In the Midst of the Storm

You feel it...the pressure all around. It permeates the air...you can feel the electricity and dampness surrounding you. A storm is coming. What will it bring? How long will it last? Will I still be standing when it finally passes, you wonder? Can I make it through another storm? The last few have left me so battered and bruised...I don't know it I have the strength to get through another one, you think.

The storms of life come and go, often at the most unexpected moments. And they can last for a split second or for what seems like a lifetime. Be still in the storm. Listen. Not to the thunder that roars at you...not to the rolling waves of rain that come crashing down on you...not to the sound of breaking branches and flooding streams. Listen for the calm, sure voice. "I am here. I am with you in the midst of this storm. I will not leave you. I will see you through this. Do not be afraid."

"But God...don't you see..." as you try to point out all that rages around you. "Hush, child. I created it all...I command it all. This is but a season and then it will be gone. Be strong. Be of good courage. Have faith. Trust me." Trembling, weak and afraid, you reach for His hand and that is when you see that you are walking on the water, in the midst of the storm...and that calm surrounds the place you stand...hand in hand with your creator. Be still...listen to His voice...lean on him...trust that He will see you through this.

"Daddy God, for those who are struggling through their own storms...please help them to find rest in You. Wrap Your strong, safe and secure arms around them and give them peace to face what lies ahead. Let them remember in the darkest hours of their storm, that You walk with them through it all. Encourage them in this journey and let them feel Your Love enfold them. Strengthen them and give them peace. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub, How Clean Is Your Tub?

What is it about hard water and the stains it leaves behind? I think I have used every cleanser in my arsenal, and yet, not one has cut through the white, spotted, streaking mess on the glass of my shower door, on the tile, on the fixtures. I scrub and scrub until my arm goes numb with the repetitious motion. I know if I hired a professional cleaning company to come in, they would spray some mysterious mixture of cleansers onto these stains and they would fade away, as if they never existed.

As I continue to struggle with these stains, these ghostly shadows from my past showers, it reminds me of our lives...of the way we allow the stains of our past, the pain, the failures, the flaws of who we once were to forever mark our souls. Yet there was One who came, the "Professional Cleaner", if you will, who had the "mysterious cleanser" that could wash all those stains away. His name was Jesus...is Jesus...and it was, and is, His Blood that made and continues to make all of those spots, streaks and stains disappear from my life...from yours. We have but to repent and to ask...and His Blood covers them all, erasing them from our souls as if they never existed. "....the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

How wonderful to know that my spotted, streaked life is cleaned daily by the Master! And that I know He doesn't have to scrub and scrub to make it clean...His Blood Covers and Cleanses with just one drop. His Blood keeps it that way. As I go back to my scrubbing, with each movement of my hand, my heart will say, "Thank You, Lord! Thank You for Your cleansing blood that covers me...that saves me...that forgives me! Thank You for Your reminder today of just how much You gave out of Your Love for me!"

"Sweet Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you chose to give your life for mine. Thank you that your shed Blood cleanses me, covers me and keeps me. As I go through this day, help me to remember that without you, we are all stained with sin, and with you, we are all washed clean by the heavenly rain of your blood. I love you, Jesus, and I give you this day, this life, all that I am...and all that I hope to be...because only by your sacrifice, am I made worthy. In Jesus' name, Amen."

TRUST

No raise this year...gas prices rising...utilities increasing...stress...worry...

"I trust you, Lord."

Deadlines...sickness...loneliness...

"I trust you, Lord."

Fear...doubt...insecurity...

"I trust you, Lord."

Marital problems...children out of control...debts piling up...

"I trust you, Lord."

What do you say as you face your daily life?

"I trust you, Lord."

