September 17, 2010 @ 8:16 am | Filed under: Faith Lifts,The Solid Rock,The Writing Life,Uniquely Me
A fearless beauty is something I pursue…
devotions, Faith Lifts, walk with God
September 15, 2010 @ 11:11 am | Filed under: The Solid Rock,Uniquely Me
“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” – Denis Waitley
Contentment. Fear. Two emotions that seem to have no relation to one another and yet they have shimmied up to one another inside of me and have both become quite still. No pushing or shoving for a place of dominance. No arguments over which has the right of ownership inside my heart. Instead, they sit with their arms around one another as if to let me know that this is natural. It’s not something to fear. It’s something that will teach you.
I have never been more content nor more afraid of where God is guiding my life than I am right now.
I’m standing at the edge of the shore, watching the waves push new opportunities and experiences closer toward me as I dig my toes into the cool, course sand. There are some waves that I’m eager to reach for, to dive into and see what happens when I come up on the other side. These are moments when I glimpse a distant horizon – wonderous and magnificent. Anticipation pulses through me, and – in these moments – I reach for it, anxious to experience the beauty of what He has waiting for me.
These waves are easy.
Then there are the waves that I see coming from some distance away. They are giant and as they creep ever closer, it’s obvious that they will soon tower over me, swallowing me first in their shadow and then in their depth. I try to squelch the thumping of raw nerves in my veins and still the thudding of my breaking heart. These are the waves that promise the ride of a lifetime, but also carry with them the fear of the unknown. To jump into these depths means that I will follow God’s call for me and for my family, letting go of what has been my buoy and my lifeline for so long in order to go to where He is.
These waves are tougher.
I am afraid. I am nervous. I am feeling unsettled. My heart races and I have moments when I entertain the thought of crawling back to shore to complete and utter safety. To the known, the comfortable. And yet I cannot ignore the niggling in the depths of my being – the still, small voice that reminds me that You are ready for this. The past years have prepared my heart for this very moment in time. For this swim. For this wild, God-given adventure that will take me to ports of call I’ve not even thought to imagine.
I know what I will ultimately do. It’s what I always do. Because – for me – there has never been, and never will be, another choice except to follow. I will dive head first into the waves God puts before me, trusting that His great love for me will stand as lifeguard over my heart and life as I do my best to let His current take over and move me where He desires me to be.
I am content. I am still afraid. Two emotions that seem to have no connection reside like easy companions in my soul. I’m okay with them both. I uncurl my toes from the sand and take a few timid steps into the water. God’s call on my life swirls gently around my ankles as I move forward, encouraging me to step out in faith. He is waiting, arms outstretched to help me through the difficult moments. He tells me to come in, the water is fine.
I trust that.
devotions, faith, walk with God
September 4, 2010 @ 10:31 am | Filed under: Faith Lifts,Soul Food,The Writing Life,Uniquely Me
I’m at my home-away-from-home today, and my thoughts are all about life’s teachable moments. Sometimes I almost miss the simplest ones because I’m on the lookout for the biggest, grandest, most amazing display of an awesome lesson. When – all along – it lies in the quietness of the ordinary and in the beauty of the everyday.
Enjoy your day! I know I am. I am so in love with the weather – with the hint of fall in the air and the brand new promise of all that a new season brings with it. I’m like a kid in a candy store, running from aisle to aisle…I can’t decide what I like best.
But I’m definitely liking it!
devotions, Faith Lifts, living simply, walk with God
July 24, 2010 @ 6:37 am | Filed under: 5 Minutes for Mom,The Solid Rock
I blogged over at 5 Minutes for Faith. Here are my thoughts on joy!
July 19, 2010 @ 6:23 am | Filed under: The Solid Rock,Uniquely Me
Seasons change. Life changes.
Babies are born. Kids grow up. Elders pass away.
Changes in the seasons are evidenced by the air we breathe and the scenery that surrounds us.
Life is changing, that much is for sure, and I’m working hard to accept each new change with the grace and dignity He would have me to. Change is like turning a page on a fresh book…and each new chapter is beckoning me, calling my name.
I’m a daughter, and I’ve felt a subtle shift these past days as I’ve ached to shield my mom from the pain of loss and grief. She is the mother, and yet I have mothered, wanting nothing more than to protect her…knowing all the while that there is simply no such thing in these circumstances.
I’m a mother, and yet this chapter, too, is changing. I used to hear my name called regularly to kiss a skinned knee or soothe away those things that frighten in the still of the night. Now I’m called and it’s their voices –so familiar and yet now so deep and manly–asking me how I’m doing. We’re balancing family nights with talks about life.
The thing that doesn’t change is the fact that God stays the same. No matter what is going on, He is there.
He stands guard over the seasons.
He will protect and shield my mother in ways that I simply cannot.
He will continue to guide my children, watch over them, be with them, even when they’re far away me.
Whatever changes I face, I trust that God is already there, waiting as I walk through each step. He guides me, loves me.
And with each change I’m learning to trust Him more.
September 1, 2009 @ 6:44 am | Filed under: The Solid Rock,The Writing Life
Sometimes our lives can resemble a book.
There is a little romance. A little drama. A little humor. And a little (or a lot) of conflict. Of course every story needs conflict. That’s what keeps us interested. We enjoy seeing the characters of our books get into – and then out of – trouble.
