10/30/2018
Stop The ChaseSTOP THE CHASE
I’m not exactly sure how it happened. We were in Walmart. It started out fun. My son was chasing my youngest around clothes racks. Like kids do. She was laughing and out of breath, until she wasn’t. It was dizzying. Suddenly it was no longer fun for her. The smallest trip~on nothing. All carpet. No visible reason for the fall. Except the chasing. She began to cry. It was unusual for her to cry. She wasn’t dramatic and could tolerate pain better than any 4 year old I knew. The chasing got to her and the tears did not stop. After a trip to the ER our worries were confirmed. She had a broken collar bone. No more chasing. Just rest. She got to spend time with daddy. She wore his shirt because it fit the best over her brace. He read to her. He held her. Isn’t that how it is with us? What has happened to us? This generation is full of busyness. Our calendars are full, our days and even minutes are packed. Always on our phones. Thinking, planning, doing. The feelings of guilt if we choose to rest, or try to rest. Why have our lives become a constant chase? We run around in circles until we become dizzy. We want to say no, but the chasing continues. And then, with no visible reason to the outside world, inwardly we lose it. We fall, and the pain becomes unbearable. We can’t continue, and all the while God is telling us to rest. Just rest. And so we listen. We stop. We spend time with Him. We put on His armor like a comfy shirt. Ephesians 6:11 We lean on Him~~but not long enough. And pretty soon, as we try to rest, as we try to read His words or pray, our phones start to buzz. That notification. That text. That email. That appointment. That need. And our rest is no longer rest as we’re drawn into the chase again. As hard as it was to see Kathryn in pain that day, it was even harder a week later. Her brace had come off sometime in the night and the next day her daddy had to put it back on. Her pain in the repositioning was worse than the actual break. Her cries were absolutely heartbreaking to this mama. And that’s how it is with us. We get to the point where we think a few hours on Sunday is enough. But God needs to be our brace every single moment, not just a few hours on Sunday. And when He is no longer our brace and we think we can do this crazy, busy life on our own, the inward pain only becomes worse and God brings us back to the place where He alone is our brace. He alone is our rest. Psalm 116:7, Psalm 46:10 Stop the chase. Set time aside to rest. It isn’t just a suggestion. It’s a command from God Himself. Exodus 20:9-11 Why is it so easy for us to see the importance of obeying every other commandment He gives~ i.e. adultery, stealing, murder... but neglecting the one that Christ Himself chose to do? Mark 4:36-38, 6:31 Stop feeling guilty for obeying His command. The world says go, go, go. God says stop. When I came back into the room after her cries had softened, she was in her daddy’s arms. He was telling her it was okay. And she believed him. Believe Him. He’s telling you it’s okay. Put your phone down. Shut your notifications off. Go for a walk or a drive. Take in Gods beauty all around you. Or just close your eyes. Think on it. Think on Him. Hebrews 4:9 Let Him hold you and be your brace. Every single day. And rest in Him. Psalm 27:14 I CAN ONLY WRITE THE SONGS I NEED TO HEAR Can I just be honest here~ I have fear. I get anxious. I don’t have answers to the hard questions. At times I struggle knowing what I should post or how I should pray, and sometimes I don’t think I even know what to think. I’m not strong. I worry I’m doing this life wrong. I’m doing this mom thing, this wife thing, this pastor’s wife thing, this whole blog thing~wrong. I have doubts. Who am I to write anything? I’ve been accused of overthinking. How can I tell others what they ought to think? I get scared. Life is going too fast. The older I get the weeks seem to spiral past me like a movie on fast forward. At times I find myself wishing I could be free of worry and doubt. Free from the overthinking and fear. Free from the “what~ifs” and “should~haves”. And I’m scared that if I share this, everyone will think I’m a little bit crazy. Or a whole lot crazy. No one will want to read the words that I write. God won’t get the glory. But today, as I read HIS words to me, He tells me something different~ He tells me I am set free~ “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” He tells me I don’t need to feel enslaved by my mess ups. He tells me I don’t need to be scared~ “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba (Daddy), Father.” He tells me He is my Daddy and I can cry out to Him, day or night because I am His child~ “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: “ He tells me He will be glorified~ “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” He tells me He is always there to help me, when I don’t know what to write or think or pray, He knows~ “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” He tells me that everything will work out~ “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” That He is for me, and that’s all that matters~ “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” And that nothing that I do or don’t do, nothing that I think, nothing that I say, no fear or worry~~ NOTHING can separate me from His love~ “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” And that through Him, I will conquer~ “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:2, 15-18, 26-28, 31-32, 35, 37-39 So, that’s what I will think. That’s what I will say. That’s what I will write. That’s what I will post. Because they are His words, and not mine, And that’s what I will believe.
