Praying for Unity

I recevied this text from a friend last night - who is a principal in a local school district:

Extra prayers please...my head is aching from all the stress of planning back to school. My teachers are very upset, our parents are confused, the students are no longer at the center of decision making, and my admin team is divided.

Besides being concerned for my friend - because I love her and I know she's doing her best and it saddens me that she is going through this stress - I couldn't help but recognize the picture she had just painted of our world.

Upset, confused, forgotten, and divided.

That's a pretty good summary of life-as-we-know-it, don't you think?
Seems to me just about everyone who has the breath of life in them could find themselves in one of those four categories. So as I prayed for my friend - as I asked God to give her grace and fill her with wisdom for each moment and every decision, that He might bring forth unity among her colleagues and in the community - I also prayed for unity in this world.
And I continue to pray for unity today.
Because more and more these days I am seeing division. I see people who are passionate about a position, who have good intentions, who want to see things get better and the world become stronger, who care about people, and who have a good heart. And I see others who are the same in all aspects - except the position about which they are passionate - and the two clash.
Arguing, belittling, judging, anger, and serious division ensue.
And suddenly we find ourselves in a world where fighting is the norm, bewilderment abounds, compassion is missing, and everyone thinks anyone who doesn't agree with them is wrong.
How, I ask, are we going to make any progress in a world marked by these qualities?

I don't believe we will.
I believe the division will ultimately break us.
And so, I pray for unity.
I pray the God who created this world will speak to His creation and transform our hearts. I pray He will give us a vision of what it looks like to love one another, of how we can serve our brothers and sisters, and of how we can live in unity. Ultimately, I believe this miracle will only take place when each one of us humbles ourselves, recognizes our need for God, and submits fully to Him.
Ah, LORD God, will You use the pain of our present circumstances to bring us to a place of repentance, that we might turn away from our own devices and seek YOU instead?

These longings in my heart for us to seek God and become united are echoed in a movement among many Christian brothers and sisters. If you have not yet heard about The Return, I encourage you to visit their website to learn more and to begin praying.

Come and Be with HIM

So yesterday we ended our Precept study time by listening to this song as we reflected on Jesus - our High Priest.
The One who fulfilled God's plan for our redemption.
The One who knows our every need, and meets each one of them perfectly.
The One in whom we confess our faith, the anchor of our eternal hope.
It was such a blessing and I want to share the blessing with you. I know you have the time - because you're here. So please take the next 3 minutes and 17 seconds to sit in His presence, reflecting on His love and enjoying just being with Him.

Being Present

The instructions on my Advent reading plan say this:

Prepare. Choose a comfortable and quiet place. Intentionally acknowledge and place yourself in the presence of God. As best you can, release your cares to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to help you see wonderful things in the Word of God.

Can I just tell you? As someone who has been a rule-follower pretty much all her life - nothing has delighted my heart like following this "rule."
Getting quiet, releasing distractions from my mind, and saying, LORD, I am putting myself into Your presence. Please speak to my heart. And then sitting in HIS presence, I realize I can be there because of the grace HE has given me through His Son - through His death and burial and resurrection.
That is, on my own I cannot come to HIM. I am unworthy and unable to approach HIM. But Jesus!
Jesus made the way for me to be reconciled to the Father, and now I can come into HIS presence. I can sit with HIM and hear from HIM and recieve HIS love.
Oh, the joy!
Indeed, there is nothing like it.
This exercise of Advent readings has been filling my heart with delight - because of intentionally acknowledging and placing myself in the presence of God.

And God, in His goodness, has taken the whole thing a step further. In this season of preparation (Which often involves hectic moods and moments!) HE is reminding me to be intentional about acknowledging and placing myself in the presence of people. That is to say, God convinced me that just as I delight in being in HIS presence, so I will find it delightful being in the presence of my family and friends over the holidays if I will be intentional about being present. If I will set aside the distractions of unimportant details and just enjoy their presence.
Yes, LORD. I hear You. Please help me to be present with my loved ones, too!

