Wow! Although I have written many in my head, it has been a while since I last blogged. These last few weeks, I have been learning to get my feet back under me. It has been a wonderful time of soul searching and character building, but I was not so sure at the time. On this side, it is refreshing to hear, "You look really great. Your countenance has changed." After the work put forth, that is quite a nice echo in the ears.
My blog prior to this was very candid (to prevent redundancy, see last blog for details). Needless to say, I felt I was at end of myself. I began writing the following blog, while helping my daughter learn that she can somersault.
This particular daughter is very tactile and has been since she was very, very young. When we watched, Herby: Fully Loaded, she would somersault over and over again all over the room with excitement. She was more entertaining than the movie, even thought the movie is fun. I will always remember that day.
We put her in gymnastics to offer some suggested physical therapy to an injury. When the instructor asked her to somersault, she flopped on her belly. We decided to 'practice' prior to the next class to prevent humilation again. She said, "Mom, I just cannot." We went through a few steps to gain success. I have put scriptures next to each, to solidify the point within each of us.
1. Do it even though you think you cannot. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. 4:13 KJV)
2. Get in a ready position. "Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times." (2 Corinthians 4:1 MSG)
3. Put your feet under you. "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness" (Eph. 6:14 KJV)
4. Use your feet to give you the energy you need. "And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the [a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness [b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace." (Eph. 6:15 AMP)
5. Have fun. "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit." (Psalm 51:12 AMP)
We had to slowly go through each step. Number 3 was the hardest, because she had decided that she was too afraid to REALLY go through with the process. Putting her feet under her, put her in a place to be successful. Today He is asking each one of us to put our feet under us. He is right there beside us, coaching us along the way.
Has there ever been a time that you had troube moving forward in a difficult situation. What did you do? Share with others so that they can be encouraged and find their courage.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
REALLY?
I am at a place where I do not REALLY have anyone that I can vent to. I used to. But now, my problems seem so insignificant in comparison to those around me. It would just sound like a pity party. Mostly, it boils down to my expectations of myself, others, and circumstances.
I have found that this 'season' of my life demands me to go to God or go crazy. I am left with the choice to drink of the Word or eat dirt. Which would you choose?
Sometimes I find myself chowing down on a big piece of sod. Suddenly...or sometimes not so suddenly, I stop and and ask myself what am I doing? I know better. Chewing on the trials in life does not bring sustenance! At the end of that meal, I find myself embittered, weak, and still starving for goodness.
I have found that this 'season' of my life demands me to go to God or go crazy. I am left with the choice to drink of the Word or eat dirt. Which would you choose?
Sometimes I find myself chowing down on a big piece of sod. Suddenly...or sometimes not so suddenly, I stop and and ask myself what am I doing? I know better. Chewing on the trials in life does not bring sustenance! At the end of that meal, I find myself embittered, weak, and still starving for goodness.
"Come to me, all you
who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest."
(Matthew 11:28 NIV)
However, His love is always there. He has the answer, and He comforts us until we are ready to listen to it. God is a gracious God, a loving God, a God who is ever waiting beside us. He longs to hold us in His arms, brush us off, and send us on the path of rest and goodness.
Today, I will put aside the craziness of the week. It feels good just to meditate on Matthew 11:28 and dwell on the truth of it. He didn't ask me to hunch over and munch in the dirt. He is waiting beside me, with a cool drink in His hand. Thank you, Lord.
Share some thoughts today about scriptures that take you to your knees in surrender. What burdens do you have to lay down? I know we will all be encouraged by your answers.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Immersed
Immersed: this is a word that keeps tumbling around in my heart and mind.
Webster's defines "immerse" to mean, "to plunge into or as if into a liquid; to baptize by dipping under water; to involve deeply, engross, as in thought."
What is we "immersed" ourselves into God's love? According to the definition, it is not a toe-tipping sample of an experience. It is rather a "baptism" of fluid: to deeply ponder and let it swell over you.
When I visited Hawaii almost two years ago, David and I went to a beach with gigantic waves. To get out into the water, one had to wade through the waves. Almost instantly, they were up under your arms and still so clear that you could see your feet. Before I knew it, a wave crashed into me and splashed over my head and into my nose. Hours later, salt water was stilling pouring from my sinuses. I do not mean to gross you out. I use this story to help paint the picture of immersion. The water was not simply on me. It made its way into the available openings of my face.
The other day, I allowed my head to immerse above my ears in water. I had to turn my head from side to side to allow the air pockets in my ears to bubble out and water to replace them. It was an uncomfortable sensation, because it was not my daily routine. Suddenly, I realized that I could hear things that I could not otherwise hear. The water in the pipes sounded much like the sound in an empty conch shell, a roaring of sorts.
I began to think about this in relation to God's love and being immersed in it. What if I allowed myself to let His love penetrate my ears and surround my body? I would hear things through His love, rather than have a barrier of the familiar to separate me from Him.
Immersion requires trust. When I was a little girl, I wore a yellow life jacket because I could not swim. I had taken it off and forgotten it was missing. Not until after I had jumped off the diving board, did I realize that my "life vest" was missing. Obviously, I survived this experience.
So many of us use a "life vest" around ourselves. We have our 'this and that' to protect us from immersion. We fear drowning in the something we have not conquered.
"...Drink, yes, drink abundantly of love, O precious one [for now I know you are mine, irrevocably mine!.." (Song of Solomon 5:1) What if we drank of His love - immersed ourselves in it, knowing we belong to Him?
Webster's defines "immerse" to mean, "to plunge into or as if into a liquid; to baptize by dipping under water; to involve deeply, engross, as in thought."
What is we "immersed" ourselves into God's love? According to the definition, it is not a toe-tipping sample of an experience. It is rather a "baptism" of fluid: to deeply ponder and let it swell over you.
When I visited Hawaii almost two years ago, David and I went to a beach with gigantic waves. To get out into the water, one had to wade through the waves. Almost instantly, they were up under your arms and still so clear that you could see your feet. Before I knew it, a wave crashed into me and splashed over my head and into my nose. Hours later, salt water was stilling pouring from my sinuses. I do not mean to gross you out. I use this story to help paint the picture of immersion. The water was not simply on me. It made its way into the available openings of my face.
The other day, I allowed my head to immerse above my ears in water. I had to turn my head from side to side to allow the air pockets in my ears to bubble out and water to replace them. It was an uncomfortable sensation, because it was not my daily routine. Suddenly, I realized that I could hear things that I could not otherwise hear. The water in the pipes sounded much like the sound in an empty conch shell, a roaring of sorts.
I began to think about this in relation to God's love and being immersed in it. What if I allowed myself to let His love penetrate my ears and surround my body? I would hear things through His love, rather than have a barrier of the familiar to separate me from Him.
Immersion requires trust. When I was a little girl, I wore a yellow life jacket because I could not swim. I had taken it off and forgotten it was missing. Not until after I had jumped off the diving board, did I realize that my "life vest" was missing. Obviously, I survived this experience.
So many of us use a "life vest" around ourselves. We have our 'this and that' to protect us from immersion. We fear drowning in the something we have not conquered.
"...Drink, yes, drink abundantly of love, O precious one [for now I know you are mine, irrevocably mine!.." (Song of Solomon 5:1) What if we drank of His love - immersed ourselves in it, knowing we belong to Him?
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