10/3/2018
Where Are Your Eyes Fixed?WHERE ARE YOUR EYES FIXED? A few weeks ago, we watched the film The Prince of Egypt during our Wednesday Evening Children’s program. It had been years since I saw it. It really brought the story of Gods deliverance to life for all those little (and not so little) eyes when we saw it on the big screen. Fast forward to yesterday. Life has been crazy chaotic, and that’s putting it lightly. Physical and emotional issues slamming us all at once. As I tried to pray, it all just came crashing in on me. My mind was so focused on that crazy chaos that I couldn’t focus on God. So God, In all His amazing goodness and glory and mercy, reminded my heart of that children’s movie. This might sound silly, but all I could think was~ “God, please just push all these thoughts to the side. Part these waters of despair and help me to focus only on You”. Even as I write this, I can picture those waters parting. If you’ve seen the movie~ I’m sure you can too. (I added the clip 👇🏼 for dramatic flare 😉) God said~”Charisse, too often you are looking from side to side. You see the giant problems in your life and the scary situations, just like those giant fish and scary waters. You take your eyes off of me and the path I have for you. The more you look at the situation around you~instead of ahead toward me, the more frantic you get. You begin to look behind you, afraid that the circumstances will over take you. Only I can part the waters of worry. Only I can make the path of peace. Only I am~’I AM’.” Keep your eyes fixed on Me. So God, In all His amazing goodness and glory and mercy, taught my heart a lesson through a simple children’s movie. God has this awesome way of using the ordinary to change our perspective and help us to focus on the extraordinary~ because He is almighty God. The same God Who parted the waters so many years ago, the great I AM~~~that’s my Father!!!! Please, ask Him to show you something ordinary today that will change your focus to the extraordinary. Once you do, I can hear you even now, telling your husband, your children, your friends~ “And so God....” “.....Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
9/19/2018
Don’t Try To Fit Jesus Into A BoxDON’T TRY TO FIT JESUS INTO A BOX
I guess it’s a little obvious that I love to write. When Mike and I first started dating, I was constantly writing him letters and poems~ not so much now. The years have shown me that he’s definitely not a sappy “Hallmark card” kinda guy. But back then~ he would always respond with a love letter in return. We would talk about everything in our letters. His words expressed so much and our relationship matured because we got to know each other on a deeper level. Letter writing is a lost art. (But that’s a subject for another day😉) I can’t even imagine how I would have felt on our wedding day if he confessed that he never actually wrote a single letter to me, but instead had someone else put their thoughts and feelings into script. I’m sure I would question if he really loved me and how well I truly knew him. Today you can google just about any topic and find a devotional that goes along with it. There are thousands. Blogs and Facebook pages, books and plans. There’s a huge market for it, because people are searching. They want someone to tell them in 500 words or less how to get the most out of this life as a Christian. We want help in our marriages and with our children. We want to learn how to trust God more. We want someone to show us the correct way to go through heart ache, to be hospitable, to worship and to pray. We want our lives to feel good. We search for joy in our answers. We want a quick fix. But we don’t search for the answers ourselves. Why should we search when someone else can do that for us? Why should we beg to truly know God when someone else can tell us exactly how that’s done? So we get up early. We drink our coffee. We read a few verses and the devotion that correlates with it and we say~ “wow, that was exactly what I needed today”~ and that’s where it gets sad my friend. Our worship has turned into worshipping ourselves and what we need to make ourselves feel better~ and not about truly finding and knowing Jesus. Sadly, as I look at my own heart, there have been times that I could not say~ “If all I had was Jesus~ He would be enough.” I want that joy. I want good things for my marriage and my children. I want my problems to go away. I want my life to be easy and happy. What I fail to realize is that if I truly sought Jesus above all else, instead of praying for these other things with the wrong intentions~ I would understand that in Him alone~ I do have everything. Too often, my prayers do not reflect my love for Him. I can claim that they do, but if I am being honest~they reflect my love for myself. Jesus wants to answer our prayers. He wants us to have joy and happiness because He loves us, but He isn’t just a meal ticket, above all else~ He wants us to truly know