Release

Sometimes emotions just seem to collide.
It's odd yet predictable, you feel it coming on
and you feel out of control.
Overwhelmed. With joy,laughter,sadness,stress,pain,yearning.

Even though sometimes I find myself caught in
a storm of emotions... God is still the same.
The lyrics that come to mind are
"you are who you are no matter where I am"
from: praise you in this storm, casting crowns
and as I reflect on that I feel peace just knowing
my sovereign King.
As I got into my car after feeling so overwhelmed
by the day I shut the door and praise filled my ears
and I found peace in Him.
Knowing he can comfort me and guide me just
by simply acknowledging him is unbelievable, yet true.

God calls us to praise him, regardless of our situations
at work,home,with family or friends, because amidst the struggles
it is then you can seek His peace. For how do we know the precious
gift of breath if we are always above the surface?


O God, I pray that I may seek you
when I can no longer breathe
and that I may praise you for
the beautiful release that comes
by just knowing you are my King.
Amen.

Be the one.

"It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner."

This bible verse is from today's Gospel reading.
The Gospel is about the 10 lepers and how they were
all cured but only one came back to Jesus to praise him
for curing him.

This reading is so powerful. Not only because Jesus
acknowledges,
"Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? "
He asks Where are they?
So i urge you to ask yourself where are you?
Are you at the feet of Jesus thanking him
or are you wrapped up in your crazy life and have forgotten
about the time he came to your rescue?
Or the time you were begging for him
and he arrived and spoke right to your heart.

Sometimes, I think its so easy to forget how you got where
you are today. I know I look at my life and get scared about
where I would be if I hadn't turned to God when I did.
But that doesn't mean I remember that all the time...
let alone praise him for bringing me to where I am today.

All Jesus wants is for us to remember that we aren't our own.
That we don't have things "all figured out"
That many times we COULD go to him with something but we don't.
We forget...we forget that he cured us once and he can cure us again.

Jesus, please remind me of the time you carried me,
and give back to you what you are always ready to give me...Love.

Praise in Gratitude, Cling in Solitude

It's very interesting what change can do to your perspective on life.
I have been adjusting very, very slowly with the move to Little Rock.
I know I've been scraping at whatever was left of the last 3 years
in Ohio and home and how many things I took for granted then.

But of coarse my life seems pretty much figured out at first glance...
Married ,Husband in medical school, working,
little apartment, little dog.This is all seemingly perfect
but I'm a human being and I'm not perfect.

A lot has changed in the last couple months
but these are a few things I have learned.
All that you Love,cherish it.
Any time I have with my husband I try to be grateful for.
That is why whenever we get into stupid tiffs it feels so wrong.
I feel like I'm being robbed of precious time
we could be spending together,happy.

Family and friends are something that we are majorly
lacking in Little Rock. This makes our lives are little harder
but it makes us more grateful for the things in our lives
that connect us with them...Skypeing, Facebooking, Calling,
Emailing have become my only contact with our loved ones.

I would even go so far as if you are reading this
and you and surrounded by your friends or family...
take a hard glance and try to find the things
you treasure about each of them. I know when I was at school
I was troubled by a lot by stupid things
and I wish I knew how much I would miss those stupid things later on.

But most of all...if you are finding yourself in a similar position
turn to Him. I was talking to one of my close friends from back home
and I guess it was the spirit moving because I told her
"Praise in Gratitude, Cling in Solitude"
and as I looked at that I realized how much that was for myself.
I needed that. Each day as Joy fills me
I try to Praise Him for that Joy.
And when I feel weak I cling to Him.
When I'm confused or anxious I cling to Him.
Solitude is a lonely place without our Savior.
If we forget that life is a roller coaster
and that we must remain constant
through the depths and heights of our lives
then bitterness, hate and contempt enter our hearts
and how can the Love of Christ enter a hateful heart?


Sweet Lord, Remind us that Friday comes before Sunday. Amen.