Category - Contentment

Finding true contentment

You’re Worth It

June 1, 2016

blessings, Contentment, envy, fear, forgiveness

Post by Christy Mobley

She slipped me the invitation under the table so as to not disturb the meeting going on and whispered, “Are you going?”

I read the first few lines and felt the sting. I whispered back, “I wasn’t invited.”

Obviously embarrassed, my friend said, “I’m sorry.”

And with those two words, I suddenly felt less than.

Kate was flipping through her Facebook feed and saw a group of her friends, all smiles, out to dinner. Friends she normally hangs out with. Their comments below the picture were all about the fine food and good company.

Kate was a little bewildered but even more hurt. She thought, Why wasn’t I invited?

Angela had her girlfriends over for their regular prayer meeting, but all three of them said they had to leave early. They had another obligation. She didn’t think much about it and when they left she gathered up her kids to go the local coffee shop. When she arrived, there they were, her prayer group gals, sipping their lattes and laughing with another mutual friend.

Awkward moment.

Angela thought, I wonder why I was left out?

If you’re breathing, I’m sure like me, it’s happened to you sometime in your life—all your friends are off to a happening you didn’t know about, that is, until an innocent one shows you the invitation, or you walk in where you’re not expected, or people forget you’re also part of Facebook.

And you feel crushed. You feel less than. You feel discouraged.

When we’re uninvited though we may never find out the why, I can tell you it’s not because we’re unimportant, lack value, or are less than.

Why should we let our worth be tied up in somebody else’s agenda? Especially when we don’t know their heart and we don’t know the motives behind their actions. I assure you I know being left out is a humbling experience.

And whereas humility is good and keeps us looking upward, discouragement is defeating and keeps us looking inward.

So how do we keep our perspective right when we’re feeling dejected?

We align our perspective with God’s truth.

His Word says we are worthy.

We are made in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).
We are fearfully and wonderfully made ( Psalm 139:13-16).
We are Gods’ own possession chosen for his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14)

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords wants us to dine at His table
and that’s the only invitation we need.

Yes, people will indeed disappoint us, hurt us, overlook us, fail us, and slap us to the ground…

Unintentionally and sometimes on purpose.

But we have a God who never rejects us, overlooks us, or fails us.

Quite the contrary. Our God revives us, pursues us, restores us, and comforts us and never ever stops loving us.

Friends will hurt us and feelings are fickle. But the facts are simple.

God is faithful.

Always.

So just remember when you’ve been slipped that invitation under the table that doesn’t have your name on it, your name is written in a far better place—on the scarred palms of our Savior’s hands.

And He says you are WORTH it.

“See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” Isaiah 49:16 NIV

Looking forward, pressing on, seeking God,

Christy

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Christy is a wife, mother, mother-in-law, mentor, speaker, and Life Purpose Coach. She’s also a girly girl who chases tennis balls for recreation and hunts for sharks teeth on the beach. But her greatest passion is to encourage women to move forward and press on, seeking God in the midst of life’s struggles.

You can find Christy at Joying in the Journey, Twitter, and Facebook.

3 Ways to Emotionally Win Arguments

May 31, 2016

purposefulfaith

Contentment, failure, faith, fear

7 Comments

I didn’t want to do it, but there I was stuck right in the center of my kitchen, in the mess of it. I leaned in, my temperature boiling, this woman just was not understanding my point.

“There’s no changing a mind like hers,” I thought, “She’s impenetrable.”

I glared. I guess, God was going to have to teach her the hard way – and I was certain I wasn’t going to be praying blessings over her life anymore! Take that!

She is not understanding me. She is hurting me. This is all her fault.

Isn’t it funny how we think? We can even know our thinking is faulty, that we are some small iota in the wrong, but still, we grab onto our small point as if it is a helicopter dropping down a life-line. We think it will get us to battle won, but we usually much more feel like it is battle done as we are left stranded at the top of a building, waving our hands. Helpless. Uncertain. With no one around to fix our aching heart.

Her words approached me strong. Her defensiveness writhed. So did mine, for that matter.

Do your arguments go round and round making you feel like the loser?

Do you start to look at the person like enemy rather than friend?

