January 3rd. 2017
I am so thankful for a God that meets me where I am in life. Sometimes He uses people in my life to speak to me, mentor me, test and encourage me. Sometimes He uses music to break down walls, to speak directly to my heart, and to remind me with complete peace that He is my God, He loves me, and He wants to use me for His purpose. It's always a humbling experience to truly worship and feel His presence. I love Christian music, but singing along to your favorite song on Klove is not real worship. Singing along, clapping my hands even at church doesn't mean I'm worshiping. It requires something deeper, it requires your heart, a cleared mind where you can think of nothing else. It's an act of submission, humbling yourself before the almighty and experiencing His life changing presence.
Sometimes I cry, sometimes I smile, sometimes I just feel completely at peace. We can all
speculate what we will do especially when we are face to face with God, but we can never really know. His presence is all consuming, ever present, and a life changing experience. We can only sample a taste of it, but then you'll crave it, you'll want it, need it and can't live without it. God's presence will surely change you from the inside out. He changes me. He humbles me. He molds
me. He shapes me. He prunes me and through it all He loves me. He can do the same to you. It's a process and no matter where you are in life He isn't finished with you or with me. He calls us to be like Him and in order for that to happen He has a lot of work to do. A lot of weeds to trim, junk to throw away, hurts to heal, hearts to mend, and joy to be restored. That's just what I need though.
What about you? What do you need?
Maybe God wants to restore brokeness in your relationships, broken spirits or broken homes. Maybe you need more love, more hope, more joy and less tears. I'm sure we've all been desperate seeking a change not just in others but in ourselves. Sometimes we think we can make it. We think we can handle it. We think we don't need God, but if I'm honest I know that is a lie. If you really think about it, really process it and look deep into your heart you'll realize it too. We all fall short, we've all sinned, we all struggle each and every day. That doesn't all just go away when you become a Christian. In fact sometimes life gets harder. The devil likes to fight back even stronger. He doesn't want you to win, to succeed, to defeat the enemy which is him so don't expect life to be easy. Don't expect roses and chocolates, unicorns and fairies.
DO expect peace that passes all understanding, love that exceeds all expectations and faith that can move mountains. Expect that when you cry out at the altar that God hears your heart and hears your cries. At those hard moments in life He won't just hold my hand, but He will carry me. He won't just hold my hand, but He will fully embrace me. He will hold me up when my legs are too weak to stand. When tears stream down my face like a river He will wipe them away. When I feel as though I can't go on He will push me, move me carry me where I need to go.
When I surrender myself to him and worship the one true King He will meet me there. His presence will consume me. My heart will be restored. My faith re-ignited. My soul will dance with joy and my heart will bound with delight. To experience His presence is a true gift. It's something that you can't just tap into. It's something that you leap into and is something that absolutely can't be explained.
I love that my God desires to know me, to love me and make Himself known to me. I'm thankful that although He meets me at His house each week He also meets me at my home too. Sometimes He meets me in my car, at my work, at my family's home or even in one of my patient’s rooms. God doesn't just sit back and watch if my life seems to be spinning out of control or if my life seems to be going perfectly. He's actively involved, always present, and always making His ways known.
Sometimes I can hear Him speak so clearly and sometimes I think are you really there God are you sure you won't abandon me like some people have. Sometimes I don't hear Him and it's not because He left me, but because I have wandered too far like a young child at the grocery store. He can hear me, He can even see me, but I might have drifted too far away… a little too far down the river of life. I'm not necessarily talking over a waterfall, but just far enough that the rushing water of life drowns out His voice. The sun glistening ever so brightly on the water and ways of this world blind me from seeing His face. It's in those moments I have to remember to paddle back upstream, to get as close to His boat as possible. I have to tie my boat to His with a rope that will never break even in the rapids. I have to put on my darkest sunglasses and maybe even some side blinders so I can see His face and not get so easily distracted with life.
It's not God who has a heart problem, but me. It's not God who has a hearing or visual problem, but me. It's not God who has an ego or pride and a puffed up chest, but me. He could play that card. He could say you messed up, you didn't follow my directions or my ways, but He doesn't. He says come back my child I love you, I know you did wrong, but I forgive you. He doesn't say I'm the best,
You don't deserve me, you aren't good enough, you are a failure that never learns. He easily could but He doesn't because He sees us in His image, through the eyes of a parent, through the eyes of forgiveness and grace. He says I love you in your mess, in your brokenness, in your selfishness, with your prideful tendencies and your sometimes know it all ways. He'll work it out. He'll continue to change me. He'll continue to make me new. Most importantly He will let me enter into His presence where walls are broken down, hearts are changed, attitudes are eliminated and I am reminded that He is all that I need. He is all I've ever needed and He is so glad that I finally learned that.
It doesn't matter where we are in life. All it matters is who we are letting guide our ship. That we trust our Captain, that we let our lives be in His hands and that our hearts belong to Him too.
