Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Reflection, times 12.
The holiday season has arrived. As is typical for late November, thoughts are lost amongst the swelling bellies and wallets in drought. It's a season, in origin, that should be time for deep thoughts, thankful hearts and adoration for a creator who has blessed His creation. For many, the familiar scent of tradition nears the horizon, and we remember times of family togetherness and look forward with anticipation to what might await this time around.
This year has already proved to be a defining time in my life. My 26th year on this earth has been both the hardest, and the best. I have been tested and stretched, and though I find myself a bit ragged and mangled, I am setting out on a new journey with peace in my heart. I have believed in Christ for many years; this is the first I have believed Him. I'll be honest, the shift in perspective has required a complete heart break. What I see now is that as I cried, He held me--just like He promised. When I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, He was my guide, He comforted me--just like He promised. When I looked to Him like a dad, begging for approval, He rejoiced over me with singing--just like He promised. And, as I battled against painfully lonely realities, He defended my cause and fought for me--just like He promised.
I recently read a story of a little girl who worked long and hard to earn enough money to purchase a pearl necklace at a dime store. It was her pride and joy, something she loved with her entire being. She would wear it all time, except for in the bath because it's poor quality would leave a green ring around her neck. Each night before bed her dad would ask her if she loved him, and each night she responded "yes". And, then he would ask her to give him her pearls. She would always reply no, and instead offer him any number of her other toys. He would reply, "that's ok, goodnight", and that would be that. Finally, after weeks of this routine, the little girl gave an offering to her dad before he had the chance to say anything. You know that it must have broke her little heart to offer up her most prized and valued possession. But, she did it because she loved her dad, and trusted that he has her best interest at heart. Now, here's where the story gets good... As she handed over the shabby plastic pearls, her dad pulled out a box containing a real strand of pearls to give her. You see, he had had them every night, longing to give his little girl something beautiful and real. Like I often do myself, the little girl held on to mediocre because she didn't know that splendid was an option.
This story resonated deep into my soul. I felt like it was a promise from my own heavenly Father, that if I would let go of the things that turned my neck green, He would bless me with something sensational. I have spent the last six months trying to hold on to things that hurt me, have broken me, and make me weak and ugly. The Father that I love has asked for these, and instead of fighting, I have said ok. I have given up the thing that is the most precious in my life, knowing that His grace will sustain me in the balance, and my genuine pearls are coming soon.
I am finding that this season brings much more than I bargained for. I am looking back on traditions that although unhealthy, are familiar. I am free in Him enough to see that He has more. So much more. I want this to continue to be a time where I draw strength from pure sources, feasting steadfastly only on truth and giving grace alone. I want to let go of this world, and cling with every fiber of my being to the story of old: For God so loved ME, that he gave His only son, that if I believe in Him alone, I should have abundant and overflowing life.
Cheers to new traditions and learning the art of letting go.
May you embark on the season with Hope for a brighter tomorrow, and a purpose in your soul. The winds come with a whispering promise: take hold my child, you're in MY hands, I will take care of you...
This year has already proved to be a defining time in my life. My 26th year on this earth has been both the hardest, and the best. I have been tested and stretched, and though I find myself a bit ragged and mangled, I am setting out on a new journey with peace in my heart. I have believed in Christ for many years; this is the first I have believed Him. I'll be honest, the shift in perspective has required a complete heart break. What I see now is that as I cried, He held me--just like He promised. When I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, He was my guide, He comforted me--just like He promised. When I looked to Him like a dad, begging for approval, He rejoiced over me with singing--just like He promised. And, as I battled against painfully lonely realities, He defended my cause and fought for me--just like He promised.
I recently read a story of a little girl who worked long and hard to earn enough money to purchase a pearl necklace at a dime store. It was her pride and joy, something she loved with her entire being. She would wear it all time, except for in the bath because it's poor quality would leave a green ring around her neck. Each night before bed her dad would ask her if she loved him, and each night she responded "yes". And, then he would ask her to give him her pearls. She would always reply no, and instead offer him any number of her other toys. He would reply, "that's ok, goodnight", and that would be that. Finally, after weeks of this routine, the little girl gave an offering to her dad before he had the chance to say anything. You know that it must have broke her little heart to offer up her most prized and valued possession. But, she did it because she loved her dad, and trusted that he has her best interest at heart. Now, here's where the story gets good... As she handed over the shabby plastic pearls, her dad pulled out a box containing a real strand of pearls to give her. You see, he had had them every night, longing to give his little girl something beautiful and real. Like I often do myself, the little girl held on to mediocre because she didn't know that splendid was an option.
This story resonated deep into my soul. I felt like it was a promise from my own heavenly Father, that if I would let go of the things that turned my neck green, He would bless me with something sensational. I have spent the last six months trying to hold on to things that hurt me, have broken me, and make me weak and ugly. The Father that I love has asked for these, and instead of fighting, I have said ok. I have given up the thing that is the most precious in my life, knowing that His grace will sustain me in the balance, and my genuine pearls are coming soon.
