Saturday, April 9, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
resilience
resilience
the ability to grow in difficult circumstances.
I love this word. I heard that every experience has the power to create an opportunity to grow: YOU decide whether to let it happen to you, or to take from it.
As a Christ-follower, we are called to live each day in a state of resilience. The book of James takes on a whole new meaning when I experience pain of any sort. (read it) Choose joy? Even when life seems unbearable?
But I believe its deeper than a joyful state of mind. Joy is more than forced smiles and the false illusion that I need to hold things together. Joy is the decision to experience trial and CHOOSE to trust in a hope that extends far beyond the immediate pain. A hope that is promised even in the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. And when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me."
And this hope never changes, this promise never ceases because our God is consistent.
I spent a long time studying the book of James in order to learn what putting hope in the Lord meant. I still have not mastered it, and I still struggle with actually putting hope in the Lord. If i'm honest with myself, I have spent years putting my hope in other things, whether it be relationships, joys, awards, or even school.
God promises to do infinitely more than i could ask or imagine. He has plans for me, you, specifically. I was not created to live in the shadow of a good man. Granted, someday I hope to share my life with a good man, but i need to stand alone as a good woman first. When i say "good", i mean a woman in a "constant state of God-transformation good."
Theres this cheesy broadway song called "watch me soar," it would be my dream to sing it on an open stage. The message is powerful. "I'm not the young girl you once knew. I'm now a woman standing in front of you." "You've given me love, you've given me trials, I've given you tears, I've given my heart for so many years. Now its my time to soar."
God ultimately is that catalyst to freedom and the ability to soar. the excitement of new possibilities. He is the provider of a hope that endures....
A hope that all things, all pain, can be redeemed and put to use. If I take the time to look at my own life, I would not have the passions I have, or the desire to serve the Lord had I not been through a pit of hell. God has transformed that area of my life. Through that transformation, I can offer grace and receive peace from a situation that 4 years ago was void of both.
I'm kicking myself by having a "prove it" conversation with Abba about His role as the true and only healer. In past relationships, pain has been eased by the presence of another relationship better suited to me. This time I have been asking God to be the source of healing, void of shortcuts.
I do this becasue I want to be able to boldly proclaim that the Lord is the only reason my heart is full. I'm not there yet, but I desperately want to be. I am tired of hurting. I am weary. But if I am going to share that He does offer restoration, I want to confidently experience it.
"You see all my pain, and cry over it for hours until I'm new again. You make me new."
The promise of being new allows me to be resilient. well, for today.
the ability to grow in difficult circumstances.
I love this word. I heard that every experience has the power to create an opportunity to grow: YOU decide whether to let it happen to you, or to take from it.
As a Christ-follower, we are called to live each day in a state of resilience. The book of James takes on a whole new meaning when I experience pain of any sort. (read it) Choose joy? Even when life seems unbearable?
But I believe its deeper than a joyful state of mind. Joy is more than forced smiles and the false illusion that I need to hold things together. Joy is the decision to experience trial and CHOOSE to trust in a hope that extends far beyond the immediate pain. A hope that is promised even in the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. And when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me."
And this hope never changes, this promise never ceases because our God is consistent.
I spent a long time studying the book of James in order to learn what putting hope in the Lord meant. I still have not mastered it, and I still struggle with actually putting hope in the Lord. If i'm honest with myself, I have spent years putting my hope in other things, whether it be relationships, joys, awards, or even school.
God promises to do infinitely more than i could ask or imagine. He has plans for me, you, specifically. I was not created to live in the shadow of a good man. Granted, someday I hope to share my life with a good man, but i need to stand alone as a good woman first. When i say "good", i mean a woman in a "constant state of God-transformation good."
Theres this cheesy broadway song called "watch me soar," it would be my dream to sing it on an open stage. The message is powerful. "I'm not the young girl you once knew. I'm now a woman standing in front of you." "You've given me love, you've given me trials, I've given you tears, I've given my heart for so many years. Now its my time to soar."