Usually, I figure, the other person:

Will never listen.
Doesn’t care enough to listen.
Doesn’t get me.
Thinks wrongly about me.
Is always going to win.

Just admitting what you believe about the other fighter is helpful, I find. Lightbulbs go off.

Lightbulb 1: When you’re in mindset – self-protection, it is easy to go into mode – manipulation.

^“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

I don’t do all that. I do other things in the heat of battle; I injure.

Admission and confession offer permission for God to move in.

Lightbulb 2: Love is not me, it is God’s presence in me. The pressure is off.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

Reading this verse makes me want to create a little plaque I hang over my kitchen sink, saying: No fear needed, for with love, I am equipped to win.

This means I stand in the center of the kitchen-tornado with:

1. Power – Christ’s power in me; it does not look like a weak girl getting pummeled but like a force of peace.
2. Love – I have the supernatural power of Jesus Christ; he will help me forward it on.
3. Self-discipline – The ability to know when to speak and when to shush up. I have power to have power over myself. I am not without strength; God made me full of it – in him.

I keep on remembering these 3 things as I am talking; It makes a difference.

I am not without, I am with God, with his grace, with his arsenal of mercy. This is not weak, it is strong. This is not flailing, it is thriving. This is not anger, it is progress.

Lightbulb 3: If Jesus didn’t condemn me, man can’t either. I can always operate from a place of intentional love rather than injured fear.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Jo. 3:18

I wish I could tell you that day, I won the battle, I didn’t. I lost some pride.

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Remember our BIG God

May 30, 2016

purposefulfaith

Contentment, fear, grace

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Today, I would like to welcome, Sue Allen, as a guest poster for Women’s Ministry Monday. Sue, is in women’s ministry at Northside Methodist Church in Georgia. May her words remind your heart, as much as they did mine, that God’s love is bigger than our widest conception of it…

Guest post by: Sue Allen

I was on an elliptical machine in a hotel fitness room in Asheville, N.C. when my phone signaled her group text. Throughout the day, five of us Bible study friends had been texting support, encouraging our friend whose ten-year-old daughter was undergoing her six-month scans for the cancer she has battled for the past five years. As always, we prayed that the scans would reveal three sweet letters: N.E.D. (No Evidence of Disease).

“Really bad news. They found 2 large bumps.”

Instead of three sweet letters, these eight frightening words broke our heart. We all quickly texted back loving words. “Let this be a bump in your road, not a bolder.” “Love and big prayers are coming your way.” “Praying for you and wishing I could give you a big hug.” “We are your prayer warriors.” “Sweet friend, leave it in God’s hands.”

Clearly God at work, Susan Anderson Yates, beloved Christian writer, had just sent me a copy of her new book Risky Faith. Right before the group text came in, I read the following words on page 14. “I had let my concern for this child grow and grow. It had become so big in my heart that the problem itself became my focus. Perspective was lost. Instead, I was overwhelmed by this current issue. I finally realized I had forgotten who God was.

I had forgotten how very much He loved my child and me. I had forgotten He knew my child much better than I did. I had forgotten He was working in ways I could not see. He was in this issue, totally involved, and His love was perfect. He was so much bigger than I gave Him credit for. It wasn’t that these concepts were new to me. It was more that I wasn’t living day in and day out in the assurance and knowledge of how BIG He is. I was missing out, and the result was anxiety, loss of perspective, and an anemic understanding of God’s personal love.

In that scary moment when I stopped working out and started looking in to find the words to text my friend, I integrated the wisdom I had just read. “I am so sorry. I know this is so frightening and so overwhelming. Remember our God is bigger than cancer, bigger than any circumstances, and the LORD shares His power freely with us. Crumble before Him, sweet friend. Let His loving strength take over for a while. Please call if you want to talk or text until your fingers are tired. We are here for you in any ways you need us.”

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do, James 1:25 (NIV)

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More about Sue Allen:

Enjoy a daily inspiration this summer. Sue Allen, Northside’s Women’s Ministry Director writes a morning blog for men and women, young and old. The 2016 Summertime Devotional, “Breathe God Everywhere”, will come into your inbox each day from June 1 to September 1. To receive this motivational message sign up here. Visit her website to read more blog posts.