I am finding that this season brings much more than I bargained for. I am looking back on traditions that although unhealthy, are familiar. I am free in Him enough to see that He has more. So much more. I want this to continue to be a time where I draw strength from pure sources, feasting steadfastly only on truth and giving grace alone. I want to let go of this world, and cling with every fiber of my being to the story of old: For God so loved ME, that he gave His only son, that if I believe in Him alone, I should have abundant and overflowing life.
Cheers to new traditions and learning the art of letting go.
May you embark on the season with Hope for a brighter tomorrow, and a purpose in your soul. The winds come with a whispering promise: take hold my child, you're in MY hands, I will take care of you...
Monday, November 5, 2007
REvisiting my heart.
Originally posted on March 6th
My heart is broken. I don't know what do.
Then again, maybe this truth is where the problem actually lies. I am astounded as I try to grasp hold of the reality we are faced with. I CAN'T wrap my head around it. It is an epidemic, and my very being is burning with a passion to fight it.
Women.
We are loosing who we are.
We are encouraging our own heartache.
We are asking for trouble.
And, we are condemning our daughters to despair.
If you are a woman, I am speaking to you.
You are beautiful. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God himself designed you, just as you are. He loved you and called you his own, before you were a glimmer in your mother's eye. He wanted you to be with him so much, he sent his only son to die on a cross for you.
HE WANTS YOU.
Your worth is not based on your dress size, your bra size, or your shoe size. Your worth is not based on what you look like in the morning, how much time you spend in the gym, or how many men want to date you. Your worth is not dependent on how many people approve of you, how many friends you have, or what kind of car you drive. It does not matter if you drink too much, swear too much, or yell too much. There is no relevance in any of these things.
GOD LOVES YOU.
Just as you are.
I am so sad to see what we are doing. And I say we because I am a part of it. I have lost sight of the joy of salvation, and the cost at which I was bought and paid for- IN FULL. My worth is on that cross. My worth is something I can't touch, or see, or smell. My worth comes from something so perfect and divine, I can't even imagine it's glory. I can't grasp God in all his fullness, yet he sees me, and wants me. ME! Not because I am a good friend. Or because I love my family. He doesn't want me because I sing at church, or lead bible studies. He wants me, because he made me. And He paid more than I can imagine to hold me close in his arms, and call me beloved.
I sit here half in frustration, half in sheer excitement. I mean, to be called a daughter to the King. What more should there be?
Yet, I make it more. I make it SO much more. And I get frustrated with other women in my life when they critique themselves- and pick every thing about them to pieces. But, I do the same thing. I may not voice it, but I feel it.
There is a bar that has been set by someone (they should be shot), that says :Women of America- you should be:
~stronger
~thinner
~richer
~prettier
~younger...
And the list goes on.
Point being- in this world we are NEVER going to be enough. And this is an outrage, right?Well, this whole idea of not being enough, it's nothing new. In fact, it's because I know that I can't live a sinless life that the idea of Christ claiming me means so much. I am not enough to be with God, yet he still wants me.
The problem does not as much lie with women not being enough, it is what we are not enough OF.
God saw that in our humanity, we couldn't do it without him. He planned a way out. He knew from the beginning we would fail to live a perfect life. He KNOWS that! He created women to be soft, and lovely, and merciful. He created us to be strong, and wise, and nurturing. We are all different, created for His pleasure. God created us with free-will. All he asks it that we love him.What we have done, is created a new image of woman. We have stripped her of her dignity by posing nude in magazines. We have robbed her of her value by taking her out of the home and pushing her into the workplace. We have turned against each other in judgment .We have accepted the standard by continually conforming, regardless of the cost.
Do I feel convicted? You bet. Today alone I made fun of a co-workers shoes, noted a mis-matched outfit, thought about how unflattering another's haircut was. I noted how loud one woman was, how passive another was, and silently listened as yet another woman was cut down.
And I wonder why we have 10 year old girls with eating disorders. Why 13 year old have multiple sex partners, just to feel like they belong. Why high school seniors are getting boob jobs for graduation presents. I am part of the problem. I'm just as self-destructive as any of them- I am just better at hiding it.
My hearts cry is that we, as women would anchor our worth on the rock of Christ. If we could begin to understand our own redemption, we could share it with the women around us. Instead of judging our peers, we should be building them up with love. I want to take back the image God laid out for us. I want to claim it for myself, and no longer conform to the world. I want to spend more time talking about how Great my God is, than about who's on what diet, and who said what.
I am sick and tired of never measuring up to a standard that quite frankly, will never matter to God. I am done with proving my worth to people who have no say in my salvation. Our values have deviated from the course Christ laid out. We quit caring about what he wanted, and became obsessed with what out world wanted.
