MORNING SONGS

I woke up this morning with partial lyrics of two different songs playing in my head. They seemed to be on repeat; not that I mind, because they are two of my current favorite songs and they reverberate a glorious message from my Abba Father.

Lyrics:

“if the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down
If the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down
When it’s built on His name, there’s nothing gonna shake this ground
If the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down”

“As for me and my house, we’re gonna serve You, Lord
So here’s the keys, come on in, everything we have is Yours”

“Up and over the mountains
Valley deep as the ocean
When you can’t keep going
I will shoulder your burdens”

“As for me and my house, we’re gonna serve You, Lord
So here’s the keys, come on in, everything we have is Yours”

“Up and over the mountains
Valley deep as the ocean
When you can’t keep going
I will shoulder your burdens”

This just kept replaying in my mind as I wiped the sleep from my eyes. This was a great way to wake up. It’s a great reminder that when we give all that we have; and are, to God and build our foundations on Him, He will carry us. That’s a pretty personal relational God! When we are at the end of ourselves, God still has plenty of strength to carry us.

This all reminded me to assess what burdens I am carrying that I need to hand over to the Lord. I am at the end of myself but I will serve You Lord with whatever I have within me! All I have is Yours!

The songs are: If the Lord Builds a House by Hope Darst and I Will Carry You by Ellie Holcomb. Here are YouTube Links to the music videos and I will include the full lyrics. These songs speak such life and peace into my day!

Lyrics

I’ve built up my own name
But the walls couldn’t stand
I’ve trusted my own strength
But it was sinking sand
So I put my ruins into Your hands
And watch You restore them
Like only You can

‘Cause if the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down
When it’s built on His name
There’s nothing gonna shake this ground
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down

The bricks may be weathered
Through storm and through fire
But what God holds together
It stands firm every time
‘Cause my life is anchored
On this solid truth
That whatever God’s building
No, it can’t be moved

As for me and my house
We’re gonna serve You, Lord
So here’s the keys, come on in
Everything we have is Yours

As for me and my house
We’re gonna serve You, Lord
So here’s the keys, come on in
Everything we have is Yours
Here’s the keys, won’t You come on in
Everything we have is Yours

If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down (Nobody can tear it down)
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down (Nobody can tear it down)
When it’s built on His name
There’s nothing gonna shake this ground
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down

If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down
When it’s built on His name
There’s nothing that can shake this ground
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down

Said “If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down”

Source: Musixmatch

Lyrics

I know you’re tired, I see it in your eyes
All that anxiety that rules your mind
I’ll be your shield when you don’t feel like
You’ve got strength enough to fight
I’ll stand by your side

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you’re terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

You are not the sum of your mistakes
You don’t have to hide the parts of you that ache
I choose you as you are a million times
‘Cause I am not ashamed of you
I won’t walk away from you

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you’re terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

Up and over the mountains
Valley deep as the ocean
When you can’t keep going
I will shoulder your burdens
Up and over the mountains
Valley deep as the ocean
When you can’t keep going
I will shoulder your burdens

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you’re terrified
I will carry you (carry you)
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

I will carry you, carry you
Through the darkest night (you)
When you’re terrified
(I will shoulder your burdens)
I will carry you, carry you
When the waters rise (you)
I will carry you

Source: Musixmatch

#MorningsWithMyAbba

CELEBRATING A LIFE

A year after my mom died, in 2005 my dad had to have one of his kidneys removed because it was full of a cancerous mass. This seemed to be the start of many health issues with my dad. He was diabetic, had COPD, congestive heart failure, and developed renal failure because of his body fighting the other issues with only one kidney. He also had both knees replaced; his right knee went through two artificial knees and two medicated spacers, all this because of him developing a nasty infection in the first knee replacement. We almost lost him to sepsis after the first replacement in his right knee. My dad was such a fighter that he just kept going even when it took all that he had to just go through a day. He was very determined to not give up. I spent much time with my dad in the last year of his life, sitting in the hospital ER department because the fluid in his body was too much and he was struggling to breathe. He was in the hospital and rehab more than he was out in the last several years of his life. He spent the last seven and a half months of his life taking dialysis three times a week. During this time, I was able to spend time in sweet conversation and some stressful conversation with my dad. On one occasion, I spent a day with him. That is such a sweet memory for me. My dad struggled with much anxiety and how he would relieve this anxiety would be going for a ride in the country. My dad grew up a farmer and farming was his first love. Driving around the countryside that he knew his whole life, brought him much joy and helped to ease his anxiety. On this day that I spent with my dad, we went for a drive because he was feeling like a caged animal. This drive was one of the sweetest times that I have ever had with my dad and it serves as a great memory for me; just hearing him tell me who owned what property, what crop was planted in the fields, and the families that had owned the different farms. His love for the countryside came out in his words.

