Finding my happy "ending"

   The world slowed to a blur as cameras flashed and phones clicked. In the stillness of baited breath and long awaited hopes, was heard a trembling voice:

 

 "Will you marry me?"

        

With that one little question, my life was forever changed.

~*~*~*~   

      
      Growing up I loved to watch my parents interact with each other. The love they had for one another was so obvious in everything they did. Even when they were upset with each other, you could still see it. I never had to worry about them splitting up or fighting beyond reconciliation, because I knew that they had THAT love. The kind of love that always forgives, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Cor. 13:7).  No matter what happened I always knew they'd be there for each other; fighting for that love and for their family.                                  

                                                                                    

 

That's the kind of love I wanted. The kind of love I prayed for. The kind of love I now have.   

     
      
     In Dan I have found my dream come true. My happy ending.. or rather, beginning. I now understand how one can love so deeply they'd give anything to protect their loved one; to keep them close. With Dan I have loved and been loved more deeply than I ever imagined possible. He loves me with a love so deep I KNOW nothing will ever quench that love. In our 3 months of marriage, I have been more cherished and adored by this man than I have ever been in my life.
   We laugh together, cry together, pray together. We've had our arguments. But we've also had our opportunities to forgive and love. In him I find joy overflowing into my life and love constantly growing in my heart. He has shown me what it really means to love someone. To love as Christ loves us.  Every time Dan forgives me for a wrongdoing, I get a glimpse of what Christ does for me on a daily basis. If Dan- in his humanity- can forgive me, how much more so does Christ!

      The love Christ has for me must be an ocean of unfathomable vastness, to outdo my husband's love for me! All those verses about Christ being the bridegroom suddenly make sense to me now! I thank the Lord every time I look at Dan and see that love in his eyes. I thank Him for the gifts He has given me; both in Dan and in His grace and salvation.

An abundance of grace

    "He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it......Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
-Genesis 28: 10-13, 16

~*~*~*~ 

    All too often in my own life, I fail to recognize when God is at work. I take so much for granted and fail to recognize His handiwork. Like Jacob, if often takes that moment of, "Wow! God is here!" to get me to recognize where He was at work. To change this, last January I set out on a journey to "find God in my life." I remember asking Him to reveal Himself to me; to show me how He was at work in my life and to give me eyes to see more of Who He is. Little did I know where this journey would take me. 

     From the very beginning, I felt Him at work in my life in a new way. Many trials came my way and with them, many God moments. This past year has been the hardest, yet most amazing year of my life! God has taken me out of my comfort zone time and time again to accomplish His goal; He has challenged and grown me in so many areas. I have seen Him at work a dozen time over and have stood in awe at this King Who deems me worthy of His attention; of His love; of His grace.

     Shortly before our move last summer, I remember we had a family meeting in which my parents asked us to pray with them about whether we should move that year or this year (2016). In that moment, I felt the Lord impress it upon my that heart that- whether or not my parents moved that summer- I needed to come that year. I just knew God had something planned here for my life this summer and if I didn't move last year I would miss it. Then we moved, and those first 5 months were the hardest months of my life. I remember begging God to send me a friend and He did. He sent the sweetest gal into my life to minister to and pray with me during that season. Then, in His goodness and wisdom, He removed her from my life for the time being. I couldn't understand why He had answered my prayer just to "take back His answer" a few short months later. Hadn't I prayed for that friend?? So why then was He taking her away from me?? Once more, I begged Him for a friend. Enter Daniel Carr. Dan was "just a friend of my brother's" at first, but as I got to know him he quickly became a good friend to me. Over the summer as we hung out more things changed. Dan and I are now courting (yay!) and as of last week, the friend I thought had moved away forever, has returned to Moscow and is once more back in my life.

     I see now that God had this incredible plan laid out all along; a journey of trials and questions that led to an abundance of blessings and joy. You see, God often veils His plans for our lives only revealing them in small portions, so as to give us a glimpse of Who He is in our lives. Like Jacob, it is those little "ladders to heaven" moments that open our eyes to the beauty of that plan. Truly, God is in this place; in my life. How thankful I am for this undeserved downpour of love and grace! How amazed I am that He would deem me worthy of such blessings and kindness! 

