When it's time to let go and move on...

As you can see I've been a bit out of pocket lately and here's why, there's been a little bit of this...

And a whole lotta this going on...

And let me tell ya I'm not liking it one bit. 

You see I'm a creature of habit. I like to dig my feet in and stay a while...a long while if I can help it but in the past few months God has made it abundantly clear through a series of situations that it's time.Time to pack it up and move. 

There are lots of emotions when a move is involved, sometimes there's excitement, anxiety, fear, joy, sadness, doubt and worry. For me this move boils down to one emotion - fear.

I don't want to do this move, I don't want to uproot, I don't want to start over. But, as God has shown me over and over, this move is not about what I want it is clearly what He wants. And if I'm really going to be obedient, step out in faith, this is my next step.

This all started about 7 months ago when our youngest son was accepted to play hockey on a northern team. Our family started talking about possibly moving back then but, one road block after another reared its ugly head and we put those thoughts to rest. 

That is until I took the Gideon study by Priscilla Shirer.  Man-oh-man did God even thump me over the head with that one! Week after week, the Holy Spirit kept prompting me to dig a little deeper to really see what God wanted me to do. The more I prayed the more He would lead me to another set of questions and answers until finally He made it clear, it was time to go.

Now I'd be lying if I said, I jumped right on board and agreed wholeheartedly with God's nudge to pack it up and go.

Not a chance!

Now don't get me wrong, I knew eventually we would leave here, after all, my husband and I wanted to downsize and do a little traveling, but that was a few years down the road after the boys left home. Who knew those years would become months and we'd be faced with making the tough decision to sell and follow God's prompting or to hold onto the here and now and make the most of it.

God soon squashed that last option. He was not leaving it up to us. We would move. Period. And if we ever thought of doubting God's hand in this move, He soon made it clear. Son #1 began making plans to move up north to finish college and shortly after he did, son#2 accepted a tender letter for hockey, where else? Up north, right along side of his brother.

Hmph!

Which left us with no other choice but to do as we were being led. 

Not easy I tell ya. 

In fact I wanted to throw a 2 year old's temper tantrum!

Now it's one thing to try to come to terms with a big move, and one you may not want to make (which is me) but try then to explain it to your friends and family. Not easy. It's not easy to tell those around you that you're moving but don't want to move. 

Boy-oh-boy does that ever open a can of worms!

Telling my parents was probably the worst of all, especially for my mom. You see my dad's in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and it's rapidly progressing. This move would in effect leave her without any of her children to help take care of dad. 

And yet, God is calling our family north.  It's hard to make sense of that one. We lived there 10 years ago, before He moved us here. So why is He moving us back when it would seem to have been much easier and much more cost effective to have left us right where we were?

I haven't a clue. Not a single one. 

But God is bigger than my understanding so this is where my faith comes in. 

As He reminds me in His words in Isaiah 55:8, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord."

Ok Lord, I admit, I just don't get it.

And at this time, I don't think I'm supposed to get it. I'm simply supposed to be obedient and He will take care of the rest.

And so I've been busy, painting, packing and staging. All in preparation to list our home for sale. 

God is in control. And each time I doubt, each time tears well up and threaten to spill, each time I start shaking in my boots from the overwhelming feelings of, "Lord, what in the world are You thinking?" I ask God to show me who He is and to calm my fears.

He does. And I am calm once again.

And although I certainly can not make heads or tails of this crazy situation, I know God is in control and He will get me through it all, even when it doesn't make sense! 

That's the thing about God. He is good. He loves us. And He will never, ever leave us.

Today, I hope you find that to be true about God. I hope that you will spend time with Him in His word but also just sharing your fears, worries, joys and concerns. He is with you, always. And He loves you oh-so-much!

Until next time when I am certain more boxes will be packed :)  may God bless you and keep you in His loving embrace!

God Among Us

1 Samuel 3:1-10 ~


The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”


I love this story for it is a rich a vivid story that really exemplifies God's love for us and His ultimate patience and willingness to call our name over and over so that we might better learn His voice and be able to respond when He calls us to Himself.


God comes into our lives and calls our name, and then waits. Time and time again, He will do this until we finally figure out, "Hey, that's me He's talking to...Oh! Yeah Lord, I'm right here."


But there is something that stuck out when I read this passage in verse 7, "Samuel did not yet know the Lord."


So here is the obvious question: How do we get to know God?


* Spend time with God. Talk to Him - study His word
 Like in any relationship, you must spend time with the one you love in order for the relationship to grow and become strong. Invest your time . Learn their voice, their likes, dislikes, to the degree that their voice is as familiar to you as your own. God is no different and prayer is how we communicate with Him, studying His word is how we get to know God. Therefore, in order to know God we must spend time with Him so that when He calls our name, we recognize immediately and respond.