Reply here to contact Sue Allen personally.

10 Ways God Loves You More Than You Know

May 27, 2016

purposefulfaith

Contentment, fear, Love & Health, peace

6 Comments

We sat on those stairs – five siblings, with a serious itch to take-off. Our high-pitched anxious voices said it all, we wanted to move into the living room like energetic bulls on parade. You see, what laid on the other side of the hall wall was what dreams were made of. On the other side of that wall wait perfectly wrapped, beautifully adorned – Christmas gifts and the power of Jesus unleashed.

Joy. Love. Peace. Smiles. Laughs. Cheers. It was all there and we could all – nearly taste it.

Our parents always made us wait, though. Wait for the pictures to be taken. Wait for coffee to percolate. Wait to hear the Christmas story. Wait to make sure everyone had good “picture-clothes” on.

Sometimes, the wait is agonizing.

Some days, I feel like I live on those stairs again and again. It’s like I know joy is on the other side of a wall, but I just can’t get there. I have to wait. I have to wait for life to happen. I have to wait for others to improve. I have to wait to be more Christ-like. I have to wait for my prayers to be answered.

Truth is, I want to bust into the fullness of God. I want to cross-over to the complete joy of Jesus, as if I am experiencing the joy of Christmas every single day. I don’t want to wait; I want God’s peace, life and grace to surround me. I want to enter his gates with thanksgiving in a powerful way. I want to run into each day, expecting to unwrap God’s glory.

Why do I have to wait?

As I consider this question, I also consider the fact Jesus never said, “Joy to the World only on Christmas” nor did he say, “My peace I leave you – only on good days.”

God speaks goodness over me. To me, I imagine it sounding like:

“She is full equipped with my joy.”

“Through the abundance of my love,
she can walk everyday in peace.”

“My love endures.”

And, somehow, I feel like dropping everything and running to open the riches of God’s Word – one by one. I want to see what else, what other encouragement God speaks over my heart. Here’s what I uncover:

1. God’s affection lasts for me – forever. He is always good. (Psalm 100:5)

2. His love, uncontaminated and unblemished, knocks fear down. (1 Jo. 4:18)

3. He adores me. I am his loved daughter (1 Jo. 3:1)

4. He doesn’t love only sometimes, a little, on occasion, randomly, now and then, no. He loves lavishly. (1 Jo. 3:1)

5. He sees my pain, my suffering, my injury. He essentially says, “Those ones, I love them so much, I will die for them.” (Ro. 5:8)

6. God nearly cries with our cries. He understands our turmoil. (1 Jo. 4:9)

7. He gives us, Christians, the right to eat from the tree of life, in paradise. (Rev. 2:7)

8. He chooses me, not because I am great, but because he is good. He has good plans to use me for his glory. (1 Pet. 2:9)

9. He won’t let anyone, no way, no how, snatch us out of his hand. We are his and he wants us. (Jo. 10:28)

10. He takes us and makes us more than ourselves, making us more and more holy, until we look a whole lot like him. (Jo. 10:28)

And, what my heart runs, straight into, is the idea – God is wonderful. He is my greatest gift. I can open up a part of him everyday. And, somehow, with this, it seems like I am experiencing Christmas all over again.

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How God is Conserving and Preserving You

May 25, 2016

purposefulfaith

awe, Contentment, faith, fear

4 Comments

There is a protector. He is the best armed guard. Nothing can hit him, nothing can break him, nothing can make him tumble. He is not some military genius on some Sci-Fi movie. He is your God.

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Col. 3:3

We are hidden in greatness.

Have we considered this? If God is armor and we are penetrable body, we reside under the very definition of – security.

When we realize that we are not only in Christ, but hidden in him, suddenly we feel protected from the crooks, calamities and complications approaching.

In Christ, we realize the wars are not ours to be won.
In Christ, we realize the movements are his to be made.
In Christ, we realize the inches of safety that lay over us are significant and profound.

In Christ, we are safe. Do you feel this way?

If not, what is holding you back?

