Spiritual Growth |

The Gift of a New Year

08. January 2013 · 12 comments · Categories: Spiritual Growth

The new year comes bearing gifts.

For some, it is the gift of relief-relief that the last year is over. For others, a new year brings hope-hope for the future and for a better year than the last. A new year can also bring anticipation for what’s ahead. We make plans, set goals, and look forward to their completion.

Sometimes though, like the tacky scarf we never wanted, the new year brings gifts that aren’t desired. Fear. Uncertainty. Dread. Even just the thought of the unknown future can bring worry or paralyzing fear.

When it comes to expectations and the plans we make for the new year, we tend to plan for and look forward to good things. We anticipate fun activities, new experiences and increased blessings. We set goals to attain things and experiences we’ve long desired. We resolve to make things better and improve ourselves.

When I consider my thoughts about this new year, part of me accepts the gift of sweet anticipation and looks forward to the experiences that lie ahead. Yet another part of me trembles a bit with fear at the unknown.

But what if this year I embraced all that the new year brings? What if I looked forward to everything God wants to do in and through me in 2013?

And what if the story He’s written for me this year involves more challenge, increased pain, losses, and trials?

What if it means broken dreams or failures?

Can I anticipate with great hope what God will do this year in my life? Do I have the faith to trust that whatever He has in store will result in my good? Or does fear of the unknown keep me frozen in place, unable to take a step forward?

These questions percolate in my mind reminding me that the Christian life is a journey on the road less taken. This road is narrow and less traveled because of the pain and suffering that often accompanies the journey. Not many want to walk through the necessary trials found there. Jesus challenged those who follow Him to “count the cost,” because following Him requires sacrifice.

James tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (1:2) As I look ahead into 2013, anticipating what God has planned for me, I need to face that future with joy. The source of this joy comes from the knowledge that Jesus already paved the way on this path when He suffered and died for my sins. He’s freed me of the greatest fear I could ever face, eternity without Him. No matter the uncertainty that lies ahead, He promises to be with me. As a forgiven and accepted child of the Father, I am promised peace in the face of anxiety, strength in the face of suffering, and grace for all my fears.

While this year may involve new adventures and fun with my family, it may involve new opportunities and experiences, but it may also include challenges and trials. Regardless what the future holds, it is all a blessing from God. He only gives that which is good for us because “the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3,4)

May we all face this new year, accepting the gifts it brings with hope and joy rather than fear and despair. May we never cease to drink from that fountain which is Christ, our source of all hope.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

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The Reason for the Season

06. December 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Spiritual Growth · Tags: Devotions for Moms

Is it just me or while the days have shortened, the to-lists have lengthened? It’s ironic that the time of year where we celebrate the arrival of our Prince of Peace, our own lives are in chaos. There are the decorations to put up, meals to plan, gifts to buy and wrap, parties to attend, and all the other Christmas traditions we enjoy. With all there is to do this time of year, the person we are celebrating is quickly forgotten.

To read the rest of this post, visit Devotions for Moms, my writing home today.

The Healer of Our Souls: No More Shame

13. November 2012 · 10 comments · Categories: God's still working on me, Spiritual Growth · Tags: The Healer of Our Souls

Have you ever had days where nothing goes right? Maybe days when no matter how hard you try, you get everything wrong? How about those days when you wished you had just stayed in bed?

Some days I mess up so much that I hesitate to face God. I’m covered in shame and embarrassed by my own sinfulness. And so I hide, neglect prayer, and leave my Bible on the shelf.

There are also times when shadows from the past pursue me in the present. A word, an incident, a flash of memory will bring something from the back of my mind to the forefront. The same feelings of shame and unworthiness will overtake me as though no time had passed. My actions and sins from the past will taunt me, telling me that I have not changed, and that I am still unworthy.

Does your life, whether in the past or the present ever feel too messed up for God to love you? And have you ever thought that maybe everyone else has this Christianity thing figured out and have left you behind?

This mini series, The Healer of Our Souls, is meant to draw us to the Source-God and His Word.