* Seek out a godly mentor(s)
Next, if we do not yet know God the way we'd like to, seek out a godly mentor. A godly mentor is simply someone who's a little farther along in their walk with God. It doesn't mean they have all the answers but simply, they may be able to pray with you and point you in the right direction as you grow in your walk with God.


* Join a bible study or a prayer group
When my kids were little I joined MOPS and Moms in Touch, both were Christian groups designed to meet the needs of women in certain stages of their parenting levels. Now that my kids are older, I've joined a women's bible study group. I find I still need accountability and the friendship of women of all ages to pray with over my family and help lend a supportive hand in life's challenging situations when I'm too upset to hear God's voice.


* Keep a journal.
I love to write, so this one's a no-brainer for me.  In fact I keep 2 journals always close at hand. One is my "Gratitude Journal" where I write down all the things that I'm so thankful for each morning. Secondly, I keep a normal writing journal where I vent, pray or take notes of what He shares with me during my prayer time. As Christians wanting to grow in our faith sometimes we lose sight of where we've been, where we are and where we want to go. Journals are a great way to spell out prayer requests and then go back and see how God is working in your life and through other Christians and circumstances to communicate with you.


Above all else, keep in mind that God loves you and wants to talk with you and He will keep calling your name until you respond.


On that note, doesn't it just make your mind reel that the God of the Universe in His infinite love for us, stands among us, calls our name and waits until we respond. AMAZING!


So let today be the day that we hear His voice and respond, "Speak, for your servant is listening."


Dear friend please know that I am praying for you today - I am praying that your relationship with God grows stronger and that you will go from being like Samuel who needed help recognizing God's voice to being more like Eli who knew circumstantially God's behavior and responded accordingly.




Until next time,
Blessings and Best Wishes,

The Will of God

This past Sunday as I listened to our pastor talk, he briefly mentioned "the will of God."


Now I've heard those words before but up until that moment I'd not given them much thought.  But as the good Lord would have it, "the will of God" caught my attention and prompted me to do a little research.


I referenced those words on the net and found a list of at least 20 different bible verses that included, "the will of God."


Now when God prompts me to dig a little deeper into His word, I take it seriously and figure He's brought this to my attention for a reason. This time was no different.


For the past few weeks I've been at a crossroads with a few challenges which have left me feeling frustrated, burned out and spiritually depleted.


So when the Spirit prompted me to do this research, little did I know just how much I needed to know, (mind, body and soul) the will of God. As I copied the bible references and began to locate them in the Word, I jotted every verse down into my journal. Now with the first few bible verses I silently agreed, "Yes Lord, I see what You're saying here. Good to know." It was almost as if I was saying to myself, "Yep, see, you knew that, but you'd forgotten it." 

But then I came across this gem: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Now this struck me right between the eyes. Immediately my confusion led to fussin' with God. "Seriously Lord? Right now? You want me, after the last month I've had to be joyous? You're kidding right? And you want me to give thanks? Are you kidding Lord? Remember yesterday? Remember the chat we had on my drive home from work? Ya know that one, with all the tears?

Trust me when I tell you that I fussed something fierce. Now if you're not familiar with fussin', let's just say it's like belly-achin', not really whining or complaining so much as it's more like sharing my point in a grumbling sort of way. 

At any rate, once I stopped the fussin' and refocused on the fact that He led me to this passage at this time despite everything that was upsetting me, I really stopped a moment. It says: Be joyous.

Now how am I to be joyous when most days I'm in survival mode and can't think straight?

I can't. And I told that to God. In fact, I fussed a little more with Him about the fact that His will was something I was struggling with simply because I couldn't. I'm that burned out. I have nothing left emotionally or spiritually to give,  so how could I possibly have the energy to be joyous?  "Sorry Lord, I can't be joyous so You're gonna have to do it for me."

In that second I knew I needed the good Lord's help in everyway. I needed His joy, His efforts, His help and His guidance because I had nothing left to give. If I was going to be anything, it was going to have to be all up to Him.

The only thing I had left in me was the ability to pray so I kept pouring out all of my concerns, my worries and hopes and my disappointments and then added these words, "Lord I need You to help me be joyous today. I need You Lord to help me to give thanks. Help me to find the good in some very difficult situations right now. Lord I'm tapped. I need Your joy today. I need Your help in seeing life differently, the way You would have me see it. And Lord, yes, I thank You for these challenges, because despite the fact that there are some life challenges at the moment, those challenges are pointing me back to You. So thank You Lord."

When I got back into my car later that day to head home it dawned on me that God had in fact, answered my prayers. I was in a much better mood than the one I started with, and I had felt His hand on my life the entire day. Yes it started out bumpy. Yes I felt frazzled and worn down to the point of exhaustion but God saw me through the entire day and by the time I clocked out, I felt good and I knew it was because of His love and strength. And as I made my way back home I recounted all that had transpired that day and I realized joy had been a part of my day in small, tangible ways that refreshed my soul.