Two Parties

Did you know sometimes God is a party crasher?
The odd thing is, I have often heard Him described as a perfect gentleman - and we all know a gentleman wouldn't come to a party without an invitation - but that's exactly what happened to me recently.
I was doing some work in our yard - bagging up leaves - after I had spent the better part of the day working at work. On the previous day - after working at work - I had also been working in the yard. And after I finished what I was presently doing in the yard, I knew I had more work ahead of me. That is, I would be going into the house to prepare dinner. AND, I felt that my efforts to support my family - through yard work, work work, and meal-prep (to name a few) - had been going largely unnoticed.
Or, at least unappreciated.
Thus, I had all the guests necessary to host a little pity-party:
Large yard bags, piles of wet and heavy partially-decomposed leaves, and enough self-righteous angst to fill and stuff, fill and stuff.
I packed those bags to the brim - stomping the leaves down as I went. In fact, I was quite proud of myself for how much work I was getting done.
The voice in my head really helped me with the stomping down of the leaves. It said things like, He probably won't say, "Thank you" for this effort of yours. And, You're doing amazing work out here. But he might not even notice. And, You deserve a pat on the back for all this work (And a massage!) but chances are you aren't going to get it. And even, Oh, and forget about 'kudos' for the great dinner you're going to make. They really don't care about it as much as you do.
Annnnd, that's just about when God came and crashed the party.
Because the next voice which spoke didn't sound whiny and sanctimonious.
Oh, it was righteous - but not in a hypocritical, pious sort of way.
And that Next Voice? It asked me if I knew why I was put on this earth. Asked me if I knew why I was still living and breathing and able to stuff those leaves into bags.
In an instant that Voice humbled me.
I went from pompously rehearsing my need for recognition, to meekly confessing my broken condition. The Party Crasher caused me to see that I was not put on this earth to receive the praises of men. Rather I was put here to give praise to the One who created all men.
He made me realize it is His grace and His mercy and His patience (fueled by His love) which allow me to continue exisiting each day. That if it weren't for these things, I wouldn't even be here to host my silly little pity-party.
And *just like that* the guest list changed.
That is, the bags and leaves stuck around. But when the Spirit of God came in, self-righteous angst got sent away and - I'm telling you - the party got infinitely better as I began to thank the One who gave me life. As I praised the One who knows my heart and meets my needs. As I surrended to the One who wanted to transform me.
Ah, yes. HE throws much better parties than I do!

You Have Been Faithful

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

~Matthew 25:14-30

If you have been around church and the Bible for any amount of time, I'm guessing you're familiar with this parable. So familiar, perhaps, that you skimmed over the reading above - because you're busy, and besides, you already know what it says?
If you find the previous sentence convicting, please take two minutes and read the above passage slowly. Ask God to speak to your heart.

Really.
I'll wait.

What stood out to you as you read this passage?
You might know from the title of this post the phrase which stood out to me.

You have been faithful.

I mean, I know there are a lot of things going on in this parable and many lessons which can be learned. But that one statement is speaking loudly to my heart today.
The master called his servant who turned five bags of gold into ten faithful. He called the servant who turned two bags of gold into four faithful. (And I have a feeling he would have called the third servant faithful, too, if he had put his own bag of gold to work.) The master had given wealth to his servants according to their ability and he was delighted by their faithfulness.
I do not see any indication that the master was more delighted with the servant whose efforts produced more bags of gold. Or that he was less delighted with the servant whose efforts produced a smaller number. It was their faithfulness which pleased him.
And this idea of delighting the Master by faithfulness has me thinking about how we operate and perceive things in our world today.
Isn't it true that we often see the people with five (or two) bags of gold, producing five (or two!) more bags, and we think, Wow. I wish I was gifted like he/she is. Wouldn't God be pleased if I was a part of making that kind of impact on the Kingdom? We relinquish any ideas of pleasing our Master as we think, I'll just sit over here with my one bag. Nobody will notice, anyway. And we sit there with our bag, feeling ashamed that we don't have more with which to produce more, not realizing our Master gave us that one because He wanted us to be faithful with that one. Because He knew that one would make a world of difference to someone.
Yeah. Sometimes I feel small and insignificant. Sometimes I think I have nothing to offer. I don't speak to huge audiences. This little blog doesn't have a large readership. My reach doesn't go very far. Honestly, if I disappeared not much would change in the world.
But that statement echoes in my heart.

