I have a
dizzying amount of things on my to do list – laundry, cleaning, getting dinner
for tonight started, writing a blog post, running countless errands…& on it
goes…
I actually made myself dizzy while talking to someone
on the phone. I couldn’t stop long enough to have a very important conversation
because I knew that would put me further behind. When I hung up the phone I
needed to sit down to collect my thoughts about what to do next.
It was then, as I sat still long enough to take a deep
breath, that God tapped on my heart & said “Come sit with me for a little
bit. Let me interrupt your going in circles so that I may calm your spirit
& speak to your soul.”
I walked to my bedroom, grabbed my bible, pen &
Sunday School book and sat down to have my quiet time. I opened to Day One of
Jonah Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.
“A
life interrupted by a holy God is a privilege.”
Priscilla
Shirer
Wouldn’t you know it; God had just interrupted me!
He wanted to meet with me, one on one…in the quiet of
my house. He wanted to speak peace into my very being!
I had begun my day focused on my to do list which left
me reeling in the rush of it all.
As I read how the Lord interrupted Gideon in Judges 6:11-27
verses 17 & 18 jumped out at me.
“Gideon
replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is
really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my
offering and set it before you.’ And the Lord said, ‘I will wait until you
return.’”
Judges
6:17-18
Did you catch that? “The Lord said, ‘I will wait until
you return.’”
And that is what He did for me. He quietly tapped on my
heart & said, “come sit with me, I will wait for you to return.”
Instead of being focused on all that I needed to do
today I needed to focus on the One who brings peace to my spirit the One who will
ordain & lay out my day before me.
Do you need to stop frantically running around and sit
quietly with God? He is waiting for you to stop and sit at His feet.
But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
Psalm 71:14
Throughout the course of 2012 as I counted 1000 Gifts, over & over again I was reminded of God's Faithfulness, His Love, His Strength & His Glory.
He blesses me each & everyday in the breath of a moment, the laughter of a child, the pain of the hard times & tears of heartache. He blesses me in the good, the bad & the in between.
This Sunday I was reminded all over again how even when I am hurting, sad, lonely, or fearful if I REFOCUS my attention on Him & Praise Him for Who He Is and for what He Has Done, He will give me the Strength I need. Praising Him lifts my eyes, my feelings, my heart & my soul!
I walked into church with a crushed spirit. I was hurt, sad & anxious, all over a comment from one person. A comment in which that person had no idea those few words would bring back feelings I thought I had long ago dealt with.
Walking into the choir loft I wanted to crawl into a dark corner and hide. Praising God was no where on the top of my mind.
But then the music began...
Thou Oh Lord
I had to force myself to sing the notes but as the words came from my mouth they began to reach deep into my soul. A little tug...a reminder that my Lord is "a shield for me. My glory and the lifter of my head." Oh how I felt the words as "I cried unto the Lord with my voice". I remembered the nights I cried and I remembered how He lifted my head in the darkest days. He is "my shield, my glory and the lifter of my head"! My hand was clinched tight in a fist as I sang... not ready to totally let go of the pain that had surfaced from deep within.
Today is the Day
This is the day God has made! I WILL REJOICE and be Glad in it!
Oh but how do I rejoice when I hurt and fear?
And then we sang "What have I to dread what have I to fear leaning on the everlasting arms?" His arms are strong enough to carry my burdens! His arms are strong enough to carry me. And His arms are strong enough to comfort my fears.
I may not know what tomorrow holds but I know who holds tomorrow!God holds my future and the future of my husband and the future of my children in HIS hands! And because of that I Will Rejoice because this is the day the LORD has made!
Great is Thy Faithfulness
And then He quietly reminded me of His Faithfulness.
I stood there with eyes closed, heart lightening, and hands opening, feeling His Peace and His Presence as He was ready to guide me - Guide me out of the fear & hurt that had resurfaced and guide me into each new moment that He has planned for me.
Who Can Satisfy My Soul Like You
As my hands opened and my heart lightened I asked Him to "cleanse me and refresh me" as I trusted Him as my fountain and my king.
With one hand lifted high and one hand across my chest I praised Him for He is my "Victorious Warrior...my Rock...and my shelter...who Reigns upon the Throne."
Total Praise
I stood there Praising God with a heart & mind Refocused on God giving Him the Total Praise He was due - Total Praise for the good, the bad & the in between. For He is "the source of my strength, the strength of my life. I will give my total praise to Him."
Refocusing on God started with slowly opening my tightly clinched hands and heart to Him. With each breath and word sung my heart lightened, my hands relaxed and I gave it all to Him - trusting Him with each day and each moment that He makes.
Are you hurting, afraid and anxious? Are your hands grasped tightly closed, holding in all the pain & fear you feel? Do you want to run and hide in the darkest corner you can find? Oh Sister, refocus your heart & mind on God. When you take that focus off of yourself and instead focus on the blessings He has given you and the Mighty God that He you will see how much He loves you. Open your hands a release the fear & pain to Him.
Continuing to open my hands and praise Him for each gift #1014 - #1030:
Friends who can see me without make up & see me as a beautiful child of God
2 little friends catching up
brothers & sisters having fun on the trampolene
cheers of excitement over a great play
rain to refresh the earth
packing up Christmas to begin a new year
yummy donuts
friends supporting each other
big brother helping his little sister with a game
the alarm that says school has begun
teachers who love & protect my kids as much as they can while they are at school
answered prayers for safety
going through the hard days so I know how to pray for others when they go through the same thing
My friend tells me one thing, my mentor tells me something else, an acquaintance tells me yet a different story.
My mind races all over the place trying to discern the truth from the 3 different sources.
Meanwhile my inner voice begins to question every decision I make.
