Tag Archives: love

Making our Mark on the New Year

5 Jan

So, how has the New Year been so far?  It’s only day 5 of 2014 but I’ll admit to you that some of things I determined to do, to be resolute in, have already been difficult.  See, I took my own suggestions from the last blog.  I went to Bible Gateway and chose the 90 day reading plan.  I set up a separate e-mail folder to file and categorize the Girlfriends in God devotional that I receive daily.  I bought two new packs of neon index cards and I downloaded the Bible Gateway app onto my phone.  And now, for me, is the difficult part – following through!

I love the set-up of things.  The newness of the organization holds so many possibilities.  And the lists and plans look pretty to me all written down with exact lettering and arranged just so.  Might be because I’m writing from Michigan and we’re getting another snowstorm, but the “best laid plans” remind me of an overnight snowfall.

You look out the window and it’s beautiful.britt winter1

Pristine.  Fresh.  New.  Not a mark on it.

brittwinter

That’s how my calendar looks to me when I finish writing down the Scripture passages I want to read each day.  Or my index cards look after I write down the verses I want to memorize and put them in order of the way I want to go after them.  They’re beautiful.  Pristine.  Fresh. New.  Not a mark on them.

But eventually, someone has to leave the house, go get the mail, take the trash to the end of the drive—and there are the marks.  Tire tracks left behind to run an errand.  Cloddy old boot prints to the mailbox.  Trash bag drag marks cutting from the garage to the edge of the road.  And the unmarred beauty disappears.

Same with my 90 day calendar and my Scripture reading.  I have this perfect scenario dreamed up in my mind about the beautiful way it all unfolds at the beginning of each fresh, pristine, new day.  There I am sitting at my desk with a studious look on my face and a steaming cup of coffee by my side.  I’ve showered and have my make-up applied impeccably as I open my Bible, filled with the Holy Spirit, and dive into the Word.  The beauty of my time with Him remains intact and undisturbed.brittwinter2

No prints, no tracks, no drag marks.

It rarely works that way.  Most often, I’m still in my pajamas without even brushing my hair.  I’ve had coffee but I’m carrying my computer or my Bible from place to place with me, reading my Scripture aloud as I am doing things that have to get done every morning.  It doesn’t always feel like the beauty of meeting with Him is intact, whole, or undisturbed.

And my imagination doesn’t stop there.  I have the picture perfect completion of my scheduled reading time as well as the seamless transition to my next activity planned out too. In my pristine new day, I end my 90-day reading plan time, by using a new highlighter with an unfrayed tip to make a perfectly straight line over the passage I have read and I walk away feeling satisfied, full of the Spirit, and ready to begin working on the verses I want to memorize.

In my real life, I make a mental note that I’ll do that when I can find a highlighter that doesn’t have a tip saturated with black sharpie marker and I stuff my index cards into my purse so I can work on them at the doctor or riding in the car. “After all,” I hear my mind say, “I want to make God a part of every activity!”  And that’s true, but do you see how different my imagination and my reality are?  My reality doesn’t reflect the unmarred beauty of that newly laid plan.  My reality, like my highlighter, is a little frayed at the tip.

In my imagination, I somehow glided over the fresh snow and retrieved the mail without leaving a trace, soared in our minivan like Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to get milk, and floated, trash bag in hand, from the garage to the road without disturbing a single flake of snow—without marring the beauty in anyway.

brittwinter3

In reality, I put on my old boots with the broken shoestring and left footprints twice the size of my feet from the front door to the mailbox.  And they weren’t even in a straight line.  The van was not occupied by anyone enjoying toot sweet candies and not only does it leave tread marks behind it, it drops pieces of dirty snow from the wheel wells.  And those trash bags, they are much too heavy to float with!

That’s my reality. The snow around my house doesn’t stay in its pristine state for long.   Life starts to happen and life, well, it leaves big old prints, hard packed tracks, and drag marks all over my fresh, new plan. The unmarred beauty quickly disappears.

But you know what?  I don’t think God minds a bit when I come or when you come to meet Him wearing cloddy old boots with broken shoestrings.  I think He’s glad we want to be there.  Does He want to see me looking that way every day . . . my guess would be no.  But, if on some mornings, it’s the best I have and I purposefully pull on those boots and stride across the snow to get to Him, I think He looks at those big old footprints and He sees love.  It might even be that He looks at the heart driving the determined steps of those boot laden feet, the ones that mar and disturb with each new stride, and He finds them to be beautiful.

God doesn’t look at our well laid plans.  He doesn’t look at our neatly written calendars.  God looks at the heart Sweet One.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

He knows your desire to meet with Him and He is not surprised by the challenges of your day.  You are not and I am not the first of His children to contend with interruptions or encounter obstacles.  And our God, who does not change, has never placed any value on the things that appear impressive to our limited human vision, but He has always seen straight to the heart of the one who loves Him.

Now we don’t take this as an excuse to have an attitude of license and give God less-than, but we protect ourselves from a posture of legalism by trusting Him to know the intention, the yearning, and the desire of our souls.

then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 1 Kings 8:39

Beloved, don’t take the task of deciding what beauty looks like from the Father’s perspective on yourself.  If I may be so bold, it doesn’t belong to you.  It isn’t yours to determine.  And simply put, you nor I are equipped to do the job.  We’re too extreme, swinging from one side to the other, justifying our actions in one breath and condemning our hearts with the next.   So, what say you and I decide that we’ll forge into every pristine day and we’ll proceed to leave our love filled cloddy boot printed, minivan tread tracked, trash bag drag marked prints all over it and then . . . . well, we’ll depend on the Beautiful One to see straight to our hearts.

heartsnow

Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel,

keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever,

and keep their hearts loyal to you.

1 Chronicles 29:18

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Let’s Resolve to Love Like That

30 Dec

What would the coming year bring if we looked more deeply at His resolve?  What might unfold before us if we determined to place our faith in the Who rather than the what?  What might we see if we were to truly fix our eyes on the Author and the Perfecter of our faith?

These are the same types of questions I was asking myself and sharing with you all when Glimpsed Glory posted for the very first time in 2013.  Seeking hard after Him and letting Him determine the what of my life is still my greatest desire.

I know what I’m doing.  I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you,

not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

Yes, when you get serious about finding me

and want it more than anything else,

I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (The Message)

I believe Him when He tells me that He will make Himself known to me.  I have no doubt that when I come to Him, looking for Him with eyes willing to see, that my heart will be filled with the Who of Him.  It may not look exactly the way I picture it or transpire the way I imagine it, but God will be true to His promise and I will not be disappointed.  How can it leave us feeling short changed when we come out of our circumstance with More of Him than we walked in with?

Yes Sweet One, the promise is for you.  Take it personally.  Your God has determined that you will find Him when you look.  He is unwavering in His commitment to show His children lavish love, immeasurable grace, and endless mercies when they seek His Face.  This is the God revealed in the Old Testament and the Messiah who walked in the New.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Both sides of the Covenant line reveal a God who desires to be seen and to be known by His children . . .

Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand). Jeremiah 33:3

The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]  John 14:21

From the opening verse in Genesis to the announcement that will close out our chronos time in Revelation, God is revealing Himself – showing us the Who of Him– so that we will seek Him, perhaps feel our way toward Him and find Him.

actsduncanThe What of God flows from the Who of God.

God does not merely act faithfully – He is Faithful.

God does not simply love you – He is Love.

And the list could go on.  This is the declaration of the Word of God to you Beloved.  And the beauty of the Who of Him is that He will not change.  He was, is, and will be Who He declares Himself to be.

Our God has gone to great lengths to draw us near– can your prayer, can my prayer,  be anything less than to humbly ask Him to stir our souls with the enduring tenacity to seek hard after Him and bless us with an unsatisfied, discontented spirit when we do not?

Sister, this is the only hope for the transformation this time of year causes us to consider.  newcoffeeDo we really believe that the desire for the “new thing”, for the more, for the unimaginable originates with us?  Have we really convinced ourselves that the longing to change and be more than who we are today started with our own hearts?  Have we forgotten that it is God who lifts the veil and it is He who is about the business of transforming us from one degree of glory to another?

Be holy because I am holy.

Be transformed, renewed, and revived daily.

We may have usurped it, twisted it, and distorted it to serve our own purposes but being all about the “more” and the “new thing”, those are God’s specialties.  He declares that those who believe in His Son and proclaim Him to be their Savior are a new creation.  The old has gone and the new has come.  The old woman is put to death and the daughter of the King lives –that ought to change us.  We’ve been adopted by the King.  We are not who we were and the who of us must begin to flow from the Who of Him.

“Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and

— live in love,”(NET)

— “walk in the way of love,”(NIV)

–“walk in love.” (YLT)

just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us,

a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

No matter how you word it, it comes out the same – seek the Who and the what will follow.  Look on Love and step where He steps. Watch the Who and do what He does. Eugene Peterson translates Ephesians 5:1-2 like this in the Message:

Watch what God does, and then you do it,

like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.

Mostly what God does is love you.

Keep company with him and learn a life of love.

Observe how Christ loved us.

His love was not cautious but extravagant.

He didn’t love in order to get something from us

but to give everything of himself to us.

Love like that.

Girlfriend, there’s the key.  Keep company with God.  Learn.  Observe. Love.  It’s the only way to be transformed and to have the change your heart is truly yearning for.  Meet with the Messiah daily just as certainly as the disciples who walked beside Him did.  Gaze upon the face of your Father so often that you begin to walk and talk just like your Dad.

Living it out, real time, real life won’t just happen.   Purpose in your heart to make meeting with Him your priority.

I plan to “run into Him” throughout the day by setting my homepage to Bible Gateway so that every time I visit the internet the verse of the day is looking back at me. Keep company with Him Sweet One.  Seek Him– He will not disappoint you.

Be intentional.

Be purposeful.

Be resolute.

Let’s immerse ourselves in the Who of Him so that the what of us may be changed.  And perhaps, at the close of 2014, we will find that we have leaned in, learned from the Father, observed the Son, and begun to LOVE LIKE THAT.

wordcups

Happy New Year Sisters – around the world!

May God bless you as you seek His Face.

The Message:
The goal of The Message is to engage people in the reading process and help them understand what they read. This is not a study Bible, but rather “”a reading Bible.”” The verse numbers, which are not in the original documents, have been left out of the print version to facilitate easy and enjoyable reading. The original books of the Bible were not written in formal language. The Message tries to recapture the Word in the words we use today.

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Step Off the Edge and Into Love

21 Nov

The birthday of a sweet little friend is quickly coming up.  She will be celebrating four years of full on, love-out-loud, beautiful life—four years of miracle living.

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addy3Four years that were anything but a certainty on the day she arrived. This was the news given to the world the day Addy Josie made her debut.

  • November 30, 2009 (fb status)
    • Addyson Josie ///////  born at 7:42am, 8lbs 11oz. having some troubles breathing but stable. need lots of prayers for her.

Her introduction to planet earth was a little bumpy and the ride did not get any smoother over the coming days.  What seemed to be “some breathing trouble” initially, quickly escalated to a fight for every breath and a circulatory system that would not cooperate.  Miss Addy was transferred to a larger hospital and took up residence in the NICU.

  • November 30, 2009 (fb status)
    • Addyson is on her way to /////////// in ///////////, having troubles breathing. Hopefully I will be released tomorrow to go down and see her.

See the last sentence of that update – Momma had to stay behind.  Imagine the ache of that goodbye to her baby girl.  All the fear that could have flooded her heart.  All the worry that could have overtaken her.  All the sorrow that might have washed over her.  I honestly don’t know where her mind went that afternoon but I know it was hard on her.  The pain of it was all over her face when I visited her that afternoon.  She didn’t share what she was thinking but I know she did some business with her Father in Heaven and I know she came out with a quiet resolve and a determined peace.  She chose not to shrink back but rather to call out every prayer warrior willing to do battle and to trust Him for the outcome.  And regardless of the news of the day, that’s where she stayed.  Firmly planted in Him and counting on His people.

  • December 3, 2009 (fb status)
    • Back over to the NICU Addyson is stable, we are waiting for her little body to correct it’s circulatory system. This could take days to weeks depending on her body. She needs prayers for healing, I’ll keep trying to post updates on here. Thanks everyone for the support and prayers.

So Momma and Daddy gazed at their baby girl in her isolet, unable to hold her, but absolutely willing their sweet baby girl to breath with everything in them.  I can’t say what went through Daddy’s heart because men don’t tend to give voice to much in those situations.  But Addy’s Momma rolled 1 Peter 5:7 through her heart over and over again as she sat, watched, and prayed over her little girl.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV,1984)

Here at home we answered the call.  We prayed over that little girl.  We fasted for that child.  We linked arms in the heavenlies and humbled ourselves before God asking for a miracle.  We reminded ourselves that the child we were praying for was loved by Him far more than we could imagine and that she had an angel that was always gazing into the face of the Father.  His thoughts are most certainly higher than ours and His ways beyond our understanding, but we knew without a doubt that no matter the outcome His attention and His affection were on that baby girl.

addy 1day

 “For I tell you that their angels in heaven

always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:10 (NIV,1984)

Little Miss Addy surrounded by love and enveloped in prayer—quite a beginning. (And it strikes me as I type those words that I’ve never praised as hard for a single healthy life as I prayed for the one who was in danger.  That’s some food for thought on my part.) Prayers were said all around the country for Addy Jo–people from Michigan to Florida, lifting this little one before the Throne—with Momma leading the charge.  She desired healing for her baby and she had her eyes fixed on the Healer.

  • December  3, 2009 (fb status)
    • Addyson’s labs are looking excellent, praise the Lord for answered Prayers. we are still a long way. thanks everyone for the prayers and support. Keep them coming
  • December 5, 2009 (fb status)
    • so the Doctors made rounds this morning and believe that Addyson has rounded the corner and is ready to be taken off the vent. This is done slowly over the next 24 to 48 hours. Prayers that she tolerates it and will be off by Monday!!! I am so excited to get to hold that little girl!
  • December 6, 2009 (fb status)
    • So another great night and morning. Plans are to have Addy off the vent this afternoon and have the central line out tomorrow. So that means that I might get to hold that little girl tomorrow!!!!! God is a miracle worker, he heard our prayers and has answered!  