You have been faithful.
You have been faithful.
You have been faithful.
You have been faithful.
You have been faithful.
You have been faithful.

I believe faithfulness is what matters to my Master, and I want to delight His heart.
So I'm going to take this one little bag of gold I have, and I am going to put it to work.
With the help and guidance of His Spirit, I am going to use my little bag to bring glory to my Master.
And I pray that when I see Him face to face I will hear Him say,
Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful.

What are you doing with your bag(s)?

When HE Speaks Through the Dog

OK. I have this exercise goal.
I am working up to holding a plank for 5 minutues. And the way I intend to get there is my adding 5 seconds to one plank on each of the three days a week I work out.
That is, when I work out I do three sets of five exercises. And the first exercise is always a plank. So, I figure on Monday I'll increase plank #1 by five seconds, Wednesday #2, and by Friday I'll be doing #1,2,& 3 at the new time. Then continue the increase the next week until I'm up to 5 minutes, each. (This week I'm working up to 4:15.)
Um, I forgot to mention that I don't like to exercise.
Getting up early to exercise causes me to not like it to a greater extent.
And, yesterday I had somewhere to be early-ish, which made it not likely that I would get up early-er to work out.
BUT, there's this goal-thing I've got going on, and I didn't want to interrupt it. So I decided I would go ahead and get up early-er to work out. (Sometimes, being anal is good for my health!)

So there I was: hopping out of bed when my alarm went off, getting my clothes on, heading downstairs, annnnd, seeing a puddle on the carpet - left there by my dog. I was not happy.
I turned around and went back stomped upstairs to get the necessary cleaning supplies, glared at the dog, and went back down to take care of business. The whole process set me back about 10 minutes, or so, and when I finally got to my workout I felt irritated, taunted, and rushed. (Remember, I don't like getting up early. So when I planned my morning I neglected to add 10 minutes for doggy clean-up.)
BUT, I had a goal to pursue so I got down to business. And as I began my first plank, I began to pray. (Honestly, praying is the only way I can make it through those things. And when it comes down to the end, and I am ready to give up, and I don't think I can make it another 10 seconds - let alone 90 or more! - ahhh, that is when I get really passionate about begging God to strengthen the ones for whom I am praying. It's a good thing, really.)
Anyway, I was just beginning the plank and the prayer. I wasn't struggling to hold on yet. Actually, my struggle at that moment was with my feelings of irritation toward the dog. (It's hard to pray when you're feeling irritable. *ahem*) So the Holy Spirit stepped in and took over my prayer.
It went something like this:
HIM: Karen, dear, you're upset, aren't you.
Me: Well, duh! She peed, AGAIN. She knows better. I'm tired of cleaning up her messes. It's so annoying!!!
HIM: Ahhh, yes. She did wrong, again. She knows better. You had to clean up after her. Hmmmmmm.
Me: Yeah. It's so annoying!!!
HIM: *Graceful silence*
Me: What? Don't You agree it's annoying???
HIM: *Loving look of silence*
Me: Oh.
Time passes, and my spirit listens to His.
Me: I get it. You have to clean up every mess I make when I sin. When I do the very things I know I shouldn't. When I know better, but I let my flesh have its way instead of being obedient to Your Word. Yet, when I confess, You always forgive me. And You always will. You never get annoyed. Your grace, Your mercy, Your patience just keep flowing toward me.
You don't agree that it's annoying when I have to clean up after Mindy, because You never tire of caring for me.
Father, thank You. Thank You for this unending love You pour over me. Thank You for the blood Jesus shed on the cross so I could be forgiven. Thank You for reconciling me to Yourself through Him. Thank You, Father. Thank You!!!
HIM: You're welcome, darling. I'm glad you understand what I wanted to say this morning. I knew you would. (Psalm 139:2)

When Interruptions Don't Annoy Me

I tend to be a person who likes to operate on a plan.