Him. He is, and always should be our end goal. Don’t try to fit Jesus into a little devotional box that you check off for the day. Put down your phone or tablet, that devotional plan or inspiring book, and pick up His personal words to you. Allow HIS words to show you who He really is. Ask HIM to show you the answers. Let HIS beauty shine upon your life. Let HIS words alone open your eyes to the awe of Jesus~ the wonder, the power, the fear, the love, the mercy, the forgiveness, the peace~ that HE alone encompasses. I do believe God uses authors in a great way and for His glory. There will always be writers telling us how we ought to live. (Ironically, this is something I am doing even now) There is nothing new under the sun. But God’s words, His mercies~ They are new every morning. Don’t let someone else write your love story and be content with that. Write your own love story with Jesus by reading His love story to you. Your relationship with Him will mature and you will get to know Him on a deeper level. The more you read, the more you get to know Him, the more you will know how to respond to Him and how very much He loves you. No one else can take His place. No one else can take your place. God’s words are so much more than a Hallmark card or inspiring devotional. They are LIFE. How well do you truly know Him? Philippians 3:10, Psalms 119:125 Exodus 33:13, Philippians 3:8 Proverbs 4:20-22, Ecclesiastes 1:9
7/10/2018
Just TrustJUST TRUST
It’s not about me. It’s all about God. His power. My faith. His glory. My trust. His ways. Not mine. God used a little girl to give Namaan a message. A message that seemed utterly crazy. But it wasn’t about the act. It was about the faith in an all powerful God. II Kings 5 God used Gideon and when his flesh cried that he needed more- God said he didn’t. His ways were higher. His power was stronger. His glory was more magnificent. Judges 7 And then God said to Israel-march. And march. And march. Not fight. Not debate. Not use eloquent words. No complaining. No tiring. Just relentlessly continuing on for the kingdom of God until the trumpet blew. To simply trust and obey. Joshua 6 Pour water on a bonfire before it is lit? I Kings 18. Talk about rain when there’s no such thing? Build a boat on dry land? Genesis 6-9. Fight a giant with only a slingshot? I Samuel 17. Stand before a king until he holds out a septer? Esther. Speak before a pharaoh on behalf of a nation? Exodus 3. Kneel before God in the face of death? Daniel 6. Feed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes? Matthew 14. Give birth to a Savior never knowing a man? Luke 1 Never abandoned. Always delivered. Abundantly blessed. Whatever you are facing, God has shown you time and time again that His ways are higher than our ways. Even when it doesn’t logistically make sense to our human way of thinking, we simply must trust. Trust. He holds the galaxies in the palm of His hands and we are but specks like the sands on the sea shore~ yet He loves us infinitely. Infinitely. He tells us to go. To serve. To believe. To glorify. To trust. Because He is all powerful and all loving. And through Him we can do anything. Philippians 4:13 Isaiah 26:3, I Corinthians 10:31, Isaiah 55:9
6/12/2018
This Place Called HomeWhen my kids were little, I used to have chore sheets for each of them. Every day after school they were required to do their specific chore and then mark it off the list. Some days would be good days. Happy moods. Willing hearts. Other days would be~ I. Hate. These. Stupid. Chores!Why can’t we just play outside with our friends and have fun?. At times I believe this is how many adults view God. They think that He is up in heaven with a list of rules they have to obey in order to get His approval. They’re afraid that if they choose God they will have to give up too much. They’re afraid they will miss out on all the fun. They look at church and the Bible as if it were one big chore list. But that’s not God. (1 Corinthians 2:9) There is nothing we could ever do to “earn” our way to heaven. (Ephesians 2:8-9) No rules we must to follow. No commandment we must keep. Church isn’t about rules. God isn’t about rules. He’s not up in heaven waiting to hit you over the head if you don’t mark off your daily chore. He doesn’t have a list of things He demands you give up before He will allow you into Heaven. (1 John 4:8) God is all about love and we desperately need to understand the extent of His love, (Psalm 103:12, Romans 8:38-39) and realize that if we could ever do enough good deeds, enough chores, if we could follow every single rule~ What was the point of His Son dying on the cross for us? God looks at us and He doesn’t see a chore list. He sees His Son and He loves us in spite of our sinful self. (Romans 5:8) All God wants is you. All He asks for is your heart. (Romans 10:9-10) My children had some very close friends growing up. “Best friends”. I truly loved all of them but that love didn’t even come close to