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God."

 Psalm 40:2-3

For the glory of God!

Loving at a cost

"By this, all will know that you are My disciples; 

if you love one another as I have loved you." 

John 13:35

~*~*~*~

I am what you call a "stream flower" personality type. This means that it is in my nature to seek to fix the pain and difficulty of those I love. I love deeply and because of this, I subsequently hurt deeply. When someone I care about is hurting or struggling, I hurt and struggle with them. It's not always to have this type of personality because it often leaves my heart feeling battered and sore. But in the same way, it gives me the unique opportunity to pour into the lives of those who are hurting.

This past week I have had many conversations  with coworkers and the children at my work that have broken my heart. (The things these kids have gone through!) I hurt for the loss and pain my coworker went through as a child (I'm not at liberty to divulge details) and grieve for the loss of the kids who went through divorce and heartache at such young ages.

But it is in light of these stories that my eyes have been opened to the pain in these hearts, and I see this enlightenment as a chance to love these people all the more deeply. Will it hurt? Most likely. But when I think of the pain Christ must feel every day at the suffering of His children, my own seems so insignificant.

To love is to obey Christ. And while loving others is not always easy, it is what we are called to do as followers of the Great Lover Himself. The world tries to romanticize love; to make brotherly, or friendly love seen pointless. But only love can drive out hate. So should we not love all the more?! If putting our hearts on the line and embracing the pain and suffering of our fellow mankind can make a different in their lives, is it not  worth it?! So I will continue to love those who cross my path not matter how badly it might hurt. And while I may never know- this side of heaven- what difference it made in their lives, I do know this: to love is to bring Christ to others. Therefore, to live a life of love is the most notable of all causes in this world. And while I may never change the world, by loving someone I may just change the world for THAT person.

"Therefore, let us love one anther for love is of God." 

1 John 4:7 

A birthday rose

   I want to tell you a story about a young girl who's only wish for her birthday was for a rose of particular color: yellow. Without telling her friends or coworkers of this, the girl harbored this wish in her prayers until the day of her birthday. This particular wish was special to the girl because her favorite flower was the rose and her favorite color, yellow. Her previous plant had died with the winter chill much to the disappointment of the girl this she desired a new one. Unaware of this desire, the girl's friend went out and bought just such flowers for the girl's birthday.

   While this story may seem silly or insignificant, it holds deep meaning for me. You see, I was that girl. All I wanted was that yellow rose. Something so simple and unimportant. Surely God didn't care about that! But He showed up in a most unexpected way to show me that He does care about that which I care about; that He does indeed hear the desires of my heart no matter how small and yearns to fulfill such desires.

   I tell you this not to bring attention to myself, but to my God. Whoever said God doesn't care about the little details in life clearly never wanted anything so minuscule or pointless as a rose for their birthday. My friends, God does care about every detail of your life. If it's important to you, how much more so it is important to Him!

   The God Who created you and is even now writing Your life story, loves you beyond all human comprehension. Trust Him. His plan- His story- with all it's twists and turns, is the most beautiful story you could ever imagine yourself living. Even down to the smallest of details.

But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 

Luke 12:28

For the glory of God!

My name is beloved

   The devil tells me I am weak, I am flawed, I am unqualified; he tells me that I am not enough- that people don't want me for who I am. He tells me that I need to be who the world expects me to be in order to be liked.  But Jesus tells me I am loved, I am cherished, I am beautiful; He tells me I am enough as I am- that I am perfect and complete, made in His image.

   To the world I will never be enough. To Jesus, I have always been enough from the moment I was conceived. The world will never accept me or love me. People will always criticize me and slander my life. But JESUS will always accept me and love me just as I am, because I am HIS.

I am not perfect, but I am a perfect mess. I am a beautiful, flawed, human being that was thought about and woven together by the hands of the Creator. He loves me, cherishes me and adores me. I am His creation. His daughter. His beloved.

 I am beloved. 

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." 