God is so good. I am ever so thankful He hears our prayers. And He loves us so very much.

If you're having a tough day, week, month or whatever,  I want to take a moment and encourage you to turn it over to God. He loves you so very much and is waiting for you. And if you need a little extra help, please know that I've already prayed for you too!

Until next time,
Blessings & Best Wishes

Unplugging from Isolation

If you watched me while I worked, spent time with my family or the ladies in my bible study group you would swear I was an extrovert.

Not so.

I’m a die-hard introvert. Or maybe I’m a chameleon. Either way, I’m not as outgoing or as open as I may present myself. Now it’s not that I’m lying to the world, it’s just that what you see is only a small part of who I am.

I’m a guarded person. There’s been way too much heartache in my life for me to fee comfortable truly letting my guard down and letting others really get to know me.

But God’s not done with me yet.

In fact, as I started thinking and praying about what direction and focus God would have me concentrate on this year; I was somewhat surprised when He didn’t actually give me a single word like He had in the past, like faith and joy. This time He gave me “relational living.”

(Sigh) Seriously Lord, I thought. What exactly am I not doing that You want me to focus on relational living?

Honestly I had no clue until a couple of weeks later while I was sitting in service and the pastor mentioned the words, “unplugging from isolation" did I even consider the correlation between relational living (purposefully reaching out to those God places in our lives versus hiding away from relationships in order to self-protect).

Now we all know that our world or at least part of it, lives, breathes, eats, sleeps and thinks technology in one way shape or another. And there’ve been plenty of studies that have shown that the more our society connects electronically the more we disengage from one another.

So at first I thought, “Not me Lord, you know I barely watch tv, my phone has more gadgets unused than used on it and frankly if I didn’t live with 3 techie’s in my life to fix the computer hiccups, I’d throw the stinker in the trash and move on.”

However, that’s not quite what He meant…

Instead God, as I have started figuring out, wanted to point out that I was isolating myself from others on purpose. Ouch!

Not me Lord...really?

My past is filled with deep heartaches and betrayals that began at an early age so I learned to protect myself by keeping a smile on my face, going through the motions and never really allowing myself to engage in any sort of real relationships, with the exception of my husband and children. Everyone else is kept at bay.

So to have God push me out of my comfort zone and try to connect with those He’s placed in my life, yep, this one’s gonna be a doozy and frankly I’m not so sure about any of this.

But here’s what ’m learning. When I’m obedient to what God is calling me to do, He is with me (and you) every step of the way, and we are never alone.

When I started thinking about my walk with Christ and how, if I am going to go deeper and not just have a surface relationship, and really allow God to work in and through my life, then, my first step is obedience.

But what does that look like? How do I unplug from isolation?

First I prayed about it and asked God to show me a way to step out in faith to do what He was asking.

The first thing He had me do was take something I love to do: cooking – and serve the ladies in my bible study.

Now this may seem pretty easy and the cooking part was. But what was hard was stepping out, offering something about myself (my cooking abilities) share it with the ladies in the group.

Now for someone like me that’s HUGE! I tend to skirt into class, take the bible study, offer a little small talk and then bolt once the video is over.

Not so now. For the past few weeks, I’ve brought something to share to my group. And God bless these sweet ladies, they’ve been gracious and wonderful.

I don’t like the attention. It scares me to death. Especially when someone lengthens the conversation beyond a “Thanks for bringing this, I skipped dinner to get the kids to church on time.”

But I’m doing it anyway. Shaking in my boots, scared someone will actually talk to me or rather, want to talk to me, but I’m doing it anyway.

Why?

God asked me to. And I love Him. And I want to grow and be changed by His love. Not only for myself but so that others in my life, however few they may be at the moment :) will also be touched by His love. So while this is hard and most times I want to run and hide I have a feeling that’s not gonna happen. I'm gonna keep stepping out in faith, one tiny step at a time and allow Him to change me.

There's a saying that goes something like this: You can’t serve two masters. Do I love and serve God even though unplugging from isolation is hard and very uncomfortable or do I serve myself and my protective nature and go back home having never reached out to try and make new friends and to grow beyond the pain?

I can’t do both...

I choose God. I choose to trust Him, knowing in advance He loves me more than to leave me where I am.

And I’m thankful.

What about you? Is God calling you to unplug from isolation? Are you hiding from a hurt or a pain that you don’t want to face? I’m right there with you!  But more importantly, God is with us. He will strengthen, lead and guide us through every difficult, challenging growth opportunity if we only turn to Him and ask Him to lead the way.

I’m game…are you?  

I'll be praying for you every step of the way.

Until next time,

Blessings & best wishes,