11/27/2018
It’s In The BagIT’S IN THE BAG
I was dubbed “The bag lady” by my teasing father~in~law. It’s true. A fact about me that I’m sure many of you don’t know. I stitch linen replicas of antique bags, and I love it. Almost always, the customer will want the initials of a loved one stitched onto the bag. Someone who is precious to them. A treasure. I can’t help but think of that person. That life. This touches my heart as I stitch. These are more than just bags to me. More than just orders for customers. They are memories and love and joy. I think of these initials and the love they hold in each person’s heart. How dear that loved one is. Or was. And just as precious as our loved ones are to us, we are so much more precious to God. I think about His life, and it touches my heart. It’s more than just a story. So much more. He lived on this earth. Born in a manger. He knows what it feels like to be human. He understands. And in all His glory, because of His unfathomable love, He died on the cross for our sins. But it doesn’t end there. It ends in such sweetness that it brings tears. Despite my sin, and because of His love, God literally tells me in His word that~my sins are sealed up in a BAG! And He SEWS up ALL my iniquity. Job 14:17 My name is on that bag. Sealed up and forgiven for eternity. He knows me. He loves me. He cares about me. Not because of anything I have done, but because of everything He did for me. “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” Psalms 91:14 “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” Isaiah 43:1b “...for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” Exodus 33:17b I deeply want my orders to be beautiful to those who request them. A treasure. Yes, I am a bag lady~ and my longing is that everyone would see the sin our hearts hold, but not only that~ to truly see your heart as God sees it, through the love of His Son, repenting and requesting God’s precious gift this holiday season. Your own name, written in God’s book of life. Revelation 20:12&15, 21:27. Your own bag, your sins sealed up, never to be remembered again. Job 14:17 A home in heaven. John 14:1-3 That’s the gift I wish for you to receive. The beautiful gift God has given us. John 3:16 A treasure that surpasses any you have ever known. All in a bag. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fail not. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:32-34
11/20/2018
Now I’m That MomNOW I’M THAT MOM
Hey all you mamas out there~ What is it that you want from your children? Not FOR them, but FROM them. Does that sound selfish? Let go of the idea that it is, and look deep into your mama heart. What do you want more than anything FROM your kids? Love? Respect? Compassion?Thankfulness? Time? When they are tiny little ones, the answers are a lot easier. What we probably want most is rest. We don’t think a lot about the other things. Yet. The fact is, when they are tiny they automatically do all the other things. But then they get a little older. Love is still there, but that respect thing starts to lose its footing. A little older, and thankfulness and compassion turn into eyes rolling and heavy sighs. Still, a little bit older and we would give anything for time. Time with the ones who were our whole world for so long. How quickly things change. Our babies once snuggled on our laps, begging us to read to them, soaking up the sound of our voice with sweet, childlike adoration. And then, adulthood in all her glory turns that childlike adoration to annoyance and frustration if we call and want to talk. How quickly it changes from making every “boo boo” better with just a kiss. From caring for their sick little bodies through the night, to more annoyance if we share our concerns when they aren’t well. I can remember all of these scenarios in my own life with my mother, but they are only a memory now. My little self wanting to be with her and like her. Wanting to spend time with her. Wanting to be taken care of. Time changes things. I became a mom. Amidst the endless responsibilities young children bring, the phone rings and it annoys me. I know it is her. I’m so ashamed of the thoughts my mouth would not utter~ “She always picks the worst time to call. I don’t have TIME to talk to her right now!” But then one morning the phone rings again. Amidst the chaos of craziness that surrounds me, I hear nothing but my dad’s voice~almost as if he is speaking in slow motion... “Your mom is gone”~ My breath escapes me as my entire world rushes backward. I long to give more love, more respect, more compassion, more thankfulness, more time. So much more time. For a very long while, whenever the phone rang after that moment~ I thought for an instant that it was her. I wanted it to be her. So, I’m that mom now. The one on the other end of the phone. Calling, worrying, wondering if they’re ok. Wanting to help. Wanting to love. Wanting to spend time with them. Wanting all of those things. The same things my mom wanted from me. And as much as my human mama heart loves her children, it doesn’t touch the love my heavenly Father has for me. A love that desires all these things. Love. Respect. Compassion. Thankfulness. Time. Glory in the time you have with your little ones. Glory in the time you have with your mama. Glory in time spent with your Savior. Don’t allow time to change your child like adoration~ Allow it to deepen the love you have~ Not only for your mama~ but most especially for your Savior.
