4/23/2019
It’s In The ExpectingIT’S IN THE EXPECTING
We always hid Easter baskets for our kids when they were little. They absolutely loved finding those baskets, even when it got too hard and they were prompted with the timeless hints of “hot” and “cold”. Why did they love it so much? The expecting. They were expecting a basket full of joy because of all it held inside. What are we expecting? Sadly, many of us have grown cold. We have gotten farther and farther away from the joy that comes in the expected. And in the coldness, time spent with God has become a duty. Church should never be just a duty. It’s not a job where you clock in and clock out. It’s not a “Christmas and Easter only” facility, yet that’s how many of us view it. What are we expecting when we walk through the doors? Are we expecting God’s presence to wash over us as we sing to Him? As we hear His words, are we expecting those words to change our heart and soul? Are we expecting those words to bring life? Or, do we simply attend expecting nothing at all and leave with the same emptiness we had before we came? Clock in. Clock out. Three days after Christ was crucified a heartbroken Mary went to His tomb. What was she expecting? She wasn’t expecting emptiness, yet that’s what she found. She found emptiness because she wasn’t searching for life. Mary could have left that day with a continued emptiness. With a heavy sorrow. What was different? Unlike so many of us, in her emptiness Mary realized how desperately she needed the Savior and it was in that moment that He revealed Himself to her by simply saying her name. Mary. And she knew. He was alive. His presence washed over her and her heart was changed. The tomb was empty but her heart was full. Life can get hard, but it doesn’t have to be. God is always prompting us to draw closer. We don’t have to remain cold. Just like a child searching for and expecting to find a basket full of joy, let me encourage you to expect the unexpected this Easter. What can make the difference? Search for life. The difference comes in the expecting. An empty tomb. A risen Savior.A life changed. A heart full. A basket full of joy because of all it holds inside. What are you expecting? Whatever you are looking for is what you will find~and everything you’re looking for can be found in Christ.
4/16/2019
The Softness Of A MotherTHE SOFTNESS OF A MOTHER
Sometimes the days seemed so long, but the nights seemed even longer. Newborn feedings, teething, bad dreams, growing pains. Overwhelming exhaustion. You couldn’t wait for bed time, just for a little peace and quiet. Until the crying started all over again. But then there would be nights that just pulled at your heart strings. The soft glow of the moon shining in on their tiny faces as you watched them sleep. You didn’t think love could squeeze your heart any tighter. They came to us always. We were Mama. We made their boo boos and their heart breaks better. And at night, when all the world was fast asleep, they were safe there. Safe under our roof. Safe in the quiet. No one warned us how much our heart would feel that squeeze as one by one they moved out~ until one day they were all gone. You think back to the days when they were safe, and now as you lay in bed looking at the vast darkness outside, you wonder if they are okay. Maybe hundreds of miles away. No longer under your roof. No longer in their childhood bedroom. They are an adult now, in a dormitory or maybe their first apartment or house. That quiet you longed for so many years ago is now an unwelcome guest. You can’t control their safety. You worry. You think back to all the nights they cried for you when they were little and you held them close and rocked them back to sleep. It was in your DNA. It was your job. You were the one who made sure they were okay. And now you aren’t. The reality of that hits you. You thought it was so hard during those baby years. You never truly realized how simple life was back then~until now. This is a hard you’re not sure you can get past. You wish you could hold them and rock them again. You can’t, but Someone else can. Someone else is. The same One Who holds you close. The same One Who gives you the peace that passes understanding. The same One you cry out to when you’re hurting. Just as He is with you, He is with your adult children. Release your control and understand that He is with them even now. He knows their hurts, their disappointments, their adult growing pains. He will take care of them, no matter how far away they are. There is no need to worry. He is the great Shepherd and even though they are adults now~they are still, and always will be His little lambs. Just like they will always be your little lambs. When you look up at the stars tonight, they are sleeping under that same sky. The soft glow of the moon shines in on them as their heavenly Father watches them sleep. They aren’t as far as you think. They are right there next to you, asleep in your Savior’s arms. So let Him sing to your heart the soft lullabies of peace and comfort. Let Him hold you as you fall asleep, knowing that His great arms are holding them as well. You can let go of that control and give it to Him. It wasn’t ever really ours to begin with. It was always His. He just poured down His love a little extra in the softness of mama until He knew they would be okay on their own. Without you~ But always with Him. Psalm 42:8
4/10/2019
Standing In The Middle Of BeautifulSTANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF BEAUTIFUL.
