He is Greater when I am less because it has never really been about me....all to the glory of Jesus.
Take Heart....
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John 16:33New International Version (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Take heart. I heard this whisper in my spirit this morning, as I was driving to work, admiring the white fields, covered with snow. I was thinking about the people I know who love winter and snow.....and conversely, the people who cannot stand winter and are miserable until it is over. I like winter. I like it when winter is over. Take heart. Take heart, my beloved, because this is a season and it will pass.....and when the season of winter is finished, springtime comes. The snow melts. The rains start in the Midwest. Little green buds pop out of the Earth and hang from tree branches, promising to bloom into leaves and flowers and plants.......take heart. He tells us, in John 16 that he tells us these things (he gives us the seasons that we can expect and predict and understand) so that we can have peace. This world has trouble. We have trouble. We get coughs and colds in winter. We slip on the ice. We sometimes have a blizzard with 2 snow days in the middle of the week and the children take over the house.....and make me crazy.....and then they don't sleep well.....and I'm exhausted, frustrated, anxious about the workload piling up, the laundry, the messy bedrooms, toys everywhere........oh wait. I digress. Take heart. Take heart my beloved, in this world we will have trouble but He.......He has overcome the world. All of it. Blizzards, rainy seasons, summer fun, autumn beauty.......One Man who was equally human and God......overcame THE WORLD. Take heart, my sweet people who are aching to grow your families through birth or adoption....I am praying for you. The road seems impassible and impossible.....but take heart. He has this. Take heart, my friends who are struggling with marriage, finances, contentment, pride vs. humility. You are not alone. Take heart. He has overcome the world. Next week is Valentine's Day with lots of hearts and love and sweetness.....I like this verse from John 16. Have peace. Take Heart. He's got this.
by definition, "resilient" means able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching or being compressed. In my work with families of young children, we often talk about how resilient children are. They can withstand so much hardship and, if given the right kinds of attention and love and affection, they can recover and grow well. Tonight I wish to claim this word and ask that the Lord apply it especially to the senior high school class of 2020. Isaac is a senior. He doesn't really even know what he doesn't get to experience, but many of us do. Finishing your high school year as a group, as a unified body that shares their own culture of conversation, hopes, dreams, memories.....it just matters in a unique way. If they arrange class reunions (and I so hope they do) they will always remember that they did not get to finish together. They did not get to leave...
Father's Day weekend is here. It's a hard one for me. It always has been, actually. My dad and I were not close when I was growing up but in the last few years we came to a place of mutual understanding and respect....and then he got really sick really fast and now he is gone. This is my first Father's day without a father. I've talked to my older kids this week and mentioned Father's day. They asked "are we doing anything?" My answer was something like, well, I don't know. I don't have a dad anymore so I don't really feel like it's my job to plan something for Father's Day. I wish I could tell my kids we were going to my dad's to visit and grill and hang out at the lake for the day. I wish I could go shopping at the local greenhouse and buy something landscape-ish that he would like, or go to the bakery and get a bag full of Dutch treats.....that's what I have done the last few years for...
If you happen to be lucky and blessed to be a parent, hear this. I have been lucky and blessed to be a mama for 20 years and counting. For years I didn't want to be married or have children....until I began to ask God what he wanted for my life. He wanted me to marry and have children. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. This is a day that I have celebrated for so many years. As a single young adult, I began to remember my mom and step mom for this day and also my heart was burdened for a woman at my church named Janet. She had a daughter a few years younger than me who died as a teen. For many years I ordered a corsage for her to wear to church in honor of her daughter....We don't do church corsages any more. We mostly go to the local greenhouse here and give hanging flower baskets to our moms to enjoy for the spring and summer season. Sometimes we give gifts. Today I drove around the county and delivered simple cards ...
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