I like having - and sticking to - a schedule.

Because, you know, conducting life on a schedule makes me feel comfortable, and in control.

But over the course of time, God has been showing me that my time is HIS, not mine. That my control is a silly figment of my imagination. That HE, in fact, is much better than I am at making plans.
Indeed, it has gotten to the point that I try to remember to begin each day with a prayer committing my time to God and asking Him to order my steps. To take me to the places HE wants me to go.
And I admit, oftentimes this prayer comes with the underlying need of His mercy - to be able to get through a long list of tasks and things to do.

Except, there was this one day...
A day when I had only one thing on my calendar in the morning, and an afternoon to just chill. And I was so looking forward to it. I mean, I hadn't decided what I was going to do - maybe Bible study, or prepare for an upcoming retreat, or read a book, or - take a nap! So in the morning I sat and prayed, asking God to order my steps. To lead me through the day according to His plans.
And then I was off to do that one thing which was on my schedule.

As I was walking into that one thing, a friend with whom I was serving asked if I was doing anything afterwards. And when I replied that I was not, she asked if I could give her a ride home when the one thing was finished. Annnnd, since I wasn't doing anything, I told her I could do that. She doesn't live too far out of the way, and I figured one little interruption wouldn't spoil whatever God had in store for the afternoon.
As soon as we got to where we were serving, I got a text message.

I have a huge favor to ask...

Which turned into a phone call so we could work out the details.
See, this friend of mine had a job interview and had a last-minute need for child care, and a ride to the interview. She wanted to know if I could help her out. And, since I wasn't doing anything, I told her I could. The timing of her interview would allow for me to do the one thing I was doing, give Friend #1 a ride home, and then stop by my house for lunch before going to help Friend #2. Though this interruption was going to take longer, and I was beginning to wonder when there would be time for God to do whatever it was He wanted to do with me that afternoon.

So, I did that one thing which was on my calendar to do. And as I was taking care of my first interruption driving Friend #1 home, we shared delightful conversation and a couple of prayer requests. It was really sweet to have that time alone together, and my Friend seemed pleased by it. Then I zipped home, grabbed something to eat, and flew out the door to manage my second interruption pick up Friend #2 and her little guy.
And that trip?
Took longer than I thought it would.
(Although, as I sat in the van during Friend #2's interview and little guy was snoozing in his car seat, I did manage to get a few minutes of the nap about which I'd been thinking.)
As we were driving back to her home, Friend #2 gushed about how much she appreciated my help. And I was kind of thinking, Wow. Didn't realize it was such a big deal. I mean, I wasn't doing anything, anyway. Although, now that I look at the time I realize these interruptions have eaten away at the free time I thought I was going to have for God to use me in some way today. But, whatever. Maybe next time. Then we hugged, said Good-bye, and I was on my way back home to start dinner.
And as I drove, something strange occurred to me.
I was not annoyed by the interruptions which had filled my afternoon and kept me from whatever plans God had for me. And, trust me, for someone as prone to schedules and plans as I am - it is unusual for interruptions to not annoy me!
I mean, I had specifically prayed - asking God to order my steps and lead me through the day according to His plans. And then I got presented with these interruptions.
Yet somehow I wasn't annoyed by them.

I suppose most of you saw it coming way before I did, but at that moment it occurred to me that God had - indeed - answered my prayers. What I saw as interruption was really God's hand showing me the way to go. And that, my friends, is when interruptions don't annoy me!