The praise and prayers of a Momma’s heart.  The want to hold her baby girl and give the love she had been whispering to that little heart tangible, physical presence.  She had arms of love –wide open– waiting to pull her little one close.

  • December 6, 2009 (fb status)

I finally got to hold Her ! Hooray ! PRaise GoD !

addybilli

“I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 146:2

  • December 6, 2009 (fb status)
    • As you can see by the pictures. The Vent is out, I got to give her a bath and hold her today! What an awesome day! “I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalms 146:2

The battle that raged over Addy Jo was fierce.  Momma, Daddy, and every warrior who answered the call fought with tenacity and perseverance.  But little Miss Addy, did not worry for a single moment.  She did not fret or stew.  She just kept inhaling and exhaling.  Fighting the good fight with the tools she had been given.  Moving from one moment to the next.  At rest, right where God had placed her.

addyeyesaddytubesADDYHAT

And God, who does not change, performed a miracle that we could recognize.  No matter what the outcome would have been God would have brought beauty from it, but in this instance, even my limited human vision could see and comprehend His Goodness.

There are times in my life when I have to believe what I know to be true over what my eyes see and my heart perceives to be the circumstance.  Just like you, I’ve walked through times that didn’t seem beautiful to me. Times when I don’t recognize the miracle.  I know it’s there because I know the heart of my God is Unfailing Love.  But, I fully confess that there must be some uncovered, unbelieving places in my heart that won’t grab hold of that truth. If there wasn’t I would just keep inhaling and exhaling, moving from one moment to the next, fighting the good fight with the tools I have, and be at rest right where God has placed me – even when I don’t comprehend my circumstances.

The verse Addy’s Momma claimed as her own, 1 Peter 5:7, reads like this from the Message:

Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you.  1 Peter 5:7 (MSG)

Carefree living.  Inhaling and Exhaling.  Moment to moment.  At rest, right where He has placed you.  Oh Sweet One, The I AM is MOST CAREFUL WITH YOU.  And with me.  It is why we can be free of the cares of this world.  His care and His Love are our assurance of the miracle.  And while I would love for both of us to recognize it every time, to always comprehend the miracle in the midst of life, I just don’t think it’s possible this side of Glory.  You know all too well that life on planet earth is not for the faint of heart.  Storms gather above our heads and rain falls on each and every one of us.  We stand at the edge of our circumstances and we peer down, unable to see the outcome.  Uncertain of the beauty. Unable to comprehend the goodness.

But what if, as we leaned over the edge of the unknown,  we inhaled and we exhaled, and we called to mind the things we know?

  • November 29, 2010 (fb status)
    • Tomorrow is Addy’s 1st Birthday!! The miracle Baby is a year old, I cannot believe it!!! Praise the Lord for this little ray of sunshine !!!
  • December 1, 2010 (fb status) 
    • I am still celebrating little Miss Addy Today as well. Last year at this time, was the biggest hurdle our family has had to endure together. With the GRACE of God He healed Addy’s little body. I believe in Miracles.. I sure do.
  • November 30, 2011 (fb status)
    • Today is Addyson’s 2nd Birthday!! HaPpY BiRtHdAy to my Miracle Baby!! Not one day goes by where I don’t thank the Lord for that little girl! He preformed Miracles right in front of my eyes at /////// NICU.. I am so thankful we get the chance to see her grown and raise her! Sooo let’s Celebrate! Happy Birthday!!
  • November 30, 2012 (fb status)
    • Happy Birthday to Miss Addy Jo! Today she turns 3!! My little miracle baby is thriving and such a blessing to her family & friends! The way she came into this world helps me to remember daily God could of took her but knew I needed to watch my little one grow, I thank Him everyday for trusting me to raise her up to serve Him. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDYSON JOSIE!

Sister, we have no idea of the battle raging over us.  We don’t possess the eyes to fully see our circumstance.  But if we will open our hearts just a little wider, if we will fix our eyes on the Healer, we will see Him.  His feet are firmly planted and His arms are opened wide.  His attention and His affection are resolutely fixed on you.

He will NOT waiver in His Love. 

He will NOT fail you. 

He will NOT let you fall. 

Girlfriend, step off the edge of your circumstances – He is Faithful. You may not know the outcome but you Know the One who does.  Take the leap of faith.  Believe Him to be who He says He is.  Trust Him to be who He always has been and know, without a doubt, that when you jump the Arms of Love are waiting . . . just for you.

nofear

♥ Happy Birthday Addy Josie ♥

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Grab a Hard Hat Sister . . . The Walls are Tumbling Down!

9 Nov

Why do you think it might be that we can be zipping right along in life feeling as if we couldn’t get any closer to the Spirit without going Home and then . . . . wham!  A nasty brick wall rises up in front of us, seemingly out of nowhere.   We hit that thing so hard that we aren’t certain we’ll ever get up.   Our heads spin and we can feel blood seeping from an open wound or two.   We hear one side of our brain screaming, “Get up, we need some help!” and the other part is shouting just as loudly “Stay down. Nurse those wounds alone.”  And you find yourself in the middle of mind commotion that is all too familiar.

Why is it “all too familiar”?  Because that nasty brick wall did not come from nowhere.  If we’re honest—willing to look closely, willing to really gaze upon the thing–I’m betting we’ll find that that wall was carefully crafted by our own heart.  Constructed one brick at a time in all manner of circumstances, with all kinds of reactions and emotions.

No matter how early in life we accepted Christ we still had time to build that wall and it’s possible that the construction continued well into our faith walk.  I know for myself, I carried my wall building patterns right into my life as a Christian and it took years to tear down those barriers.  Even now, after 17 years of full out acceptance of the Truth, I still find my heart tempted to reach for a brick when I feel hurt and vulnerable.

Think about it for a moment.  Where does that brick wall spring from?  Fear of rejection?  Fear of exclusion?  Fear of loneliness? Fear of ____________?  Where might the building process have begun?

Maybe these ugly threats lived in your home.  Home should be where unconditional love thrives in every circumstance but maybe instead, you found that acceptance and tenderness were very conditional.  Withdrawn at the smallest infraction; restored when some measure of favor returned.   And you left that home of unpredictable affection with your bricks in place, only to find that the world was no different.

Perhaps you experienced these things in your school days.  Left out, left behind, disregarded . . . yet, you had some notion that when you left that environment those challenges would fall by the wayside.  Only to enter into adulthood and find that kids aren’t the only ones who are thoughtless and unkind.  And with certainty you reinforce each row in your growing barricade.

So we walled ourselves in and walled others out—sometimes purposefully and other times reactively.  brickmortarOne brick at a time – no one can hurt us because no one can get near us.  And we used the slights, hurts, and fears of this world as mortar to hold our wall together and convince ourselves that the pain of self-imposed isolation was far preferable to the pain on the other side.  Self-protection is a powerful motivator.

