Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

He changes a wilderness into a pool of water and a dry land into springs of water.

Psalm 107:35

It’s late tonight.  I’ve not much to say except that God is amazing and awesome and great.  There is nothing he CAN’T do.  There is NO ONE he can’t change.  There is NO TEMPTATION he can’t overcome.  Are you thirsty?  Are you wounded?  Are you empty?  Are you tired?  HE is your answer.  He is drink for your thirst.  He is healing for your wounds.  He fills your empty.  He is rest from your tiredness.  Jesus and Jesus, alone.  Come and see that the Lord is good.  Let HIM quench your desires in His pools of water.

The boys are in swimming lessons this week.  God provided me an AMAZING teacher (I had been praying for one for a year-isn’t God good?!!). They go everyday for a week and already on the second day I watched Will (my NEVER GET YOU HEAD UNDER WATER BOY) sloppily (is that a word?) swim to Miss Em.  I almost cried.  Then it was Josh’s turn.  “I don’t want to do that again.”  “Yes, we are Josh.. one, two, three.. go.”  ……  And he did.  She just knows what she’s doing.  Amazing.  Birmingham women.. PLEASE let me hook you up.  She’s great!

My heart is heavy today as last night I watched the painful interview from Kate and Jon announcing their separation and divorce. Oh, I grieve divorce.  I just feel like Satan is laughing hysterically when marriages fall, especially believing marriages.  It’s one more on the scoreboard in the Devil’s game.  However, I think I’ve been most moved by an advertisement aired during the episode.  I don’t know what it was advertising.  I just know that it was filming a modern Hansel and Gretel leaving a breadcrumb trail through the streets of a New York City type area.  The birds were eating their crumbs, people were stepping on them and knocking them out of line, cars crushed them in the streets and they found themselves…. LOST.

“…Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…”  Hebrews 12:2

Jesus, is our author.  He wrote the book of our faith.  How often when my faith is rocked do I turn to everything else but him?  He ALONE is the perfecter.  As I watched Miss Em perfect my boys’ swimming abilities I realized that it matters who is doing the teaching.  Jesus perfects our faith.  He grows it.  He strengthens it.  He stretches it.  He alone gives us confidence in our faith.  What a wonderful instructor He is.  Even when we say “We can’t.”  Even when we say “I don’t want to do this again.”  He says we can and says “GO!”

We must be fixed on Him; our hearts, our minds, our ears, our eyes- all HIM.  He provides the direction we need.  Otherwise we end up lost.  Pride and bitterness devour our trail.  Selfish ambition and the winds of worldly lies blow our crumbs to who knows where.  Jesus is our True North that never moves.  We need to be moving in THAT direction.  Facing His North we need no breadcrumbs, for where we have come from, we need not return.  He is our life.

I’m not judging their hearts, but from the outside looking in, it does seem like Jon and Kate are our modern Hansel and Gretel.  They started out from their blessed home, didn’t really know where they were going  and ended up…..well, lost. 

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified.”  Psalm 70:4

Will life ever slow down?  I hear an emphatic NO coming from my computer screen.  Just thought I’d ask.    Boy, it sure does take me forever and a day to get things back together after a week vacation, much less two weeks!  I’ve finally caught up on the vacation laundry, now just the normal stuff.  We’ve been to the Er and back with Josh, Chris has been working every night and sleeping during the day; we’ve had playdates, and bible study.  It’s been a busy week.  I’ve been preparing for a talk that I’m going to be giving on one of the Tuesday night bible studies in two weeks.  You guys can pray.  I’M NOT A SPEAKER!  I’m VERY nervous, but a long time ago I claimed Exodus 4:12 “Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”  Therefore I accept (against my selfish insecure feelings of being inadequate) and am trying to pray up.  We are working through a Linda Dillow book (which I HIGHLY recommend ANYTHING FROM HER) called “Satisfy My Thirsty Soul”.  It’s about worshipping in all aspects of our lives.  My chapter is entitled “I bow my life.” 

In my praying through all of this I keep returning to Psalm 70:4.  While on vacation one afternoon, Josh and I were wading along the shoreline looking for seashells.  He was getting so frustrated because the minute he would see one, he would reach down but a wave would come by and wash it away before he could get his hands on it.  Finally he snatched one up, but after appraising it said, “Oh, Mommy, it’s all dirty.”  I asked if I could hold it.  Firmly grasped in the palm of my hand I set it in the water and waited for the next wave to brush against my arm.  I lifted the once dirty shell out of the water to behold a beautiful creation.  And I began to see myself in this little shell.  The very ocean that had tossed it about and heaped mounds of dirt upon became the very spring to wash it clean.  We complain and struggle through our dark moments in our lives.  We, too, feel tossed about.  But cupped in the hands of our Savior, surrendering our entire lives over to him and resting in HIS promises, we are given the faithful eyes that see how Christ uses THESE very waters to wash us clean and bring us healing.  In everything, good and bad, may we say continually “Let God Be Magnified!”

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever, I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

Psalm 61:1-4

We are back from vacation.  It was a nice break and a chance to really think through a lot of things.  Life is full of hardships and dark, dark moments.  However far my heart may wander from God’s Word, I am always returned and reminded of this one truth:  The Lord is in control; He is sovereign.  Though we can not see during the midst of war whether we are ahead or behind in the battle, as believers in Christ, we are never fighting a losing game.  From His throne, the outcomes are clear.  This is faith….  walking hand in hand with our Savior…. as he “leads [us] to the rock that is higher” than ourselves; than our hearts would want to believe, or what our mind or fears tell us.  Our faith becomes our eyes.  It enables us to see very clearly that all things belong to, are purposed for and work accordingly in us and through us to glorify the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, our “strong tower from the enemy.”  Be bold and dwell in God’s word.  Abide in His tabernacle forever and let not your heart become overwhelmed.  In your weakness, seek His shelter and abide in the Lord. Yes, above all, abide in the Lord.