“It takes a process to produce a product--and that applies to sanctified Christians as well as diamonds, automobiles, and houses. It’s certainly true of having a Mary heart in a Martha world. If we want to be like Jesus, we won’t be able to escape the refining process.” [Pg 195] When you consider a romantic evening out with your husband what do you think of? (Well, besides the fact that it’s probably been a while? giggle) Do you think about past special evenings together when all the RUSH went away? A time when the meal was special, and the candle-light and privacy gave you a sense of calm and a desire to connect? Well, now that we've finished our reading, let's ask a related question about another very necessary connection: How is your relationship with God? Has the reading helped you find routine time for God? Time where you can sit in his presence and know once again that calm and intimacy? Time with God, like time with our spouse, keeps our heart healthy and full. It's a place we share your deepest heartaches, hopes, and dreams. There is One who can fill our every space and heal the hurts. One who fills each insecurity with grace~grace~and more grace, and who blesses our deepest need with MORE THAN ENOUGH to conquer, and he is waiting. He waits where there is quiet and calm - peace, hope and love surrounding~swirling and filling every blessed touch, and he's waiting just for you... Father, call my heart to come. You stand as the One - the only One - who can love me just as I am and give me more than enough to be all I can be for those you have given me. Amen, amen and amen ~Andi
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A Mary Heart ... Joanna Weaver Wk 12: Balancing Work & ... Blog 12: Heart Failure Pages: 174 - 1925/4/2017 “Jesus was the most balanced individual the world has ever known. In fact, that is part of why he came--to show us how to manage the tricky balance between work and worship, between what we do and what we are.” [Pg 176] This image is an example of rock-balancing. Personally, I have always wondered if such things are not so much a matter of balance as they are mechanism? Could it be that people glue, or drill poles into those odd-shaped rocks so they stay upright - appearing to balance? The truth is the art of rock balancing requires skill ~ and a whole lot of patience. Our life can be like a shaky stack of rocks as we try to find that balance to manage so many irregular items. It can be really tough. Circumstances can feel fragile and wobbly and ready to fall at any minute. Loosing that balance can be just one sick child, one fender-bender, one job lay-off, or one broken ankle away. Any one of those obstacles is more than enough to send all the rocks flying. Joanna has two helpful guides on pages 182 and 183 to help assess our balance. Give them a look. But in the meantime, you could begin by finding abiding balance in the simplest place ever. Your heart. Our heart holds the key to hope and joy. Yet sometimes our heart fails when it falls victim to sickness, stress, pain, or even absence ~ yes, the absence of God. That Divine absence is the biggest cause of heart failure today. We may not want to believe our heart (and it's struggles) are that important because we are a modern, imminently logical and intelligent people. After all, look at our technology. Whose to say we need to worry about our hearts' condition? Who has time? But ask anyone whose had a heart attack if heart health is important. So, how necessary is it to have a heart that is healthy? Is finding joy and hope beyond you most days because your heart is simply worn out? Yet, a sick heart can instantly begin to rejuvenate, turning your world around in a only a moment when God is involved. That healing only takes one thing ~ time. We all desperately need quality time with the Divine. But if that's not possible, check out those helps of Joanna’s -- sooner rather than later... ~ Andi |
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