It might be, as much as it pains me to write it, that you have encountered these same unloving circumstances inside the Church.  The one place you were certain would be your safe haven was not.  The place was filled with imperfect people who acted from their imperfection.  They slighted you.  They excluded you.  They hurt you.  They gave you reason to keep those walls you so carefully fashioned standing tall.

And although the preceding words were painful, the ones that follow sear my heart more deeply than any other I will write in this post:  I might have been the one.  I might have been the one to make you feel excluded.  I might have been the one to slight you and leave you behind.  I might have been the one who made you feel less-than and unworthy.  The one who placed the brick in your hand and pushed you to build your fortress even higher.

I know without a doubt there were times when my actions told my child that she did not deserve my affection.  I am certain that I hurt others on many occasions by acting as if they didn’t belong.  And I know that the imperfect actions of this imperfect woman kept the Church from being the safe Haven Christ died to make it.  I wish those statements weren’t accurate, but they are. And Beloved, please don’t be offended, but might it be that you have been a brick provider on an occasion or two as well?

The truth of it is, no matter whom you encounter or where, you can be certain that they have been busy with their own bricks.  They have diligently constructed their walls based on their own experiences and the imperfect actions of imperfect people have made their structures strong.    So when you do life together, no matter where it is, the place is crowded.  You, them, and everyone’s collective bricks all fighting for the same space.

The irony of it is that we want to be together.  We want to do life side-by-side.  The walls we have created are not supposed to be there.  I say that so confidently because it’s the way God designed us.  We were meant to be in fellowship with one another.

He intended that my desire to follow Him would lead to my refining and I would be the deliverer of fewer and fewer bricks–I will sin less and less if I am abiding in Him. He desires for you to leave your fear behind, step out and follow Him.  He wants us to stop relying on our walls to protect us and to begin depending on His heart.

I constructed the walls of separation—not God.

I have put every brick in place—not God.

But here’s the beautiful thing, I am not clever enough, smart enough or strong enough to build a wall that will stand in the face of LOVE.  Girlfriend, neither are you.  God Himself has declared our freedom from fear –His Perfect Love Drives It Out. God Himself has opened the Door –step out and follow Love. Sweet One, you ask your Savior to set you free, you believe that He will make the way, and then you lace up your demolition boots and pull your hard hat down tight – because the walls are about to fall!

God is Dynamite

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Beautifully Wrapped and Lavishly Loved . . . You are a Gift!

2 Nov

youaregift

The last blog post was about Remembering our Miracles.  Not losing sight of the Gifts that are doing life right in front of us.  Not allowing the stuff “between the numbers” to steal our vision.  I’m certain that as you read, your own precious heart album was laying wide open in your mind’s eye.  And I’m just as certain that as you looked into those eyes, saw their smiles, and considered the depth of your love toward them, you were overwhelmed with thankfulness to the One who gave them to you.  The One who intentionally carved out a place for each and every one of those beautiful faces in your heart.

Have you ever stopped to consider how purposeful God was when He gave you those Gifts?  Those Miracles imprinted on your heart and your mind?  He designed them, precious in His sight, fearfully and wonderfully made and then . . . . . He entrusted them to you.   It wasn’t an accident.  It wasn’t happenstance.  It was choice.  They were given to you–Gifts to watch over and to care for–beautifully wrapped and lavishly loved, heart-picked and hand delivered by Divine choice.

God knew that there would be life stuff come their way that would be more bearable, more joyful, and more doable with you by their side.  See, the blessing of Miracles and Gifts runs both ways.  Your Miracles, well . . . they possess the Gift of YOU.

  • God determined that you were the one to walk beside your husband and to support him even when it’s hard.  Nobody else could fill those shoes.  He made them just for you.
  • He knew that the baby He put in your arms needed to have unconditional love straight from your heart.  No other heart would do.  He chose you.
  • He resolved that specifically you would be entrusted to bless and love those heart children.  Only you were appointed to shower them with unending love and blessings.
  • And those Sisters at your side were given especially to you to comfort and to encourage.  Their lives are richer, fuller, sweeter– because they belong to you.

Now you look at that list and the general terms that I offered –husband, babies, children, sisters—and they all take on names.  Names of the ones you love and maybe, if you’re like me, you think of the immensity of what He has entrusted to you and quickly become convinced that God has short changed those Sweet Ones around you.  You’re not the one to love with no strings attached.  You aren’t the reliable one, the one who will be steadfast no matter the circumstance.  You can’t meet the needs of others that way or offer comfort that really makes a difference.  You surely aren’t the one who showers love on others, may be it trickles – on a good day.  Maybe everything within you right now is shouting—I am no Gift.

Well Girlfriend, if you and I were left to our own devices, abandoned to our own hearts, I would be the first one to stand up and agree with you.  But that’s just not the case for those who believe.  God never intended for us to walk into the precious lives He has surrounded us with on our own.  We were sent there as a Gift by the One to whom we have been entrusted.  He fully desires for us to rely on the Power, the Tenacity, the Endurance, and the Love of the One to whom we have been gifted.

JESUS PRAYS FOR BELIEVERS

And so for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify, dedicate, consecrate Myself that they also may be sanctified, dedicated, consecrated, made holy in the Truth.

Neither for these alone do I pray, it is not for their sake only that I make this request, but also for all those who will ever come to believe in, trust in, cling to, rely on Me through their word and teaching,

That they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.

I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are one:

I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and definitely recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them even as You have loved Me.

Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me, as Your gift to Me, may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me Your love gift to Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has failed to recognize You and has never acknowledged You, I have known You continually; and these men understand and know that You have sent Me.

I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to make You known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them–felt in their hearts–and that I, Myself, may be in them.  John 17:19-26

Do you see it?  You are the Gift from THE GIFT.  The richness, the sweetness, the love that you pour into the lives of others is because Christ Jesus—GOD’S GIFT TO THE WORLD–has received you – has received me – as a gift straight from the heart of the Father.  You have been entrusted to, given to, gifted to the Christ of God and He has poured Himself into you so that you might pour Him into the lives of others.

It is the unconditional Love of the One who is Love that flows through us and fills the hearts of our babies.  It’s His reliability, His steadfastness that wells up within us giving us the tenacity to walk strong beside our husbands.  It is Him, the Great Comforter, who reaches out to that Sister with our arms and lets us wear His heart for them.   And it’s Him – the Living Water, which never runs dry – showering our heart children with blessing and unending love.

See, apart from Jesus, apart from the Spirit of Love coursing through us, there is no good thing in us, but with Jesus comes every good thing.  He giftwraps us with tenderheartedness, with mercy, and with patience giving us the power to endure whatever comes and hand delivers us to the those we love and those we are yet to love.

And the world sees it.  They watch us do life.  Enduring trials, encountering suffering, celebrating and grieving with those we have been given.  We are never pulled out of the hard stuff but we’re always gifted with the One who will see us through and because we are imitators of He who loves us we walk strong and steady with those to whom we have been given.

Oh yes, Sweet One, you are the Gift and might it be that to see yourself as less-than is to see the Savior, THE GIFT who lives within you, as less-than as well?  We do not boast in or about ourselves, but we will boast all day long in our Jesus and the work He has done to transform our messy, sin filled hearts into blessings for those around us.  All praise, honor and glory to our Savior –THE GIFT—who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.