On November 15, 2021, my dad fell while leaving his house to go to dialysis. He fractured seven ribs falling on a wooden flower box. Like I said, my dad was determined to keep fighting; he still went to dialysis not knowing that he fractured seven ribs; he just knew he was in pain. When I picked him up from dialysis, he asked me to take him to the ER because he was hurting really bad and he was sure that he had ‘cracked a rib.’ I knew that he was in bad shape because he had me go into the dialysis office to walk him out and he never did that; he always walked himself out to my truck. To walk out of the building he needed my help as well because he had to walk with a walker always and that day he couldn’t push the walker very well because of the pain. At the hospital, we learned that he had fractured seven ribs on his right side and he had to be transported to a larger hospital with a heart center ICU and where he could receive his dialysis treatments. The nurse shared with me that he was in pretty bad shape but I didn’t know just how bad until later. With everything my dad had been dealing with for years, I knew that he was nearing the end of his earthly life but figured he still had some time. Once he was on his way in the ambulance, I went home because my sister was planning to meet him at the other hospital an hour away. I needed to get home to watch my granddaughter because my husband needed to go to work and I had committed to watching her that night and next morning. It was pretty late when I arrived home and I didn’t get much sleep between caring for an infant and taking many text messages and phone calls about my dad from my sister. The next morning, I was awakened with multiple calls about my dad; from my sister and the hospital. My dad’s condition was so bad that forced air oxygen and some pretty heavy-hitter meds were the only things keeping him alive. My sister and I had to have a pretty tough conversation with my dad about the fact that this time he just wouldn’t be able to bounce back like he had done so many times before; his body was just too beat up and it couldn’t continue anymore. My sister and I had to have a similar conversation prior to our dad’s starting dialysis just over seven months earlier. I hate those conversations! In the end, my dad decided to stop fighting and we were able to be with him as a family when he entered eternity very early on November 17, 2021.

I was thankful to be with him in these last hours. In the last months, one of the things that kept my dad fighting was that he had many things not taken care of and he didn’t want to leave them for my sister and I; but we ended up being left with them anyway. Dealing with my dad’s ‘loose ends,’ kept me from starting the grieving process. I felt; wrongly, that we needed to get all of these things taken care of and then I could grieve and mourn and heal from the loss of my dad. All this did was create friction in my extended family and much unneeded stress for me. By the time that I realized I needed to let the issues go, I had pushed the grieving aside and didn’t face it. It took several months for me to realize how I had not allowed myself to grieve my dad’s passing. This has taken an ugly toll on my mental state and emotions. I realized that I was mad at my dad for many of his choices through the years and for all the things that he left behind for my sister and I to deal with. And then it felt like my sister was struggling so much with his passing that I thought that I HAD to DO it ALL on my own. Such lies I believed! Much too late I realized that the stuff could wait to be dealt with; I just needed to BE with my Heavenly Father and my family and let God help me to heal, the rest of the stuff would work itself out in time. Instead, my push to get it all worked out made for a more miserable Thanksgiving; he passed about eight days before Thanksgiving. While I am thankful that I have begun to actually mourn my earthly father’s passing, it’s still really hard to face that both of my parents are no longer ‘here’ with us physically. Now it’s up to my sister and I to keep our family connected.

#LossIs Hard

WELLNESS

Through my life I have had seasons where I was focused on mental health, seasons where I was focused on spiritual health, and seasons where I was focused on physical health. In my current season of life, I am focused on the health of my WHOLE being; and the that of others. God created us as WHOLE people; we are not compartmentalized, we are WHOLE beings. For the true health of any of us human beings, there needs to be health in our body, our mind, and our spirit. This focus that I have on our WHOLE beings has led me to explore and journey down some pretty interesting paths that seem to continually led me to the same thoughts; we really need to seek the health of our body, the health of our mind, and the health of our spirit. This isn’t a revolutionary thought, I know that many people have spoken the same thing. For me, I am on a journey to discover how God will use all of this for my wellness and the wellness of others.