11/13/2018
The EnchantmentTHE ENCHANTMENT Some people (aka me) are Christmas lunatics. Some people are Christmas Scrooge’s and others are somewhere in between. So last January, being the lunatic I am, I decided that “Christmas” would be my word for the new year and promised to post something once a month that reminded us of the beautiful spirit of the season. It started out great. Everyone had the cozy Christmas feelings still lingering, but somewhere around April I realized that my post reach was pretty low. People didn’t want to read about a holiday that reminded them of cold and snow anymore. They were done and wanted to focus on warmth and sunshine and summer. And then, just like that, summer ended and the whole world decided it was time for Christmas again. Forget about the other holidays in between. Stores everywhere have their trees and decorations up and Hallmark has their playlist posted. Once again our minds start thinking ahead to the most wonderful time of year, and the excitement builds. Perhaps it’s because we want something beautiful to look for when the world grows dreary. When the trees become barren and the beautiful colors fade. Christmas holds that enchantment for us. And maybe deep inside, our human hearts are continually looking for the next thing that will make us happy. Always looking ahead of today. That vacation coming up. That long weekend. The warmer weather or sparkling snow. Birthdays or holidays or even retirement. But what if we stopped looking ahead? What if we just looked at today? What if we were able to open a Christmas gift every single day? Or give one? Psalm 118:24 Here’s the awesome thing. We can! If we will just open our eyes. If we will just stop focusing on the bad and open God’s gifts of ALL that is good, and my friend~ SO MUCH is good~we would realize that every day can be Christmas. Matthew 7:11. In turn, we can give some of that beautiful gift to others. A smile. An encouraging word. Your prayers. A hug. Love. John 15:12,17, John 13:34, Ephesians 1:16, Philippians 1:4, Colossians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Christmas is a blend of giving and loving. It’s happiness. It’s coziness. It’s forgiveness. It’s reconciliation. There’s a song in everyone’s heart and a smile on everyone’s lips. Even old Scrooge. But it’s so much more than that. It’s God. It’s all God. All of those things are God. It’s because of Him alone that we can have that joy unspeakable. 1 Peter 1:8 He is the ultimate gift. II Corinthians 9:15. Romans 5:16, Ephesians 2:8, 4:7, Romans 6:23 One we can be thankful for every single day. One we can share with the whole world. John 3:16,17 As you go to sleep tonight, pretend for a moment that tomorrow is Christmas. Remember the excitement you had when you were a child. Allow that child like wonder to wash over you as you look forward to the beautiful gifts God has for you to open. Look for them in every tiny moment. Every day. James 1:17 There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere. Let the enchantment of Christmas encompass your life, and share that gift with others. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
11/6/2018
But, What If We Can’t Rest?BUT, WHAT IF WE CAN’T REST?
Last week I wrote about the importance of rest. I told you how we all need it. I reminded you that it isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a commandment. But what if we can’t? What if it is physically impossible to rest~except for the few short hours between our heads hitting the pillow and our feet once again hitting the floor? What if our days are full of people who depend on us entirely~ whether that means a job or the littles that belong to you, or both. Maybe a sick child, husband or parent. People who are so dependent on you that there is no physical way you can bail. No way to get away. No way to rest. And then your days spill into your evenings. Evenings full of responsibilities. Church or sports, meetings or errands. Groceries bought and bills paid. Homework finished and lunches made. Laundry and dishes. Crying babies. Hurting teens. Sick loved ones. Life. Our evenings turn into late nights with morning right around the corner. No time to breathe. No time to rest. And then the alarm clock goes off at 5am and the cycle begins again. What then? How can we possibly obey God’s command to rest when no rest can be had? I have had these seasons in my life. Seasons where concerned loved ones have advised me that if I didn’t slow down, I would fall down. Inside I just wanted to cry~ “you don’t understand. I literally CANNOT stop. People depend on me”. It has been in these seasons that I have realized a valuable truth. This may sound counterproductive but~rest takes work. Intentional work on our part. Hebrews 4:9-11 The good news is that we never have to go it alone. In fact, we cannot do it alone. We can only do it through Him and in His power. Psalm 71:16, Isaiah 41:10 Rest can be had in the only one Who can give it. Our Savior. We have to be intentional in the 24 hours He gives us each day. If we allow the busyness of our lives to overwhelm us, every task we face will become a chore and life will lose its joy altogether. We will start to feel alone and sadness will overcome us. Life was never meant to be lived alone. It was always meant to be lived in Christ and for Him. So work to be intentional. Retrain your mind to think on Christ every moment you can, and not on your circumstances. For you, that might mean going in the bathroom and locking the door for 5 minutes alone with Him. That might mean talking to Your Father as you shower or put on your makeup. That might mean dwelling on Him and His words as you drive to and from work, as you make dinner, fold laundry, do dishes, comfort that crying baby, take care of that sick parent or loved one. Don’t allow yourself to be lulled into a false rest when life gives you a few moments to yourself. Don’t pick up your phone to mindlessly scroll, pick up God’s word. Don’t turn that TV on and vegetate, turn to Him and talk to Him. Intentionally set your mind on Christ and ask Him for His rest. Be relentless in your quest. John 11:22, psalm 61:2, Matthew 11:28&29. All day, through everything life throws at you, whisper to Him. Let Him be your brace, your hope, your joy, your peace, your mercy and your comfort. And as your head hits the pillow, you won’t have to worry about what the next day holds. Psalm 3:5, 4:8. Isaiah 57:2 Overwhelming peace will flow through you. Philippians 4:7 Your feet won’t touch the floor the next morning, because He will be carrying you. Isaiah 46:4, Exodus 33:14 And suddenly, it won’t be work anymore because you will be resting safely in His arms. Psalm 16:9, 132:14, Jeremiah 31:25 II Thessalonians 1:7, II Corinthians 12:9 |
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