Sister, I believe with all my heart that part of the joy the Savior received were the Gifts given to Him by the Father after His work had been completed and He sat down at the right of the Throne.   I picture in my mind the Father handing His Son one Gift after another and the nail-scarred hands joyfully receiving each one.

And don’t you know Beloved, one of those

beautifully wrapped (Colossians 3:12),

lavishly loved (1 John 3:1),

heart-picked (Ephesians 2:4-6),

and hand-delivered (2 Corinthians 1:10)

Gifts –part of the joy set before Him–

is YOU.

gifts

Now thanks be to God for His Gift,

precious beyond telling,

His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

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Remember the Miracles

25 Oct

There have been points in time since August 2012 that Brett has been confined to bed rest 24/7.  During one of those times, I read the book One Thousand Gifts aloud to him. It chronicles the life changing journey of the author as she takes the time to write down the gifts that surround her.  She carefully notes each one and numbers it on the paper.  But in between the numbers, real life happens.  Hard life.  Challenging life.  Still her focus on thankfulness remains.

The book was one of the ways God helped us keep our attitude right and focus on a thankful lifestyle at a time when that might not have been our initial response.  So over this last bit as we’ve been walking through some new challenges –doing life between the numbers–one of the key concepts from the book keeps making its way to the forefront of my heart . . . God’s good gifts are in plain sight.  His miracles do not hide. The question is, will we see them?

God has really seemed to bless me with the ability to see everyday miracles.  To notice and have a sense of awe at all the things that needed to occur just so I could be blessed on that particular day, in that particular moment with that specific glimpse of Him.  It’s mind boggling when you think about it.  The events that occur at just the right time.  The things that simply “fall into place” right when you need them to.  When you consider how long in the making that specific action/thing/gift was and how many things had to happen preceding it for it to take place at that very moment in time–Wow!  Amazing.  I’m going to be so bold as to say . . . miraculous. They are evidence that the Extraordinary is active in every single ordinary day.

But as wonderful as those things are, they really don’t begin to even scratch the surface of the real miracles, the unhidden gifts, He has blessed us with.  The true miracles in our lives give meaning to our special places, fill our calendars with significant dates, and are a part of all of life’s important events.  They wear smiles, laugh loudly, express all manner of messy emotion and speak joy to our hearts. Our miracles live in plain sight.

This is my Man.

brettcoffee Ever at my side. grad

Fighting at my wall.

Fiercely loving me at every turn.

Despite physical limitations.brettoutside

He is the Face of the Miraculous.

His testimony.  His life.  His endurance.

Lord, Your wonders do not cease.

♥  ♥  ♥

birthday

This is our Sweet Girl.

Passionate for her Savior.

brittlibrarianSteadily pursuing Him in an unsteady world.

Finding her standing stones and making camp at her Gilgal.

dosrbrittvbs

She is tangible proof that God desires the best for me.  She is His whisper of sweetness.  She is the work of His hands.

He is greatly to be praised.

♥ ♥ ♥

mdandmeThese are my Parents.

mdatbarb

Doing life differently than what they imagined.

1339015377515Persevering.

Serving.

Loving.

Conquering  the challenges of life.

                                       They possess treasures untold.  A new Faith Heritage.

The Intervention of Grace.

His love endures through all generations.

♥ ♥ ♥

rikwed

These are my heart children.  Some my spiritual off spring and some I pray will be.  All of whom I love.mikeandbill

sisandjutwedchip and the kids

derricklanden

For some the faith journey is yet to begin.

Others fight the good fight with tenacity.

And for one, the battle has been won.

Faith has become sight.575108_10151283288115091_1371622684_n

They are precious–every one.  Straight from His Hand.  A gift to my heart.

Blessed am I among women O Lord.

♥ ♥ ♥

And these beauties are my Sisters.1339013780358ladies

mygirlsbaptismkim

006Aren’t they breathtaking?karendebme

Is there anything more stunning, more fearsome, more miraculous than a chick with a Sword?

ladieswithpoohEvery single one of them has looked devastation straight in the eyes.

But they stand firm.

Dressed for combat.

Arms linked in faith.

Hearts filled with love.

 His love for me shines through these Warriors at my side!

And Oh, how I wish I had pictures of every single woman I am privileged to do life with.  You all wear the miraculous so well and I am in awe of you.

Father, may I never look this kind of beauty in the face and fail to praise you.

♥ ♥ ♥

The sight of my miracle crew is overwhelming to me and as I proofread this I feel my love for them slide down my cheeks. Sweet One, it is no different for you.  Your miracles do not hide.  Your gifts are in plain sight.

Look through the photo album in your own heart.  Study the faces.  Hear the sounds of joy.  Remember the tears of separation.  Take them in.  Family, friends, memories . . . .MIRACLES.

All walks of life, all circumstances, all manner of trials and through it all the Giver of good gifts is shouting love to you. Intervening in every one of your days with their smiles, their struggles, their presence.  Through them He Interrupts the mundane with the miraculous.  Beloved, these are the good gifts – the hearts – He has entrusted to you.  The miracles He has chosen to fill your days with.

How can we call a single moment ordinary when we are surrounded by the works of the Extraordinary?  Each one of them is a “stop and smell the roses” moment wearing skin.  They are revelation of God Himself.  His most prized creation.  His unhidden gifts. Blessings that live in plain sight.

And yet, I find that sometimes my life between the numbers obscures my vision. I begin to see the faces of my miracles as ordinary.  I forget by failing to remember.  Failing to remember that they are the works of His Hands.  They are the faces of His wonder.  My gifts do not go into hiding.  My miracles are all still there.  I just fail to see.  I forget to remember.  Oh Sister, do not let your life between the numbers steal your vision.  Let it be changed by what you see!  Open your eyes.  See your Miracles.  Remember your Gifts.

PSALM 77:11-14

I recall all you have done, O LORD;

I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about them.

 O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as You?

You are the God of miracles and wonders!

brettandbritt

I WILL REMEMBER!

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Love Reaches Out and I’m Reaching Up

6 Oct

Unfortunately, the health issues I described in The God of More. . . .Much More have continued to challenge me and the all the sweet people I do life with. The follow-up tests revealed more areas for concern and the Biddinger Crew were, to say the least, taken a little off guard by the results. Maybe you’ve noticed the lack of posts in the last bit.  I honestly haven’t known what to say.  Not on the blog and not in life.  I can’t really put into words the gamut of emotions I have run as I have considered it all but I can share with you that they have pooled in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks on more than one occasion.  So, I’ve kind of withdrawn so that my tears aren’t misinterpreted or used by the enemy to shake another’s faith.  Does that make sense?

See, I truly am thankful for the opportunity to find out if I live what I say and to have my faith grow.  I look back and I see how tenderly God has been preparing me for this and He gave me the added blessing of writing much of it down on Glimpsed Glory.  Unchallenged = Unchanged.  God’s revelation of the well to Hagar.  The unimaginable inheritance of Rahab.  His absolute “Thereness”.  The list goes on.  He has set my feet firmly in His Word.  Praise His Holy Name.