God ultimately is that catalyst to freedom and the ability to soar. the excitement of new possibilities. He is the provider of a hope that endures....
A hope that all things, all pain, can be redeemed and put to use. If I take the time to look at my own life, I would not have the passions I have, or the desire to serve the Lord had I not been through a pit of hell. God has transformed that area of my life. Through that transformation, I can offer grace and receive peace from a situation that 4 years ago was void of both.
I'm kicking myself by having a "prove it" conversation with Abba about His role as the true and only healer. In past relationships, pain has been eased by the presence of another relationship better suited to me. This time I have been asking God to be the source of healing, void of shortcuts.
I do this becasue I want to be able to boldly proclaim that the Lord is the only reason my heart is full. I'm not there yet, but I desperately want to be. I am tired of hurting. I am weary. But if I am going to share that He does offer restoration, I want to confidently experience it.
"You see all my pain, and cry over it for hours until I'm new again. You make me new."
The promise of being new allows me to be resilient. well, for today.
Friday, April 1, 2011
deliver me
Deliver me
"silently such a deadly crime, to think that I own my own life. Deliver me from my selfish pride."
I get overwhelmed by emotion so often. Today was one of those days. Thankfully God shook me with Proverbs 18:2
"a fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart."
Too often I seek to express MY heart without understanding the other side. My posture is self seeking. How am I following the example of the perfect servant?
With an overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
If I actually sat and listened to myself think about others, people that have hurt me, people that act out of hurt, I neglect the position of servant and act out of the position of victim. Jesus never claimed victimization. He never villainized people. He chose to see each individual and love them. Even though it was because of them that He would die, he would hurt.
And I have a hard time praying for/forgiving a man that made promises he couldn't keep....
When I act out of hurt, I am putting myself and my need to be heard above another.
I make wishes on dandelions. Only one of them hasn't come true. And i have been wishing on them since childhood. They ultimately become a prayer. What if I made those wishes on behalf of others?
A servant puts the needs of others above her own.
Take it one step further: a servant of the Lord puts the needs of others before her own, OUT of a deep love and admiration for the creator of servanthood. It is through her pursuit of learning to be like Him that she BECOMES more like Him.
Transformation.
I was put on this earth to share the word and to share Him. But I do it because I KNOW He keeps His promises. And He promises to love me, to forgive me and to set me free. He promises to never leave me. He promises to mold and make me. It is through the grace and acceptance that I share my heart. We walk in a world of brokenness. How can I keep the ultimate healer hidden?
"silently such a deadly crime, to think that I own my own life. Deliver me from my selfish pride."
I get overwhelmed by emotion so often. Today was one of those days. Thankfully God shook me with Proverbs 18:2
"a fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart."
Too often I seek to express MY heart without understanding the other side. My posture is self seeking. How am I following the example of the perfect servant?
With an overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
If I actually sat and listened to myself think about others, people that have hurt me, people that act out of hurt, I neglect the position of servant and act out of the position of victim. Jesus never claimed victimization. He never villainized people. He chose to see each individual and love them. Even though it was because of them that He would die, he would hurt.
And I have a hard time praying for/forgiving a man that made promises he couldn't keep....
When I act out of hurt, I am putting myself and my need to be heard above another.
I make wishes on dandelions. Only one of them hasn't come true. And i have been wishing on them since childhood. They ultimately become a prayer. What if I made those wishes on behalf of others?
A servant puts the needs of others above her own.
Take it one step further: a servant of the Lord puts the needs of others before her own, OUT of a deep love and admiration for the creator of servanthood. It is through her pursuit of learning to be like Him that she BECOMES more like Him.
Transformation.
I was put on this earth to share the word and to share Him. But I do it because I KNOW He keeps His promises. And He promises to love me, to forgive me and to set me free. He promises to never leave me. He promises to mold and make me. It is through the grace and acceptance that I share my heart. We walk in a world of brokenness. How can I keep the ultimate healer hidden?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
God is not committed to our comfort, but committed to our character.