the love I had for my own child. (Isaiah 49:15, 66:13) But God~ He loves us AS HE LOVES HIS OWN SON JESUS! (John 17:23) That’s PROFOUND!! It is mind blowing and hard for this mama to even comprehend. Oh my friend~ that’s what you’re missing out on. The love of a Father that would give His own Son for you! (John 1:11-12, 3:16, 4:10&14, 6:35, 1 John 4:9-10) And when we realize all that- we realize that church isn’t about rules. Its all about God the Father and His amazing, unending love for us. It’s Home. It’s a place where we can have child like peace and comfort in a messy world. Where we can be God’s child and rest in Him. My children are all adults now~ but there’s something special that happens when they come to visit. There are no chore lists, there are no rules. There is only love and fellowship with mom and dad. Child like comfort and security, love and rest in the place they once called Home. Won’t you come home today? (Deuteronomy 31:8, Exodus 33:14, Psalm 4:8, 23:4, 37:7, 62:1-2, 119:76, Philippians 4:7)
4/8/2018
What’s Your Power Source?On my husband’s rare down time, he enjoys sitting in his recliner, reading the news or playing games on his phone. He’s a “can’t sit still doing nothing” kind of guy. I like to give him a hard time about his phone habits and without fail, he has me laughing because spontaneous ads will pop up and always lure him in. Immediately he’s telling me all about them. The last one was a “smart” iPhone charger. He shared it with me because I am always complaining about how quickly my cell battery dies. That battery can be at 45% and within seconds, she’s gone. Obviously something needs to be fixed. It can be very frustrating to watch it lose its power so quickly. Of course, I’m never close to my charging cord, and then the cord is never long enough for me to multi task, so I don’t plug it in. Inevitably it dies. The only uninterrupted charging time it gets is while I am resting as I sleep.
That’s when I realized Mike’s battery never gets that low. And yes that convicted me. 😂😂 Not just because of the amount of time I apparently spend on my phone, but also because I am JUST like that stupid iPhone. I have too many apps open in my mind and they drain my power. I’m on social media too often and it drains my power. I continually feel the need to answer every text and notification. My personality stresses when I don’t, and it drains me~and when all these things crowd in, I can guarantee that I am too far away from my power source. I’m trying to do everything on my short term battery life without being plugged into God’s power and then, when I have nothing left to give, within seconds I lose it. I’m gone. Obviously, something needs to be fixed. I need to be plugged in again. I need to set the time aside to rest in Him. To get charged by His word. To plug in every worry, hurt, disappointment and care. To refuel my heart’s battery by praising and thanking Him for all He’s ever done for me and all He’s going to do. I can’t ever allow myself to get too far away from Him or my battery will die. Next time you’re on your phone and realize it needs to be charged, ask yourself how long it’s been since your heart has been recharged as well. The world continually comes up with new ideas for faster charging of our phones, but ultimately they will always need a power source, just like our heart always need it’s Power source. There isn’t a quick fix~going to church for one hour but never spending time with God the rest of the week is not enough to charge our hearts. Listening to christian music on our way to work is not enough to charge our hearts. Saying a quick prayer as we fall asleep at night is not enough to charge our hearts. We all need uninterrupted time with our Savior. Time where we shut the world out, where we close all the apps that are open in our mind and focus solely on Him. Once we do that, all the little things won’t drain our power. Our beating battery will have joy as we give Him 100%. Our heart will have peace~because it’s resting in Him. What is your power source? Hebrews 12:2, John 4:14, Phil. 4:7, Phil. 3:14, Psalm 23:3, I John 1:4, Psalm 16:11
12/9/2017
A Picture Of The SaviorWe were on our way to get groceries the other day with three of our four grandchildren. The sky was absolutely beautiful with big fluffy white clouds set against a pink sky line. Out of the blue, 4 year old Ethan said- “If the clouds could reach down and touch the ground I would take them home and play with them and pretend they were snow.” Sometimes children can say something that just awes you. What a thought to ponder...”if the clouds could reach down and touch the ground”. Just a few weeks back when Clara’s daddy came to pick her up she looked up at the sky and in her cute little hoarse, 3 year old voice exclaimed-“I wish I had a ladder to climb up and lay in the clouds”. They both painted a precious picture in my heart with their sweet words. A picture that makes me smile each time I think