Heart-in-BibleBut as thankful as I am and as certain that I am that this trial will serve His purpose, I confess that I wonder what it’s going to look like and how many times I’m going to have to remind myself that my thoughts are not the same as His – His are always better.  How often will I repeat Paul’s words that I may be hard pressed but I am not crushed, I may be perplexed but I am not in despair because my Jesus is with me?  I don’t know.  And I don’t want to over dramatize because I have no idea how it will all shake out.  It might turn out to be not much and it might turn out to be much.  I don’t know.

But He does and in the midst of it all, I have felt a quiet joy and steadfast love that can only come from Him.  I’ve heard myself thank Him for the trial and the chance to cling to Him.  What a blessing.  I know that the desire to praise and walk strong are gifts straight from His Holy Heart because apart from Him that Spirit of joy and strength just doesn’t live in me.  Probably doesn’t make much sense to someone looking from the outside, but Him blessing me with the chance to stand firm in Him gives me such a sense of His good pleasure falling on me. I sense His Presence in a different way.

And He has gone to such amazing lengths to reach out to me and talk to me – heart to heart.  He has listened to my prayers and lavished me with peace.  He heard my crying and whispered love over me.  He truly has spoken my language through the tenderness of the Saints and His Word.  He KNOWS me and He has met me, with Grace abounding and Love immeasurable, at every turn.

Sweet Friend, Dear One, Beloved in the Faith, He wants you to take Him, to take His Word, personally.  He KNOWS you.  His eye does not fall simply on mankind in a general way.  His attention and His affection are firmly fixed on you.  I know this to be true because I have heard His Voice in the pages of His Word.  Seek Him.  Reach for Him. He will be found.

PSALM 66

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

Make his praise glorious!

Father I join with all creation to declare that you are El Roi – the God who sees me.  You are Jehovah-Jireh the God who provides for me.  You, Lord, are my Banner and I will praise Your Name.

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Bless Your Holy Name for the miracles You have done O Lord. I give you blessing and glory and honor for my rescue, my salvation and my rest. Too numerous are the mighty works you have performed to count, but I acknowledge that every good thing comes from Your nail-scarred Hand.

So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.

For You made a public spectacle of them and crushed the head of death at the cross.  How your enemy must have cowered as you emerged victorious from the tomb.  In the Name of Jesus, I am protected from the evil one and all of creation will be delivered when He speaks.

All the earth bows down to you;

They sing praise to you,

They sing praise to your name.

I join in nature’s resound and day and night my mouth will pour forth your praise.  I will declare Your Glory and testify to the work of Your Hands as faithfully as the voice of the skies proclaim them.  I believe you Lord to be YOU.

Come and see what God has done,

How awesome his works in man’s behalf!

I am utterly amazed at the soul restoration You have blessed this woman with.  Your grace abounds — unending and undeserved.  You lavish me with love and call me child.  Oh Lord, if I had been told of the miracles you would perform in my heart, it would have been to wonderful for me to comprehend.  May I never tire of saying “Come and see what He has done with a wretch like me.”

He turned the sea into dry land,

They passed through the waters on foot—

Come, let us rejoice in him.

There is no challenge I face larger than you.  Though the water may threaten on every side I trust that Your Holy Hand will not let a drop fall on me without purpose.  And I rejoice that nothing is impossible for my God and all things are possible for those who believe.  Help me overcome my unbelief Lord.

He rules forever by his power,

His eyes watch the nations—

Let not the rebellious rise up against him.

Despite what my human eyes perceive You are not now nor have you ever been struggling with the enemy.  Your power knows no bounds and cannot be constrained.  Your watchful eye is always firmly fixed upon me as surely as it is the nations. Your attention and Your affection never change. Let no rebellious thought convince me otherwise.

Praise our God, O peoples,

Let the sound of his praise be heard;

He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

Let the display of the work You have done in my life cause those You have blessed me with to give you praise.  You have indeed set my feet on solid ground and fixed my feet firmly on the path.  Your Word has strengthened my steps and you have blessed me with the chance to look my faith in the face.  Your Presence has made me strong. Your love has steadied me.

You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

This temporal skin cannot hold captive Your glory nor can any physical limitation restrain Your Spirit.  How wonderful that this fire has come and this water washed over me so that my faith may grow and be proved genuine to my own heart and to those around me.  I KNOW that You are who You say You are and I will live hemmed in by Your Faithfulness.  It is the place of true abundance.

I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you—

vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.

I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.

The sacrifice of bulls and rams is not necessary for me because the Blood of my Jesus has done it all.  He has shielded me with Grace and welcomed me into the Most Holy Place to rest under the refuge of Your wings.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.  I am secure in Your Presence.

Come and listen, all you who fear God;

let me tell you what he has done for me.

The Blood of Love has paid my price.  The Blood of Love has made me new.  Let all the heavenlies hear, the Blood of Love has given me life. Though I have not seen Him, I love Him and my heart is filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.  I have heard the Voice of Love and my heart has been set free.

I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

The fears of my heart flowed from my mouth and I offered Him thanks that nothing takes Him off guard and that He is always at work for my good.  I praised His Name and He gave me peace that surpassed my understanding to guard my heart and my mind.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Oh how I thank you Lord that You do not give up on me.  You continue to shine your light on my life and heal every disease that is revealed.  There is no condemnation.  There is no shame.  For You listen to me O Lord and You whisper Love to my soul. You do not reject me.  You withhold nothing.  You open your arms wide and embrace me with LOVE.

Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer or

withheld his love from me!

girlwitharmsup

Seek Him.  Reach for Him. He will be found.

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He Healed Me

9 Sep

greenleaf

Oh my Father, my Ever-Watching,

Constantly-Attentive Father,

How do I praise You enough?

 How can my finite mind give blessing to the Infinite?

You have made me like a tree planted

by streams of water whose leaf will not wither.

YOU HAVE REFRESHED MY SOUL.

greenleafhealed1

I handed you my every fear,

one by one, name by name.

You gave me peace.

My trembling voice called to You.

 You answered me with steady assurance,

“I AM HERE.”

With tear-stained cheeks,

I confessed my anxious thoughts.

You leaned in close

and whispered to my heart,

“Child, give your anxiety to me.”

YOU HAVE CARED FOR ME.

greenleafcare

My wounded spirit did not hide from You,

In the Name of Grace, You stooped from the Heavenlies,

 and breathed new life to my soul.

You strengthened me.

You calmed my spirit.

You spurred me forward

and made me strong.

My heart is secure in the shadow of Your wing.

YOU HEALED ME.

greenleafhealed

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The God of More . . . Much More

3 Sep

The post today is going to be a little strange and full disclosure, more than a little lengthy.  It’s going to mix parts of the present with the recent past and even merge parts from years ago when we met Joni and Ken Tada at family retreat.  My clumsy attempts to summarize the events of the last few days by recounting the present and pointing to the past will be intermingled with the voice of one of the most godly, courageous women I have ever encountered.   All of this back and forth confirms for me and I hope for you too that no event ever happens in isolation.  The activity of God cannot be confined by time and not a moment of your life escapes His attention.