When shame and unworthiness haunt us, when the past holds us hostage, and when our messes in the present tell us we can’t be in God’s presence, remember that Scripture tells us otherwise. For those who believe in Christ, this is our anchor of truth:

1. When Christ died for us, He died for all our sin-past, present, and future. (Psalm 103:12, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 John 4:10, Romans 4-5,8, Colossians 2)

2. God looks at us and sees the righteousness of Christ. The perfect life He lived, has become ours. (Galatians 2:20, Romans 5:15,8,Colossians 1:21-22, Colossians 2)

3. God loves us just as much as He loves the Son. (John 17:23)

4. Nothing can separate us from Him. He will never leave us or forsake us. (Romans 8:38, Deuteronomy 31:8)

5. We have been adopted. We are permanently part of God’s family. Jesus is not ashamed to call us part of His famiy. (Hebrews 2:2-3, Romans 8:15-17)

These are the truths we need to return to time and time again. Every time we doubt, every time we feel unworthy of love, every time shame rises up in our heart, we need to remember that we are loved more than we could ever imagine or understand. It was that love that took on flesh, became sin, and died so that we could be restored as children of God.

Because the cure for shame and doubt is remembering God’s great love for us.

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Counting All Joy

07. November 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Anxiety, Spiritual Growth · Tags: Must Love God

It started with the dryer breaking, then the car, then the pool pump, then the well, and ended with the garage door. One after another, all in the space of a few weeks. They say that bad things come in three’s. What does it mean if it’s more than three?

James says to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2) It was a trial when everything broke at our house, but count it as joy? How? How do we count the trials in life as joy and as Paul admonished, rejoice in all things? Even when a job is lost, there’s a scary diagnosis, and a child runs away?

To read the rest of this post, visit Must Love God, my writing home today.

The Healer of Our Souls: The Names of God

06. November 2012 · 13 comments · Categories: Anxiety, fear, Spiritual Growth · Tags: The Healer of Our Souls

This post is the second is a series of posts on finding hope and healing through the Word of God.

Lost, frightened, and alone, she wanders far from home. An uncertain future before her, she wonders what will happen to her. Will she die out here? Does anyone even care? Blinded by tears, she falls to the ground and sobs. And then she hears a voice:

“The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.” The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.” Genesis 16:7-11

God saw Hagar crying in the wilderness. He saw how her mistress Sarai had hurt her. He saw deep into her wounded heart and had compassion. In response to God’s kindness, Hagar gives God a name, El Roi. “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (vs.13)

Did you know that there are more than 200 names for God in the Bible? If you include titles and nicknames, there are hundreds more. Our God is so immense, complex, and amazing, it takes so many names to describe Him. It is these names which reveal to us aspects of His love, character, wisdom, and power.

My own heart has been filled with worry and fear many times. I’ve felt alone and uncertain about the future. Many time anxiety has taken over my heart, paralyzing me. I too have run. I too have hidden from all that frightens me. But no matter where I go, God is always there. He sees, He knows, and He cares about all the burdens on my heart. He sees the weight on my shoulders and the way worry holds me hostage.

Learning the names of God revealed to us in Scripture can help us in times of fear, worry, and uncertainty. Knowing not only the names, but their meanings reveals to us just how good, strong, beautiful, and amazing our God is. The more we know about Him, the greater we trust Him. Trust leads us out and away from fear, worry, and anxiety and into His arms of peace.

“And those who know your name put their trust in you.” Psalm 9:10

Below are just a few of God’s names and corresponding passages to read:

1. El Shaddai: God Almighty (Genesis 17)

This name tells us that God is all-powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. He has proven this over and over in Scripture and in our lives. He has conquered sin and defeated our enemy. He has freed us from slavery and rescued us from shame. No matter how big the problem in our life, He is bigger still.

2. El Roi: The God who sees (Genesis 16)

This name tells us that God sees everything. He is not a distant God, watching things from afar. He sees our hurt and pain, our worries and fears. He not only sees, but He meets us where we are, enters into our pain and rescues us.

3. Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord will provide (Genesis 22, Matthew 6)

God not only sees everything that is happening in our lives, He knows just what we need. This name reminds us that God is our provider and sustainer. The name Jehovah-Jireh comes from the story of Abraham and Isaac where God provided a ram in the thicket. This event pointed to the day when God would provide His very own Son as a substitution, a payment for our sins. If He would provide His Son for us, won’t He also provide for us all our daily needs?

4. Strong Tower: (Proverbs 18:10)

Just as a strong tower keeps us safe from a storm, so too is God’s name a place of safety for us. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” When we trust Christ as our Savior, we are safe from evil and sin forever. Nothing can take away God’s love for us. Our eternal hope is firm and secure in Him.

5. Jehovah-Rohi: Our Shepherd:(Psalm 23)

Psalm 23 is a comforting passage to us. It reminds us that God is our shepherd who watches over us, guides us, protects us. Jesus is the Great Shepherd who became the Lamb of God, dying in our place. This name also tells us that He loves each one of us. Jesus told a parable about a shepherd leaving ninety-nine sheep to seek one lost sheep (Luke 15). God has gone to great lengths to show His endless love for us.

There are so many more names of God than these five. The more we study His names and their meanings, the more we trust Him. He has proven faithful and worthy of our trust. When we are lost, wandering in our own wilderness, uncertain and afraid, we can call out to our Strong Tower, El Shaddai, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rohi, and El Roi and know that He hears, He sees, He provides, He cares, and He is mighty and strong to save us.

Which of God’s names have special meaning to you?

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The Healer of Our Soul: Psalms of Lament

30. October 2012 · 11 comments · Categories: Anxiety, Depression, fear, Spiritual Growth · Tags: The Healer of Our Souls

This post begins a mini series on the power of God’s Word in healing our wounded souls.

When the heart weighs heavy, it begs for relief. The burden of sorrow, grief, and pain is sometimes impossible to bear. Feeling alone and abandoned, the heart sinks into despair.

“I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” Psalm 6:6

My own heart has been in this place many times. Drowning in despair, I have wondered if it was even okay to feel such heavy feelings. Sometimes, I’ve questioned if God had rejected me because of my dark emotions. And the thought that always lingered, will I ever get out from underneath the weight of sorrow?

Intense emotions can be isolating. We think no one else can understand. Our life seems too messy to share with others. God may seem silent and we wonder if He’s left us. We feel stuck in the bottom of a pit and think we’ll never be able to climb out.

Our thoughts and emotions whisper lies, keeping us in the pit. The truth is we have not been abandoned or left alone. God promises to never leave us or forsakes us. He knew there would be times when we would be overcome by feelings. He provided a place for us to go, process them, and find the freedom to voice those feelings directly to Him: The Psalms.

The book of Psalms expresses all the range of emotions that humans feel. Calvin described the Psalms as “an anatomy of all the parts of the soul.” The book contains Psalms of thanksgiving and praise, where the writer voices his joy in the Lord. There are Psalms that recount God’s provision and salvation from enemies. The Psalms also speaks to all the wounded places of the human heart: grief, sorrow, fear, injustice, and guilt. These Psalms are called laments and it is in these Psalms where we find the form and structure for expressing to God our own feelings.

In the Psalms of lament, we find that we are not alone. These overwhelming feelings have been experienced by others before us. The laments also show us that God wants to hear from us. Many of the Psalms were used by the Jews in their corporate worship, even the Psalms of lament. God desires that we come to Him with all our feelings, no matter how painful and intense. Because it is God who is the healer of our souls.

There are more Psalms of lament than any other kind in the book of Psalms. Many are penned by King David, the man after God’s own heart. All but two of these laments follow this structure: an expression of the author’s feelings, followed by asking for something the author needs, and ending with an affirmation of trust in God.