Song of Solomon 6:3 

For the glory of God 

A fearful lamb

     This is a topic that has been on my heart for some time now. The image of Christ as our Shepherd, as my Shepherd, is sweet beyond words to me! I saw this video  on Facebook last night and was struck by the beauty and the truth of this man's words.  (Blogger wouldn't let me post the video, so here is the link)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-P0S0XDazA

    "Sometimes we are rejected because the Shepherd wants to come along and pick us up Himself." I love this! I have the unfortunate character flaw of chronic fearfulness, which  makes the imagery of Christ as my Shepherd all  the more beautiful. When I am struggling with my fears it is a vast comfort to know that He is only one whisper  away from being at my side, staff in hand to pluck me from the mire.

"He looked very kindly at the little shepherdess...  but also with full understanding. He knew her through and through, in all the intricate labyrinth  of her lonely heart, far better than she knew herself."                  - Hind's Feet on High Places

      How sweet this quote is! That even when my pitiful flesh is quaking with fears and anxieties, He looks not on my cry with distaste or judgement, but with love and tender compassion. What a blessed relief it is that He understands and knows my heart better than I do. For when I am fearful of things I can't even explain, He knows what is causing that anxiety and how to stop it. His whispers of love pour into my heart,  into my spirit, reviving and rejuvenating me in His presence. Flooding my being with love and thankfulness. Without Him I would be a wreck. This journey to hind's feet might not be easy, but through every moment of each day I know that my Shepherd is guiding me with precision and love, ever onward to the high places!

 "He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
         And sets me upon my high places.
He trains my hands for battle,
         So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
         And Your right hand upholds me;
         And Your gentleness makes me great.
You enlarge my steps under me,
         And my feet have not slipped."
-Psalm 33: 33-36 
"For the glory of  God!"

A heart of trustful stillness

It is still dark when I rise. The house is quiet as I pluck my Bible from it's resting place and take my seat near the window. I sit in the light of the lamp as dawn's first light peaks over the neighboring hills. All is still. I am still.
     

     "Be still." The continual cry in my heart this past year; the whisper of the Father to His child. As each day rolled around last year, I knew that this reminder, this command, was going to show itself in some form in my life that day. 365 days; 365+ times I saw or heard that verse. As the year progressed He got more and more obvious about His desire for me to learn the lesson He was yearning to teach me. Try though He might to teach me, I just wasn't getting it. Until last week.. then it hit me. I was reading Hind's Feet on High Places, where the Shepherd was scolding Much-Afraid for being impatient with Him for not doing what she wanted Him to do in her life. I was convicted by His words:

~*~"When you wear the weed of impatience 

in your heart instead of the flower of

Acceptance-with-Joy, 

your enemies (fear, pride, anxiety, worry)

will get an advantage over you."~*~

 

            You see, I had become so obsessed with my dreams and hopes for life that I had started trying to control the path my life took. Instead of praying that His will would be done in my life, all my

prayers had become about me: "Help this to happen," "please do this," "I want this to occur.." etc. But who am I, who sees only as far the days end, to dictate how my life should go? The rest of Psalm 46:10 says "..know that I am God." HE IS GOD. He sees my future as far as there is to see. So better to lead my life than Him? It is time that I stop trying to control things that are out of my control and to truly quiet myself before Him, believing that He knows best so that I might come to say: "You choose, my Lord, and I will obey."

"Be still and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10

For the glory of God!

A most beautiful journey

"Life ain't always beautiful but it's a beautiful ride." 

-Gary Allan 

    Let's face it. Sometimes it's really hard to give God control if our lives, especially when things aren't going the way we planned. As humans it is in our nature to want to control our life. We dream, we plan, we progress. All to ensure things go according to plan. OUR plan. But sometimes it's not our plan that needs to be happening. It's His.

   If we had our way, life would always be easy. Things would always go the way we'd planned and nothing unexpected would ever happen. But then we'd never grow, or learn new things, and we certainly wouldn't need God because we would never be in a situation we couldn't handle. Which is exactly why the Sovereign God allows hardship and confusion into our lives: to  show us that we are not in control of our lives and to teach us more about Him.
 
