God did not leave
I am not sure where or when I heard this story for the first time, but it has stayed with me through the years. The setting is usually a study or a room filled with wall to wall books and two comfortable chairs. The room is warm, inviting. The individual occupies one chair, and God occupies the other. In the season of intentional prayer, the individual feels close to God and then life happens. They find themselves going to the study less and less and eventually the weight of the world is a heavy burden they feel on their shoulders, they stand alone. They feel far from the God that they once held close. Eventually, they go back to the study and find God sitting there, in the same chair…waiting. The room still feels warm and welcoming, He had never left, the individual had left. So many times in life I have gone back to this story as a reminder that God never leaves me, I leave Him.
Who is my brother, sister, and mother?
Today was a great day. The official announcement of my promotion to Major General was released and the rest of my day I read every congratulations post, responded to every text message and just sat in awe of this day. As I shared the news with my women’s bible study group, I reflected on the path to come to this day. I walked through the valley for the last two years and stood in faith through it all. My relationship with God continued to strengthen and I became bolder in my faith in spite of not feeling like personal prayers were being answered. Through it all, I remained firm that God had a plan. Today, I am thankful for this season of abundance but I have not lost sight of who got me here.
A Time for War and A Time for Peace
I get to serve our country as a soldier. These past few days, I have had the opportunity to spend time with many of my fellow soldiers as they both prepare to and serve our fellow citizens. I am so proud of them and their dedication to the mission. To define them as selfless seems an understatement as time and again they leave all that they love behind, all of their possessions, in order to serve in parts unknown. They range in ages from recent graduates from high school, to those that have served over 40 years. They come from all walks of life, some from multiple generations of military service to others that answered the call for the first time in their families. Their reason for joining varies greatly among them, but those differences fade away as they become the close knit units that can defeat any enemy in any place of conflict. They are our sons and daughters, our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters, and they are our warriors.
When you say yes, you say no
This has been repeated throughout this week in multiple encounters. When you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. Even more applicable, when you say yes to anything that is outside God’s will, you are saying no to God. “Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:15-17, NIV). How many times have you felt pressured to say yes to a request only to immediately regret that response before it has fully left your lips? How many times have you said yes out of obligation or duty, but lacked the sincerity in the yes? How many times has your yes limited someone else’s yes? That has been this week!
Born Again
The concept of being born again was something I never understood nor heard about in all the years I attended church as a child. It wasn’t until adulthood that I began to understand this term. Jacob’s story of his wrestling match clearly depicts being born again. Not only was Jacob given a new name, Israel, he battled his sinful nature throughout the night in order to become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob had to struggle throughout the night and he did not give up in order to come to his true identity and be born again. His physical strength alone could not win the battle, he could not overpower that which he battled alone. Even as Jacob came to this realization, he refused to let go until he was Blessed. In the end, Jacob receives his blessing and is not only physically transformed, with his permanent limp from his damaged hip, but also spiritually transformed.
Jacob’s Ladder
I love it when I see Jacob’s ladder or rays from God peeking through the clouds in the sky. It is an immediate reminder of our connection to God and heaven above. Jacob “Had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” and then God said “I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying…all peoples on this earth will be blessed through you and your offspring…I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:12-15, NIV). These rays of sun that touch the earth are our reminder that we are Blessed, God is with us, and He is always watching over us- what a beautiful reminder.
A garden of God’s Blessings
My two favorite seasons are Spring and Fall. Fall because I love the colors as the leaves change and Spring as everything comes to life and I hear the return of my favorite birdsongs. “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations” (Isaiah 61:11, NIV). God promises us a garden full of life and blossoms filled with righteousness and praise…what an amazing garden that will be. In order for this to happen, the soil has to be rich and ready for the growth. I feel like my faith is the same. The soil continues to be nurtured from others as well as from the roots as my relationship with God continues to grow.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks
Life has been a whirlwind lately. It doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes it feels like all my worlds are at full throttle at the same time. It has felt that way these past few weeks. I know time will slow down and I know these are the moments that pass, but I don’t want to rush to the next day or the next moment. I want to be present in the here and now, no matter how hectic or stressful it may seem. I don’t know if you have those days, or how often they may come, but Rob reminded me that it is these moments when we need to double down in our rejoicing and thanks.
A refreshed soul…
I don’t know about you, but sometimes life just gets hectic. It feels even more hectic when I am away from my home, my tribe. Our whole family has Oura rings and my first night away from home was a late night and my Oura ring, that never tells a lie, said my sleep was the worst I have ever had. I had a full day of training ahead of me and I knew it would be a long day. The next night, another night away from home, I slept better, but I had a long way to recover. Still, I woke up early in the morning, did my workout routine, and took on the day. Focusing on rest enabled me to face the day with a new sense of energy and it led to amazing connections.
When God changes what was meant for evil to good…
Every Saturday I put together a plan for what I plan to write on during the week from my inspirational moments or thoughts that I jotted down in my notes. Today, I had a plan to write about this chaotic world we live in and the noise that invades our lives. I have been leading my neighborhood in the John Eldridge study of “Get Your Life Back”, and one of the items he shares is that we humans are not meant to bear all the negativity that we get exposed to in the world. As our worlds have expanded, we have increased our exposure to hardships that we would have never personally experienced. When a tragic event happens across the world, we see it, hear about it, and feel it countless times as it is shared across news platforms and social media. It’s exhausting. That is what I was going to write about…and then God happened, doesn't he always?