I desire to be like Jesus. To be fun, and dangerous, to challenge the minds of the people around me. I want to love recklessly, and laugh till my sides ache on a daily basis. I want to be uncomfortable in a world I don't fit until my father comes, to take me home. And when he arrives, I want to take as many people as my arms can hold.The truth is, life hurts. Our parents and our friends don't meet our expectations. We get let down, and it breaks us. The beauty is this: It is our brokenness that allows us to see our need. It is up to us to need Him, and not this world.
My heart is broken. I don't know what do.
Then again, maybe this truth is where the problem actually lies. I am astounded as I try to grasp hold of the reality we are faced with. I CAN'T wrap my head around it. It is an epidemic, and my very being is burning with a passion to fight it.
Women.
We are loosing who we are.
We are encouraging our own heartache.
We are asking for trouble.
And, we are condemning our daughters to despair.
If you are a woman, I am speaking to you.
You are beautiful. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God himself designed you, just as you are. He loved you and called you his own, before you were a glimmer in your mother's eye. He wanted you to be with him so much, he sent his only son to die on a cross for you.
HE WANTS YOU.
Your worth is not based on your dress size, your bra size, or your shoe size. Your worth is not based on what you look like in the morning, how much time you spend in the gym, or how many men want to date you. Your worth is not dependent on how many people approve of you, how many friends you have, or what kind of car you drive. It does not matter if you drink too much, swear too much, or yell too much. There is no relevance in any of these things.
GOD LOVES YOU.
Just as you are.
I am so sad to see what we are doing. And I say we because I am a part of it. I have lost sight of the joy of salvation, and the cost at which I was bought and paid for- IN FULL. My worth is on that cross. My worth is something I can't touch, or see, or smell. My worth comes from something so perfect and divine, I can't even imagine it's glory. I can't grasp God in all his fullness, yet he sees me, and wants me. ME! Not because I am a good friend. Or because I love my family. He doesn't want me because I sing at church, or lead bible studies. He wants me, because he made me. And He paid more than I can imagine to hold me close in his arms, and call me beloved.
I sit here half in frustration, half in sheer excitement. I mean, to be called a daughter to the King. What more should there be?
Yet, I make it more. I make it SO much more. And I get frustrated with other women in my life when they critique themselves- and pick every thing about them to pieces. But, I do the same thing. I may not voice it, but I feel it.
There is a bar that has been set by someone (they should be shot), that says :Women of America- you should be:
~stronger
~thinner
~richer
~prettier
~younger...
And the list goes on.
Point being- in this world we are NEVER going to be enough. And this is an outrage, right?Well, this whole idea of not being enough, it's nothing new. In fact, it's because I know that I can't live a sinless life that the idea of Christ claiming me means so much. I am not enough to be with God, yet he still wants me.
The problem does not as much lie with women not being enough, it is what we are not enough OF.
God saw that in our humanity, we couldn't do it without him. He planned a way out. He knew from the beginning we would fail to live a perfect life. He KNOWS that! He created women to be soft, and lovely, and merciful. He created us to be strong, and wise, and nurturing. We are all different, created for His pleasure. God created us with free-will. All he asks it that we love him.What we have done, is created a new image of woman. We have stripped her of her dignity by posing nude in magazines. We have robbed her of her value by taking her out of the home and pushing her into the workplace. We have turned against each other in judgment .We have accepted the standard by continually conforming, regardless of the cost.
Do I feel convicted? You bet. Today alone I made fun of a co-workers shoes, noted a mis-matched outfit, thought about how unflattering another's haircut was. I noted how loud one woman was, how passive another was, and silently listened as yet another woman was cut down.
And I wonder why we have 10 year old girls with eating disorders. Why 13 year old have multiple sex partners, just to feel like they belong. Why high school seniors are getting boob jobs for graduation presents. I am part of the problem. I'm just as self-destructive as any of them- I am just better at hiding it.
My hearts cry is that we, as women would anchor our worth on the rock of Christ. If we could begin to understand our own redemption, we could share it with the women around us. Instead of judging our peers, we should be building them up with love. I want to take back the image God laid out for us. I want to claim it for myself, and no longer conform to the world. I want to spend more time talking about how Great my God is, than about who's on what diet, and who said what.
I am sick and tired of never measuring up to a standard that quite frankly, will never matter to God. I am done with proving my worth to people who have no say in my salvation. Our values have deviated from the course Christ laid out. We quit caring about what he wanted, and became obsessed with what out world wanted.
I desire to be like Jesus. To be fun, and dangerous, to challenge the minds of the people around me. I want to love recklessly, and laugh till my sides ache on a daily basis. I want to be uncomfortable in a world I don't fit until my father comes, to take me home. And when he arrives, I want to take as many people as my arms can hold.The truth is, life hurts. Our parents and our friends don't meet our expectations. We get let down, and it breaks us. The beauty is this: It is our brokenness that allows us to see our need. It is up to us to need Him, and not this world.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Strong like God
Ethan Michael Peters came into the world on June 13th, 2007 at 9pm weighing 4lbs 5oz. He went home to be with Jesus on June 14th, just after midnight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)