"How do you know which one is telling you the truth? If you believe the wrong person many lives could be adversely affected. What do you mean you aren't smart enough to know when someone is lying to you. You should be able to tell the truth from a lie. You're letting yourself be used. If you can't tell the difference between the truth and a lie then how do you expect God to use you to minister to others? How do expect to raise your children to know the truth? Oh God why can't you beat me upside the head with the truth! Where are you God?"
And on & on it goes...
These are the inner thoughts I have been battling over the last several months. It hasn't been fun. One minute I am confident of what the truth is and the next minute the negative inner thoughts are taking me into a tailspin. And when that happens I become anxious, stressed, worried, snappy & easily become "Unglued" with my kids & husband.
But God led me to a truth during my quiet time several weeks ago that helped calm those negative inner thoughts.
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because NO LIE COMES FROM THE TRUTH." 1 John 2:20,21
John reminded me that God gave me the Holy Spirit so that I would know the truth. Jesus is the TRUTH and NO LIE COMES FROM GOD!
"I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him." 1 John 2: 26,27
John reminds me to be on guard for those who will try to lead me astray. I am to remember that God's word is NEVER counterfeit!
As I studied these passages I was challenged to ask myself...
Do I truly live & believe that I have an anointing from God, which is the Holy Spirit, & that God is the complete truth & that NO LIE COMES FROM GOD? Do I examine what others say against the truth of God in order to recognize the counterfeit?
I love Chapter 10 Negative Inside Chatter from Unglued! It couldn't have come at a better time. Lysa shares on page 144
"We are to think about, ponder, and park our minds on constructive thoughts, not destructive thoughts. Thoughts that build us up, not tear us down. Thoughts that breathe life into us, not suck life from us. Thoughts that lead to peace, not anxiety."
Oh how true that is!!!
God is my teacher! He is THE TRUTH! I am to stay close to God through prayer & studying HIS WORD & HE WILL REVEAL THE TRUTH!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4 :6-9
When I stay close to God through prayer His peace which transcends ALL understanding will guard my heart AND my mind in Christ and GOD'S PEACE WILL BE WITH ME.
Dear Heavenly Father, You are Truth! You sent your Truth to us in the form of your Son Jesus & you gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us to that Truth. Thank you that you are always true and never counterfeit. Lord may we rest in you, rest in your truth. May we park our minds on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable so that we will know your peace. In your Holy Name I pray Amen.
For so long my world has been crazy busy, running from one place to the next rushing to get it "all" done. To be honest, I don't know how I was able to get everything accomplished ~somehow I managed but not without sacrifice.
The problem is... I was unaware of that sacrifice. I was unaware that the rushing around to finish my to-do list, the staying up late to finish projects, the giving up myself to minister to my husband & family & friends was taking its toll on me. I've spent hours, days, weeks, months worrying, praying, giving, loving, planning ~ sacrificing.
The sacrificing has been for good, worthy reasons. Every bit of it I would do over again.
I don't regret the years I have spent planning & praying for Just Give Me Jesus with an incredible group of women. ~ I would do it again in a heartbeat!
I don't regret the hours I have spent talking & praying with my husband over some difficult issues at work. ~ Each moment brought us closer together as a couple.
I don't regret running my kids around to their various activities. ~ I love watching them experience something new.
I don't regret meeting up with a friend who needs a shoulder to cry on. ~ When I take time to love on a friend I am sharing God's love with them.
But, in all of that I forgot to minister to myself. I spent time in God's word but, I forgot to slow down & soak in the quiet moments.
It has taken a diagnosis of a health issue that is caused by stress to make me realize I need to slow down.
Rest in the quiet moments.
Rest in the arms of my Lord, my Healer, my Comforter, my Sustainer.
As I have spent time quietly, alone with Him He has revealed His Truth in marvelous ways.
He has revealed His Perfect Peace and His Amazing Glory.
So, while you are busy today running around marking off your to-do list, ministering to friends, caring for children ~ remember to take time for yourself.
Sit. Rest. in the quietness of God.
Be Still and Know He Is God!
In my quiet moments I will continue to pray for God's direction for The Calm of His Presence, in the meantime I will continue to pop in with ways God is working in my life.
Early Sunday morning He whispered it to my heart...
"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance"...
Quietly... in the dark hours before the sunrise... I lay in bed feeling His Peace... His Goodmorning Song in my heart...and then I drifted back off to sleep...
I awoke a few hours later to the flurry of my husband getting ready for Church...
Oh no...I overslept!
As I jumped out of bed frustrated, He whispered it again.
"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance."
"Yes Lord," I whispered back. "Give me the mercy, peace and love I so desperately need this morning."
And He did...
mercy with my kids as we rushed to get to church on time...
peace when my daughter ran down the halls of the church swirving in & out of the ladies & gentlemen with canes & walkers...
love when I was just too tired...
And the part I love the most...He knew I needed it this week...
He has continued to give me mercy, peace and love in abundance just when I needed it!
May His Voice whisper to your heart "Mercy, Peace and Love be yours in Abundance.
Continuing the Joy Dare to One Thousand Gifts #802-#823:
bubbling excitement on the 1st day of school
smooth transitions for the 1st week back to school
a school year of new experiences
seeing a glass half-full & being optimistic when others aren't
practicing patience in a carline with blowing horns
speaking words of encouragement to those who are trying hard
faith stretching when its hard
trusting in the Truth of God
friends who understand & pray
being reminded what is important
dinner at home 2 out of 3 nights
morning devotion with the kids each morning this week
morning prayer on the way to school
The Holy Spirit intervening in Prayer
difficult discussions that bring me closer to my husband
being reminded of my focus
listening to God's call on my heart
rain...rain...and more rain
no rain at carline
hard trusting
collapsing after a long day
"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." Jude 2
Taking the Joy Dare of counting 1000 gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience
