“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13
I read an interesting blog this afternoon that inspired me in many ways. The writer posed the question, "What are your dreams? What do you see yourself doing with your life?"
The answer seemed easy at first. I'm a mother, a wife. That pretty much consumes my life in the season I am in right now. But, is this all that I am? Am I defined by my children, by my husband?
I love them, and I want that love to motivate me to be the best woman I can for them, but does it define me? No, I don't think so.
This realization began a yearning to talk to God. A yearning to find out, who does HE want me to be? Who does He see me becoming?
I was forced to look at this verse closely. {God} created my inmost being, {He} knit me together in my mother's womb. What does this mean to me? What does His knitting me together mean?
I don't want to be defined by anything in this world. I don't want to be defined by a person of this world. I want to be defined by the love I have for Christ, the adoration I have for the Father; the ones outside of this world.
I don't aspire to hold the "perfect" job, a job that makes tons of money for my family. I don't aspire to hold any title seen by this world as an accomplishment.
I realized, what I aspire to most is being a strong, knowledgeable woman in Christ's Kingdom. Sounds almost simple truthfully. But, it's the richest thing I could ever do with my life.
I long to teach His word, but not in schools or education surroundings. I aspire to teach women, grow with women, embrace the role that He set forth for women. I desire to know His word like I know my own name. I crave His bread, the bread of life. I long to come alongside women, encouraging them, uplifting them and showing them that embracing a life with Christ is a life that is worth living, it is the ONLY life worth living.
What do I want to do with my life? I want to be a disciple for the reigning King, the Messiah. I want to go into the world, teaching women to die to themselves, and to live for Christ. It is my passion in life.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
He is mighty
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.-- Isaiah 40:28-31
I am so in awe of God's strength, of His sovereign power. We are so unworthy of His love, so ungracious most of the time. But, He freely gives us His power, gives us love, gives us hope when we live IN Him. I've stopped trying to wrap my insignificant mind around it and instead, I just embrace it.
There is no rhyme or reason why He loves us as much as He does. He simply DOES. He simply wants to shower us with blessings, but we must be clear that these blessings are not riches and material, earthly things. They are blessings from His kingdom, riches that bring us closer to Him. So many people believe that if God would simply shower them with money, cars, homes, then all of their problems would be fixed and they would be able to walk with Him in a closer relationship. This mindset is wrong because it focuses on the individual and not the Creator of that individual.
I am learning to let go of this world, of the riches that most people bask in. I am learning to sit back and enjoy the ride, the ride that God has blessed me with. I am learning to let God lead my life and I am enjoying every single second of it. But most importantly, I am finally learning how good God truly is.
His goodness is radiating in my life, it fills me with a peaceful assurance. This assurance can only be from His hands because in all seriousness, in my human form I should be scared, uncertain, and restless. But, I'm not. I feel His hands on my heart, I feel His love in my soul. I feel Him making my path straight. I am not weak anymore, troubles are not taking me over.
He never grows weary, He never grows tired of loving me. Because of that love I can stand strong in His path and know that although I cannot see a way, I can take His hand and allow Him to lead me. He is mighty and He is strong and that strength consumes me.
I thank you Father God for this peace, for this comfort that you give me that comes so easily for you; and although it does not come easily to me, I ask that you continue opening up these doors in my life. I ask that you continue guiding me where YOU want me to go. I will soar like an eagle, never growing weak or weary.
I will proclaim your mighty word, speak your goodness to a dying world. You are my anchor on which I grab hold of for everything.
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.-- Isaiah 40:28-31
I am so in awe of God's strength, of His sovereign power. We are so unworthy of His love, so ungracious most of the time. But, He freely gives us His power, gives us love, gives us hope when we live IN Him. I've stopped trying to wrap my insignificant mind around it and instead, I just embrace it.
There is no rhyme or reason why He loves us as much as He does. He simply DOES. He simply wants to shower us with blessings, but we must be clear that these blessings are not riches and material, earthly things. They are blessings from His kingdom, riches that bring us closer to Him. So many people believe that if God would simply shower them with money, cars, homes, then all of their problems would be fixed and they would be able to walk with Him in a closer relationship. This mindset is wrong because it focuses on the individual and not the Creator of that individual.
I am learning to let go of this world, of the riches that most people bask in. I am learning to sit back and enjoy the ride, the ride that God has blessed me with. I am learning to let God lead my life and I am enjoying every single second of it. But most importantly, I am finally learning how good God truly is.