I have struggled with the separation and compartmentalizing of our beings; because if any part of our being is not well, it impacts the rest. If I have a headache, I struggle to read my Bible to learn more about my God and I am certainly not thinking clearly mentally. This is just one example. If I am not spending time with God and therefore weak in my spiritual health, my thought processes aren’t clear and my body can suffer from bad choices. Likewise, if my mind health is poor I will feel it in my body and likely find something blocking my relationship with God. Of course these are very vague examples, I hope what I am saying is clear though. In my much younger years, I struggled with bouts of depression; not severe but depression none-the-less. In these bouts of depression, I would make decisions about how to make myself feel better that would only lead to more depression and/or regrets. During these seasons, I would self-medicate with alcohol, shopping, or talking trash about other people. My spiritual health was circling the toilet bowl with my choices. And it was during these seasons that I dealt with some unexplainable health issues. In my late twenties God got my attention; and since He captured my heart, the roller coaster ride of my bouts of depression have mostly gone away except for the ones that seem to crop up with difficult life experiences that usual lead most people into some kind of a depression. I am talking about the loss of my parents and my son; for example.

As Holy Spirit has been molding and shaping me into the masterpiece that God created me to be, I have witnessed the health of my WHOLE being improving. With God setting me free of many fears, healing my heart from wounds, and His teaching me more about Him; I have found my mind being so much more clear and healthy. With a healthier mind and spirit, I have found that I am better able to make healthier choices for my body; I get exercise and feed my body foods that help it to work well and not rebel on me. Of course I have treats sometimes; however, I don’t focus on junk food like I used to. When I feed my body good stuff, it rewards me by feeling better and I have much more energy and my mental state is better and clearer.

God created our bodies as ONE WHOLE being, not separate entities; I believe that we are to treat it in that way. Our body, our mind, and our spirit make up our WHOLE being. I pray that you are enjoy health in your WHOLE being! I am praying for that very thing. Please contact me if there’s a specific way that I can be praying for you or if you want to talk.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV)

#BodyMindSpirit=WholeBeing

TODAY’S WORDS CAN BECOME TOMORROW’S TRIGGERS.

What’s in a word? Letters. Emotion. Attitude. Sadness. Hate. Regret. Life Lessons. There’s so much in a word. It is said that in face-to-face communication, 55% of what we convey is the nonverbals; such as, our body language, 38% is our tone, pitch, and volume, and only 7% is the actually words that we speak. While; by these findings, the actual words that we speak have little impact in our communication, the truth is that the words that we speak to children absolutely have a huge effect on children. The nonverbals and the vocal components of our conversation add a great amount to the impact on children as well. As adults, our words to child can build them up and encourage them and give them life. Our words can empower children to strive to succeed. Also; our words can belittle, squash, condemn, and curse children and the rest of their lives. Each child; each individual, was created by God with a specific purpose, when the adults in the life of a child speak cutting words to them and over them, their lives are impacted permanently; or until their hearts are connected to the God who created them.

I have personally been impacted by words spoken over me as a child. The same question asked to me almost every day for years; or maybe it just seemed that way, the question was burned into my mind so deeply that into adulthood it was a struggle for me to accept that God’s promises are for me; like they are for every other person. The question I was asked is not the point; the point is that the tender God-created heart of a child is a precious important part of who they are. The physical heart supplies the needed nutrients to the rest of the body. When it isn’t cared for and nurtured it doesn’t work properly and tends to break down. The spiritual heart is very much the same. When a child has cutting words spoken to them or over them, their spiritual heart is deeply wounded; not cared for or nurtured. As the child grows into an adult, they find themselves walking around with that same wounded uncared for heart. Several outcomes are possible. They may strive to be perfect so they will be accepted, loved, and belong. They may become criminals, become hard-hearted, become people-pleasers, or they may work themselves beyond human capacity. Of course this is not an exhaustive list; I just wanted to share some examples.

The enemy of our souls loves to play in these situations. He likes to tell us; in our own voice (in our minds), that we don’t deserve to be loved, we have to go 90 miles an hour with our hair on fire or we won’t measure up, or your just stupid and worthless; whatever it is that relates to what was spoken to you as a child. The heart of a child is so tender and wants so much to be loved and cared for; words spoken really do matter.

