Unanswered Questions

Questions…we all have them.  Are we real with our answers?  Are we real with our answers we give to others AND to ourselves?  We live in a world that tends to gloss over questions that really need to be scratched open and dug into a little deeper to find the answers.    Sometimes we need to let our questions sit and simmer for a bit.  However, we are an instant gratification society.  If we can’t have the answers immediately, we move on or make up an answer that fits the situation.  I keep asking, but am I truly seeking?  

James 3:17 New Life Version (NLV)

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not.

I’m in a season where I’m asking A LOT of questions to God.  I keep asking Him to place a clear path in front of me.  I keep asking Him for clarity.  However, life happens and I tend to let that fog the process to finding those answers.  This week I have had a lot happen.  

A precious friend had some life altering news, a kidney was found for her.  No longer will she have to live through dialysis for survival.  He spoke this over me: 

Jeremiah 33:3 New Life Version (NLV)

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.’

Another friend had an episode that landed her in the hospital. They found a mass on her brain, which led her to brain surgery on Friday.  The results turned up that she had an infection that could be taken care of with antibiotics.  She had perfect peace, over those 6 days, that only He could provide.  As I walked with her through that, He spoke this over me: 

Psalm 23:3-4 New Life Version (NLV)

3 He makes me strong again. He leads me in the way of living right with Himself which brings honor to His name. 4 Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me.

We lost our 13 year old dog to old age.  She was the only dog my kids have known to be loyal, caring, and just a good ‘ol pal.  I found strength that only He could provide as I wiped away the tears from my sweet babies cheeks.  He spoke these words to me: 

John 14:27 New Life Version (NLV)

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give peace to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

As I sat down to write this message tonight, I reflected on my week.  At first, I was disappointed because He didn’t reveal any answers to my questions this week.  But then I bowed my head to pray.  He revealed all that He had done this past week.  All for His glory.  

You may be lost and looking for answers.  Take a moment and look deeper.  Scratch the surface a little more.  Take time to just listen.  He is speaking and covering us with His answers.  

Enjoy the song that is on repeat this week in my car. 

Lauren Daigle ~ Your Wings (Lyrics)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrcmXU8bonQ

Be Blessed!

Self-Awareness vs God-Awareness

2 Corinthians 10:5 New Life Version (NLV)

5 We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.

1 Peter 3:15 New Life Version (NLV)

15 Your heart should be holy and set apart for the Lord God. Always be ready to tell everyone who asks you why you believe as you do. Be gentle as you speak and show respect.

Luke 2:46-47

6 Three days later they found Him in the house of God. He was sitting among the teachers. He was hearing what they said and asking questions. 47 All those who heard Him were surprised and wondered about His understanding and at what He said. 

Absent-minded is a good state to say that I have been in lately.  I have been so engrossed in everything that is going on around me, that I have forgotten small details or find myself walking aimlessly around on auto pilot.  

I am one who likes to pinpoint the “why” behind my feelings and state of mind.  I have been putting the blame on the 20 students that sit in my class daily.  To paint a picture of my class, go step on an ant pile and observe what the ants are doing.  They are going in every direction except the correct one.  Listening to directions or to instruction is almost an impossible task with this group of students.  I just wish that they would listen.  They are so engrossed in everything going on around them that they are missing small details and making mistakes.  That is when I realized that in God’s eyes, I’m just like my students.  I’m not listening to His direction or instructions.  If God had a foam finger and slapped me in the face, I still would miss what He is pointing out.  Why?  I am in a state of mind where I find myself in a Self-Awareness mode vs a God Awareness mode.  I’m turned inward.  My environment is feeding my emotions.  I am scattered in all directions looking for the correct direction.  I need to be more aware of God and looking vertical to Him rather than looking horizontal on what is going on around me. 

Is God trying to slap you with His foam finger?  Is God sending you little messages and you are just walking right through them?  Are you making mistakes and missing the small details?  If we would filter all of our thoughts through Him, how much easier would our lives be?  Grab onto a verse this week that really sits on your heart.  Memorize that verse.  Memorize it to the point of where you can’t help, but think of that verse in the toughest moments.  

Be Blessed!

He provides

Isaiah 26:3 New Life Version (NLV)

3 You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You.

Psalm 130:5 New Life Version (NLV)

5 I wait for the Lord. My soul waits and I hope in His Word.

Hebrews 4:16 New Life Version (NLV)

16 Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.