“Our trials are not random persecutions. Heaven is not in a panic and where we are and what we are going through is no surprise to God. We may be knocked down and kicked around by life, but if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we will not be destroyed.
God is not committed to our comfort, but committed to our character.
Check out
Malachi 3:3
He is refining us like silver, though it may seem at times you are getting burned, in the pits of hell, He keeps a watch and is refining you/me/us to the point where though we feel our suffering won't end, He anticipates making us more refined, pretty, whole.”
Tracy Le sent me this on one incredibly difficult morning. I sobbed.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
made new
"just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly..."
i love this quote.
i relate it to the work that the Lord does in our lives. in my brokenness, He creates a masterpiece. although painful, He molds and transforms. This God, this creator, is my Healer, and the Redeemer of life. my life included. "perseverance must finish its work so that you may be complete, lacking nothing."
in the realm of healing, and the healing of others, we must not be limited to seeing people as they are.
we must take the time to dive into the depth of humanity to find the scarce bit of good in each person.
if we hold each other to a standard that only entertains face value, we commit a vast disservice to each other.
"to affirm a person is to see the good in them that they cannot see themselves and to repeat it in spite of appearances to the contrary." -Brennan Manning
Never settle in relationships where you are not encouraged to be made new, that do not daily encourage you to strip your old self, and strive for the new. this proves the daily necessity for our soul caretaker. the One who restores, the One who looks at His love, you, and says, "My sweet little one, it is you that i take delight in. It is in your contagious laughter where i find joy. i have entrusted you with a desire to serve others. be new and bring hope."
"but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And HOPE does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
hope does not disappoint us.
Monday, March 21, 2011
freedom
Freedom
A word that evokes hope. We strive for it, we yearn to feel it, but sadly we resort to feelings of bondage, control, and stagnation.
I remember times when I would want to run, sprint through wide open fields away from the stresses of everyday life.
I wonder if healing, to any degree, has anything to do with freedom. I recall a sense of limitless possibility when I had healed from a broken relationship of several years. The work of the Lord was not yet finished.
"if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE." John
Knowing truth.
Truth about God and His character.
I am assured that God knows what is best for me. I am promised the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I KNOW that the Holy Spirit is my advocate. (love that word, it's what I strive to be)
"In hope that creation itself will be LIBERATED from it's bondage to decay and brought into the glorious FREEDOM of the children of God." Romans
It is amazing to think of my struggles as bondage to decay. I had never seen it that way. All those things that drag me down and keep me from living in the fullness of the Lord will ultimately lead to my soul decay.
But as children of God, praise You Abba, we have glorious freedom. We have the strength to move, to love, to grieve, to heal-freely in His presence. And we are liberated, rescued, SET FREE from the chains that so easily entangle us.
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has rescued me
"Now, the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM."
Hallelujah. (highest praise)
A word that evokes hope. We strive for it, we yearn to feel it, but sadly we resort to feelings of bondage, control, and stagnation.
I remember times when I would want to run, sprint through wide open fields away from the stresses of everyday life.
I wonder if healing, to any degree, has anything to do with freedom. I recall a sense of limitless possibility when I had healed from a broken relationship of several years. The work of the Lord was not yet finished.
"if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE." John
Knowing truth.
Truth about God and His character.
I am assured that God knows what is best for me. I am promised the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I KNOW that the Holy Spirit is my advocate. (love that word, it's what I strive to be)
"In hope that creation itself will be LIBERATED from it's bondage to decay and brought into the glorious FREEDOM of the children of God." Romans
It is amazing to think of my struggles as bondage to decay. I had never seen it that way. All those things that drag me down and keep me from living in the fullness of the Lord will ultimately lead to my soul decay.
But as children of God, praise You Abba, we have glorious freedom. We have the strength to move, to love, to grieve, to heal-freely in His presence. And we are liberated, rescued, SET FREE from the chains that so easily entangle us.
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has rescued me
"Now, the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM."
Hallelujah. (highest praise)
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