This week Lysa talks about how critical that relationship- building time is that we give to God each day. Our relationship with Him undergirds how our life goes. Not that it’s a magic ticket to bliss and experience, but that it helps us make sense and joy out of the little things in life. We all know that life is way more than waiting for the next big thing. Right? In large part, it's about the little things. I have often wondered, ‘When I get to heaven will I find out there was one best thing I did here for Jesus?’ Will there be one something that was the most important? Will I be surprised by what it was? I’m guessing, “Yes!” That something may be less significant than I imagined. Do you have moments in your life that stand out? Moments that even today, maybe decades later, bring a sound or thought or even a tear to memory? Why? Why would that one thing be special? Did it make a difference in who you would become? Does it tell you volumes about who you are now? Did something substantial change in your core being because of it? Or perhaps, even more curious, did something about you not change in that instant? Wouldn’t it make sense that God is prominent in those moments? And if God is working in those times, it's important to stand back and look for what they have in common, and where they are different. Those clues can tell us why we have the passions we do, and what our purpose or purposes might be. My moments are a collection of times spent in quiet - thinking about life and the world, with a spattering of comments that have been spoken to me by others (and God) and what they mean in my life. Some were painful, others not, but I think those clips tell me about my purpose. My wiring causes me to consider spiritual things often, and what comes from that? I share with other women because my passion is to help grow their relationship with God. That matters to me. It turns out that a lot of who I am is a result of moments and wiring. What about how you’re wired? Does your spiritual/God-side of life center prominently because those moments with Him each morning, evening, or whatever help you see the purpose in those significant moments that stand out? When we are led by His counsel and Word in our time with Him, these clues can tell us a lot about who and why we are. ~ Andi
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This week Lysa is talking about how she sees God working in her life. Can you see God at work in your life? Have you wondered when something seemed to get fixed that was going to go wrong, 'Did God do that?' It's one of our spiritual wonders that we can see God's fingerprints in our life if we know what to look for. Infact, they are everywhere when we learn how to dial in. So, h;l.'ow do we see his work? The most significant component must be knowing God. That happens when we read his word. We experience another spiritual wonder by connecting with him through the Word. Learning about God's personality, what he wants for us and what being holy - being asked to live holy lives - means for us; for God writes: "As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16 Msg If you have children you have inevitably caught them in a situation that you could tell was going to go south in a big way. What did you do? Likely you stepped in so they wouldn't get hurt, so they could learn skills or life lessons to help make their future easier and more fruitful. You made a decision to help. That's what our God does. Do your children know when you have interceded on their behalf? I'm guessing, Yes. How do they know? Because our children know we love them and they can expect us to intervene for their benefit. That's just what God does. Now will it be easier to see him in our life? I bet so. (: ~ Andi I have a thought. (Funny how ideas are occasionally provoked.) Today began our third camp out. We have a favorite site right on the lazy Row River. (Which I have just learned is pronounced Rou.) It’s appropriately named for it has no visible current which would carry a boat along, hence ... Haha… The forecast has taken a turn and now resembles our typical coastal weather. Cold. Cloudy. Breezy, with a mist in the air that wants to be rain but has not gotten there quite yet. Still, it's beautiful. With us are our doggies. We don't travel without them. Two Labs, one quite old, the other younger. Our senior Lab is Snuggles. She loved to cuddle with her humans as a puppy. But as she grew up we realized around strangers she was just scary - people would laugh when we tell them her name was Snuggles. Then add an adopted, geriatric, Dachshund. Chibe (pronounced chib-ee, meaning little in Japanese). She's 16. Old for any dog. She was my father-in-laws dog. My husband brought her home after his death to become part of our family. Now she’s deaf. Blind. Cantankerous and seems to have 9 lives. Just months ago my husband sideswiped her with the truck's back tire - she couldn't see or hear the truck coming, and she’s so short he didn’t see her. Both her hips were broken. But eight weeks later, she was back to her old self. Amazing. Oh yeah, my thought. After we set up camp today I was enjoying my lounge chair and the view of the river - talking to my dogs - and pondering how long it’s been since I was 'quiet.' My husband sat his chair down beside me and relaxed - briefly. Soon his activity began to remind me of a bee in a rose garden. He would sit down, then recognize something needed adjusting, get up and fix it, then reclaim his chair. A few minutes later something else needed attention and the process continued. That went on for quite a while. The thought I had was this: It’s hard for us to slow down. Why do we have such difficulty doing nothing? Doesn't God give us creation to also enjoy - quietly - relaxed? I hope you appreciated the reading this week. I did. But as I sit here in this beautiful place, along this gorgeous river (hoping I can find an internet connection to post this in time), I’m wanting to focus on how it would feel to spend more than two or three minutes watching the Row River roll by? Surely with all the beauty God has created, in full display, set here in this quiet place, should it be so tricky to just be still and take it in? When God has given us the time and the opportunity and we still struggle, what else must we be missing? ~ Andi We all know the term 'taking someone for granted.' Simply, it means we assume someone is always going to be there. Someone who would wait for us again even though last time they waited we forget to show up. Well, do we rely on the convenience of God, taking him for granted? After all, he's always there when we call on him right? I never get put on hold for 20 or 30 minutes when I call on him, waiting until he finds time to talk with me. I never have to take a number when I need him, to stand in line like I do at DMV, or worse - the fabric store on sale day. Still, I forget that he is more to me than just a Divine voice waiting to speak into my heart. For instance, he is our Comforter. When all the stuff in life hits the fan, he is the only one who can fully appreciate how hurt we are and say just the right thing to soothe those wounds. He is our Protector. When the tempter comes to mess with our head or our heart, we remember that in the Name of Jesus we have the power to send that persecutor back where he belongs. He is our Lover. When life is tiring, things aren't going well, and we just need someone to help us carry that load and lessen our aches and pains, he is there. He knows just how to help, and just what to say to make all the sorrows and exhaustion go away. I find that when I am doing well I don't think too often about all the things Christ is to me. Now maybe you don't do this, but I think there are times when I take him for granted. Just because Someone is eternal, and all knowing, and all present, and all the other 'all's' that he is, well, it shouldn't mean that I forget that everyday he is looking forward to sitting with me. Nothing more than me giving time listening to, and loving him and becoming more and more aware of all he is. ~ Andi |
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