Scripture warns us to guard our hearts because it is the wellspring of our being and that we are to watch our tongue because it is like a two-edged sword. Words can cut like a knife. The difference is the physical wounds heal and become a distant memory that we share when we want to compare ‘war stories.’ With words, you can’t see the scars but they are very real and continue to hurt long after the dust settles.

I realize that this is a pretty bleak post. I want to share hope. I have found so much healing through freedom ministry and handing over wounds to Jesus. He takes such great care of them and me! I still deal with triggers and sometimes it still hurts; but I know that I can run to Jesus and He’s going to carry me through until the hurt subsides. For years; I just buried everything, thinking that it would go away or magically be healed because I didn’t want to deal with all that stuff anymore. One of the things that Jesus has shown me is that I can use my own; albeit, difficult story to help others who have experienced something similar. I also have been determined to do my best to not speak cutting words over the children in my life. Of course I am far from perfect and have a long way to go; however, I am at peace knowing that my Great God has His mighty Hands all over my life.

If you have experienced a childhood with condemning words spoken to you or over you and you just need to talk it out, I am here with a sympatric ear and a tender heart. May God use what the enemy has intended for evil, for our good and His glory.

#ShutUpSatan

Mystery Flight

As I soar up here, way up high;

I look down to see where the past has taken me by.

The past is there, I see it well;

There’s much in the story I have yet to tell.

The past I see shows me so much;

If I reach out to feel it, I cannot touch.

Experience taught me so much in life,

I always wanted to avoid strife.

Hiding in that closed off shell;

I thought it would protect but it was more like hell.

As I gaze down over my present days,

I struggle to see through all the haze.

Clarity is what I desire,

Searching for it only makes me tire.

The future has much to do;

If only it would come into view.

I sense the joy,

That those days will bring;

I know it’s important to cut that string.

What will it be like,

Only God shall know;

What will it feel like,

As love will grow?

Where will this journey take me,

Only God can see,

Where this journey will take me.

For now, I will look to see

Only what’s before me.

CLEARING THE CHAOS

What’s the story behind the piles of ‘things’ that we keep?

For years I have struggled with looking at piles of things; they just seem to stress me out and it feels like they are somehow hanging over my mind, leading to an overwhelming feeling of stress. I have had the mantra for years that clutter is chaos and chaos is stress; who needs more stress, so lets get rid of the clutter so the chaos is gone leading to less stress. It makes perfect sense to me but maybe not to everyone. I haven’t always held this view; as a kid I was a child version of Oscar Madison from the Odd Couple. For those too young to know who that is, Google or YouTube it and you will understand the reference. I always had food under my bed; you know, in case I got hungry during the night. I didn’t understand that the food would draw crawly things that I don’t like. Anyway, I always had clothes and whatever all over the floor and stuffed in the closet. You have to understand that between my sister’s and my room was one long closet that stretched the full length of our rooms and was about three feet wide. We could stuff lots of things into that closet and usually did; that is until we had to clean it. That was a chore and a half; however, when it was clean we had lots of fun playing in the closet, running from one room to the other. All this to say, I understand how spaces can get so full of ‘stuff’ that we get overwhelmed by it; and forget about trying to get started with cleaning it, to start that task is as huge as eating an elephant in one bite.

Somewhere in my teens I turned the corner and went from Oscar Madison to Felix Unger; same show but the other half of the Odd Couple. Felix was the super neat freak that probably sanitized the vacuum cleaner. I became the person that cleaned and changed her room around every Friday evening. I had a good friend that thought it great fun to move the T.V. Guide or Kleenex box on the coffee table so that she could watch me put it back into ‘it’s spot.’ I know, from one extreme to the other, exactly right. This neat freakness followed me into adulthood and into my own home. Of course having kiddos kind of helped me to loosen up a lot on the neat freakness; after several years of stressing over those crazy toys all over the floor all the time. I about drove myself crazy constantly picking up toys. That is until I decided to just wait until the kiddos were down for their naps or to bed for the night, to pick up the toys. And don’t get me started on being married to a wonderful man who’s a mechanic, trying to keep things free of grease and grime from the shop; it’s definitely a full time job, okay maybe just a part time job, but you get the point I’m sure.