To give a little context, I am sitting on our couch bandaged tightly across my entire abdomen so the air in my right lung will not escape through the hole left by the chest tubes that recently took up residence there. For some unknown reason, this part of my body decided to take a vacation and interrupt the one we had planned to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  It’s been a rough weekend to say the least.  Complication after complication has reared its challenging head but God has met every one with the supernatural resolve to fight for me and show Himself mighty.  I found it to be “so God” that He revealed Himself to me with the following thought right before I visited the doctor and this situation began to unfold:

“Trials rip away the façade of self-sufficiency and make way for God’s miracles.  I praise Him for His constant attention and affection toward me.” — posted on FB in the a.m. Aug 30

facebook

The staff at the hospital was kind enough to let me call Britt and tell her what was going on before they doped me up for the procedure.  Her little heart was breaking (she’s 20 but it’s still a “little heart” to this Momma) and I so badly wanted to make it better for her.  But I couldn’t.  It was time to find out if I would believe God for her comfort.  I totally trusted Him for me, no matter the outcome, but I didn’t know if I had the tenacity to trust Him for her and for Brett.  The next few days presented that question over and over again.  Each time,  I said aloud, “I trust you Lord” and I repeated the verse from Psalm 28 I had started memorizing two days before . . .

“The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart.  He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.”  Psalm 28:7 NLT (written on an index card the a.m. of Aug 29)

indexcard

Each time He was true to His Word. I love how He is always preparing us to face the next trial.  Always revealing Himself to be the One we can turn to and reminding us that everything has a purpose.

I was nervous about the medication I was getting because I knew that I would soon lose the ability to monitor what was spewing from my mouth. I never know what might come flowing out if I leave this tongue unattended and I didn’t want to be bossy or say something unfiltered.  The  E.R. Crew listened patiently as the drugs started having their relaxing effect and I explained that  “I needed them to ignore anything I might say under the influence because if I ever got to talk Jesus with them in the future, I didn’t want this to be what they remembered.”  Luckily, the jibberish I spoke wasn’t anything that threatened my sanctification!  I did quote a contorted version of Proverbs 21:9 to the three men hard at work preparing to help me begin breathing again:  Better to live on the corner of a roof than to have a nagging wife.  Hmmm . . . . . is this really the last bit of wisdom my brain wants to impart.

So I had gotten to talk to my Girl and, as the surgeons prepared to sedate me further and insert the tube that was supposed to reinflate my lung, I remember looking over at Brett and seeing such a mix of love and concern on his face.  I wrote later in my journal, “If her voice was the last thing I heard and his face the last thing I saw on planet earth, what a sweet send off it would have been. Lord, thank you for being Love to me through them.”  My God really is the Giver of all good gifts.  I don’t think I had any doubts left about that, but if I did watching my parents, my husband, and my sweet night shift friend do faithful vigil at my bedside certainly dispelled them.   He is today and has always been the unchanging God James describes.

My condition was very serious and the measures to correct it would not fall under my personal definition of the word pleasant.  The tube they originally inserted between my ribs was very large and they had to pry my bones apart to secure it.  As a result, it was painful all the time.  I was relieved when the surgeon said it could be removed and I looked forward to having that pain gone.  But when they took it out the diameter of the tube left a gaping hole and my lung began to spurt air and collapsed again.  There was no time to administer any kind of pain medicine so I received stitches and had a large needle for aspiration inserted without any numbing medication.  Youch!  To keep my mind from the events transpiring around in me I recited Psalm 15 which God had planted firmly in my memory the previous week over and over again.  I said the final line with particular gusto as the assisting nurses held my hands tightly . . .

“He who does these things will not be shaken.”  Psalm 15:5b (put in my memory folder Aug 20)

The following day one of the nurses asked me “What was that Psalm you were saying yesterday?” and I got to speak a good Word about the LOVE of my Jesus and He who IS FAITHFUL.  He always has a good work set aside for us to do and HE always gives us the equipping and strength to carry it out.  He never ceases to be active in our midst.

And while all of this is going on my Sweet Girl in Florida is declaring that “she believes God to restore the health of her Momma” for all the heavenlies to hear and is praying big, ambitious prayers on my behalf.  The circumstances may have looked bad from the outside, but Sister, does it get any better than that?  Well, the answer is yes because we are loved by the God of More. . . . Much More.  And blessedly, He allows us glimpses of the “More of Him.”

So this is the point when I must begin moving forward and backward in time. The things that transpired in between the moment above and my being released continued to show the glory of God.  I was blessed by my Sisters in the Faith rolling in one after another with blessing after blessing.  Funny that I had just written about our need for the Body and resting in the garage. God knows that simply knowing something very rarely results in it becoming a part of who I am and I praise Him that He will go to any length to make certain that I have fully embraced the Truth He has uncovered.

Here’s the flash back:  This link is to the full blog post the excerpt below, written by Joni Eareckson Tada, was taken from.  I had read it on August 29th and prayed to be that kind of an encouragement to my man.

Ken opened wide the front door so I could wheel out to the van.  For a long moment I sat squarely in the door frame, staring and taking it all in:  the shade tree dappling our brick path, blossoms bobbing on the crepe myrtle, and patches of sunlight on dewy grass.  It was the freshest of mornings.  Oh God, I breathed, If only I could feel as fresh.

After more than four decades of quadriplegia, I’m tired.  Please don’t think I’m a veteran or a professional when it comes to living in a wheelchair.  I’m not an expert.  MY BONES ARE WEARY AND THIN FROM BATTLING EVERYTHING FROM PRESSURE SORES AND PNEUMONIA  (I added the capitalization for emphasis there because it so screamed my man’s name to me)—to stage III cancer.  My question these days is never “Why God?”  It’s most often “How?”

How do I keep on going? How do I care about others when I’m consumed with my own physical challenges? How can I be kind and civil when pain wracks me? How can I find the strength to face this day?That morning, Ken had the answer.

“Why aren’t you out by the van?” he asked when he came from the kitchen with my lunch bag. Staring at the splendorous morning beyond the door, I answered him with a deep sigh. “Wait here,” he said, “I know exactly what you need.”

Soon he was back with a yellow post-it note. With a thick Sharpie, he had simply penned on it the letter ‘C.’

I gave him an odd look.  “It stands for Courage,” he said, “The courage of Christ. I can see it in your eyes, Joni, and you can do this. I know you can!” With that, he pressed the post-it on my shirt, right above my heart.

There is more and I urge you to follow the link and read the observations Joni shares, but this is the point in the blog where I stopped and prayed through tear filled eyes, asking God  to please give me the heart vision to notice when Brett is having a “deep sigh day” and the wisdom to know how to lift him up. I told Brett about Joni’s words and how they had made me think of his daily struggles and I hope I encouraged his heart with words of admiration for all he perseveres through.

The flash forward piece of the puzzle brings us to yesterday when I was released and allowed to come home with severe limitations. Brett had watched all that had happened from an unfamiliar vantage point.  See, he is very used to being the one in the bed but the other side of the rail is territory he’s not visited too often. It was hard on him.  It took courage to push through and do all that he needed to do.  But my Nehemiah Man, the guard posted on my wall, persevered yet again. Oh, he loved me ferociously through it all.  And while I’m familiar with the feeling of being helpless but never hopeless on the “other side of the rail” I wondered what it looked like through his eyes.