The laments ask the difficult questions of life such as, “How long?” “Why?” and “When will you answer me?” They also seek specific answers from God including, asking for relief, for healing, for salvation and for rescue. Lastly, they end with an expression of trust in God. They give God praise and thanksgiving for all He has done in the past and all that He will do in the future.

“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” Psalm 13:2

Psalms 44 and 88 are the only two that do not follow this form; they don’t end in praise and thanksgiving. Perhaps this is because there are times when our emotions are so overwhelming, we need the Holy Spirit to intercede and express to God for us what is on our heart. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

When sorrows overwhelm the heart, we need to go to God with those burdens. We don’t need to clean ourselves up first before coming into God’s presence. Jesus already did that for us. Because of Christ, our messy lives and heavy hearts have been covered by grace. We are free to come into the presence of God, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and pour out our heart at His feet. Asking for healing and grace, we bring to Him all our burdens.

Using the structure of the laments, we can put our feelings into words. Writing them as a prayer to God can be a part of the healing process. But even when words fail us, which sometimes they do, we can trust that He knows what is on our hearts. In faith, we are expectant that He hears us. In hope, we wait for His response. And in love, we trust that His joy will come in the morning.

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6

Have you ever written a lament to God? How have the Psalms helped you?

Linking with these friends:

and Intentional.Me

Embracing the Grace in Seasons of Change

21. October 2012 · 29 comments · Categories: Gratitude Community, Spiritual Growth

Fall is my favorite season. Living in sunny South Florida, where the palms are always green and the temperature rarely drops below seventy, I don’t get to experience the change in seasons. This past week we were in Georgia and Tennessee where the air was cool and the trees scattered their fallen leaves at our feet.

I walked my favorite paths, enjoying the sounds of the woods. Leaves fell, gentle and quiet, like a light sprinkling of rain. Chipmunks raced one another over the fallen leaves, making crunching sounds that seemed to echo deep into the forest. I breathed in the crisp air and breathed out peace. This is my favorite place to be, where nature gracefully ages from autumn into winter.

Tilting my head back at the trees towering above me, my eyes drank in the expansive canvas. A rainbow of vibrant colors of green, yellow, red, and orange were painted across the trees. The hues were scattered at random, some trees were half green and half yellow. Others all dressed in brilliant red. Still other trees seemed to wait, keeping their leaves green with no hint as to when they would change.

I wanted to stop right there, soak it in, capture the beauty and savor it.

Everything my eyes touched shouted of God’s majesty and wonder. His power and creativity was on display for my pure enjoyment. Each day He provides wonders like this for the world to see and know who He is. All of creation is a testimony to the beauty of God.

As part of His creation, then I too am a testimony to the wonder of our Creator. But does my life shout of His majesty and wonder the way the falling leaves do? Am I a living testimony of how great God is? Do I embrace with joy the changes He brings to my life the way oaks and maples do each fall?

Not so much, I’m afraid.

Too often I have avoided change and resisted the necessary seasons of dying. I have feared the pain of brokenness and the peeling back of sinful flesh to reveal the fresh, new skin beneath. During the winters of waiting, I have complained and stomped my feet about the unfairness of life. While I love nature’s season of change, I don’t embrace it for myself.

In creation, death is a necessary part of the cycle of life. As winter arrives, the trees will quietly sleep, awaiting the spring they know will come. The dead leaves I stepped on during my walks in the woods, will be churned into the soil, creating a fertile habitat for new growth. And in my own life, the dark valleys and seasons of brokenness lead to greater growth in my faith. The shedding of sin and walking through fires of refinement are all necessary to make me increasingly like Christ. For sickness always precedes healing and death comes before resurrection.

But what if I abandoned myself to the work of His hands? What if I, like the trees in autumn, glorified Him in the midst of dying? Can my life shout praises to my Creator, no matter the season? Can I live a life of beauty that points to my Savior, even while experiencing pain and suffering?

I can, simply because Jesus already did. He endured my greatest suffering so I wouldn’t have to. And while He calls me to carry my own cross, He gives grace and strength to submit to His work in me. Because it is not my own ability and perseverance which helps me endure through seasons of change, it is Christ and His power in and through me. The more I abandon myself to Him, the more I embrace seasons of change, the more His beauty will shine through me.