His goodness is radiating in my life, it fills me with a peaceful assurance. This assurance can only be from His hands because in all seriousness, in my human form I should be scared, uncertain, and restless. But, I'm not. I feel His hands on my heart, I feel His love in my soul. I feel Him making my path straight. I am not weak anymore, troubles are not taking me over.
He never grows weary, He never grows tired of loving me. Because of that love I can stand strong in His path and know that although I cannot see a way, I can take His hand and allow Him to lead me. He is mighty and He is strong and that strength consumes me.
I thank you Father God for this peace, for this comfort that you give me that comes so easily for you; and although it does not come easily to me, I ask that you continue opening up these doors in my life. I ask that you continue guiding me where YOU want me to go. I will soar like an eagle, never growing weak or weary.
I will proclaim your mighty word, speak your goodness to a dying world. You are my anchor on which I grab hold of for everything.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
True love
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. -- Ephesians 5:33
Learning to love my husband, truly love my husband, was something I never imagined I would need to do. We were married because we loved each other, right?
The answer is simple: no.
How could we truly love one another, we didn't have Christ in our heart. It is not possible to truly love someone when you don't truly know what love is. Love is not a feeling, it is an action that was set forth on a wooden cross, a redeeming action that saved man kind. This action was set forth by our Lord and Savior and is something that I learn each and every day.
Respect was new to me as well. I was always taught that someone must earn respect before they are given it. I cannot tell you the number of times I thought this was true in my life. My marriage was no different. If my husband would do something that I did not like, would hurt my feelings, I would, and still at times do, turn my heart cold and refuse to love him. I simply didn't want to.
What would I have done with my life it Christ had decided that I was simply not good enough to love, if a sin that I had in my life was too great that I was not worth saving? Thankfully I do not have to worry about this "what if", but at the same time, I must love my husband in that fashion. I must love him simply because I am loved.
This realization has opened up my soul to allow my husband in regardless of whether or not I believe "he deserves" my love or not. Because, truth be told, none of us are good enough for the all consuming love of the Father either, but He freely gives it and we must freely give it too.
Watching Christ take a hold of my husband has been something that has opened up a new vessel of loving for me as well. He is a new man. A man reborn in the blood of the Savior. He is washed clean and he is walking towards an eternity with the Father. The love that he pours out now, the love he shows me now, solidifies the love that Christ has for us, for His bride's.
Watching as my husband is making a decision and the first place he goes is prayer, it's amazing. My husband loves food, loves coffee, and for the first time in His life He has surrendered every desire, every urge over to Christ to take hold of. He cannot make a decision now without the love of the Father, and it's inspiring to a wife who longs to respect and love her husband. I am able to give him more because Christ gave His everything.
I now know what true love is, I experience it every single day. It's not the love a mother feels for her child, it's not the lust a man and woman feel for one another when they are first married--it's a sacrificial love was magnified and modeled by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The answer is simple: no.
How could we truly love one another, we didn't have Christ in our heart. It is not possible to truly love someone when you don't truly know what love is. Love is not a feeling, it is an action that was set forth on a wooden cross, a redeeming action that saved man kind. This action was set forth by our Lord and Savior and is something that I learn each and every day.
Respect was new to me as well. I was always taught that someone must earn respect before they are given it. I cannot tell you the number of times I thought this was true in my life. My marriage was no different. If my husband would do something that I did not like, would hurt my feelings, I would, and still at times do, turn my heart cold and refuse to love him. I simply didn't want to.
What would I have done with my life it Christ had decided that I was simply not good enough to love, if a sin that I had in my life was too great that I was not worth saving? Thankfully I do not have to worry about this "what if", but at the same time, I must love my husband in that fashion. I must love him simply because I am loved.
This realization has opened up my soul to allow my husband in regardless of whether or not I believe "he deserves" my love or not. Because, truth be told, none of us are good enough for the all consuming love of the Father either, but He freely gives it and we must freely give it too.
Watching Christ take a hold of my husband has been something that has opened up a new vessel of loving for me as well. He is a new man. A man reborn in the blood of the Savior. He is washed clean and he is walking towards an eternity with the Father. The love that he pours out now, the love he shows me now, solidifies the love that Christ has for us, for His bride's.
Watching as my husband is making a decision and the first place he goes is prayer, it's amazing. My husband loves food, loves coffee, and for the first time in His life He has surrendered every desire, every urge over to Christ to take hold of. He cannot make a decision now without the love of the Father, and it's inspiring to a wife who longs to respect and love her husband. I am able to give him more because Christ gave His everything.
I now know what true love is, I experience it every single day. It's not the love a mother feels for her child, it's not the lust a man and woman feel for one another when they are first married--it's a sacrificial love was magnified and modeled by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)