Unexpected

Like an unwelcome visitor, an uninvited stranger barging in, interrupting life, dragging bags of disappointment and unloading boxes of hard to swallow news.

Family members die, friends divorce, leaders abuse, children rebel, houses are lost, jobs end, cancer invades.

And still He whispers, "Trust Me."

No matter how much we pray or cry or wish or scream, sometimes things are not ok.

When plans fail and dreams fade and life. was. not. supposed. to. be. like. this.

"Trust Me."

The unexpected strips away all that is not anchored.

Like a punch in the stomach, the unexpected can leave us struggling to breathe.

But it can center. It can strengthen. It can remind.

Like Peter, if we take our eyes off of Jesus, we begin to sink.

But when we fix our gaze, though the storms may be violent and the unexpected may take us by surprise, our feet can stand firm and secure.

And when I want to pull the covers over my head and the water is swirling around my ankles...

I have to listen.

"Trust Me."

And fix my gaze...

(More Than) 5 Minute Friday, in real life, & an On-Line (un)Conference

(Please continue praying for Texas and all those affected by the wildfires and working to put them out. Send Your rain, God.)

I popped over to The Gypsy Mama for the normal 5 Minute Friday post and was surprised to discover this. It sounds really amazing and I can stay in my pajamas…bonus! Maybe you can come, too? I'm thinking...pajama party?

In keeping with their theme, in real life, I decided to share a few of the first thoughts that come to mind (this could be dangerous…). You can read more of the same here., and link up, if you'd like.

The phrase in real life implies that maybe some things in life… aren’t…real? This got me t’ thinkin’ (sorry, sometimes the Texas in me sneaks out)…and to brainstorming (like writers sometimes do). Here’s what I came up with:

In fake life?, get real, for real, uncover, lies, cover-up, pretend, in plain sight, taking off the mask, not always perfect, too good to be true, put on a happy face, behind closed doors, hiding, fear of, out in the open, the real me, the real you, what you see is what you get, closed, open up, share

Boy, did that open up a can of worms.

Aren’t we all in this real life together? Why the temptation to hide behind masks of perfection or cover up hurts or put up walls or be someone we’re not?

In this life…this real life…there are hurts. There is happy and sad. There is beautiful and there is ugly. There is abuse, failure, success, lies, mistakes, regrets, victories, anger, sin, love, hate, tempers lost, divorce, jealousy, expectations, affairs, rebellion, cliques, impure motives, joy, disappointments, accomplishments, and on and on and on.

You get the idea.

Let’s talk about the real. Let’s be real. And let’s help each other.

It’s all good (except when it’s not).

And that reminds me of one of my favorite books, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss.

“Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest…Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t. I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you…”

But do we stop or give up because real life happens? No.

“…on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.”

I hope you know as I write these words on my blog, God is speaking to me, healing me, correcting me, exposing me, re-directing me… loving me. I invite you to come along and pray that you find some of the same through what you read. Sometimes my arms get sore and my sneakers leak, but God never changes. I am happy to be sharing my journey with all of you.

Isn’t that part of our job description anyway?

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (I Thes. 5:11).

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb. 10:23-25).

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:8-10).

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col. 3:16).

Happy Friday, friends! :)

Finding REST in a Narrow Place

Joining today with Gypsy Mama and a community of others to offer a spill about REST.

Losing our football game last night prompted me to consider times of loss, adversity, disappointments, etc. Although defeat comes with a sting, it is temporary and can be a vehicle to victory. It is easy for me to jump on the encouragement train and speak words of wisdom to my fifteen year old, but what happens when I face similar circumstances or trials in my own life? We leave the football uniform hanging in the dressing room but the struggle to keep faith and stay strong catches a ride home with us.

Psalm 31:7 says "I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, and have not shut me up into the hand of my enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place."

God knows each stop we make on our journey and the things we face there. He knows us, even in adversity and remains unchanging. It is our faith that wavers and our belief that sways.

In Ecclesiastes 7:14 we are advised to consider that God has appointed times prosperity as well as times of adversity. "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other..."

We often do not know even our own heart, the stability of our faith, the depth of our beliefs or strength of our character until we are squeezed, tried and put to a test.

The end of Ps. 31:7 says He sets our feet in a wide place. I believe as we go through these adverse times, these times that feel narrow and constricted, we are being formed, molded and refined. At the end of this uncomfortable place opens wide the enlarged territory for which God is now preparing us.

It has been a struggle not to resist this part of my journey. The last several years have felt like a long, narrow hallway, but I am catching a glimpse of an opening ahead. I am resting in His truth and trusting that He knows me, He loves me and He never changes.

In this resting, I have found a quiet place. A place of restoring. A place of refreshing. A place of hearing. A place of knowing. A place of communing. A place of growing and becoming and being.

I pray that you find this place of rest today, this quiet place, this place created that you might know Him more. And I pray that you realize the fullness of His joy, feel the breath of His Spirit and accept His love that never fails.

Can I pray for you today?

Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email (contact info).

*Although I took longer than the normal 5 minutes to write, I pray that this 5 minute read refreshes your soul.

5 Minute Friday - BEAUTY

Linking with the Gypsy Mama for 5 Minute Friday

GO.

Beauty.

What is this word that sounds so familiar but has more meaning than the common definition holds?

Camouflaged and hidden under a blanket of misconceptions and false ideals, beauty is really more than meets the eye.

When one knows and is keenly aware of exactly what it is that he is searching to find, the mystery becomes clear and the treasure visible.

Found in the simplest of places, beauty dwells and exists and abounds.

If you just reach your hand out or dare to see or stop to listen you will surely find that six-letter word.

Beauty is born.

Beauty is resurrected.

Beauty is grown.

Beauty is love.

Beauty is God in all things.

And beauty is doing unto God all things.

When you know what you're looking for, you can see.

Beauty in a smile, a laugh, a home unperfected, a life undone and poured out, a soul emptied to fill another, unfavorable places that draw deep and bind together, dishes waiting because dinner was shared, pages torn from overuse.

Purpose to see today. God in all things. Beauty.

STOP.

I must confess, as my words came slowly, my clock ticked past 5 minutes and more. :)

5 Minute Friday - WHOLE

Linking with the Gypsy Mama on this Friday...

GO.

WHOLE.

I don't always feel whole. Sometimes there's empty, sometimes there's lack, sometimes it feels like there is something missing. I can imagine I am not alone. Brokenness would seem to chip off pieces here and there, leaving some out, losing some, forgetting others. How can one be whole when one has been broken?

When the One doing the repairing is the One who formed the world and fashioned our being, the One whose own perfection knows exactly where the pieces fit perfectly together...yes, one can be whole when the Master Creator touches His masterpiece once again.

When this world leaves me broken, I cannot repair myself. When people wound and dreams die and bubbles burst, I don't have to remain shattered. I can be whole. When I realize I am complete in Him no matter who, no matter what, no matter why...when I give myself to Him without hesitation, without reservation....when I become wholly His, I am whole.

STOP.

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For more impromptu five minute posts on the topic WHOLE, visit THE GYPSY MAMA.