At All Times {Three Word Wednesday}

Do you find it odd that at the most scary part of a 24 hour period, that is the time when we are supposed to find rest?

The world has been getting to me lately. Quite honestly, it has kept me up at night. God's fearless wild woman trembles in the face of imaginary bullies. The ones that would rob her children of their innocence, and her heart of its peace.

And when the preschooler comes in our bedroom in the black of night and says she's scared of the dark, I say "me too." Because moms and dads have nightmares too.

Because in the light we could see for miles. In the darkness, only a few feet.

Because I often feel like I'm driving our family west at dusk. Chasing the sun. Reaching to catch it before it sinks, and I drown in darkness.

The darkness deepens. Indeed it does.

And I pray, "Lord, with me abide."

And He says, "I do."

I confess. I search frantically for headlights and reflectors to light the way. Because I don't trust God. He taunts me over the horizon. Drive further, faster. Come get me.

That's my emotions. My weak faith takes over.

That's not God.

He does not taunt. His "I do" promises I am.

His I am is eternal. Inescapable.

No high-speed chase of fleeting fancy.

He pursues. I wait.

For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from Him comes my salvation.

Psalm 62:1

Rest does not depend on our circumstances. The great illusion is that it will come when our situation changes. When we move. When our kids grow older. But the truth is there will always be a new fear or struggle to replace the old one. 

Rest can only be found in the unchanging I am. Ever present. Ever powerful. Always Mercy. Always Love. 

And He will remind us of that in the dark places. When He speak
s peace and rest into our sin-weary souls. It is no accident that our physical rest is to be found when the darkness is deepest. It is a reminder to rest in Him. In Him alone.

Praying your hearts are refreshed in Him.

-------
Simply serving love with Simply Beth for Three Word Wednesday. For more refreshment, visit her over there and read some amazing writers. Love you all!

Just Hold On

I foresee some obstacles to getting writing done today. Namely, my three year old came downstairs screaming today for want of her pink blanket that we can't find- just an indicator of how I anticipate the day unfolding. Thankfully, I wrote a piece for the church newsletter that I happened to like, so here you go!

----

There’s a basic routine that happens in our house on school days. Like other homes, it involves dressing, eating, brushing, etc. A “hallelujah!” gets thrown in every once in a while when a kid remembers to make their bed without my saying so. Some days go smoothly, others not so much.

On one particularly frigid day this past month, the kids were eager to get out the door and on their way to school. Being that the air outside was drastically colder than the air inside, we wanted to make sure everyone was absolutely ready to sprint out the door the moment it opened, so as to abbreviate the draft time.

The Oldest couldn’t wait. She kept reaching for the handle, tempted to push it open and go when little The Littlest just needed one more moment to situate herself.

“Hold on,” my husband kept telling her. “Hold on,” he’d tell our son. Finally a string of “holdon-holdon-holdon-holdon-holdon” burst forth, followed by the question, “Honey, do you know what ‘hold on’ means?”

“Yes.” She sounded doubtful.

“What does it mean?”

“It means… stop?”

“It means wait.”

It struck me hard, the relationship between holding on and waiting. So often, waiting in our life feels like floundering alone in an ocean of what-if’s.  People pass us by, smiling and waving on their speedboats, leaving us bobbing up and down in the wake of the plan that is obviously whisking them away into their awesome destinies.

Meanwhile, we wait. Alone. But God doesn’t tell us to doggy-paddle through life. He doesn’t tell us to keep to the surface until our destiny gets there. He tells us to hold on. And He reminds us that we are never truly alone.

Many of us recognize Jeremiah 29:11- “  But read the verse before that, “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.”

We want to get to the plans, and skip the wait. It’s just how we roll. But God’s people had to wait 70 years in captivity. What were they supposed to do? Twiddle their thumbs? Kill the next 69 years and start preparing for some awesomeness about a year before He answered? Uh, no. They were supposed to hold on. To Him. Because it is in the holding on that God works thoroughly in the hearts of His people. In the holding on, we realize He’s the one doing the holding, and He’s not letting go.

You wouldn’t want to go into heart surgery with a surgeon who tells you they’ll be in and out of there as quickly as possible. You want the one dealing with your life to be thorough, to get the job done right no matter how long it takes.

Guess what, God gets that. He’s going to get it done and He’s going to get it right. You can trust Him on that. He’s got plans for you, plans to do you good. Just hold on.

Brace For Impact (Three Word Wednesday)

She looks at me, eyes smiling as she clutches her crackers. She has chubby cheeks and curly hair, so utterly different than every other child of mine.

But her playfulness is the same as that of any other happy toddler.

I send her the sternest look I can muster in the face of those ringlets, cheeks, blue eyes, and electric smile. My index finger firmly pets the air upward, coding the urgent message: come here.

She knows what that means. I know she knows what that means because she smiles wider, scrunches her nose, and hightails it the other way.

I have no other choice. I have to go after her.

