Then there's this quote: "So will I give something up? Well, it's noon on Ash Wednesday and I still haven't decided. Will I decide to "take" something up? Ta-da! Blog! Looks like I may be taking up courage this Lent. And then perhaps this 40 days will give way to a more incredible resurrection joy that my writing can only hope to convey."
BOOM! So there you go, I've been on this blog here for just over a year and I think I will be celebrating that somehow with my kids this President's Day. God is good.
Now on to the actual point of writing today...
I've been through a whole season of Messy Monday's and yet this one didn't hit me until last night. I've had ideas bouncing around in my head for a few days, none materializing into anything worth publishing, but then the precious preschooler looks at me at supper last night and tells me, "Mom, you will haf to put someping on my lips because de orange hurts dem."
Citrus fruit really picks a heckuva time to be in season. Her lips flamed red as she wiped them with her napkin. Her attempts to wipe away the burn.
It's on the faces of kids all over the place. The wind-burned lips and cheeks. Our own hands cracked red and bleeding from the lack of moisture. It pains me to think what state we'd be in without our humidifiers. So when my dear one pointed out her dry condition, the first thing I thought of was living water.
God designed our bodies with this incredible need for saturation. And not just on the inside. Sure, we need to ingest water to survive, but we need more than just that. Without moisture seeping in from the outside, life becomes painful. Citrus fruit burns. The cracks in our skin and souls are easily irritated. Those things that would give us pleasure: our adorable kids, our talented friends, our endearing spouses, grate on our nerves. The kids become pests. Our friends a source of envy. Our spouses a nuisance.
We try to fix it ourselves. We clean up our act- rubbing our souls raw. We steep our hands in water for an hour a week, thinking that one hour will make the difference when there are 167 other hours in the week to dry us out. We slather on yummy lotion that is more scent than salve.
Meanwhile, the moisture within us wicks away little by little until we are dry. Bone dry.
We wonder why there is so much pain, so much hate, in this world.
Satan is drying us out.
And it's hard to bring healing to others when we are just so irritated.
Hey, Christians, I have news for you. The world is in need of some serious humidifiers. Some human humidifiers full of the living water. Not just the ones on TV and the radio. Not the kind that publish books and grace home libraries. The ones who need the living water the most, the ones dying without it, are the ones who don't watch those TV shows, listen to those stations, or read those books. They are the people who walk from place to place in your world, and they are cracked and bleeding.
God put you in their atmosphere deliberately. No accident there. He loves you. He loves them. And you can never hear that too much. That's what humidifying does. It permeates the world with life-giving water.
Let's plug in for a moment-
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17
Paul was talking about Christians living alongside other Christians. Christians get dry too. I have been a lot lately.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Jesus was talking about believers living alongside nonbelievers.
The common denominator is this- Everyone needs God, and God alone gets the glory. That is the honest truth. God is the balm that heals. Jesus is the only living water that satisfies. He reminds us that we are His instruments. To each other. To the world. So fill us up, Lord, with your presence. And plug us in!
Who is your human humidifier? Who encourages you? Who showers you with Christ's love? Thank God for that person. Ask Him to show you ways to thank them for the gift of encouragement, love, and truth in Christ.
Who can you share Jesus with today? It doesn't have to be a testimony- just thankfulness and light can be balm to a wounded soul. A listening ear goes a long way.
Are you cracked and dry? Are you in need of extra encouragement? Visit my Facebook page and message me. Let me know how I can pray for you.
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It's really been a great year! I've been exhausted by life lately, but I thank God for bringing you all into my world in this special way. Thank you for your words of encouragement and your open arms. Thank you to my wonderful husband for his understanding and patience with me. He learned quickly how to tell when I was mentally writing, and he has taken up the cross of a writer's husband with grace. Love to you all!
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"And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement."-Acts 15:31. Thanks for commenting!