even serving 8 years in a local political office. But to me, Dad’s most amazing achievement happened at 75 years of age. It was then that he took his “award winning” BBQ sauce and created a small BBQ sauce business. Now at age 90, his sauces are sold throughout our state in grocery stores and he continues to run the business himself. Dad reminds me that anything is possible at any age.
As amazing as Dad’s accomplishments are, I know God’s possibilities are greater still. In my 62 years alone, I have seen God change lives, heal minds and bodies, and answer many prayers. God is not only Creator, He also loves, inspires and creates though His children every day. Throughout the Bible we see that God IS the God of the impossible. During Jesus’s ministry on earth, He often reminded us (as in Mark 10:27) that “Everything is possible with God”. Possibility begins with God! What is it that God wants to make possible in and through your life today?
#hopewriterlife
A writer I follow on Instagram (Jo Saxton) asked the following question a few days ago: “Where in your life are you seeing sparks of new vision”? This post caught my eye immediately because of word spark. I love that word, so much so that I named a devotional book I wrote a couple of years ago Catching Sparks. But why do I love that word you might ask? Because sparks spread a powerful force. Just as the spark from a spark plug ignites an engine, so a spark thrown off from a blazing fire can start a new fire.
I believe God’s sends sparks into our lives through His word and then out through us via our purpose and gifting. And whether it is the spark of a new vision, as Jo mentioned, or a spark from the flame of a gifting we already know God has given, those sparks are the beginning of something powerful. Yet, just as Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6, those sparks need to be fanned into a flame that spreads God’s power and warmth in a cold and needy world. So today, be sure to take time to fan your spark into a flame! I know you have one.
#hopewriterlife
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Ps 51:10 ESV
“Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!” Ps. 51:10 MSG
I’m a fix-it kind of gal. I love a good plan to get something corrected. When I started having back issues, I found an online Physical Therapist who helped me renew and restore my core strength through alignment, stretches and exercises. Amazing!
Maybe you aren’t struggling with back pain or a weak core, but I do know you need sleep (we all do). In fact, according to Web MD (https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/ss/slideshow-sleep-body-effects): “During deep sleep, your body works to repair muscle, organs, and other cells.” Isn’t that cool. A physical renewal happens every time we sleep.
While Physical Therapy and sleep can help renew and restore our bodies, neither can renew the inner part (seat of our thoughts and emotions) referred to as our spirit. Sure, a strong core and a rested body help our attitude, but a spirit renewal requires God’s intervention. Psalm 51:10 expresses that longing for a renewed, right spirit. I love the way the message translation describes it as a desire for “fresh wind” in our sails. More than a cool breeze, a fresh wind propels and moves us in the direction we need to go. It’s ours for the asking and immediately available, no PT or sleep required.
#hopewriterlife
I have often said that as children we are forced to have periods of rest, and we hate it! Yet as an adult, it is a luxury to take time for rest. If you are like me, there are times you know you should rest, but resting feels like a waste of time. There are only so many hours in the day and so much yet to accomplish. But I do long for rest. Not the kind found in a good night’s sleep or even an afternoon nap, but the kind that offers a deep sense of peace and wellbeing.
So, of course, I did an internet search on the definition of “rest”. Here is one of the definitions I found for “rest” as a verb @https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rest: to remain confident: TRUST. Bingo! Though this isn’t what comes to mind when I think of rest, this is the rest I long for.
Now, it’s off to God’s Word, for His perspective. While reading though all of the verses that speak about rest, I landed on this verse in Jeremiah. And here it is, like the secret I’ve searched for. Rest is found on the path of the “old, godly way”. It’s found when I spend time with God, in His Word and prayer; when I love those around me and choose to encourage. As I place my confidence in the One who holds the future and offers the assurance that good is ahead, I find rest. And so can you!
#hopewriterlife
Remember when you were a child and everything seemed to take forever to happen. Your Birthday, Christmas and Summer break all seemed a lifetime away. Oh, and how we longed to be “old enough”, to drive, date or leave home. Now fast forward to life as an adult. Time seems to speed up. We look back and wonder how has another year passed? When did the kids grow up and leave home? Is it possible that I am this age already?
Time is relative it seems, sometimes slow (waiting for test results) but other times fast (your one day off). And if I’m honest, I struggle with being content in both places, but especially slow! This verse in Habakkuk reminds me that God works on His own time table and it is perfect. He knows, He sees, He is purposeful, He has a plan and He can be trusted. So, it’s okay when things are slow, God isn’t finished yet!
#hopewriterlife
a sawdust trail 