  In every season, whether painful or joyful, there is a beauty of it's own, hidden withing each moment. The beauty of hidden blessings, the beauty of seeing God's hand at work. There is even beauty in a broken heart, for it is within such a state that the soul cries out to God with yearnful longing. When the heart of the Father breaks for His children- when tears run down the face of the Divine- that is when our hearts are touched the most. Only when we have learned to see through the haze of pain and confusion, to see the Sovereign hand at work, will we see the symphony of beauty exploding within our lives: the beauty from the ashes.

    God has a beautiful journey planned for each of us. To see heaven and earth collide in a glorious display of love and splendor, we have only to say, "Let Thy will be done, not mine."

"For I know the plan I have for you," declares The Lord, 

"plans to prosper and not to harm you.

To give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

"For the glory of God!"

A lily of the valley

 "I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.

 Like a lily among the thorns.."

 Song of Solomon 2:1-2a

 ~*~*~*~

  For those of you who know me, you know that my favorite color is yellow. I love all things yellow! So naturally, my favorite flower would my yellow rose bush. It is the most beautiful rose, with  petals that range from a soft butter yellow, to a vivid pink! I've seen a rose to pretty! I've been diligently tending this plant for a few months now, but no flowers have yet to grace it's leaves. Tonight, as I was tending it I was reminded of how this rose is like a young lady's life. As a gardener I am eagerly awaiting that first bud opening. I am excited to see the beauty that is hidden in that bud. Now, I can go out there and rip a bud open to see it's glory, but the petals are so delicate they would rip, and all it's beauty would be gone forever. A good gardener knows to let her plant be and when it is ready, it will bloom on it's own. Each bud blooms at it's own time, each one has it's own beauty, none are exactly alike. It is the same with us. 

      Young ladies, somewhere out there is a man of God just waiting to watch us unfold our petals. A man who has eagerly awaited and prayed for a "rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley." A woman who's purity and inward beauty shines forth like a rose newly bloomed. How do you think our man would feel if he came into our lives to find that we had already started blooming before the season was right- to find us torn and tarnished? Once we start blooming, it is too late to undo what has started. Just like a rose cannot fold back into it's self, so too we cannot. What has been given away can never be taken back. 

        Dear sisters, our hearts are "like a garden that needs to be protected and kept clean." (Sarah Maley)

The enemy will do anything to destroy that garden. We must stand strong in our fight to remain pure, to hide our beauty from that which would destroy it. I know this is hard. As we get older, our desire grows to find our "Prince Charming," to be loved with that kind of love. Trust me, I get this. The wait can often seem unending, and that is when Satan sneaks in to whisper his malicious lies into your heart. THAT is when we must guard our hearts more than ever before! But there is nothing more rewarding than the beauty of a God given relationship, in HIS timing.

 

"The sharp thorn often produces delicate roses." -Ovid 

   I believe in arranged marriages, but I believe that GOD is the one doing the arranging and when the time is right we will get our "happy ending," ( or rather, our happy beginning.) "Can you imagine anything better than a couple who is just right for each other coming together in exactly the right way at the right time?? Only GOD can bring about something so perfect!" -Sarah Maley

 
              "You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; 
                   you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain."
                                  Song of Solomon 4:12
                                          "For His glory!"

How wonderful are His gifts

Life is not a spinning wheel of repetition. Rather, it is like a good book. Each chapter is new and exciting, filled with blessings and gifts that God is just waiting for us to notice. God's gifts come in many different sizes, but all of them are precious in His sight. None of them should be taken for granted or passed over. Some of His gifts come into our lives for a short time then quietly pass out of the door they came through. Quite often we get so caught up in the big things in life that we miss those precious, little, moments that He gives us.

Everything in our lives is a gift from God. Each person in our lives is there for a reason and a season. Each day is a blessing. Every smile, every laugh, every conversation, is a passing gift that will never be repeated. We must take advantage of those. We must learn to see those moments in life, for the small and insignificant things are often the most beautiful gifts of all.

Our Father delights to bless us with His precious gifts. We cannot let them pass by without thanking Him.

  

"For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;

  I sing for joy at what  your hands have done."

 Psalm 92:4 

"For the glory of God!"