Have you ever been in a situation in which you were praying for answers, but didn’t receive them?  Wouldn’t it be nice to just wake up every morning and pull up an app that gave us direction for each day, month, year, decade?  Sign me up.  Where can I download that app?  I would love for HIM to scream those directions to me daily.  

Sometimes I feel like I could be looking so hard that I look right the finest details that HE is putting in your path. 

In those seasons, God is doing something inside of you.  He is wanting you to pay close attention to what HE sets in your path DAILY.  He is wanting us to not worry about tomorrow.  Pay attention and pray over each action and step.  

Matthew 6:26 New Life Version (NLV)

26 Look at the birds in the sky. They do not plant seeds. They do not gather grain. They do not put grain into a building to keep. Yet your Father in heaven feeds them! Are you not more important than the birds?  27 Which of you can make himself a little taller by worrying?

I read that verse this weekend while sitting on my lanai.  I stopped to listen to the birds chirping around me.  God has got this and will provide.  You just have to have FAITH and know that if you keep your eyes on HIM, you will be able to take today’s steps peacefully.  

Shaping and Molding Us

Jeremiah 18:1-6 New Life Version (NLV)

The Pot-Maker and the Clay

18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Go down to the pot-maker’s house, and there I will let you hear My words.” 3 So I went down to the pot-maker’s house, and saw him making one on the wheel. 4 But the pot he was making of clay did not come out like he wanted it. So the pot-maker used the clay to make another pot that pleased him.

5 Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying, 6 “O people of Israel, can I not do with you as this potmaker has done?” says the Lord. “Like the clay in the pot-maker’s hand, so are you in My hand, O people of Israel.

Mackenzie, my 8 year old daughter, loves crafts.  She will spend hours perfecting each movement she makes on the pieces she is creating.  Tonight she brought me a ceramic pumpkin that she had been painting.  With tears in her eyes, she showed me her precious  pumpkin.  The black she had used for the eyes had bled into the orange.  She had tried to fix it, but that had made it worse.  I took her precious piece of art, sat with her, and helped her paint over the black traces.  It will need another coat of orange tomorrow, but she saw hope in her creation.  She saw that the mistakes could be fixed and made new.  She went to bed pleased with what she had done.

God is consistently molding us and making us new.  We may spend so much time trying to cover up our mistakes or decisions by trying to make them right.  Sometimes that works, but other times our “fixing the problem” can make it worse.  If we hand our problems to our Father, He will take our mistakes and mold them into something beautiful.  With that, we will see hope.  We can know we can be made new again.  We can rest our heads pleased with what He has done.  

This sounds easy, but unless you truly hand over your problems to Him and lay them at His feet, He cannot make it new.  We have to be willing to give Him control of our next steps.  We may not understand the way the Lord is molding a situation, but if we trust and obey, it will turn out to be a beautiful, perfect piece of pottery.  

Be Blessed!

Fearful, vulnerable, lonely, weak, unsure...

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 New Life Version (NLV)

8 I asked the Lord three times to take it away from me. 9 He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. 10 I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me. I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Fearful, vulnerable, lonely, weak, unsure…

Those are words that can slap us hard in seasons where you are being molded by Him.  When you face the rushing world around you, it is hard to hear and see what He is putting in front of us.  This summer I had the vision below placed on my heart (this was taken from an earlier Thoughtful Thursday in August):

Imagine that you are standing on the banks of a river.  This river is not a calm flowing river, but a river that rushes in front of you.  A river that has waves and ripples that come crashing into anything that it meets.  The whirling of the rapids can be exhilarating and spectacular to watch.  However, you have to cross this river on foot.  There is no steady foothold in sight.  You take a deep breath and pray.  As you open your eyes, a stepping stone comes to surface.  This stone is one that is not covered in moss and is not going to waver.  It is a sturdy place to step.  You take your first step, trying not to let the rapids falter your balance.  The minute you look to one side you loose focus, and anxiousness begins to take ahold of your mind.  You close your eyes, pray, breathe, and then open your eyes to see another stone has been placed before you.  Just like the stone you’re standing on, this one is just as secure.  You continue to take one step at a time.  As you are crossing this river, you continue to have moments of anxiousness.  You may even fall into the river, but then pray that He pulls you out so that you can continue to move forward.  

