This morning I’m sharing with you an exert from a book I read a long time ago, called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge:
“He will quiet you with his love.” (Zeph. 3:17) A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest, trusting God because she has come to know him to be worthy of her trust. She exudes a sense of calm, a sense of rest, and invites those around her to rest as well. She speaks comfort; she knows that we live in a world at war, that we have a vicious enemy, and our journey is through a broken world. But she also knows that because of God all is well, that all will be well. A woman of true beauty offers others the grace to be and the room to become. In her presence, we can release the tension and pressure that so often grip our hearts. We can also breathe in the truth that God loves us and he is good.
Oh my………..THAT is the woman I strive to be. I had the most awesome experience at church yesterday in both the morning and evening service! Oh to be in the presence of God is just more than I can even put into words. The warmth, the comfort, the JOY, the peace and the feeling of “all is well…” is what I found in my worship experience yesterday. It’s like I just couldn’t get enough! And to think that, is what heaven is going to be like…….forever. To be in the presence of God…..to breathe God, I just can’t wait! This paragraph in this book just speaks volumes to me of the woman that I am trying to become. I don’t want to be a person that makes people feel uncomfortable (although I believe that we need people like that to push us out of our comfort levels and “step it up”) I want to be a person that provides comfort and encouragement in Christ. The word “grace” is absolutely my favorite word. I want more and more grace in my life to give to others. We are at war friends………..and I don’t just mean in our country, but in our souls. There is a constant war going on all around us and I experienced that war so greatly in my life last week. That feeling of “uproar”, like nothing is right. But, oh yesterday I was reminded of the sweet taste of Jesus. And the awesome thing is, I can have that “breath of heaven” EVERY DAY. I just have to make it happen. I have to get up and put on my battle gear. I have a reason to smile all the time. I have a joy inside of me that can’t be blown out, yes it gets dim, but it never goes out!!!
We had a combined service last night with another church in our area, to help “bring the community together through worship” for MLK day! It was just awesome! I’m so glad that we went. The music was just……….I can’t even put it into words. And the message…..whew……awesome!!! Everything was just what my soul needed! The choir sang one of my FAVORITE songs called “God is here”. And oh my, was God there!!! My favorite line in that song says, “So come lay down…….the burdens you have carried, for in this sanctuary…..God is here.” I love that, and that’s exactly what I did, I laid all this craziness down. I guess I should share that we are also now in the process of buying a house……..we’re in the beginning stages and I hate to even share it all, but I have to so you can understand where all my stress has been coming from. We’ve been renting a house in a great neighborhood, and we thought we would want to buy it, but God has really been working on mine and Kris’s hearts. So that whole process…..again, and this job, just not knowing…..it’s causes a lot of uproar in our home! I jokingly said to Kris, “Yes, it’s just about time for our annual move!” We’ve had two houses that we thought were going to “work-out” but God had other plans so we’ve moved three times in two years! The first house, the owner was psycho, the second house the owners got a nasty divorce and we received the unfortunate benefit from that, and this house, it’s just to expensive to buy and it’s taken us a lot to admit that! But the awesome thing is this morning, I don’t even care. It’s like, ok this is our home today, so it’s got be cleaned, and when God shows us what exactly to do…..it will work out. But we will not get into another rent to own situation, so we’re looking to buy this time. And with this job…..it’s like, Ok if that’s what God desires me to do, He is going to work out all these “minor” details, and if not, then He will provide in a different way!
So, that’s why my heart has been such a wreck this week. But, I promise you, it’s ok now. I’m walking by faith and I’m not going to do what I always do…..FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT IN MY HEAD, and then give it to God. I’ve totally laid it down at his feet and I’m trusting Him for the blessing in all of this! He’s got the whole picture in mind, so I know He’s going to show Kris and I the way one step at a time!
I have to ask though, this is on a totally different subject……does anyone know anything about kids and sleepwalking? I wanted to check with the “experts” (you all)before I start talking to dr.’s about this. HopeAnn has been waking up at least one night a week and walking onto the stairs and then she starts crying. She never remembers doing it and I can’t get her to talk when I find her on the stairs. I just have to walk her back to bed and she lays down and goes right back to sleep. It’s very strange and I just wondered if anyone else has a child that has done this, or if it’s something she’ll grow out of? Ok well, this is a super long entry today, so I’ll end it. Thanks for letting me share my joys with you! Have a very blessed day!!