about it. As adults we can get so skeptical and think-“How silly. The clouds can’t be played with, they can’t touch the ground and you certainly can’t climb a ladder to them”. Today I want to paint a picture in your heart, a picture of the Savior that will make you smile over and over again. As majestic as the clouds seem to us, the majesty of our Heavenly Father is beyond what even our adult minds can comprehend and yet in all His majestic greatness and power, He reached down and touched the ground and became a little baby for each one of us. He came to us, for us, because He loves us and any time we desire we can go to Him in all His majesty and rest in His presence. When we are adults we tend to try to fix or figure out everything on our own instead of having the heart of a child and realizing the awesomeness of going to God and resting in Him, like a ladder to the clouds. We forget in our busy lives that He reached down and touched the ground for us. This Christmas become a child again. Talk to Him, play with Him, laugh with Him, cry with Him and rest with Him in the sweet softness of His presence and each time you look up at a beautiful sky, be reminded of these words and allow your heart to smile in child like wonder.❤️
Matthew 11:28
10/14/2017
You Are Not AloneWe used to call our youngest our “million dollar baby”. Six months after Kathryn was born and right as the school year was starting, Mike got a job two hours away from home. For a while, we only got to see him on the weekends. As each week went by, the days got harder and harder. Not only because I missed him so much, but also because our baby was continually sick. Kathryn would not sleep. With tears rolling down my face, I would pace the house all night trying to get her to calm down, looking out my window at the other home’s serene darkness and envying the sleep they were all getting. And then, when daylight came and she was finally asleep, it was time to get the other three up and take my two oldest to school. Loading them all into our car and driving on a half hour of sleep then coming home and crying some more. It was sheer exhaustion. Kathryn wasn’t just a fussy, colicky baby. She had continual fevers and rashes. Our doctor’s office was my second home. After many tests, we found out she was allergic to my breast milk. Our finances were very slim and after trying several formulas, the only one that worked cost us half of our grocery allowance each week. This was only the beginning with her. Among so many other things, she had a urinary tract infection and spent a week in the hospital. She also broke her collar bone when she was three, and the list goes on. Those first few years seemed so hard at the time. I was so tired and felt so alone. I looked at other families and envied them. I felt sorry for myself and asked God why He chose to make Kathryn so sick. But when I look back at those times, I can see the hand of God in each desperate moment I went through. I can see His answers to prayer as I cried out to Him. I can see the sweet fellowship I had with Him because there were long days and nights that I had no other adult to talk to. I can see how I learned to lean completely and totally on Him instead of leaning so much on my husband. I can look back and praise His name for carrying me through and strengthening me when I felt so weak, something I wouldn’t be able to do if those years had been an easy bed of roses. My God sustained me and loved me when I felt like I had nothing left to give.
I wasn’t pacing back and forth alone all those nights, Christ was walking with me. I wasn’t driving in my own strength back and forth to the school every day, Christ was driving for me. I wasn’t crying alone in the darkness of desperation. He was there next to me, holding me and wiping away my tears. He knew my pain and He carried me through it all. Whatever you might be going through, know that your Savior is right there next to you. You are not alone. His tremendous love for you resulted in His crucifixion on a cross of anguish and pain. There is no one in this universe that loves you more and that wants to help you through your situation, whatever it might be. See Him next to you now as you read this? Let Him wipe away your tears and give you the strength your heart is desperately crying out for. He will continually sustain you, you need only lay your weary head on Him and find complete peace and strength in His understanding arms. Philippians 4:13 Deuteronomy 31:6 Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 40:31 Matthew 11:28 Psalms 31:24
2/18/2017
We Can't Do It Without His HelpAhhh Valentines Day. After 32 years of marriage, I needed a new idea and I thought I had an awesome one. I planned ahead. I made a steak dinner and a cheesecake, his favorite. We had the house to ourselves for the evening. After dinner I told him I was going to put some laundry away and would be right back. I rushed upstairs and it all went downhill from there...