I am so thankful for a God that meets me where I am in life. Sometimes He uses people in my life to speak to me, mentor me, test and encourage me. Sometimes He uses music to break down walls, to speak directly to my heart, and to remind me with complete peace that He is my God, He loves me, and He wants to use me for His purpose. It's always a humbling experience to truly worship and feel His presence. I love Christian music, but singing along to your favorite song on Klove is not real worship. Singing along, clapping my hands even at church doesn't mean I'm worshiping. It requires something deeper, it requires your heart, a cleared mind where you can think of nothing else. It's an act of submission, humbling yourself before the almighty and experiencing His life changing presence.
Sometimes I cry, sometimes I smile, sometimes I just feel completely at peace. We can all
speculate what we will do especially when we are face to face with God, but we can never really know. His presence is all consuming, ever present, and a life changing experience. We can only sample a taste of it, but then you'll crave it, you'll want it, need it and can't live without it. God's presence will surely change you from the inside out. He changes me. He humbles me. He molds
me. He shapes me. He prunes me and through it all He loves me. He can do the same to you. It's a process and no matter where you are in life He isn't finished with you or with me. He calls us to be like Him and in order for that to happen He has a lot of work to do. A lot of weeds to trim, junk to throw away, hurts to heal, hearts to mend, and joy to be restored. That's just what I need though.
What about you? What do you need?
Maybe God wants to restore brokeness in your relationships, broken spirits or broken homes. Maybe you need more love, more hope, more joy and less tears. I'm sure we've all been desperate seeking a change not just in others but in ourselves. Sometimes we think we can make it. We think we can handle it. We think we don't need God, but if I'm honest I know that is a lie. If you really think about it, really process it and look deep into your heart you'll realize it too. We all fall short, we've all sinned, we all struggle each and every day. That doesn't all just go away when you become a Christian. In fact sometimes life gets harder. The devil likes to fight back even stronger. He doesn't want you to win, to succeed, to defeat the enemy which is him so don't expect life to be easy. Don't expect roses and chocolates, unicorns and fairies.
DO expect peace that passes all understanding, love that exceeds all expectations and faith that can move mountains. Expect that when you cry out at the altar that God hears your heart and hears your cries. At those hard moments in life He won't just hold my hand, but He will carry me. He won't just hold my hand, but He will fully embrace me. He will hold me up when my legs are too weak to stand. When tears stream down my face like a river He will wipe them away. When I feel as though I can't go on He will push me, move me carry me where I need to go.
When I surrender myself to him and worship the one true King He will meet me there. His presence will consume me. My heart will be restored. My faith re-ignited. My soul will dance with joy and my heart will bound with delight. To experience His presence is a true gift. It's something that you can't just tap into. It's something that you leap into and is something that absolutely can't be explained.
I love that my God desires to know me, to love me and make Himself known to me. I'm thankful that although He meets me at His house each week He also meets me at my home too. Sometimes He meets me in my car, at my work, at my family's home or even in one of my patient’s rooms. God doesn't just sit back and watch if my life seems to be spinning out of control or if my life seems to be going perfectly. He's actively involved, always present, and always making His ways known.
Sometimes I can hear Him speak so clearly and sometimes I think are you really there God are you sure you won't abandon me like some people have. Sometimes I don't hear Him and it's not because He left me, but because I have wandered too far like a young child at the grocery store. He can hear me, He can even see me, but I might have drifted too far away… a little too far down the river of life. I'm not necessarily talking over a waterfall, but just far enough that the rushing water of life drowns out His voice. The sun glistening ever so brightly on the water and ways of this world blind me from seeing His face. It's in those moments I have to remember to paddle back upstream, to get as close to His boat as possible. I have to tie my boat to His with a rope that will never break even in the rapids. I have to put on my darkest sunglasses and maybe even some side blinders so I can see His face and not get so easily distracted with life.
It's not God who has a heart problem, but me. It's not God who has a hearing or visual problem, but me. It's not God who has an ego or pride and a puffed up chest, but me. He could play that card. He could say you messed up, you didn't follow my directions or my ways, but He doesn't. He says come back my child I love you, I know you did wrong, but I forgive you. He doesn't say I'm the best,
You don't deserve me, you aren't good enough, you are a failure that never learns. He easily could but He doesn't because He sees us in His image, through the eyes of a parent, through the eyes of forgiveness and grace. He says I love you in your mess, in your brokenness, in your selfishness, with your prideful tendencies and your sometimes know it all ways. He'll work it out. He'll continue to change me. He'll continue to make me new. Most importantly He will let me enter into His presence where walls are broken down, hearts are changed, attitudes are eliminated and I am reminded that He is all that I need. He is all I've ever needed and He is so glad that I finally learned that.
It doesn't matter where we are in life. All it matters is who we are letting guide our ship. That we trust our Captain, that we let our lives be in His hands and that our hearts belong to Him too.
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