Dear God, I'm Sorry

The other day I was getting supplies together to go paint in a house we're getting ready to put on the market. Among those supplies was a plastic grocery bag. And as soon as I grabbed the bag and closed the cabinet door, I regretted my action.
Because Mindy came trotting over to me with a look of hopeful expectation.
And I wasn't going to grant her wish. (She thought I was preparing to take her out - as getting a plastic bag to, uh, be a responsible pet owner is one of the steps she knows comes before a walk.) Never mind it was too cold for a walk anyway. I had a job to do, so I apologized to my faithful companion for getting her hopes up - and I stepped outside.
Without her.
Yet I carried with me the very sad look in her eyes which cried out, But, Mom! I want to go with you. I want to go on a walk! Can't we spend time together?
And with the memory of her disappointed puppy-dog eyes, I found myself wondering if I've ever left God feeling the same way. How many times has He witnessed me picking up my Bible - as if I am going to spend time with Him in His Word - only to see me rushing through a reading, or so distracted by my circumstances that I am clearly not present with Him?
As much as I felt remorse at inadvertently getting Mindy's hopes up, it crushed my heart to consider the reality that I have grieved my Father's heart.
That I have left Him wanting for time with me.
Even wishing I would give Him as much attention as the task at hand.

Lord, Jesus, please forgive me. I am sorry for every time You have been graciously waiting for me to come and abide with You - to sit at Your feet and allow You to feed me from Your Word - and I have instead gone somewhere else. I am sorry for every time I have failed to notice You, forgotten to seek You, or simply brushed You off. Oh, that You desire to have me in Your Presence is too much for me to comprehend. That You - in Your holiness, would love me - in my imperfection. I cannot grasp the magnitude of that Truth, Father. Please, according to Your grace and mercy, establish me in Your love and enable me to cherish time with You as You cherish time with me.

Digging Deeper, Seeking HIS Voice

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

~John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Seems like a fairly simple statement at first, doesn't it?

The sheep listen.
The Shepherd knows.
The sheep follow.

Simple.

But what if we dug deeper? What if we studied the implications?
If the sheep are listening, the Shepherd must be speaking.
If the Shepherd knows, He must be knowledgeable. Furthermore, the sheep must be knowable. That is, they must be submitting to the Shepherd and trusting Him to know them.
And if the sheep follow, the Shepherd must be leading.
So, perhaps that simple statement could also read: I, the Shepherd, speak. And because I speak good things, My sheep listen to my voice. I have the ability to know all things, thus I know my sheep. They know I am good and they trust me - so they welcome Me into their lives, to know them and care for them. And My sheep - who listen to and trust Me - also follow Me. Because I lead them, and show them where they should go.
Oh, what if we took time to dig deeper into the Word of God and seek His voice? If we got quiet and listened? Really listened - with the intent of letting Him shape us?
What would HE do in our lives, if we let Him have free reign?

I would love for you to join me at the Women's Listening Retreat on October 7 & 8, as we embark on this journey to seek His voice.

Women's Listening Retreat

Follow this link to my website for more information and to register.

Oh, I forgot to mention in the video...If you want to take a walk with me during our free-time at the retreat, I'll show you the spot where Brian proposed marriage to me on April 25, 1992. *swoon*

I Needed That

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

~Luke 1:33

So, I wasn't even going to post today, because that's just how yesterday was. That is - too, too busy to do "extra-curricular" stuff. And I'm feeling like today is probably going to be very similar.
And I really don't like beginning a day feeling overwhelmed by "stuff".
But that's where I was this morning.
Feeling overwhelmed.

Then I stood by my dresser and flipped the calendar over to "December 2", and there was Luke 1:33.
I read the words dutifully. Then I thought about them, and read them again with a thankful heart. ...and of his kingdom there shall be no end. That is - there shall be no end to Him making this world new, and mending what is broken, and healing what is hurting, and restoring what has been lost, and bringing peace. Yes, peace.
So, on this day which may prove to be too-full-for-my-liking, I am choosing to remember that HIS kingdom will never end. Indeed, there will come a day when I will understand that these troubles have simply been light and momentary.

Thank You, JESUS!

Story Time

Sunday morning, I took a trip.
I wasn't expecting it, but smack in the middle of our worship time - Jesus took me on a little trip to some 24 years ago.
It happened when we were singing Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and we got to the second verse. I sang these words:

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

And suddenly I was back in college - thinking I was "fine" - not knowing I was a lost little sheep in need of a Savior.