Of course, in reality not every situation has a happy ending in 30 minutes or less. Real life is different, but it’s also better.
Every day there are words coming out of our mouths.
They can either build people up. Or they can tear them down. In the United States we having a saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Truth: words hurt. They maime, they wound. Every word that comes out of our mouths will either hurt or help. It will either bring loved ones closer or push them away. This is something we need to consider when we are speaking—to our children, to our spouse, to other family members. To friends.
But this is not the only dialogue happening in our lives. Whether we know it or not, there is another continual dialogue going through our minds. It’s our internal dialogue. The dialogue occurs in two ways. “Thorough and organized” dialogue or dialogue that “bounces around like a little rubber ball in your mind.”
“Thorough and organized” thinking is similar to a great novel plot or movie script. A script is something the writer uses to put the movie on paper. It provides direction for the producer, the actors, and even the set directions.
The script isn’t the movie. The script is direction for the action. The script guides everything. Without the script there is no order and the action has no meaning. would jump around. Nothing would make sense.
Sometimes we don’t organize our thoughts in our mind, and our actions are the same. Our actions, our lives, seem to be without meaning and order.
Those times when I find my thoughts just running around in my mind, with no plan or purpose, I know I am in the big middle of chaos. I’m not talking about organizing daily activities. We all somehow manage to organize our days, some better than others.
But the BIGGER thinking, such as: Where do I want to be in the future? Where would I like to see my family in the future? What would I like my marriage to look at five years from now?What kind of adults do I want my children to be?
Sometimes we let our minds get carried away with concerns. We think about things that happened ten years ago. Or maybe we consider worries we have about tomorrow.
We also find our thoughts are full of emotions. Happy thoughts, sad thoughts, excited thoughts, or scared thoughts. Our thoughts are focus on whatever is going on that moment. One day things are good. The next day things are not so good. Our actions then follow our emotions, which we know can lead to all types of trouble and issues.
I don’t want to allow my thoughts, or what is happening around me, to be in control. I want Him to write the script of my life and then I want to allow my thoughts to follow that script and no other.
Why is that so hard at times?
March 2, 2009 @ 11:06 am | Filed under: Friends,The Solid Rock,Uniquely Me
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York;
And all the clouds that low’r'd upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean buried.-Shakespeare
“The way we live our lives is a measure of our contentment toward God.” – borrowed from Jody @ Nitty Gritty
It was twenty years ago when a couple of friends and I attended our very first weekend ladies retreat. We packed our overnight bags, left our small children in capable, caring hands, and hit the highway for what we felt was some long-overdue, much-needed TLC for over-worked, under-paid, and (only slightly) out-dated moms.
The next three days were full of laughter, good food, new friends…I’m sure. But – to be honest – those are not the memories that have hung around the halls of my mind all these years.
Instead it is the resonating trills of one lone message that has withstood the test of time. Circumstances have changed. The toddlers of twenty years ago are now young men and women with lives of their own, and yet this message is one that shifts with changing times.
BE YE CONTENT.
Over and over and over, throughout this sermon, the message was clear. God’s plan for our lives is for us to find ourselves in Him, not wrapped up in things, or even in people. It is only in the shelter of His great arms and in the presence of His mighty strength that we are at our best.
BE YE CONTENT.
I remember the three of us chafing a bit as we squirmed in our seats and finally gave in to the tears that stung the back of our eyelids. We reached for wadded up Kleenex and dabbed at our eyes, realizing that our weekend was taking an unexpected turn.
We’d come for consolation, but were met face-to-face with conviction. It turned out to be a defining moment in each of our lives; one that changed each of us forever.
It seems like there’s a lot of talk these days about contentment. If there’s any good that has come, or will come, from the state of the economy, I believe it’s causing us to truly examine our priorities and values.
I’m finding that most folks are discovering the same thing that I am: I already have all that I need to live a rich and productive and fulfilling life.
What about you?
Are you finding this to be the winter of YOUR contentment?
August 28, 2008 @ 5:15 pm | Filed under: 5 Minutes for Mom,The Solid Rock
I posted here today.
June 22, 2008 @ 12:55 pm | Filed under: 5 Minutes for Mom,Motherhood,Uniquely Me
I posted over at Faith Lifts today…
devotions, Motherhood, parenting
June 8, 2008 @ 6:48 am | Filed under: Motherhood,Soul Food,The Writing Life
Every once in a while a door of opportunity will swing open wide, and we know for certain that it is God who is bidding us to walk through it.
This is what happened to me when Faith Lifts invited me to be one of their devotional contributors a couple of weeks ago. The people that I’ve met so far – Shera and the other writers – are nothing short of warm and welcoming. Already I feel at home, and very excited about this very special place!
As a writer, this is an opportunity to share bits and pieces of what God lays on my heart. As a mom, this is a place to find needed encouragement and strength. But – maybe most importantly – as a woman, Faith Lifts is a place where godly women are endeavoring to hear His voice and allowing Him to direct their lives and the lives of their families.
My first devotion with Faith Lifts is up today. If you find time to check it out, please linger a bit longer and read the words of wisdom and encouragement that other Faith Lifts writers have on their hearts.
I promise you’ll leave uplifted!