Psalm 118:24 Tears filled her eyes as she spoke. Almost 30 of us, all staying under the same roof. One week together. Oak Island. Family. She spoke about her children all being together. She spoke of how much it meant to her that we had continued this tradition all these years. She first came when my husband was a baby, followed by siblings, then their children and now great grandchildren. As I looked around the room, tears filled everyone’s eyes, including my own. What we have is special. My mother in law recognized it and she was grateful. This year my children and grandchildren all came down. We want to continue this tradition with my in laws, and this year tears filled my eyes once again. As my grandson ran to hug me when we finally arrived. As my granddaughter snuck into my room in the early morning hours to sleep with me. As I watched my grown children laugh together and love on each other. As I watched my grandchildren run in the sunshine and sand and dip their tiny toes in the surf. Our lives had become so busy that even living in the same town, time spent together like this was very rare. And this year the tears spilled down my own cheeks as I waved goodbye to them all and turned to an empty house without them. Such a beautiful house on the ocean and yet, in this moment it was only a building. What made that building so beautiful were the people who filled it. I could picture them all there, in the now empty rooms. The time went by too fast. I realized then that I wouldn’t mind being back in the middle of snow and ice and freezing temperatures, because I would be with the people who made everything beautiful. My family. Every moment of every day can be beautiful if we realize what God has blessed us with. Too often we think that if we could just go on that vacation or if we had a bigger house or new furnishings, then we would be happy. We seek our joy in things. The grass is always greener syndrome. We miss what is right in front of us, and sadly we don’t realize how beautiful it is until it’s gone. Think about what truly makes life beautiful. Look for that beauty in the small things. Beauty that surrounds you on a daily basis. A morning sunrise. An open bible. Your daily routine. Your church family. Your hometown and neighbors. A hug. A smile. The sunset and stars. Your cozy bed. Your home and loved ones. Your whispers to the Savior as you fall asleep. Sometimes what we overlook as the small stuff is really the big stuff. The stuff that dreams are made of are too often the very things we take for granted. My mother in law recognized it. It wasn’t just this place, it was the people in this place that made it beautiful. And that place is right where you are at this very moment. Choose to see the beauty in it. Don’t wait until it’s gone before you realize all God has blessed you with. Recognize the joy in every moment of every day right where you are. You’re standing in the middle of beautiful, you just have to open your eyes and heart to see it. It’s always been there~ That beautiful stuff that dreams are made of.
4/2/2019
The Best AnswerTHE BEST ANSWER
It was the story of Noah’s Ark. Sweet little kindergarteners. The answers were simple~ Noah, a rainbow and an olive branch. But this is how it went~ ~Who built the ark? Jesus ~What sign did God give us promising He would never flood the earth again? Jesus ~What did the bird bring back in its beak? God His sweet little brown eyes twinkled as he answered every question with such enthusiasm. At first I chuckled. But almost immediately I heard God whisper to my heart~ He’s correct Charisse, I AM the answer to everything. Every question, every struggle, every heartache, every piece of bad news and every bit of good news. I am the answer. I will always be the answer. And just as that sweet little boy thought he had the answer to everything~ I realized he was right. He did have the correct answer. Jesus is with us in every situation. Jesus never breaks a promise. Jesus makes all things new. God our Father always brings us an olive branch of hope for our future~ if we give that future to Him. Whatever you might be going through today, I encourage you to have the simple faith of a child and put your trust in the only One Who is our answer, no matter what the question might be~ Jesus. |
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