I was never opposed to God or Christianity. Hey, I've attended church for as long as I can remember. I just didn't know there was such a thing as a personal relationship with Jesus. Frankly, I thought He had done what He needed to do, and now the world was left to fend for itself.
So, there I was - a stranger, wandering from God, not realizing I should (or could) be doing anything differently. Until Jesus pursued me - very cleverly - helped me understand my need, and made me HIS.
Every time I read a verse like Jeremiah 29:13, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I thank God that He did not wait for me to seek Him. Because I honestly thought I was fine, and I don't know when I would have ever gone seeking after Him.
Indeed, His grace is amazing.

So, that's my story.

How did you come into a relationship with God?
OR, if you haven't begun that relationship, what is holding you back?

*Pause*

Have I told you lately that my girl is growing up?
We went to the bank Saturday so she could open a checking account. One more step...
Graduation is less than three weeks away. And her open house will be the day before. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put a pause on my blog posting for a while. At least until after commencement. My sanity requires it. *ahem*

In the meantime, feel free to peruse my archives. They contain over 1600 posts. That ought to be enough reading/viewing material to fill your thoughts, don't you think? *wink*
To the right you can find links to various mom-related posts, as well as some regarding my depression journey. And I'll label this post with some of my other favorites. Just click on the label to find posts related to that topic.
I pray God will encourage and inspire, though the words may be old.

May the peace of Christ rest upon you today. And every day!

It's JOY Week!

Did you know the third week of advent is Joy?

The sermon I heard on Sunday was all about joy.
And it was good!

As one who battles depression, two quotes which were shared during the sermon were particularly meaningful to me.
What do you think of these words?

The evil one is pleased with sadness and melancholy because he himself is sad and melancholy and will be so for all of eternity; hence he desires that everyone should be like himself. ~St. Francis

Joy is natural in the presence of God. Joy is a pervasive sense of well-being that is deeper and broader than any pleasure. It is a basic element of inner transformation into Christlikeness and the outer life that flows from it. ~Dallas Willard

On the one hand, it makes me mad to think of the evil one being pleased when I am in one of my down moods. I don't want him to be pleased with anything in my life.
And, on the other hand, it inspires me all the more to lean in to God and fix my eyes on HIM. I have learned - and continue to learn! - that I must focus on God, and tell myself the Truth in order to find joy in the midst of motherhood, and all other aspects of life.

If you're like me and you sometimes struggle with feeling down, will you join me this week in pursuing joy? Let us take our eyes off our circumstances and fix them on the One who loved us enough to give us His Son.

In your presence there is fullness of joy.

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

JESUS Draw Me Close

I just started reading Leviticus in my read-through-the-Bible program.
And the first thing I did was apologize to God for my attitude that this was going to be a dry, boring read. Laws, laws, laws. That's all I could think of - I'd be reading about laws.
How was that material going to draw me into HIS presence???

My first assignment was to read chapters 1-4. And there they were: the laws.
*How to prepare a burnt offering.
*How to prepare a grain offering.
*How to prepare a fellowship offering.
*AND, how to prepare a sin offering - for the anointed priest, the whole Israelite community, a leader, and an individual member of the community.
So many rules and regulations to follow!

Because I am quite the rule-follower (If we're taking a walk and a sign is posted which says, 'No trespassing,' don't even ask me to step over the line to go exploring. I.won't.do.it!) I became a bit overwhelmed by the thought of all those requirements. And it made me even more thankful for what Jesus did when He came to earth.

He died once. For all!

I closed my eyes and began to pray, thanking Him for bringing an end to all the rituals and requirements of the sacrifices. What Jesus did was enough. The offering of His life covered the sins of the priest, the community, the leaders, and you & me! My heart was filled with gratitude toward my Savior.
As I sat there praying, this song began running through my head. And I smiled at the realization, God really could draw me into HIS presence - even by reading about laws.
So now, I want to invite you to hit the play button, close your eyes, and enjoy a few minutes in the peaceful presence of your loving God.

I Want to be Like that Dog

The other day I was stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green, when I saw a man on a bicycle riding toward me.

And there by his side was a big, beautiful, black dog.