Footprints of LOVE

“A heart to love, and in that heart, courage, to make love known”
-  Shakespeare

~  ~  ~

        It takes courage to selflessly love others, does it not? Selfless love is not part of our nature, rather it is part of Christ's nature. It was that very love that moved Him to die for us. The same love that He commands us to walk in, so that the world might see Him through us. When we love others we are dieing to ourselves; we are denying who we are without Christ so that we may live more fully in Him.

           "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

           Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 

1 John 4:7
   

      Everyday, we must learn to kill our flesh to walk in His love. It takes courage to do this. It takes faith. It takes prayer. One cannot slay the dragon in a single day. It takes weeks of practice before that knight becomes skilled in his swordsmanship. It is the same in our lives. We cannot expect to have our perspective changed over night. Because we were born into this world, our flesh is OF this world. Therefore, it is a daily fight to learn His ways.We must learn to seek out opportunities to practice this great love.

    When that mother gives up her sleep to care for her sick child; when that father works overtime to bring in extra income for his family; when that ministry diligently cares for HIS orphaned children, that is Christ's love. All life is like a song. A beautiful orchestra that God is conducting. Only when we love as He loved us, will we begin playing to the rhythm that He wrote, long before time began. That's when we will truly walk in HIS footsteps: the footprints of an everlasting LOVE. 

 "And walk in love as Christ also has loved us
 and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
 to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."
Ephesians 5:2
"For the glory of God!"

His beloved

"Then God said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, 

in Our likeness......
So God created mankind in His own image, 

in the image of God He created them;

Genesis 1:26-27

~*~*~*~

          In the very beginning of time GOD created the earth. For those of us who have read the Bible, we know how the story goes: "then God said....let there be light....let there be an expanse between the water above and the water below...let the water under the sky be gathered in one place...etc." All through the first chapter of Genesis we see the phrase "then God said." God had the power to simply speak the earth and all that is in it, into existence, but there is one creation He didn't speak into being: MAN. In all other areas of creation God said the word and it was. But with mankind He took the time to hand create us, to breath His very breathe into us, to make us part of Him. 

          What does that say about His heart for His people??

         God did not want to speak us into being because He wanted to us to feel His love, to be in communion with Him. To God, we are not just another part of creation, we HIS PEOPLE. We are His beloved, His children, His heart song. 

"I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine;" Song of Solomon 6:31

 WE ARE HIS!!!

 

     In His chest beats a heart so full of love towards His children that even with all eternity, we will never be able to comprehend that great love. HE created us FOR HIMSELF: to love, honor and obey Him in all areas of our lives. He GAVE us live, LEADS US in life, and AWAITS US AT OUR LIFE'S END. Like a father that eagerly awaits His child's return, like a groom at the alter, so too is the heart of our Father towards us. 

    There will come a day for all of us when our strength fails. We will kiss this world good bye, and with our final heart beat be carried to the realm eternal. There, at the celestial gate our KING will be waiting for us. With all the joy of a lover, He will welcome us into the realm of light, of love, and of joy: HOME.

       I think of a dearly beloved friend who has passed on into heaven's splendor. Such a blessed woman is she to be partaking of heaven's delights! Oh, what joy divine! What everlasting delight! What peace unending and laughter abounding, awaits the faithful when we are gathered into heaven's folds!!!!

    

"My Beloved spoke and said to me, 

"Arise, My darling, My beautiful one,  

come with Me."

 Song of Solomon 2:10

How far will YOU go?

      The enemy laughs. The flesh scoffs. The deepest regions of hell deride the opposition of the soul.  All the while the heart cries, “I cannot do this!”  The enemy marches, the flesh cowers.  

      Is this to be the “resistance” we offer the enemy when he tries to  steal us from our LORD? A weak rebellion without faith, without action? Is our faith naught but empty words 

and hollow professions of action??

~* ~ *~

                                                                                                                    Thousands around the world today are already  facing death and persecution for their faith. There may very well come a day when we too face the same battle.  We need to ready ourselves, for on that day God will ask, “how far will YOU go for me?” The enemy is preparing his troops for battle, battle against the most powerful BEING in the universe.  He will lose, but  he’ll go down fighting, destroying the lives of the ones GOD loves: destroying us.  He’ll stop at nothing to tear us away from our KING, we cannot let that happen!

“How far will you go for ME?”

