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By Posted on Posted in God's provision, gratitude No Comments

Just a quick blog. Two days in a row… I know. Someone call a doctor!

You know that saying, “If you love something, set it free…” ? The idea is that if you release something that you care about, if it’s meant to be yours, then it will come back to you. If not, then you’re better off without it.

I don’t think it’s necessarily scriptural, but I know that God works similarly to this principle. When I hold onto things, it goes from being a blessing from God to being luggage that I must carry around. When I hold onto things, I am unable to receive anything new from Him because my hands are full. When I hold onto things, I miss out on the blessing I would receive by giving it to someone else.

I learned this lesson anew today. Back up to a few weeks ago… I was packing up baby clothes to take to my sister (who just had twin boys two months ago) and there were some items that I didn’t think I could part with. Of course, my little Levi can’t wear them anymore… but they were so adorable and I was tempted to hold onto them as keepsakes. The Lord pressed me a bit, and I reluctantly folded them up and put them in the pile for my sweet little nephews. Tears…

Today, I received some hand-me-downs from a remarkable friend, who has been loaning me baby boy clothes since Levi was born. I took her the 3 bins of 12-18 mo clothes I had on retainer… and traded them in for a bin and an oversized bag of fall and winter 12-24 mo clothes.

Well, if I didn’t cry (again) while going through the fabulous new wardrobe for my boy. There were some pieces that are identical to the favorite items that I gave to my sister! I received this blessing because I let go of what I had.

Great lesson… one I’ll probably have to learn again and again! God is so good, even in the little things. He is always, always good.

Let it go, friends, whatever it is.  Set it free!

By Posted on Posted in God's covering, obedience, trusting Him No Comments

It’s been an interesting week.  Swimming upstream again, I’m afraid. After a few days of feeling like giving up (on everything) I needed the Lord to speak truth to me. What in the world was my problem??

Faithful as He is… the Lord answered straight away. He sent me to a certain passage in my bible, and I knew right away it was something I had already read recently. Irritated and impatient, I turned the pages wondering why we were going back there.

As soon as I read the words, I remembered. Ah, yes. We WERE here last week. The Lord had spoken some things to my heart through this particular passage. I remember feeling anxious about what He laid on my heart that morning. I wasn’t sure how to react… so I went with dismissal. I didn’t receive what He shared with me. I pushed it aside.

Somehow a week went by, and I guarded my heart from Him each day. Oh sure, I got up and read my bible each morning, but I closed up my heart. True, I prayed each day for help, for guidance, for freedom. But the walls were there.

I read these verses this morning, and they spoke to me so clearly:

Those who are far from You, Lord, will perish….But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge.”   Psalm 73:27-28

The first part of this verse is very likely speaking primarily of salvation. Those that are far from God will perish eternally rather than be with Him in heaven. Although I am saved and do not need to worry about an eternity away from Him, I do need to see the effects of the unconscious decision to guard my heart from Him.

I was feeling it after a week. I was far from Him, and I felt as though I was perishing. Melting emotionally and struggling spiritually. It is good…really SO much more than good for me to be near God. To open up my heart to Him and share the fear, concern, anger, frustration, or whatever else is occupying my heart and mind. It is good to stay close to Him.

The last part of the verse gave me a new perspective. Like the Psalm writer, I made a decision to make the Sovereign Lord my refuge. When you see the word Sovereign in the Old Testament, the actual Hebrew word there is often Adonai, which means “Lord and Master”.

So often, I run from the Sovereign Lord instead of seeking refuge in Him. I see the power that He has over me as my Lord, and I worry that He will lead me down thorny paths. I allow fear to rule my heart.

A decision to find refuge in the Sovereign Lord is one that acknowledges that He is the One leading and guiding my life. He is the One that will make decisions for me. He is the One that I will follow. When I find refuge in Him in dark hours, I am clinging to the One that led me to the difficult place I’m in. How perfect that He should be the One to protect me!

I believe that He is good. Always good. I believe that He is loving. The most loving of all. I need to remember that whatever He permits me to go through is the most loving and good thing that I need at the time.

I don’t understand all of the things that He shared with me last week. However, I am making a conscious choice to trust Him rather than distance myself from Him. I taking refuge in the Sovereign Author-of-my-life-story Lord. No matter what He has planned, I am safe in the shadow of His wings.

By Posted on Posted in growth, rest 1 Comment Tagged with

Recently, I posted a status update on facebook that read:

The human race would be extinct if women had any idea how demanding motherhood would be.

My job as a mother is serious business. Not for the faint-hearted, for sure!  I wouldn’t trade it for anything… except maybe for a week in a tropical paradise… then I would want my demanding life right back again.

I’ve shared that the Lord has been teaching me how to rest in the midst of my demanding life. Clearly, sleep is helpful. I try to get 7 hours each night. Time alone with Him is necessary too… so my soul can rest. Then there’s my current fling with Amish fiction. My mind needs the rest from homeschool pre-algebra and the mental gymnastics required to outwit my 16 month old.

Recently, the Lord showed me that I need more help to rest my body. I’ve had two massages in the past few weeks. Amazing. Also enlightening.

I have major kinks and knots in my neck and shoulders! The stress of life and motherhood have taken their toll on me. I am carrying around tension in my body, and I have decided that this tension is no longer welcome. Of course, these knots will not budge without skilled hands… and not without pressure.

Now, there’s a word that keeps resurfacing in my life. Pressure. I am ever-aware that God allows pressure to build in my life so that I will keep running to Him.  So that, one day, I might never leave His side!

While laying on the massage table today, I gladly welcomed the painful pressure necessary to work the knots out of my shoulder muscles.  Welcoming pain… did I really say that?

Suddenly, I became aware that the pressure God permits in my life is also working out some of the knots in my heart. He is loosening up my heart muscles so that I can relax and trust Him more. The knots of fear, bitterness, and desire for control are kneaded out as I allow His pressure to work in my life.

Maybe I can learn to welcome the pressure and pain He permits… as easily as I welcomed the heavy hands of massage today. Hmmmm…. I am definitely moving in that direction. Lead me, Lord.