I reread those words in awe of WHY that vision was placed on my heart this summer.  Because now…I’m in the middle of those rushing waters.  I have waves slapping me down, but God is reaching out to rescue me.  He is making huge moves in my life.  These pieces that He is putting into place are so beautiful and exciting.  However, there is a huge gray area that is clouding my vision of what He is asking of me.  So the words of the song “GOD HELP ME” by Plumb have been washing over me this week:  

“Help me to move

Help me to see

Help me to do whatever you ask of me

Help me to go

Help me to stay

I feel so alone here

I know that you are faithful

I can barely breathe

God help me!”

Let them wash over you: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wRpTySE_8A

Be Blessed!

The Potential in a Seed

John 15:4, 11 New Life Version (NLV) 

Get your life from Me and I will live in you. No branch can give fruit by itself. It has to get life from the vine. You are able to give fruit only when you have life from Me.  v11. 11 I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be full.

Matthew 13:31-32 New Life Version (NLV)

31 Jesus told them another picture-story. He said, “The holy nation of heaven is like mustard seed which a man planted in his field. 32 It is the smallest of seeds. But when it is full-grown, it is larger than the grain of the fields and it becomes a tree. The birds of the sky come and stay in its branches.”

This past weekend I had the blessing of sitting in a room full of 700 women looking for hope and inspiration. I had a beautiful friend that shared about how we are so similar to seeds.  A seed can come in a packet at the store.  If the packet is never taken off the shelf and emptied into the soil, it will just stay a seed.  Once that tiny seed is planted, the potential of the seed begins.  First, the hard outer shell starts to soften, slowly the seed begins to root into the ground.  Once the roots are solid, sprouts begin to show above ground.  The next few pieces of the process are visible to the naked eye.  That is, if #1 I planted the seed and #2 it has the right nutrients to flourish.  

How are we like seeds?  How do we have the same potential as a seed?   You may feel that your seed is buried in dry soil.  The circumstances you are planted in seem hopeless and difficult.  However, if you put a tiny bit of water on that seed, the shell begins to soften.  Your shell needs to soften to grow.  The water in this scenario is God’s love.  When we accept God’s love, our hearts are softened.  If we nurture our hearts with God’s love, His word, a community that encourages and prays over us, we will begin to see something happen both below the surface and above. 

You are a seed.  Are you a seed sitting on a shelf?  Are you a seed that is sitting in dry soil?  Are you a seed that is growing slowly?   Are you a seed that has become dormant in this season?  You may even be going through a pruning season of reflection and growth.  You could be going into a fruitful season.  Regardless of where you are or what you are…you have potential to do anything.  Just wake up each day and know with every morning’s light you are redeemed.  

Enjoy Lauren Daigle’s Power to Redeem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDM3d2IjFTA

Be Blessed!

Strength!!!

2 Corinthians 5:5, 7 New Life Version (NLV)

5 It is God Who has made us ready for this change. He has given us His Spirit to show us what He has for us.

7 Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.

Psalm 46:1-5 New Life Version (NLV)

God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, 3 and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.

4 There is a river whose waters make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High lives. 5 God is in the center of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when the morning comes. 

The definition of STRENGTH, according to GOOGLE, is “the quality or state of being strong, in particular”.  We have seasons of feeling strong and then other seasons of needing to find strength.  We must find our strength and encouragement in our faith.  For HE will not let us down.  We will face times of trouble.  We will feel the earth shake around us.  The storm will rage and waves will slap us down.  However, if our faith is centered and stays centered, we will find a supernatural strength.  

It is necessary for us to go through those hard times.  We won’t understand them while they are happening or even after they happen.  Those times mold us and become apart of us.  Beth Moore states, in her study title The Quest, the strength we find in Him is supernatural.  “It promotes growth in our faith, increases the size and strength of your spiritual muscle, and improves your soul’s endurance in your arduous journey to the kingdom.”  

My prayer for you today is that He gives you the strength needed.  To give you the supernatural strength and patience only He can supply.  I pray that you feel His presence as He does the heavy lifting.  I pray that you rest when you feel called to rest.  Our spiritual muscle will always stay engaged if we rest in Him.  

Be Blessed!

P.S.

Ladies - I am excited to be co-hosting an 8 week bible study based on the book Ruth.  If you are hungry for a community of women that provides spiritual relationships, we welcome you.  Please respond in an email and I will get that information to you personally.  We will be starting next Thursday, September 27th from 6-7:30.  If you feel a tug on your heart, follow your heart.  That is God whispering to you.