So, as my daughter climbs the scarlet stairs up to the altar, and her father delivers an impassioned sermon about one of the "Unusual Suspects" Christ called to be a fisher of men, I cast my line. She knows I've almost got her, so she does what she always does. She stops, squeezes her eyes shut, pulls her arms to her chest, her hands to her neck, and laughs. She braces herself for impact. I haul in a whopper of a girl. And I want to be mad, I really do. I just can't.

Sometimes in the waiting, we want to brace ourselves for impact- for whatever God has planned for us. And that really is so good. Except, we forget Who we're dealing with. God is mighty, sure. But God is also love.

So, we picture God's big plan as rocking our world. Entering earth's atmosphere.

We see the hard, and miss the heart.

We forget. God's biggest impact is always always always made by love.

That's how He created us. That's how He saved us. Every single time, God impacts us with His love, in His love.

Bracing is a natural instinct of ours to prepare for what's to come, so what if we prepared to be loved in a big way? I mean, a really big way. Today.

Would it open our eyes to the love impacts He makes on us every moment, every breath of our day, until even our breaths are blaring testimonies to the love of our Great God?

His love is amazing, persistent, gritty, beautiful, constant, and it is with you now. It isn't just a feeling. It's a guarantee that the Lord will work in your life in a way that is consistent with His character. Will it be hard? Probably.

But hard is bearable when His heart is what's bearing you up.

We've read the lines. Heard them sung and spoken. But what if we heard and saw 1st Corinthians 13:4-10 in action today? As God speaking them to us...

I am patient and kind to you, Beloved.

I will not compare you to others, or wish you to be more like them.

I will not belittle you or make you feel worthless in my sight.

I am God over all, but I say and do nothing out of cruelty toward you.

My plan is right, but that doesn't mean I am closed off to hearing your plans and pleas in prayer. Talk to me!

My anger is always just, and always aimed at that which is separating my children from me-

You won't find Me to just be cranky like a human. 

I don't hold grudges. When I say you are forgiven- You are forgiven.

I find no delight in the sins of man. The things that have hurt you- I've seen them all and they do not please Me.

I rejoice with all the heavenly host when one sinner repents, and comes to the truth.

That includes you.

There is nothing you can you do, say, or endure that I cannot bear, and will not bear, for you.

Just look at the cross.

I know for a fact the power within My grasp, so when I tell you that all things work together for the good of those who love Me- believe it. Put your hope in me. No matter what you endure. I'm there with you throughout it all.

I will never, ever stop working on your behalf. I will never stop showing you love. When the days get long and things get too hard- remember that all of this will be gone someday soon. The good stuff and the bad. What will remain is our love forever. When you cling to My love, you cling to something eternal- doesn't that reveal just how much stronger it is than your present circumstances?

Praying God impacts you with His love today. The love that created the world. The love that traded His robe of glory for human flesh. The love that nailed Him to the cross and kept Him there until it was finished. The love that resurrected that third day and reigns in your heart.

Brace yourself. He's about to make an impact:)

I would love to hear how God has impacted your day, and your life in real ways! It is always so exciting to see how personally He chooses to relate His love to each one of us. The magnitude and creativity of our loving God is just amazing!

------
Linking up with Simply Beth at Three Word Wednesday today! For more posts on three incredible words, just click the button and get reading. Or think of your own three words and link up with us!

Five Minute Friday: True

I was writing in my head tonight as I patiently waited from my husband to amble up the concourse and into my arms after a 3 day conference.

I have to admit, it works radically with this week's Five Minute Friday: True. (If you haven't met here for a Five Minute Friday yet- a globe-load of wonderful writers meet together at Lisa-Jo Baker's place. Her task: to gift us with her prompt. Our task: to write about it for five minutes- no editing. Some of the most heartfelt words stream forth on these Fridays. Come join us!)

So here it is, at 12:40 a.m. I am writing this because I know the creativity juices may dry up if I wait until I have rested. And it's only five minutes, but it's an important five minutes.

GO

For my daughters:

I write to you so late because flights get delayed and airports are far, and I just had to see your daddy tonight.

I stood for virtually forever waiting for his sweet face. His gait. And I sent up silent prayers thanking God for your daddy's bald head- so easy to pick out of the crowd.

Flight after flight passed me by and with each man that passed I heard the voice of wisdom, wait for him.

Darlings, waiting for the one God has for you is a lot like waiting for your dad tonight at the airport.

A steady stream of people will pass you by, and you may be impatient with all the waiting, but it's worth the wait. Don't go throwing your arms around just any young guy who crosses your path.

Before you know it, couple after couple will join, embrace, hold hands, smile, whisper. And they will seem just so happy. You are going to want that.

Just wait. Wait for the one who is true.

You'll know him when you see him. The one who pursues you with the godly love. The one who loves Jesus as much or more than you do.

He is coming. He is on the way even now- who knows what stops he must make along the way.

But it is true- He is true.

STOP