I know what it is for me. I look left and right and panic and ponder, thinking, “What I will do?”

I see people that carry conflict. I see issues that carry big price tags. I see negativity that tells me I am about as sunk as a shark in the water. I see myself hitting problems. These things consume me.

They fill my mind. Protection doesn’t consume me, destruction does.

Does it happen this way to you too?

When we believe that we are outside of God’s heart, desires and plan, we suddenly believe we are on the firing line of enemy attack.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col. 3:2

There is a reason why this verse comes right before the truth we are “hidden in Christ.”
To believe we are hidden in Christ, we must let our thoughts be hidden in spiritual things:
1. God’s Word
2. Kingdom Come
3. To die is gain (Phil. 1:21)
4. Unbreakable Love
5. Determination to believe

As we get into that hidden place, we see that Christ is not hidden. We see he is alive and around us. We see we are contained and filled. We see our life as truly untouchable and unpenetrable.

Think:
Above, not below.
Heavenly, not earthly.
Spiritually, not fleshly.

Every minute of every day, we are hidden in Christ. Hidden in him, but apparent by him. Loved. Adored. Cherished. Guided. Assisted. Directed. Empowered. Engulfed. Imbibed with grace.

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How to Really Come Alive (& not as you think)

May 24, 2016

purposefulfaith

Contentment, faith, fear, Freedom

28 Comments

I try.
Do you?

I try not to:
Fall on my sword
Fall from grace
Fall flat

I think this is why perception is important.
If I can look good to others, in a way, it confirms – I can look good to myself.

A few weeks ago, I went to large church gathering. I walked in. There were tables. There were people. There were open seats and there was me, trying to figure out which one to choose. I looked for people who looked like me – or, who I figured were better than me.

I wanted to be where they were.

Why?

Because, by being with them, I feel better about me. In some way, their great standing proved mine.

Do you fall into this trap too?

Wanting to know important people?
Wanting to be an influencer of wisdom?
Gravitating towards those with knowledge and know-how?
Trying to look your best, to feel your best?
Speaking words that will make you look good?
Aiming to appear better than you are?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 5:3

Hummingbirds

Recently, my kids and I trekked out to the mountain. We wanted to check out the hummingbird display.

I was intrigued by these things. They flap their wings 80 times a second. Talk about trying!!! These things work hard. They know how to shoot left, right, up down, sideways and zig-zagged, like no bird I have ever seen.

They know how to get where they need to go. They know how to move to places of value (namely, right next to the feeder).

They also know how to protect. One hummingbird protects her food like an armed guard, blocking the path of any other bird who is getting too close.

When I block out different people, I block out humility. When I block out a new experience to safe-keep myself, I block God from getting close. I block humility from feeding me wisdom. I block love from moving in, and instead, I stay unchanged.

By not risking, I am missing the greater gift.

Sitting Down

“When you are invited, take the lowest place…” Jo. 14:10

To take the lower seat is to choose to sit deep into the humility of Christ. It is the choice to stay so close to him, that you no longer have to stay close to everything you were or should be. Those things become casualties.

Instead, you walk up to scary and sit down with it, giving space for his miraculous to be worked in. You let go of the idea that there is a lofty place you’re not invited to, because you, suddenly, don’t want that anyway. It is to become so comfortable with the lowly, the downtrodden and the debased, that all you can do is count your blessings. You praise. Joy is crystallized.

It looks hardly like the perfect image of you – and this is the point.

The low seat can look like your own personal Calvary Road: A change of voice, a letting go of critiques, a grand welcome to the awkward, a wave goodbye to the need to be in charge or a will to pursue hard relationship…every seat looks different. But, the commonality is it saves you -and others. Some might call it surrender, or dying to yourself, I call it become it coming alive because you are no longer tethered – to man, you’re used, by God, as redeemer – to man.

Did you know that when the baby hummingbird actually leaves the nest, the mom is smaller than baby? I can’t help but think, this is how we should live – getting smaller and smaller while those around us get bigger and bigger.

Until, the day, the biggest one of all – invites us to the seat where we can feed unrestrained, where we can almost get fat in love. Where he, our friend, the one we spent our life relying on, invites us to dine – fully and lavishly. And we do.