And one day, I will join the trees of the forest in clapping my hands when He returns. For in that day, the dark winters will end and death will be no more.

“You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!” Isaiah 55:12

Counting graces in community: (1886-1903)

the way nature points me to God

that I don’t walk into seasons of change all alone

that Christ’s beauty can be seen through me

fall leaves

cool air

walks in the park

trip to legoland discovery center

sleeping in

fun at the company picnic

how much at home we are in ATL

being able to keep up with homeschool while away

pumpkin pecan cheesecake

going to a Hawk’s preseason game where my youngest jumped up and down, cheering the whole time:)

bison burger at Ted’s

going through a corn maze with the kids

hiking on my favorite mountain

spending the day with old college friends

Linking up with these friends:

A Holy Experience, Graceful, On Your Heart Tuesday, The Better Mom, Finding Heaven Today, Into the Beautiful, Playdates, Thankful Thursday, Women Living Well, Getting Down with Jesus, Scribing the Journey, Fellowship Friday, Denise in Bloom

Be Weak so He Can be Strong

03. October 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: God's still working on me, Spiritual Growth · Tags: Must Love God

He was only four-years-old. Already a veteran of numerous tests and procedures, the doctor finally had to recommend sinus surgery. We drove over two hours to the university hospital. The waiting room was full of patients waiting for their own surgeries. We joined them and sat down on the ragged, stained, institutional upholstered chairs. My stomach tight with fear, I stared at the grey, sterile, hospital walls. The sound of doctors and nurses speaking in medical jargon became like white noise to my ears.

I’m over at Must Love God today. I hope you’ll stop by to read the rest of this post on strength through weakness.

To Walk Alongside the Hurting

18. September 2012 · 20 comments · Categories: Anxiety, Depression, friendship, grief, Spiritual Growth

You’ve seen her before. The one who always sits in the back at church. She averts her gaze, fearful that her eyes will give away all her secrets. She never says much and quickly goes on her way. You want to help, to reach out, but you’re not sure…what if her problems are too much? What if you don’t know what to say? And what if her problems remind you too much of your own?

Source

Scripture calls us as Christians to love one another in the Body, to build one another up, encourage one another, and spur one another on in the faith. It’s hard to do those things for people we barely know. When small talk is the deepest level we’ve gone, we can’t encourage or build up another person. For some circles, it’s not acceptable to be real and honest. We keep our problems and secrets to ourselves. Perhaps we’ve been hurt or misunderstood in the past. Maybe we don’t even know how to let someone else in to see who we really are.

God has given us one another in the body of Christ to speak words of truth and hope into each other’s soul. When two people who have the Spirit residing within them share real life with one another, there is a power at work within them. When we go beneath the surface and speak life affirming words to one another, it stirs the Spirit within, awakening hope.

God will often bring someone into our lives with whom He wants us to encourage. It’s never an accident when we are put in the path of someone who is hurting. When that happens and you wonder what to do…

1. Just listen: You don’t have to know the answer to their problems. You don’t have to take away their pain. You are not there to make their life all better. Just be present. Listen without judgement. Don’t be like Job’s friends who assumed they knew why Job was suffering.

2. Look beneath and to what is happening in the heart: Seek to really know them and what is going on in their heart. Get past the superficial. Find out what God is doing in their life. Explore with them where they are in the journey. Everyone’s story takes them down different roads. What is their story? How is God drawing them closer to Himself? How is He shaping and molding them?

3. Encourage them with the truths of the Gospel: You may not be able to solve their immediate crisis, problem, or circumstance, but you can remind them of the truths that never shake or falter no matter how much the circumstances may cause them to tremble. Truth: they are a treasured possession of God (Ephesians 1:14, Isaiah 43:1), Truth: they are a dearly loved child of the Father (Ephesians 5:1), Truth: they are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), Truth: they are an heir of the Kingdom (Galatians 4:7), Truth: they are pure and holy in the sight of God (1 Corinthians 1:30), and Truth: God will continue the work He started in them (Philippians 1:6).