It's a simple statement...but perhaps it's one that is used too infrequently or too flippantly by many of us. Do we really trust Him? The acronym of trust: to rest on sure things. Funny that the word rest is in there. Most of us don't even know what the word "rest" really means anymore. Rest is defined as: freedom from activity or labor; peace of mind, or spirit. How appropriate that the word trust can represent a ceasing of labor and peace of mind. How many of us are looking for those very things?! So then why do we find it so hard to trust God? Is it that part of us that doesn't really want to let go of the reigns and let someone else take control of the situations in our life? Or is it that we are just so sure that no one else can really take care of things the way we can? Or is it that we have just lost our simple, child-like ability to trust our Creator?

Whatever the cause is for each of us individually, it comes down simply to this: Giving it to Him is not giving up. It's trusting that He knows better than we do in each of the situations.

Each day my prayer is this: I trust you, Lord. My life, my thoughts, my needs, my wants, my dreams...everything that I have, everything that I don't have...I place it all in Your Hands. I trust that You know what the very best for me is in each of my life situations. I rest in Your promise that You only want good things for my life. I know that what You have in mind for me is a sure thing. I trust you, Lord!

Swept and Ready

As I watch the time slip swiftly by me today and think of all the things I've yet to do, that I need to do, but cannot seem to force myself to do...I think of the things that He did for me, for you. That he did not want to do, but He did it anyway. Out of Love. A Love so great that it caused Him to give His very Life। His life was swept and ready for what lay ahead of Him. Today I asked myself, "Is yours?"

To my dismay, at this moment, I must say "no" as a heavy sigh escapes my lips. Bogged down in life is what I am. The mire is all around me...I need to get sweeping...but again...I just don't feel ready for that labor today. The list if things to do seems to get longer, the clothes pile up; the dishes too. Something always needs dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, washing, walking, feeding. At work there is the never ending stack of paper that no matter how hard I work or quickly I process it, it seems to pile up even more. No, today I am bogged deeply in the mire of life...buried in self pity and loathing of my life. I am tired. I am weary. I do not want to sweep my life clean right now.

Neither did I. But I Love you so much that I did it anyway.

"Okay, Lord।" I sigh, again. "I get it." And I do. In spite of all that life is throwing at us, all the cares and frustrations, all the work, the constant struggle...He is there. He will be there. And He wants us to do the same for Him. So now, I cease my daily struggle with this fleshly life and I begin to sweep my soul, slowly, methodically. Back and forth. The dust flies, swirling in the air, dancing on the rays of light that shine through the windows of my soul. Sweep, dust, make ready. The King of Kings is calling...knocking on my heart's door. Am I swept and ready to receive Him?

Saturday Musings

I have so many other things I should be doing...I need to be doing...and yet, here I sit. Setting up a blog that both tantalizes and frightens me. It's been ages since I have done any kind of writing, but at one time, it was my heart's passion. Only to be left in the dusty pages of my youth, overshadowed or completely covered up by the reality of daily living - working to earn ones keep and to just make it through each day.

Lately...I've felt it's tug again. In the moments when all is quiet and still - I hear the echos of a love forgotten: whispering, tugging, wooing...calling me back to the contemplative times of my youth. The many hours spent daydreaming, hearing stories and poems rushing through the fragrant walkways of my mind. Dare I even contemplate pursing that love again? Have I waited too long? Have I ignored it so much that there is nothing left to imagine? Those are my fears. What if there is no talent left? What if I squandered what was given and have just an empty space where that blessing was once placed?

I will try again. I will spend precious time in prayer and study, seeking, believing that the thing He placed so vibrantly within me, that has been left to ruin, can be reborn. That new life and new breath can be breathed into that which has been mis-used, forgotten and taken for granted.

"Lord, this is my prayer. That I may use the talents that you have blessed me with to touch the lives of others. That Your Light, Your Love, Your Hope will once again, breathe through me. Let my life be a beacon for those in search of You. A lighthouse of Hope in a world struggling to survive, to find reason in the insanity of life; to once again Believe and to Trust; to come to intimately know You - Almighty God."