My husband's family has been going on vacation to NC since before he was born. Every year we all stay together in a beautiful house on the ocean and while we are there one of Mike's favorite things to do is body surf in the waves. Now I love swimming, but the ocean in March in NC is a little too "freezing so much it hurts" for me. So, I sit with my sweatshirt on, wrapped in a blanket and watch. This past summer Mike found the perfect solution at a resale store. A full body dry suit. This would keep me warm and dry in the cold waves. He was ecstatic. I had never tried it on and finally got around to getting it back out. I thought it would be sooo perfect to come downstairs wearing it and surprise him. You know, like some futuristic, hot superhero. Often what we picture in our minds and the reality of what something actually looks like are completely different. I was hot. A hot mess. I had managed to get the legs partially on but from there I was stuck. Literally. I couldn't pull the sleeves up any higher than my waist and I couldn't pull it back off. I couldn't even walk. That thing was like a leach on a hippo. It wouldn't budge, not even an inch. Finally, all I could do was call for Mike. I'm sure this was not at all what he was expecting. Just short of cutting the thing off, a half hour later I was exhausted but free and as Mike held me, we had a good laugh. So much for my great Valentine's idea. Our plans are not always God's plans. We think we have some great idea and go forward with it, never asking God for help or guidance. When we eventually get ourselves into a hot mess, that's when we decide to call out to God for help. Something we should have done to begin with. I should have asked Mike for help right from the start but I was determined I could do this on my own. I pulled and I shoved and I jumped and squirmed and finally just stood there defeated. We are the same way with God. We think we can do it on our own without His help, but we can't. We try to make it work. We pull and shove and squirm but our great plans, that were never God's plans, go terribly wrong and we are defeated. I am so thankful that my God is always there, just waiting for me to call out to Him for help. When I finally do, He comes. He never turns his back on me or tells me it's too late. He pulls me out of the mess I made, He holds me close and He restores my exhausted heart with laughter. Next time we are about to go ahead with a plan we think is sooo perfect, let's remember that leach on that hippo and turn to God first, asking for His help every inch of the way. 😉
9/17/2016
Savor Every Moment In His BeautyLately I have been praying and asking God for joy. Pretty much every time I do, I feel a bit of shame that this old flesh can lose it so quickly. In light of the fact that other ladies are going through horrific circumstances and heartache, shame on me for not having joy. Shame on me for allowing the petty little things of life steal my joy. There are weeks and sometimes months that are so full of running and activities and late nights and early mornings and crying grand babies that all the little things can become overwhelming. I remember reading once about people who get depressed at Christmas due to the build up and then let down because it is over so quickly. When I was younger I thought that was ridiculous. Now that I'm older it is very believable. Fall is one of my favorite times of year and Christmas my favorite holiday. I have found in the last 5 years that once September is here, I barely take a breath and it's Christmas. It seems like it was just yesterday that I snapped this picture and just like that, a year has gone by. I want to savor every single moment from September 1 till December 25 but the activities are endless and there aren't enough hours in a day and I fall in bed at 1am each night dreading the early morning and more "to-do's". I lose my joy. There are so many good devotionals on the subject. Many reminding us that Jesus is the reason for the season or give us "The Answer to Having a Stress Free Holiday". This year, through our Java Joy fellowships, God has shown me my answer. It's that little fruit of the Spirit called JOY. And that's where I mess up every year. I always try, in my own strength, to make it my fruit. I don't ask the Holy Spirit for help. I beat myself up for not being more joyful, for feeling overwhelmed and I try harder and harder but I always come up short. I can only have true joy by asking my Father for it on a daily and sometimes hourly basis if needed. And today, amidst the already crazy chaos of the fall/winter season, my Jesus is giving me joy. I am taking the time to love on my grand babies and at times just sit and stare at their precious, beautiful faces as they play and soak it all in, knowing that "to-do" list that I put down will get done, because my Father has it covered. As I write this there are just over 85,000 seconds until Christmas and I want to glorify Jesus with every single one of them and have His joy shine from me. Whatever circumstance you find yourself in, whatever heartache~ the answer can be the same for you as well. Just ask Him for that joy. It's His to give and something you can't ever fully have on your own. Let's stop trying to prove to the world how strong and capable we are as women and just give it all to Jesus and let Him be the source of our strength and of our joy. Then put that calendar (that's filling up so quickly) aside and savor every moment in His beauty.