The man rode out onto the street in front of my van, and the dog trotted right along with him. I watched as the man slowed to turn the corner, and observed the dog slowing exactly as his master did. They stopped together, and waited together, and when the man started riding across another road, the dog immediately followed.
I noticed the dog did not hesitate to cross the street with his master after they had waited at the side of the road. Even though there were cars driving by, the dog went obediently after his master. And I marveled at the trust that dog was expressing.
He paid attention to his master's every move and kept up with his every step.
The dog didn't stop his master to discuss the benefits of waiting for this or that car to move or stop; he just trusted his master to know when it was safe to go.
The dog never dropped back to see if his master was going to make it safely across the street before he followed. He simply trotted along - in obedience and trust.

As I sat at the intersection, watching the man on a bicycle and his faithful dog, I saw a beautiful picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus.
And I thought to myself, I want to be like that dog.

Trusting HIS Best

So, I had this thing to which I was really looking forward.
Might have been obsessing about it a bit.
Maybe.
And then, just like that, it was over before it even started. Not gonna happen the way I had imagined. At all. And I was tempted to be disappointed.

But then it was as if God asked my heart, Why should you be disappointed with My best?

Why? Indeed!

God used that moment to remind me this "thing" is not about me. It's about HIM. HE knows what's best. HE's working out what's best.
And HIS best is still best - even if it isn't what I wanted.

Honestly, I was almost in tears because of the initial disappointment. But after God had that little talk with my heart, I was almost in tears for an altogether different reason.
HE cares enough about me - about my holiness and my relationship with Himself - to do the hard thing. To say NO to me. To risk me being upset with Him. That is, God loves me too much to give me everything I want. Because HE knows what's best.

And I'm learning to trust HIS best.

Are you?

Celebrating My Dependence

It's the Fourth of July! And while we spend the day celebrating our country's independence by enjoying cookouts and fireworks, I am taking time to celebrate my personal dependence.

That is, today I am going to spend time thanking God for rescuing me from my independent, self-centered life and bringing me to a place of utter dependence on HIM. Through a variety of circumstances and situations, God pursued me and brought me into a relationship with Himself. And over the years He has shown me I cannot do this life without Him.
I am completely and desperately dependent on Him.
God is my eternal hope, my everlasting joy, my perfect peace. And today I am celebrating my dependence on the One who is my everything.

Are you with me???

Why Have I Never Seen This Before?

Last Thursday Ronel posted on Facebook an encouragement to spend time in John 17. To 'Read, Reflect and Respond'.
So I did.
And I was surprised by what I found there.
I saw Jesus' great desire for us - to be with Him and to be loved by Him. I mean, I know He loves us, but His desire for us seemed so much greater in these verses than I have ever seen before. And I wondered how I had missed it!

I'm going to post the verses which grabbed my heart, and I want to invite you to spend several minutes reading and re-reading them. Ask God to speak to your heart.
And now I'm going to be quiet - so HE can speak.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

John 17:24-26

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I am traveling to Pennsylvania with my parents today. We're going to be celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday this weekend. Sooooo, I'm taking a bit of a blogging break. I'll be back next Wednesday.
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So What?

Yesterday I talked with you about Struggling with all HIS Energy. I told you about some of the ways God has been showing Himself faithful to me - how He is taking care of my circumstances and helping me to trust, rather than fret. But I felt I was getting a little long-winded so I didn't finish saying everything I wanted to say.
So today, I want to wrap it up by asking the all important question: So what?
God has shown me He'll take care of my circumstances.
He is teaching me to be still before Him, and wait patiently for Him - not to fret.
God has demonstrated that He is sovereign, even over my situations.

So what?

Armed with this knowledge, what am I going to do the next time my circumstances are rocked? What am I going to do when everything around me is yelling, "This is crazy, Karen. C'mon! It's time to fret!"
Oh, friends, pray for me - As I am for you! - that I may lean hard into God in the midst of those circumstances, that I may choose to be still and wait patiently, that I may remember His faithfulness and not fret.
That's the So what? I want to choose.
God is good.
I know that.
And I want to live that way!