“…Take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ (Lu. 14:10)

—

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Going with God instead of Going in Fear

May 17, 2016

purposefulfaith

Contentment, failure, faith, fear

35 Comments

Here I am. Somewhere new.

My husband and I packed it all in the car…every single item we could. Balls went into crannies, books went in nooks and luggage found container spots I never knew existed. We drove 20 hours straight. Sleepless. Determined. Eager. Excited. Taking a one-hour sleep detour at a highway-hugging rest stop, so as not to kill ourselves.

I was headed somewhere new.
Expecting better.
Letting the carrot call me.
It always has…

I wanted a new school to teach me new things, so I would finally be smart. I wanted new friends to finally love me. I wanted new clothes rather than a uniform. I wanted new experiences to make me wise. I wanted a new place to make me new, the shiny girl that everyone wanted.

What new are you searching for?

Somewhere else. That is the place of promise…

It looks great until you get there, then you see what is wrong with it.

Then you see – flaws.

My first thought: “This place doesn’t have that much.”
My second thought: “I don’t have any friends here.”
My third thought: “I am going to have a horrible summer.”

I gazed out my shiny new window, “Things aren’t going to turn out. I’m going to hate life here.”

What pile sits before you – that you can’t sort? What looks impossible?

My husband approached, somehow reading my mind, “God has whispered to me…’Kelly, we need to see his good, his life, his opportunity.’“

God is greater than meets the eye – his great is always ready to unfold.

Beyond trash, there is a God who knows the route. A God who sees the whole horizon. A God who knows how to steer around potholes. A God who is well aware of the way.

Will I embark? Will I step up as the traveler, along for the ride? Sitting under shelter? Waiting on his timing? Soaking in his opportunities? Expectant of the view?

Yet, believing, all the same, that every road ends at love, which is the real feeling of being enraptured into beautiful.

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (Is. 58:11)

I am driving into his presence.

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Ex. 13:21

He will sit over me and be over me.
He will sit over you and be over you.

He will progress me into his progress.
He will progress you into his progress.

He will help me see the horizon of the new he is going to do.
He will help you to see the horizon of the new he is going to do.

He will be. And so will I.

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)

And, just doing that opens up a whole new view. A trajectory. A horizon of hope. A story about to unfold.

You are, God – God. Today I declare it and tomorrow I will continue to believe it. Amen.

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Go Directly to Jail

May 16, 2016

purposefulfaith

Contentment

4 Comments

I am delighted to have Christi Miranda joining us for Women’s Ministry Monday today. Christi helped open my life up to writing. Like Christ, she gave up her spot for me at a writers conference and it changed my life forever. Thank you Christi. I am so thankful.

Post by: Christi Miranda

“Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200!” This is how I often felt growing up in church.

You see, I was raised in church. I cut my teeth on church pews. I sang in the children’s choir, played hand bells (oh yes, hand bells). I was a gleeful giraffe on the Noah’s Ark float in our town parade & I went to summer camp every single year as a child! I am a bona fide Church Girl to the bone! That said, I have been well-trained to follow the rules and can be quite adept at feeling guilty for almost everything I do wrong.

Somewhere in all the lessons and singing, I think the lists of “Do’s & Don’ts” made me believe that I had to prove my worthiness to the Lord. And of course, when I mess up, there’s a guilty voice scolding & condemning me inside. You know the voice! It says things like: “Well I didn’t do my quiet time this morning so I have to start all over…” Or, “Did I just curse at the car in front of me?! I’m going directly to Hell.” and then Mom Guilt chimes in saying, “I didn’t pray with my daughter tonight… what kind of example am I??” Maybe I’m the only one who has had these feelings of not being good enough…but I doubt it.

While I am very glad I was raised in church, I realize that the truths of God’s Word have come through the opinions and filters of people. Flawed people, just like you and me.