What do you do when your Superman is sick? What do you do when there are only three days until your daughter's wedding and your "everything man" is in pain and not allowed to do a thing? My husband is a rock. He is your "go to" guy. If you need something done, if you want to know how to fix something or how to get somewhere, just ask him. He drops everything to help others, day or night. My kids say "Dad doesn't feel pain like normal human beings", so what do I do when he really is in pain? When the man I have learned to lean on so much needs to lean on me? I learn to allow myself to lean on others and accept the many offers to help. It is humbling and so very appreciated. I take comfort in the prayers of so many, and I lean on my Jesus. I pray and I pray and when I'm too tired to think, I just whisper to Jesus and He holds me and makes everything ok. God gives us miraculous strength when we didn't think there was any strength left. I know so many of you have husbands who are going through much worse. It's so hard to see the one who means everything to us hurting so bad. You might feel like you can't make it through another day. Learn to lean on those who want to help and more importantly, lean on Jesus. Whisper His name. Your husband may be your Superman but the God who created the universe is your Savior and He will carry you through.
7/2/2016
Grandma's WhispersMy granddaughter Clara is a ball of energy. She always has been. Non. Stop. Crazy. Clara. Her big sister Ellie was always so quiet and good when she was Clara's age. A little princess, who for the most part did whatever grandma asked. Then Clara was born. She's a whirlwind and if she's not supposed to get into something, she will. As tired as she makes me, I will never tire of hearing her shout "look grandma, look" I will never tire of her reaching for me or having her ask if she can "hold you". I will never tire of her whispering "so much" back to me when I tell her I love her. Lately Clara has been having issues with falling asleep. It's nap time and Ellie is out cold while Clara does somersaults on the bed. So I have been laying down next to her, trying to get her to calm down. The other day I noticed that as I whispered softly in her ear "I love you so much", she calmed down immediately. I started to whisper songs as I held her close. And as I whispered softly to her, her tiny little body relaxed and she fell asleep. Do you want to know what makes a grandma's heart burst with joy? To hold her grand baby, sleeping in her arms. To lay in the quiet dark and watch these angels God has placed in my life. God spoke to my heart as I lay there whispering softly to her. My Heavenly Father feels the same way about me. He longs for me to call out to Him, to ask Him to hold me and to listen to His whispers when my life is full of somersaults. When I toss and turn and can't sleep. When my mind is a whirlwind. That feeling I have that brings tears to my eyes as I hold my dear babies can't even compare to the love my Jesus has for me and that's almost too awesome to imagine. I don't know why grandma's whispers calmed her to sleep as we snuggled under the covers. Maybe it was just the reassurance that I was there, so close and I wasn't going to leave her. Just like my heavenly Father is right here with me and wants me to know He will never leave me. And I can always ask Him to hold me until I fall asleep, knowing He will.
4/30/2016
The Best HabitI want to read more of the bible but I'm sitting here watching my third TV program. I want a better marriage but sometimes my husband can drive me crazy. I want to eat healthier but I'm craving that candy bar so bad. I want to have a better prayer life but I just don't have time. Nothing worth having in life comes easy. A great marriage takes work. Exercising and having better eating habits take work and the Christian life takes work. I want to apologize for my long posts. I understand this is social media. I understand that most times we are doing two things at once. Flipping through Facebook in the evening while watching TV or before we go to sleep at night. Too tired to read something long that someone posts. We are a generation of people that have technology at our fingertips, life is faster and we don't want to slow down. I think that too often we tend to be this way with our time with God. We don't take the time. We want God to be there for us when we cry and pray during hard times but we ignore him in our every day lives and think that if we spend a few minutes reading a long devotional like this one we have done our spiritual duty for the week. We make excuses. Ladies- we make the time for what we think is important in our lives. That might be 3 hours of TV at night, it might be exercising, it might be decorating your home, working on a craft or shopping till we drop. Whatever takes your time away from time you haven't spent with God that day is never worth it. I realize some of you truly are super busy and I'm not saying if you spend time with God your life will be easy but let me tell you ladies- when life gets hard and you know you've been talking to the King of Kings that very morning and that He is right there with you helping you through, it sure makes a world of difference. I don't know why I reach for that candy bar and eat it when I know deep down it is only a fleeting comfort and will make me feel worse in the morning just like I don't know why there are times I choose to shut off my alarm instead of getting up and spending time with my Savior. I know in my heart that when I do it trumps that extra half hour of sleep every time. Choose to make good habits in your life but don't leave out the best habit to start making- spending time with the Savior who loves you more than anything or anyone.
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