Won’t You Come Home

 

When my heart is weighed down with worry, anchored by anxiety, when self-pity, condemnation, guilt, and shame are my companions, at the very core of all of them is one problem.  Unbelief.  It is incredibly important to my peace that I examine my theology daily, and recognize areas where I am not living out of the promises of God.  Life without internal scrutiny is life without inner serenity.  The consequence of unbelief is that I begin to live out of the peril of my circumstances rather than the promises of my Creator.  We all fall victim to unbelief, and often unconsciously, but as with anything else recognition is the first step to redemption.  Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 3:20 and Philippians 1:6 are just a few of the verses I regularly have to ask myself, am I living as though I believe these promises?  If my answer is no, and many times it is, I have to repent and ask God to help my unbelief.  It is then that I am equipped to rest not just in His existence, but also His essence.  Where are you not believing today, friend?  Won’t you come home to the rich resources for which you were ransomed?  It isn’t that life will become painless, but it will become more about the hope and character of Who is inside you and less about the hardship and calamity that is around you.

One Nation Under God, Not a Woman or Man

012bedcc37f3e8f99f23027d41ebae3cLet there be peace in our great land and let it begin with me. Let love ignite every heart and shine for all to see. Let there be one race, with no divisive mutiny. May we all respect the multitude of opinions with quiet dignity. Let us pray for our country in committed unity. No eye has seen; no ear has heard the breadth of His love for you and me. We are all called to one thing, love one another as our God loves you, me and our neighbor, Republican, and Democrat, all three. Let the violence end, hatred cease, and peace and harmony reign free. I pledge allegiance to one nation under God, not a woman or man, and it is in He where my security will stand. Please, Father calm restless, weary souls and whisper in our ears until it flows from our heart’s, let there be peace and love on earth and let it begin with me. Amen.

A Place of Belonging

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There is no greater place than a place of belonging.  May we have eyes to see those around us that have no circle of acceptance; and the discernment to identify the times when we are searching for refuge in things that were never meant to be our safe sanctuary.  Jesus give us the grace to know where our true fountain of comfort and peace flows, our belonging place.  May we strip off the weight of busyness so we may notice who needs to be seen and refuel in our places of shelter.  Amen.

Only God

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Along the walk of life, we accumulate a lot of things and people.  Holding them tight gives us a false sense of security because we believe they are needed to keep us safe, strong, secure, happy, whole and fill in the blank.

Growing in grace equips us to begin opening our hands to what we thought was necessary to our well-being because we discover only God embodies every single thing we need.

Falling At the Feet of Jesus

 

One of the most endearing things about our dog, Paisley, is a ritual she has had since the day we got her. She prances up to you and falls to her back in the most relaxed and vulnerable state of rest.
What we quickly learned is that Paisley does this entirely trusting a belly rub is in store for her. She has no doubt just complete confidence.
For a time, she would do this to everyone who entered our house. It became an idiosyncrasy that we always felt needed explanation. As someone walks in our door, having a puppy garner their attention only to fall at their feet in an utterly defenseless posture waiting for the one thing she desired the most. Well, ok, maybe second to treats, but who doesn’t love sweets!
After time passed and Paisley matured, she no longer greeted guests this way; only us. The people closest to her and that she was sure she could trust. You see, she learned to fear, and she experienced rejection and I would say she learned a bit of wisdom. Warm, welcoming hands are not found everywhere.
Her behavior has taught and continues to teach me a great lesson every day. Do I come humbly, fully expectant, entirely trusting, in a helpless, vulnerable posture and fall at the feet of Jesus every day waiting for the one thing I desire most? The one thing I cannot do for myself. The one thing that satisfies my soul. The one and the only thing that gives rest to my riddled heart. Maybe I do sometimes, but sometimes, even though I have learned fear and rejection, too, I still plant myself in susceptible situations expecting to find what I can only gain through One person-Jesus. The person who knows loves and protects me better than anyone. This is a lesson Paisley renews for me daily.
Sometimes the truth must fracture me before it frees me. I love the faithfulness of my Father to use every medium, even a small puppy, to teach me His character and what it means to be His daughter.

You Complete Me

Generous Grace

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Grace, Father.   We need your grace.   There are times we confuse our sovereign design with our sinful desires, and we need your grace.   Generous grace.   In moments, we judge and are judged for that, Lord, we need your grace.   Generous grace.   We seek happiness above holiness and self-gratification is often the motive of our hearts.   Oh, how we need your grace.   Generous grace.   May we receive and reciprocate it, Father.   Generous grace.   I need it every hour of every day.   Your generous grace.   Thank you, Jesus, for the ultimate sacrifice of security for us, your children.   Grace.   Generous grace.

Prayer For the End of a Weary Week

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Father, sometimes the end of a week meets me worn.  Your gentle Spirit woke me at 3:30 this morning as you sometimes do. Wide awake and atypically alert, I asked because I knew you had a message for me.  That message was; my battles belong to the Lord.  How easily in my flawed self-reliance I forget to release those battles from my modest hands into your masterful ones.  Remind me God that it is not my capabilities, but yours, that determine outcomes.  As the battles are yours, so are the victories and the seeming defeats.  Sometimes in my myopic vision I feel conquered.  Gift me with remembrance that I am never overcome when I allow you to battle on my behalf.  In all the strife I face, that my friends face, give us the grace to resist self-security and rest in Savior sufficiency.  Too often in my urgency to resolve I engage from a stance of me against Goliath.  I am more than ill-equipped God.  Give me an unshakeable confidence in you that enables me to lay down my weary weapons and surrender my battles to you.  Amen