I didn’t need to wonder for long because as I settled into the recliner I will be calling home for the next few weeks my man wheeled toward me with his glasses on his head and tears at the corner of his eyes. Unbeknownst to me, he had read the blog I had chatted with him about–the one that made me think of him and the courage of Christ that he displays every day–and on his knee was a purple post-it note with the letter “C” written in black Sharpie marker.  (Since Brett has no finger function this was a very intentional labor of love on his part.)

With me sobbing and tears in his own eyes, he pressed his finger down on the post-it note until it stuck to his hand and held it out to me.  I pressed it on my chest and I felt the total love of the redeemed man sitting in front of me.

couragec

Oh yes, Beloved, my God is a God of More.  More than I can possibly conceive or imagine.  My God is faithful and trustworthy.  Not a single moment of my life escapes His attention or His affection.  He is the Giver of all good gifts and will never let His children settle for less than the More He has set aside for them.

The same is true for you.   Do not believe for a moment He has abandoned you in the trial Sweet One.   Your God would not take you there or allow the challenge if He did not have More for you on the other side.  You hang on with faith.  You pray big, ambitious prayers and you wait expectantly for your God to bless you. Listen to Him when He tells you not be afraid and consider Joshua 1:9 to be your personal post-it note straight from the heart of the Holy One. Press it on your chest Girlfriend, count on Him to do what He says He will do, and be confident that the God of More is with you.

“Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid;

do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God

will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

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Life on the Open Road Requires Some Time in the Garage!

28 Aug

“Sitting in the garage won’t make you a car,

and going to church won’t make you a Christian.”

car3

This is a popular quote I’ve seen posted all over facebook and used in different devotionals lately.  I tried to track down who originally said it, but it was attributed to so many people I wasn’t comfortable assigning an author.  So give credit to whomever it was you heard it from first and know that it did not originate in the mind of Marilyn Biddinger.  I’m not that clever.

As clever as it is, there’s something about those words that have made my heart a little uncomfortable each time I have read it.  I think I get the point —simply parking in a pew will not transform you into something you are not. But I sometimes wonder if as the Body, in a very sincere and good-hearted effort to distance ourselves from empty religion, we’ve gone too far and cast the meeting together of the Body of Christ as an unnecessary part of Kingdom life. An optional part of our relationship with Jesus.   If we have, we’ve unintentionally done ourselves and a watching world a huge disservice.

Please don’t hear me promoting empty church attendance as a way of doing life with our Savior.  But . . . the person sitting in that pew is much more likely to hear the Truth preached there than sitting on their couch every Sunday.  And since it is the Word of God that comes with the promise (Isaiah 55:11) it seems to me that we should encourage them to come park in that pew and find a little shelter from the elements outside any day of the week.  And, at what other time will a person who just wants to be good for goodness sake or do the right thing because it’s just the right thing to do, have a chance to be loved on by so many who have LOVE living inside them.

Doing life with the family of God, even though it can be a messy business, is absolutely essential to having a full and complete relationship with Jesus.  It’s where we have the opportunity to live life the most excellent way and where the world sees believers do life differently.  If it wasn’t essential why would the Apostle Paul tell us not to give up meeting with one another as some have done and why would the New Testament spend so much time telling us how to relate to one another.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another,

and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34

 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Romans 12:10

Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. Romans 12:16  (Sometimes I just have to go with the Amplified because it drives it home and leaves me no wiggle room.)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4:2

These are just a few of the one anothers.  And guess what?  To do the “one anothers” there has to be others.  It’s the others that God often uses to change and refine us.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

It’s true that sitting in the garage won’t make you a car.  It won’t make you a car because that wasn’t what you were created to be.  I don’t think even a car would be content with just sitting in the garage all the time if it could choose.  And if it could talk, I think it might say something like “Hey, put some fuel in my tank, put the top down,  let’s go for a drive.”  That car would be itching to fulfill its purpose. Never leaving the garage wouldn’t even be an option.  It would ache to get out on the open road and do what it was made to do.  So while the purpose of that car is life on the open road, running 24/7 without coming back to the garage for a little rest and respite just isn’t going to cut it.  The road grime would build-up, the windshield would be smeared, and the fuel gauge would soon hit empty.  Balance is required for that car to do its job.  Even though it rightfully calls that garage home, it simply can’t do what it was it was created to do if it spends all its time just sitting there.  But . . . it can’t fulfill its purpose if it spends all its time on the road either.

Isn’t it the same for we who are called to be members of the Body of Christ?  You were created to complete the Body, to edify the Body, to encourage the Body and they were created to do the same for you.

 For as in one body we have many members,

and the members do not all have the same function,

so we, though many, are one body in Christ,

and individually members one of another.

Romans 12:4-5

We need one another to wipe away the road grime, help clean the windshield, and fill our tanks.  It’s what we were created to do – love one another. Sometimes it’s good to be on the road alone and just let the Spirit blow your hair back.  Other times, you need to look over and see another driver headed the same direction.  It encourages the heart and spurs the soul to know we aren’t alone.  God gives us other road warriors to strengthen us and help us navigate all the twists and turns life throws at us.  We can’t dismiss the benefits of fellowship and meeting with the body of Christ.  The Truth won’t allows us to. Sisters, if we do we will miss out on the fullness of the abundant life God has planned for us. And so will those who long to see us.  I’m speaking from experience on this one.  Brett and I haven’t had the opportunity to physically enter our Church and worship with our Body in over a year.  As much as we enjoy having Believers here in our home, there’s just nothing like joining together with hands raised high and coming before the Throne with one voice.

And as for the one who pulls into their appointed parking space each Sunday . . . Well, do you remember the last time you met a whole slew of cars on their way to a classic car show?  The smile just creeps across your face as you meet car after car.   Shined and polished.  Buffed and beautiful.  You get all anxious waiting to see what the next one might look like and you start chatting with everyone else in the car about how awesome all those cars are as they keep rolling past you. Even if you aren’t a car enthusiast, there’s just something about seeing those cars, one right after another, that grabs your attention.   And when they arrive at their destination and they’re all lined up for the world to see, it is simply spectacular.

Spend a few minutes wandering among those beauties and you’ll soon be hearing story after story from their owners.  “Yeah, she was a wreck when I got her, but look at her now!”  “You wouldn’t have believed the shape she was in!”  Pretty soon your attention isn’t on the car anymore.  Nope.  Pretty soon, your focus is on the owner.  The one who poured all those blood, sweat, and tears into making that car what is today.  Same for us.

When Love congregates all in one place, it grabs people’s attention.  When we share the truth of the wrecks we were and let the Glory of the One who poured His Blood, Sweat, and Tears into us do the talking – well, Girlfriend, we are beautiful.  So you pull out onto that highway with the top down and the engine roaring the Good News, but don’t you forget that time in the garage is necessary.  And Sister, when we all line up, shined and polished, doing what we were created to do – we are absolutely spectacular.

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