Miracles

I am tired and need to go to bed, but I have to share that miracles happened today! I received some help from three young, strong men to load my truck. Before we began work, it was raining. As we began our work, the rain stopped. Miracle. We worked steadily for two hours, which was all the time it took to load and secure the truck...miracle! After the very last box was loaded it began to poor down rain! Miracle. God's hand was evident through every detail from the biggest to the smallest. Coincidence? Good planning? I think not. God! Because of Him, packing was a breeze and there was even time to treat everyone to burgers. Thank you, Lord.

"The Lord is near to those who call upon Him" (Psalm 145:18). We leave in the early morning. I'm not worried about the trip, there's no need to be.

Simply Trust

Some days it is really hard for me to trust the Lord, trust that He will lead me each step of the way. I always come back to the verse in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." That part about "leaning on your own understanding" is tough for me as oft my mind works a mile a minute to try to understand the depth of my situation and where it is leading to. I thank God that He is in control and trust that today I must do what He's called me to do and He will lead me each step of the way! Lord, I'm keeping my eyes on You and resting in the fact that nothing I do can separate me from your love.

Read Romans 8:24-the end today to be assured that your life is in God's hands.

Patience waits!

"Lord, I pray for patience." This was my prayer last Fall. At the time, I didn't know why I was praying for patience. I think now I am learning why.

Why is having patience so hard? Maybe it's because the world in which we live is not conducive to patience. When we want something, we want it now and we have the means to get it! Right? I know if I order coffee at a restaurant, I expect it to come hot and fast. If one store can't serve me coffee the way I like, I can go to another one! Then, there's instant communication through cell phones, which allow us to be available for others all the time. I've often felt like a slave to my phone! Living with daily conveniences can cause me to be impatient, presumptuous, or to have expectations, but convenience does not produce character! So patience does not come naturally in a world of convenience; it is a daily struggle as we learn to wait on the Holy Spirit.

Often I question, "Lord, what it is that I am waiting for? Won't you give me a clue to my fate. Why is it that you tell me to wait?" But I think I am missing the beauty of patience! Maybe you are too? You see we are called to "let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4). Gold when it is refined must go through a process. First, the gold is placed in the fire and the impurities on the outside are burned, turning black before being removed by the goldsmith. Then, as the fire is heated hotter, the impurities on the inside of the gold surface and when these have also been consumed and darkened by the flame, the goldsmith will remove them as well. The finished product is a purified piece of gold!

Even so, Lord Jesus, come! Whatever it is that God might be doing in your life, beckon Him to purify you! It is a beautiful thing. It hurts at times, it is humbling, it may feel like God's chipping away at your heart, but He has a purpose for refining us. We must never think that our waiting is in vain! We may be confident of this, "that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). The practice of patience helps complete something lacking in us!

So go ahead Lord, rid me of my blackness, bring out the worst in me so that the Holy Spirit can dwell here! I'll admit that I'm not perfect, I'm sorry for things in the past, but You have offered forgiveness and hope and You never give up on us! That is a promise! Teach me that patience waits!

Moving craziness

Ahhhhhh! There is so much to be done. Sometimes I don't even know where to start. Moving is crazy. This will be my third move in seven months. Ahhhhhhh.

Crazy. New job, new life, same struggles. It's a balancing act, mixed in with patience and trust. I am so exhausted...and it's Monday!

Known Love

It's late at night...I shouldn't be writing...but I just had to say that I'm thankful. I'm thankful that I have known love. That I have known love in its purest form. A kind of love that isn't birthed overnight but comes slowly. A love that wasn't chosen by you but for you. A love that is everlasting, just like its symbol, the ring.

I was loved. Because I have known, I am able to give. Maybe this is my calling...to give love so that others may know.

We love, because He first loved us. I John 4:19

Broken

I feel so broken. I miss my best friend. I miss my companion. I just want to fix everything myself. I want to change myself. I want to change the past. I want to orchestrate the future. But I can't do anything. Why, I ask. Why. Even Marilyn Monroe understood pain when she wrote, "When love goes wrong, Nothing goes right." This is true. Nothing feels right. Nothing works right. Everything is wrong.

Broken, I need Jesus. This song talks about how it's all about Jesus. It's about a relationship. "It's just you and me here now." He's more concerned with our character than our comfort. Broken, take heart in Him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs-2hn5ZOg

Only You
David Crowder Band
from the album illuminate

Take my heart. I lay it down
At the feet of you who's crowned
And take my life, I'm letting go
I lift it up, to You who's throned

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You, Lord

Take my feet, take my fear
All I have I'm leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything

And it's just You and me here now
Only You and me here now

You should see the view
When it's only You