Those Who Are Weary

It was Wednesday this week and I was sitting at my desk at work.  I thought to myself how crazy it would be if I bought a ticket and flew to Beirut, Lebanon? It really was crazy because I had to get several approvals to go, find a cheap ticket, a cheap but safe hotel and a rental car in less than 48 hours.  But my mind, body and souls was telling me I needed to do it.

For those of you who don't know, I just left Beirut in April after two years of living there.   It was the best of times and there were some hard times.  But Beirut has always been my home away from home since my very first visit in 2006.  While the planning went smooth as silk, the execution once I landed in Beirut was a bit more challenging.  All in all it was a fantastic trip.   I got to meet up with some amazing friends and catch up on life.   I also got to take a deep breath of fresh Mediterranean air and enjoy an amazing view over breakfast this morning.

As I was sitting out listening to the waves crash against the rocks, smelled the salt water and reflected on my last six weeks in a new city, attempting to make new friends, get familiar with my new everyday work responsibilities, I was thankful for the rest.  Thankful for the peace and quiet, thankful for the opportunity to listen for His still small voice speaking over my life.  

Friends - I don't know what season of your life you are in but I do know some of you going through some pretty rough patches.   Sickness, separation, job uncertainty, rebellious child(ren), financial burdens, divorce, family disputes, difficult relationships, and the list goes on and on.   Listen to me friends, you are not alone! YOU are not alone!   You are not walking through this season, or any season for that matter, by yourself.   He is here, He is going before you, He is carrying you.   

I know there are times you think you can't feel Him or hear Him.   This weekend I didn't hear or feel Him but you know what happened?   I saw Him.   In the beauty of His people, in the majesty of my surroundings.  I was driving down the coastline and I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving!   I haven't felt very thankful lately but this weekend he reminded me to be thankful in all things, at all times! That's a difficult order to fill, I know!    And in your circumstance today it may seem like an impossible order - but I promise you, you won't regret it.  When you look back on the season you are walking through, You will see the hand of God.   You will wonder how you ever overcame that insurmountable circumstance and you will remember it was all because of Jesus. Rest in His arms tonight.  

He has placed such amazing people in my life at just the right moments.   Maybe life is going really well for you and you can't relate to what I just talked about.   Guess what?   This is for you too; be that blessing in someone else's life.   Be Jesus in the flesh to someone who needs to feel their Heavenly Father.  Extend an ear, step out of your comfort zone and wrap your arms around their neck, pray with them.  Let them find rest in you.   Be Jesus to them.  

Finally, be strong, take courage, do not be afraid.     The One who lives within you, will be strong in you today.   Find rest, listen for a His voice, and let someone bless you.   You are not alone.

Shiney on the outside, Rotting on the inside

I recently heard of a place that is fining their residents somewhere between $500-$1000 for dirty cars. They say it affects the aesthetic look of the location and could be a hazard to other vehicles if the wind kicks up and blows the dirt on  passing vehicles.   I don't care one way or another.   Definitely revenue building but not focusing on what's important.  What the vehicle is like under the hood?  Is it going to break down on the side of the road?  Is the engine in good working order?  We all know a vehicle cant run very long with a bad/worn out engine.

This made me think of the Christian walk. There are Christians who look the part and act the part - try to show the world they have it all together by going to church, socializing, maybe even attending Bible Study.  They are there every time the church doors are open, yet  forget about taking care of the most vital part of their existence: the heart.

Just as a car can't operate without a well oiled engine, so the Christian life can't function without a well oiled heart.   One that hides Gods word.   One that cares for the afflicted.  One that praises Him in the victories and the storms.   One that weeps with those facing loss and devastation.  One that longs after the Father.   Not one who pretends and puts on the appearance of a perfect person.

You know what I've experienced?    Perfect people (or the belief that one is perfect) have so much further to fall.  And they will fall.   Not one of us is without sin.   We may work really hard at covering it up, but guess what?   It's still there.   Just because you hide it doesn't mean it goes away.   It actually means it will resurface when you least need/want it to.  And the devastation of its revealing at a date and time not of your choosing tends to do much more damage then if you had just told the car buyer from the beginning there were a few mechanical issues but nothing a little tlc couldn't fix.  

I remember when I was striving to be perfect.   Doing anything and nothing that  put off even the very appearance of sin or evil.   I remember someone telling me they thought I was protected.   That God had His hand over my life in such a way that nothing could touch me. I think this could be true for all His children but if you don't maintenance that Christian walk...the heart will begin to fail and sin or guck will enter the pciture.  Once I went off to college, Christian college mind you, even though I was taking Bible classes and on the praise team, I wasn't intentionally hiding His word in my heart.   I wasn't oiling my heart. I wasn't performing the regular maintenance checks.   I was in church because our traveling team would sing in churches nearly every Sunday,  I taught kids choir and interned in youth ministries;  I was talking the talk but I was barely walking the walk.

When I got married I thought life would be perfect because perfect people have perfect marriages.  After all, I had done it the right way.  I waited for marriage.  My husband was the first guy I ever kissed.  What could go wrong?   Well lots of things and we'll get to some of those another day but the meat of it was that we were not connected to a body of believers.   We were not plugged into a church, we were not oiling the engine of our marriage.   We let the desires of the world destroy us piece by piece and it was a slow painful death.

As I look back on it now, we had friends that reached out and tried to help us but they were on the other side of the country.  When we finally realize we needed help, we had one of the best marriage counselors our church could offer but quite frankly-it was too late.  I read all the books but we weren't reading THE Book on a consistent basis.  Friends, you must saturate your life with Jesus.  He alone is the One that can make the inside beauty match the outside beauty, and dare I say make the inside beauty more beautiful than your outside beauty.

Beauty will fade.  As we get older, those grey hairs and wrinkles will creep their way to the surface, no matter how you attempt to cover them up.  But your heart, your soul - if you focus on taking care of them...you'll always be the most beautiful person in the room.    It will be quite clear that you are the complete package -well oiled and taken care of  dents, scratches,  chipped paint and all. But that's what makes you the authentic.  Not perfect, restored!

I LOVE YOU AND THAT'S THAT

The Christmas before or after I turned 16 (I have a terrible memory) my momma gave me this framed art.  10 years later, ahem 20 years later, lets just say a lot of years later, I still have this framed art.   It has been packed and unpacked more times than I know.   It's been in a storage unit for two years, or maybe it was three.  Regardless of where it's been, how it's been displayed, or how much dust it has collected...the words ring just as true today as they did all those years ago.

My momma had no idea the impact these words would have on me throughout my life.

I'm a pretty guarded person.  I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I have are my friends for life.   There is nothing they could say or do that would cause me to sever ties.   Time and distance may mean we go a decade without seeing one another but when the day comes and we do see each other, it literally feels like it was only yesterday that we last talked.

My friendships are not perfect but there has never been a rift that God has not been able to mend.  Two of my longest, deepest friendships both went through intense periods of silence.  I didn't think our friendships would ever be restored.  But there came  a time where we swallowed our pride, we reached out and we asked for forgiveness. And this was before social media folks...we used the telephone.  All these years later, we are still the dearest friends.   We still don't see eye to eye on everything but we love each other despite our differences and faults (theirs, not mine) and respect each other's opinions enough to have wonderful friendships (and lively discussions).

Unknowingly, I've used this saying as a motto in life.   No matter what I find out about you...no matter what happens in the future...my commitment is to love you.

This is an example of the most perfect love and friendship.  The one with our Heavenly Father.  He loves you!   No matter what you've done, no matter what happens in the future.  He loves you.   He'll carry your burdens, He'll help you up when you fall, He'll pray with you. You don't have to respond or love Him back. He loves you and that's that!   Who has ever loved you like that?   Pure, unadulterated, unconditional love!   No one but Jesus! I still fall short in my friendships but Jesus never will.  When you feel like you can't reach out to anyone else in this world, He's there -waiting - with His arms open wide  - ready to embrace you and love you with a love you've never known.   A perfect love!

40 and SINGLE

I wonder what her deal is?

He's not totally ugly, he must ave "issues"

I bet she's insecure - guys don't like insecure

When you walk by, do you think people are whispering these words about you? Or thinking them in their head as you show up for another football game, swim meet or Christmas party alone?.  

News Flash:   Most people are so stuck on themselves they don't have the energy to worry about you and your relationship status...and if they are talking about YOUR relationship status, 8 times out of 10 they're using your situation to deflect conversation from their own situation.  

I've been listening to a lot of Elevation Music and their album "There is a Cloud"    POWERFUL!   I don't want to spoil it for you but it's life changing.  

For just 6:41 minutes list to "Do it Again" or go to iTunes and listen to the sample.

As I listen to this,  I am reminded....He has never failed me yet!    He's not failed you either and He never will.   You may wonder why he's left you single for _  days, weeks, months, years, decades (fill in the blank). Why he found love again so quickly or why she is already remarried.  For me...it'll be 10 years in December since my divorce was final.   TEN years....that's twice as long as I was married.   He's already remarried and has two children.   But you know what I cling to?  His promise that He will move mountains and that He will make a way when there is no way because He is faithful!      I am still in His hands just as much as I was the day my ex-husband filed for divorce, the very day before I was supposed to get on a plane for Afghanistan.  He's the same God...and He's still faithful.     He has NEVER failed me....not even once.

That doesn't mean there are days that I'm not lonely and I don't throw a pity party for myself because I don't have someone to snuggle up to as I fall asleep.   It means that He knows my heart.  He knows what my heart can and can't handle.   We can all find companionship.  There are plenty of guys and gals out there just looking for a good time - a fun night, weekend, week, month, season. But my Jesus knows my heart longs for so much more or nothing at all.

Friends - don't settle.   You deserve to be treated as the kings and queens, princes and princesses that you are.   Not a one night stand.  Not a fling.  You deserve the royal treatment, as if you were the only person in the room as your partner in life walks in, as every other face is blurred (like my best friend Becca can do with just a turn of a camera lens) by the beauty of the two of you.   Something only Jesus can do.

Are you trusting Him?.   Are you asking Him for wisdom and strength to overcome the temptations all around you?  Do you believe you are worth it? Worth being treated better than you have ever been treated before?  

Tonight - won't you rest in His promise?   He's never failed you yet. Even when it felt like He had.  For me...when I looked back over that fateful day under calmer circumstances I realized He has walking every step with me...and when the weight of the circumstance was more than I could bear Jesus steered that car down the mountain for me. What was it for you?  What did He do for you when you couldn't do it on your own?    Remember, it was Jesus carrying you through, nothing and no one else.   He's never failed you yet!   And He never will.

I struggled/wrestled with God  for a week about writing this post.  Why?   Because I didn't think I was qualified to write this post.   But as I've read many comments from men and women who Are struggling with their singleness, I was awakened to the thought that no one is qualified, we just have to be willing to let Jesus speak through us.   So...I'm doing my best to listen to His still small voice and share what I'm learning.   It may mean something to you, it may mean nothing but I hope it gives you even just a glimmer of hope.   God bless you sweet friends.   He is more than enough!