So, is it Oscar who has it right or is it Felix? Do we have so much ‘stuff’ surrounding us that we don’t even know what we have anymore or do we have things so cleaned and clutter free that we could literally eat off the floor (YUCK); but you know what I mean. I think that in this issue; as with about everything in life, we need to find a happy medium, not just for our mental health but also for our physical and spiritual health. What does this have to do with our physical and spiritual health? I am so glad that you asked. Our physical health can be impacted by a house full of clutter because of the germ factor; but also because of the psychological and spiritual reasons for the collection of the ‘stuff’ which then can lead to physical symptoms of poor health. Spiritually, the ‘stuff’ can become an idol and take the place of God in our heart. There’s so much more to this that I can’t share without writing a book. Instead of focusing on all the stuff, let’s look at why we collect those ‘priceless’ gems. What hole are we trying to fill? Did our parents collect things? When did we start collecting the _____? What was going on in our life? Why do we have to have every one of the collection of the _______? What does having all of those_____ get us in the end? Does it make our life fuller? Happier? Free-er? How does having all these ‘things’ impact our next generation and the generation after that?

So, now what?

First steps: take one space; whether it be a drawer, closet, or cupboard, and clean it all out. Sort what’s in the space into one of three boxes/totes; 1. I really want to keep, it has a purpose. 2. I will give away, it has no real purpose for me. 3. I will throw away, it’s not useful to anyone.

Second step: journal about how you felt when you were done with that small space, what you will clean/sort next, and when you will do it.

Third step: clean and sort your next space the same as you did the first space. Make sure to keep journaling about your progress.

Fourth step: Know that I am proud of you for each and every step that you take forward; more importantly, know that your Heavenly Father is smiling upon you as you become free of the hold that your ‘stuff’ has on your life. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, live free of the stress of the chaos.

WHAT AND WHY

For most of my life; no probably all off my life, music has been a very important part of my life. From growing up in the 70’s and 80’s listening to my mom’s music and the rock bands of the 80’s, I have identified so much with music. I have those certain songs; that when I hear them, it takes me back to a time and a place and a memory, maybe even a big life event. I will admit that a lot of the music that I grew up listening to wasn’t the best for me to be influenced and listening to it now can completely change my mood and perspective; that is why I have chosen to not listen to; and there by be influenced by, the hair bands of the 80’s. Some would speak against that statement; however, while I know that there is some classic music from those times, I know where my thoughts and perspective goes when I listen to it and therefore choose to avoid listening to it. The music from the 80’s is a trigger for me.

In this season of my life; and I dare say, for the rest of my life life, I choose to listen to music that brings me closer to the God I love and triggers me in a positive direction. Music is still so much a part of my life and has great influence on my thoughts and perspective. This morning while listening to I will Carry You by Ellie Holcomb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBGb5jG5v3Y), I was reminded of why I can trust Jesus with; not only my life, but also every cell, every organ, every detail of my life.

These are the lyrics of the song that struck me so profoundly this morning:

I Will Carry You by Ellie Holcomb

I know you’re tired, I see it in your eyes
All that anxiety that rules your mind
I’ll be your shield when you don’t feel like
You’ve got strength enough to fight
I’ll stand by your side

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you’re terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

You are not the sum of your mistakes
You don’t have to hide the parts of you that ache
I choose you as you are a million times
‘Cause I am not ashamed of you
I won’t walk away from you

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you’re terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

Why can I trust Jesus with my whole being, my whole heart, my whole everything? Because He will carry me through the good, the bad, and the everything in between. Now this is the best way to start my day; with a great reminder of the extent to which Jesus has gone for me and will go for me because of His beyond-my-comprehension love! A little while later; as I was on my morning walk, Holy Spirit began to put some things together for me. He first reminded me of the ‘why’ I can trust Jesus; and then He reminded me of the ‘what’ He is asking me to do by reminding me of a great song (of course) from quite a few years ago called Welcome Home by Shawn Groves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPZtQGZUyMk). I will share the lyrics of this powerful song but first I want to share that this song reveals what Jesus is calling His followers to do; what God is calling His people to do; what Holy Spirit is leading and teaching us to do. Now I am a task-oriented person so I can get all wrapped up in the doing side of things; this is a weakness of mine, I tend to get so caught up in the doing that I miss out on the being with those around me. I don’t recommend this as a habit or hobby. God wants us to BE with Him first and foremost as we read in Psalm 46:10; I would look it up if you don’t already know what it says, I love this verse! Anyway, what God is asking us to ‘do’ comes out of our ‘BEING’ with Him; spending time with Him, talking with Him constantly, sharing His love with others, but most of all; as the words of Welcome Home remind us, God wants to be invited into every space of our being with nooooo exceptions. And when we invite Jesus into every cell and every detail of our lives, what a relationship we can have with the Lover of our souls!

