in this life

I will be shaken. I may even be moved. And though I would like to say I will never stop holding on to you, Lord,  I might slip, my eyes might come off of you in the midst of the storm and focus on the waves.

Oh, let your great love, mercy and goodness hold on to me more tightly in those moments.

 

Whatever the days ahead hold Lord, you know I love you. I’m not so proud to think I’m unbreakable, unshakeable, or immovable but I know you are the Healer, a Strong Foundation, my Rock.

Lord help me in the day when my grief is deep, my despair heavy and all I can say is, I believe help me in my unbelief. And in the moment when fear overwhelms me, crashes over me and my eyes lose sight of you, reach your hand to save me, when I’m not holding onto you.

I want to say I will always hold on to you, but I know it is you who are holding me.

^{Psalm 19:1} The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
² Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
³ They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.^[a
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

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Die to live

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Colossians 2:12‭-‬15 NLT

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:54‭-‬57 NLT

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:39 NLT

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
Job 19:25‭-‬27 NLT

keep me

As we were driving down the highway this morning we passed a little car that was really not that much like a car I once had, other than the basic small size. And I remembered spinning and rolling, crashing and stopping all in a heartbeat. I couldn’t help but think how flimsy and small that car looked, how big the rocks were that I saw through the windshield, there was no airbag protecting me that day.

I know that somehow God had his angels rolling down the mountainside with me inside that tiny car that day. It’s been about 20 years since, I don’t know why today I remembered it so clearly. I felt the Lord whisper, “I’ve kept you“. How many times has He kept me? I will never know! But I know it’s so many more than just that once. Why?

I have no illusions of greatness. Back than I did. All the great things I would do for God and His kingdom were ahead of me.

Why did He keep me that day and every day since? Why has He kept you? Does He want great things from us? Does He want us to do more? Is He leaving us here until we complete some great objective?

Or, does He want us to trust Him more, love Him more, seek Him more.

I think we are here to know Him. When we know Him, we will love Him. I believe He isn’t waiting for us to rush around doing things for Him, but rather to have us sit at His feet in awe of who He is. To realize that there is nothing so great as to know Him.

I’m not stupid enough to think that I seek God because of some greatness in myself. I know myself enough. Romans 7:18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

My biggest prayer for myself and everyone around me is that I (and you) would hunger after Him, that He would awaken continually my (and your) need for Him. That He would remind me (and you) to seek Him, call me (you).

And He does. He interrupts me during the day and asks me, will I seek Him? Yes Lord, keep me.

Stop breath, and know the greatness of who He is.

18 years later

As my dear husband said this morning, “you’re a guatemalan adult now, you’ve been here 18 years!” lol

18 years ago a young 21 year old girl wrote in her journal:

Psalms 94: 17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.

“When I do what the Lord puts before me to do I discover that there is nothing I’d rather be doing.”

“Lord please help me. Help me to know you. To be closer to you. Be merciful to me. Draw me closer to you. I love you Lord. I want to know you more. I want my heart to be soft towards you. I don’t want to be a person who only trusts you in easy times. Give me your strength Lord.”

” Lord I know you are in control and I know that I don’t need to think of all the logical for’s and for-nots because in the end, your will is the perfect thing for my life. Haz tu voluntad en mi vida Señor”

All these words still ring true in my heart today. 18 years later I see God’s perfect timing and His absolut faithfulness. In the midst of life and the unexpected, so many gifts, love, friendship, provisions, adventures and laughter.

trust God

Every once in a while, life just comes in and washes over me, overwhelming.  You know the saying, when it rains it pours. Maybe I could blame it on being a woman, hormones and emotions ganging up, taking advantage of stressful situations.  But there are times when those we thought were going to help us don’t, those we thought were on are side, show they aren’t.  So often it’s in the hard moments where we realize who our friends are, who can we count on. I don’t mean that to sound vindictive or anything, but merely that there are moments when motives come to light, my own included. 

It’s too easy to focus on where people let us down.

God is so faithful though, He meets us exactly where we are, whether we should be there or not. I mean, lets just be honest, at least speaking for myself, I ought to be more mature then I am, I should trust Him more than I do.  But He meets me there anyway.

And suddenly I see how faithful He has been. 

I see unearned favour shown to my son.  I see friends who I have not spoken to in ages, offering to help me.  I see people who faithfully give to us even though we are so bad at keeping in touch.  I see that God has kept us safe and more often than not, healthy.  We have truly been given so much.

I don’t know what you are going through, but God is for you, He is not against you.   As I’ve felt the Holy Spirit minister peace to my heart in the midst of turmoil, I know He wants to do the same for you.  Even when everything seems against us, God is there.

This morning I was reading in 2 Chronicles 32 where an army is coming against Judah, things look grim, and then there are these verses: “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people. (verse 7-8)

what if

Why Jesus came…

Did He come so that we can have a comfortable home, all our needs provided for, so we could be happy and live productive lives?

God blesses us with so much, in so many ways, but those things are not why Jesus came. In fact, most of the time He gives us not just our needs, but our wants as well. Those things only show us a tiny taste of His goodness, that He is listening to our prayers and requests.

• 

We want to think that we are called to some greatness, to do big things, to make a difference. But what if… that is not why we are here? …if there’s only one great thing that we are called to?

What if God is not calling us to do great things?

What if the only reason that we are here is to know and love Him?

Our eyes are so focused on what’s on this Earth, our hearts are stuck on what’s around us. What if those things aren’t so important to God?

What if He’s not as concerned about our comfort as He is about us knowing Him more? What if everything in this earth it’s only meant to draw us close to Him, to know Him? What if every circumstance that we face is only meant to teach us to lean on Him, to trust in Him, to know Him better? What if God isn’t so concerned about our grades, work, what we own, our savings account, but how much we trust him?

And even so,

He still provides those things we want and think we need,

He helps us to show us who he is because he wants us to know he’s faithful.

What if meaning in life has nothing to do with us feeling good or doing good but to know Him and everything else would just stem from that? Because knowing Him will transform everything else!

What if the only greatness that we are called to is the greatness of knowing Him?

Merry Christmas

During this month I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it meant for God, owner and creator of all, to send Jesus to this earth to be born in poverty. He did not come to live a life of ease or do easy things. I’m awed by love so focused and by a plan to save so extreme for a people so lost and weak. Knowing myself, I can’t help but be overwhelmed that He counts me (and you) worth the humiliation of being God but coming to die a sinners death.

Know you are valuable.

Know you are loved that much.

Don’t let this huge gift go un-received!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!