    When we are faced with an assault from the enemy, it is our fear the prevents us from fighting the good fight, from resisting Satan. But resist we must, for to give in to his whims means denying our Father in Heaven. Right now we fight a spiritual battle, but one day this battle may become a physical battle: a fight for our very lives, and the honor of our KING.  In that day we MUST stand strong, we we must NOT back down. So what if we lose our lives, for to lose our lives here, will be to gain an eternity with GOD.

Let Satan laugh now, his time is coming. Our KING will defeat him once and for all!!

Are we ready to fight for our GOD??

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."

Mark 16:25
 

Bitter be Autumn's bite

    

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"

  Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

  The  proud stalks bend and sway in the last light of summer’s day. Sunset’s golden light casts shimmering hues of color upon radiant fields of grain. Daylight’s hours now are few, as Nature begins her queue.  Green have been the leaves, now basked in Autumn’s glory. The fading light, the whispered rite. Summer’s done, the dance of Autumn has begun.

       Ahh…Autumn. I bask in the cool breeze as the first of Autumn’s chill arrives. I watch as the leaves slowly change to brilliant shades of red, gold and orange. I smell the chill in the air, I see it in the sparkling frost that lies upon the ground each morning. This is a season of rest and tranquility for nature. A season to enjoy the fruits of her labor, to glory in her splendor, to grow strong again for Summer’s harvest. A time of peace.

     The human life is much like nature. We too have different seasons. Spring/Summer: where we harvest the fruits of our spiritual labor and grow in our walk with the Creator- a time of plenty. Then there’s Fall/Winter: a time of trial, where the rains fall and the winds blow. Our “leaves” (spirits) fall and our “land” (hearts) are washed in the heavy floods of His grace.  In seasons like these we often get so caught up in stopping the storm, that we fail to see the beauty and the peace, in the midst of all the thunder.   

       Hidden within of each storm is hand of GOD reaching out to us from within the rains, asking us to trust Him. 

      In every season, God is always at work  behind the clouds of gray; He is ever spinning, ever weaving, a pattern of splendor; a scenery of color and brilliance, that will stun us with it’s vast beauty when it is unveiled.
 
     “Autumn/Winter” may look and feel bitter, cold and heartless. A season without a purpose. But there is always a ray of SON waiting to burst worth at the first sign of Spring in our hearts, when the first buds of faith and trust are springing up from grounds of hardened frost.

Don’t fear the cold, my friend. For though it hurts now, Spring will come. And when it does, nothing else will matter as we dwell once more in the LIGHT and the warmth.

“The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome IT.” John 1:5

“For the glory of God!”

Why orphans?

 

 "You can always give without loving,

but you can never love without giving."

-Amy Carmichael 

  ~* ~*~*~*~

 

   Someone recently asked me,  “Why orphans, and why Africa?”  Many people have asked me the same question in the past. Well, here is my answer: as followers of Christ, it is our duty and blessing to reach the lost and the hurting in the world. We are to minister to the poorest of poor, the lowest of low.  For me, that means the orphans. Truly, they are the poorest of poor in today's society; having no one to call family and nothing to call their own.  

According to Orphan Hope International, there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide. As of today, 48.3 million of those are in Africa.  By age 16 these children “age out” and are no longer in the adoption systems. 38,493 orphans “age out” each day . With diseases like malaria, HIV, AIDS and yellow fever, 5,760 children are orphaned each day. The vast majority of these have never heard of Christ. They live in villages where witchcraft and demon possession is rampant. The witch doctor is their only doctor, and consequently their “religious leader.” 

  My heart absolutely breaks for those precious little ones, living in those circumstances!! How can we ignore their cries, their pain!? We can't change the world, but we can lives. None of us has the power to save the world, but we have the love to save the lost.

“Not all of us can do great things. 

But we can do small things with great love.”

-Mother Teresa 

  Mother Teresa had it right. Not everyone is destined for great deeds, honor or fame. But all of us, regardless of our current circumstances can do little things and still change lives, if we do it with great love.