Let me ask this: Have you ever been afraid that God would overlook you? That no matter how long your hand was raised in the air, He would rather pick someone else? Like in grade school when it was time to pick teams for kick ball, I would be chosen last. I’ve never been athletically inclined so the only reason I got picked at all was because everyone had to play. Somehow, somewhere in my life, that’s how I began to view my walk with Jesus. I’d think to myself, “If I could just be better, God would choose me for something.” Or, “If I get it right this time, God will pick me for something great.” And just like you, I am well aware of my own shortcomings. So, these nagging thoughts became a vicious cycle of me trying to prove that I was spiritually awesome & perfect; all while butting my head against the fact that I was not. Ouch!

I felt like God would overlook me and I had to do everything in my power to get Him to love me.

Full disclosure? I haven’t fully overcome this fear. I can preach to folks about God’s love with passion and power and share that God is crazy about them and has a purpose for their lives, but me? I’m not always so sure. Every now and again, that religious insecurity raises its ugly head and this preacher girl has to preach to herself!

I take my list of confessions and speak the Word out loud. Ignoring the knot in my throat and choking back the tears, I remind myself of a few things:

God has NEVER ONCE
rejected me,
left me, lied to me or failed me.
lied to me
or failed me.

God. Is. Pleased. With. Me.

And then I declare with a little sass:

I Am Loved.

I Am Accepted.

I Am Not Alone.

I Am HIS!

I was born on purpose, with purpose and for purpose!

Ya’ll, these words, HIS Words, are life & health to my very bones.

They steady me and help to straighten my spine.

Do I have instant victory? No. It does however help me realize that I do not have to start all over. I can get up from exactly where I am without having to go directly to jail and move forward.

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About Christi

Christi’s personal mission is to move people from surviving to shining!

A passionate speaker, Christi is known for being relatable and energetic. With real life stories and unique illustrations of God’s truths, Christi is a keynote speaker for various women’s events and is noted for her authenticity.

Christi shares the story of God’s beautiful grace & strength after painful loss & becoming a single mother. Through a clear and direct message of victory & healing, she ministers to those who feel that life has taken their “shine” forever. Christi shares her story of hope to help women uncover the hidden gleam of God’s work in their lives.

Her greatest delight and joy is raising her daughter, Julia. She feels extremely blessed to be the mother of her feisty “Princess Warrior”.

Christi serves as an associate pastor on staff at The Potter’s House Church of Denver under Pastor Chris Hill.

7 Ways to Speak Grace Into Your Life

May 11, 2016

purposefulfaith

blessings, Contentment, faith, fear, grace, guilt

4 Comments

Every week, after church, I ask my son what song he sang. I wait. Half the time, I get no answer, the other half, I exert patience until he starts to belt it out from the back of the car. Almost always, a smile spreads across my face. Almost always, I can’t wait to hear his little voice reflect on God, but this time, it was different…

“Pat, the bible. Pat the bible….,” he sang out a couple of times….
“Or, you will get a con. se. quence.” he finished off.

Every time he sang it, it got a little louder, until the full volume of his voice filled the car. Sister joined in. It’s been the song of the week.

Is it the song of my life?

Why do I pat the bible?

Do I do it out of love or do I do it out of fear?

Do I draw near to God, because I fear God’s disapproval or
to sit under Jesus’ undue, but already-gifted approval?

To perform, due to fear of disapproval sounds like this:

– I must pray more.
– I really need to be more loving.
– I have to do my morning reading time.
– God won’t bless this.
– I will never meet his expectations of me.
– I will be less loved because of it.
– I am obligated to go to church.
– If I mess up, severe punishment awaits.
– I am a bad Christian.

I feel these ways sometimes, friends. I fear God will want to disown me because I haven’t paid the right Christian dues. I haven’t paid the piper enough. It is a horrible way to live; it serves the wrong kind of daddy – an impatient, punishing and demanding one.

“Pat the bible. Pat the bible – or you will get a con. se. quence.”

“The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:8)

God knows I sin. God knows, even my good acts are bad (Is. 64:6).

I know it too; this is my fear. I look at my heart, it strays. I look at my mind, it doubts. I look at my ways, they reek of impatience.

God, do you hate me for the ways I hate myself?

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 Jo. 4:18)

With gentleness, these words remind me, He waits for me – not like a jailer, but like a releaser, with the key. He’s ready to fling wide the gates of outpouring love as I truly draw near to his heart. To get there, I have to find myself sitting under grace.