Welcome Home by Shawn Groves

Take, me, make me
All You want me to be
That’s all I’m asking, all I’m asking

Welcome to this heart of mine
I’ve buried under prideful vines
Grown to hide the mess I’ve made
Inside of me
Come decorate, Lord
Open up the creaking door
And walk upon the dusty floor
Scrape away the guilty stains
Until no sin or shame remain
Spread Your love upon the walls
And occupy the empty halls
Until the man I am has faded
No more doors are barricaded

Come inside this heart of mine
It’s not my own
Make it home
Come and take this heart and make it
All Your own
Welcome home

Take a seat, pull up a chair
Forgive me for the disrepair
And the souvenirs from floor to ceiling
Gathered on my search for meaning
Every closet’s filled with clutter
Messes yet to be discovered
I’m overwhelmed, I understand
I can’t make this place all that You can

I took the space that You placed in me
Redecorated in shades of greed
And I made sure every door stayed locked
Every window blocked, and still You knocked

Come inside this heart of mine
It’s not my own
Make it home
Come and take this heart and make it
All Your own
Welcome home

Take me, make me
All You want me to be
That’s all I’m asking, all I’m asking

What is God asking of His people? To be invited into every space of our lives; yes, even the messy difficult spaces that we think that we have to hold onto because only we know how to take care of them. Yes, even that one thing that just came to your mind. Yes, even that space that is surrounded by those protective walls; please let me share with you that those protective walls aren’t protecting you, they are holding you prisoner to the pain of that thing and to the enemy of your soul that keeps lying to you by telling you; in a voice that sounds like your own, that these walls will protect you. It’s all lies!

Why can we trust God with these spaces? Because He knows our every cell; our every minute; our every thought. And you know what, He made you; He’s crazy in love with you; and He will carry you!!!

A prayer from Jesus from John 17:26: “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

What are the spaces that Jesus hasn’t been invited into? Why hasn’t He been invited?

You are so loved!

DANCING WITH JESUS

As a little girl I dreamed of being a dancer. In my dreams, I danced beautifully all around the room. My elegant flowing gown sweeping across the floor like I was floating on air; being glided gracefully by my strong dance partner. We moved as one with grace and poise as though it was effortless. My dance partner and I were alone in the large beautiful space; there was a great glow streaming in through the windows, as though the radiance of God flooded the space. I wanted to stay in this space forever! Such peace. Such grace. Such love and acceptance. No fear. No shame. No hurt.

I am much older now and I still long for this sweet scene. To be dressed in the most beautiful ball gown with my King placing His crown on my head; He takes my hands in His and He glides me around the most beautiful ballroom, His radiance is filling the space. My King takes my hands in His and He glides us around the room in the most elegant dance I have ever seen. My dance with my King Jesus.

God is the creator of all things; an artist beyond our every imagination. He created the movements of dance; the messages of dance. There are so many messages in the art of dance. The artistry of the movements, the emotion of the dance, the connection of the partners; there can be no walls around either partner or the fluidity of the movements are disrupted and disastrous. When dancing with a partner, there cannot be a distance between the partners; either physically or connectively, or the message of the dance will change.

Another thought.

As an adult, I have considered ‘dancing with Jesus’ to be what a Christ follower will get to do once they arrive in Heaven after passing from this earth. I have had a change of mind; I still believe that Christ followers will get to dance with Jesus in Heaven; however, God has shown me that dancing with Jesus is also something that we can do here on earth when we remove the barriers standing between us and Jesus. When we are carrying shame, quilt, fear, wounds, etc., we aren’t able to see Jesus inviting us to dance with Him. These heavy bags also leave us unable to embrace Jesus fully or even get close enough to Him to move around the dancefloor.

So now what?

Every person’s dance looks different. Every person’s journey towards Jesus is different. The fact that is the same for all is that the heavy bags need to be left at the feet of Jesus so that we can take His hands and glide across His dancefloor surrounded by His radiance. Is this an easy task? No, but Jesus will help all along the way. Is it a one and done deal? No, but Jesus will be with you all along the way. Do I have to do this alone? No, you have Jesus and your people.