    There is a fire burning deep within my heart, fueled by the Lord, to do what I can to help His children. Even if I only impact one life, it is enough. For that is one life more that will one day be in heaven. This side of heaven we may never know how many will be with Christ one day because of us, but we still have to try to reach them. Love speaks far greater than words. It is not enough to simply say you feel for them, we have to REACH OUT TO THEM. 

"Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay, the hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire; Let me not sink to be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God."
-Amy Carmichael   “For the glory of God!

Everything changes in a minute

 The power of a minute...

 "Everyone has a moment in their childhood when the door opens to their future." -Wess Stafford

One minute. One moment in a lifetime of minutes. To many, one minute is unimportant, but to children that one minute defines the rest of their lives: who they are when they grow up, what they want to do, and who they want to be like. WE as their elders have the power to change a child's life in the space of 60 seconds. Now THAT'S a heavy responsibility to bare.

Children look up the adults in their lives. They look to us as role models, as teachers, in our every day lives. They watch us and learn from us. As little ones they are very impressionable. As Dr. Stafford put it, "they are like wet cement. The younger they are the easier it is to leave an imprint."  Though they may not realize it, they are constantly soaking up everything around them.

  Children grow up to become a replica of the kinds of elders they had in their lives when they were young. God intended for the elders in a child's life to pour into them, not tear them down. How we impact a child depends on how we interact with that child. We need to always remember any minute, anything we say or do, can be that moment that opens the door to the child's future.                                                                                                 When I see a child, I see one of God's precious children. I see His fingerprints in their lives. I see a child who needs love and affirmation. A little one who's life is only just beginning; who needs Godly influences in their life.When I see a child I feel the need to protect them, to love them, to show them that Someone cares for them. I feel the weight of God's call to all adults. Please, don't ignore His children. When you see a child be sure to pour into them, even if it's just a friendly smile or a kind word. You never know how much that simple act of love may impact them for all eternity. 

 "Start children off on the way they should go, 

and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

 Proverbs 22:6

"For the glory of God!"

.  

Let it rain!

   *Drip, drip, drip*  The rain falls steadily upon the window pane. It is a sound that calms and soothes many people, and excites others. But to me, it is the sound of His love falling upon my life. You see, when it rains we often think of the rain in the plural sense, ignoring the millions of individual drops. Yet, it is those very drops that make up the storm. It is the same way with our Father's love.

   Too often we take His blessings for granted and fail to thank Him for them. Then before we know it they're gone. Evaporated into our lives or blown away by the winds of change. Only the evidence of their having been there is left; the puddles that sit around waiting for us to acknowledge them.We sit there and wonder, "how did we miss the existence of that gift and how could it be gone already?? We only just noticed it." But that's just it. Like the rain, many blessings are only in our lives for a short season. Whether we notice each drop is up to us.

  

     Our Heavenly Father desires to grant us every blessing under the sun, but it is only when we remember to thank Him for each one, that He will keeps pouring His rain upon us.  So the next time your soul is parched, look to the heavens. The skies are ever ready to rain down His love upon us, we have only to learn to see the gifts. They are always there. Not every blessing is life changing. The most valuable gifts are often the smallest and most unnoticeable.

    

So open your eyes. Step out of the prison of ungratefulness and open your arms to the rain. Let the drops cleanse and refresh you. Dance in His love rain. Count the drops. But beware of the flood that is sure to come when you open your heart to thankfulness.

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God

 and the Father  in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Ephesians 5:20 

 "For the glory of God!"

 

He knows

 "And God saw every thing....

and, behold, it was very good."

Genesis 1:31

~*~*~

WHY? The question that we so often find ourselves asking in this journey of life. 

     Too often in life we find ourselves in the midst of the storm with no shore in sight and no explanation for why we are there. As the waves crash around us and the waters rise, we quickly forget that the Maker of the storm is standing on that distant shore watching. Waiting. I recently listened to a sermon about the disciples being stranded in the storm on Galilee while Jesus stayed on the shore and prayed. It was only after letting them sit in the storm, fighting for their very lives for 8 hours, that Jesus finally went to them. He could have commanded the storm to stop at any moment, but He didn't. HE put them in that storm and let them sit there ON PURPOSE. Why? Because He needed them to grow in Him. To believe in Him.