4. Pray with and for them: Ask to pray for them, out loud or even write a prayer down to give them. Be sincere. Too often in our Christian circles we say we will pray for someone and then fail to do so. Ask for specific things you can pray about. Pray for the power of the Gospel to be alive and at work in their life. Pray that they would remember and appropriate the truths listed above.

5. Be real yourself: It is hard for someone to be honest with us if they look at us as though we are perfect and that we have it all together. Be honest about your own battles and the way God has worked through them. Show them that you, like them, are imperfect, yet saved by grace. We are all messes. We all struggle and falter. But we have the same Savior who died to rescue us.

We need each other. We can’t do this journey all alone. God gave us community in the Body of Christ to help us run the race. Sometimes, we ourselves will stumble and need a fellow traveler to help us back up. Other times, God will call us to encourage someone else who is struggling. Let’s reach out to those who are hurting, trusting Christ to give us the wisdom and encouraging words to say. May we strive to be a community of mutual, authentic, and transparent believers who seek to do life together.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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and Intentional.Me

Rent and Broken

04. September 2012 · 26 comments · Categories: Spiritual Growth

I feel like God is up to something in my life. I’m just not sure yet what that something is.

Have you ever had that feeling? Like there is something on the horizon that you can barely see, but you get a glimpse of it every now and then. God has given me glimpses of what He is doing, but not the full picture. And it all starts with brokenness.

These past few years, God has been rending me apart. While in the past I would have run and hid from brokenness, now I know that I need to be broken before I can be made new. I used to despair over the pain in my life, now I know it’s what I really need. In order for God to fill me, I first have to be emptied. Before I can taste the living water, I have to be made thirsty.

It’s brokenness that opens the door to freedom. The veil that separates me from living full and free in Christ has to be rent before I can become who He’s already made me to be. Brokenness frees me from my ties to the world, to sin, and to living for this life rather than the next. It’s what gets me ready for the party and the great feast to come. In opposition to the American quest for more and the promise of blessing in this life, brokenness is what following Christ is all about.

After all, remember the cross?

Yet, He doesn’t break me completely all at once. It’s a multi-stage cycle that lasts a lifetime. Larry Crabb describes brokenness as the “continual starting point for every next step toward God.” (The Pressure’s Off)

I think I’m ready for the next step.

In recent years, He’s brought me to books like Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, The Cost of Discipleship, Follow Me to Freedom: Leading and Following As an Ordinary Radical, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God That Invites You into His Story, and 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, all of which have pierced, torn, wrecked, and broken me to pieces. I’ve come to see that I have been living a comfortable life, the exact opposite of the sacrificial, cross bearing life Christ has called me to. I’ve sought blessing and comfort at the expense of the cross. I live the American dream, yet think I don’t have enough. Instead of pursuing the only thing that actually fills me, I chase after what rusts, rots, and spoils. And while much of the world suffers, I worry about whether I will make it to Gymboree before my Gymbucks expire.

With amazing grace, God loves me despite my adulterous affair with all things material. He makes the scales fall from my eyes and shows me how I have wounded Him by not loving the least of these. I’ve realized the truth, as C.S. Lewis described, that I’ve only been making mud pies: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Since I’ve tasted of the perfect love of Christ, it’s created an appetite and desire to feast and fill myself with Him alone. And now I want even more. I want more of Him and less of this world. I want to know Him and be known by Him. I want to be satisfied by nothing less than the water and manna He provides.

And I want to be changed for the good.

As I’ve gone through these cycles of brokenness, my selfish flesh is ripped away. He’s opened my eyes to changes I need to make, things I need to give up, and love I need to give. And now, I’m ready for the next step, abandoned to the work of His hands as He shapes me to become more like Him. What will that look like? I don’t know. But one thing is certain, He is on the move.

How about you? What has God been doing in your heart lately?

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