To sit under undue approval sounds like this:

I am sorry, God. Thank you that you still love me.
I don’t need to do anything, for it is only you that I need.
If I find your love, I will find my life.
I seek your Word, because I love your Words.
My best is not good, but your good is all I need.
Your kindness leads to repentance, so walk me to it, God. (Ro. 2:4)
Thank you that you continue to love me, even though…

The gentle truth is: God doesn’t look at our performance, he looks at our heart. He goes beyond curtains and stages and facades to get a look at the behind the scenes footage. Why not, let God in more?

Why not, lay down our shows? Sure, we won’t rule the hows or the whens, but God will mold us in the reflection of his face of love and adoration.

Getting “Good with Grace” Prayer

God, I am not who I pretend to be. I want you to see me as a good girl. So often, I feel like a bad girl, though. Thank you that, with you, there is no need for masks and makeup. You want to see me as I am; I don’t scare you. You can handle my worst as I bring it to you. With this, I no longer want to cower before you, I want to kneel – arms-wide-open – and look into your face of love. I want that face of love to change me. I want to know there is no fear present in your love that will always flow towards me. I want to sit under the cross of Jesus, knowing that it shades me from your contempt. Help me stay there. You are the face of freedom. I thank you for Jesus. I love you; may it prove genuine. Amen.

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When You Don’t Know What to Do

May 10, 2016

purposefulfaith

awe, Contentment, doubt, expectations, failure, faith

39 Comments

I am living in the center of chaos. Clothes are hanging off the brink of my mind. Papers are strewn all over the place – and I am quite certain the wind just blew one in my face.

I feel like I am stuck in a desolate landfill of all the stuff I have consumed over the last 4 years – stuff I don’t really need. Stuff that holds me back in a way, from being free. It tethers me to the demand that I find – home (big home, even). It demands I – arrive somewhere. It pushes me. I glare at it.

I guess I want to be free. Free to find home with no reservations required – as the Spirit leads.

To be delivered to the Promised Land of peace, friends and love – unrestrained.

I haven’t gotten there yet. That stinkin’ place? It eludes me.

You too?

What place do you want to be delivered to?

What home of peace, answers, calm, relational bliss or finances are you pining for?

I sat down, in the center of it all, everything I wanted to escape – and placed my face in my hands. I looked at all the things I couldn’t handle, I considered all I couldn’t bring about and I realized there was nothing left to do. Anxiety can nearly kill a woman, you know.

The pressure to do, the stern inner dictates and the will to take care of all the baby birds, it’s enough to induce panic.

“God, save me from my self. Show me your ways.”

Every prayed that prayer?

It works. He answers.

It takes the traveler, the one stuck to eternal roaming with bags too large and heavy for her own britches and sends her on her way. She moves from jet-lagged and famished, walking around, searching (otherwise called living-hell) – and heads home.

She gets somewhere.

Something rises up.

It sounds like this: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Is. 30:21)

Bags unloaded, it is a resting spot. Where, bags down, you lay and look up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn’t matter what time your flight is to destination delightful. It doesn’t matter how you go about making it there. It just matters that God is going to be faithful.

When you see God and you see his way – it doesn’t matter so much about – your way.

A voice rises above the mayhem. It is not about being delivered from what plagues you, but being delivered to – who calms you.

I missed all that.
Have you?

The truth is:

Jesus wants to be with me – wherever I stand.

Jesus has a way for me – wherever I am.

Jesus has planned life for me- in whatever I do.

Jesus has truth laid out for me – wherever I go.

I don’t have to fret the when – for Jesus already figured out – the how.

He’s never one to let me fail – and every time his love prevails.

The world may spin, but the cross is steady; it is planted in the solid rock of truth. Truth walks me to life. Life is knowing, God will lift my foot up and put it where it needs to go. He will manage my wavering opinions, doubts and fears.

Do you believe he will do that for you?

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. Prov. 16:9

I lean back. My lungs fill. We don’t have to control chaos, peace knows the way. And out of the chaos, we get what we were always after – home – his waiting love.

The question is, will we, like prodigal children, return to it?

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