       How often does God do that in our lives? Throw us in the storm to grow us in Him, to teach us to trust Him? We may never know the why in a trial, but this we do know: HE knows. When we find ourselves far from shore, seemingly "alone" and scared, it can be all too easy to wonder where God is. To feel like He's not there. But He is. He is watching and waiting for us to learn the lesson before He rescues us.

      When we find ourselves in these storms we need to remember: He knows the why behind every detour and the outcome on the shore. When God looks at us in the storm He sees something good. He sees that the storm and the work it is producing in us (if we let Him work) is good. We need to stop fighting Him and trying to tell Him how to help us and just trust Him. 

HE KNOWS. He knows.

  

(I tried to get just this song on here, but because it's on a playlist all of them downloaded.

 So, pause my music below and play just "Better than I." :))

 "All the days ordained for me were written in your book,

before one of them came to be."

 Psalm 139:16

While I'm waiting

     I imagine life as one long hallway. Every day you're walking down this hallway trying to reach the door at the end. On either side of you the hall is lined with doors. Some are good and others are bad.You have no idea what's on the other side of that door, but He knows. He knows that on the other side is His great plan for you. But only by taking the side doors will you reach that door. Day by day the Shepherd beckons you saying, "come My child. Walk with Me." As you walk you pray, praying for your Guide to open the right doors, and He does. But every now and then He opens a door that looks so right, but the moment you try to step through, He slams it shut again. "But it looked so right Lord!" you say. "Yes My child, it did look right, but that is not what I have for you" He says, "Just wait. Be patient. I have something far better in mind." 

       Everyone has a "plan" for their lives, but so does God. We need to seek that plan, for our earthly dreams cannot compare to the beauty of His heavenly plan for us. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. (Is. 55:9) God already has a plan for us, we just need to wait on Him and follow Him. One thing we all know is that God will NEVER lead us astray. Not seldom ever, but NEVER. So trust His plan. Trust the One Who made you to never lead you astray in life. Wait on Him.

While you're waiting what are you going to do??

    

~*~*~

 The plans of the heart belong to man, 

but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

 Proverbs 16:1

"For the glory of the Lord!"

Lessons from Ruth

  Widowed at a young age she abandoned her home, her family, her religion and all that she loved to follow her mother-in-law to a land and people that were foreign to her. There she took up the faith of her mother-in-law and took it upon herself to care for her in her old age.

 

       The story of Ruth. Ruth's story is a short one, yet one that is packed with wisdom for women attaining to be Godly wives. My sister and I have recently been studying Ruth with a couple friends in our weekly "wife prep" Bible study. One of the things that really stuck out to me about Ruth was her patience in waiting. All of us who are single are in that season of waiting, but none of us fully know the joy that lies ahead. Ruth did. She knew what she was missing in life, yet still she was patient in her wait and trusted God. Can we say the same?

 

 "The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor....

All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character." 

Ruth 3:10-11

 

    What a legacy! How I pray I develop the same legacy! This is a legacy we should all attain to: to be known for our virtuous, Godly character and strong morals. The fact that the entire town knew of her virtue and noble character, shows that she was worth talking about. Ladies, what kind of legacy do you want to take into marriage? Do you want to be known as Ruth: a woman who waited for and prepared for her man, a noble and virtuous woman; or a flirtatious and impatient woman? Godly Christian men are attracted to women like Ruth, not the women of this world. We don't want to settle for God's second best, but His first choice for us. The one that will love us forever as Christ loves His church. We want to be his pearl of great price, his rarest treasure. So let's strive to be Ruth, and God will bring us Boaz.      

~*~*~*~

"Time slips by,

Trusting God has become important above everything else.

His timing is perfect and all His ways are best.

Would I truly love you in such a deep way if I wasn't waiting?

Would I grow if time had not taught me the value of obedience? 

Though I have never met you, I am faithful to you.

Though I am single my heart is yours already.

The one I give my heart to, is the one I marry,

safely stored in Christ until God brings us together.

Single I stand proud that I have not settled,

grateful that God has taught me to wait.

You're the right one, the one God has chosen is worth the wait,

no matter how long. 

I will no settle for ok, I wait for God's perfect fit."

~ Unknown~

~* ~ *~ *~