My dance with Jesus. Through the years, I have always loved to dance; some years the messages from my dancing were ‘different,’ but at this point in my life I see dance as a sign of healing from stuff of the past (Ecclesiastes 3:4; Jeremiah 31:13) and that my dream dance with my King Jesus seems a little more real. My current dance with Jesus looks like worship music in my ears, hands raised in worship, and some swaying back and forth. So if you see me in church during worship and you see my hands raised and body swaying, just know that I am enjoying a sweet dance with my King Jesus because He’s invited me to join Him (Psalm 149:3).

May you spend much time dancing with Jesus; every time He invites you to join Him!

SOARING

“Look up into the heavens.
    Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
    calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
    not a single one is missing.
²⁷O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
    O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
²⁸Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
²⁹He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
³⁰Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

God’s Help for Israel

41 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea.”
Isaiah 40:26-41:1a NLT

Have you ever found yourself so emotionally drained that you just wanted to sleep for a day; maybe two? Have you ever found yourself wondering why this journey of life seems so hard? Have you ever just wondered why you are where you are in this world? Have you ever wondered if anyone else struggles with the same things that you are struggling with? Have you ever believed that isolating yourself from other people is the safe way to journey through this life? Have you ever felt so alone that you believe that if you weren’t around no one would miss you?

Have you ever looked at these thoughts and realized that they aren’t of our Creator God Elohim? God created the stars and gave them each a name. He created each person and gave us each a name and a purpose; and this before time as we know it. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

³¹But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Close your eyes and envision yourself soaring on the wings of an eagle as if you were soaring with God, in the protection of His wings. What are you seeing as you look around? What are you smelling? What are you feeling? Do you taste anything? What do you hear? Are you at peace or in a state of anxiety? Allow yourself to be present in that moment before you move on.

When you are ready; look ahead in the distance, do you see where you are headed? Where is it? How do you feel about where you are headed? What do you see? How do you feel in the moment? What do you smell? Is there a taste? What do you hear? Are you at peace with what you are experiencing?

What do you see between where you are and where you are going? Where is God in that in-between space?

God’s timing is perfect and His plan is perfect. Trust in His plan. May you be blessed!

INFLUENCE

From my grandma that let me wear her high heels to the grandma that helped me to see that I was different and set apart for God; to the grandma that showed me through her own life what it looks like to follow and serve Jesus. These ladies were of great influence to me as I grew up and as an adult. Their influence; even from childhood, followed me and has walked with me throughout adulthood.

God created each of these ladies with very different personalities and gifts; even the way that they loved me varied greatly. Grandma was very strong and independent; she was confident that she didn’t need anyone because she could surely do everything herself. She was determined to be young and act young until she breathed her last breath; which she truly wanted to be on her terms. Cooking was absolutely not a gift that she was granted; however, her skills at always having bacon available to munch on was well refined.

Grandma was a hard worker and made some pretty amazing molasses cookies. I remember well many servings of canned peaches and pears. I remember her willingness to share her assessment of people’s value and worth. I remember grandma’s mighty strength; even though she was short in height, she had some power behind her. Her words to me have shown me over and over that God has set me apart for His purposes; no matter what the world may say.

Grandma had so many gifts. She was a great cook, she was very creative, she was very organized, and most importantly, she loved God and it showed in all that she said and did. She prayed for a lost young lady and God brought her back to Him. She prayed for a young family and they ended up very involved in the Body of Christ. She prayed and and and… Grandma had great love for God and she shared it with all she came in contact with because she served others, always. Grandma saw value in others and treated others with the value that God gave them. Grandma wasn’t perfect but she used her influence to make a difference in the lives of so many! I am one of those lives; forever changed because of the love and example of my grandma!

We all have influence with everyone around us. It is our choice what we do with that influence. Will it be to show others the path to Jesus? Will it be to lead others to ‘self?’

What will you do with your influence?

“Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 RSV)

“He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (Luke 6:39-41 NIV)

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:13-14 NIV)

#influence#purpose#love

Hope's Table

What do we do with Life Experiences?

Tag Archives: strength

MORNING SONGS

CELEBRATING A LIFE

WELLNESS

TODAY’S WORDS CAN BECOME TOMORROW’S TRIGGERS.

Mystery Flight

CLEARING THE CHAOS

WHAT AND WHY

DANCING WITH JESUS

SOARING

God’s Help for Israel

INFLUENCE