Thanksgiving 2011: My Home and My Wheels

Day 5: My Home

What a beautiful time of year to live where we live.  It is amazing to just sit outside for hours at a time and enjoy the perfect temperatures and beautiful sunshine.  We are thankful to live here, and although I love to travel I am not sure I would like to live anywhere else long term.

This year I am very thankful to also have a home where my family fits.  We moved from a 1/1 to a 3/2 earlier this year, and wow has it been a wonderful move!  I didn't realize fully how much we needed more space until we moved.  I knew we needed more bedrooms, more closets, etc, but I didn't really understand until we had more how much better it felt.  We are thriving here in a better neighborhood and with the many specific requests the LORD provided when we asked Him for a new home. 

Looking at our old home now, I am even more amazed and thankful that we made it work as long as we did.  Thanks to a lot of creative ideas from the Creator Himself, we did it.  Oh, how much better we love it here, though!  Just to have a bedroom and a real bed again has been huge!

We are so thankful for our home.  Thank You, Father God!

Day 6: My Wheels

I am thankful for our wheels: our car and our van.

About two and a half years ago we decided to sell both of our cars and get one car that was a little bigger to fit a growing family and also more dependable.  Thanks to a friend, we got a good deal on it and have enjoyed it ever since.  It had to be repaired a couple of times, and now it has some weird mechanical quirks, but all in all it's a good car.  We are very thankful for a good car.

Just a year ago, we decided to add a second vehicle again to our collection because having one car was proving to be a bit difficult at times.  We bought a van for a very low price, got it fixed and were ready to ride off into the sunset with it. 

After a fun day of time together as a family that van was stolen.  We had it for three weeks.  Amazingly we received it back after only a week, but there was much damage done to it.  It has not been the same since, and it continues to need repair.  In fact we are not sure what we should do with it next.

Even with all of that, I am so thankful to have a van.  With a new baby on the way and so much to explore with my children, it is nice to again have the freedom to go out even while my husband is at work.  That was something that was tough with just one car.

The LORD has provided for us time and time again, and we really have a lot to thank Him for including our home and our vehicles!  Thank You, Father God!  We are blessed by Him.  May He be glorified through these blessings.

Thanksgiving 2011: My Children and My Bible

Day 3: My Children

I often joke that we should have had children much earlier.  I say this because I think they have seriously mellowed me out, and I like myself better as a mom than before they came along.  However I know that God's timing is perfect, and He gave us children in His time, so that is why I say I joke about that.

I am daily amazed by and thankful for my children.  They are more than precious to me.  I love looking into their beautiful eyes and wondering who they will be and what they are really thinking and just beholding the beauty of God's creation in them.  I want to be a better mommy everyday and be honest and real with them.

I want them to know that they can trust their mommy and daddy, and even more importantly I want them to know that they can trust the LORD with every little and big thing in life because He will never let them down like we will from time to time.  I want to make sure, by God's grace, that my priorities are set up and maintained so that I can teach them by example what is good and right.  I also want to honor my husband in front of them, so they will learn to do the same and feel secure in our love for each other.

I have written about these little blessings before and also the one that is already in Heaven and the one we are expecting in April.  Their wit and their smarts always amaze me.  I love the funny things they do and say.  Their hugs and kisses are so sweet, and I generally really love being with them.  I am thankful that I get to stay home with them and teach them and take care of them full time.  That is a blessing that I do not take for granted.  My husband is wonderful with them, too, so I do get mommy-time, as well.

These children need constant care, constant love, boundaries, discipline, instruction, food, fun, books read to them, games to play, imaginative times, crafts, crayons, music, dance, prayer and much more.  And I love it!  I love fulfilling the God-given role of taking care of them and providing for their needs and wants as the LORD equips me and provides for me to do so.  It is a blessing! 

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward." (Psalm 127:3 NASB)

Do you believe this?

There are many people who see children as only a bother and another mouth to feed.  They look at children and see the need to provide for a college education, little league sports, a wedding...  When we focus on all of that we miss out on right now.  Yeah, I know it can be exhausting when children don't obey and need discipline so often, and it just seems hard to enjoy them at all.  There will be days like that.  However, there will be many other days that are filled with joy and delight when you take the time needed to show your children how important they are - to you and to God.

I have this twitch that happens when someone says something like, "Well, you sure have your hands full don't you?"  Yes.  Why, yes, my hands are full.  What are they full of though?  They are full of love and blessing because the LORD God who created the heavens and the earth entrusted us with these children for how ever long we have with them.  That is indeed fullness, but I am pretty sure it's not what the person meant by their comment.

Let's decide to encourage and show our children how valued they are instead of see them as a burden to endure for eighteen years or so.  Don't let the bad days get you down.  Tomorrow is a new day.

I praise the LORD for all four of my children - the two we know, the one we will meet in Heaven, and the one we hope to meet in April.  Words fail to express the genuine love and thankfulness I have for them.

They know I am not perfect, and they know that we don't expect them to be.  They also know that they are not the ones who run the household.  We remind them of that often.  Those sweet smiles and giggles are delightful!  Thank you, my Lord!

Day 4: My Bible

It's perfect that I am writing about my children and my Bible in the same post.  How would I know the truth about myself, my husband, my children, or anything at all without the Bible?  The Bible is the LORD's manual to us.  It is filled with wisdom, insight, instruction, directions, hope, and the truth I need each day! 

Without the Bible I wouldn't realize that my children don't have to learn to disobey.  It is in their nature, just like it is in mine.  They have to learn to obey instead by setting aside their own will and learning to follow the LORD's instead.  This is a daily (and often moment-by-moment) decision that will become more a part of their lives as they grow and mature.  Our job is to help them learn this when they are little and continue to teach them as they get older.  It is much easier to learn to do this with little kid problems than it is with big kid and even teenager or adult problems.  As a parent, I must realize it starts early.  I learned this from the Bible.

"As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." (Romans 3:11)

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:22-24)

My little precious ones are still born into sinful human nature and will not know how to obey God and walk in truth unless they are taught.  The good news is that they can be taught and that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Without the Bible I would not know the truth about Jesus.  I would not be able to better understand His sacrifice to save me from the wages of sin and death (Romans 6:23).  I would not be able to better understand the everlasting covenant I have with Him because of who He is and what He has done for me (Hebrews 13:20,21).

Without the Bible I would not know how to resist the devil and flee from temptation (James 4:7).  I would not understand that the battle is not between flesh and blood but in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12).  I would not know that I need armor on everyday to be prepared to fight the battle and enjoy the victory I have in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 6:11).

There are so many more verses I could pack in here, but those are just a few for which I am very thankful.

I not only love the Bible and am thankful for it, but also I am thankful for the freedom to carry it and own a Bible where I live.  Some places in the world the people there cannot own a Bible legally.  Some places in the world do not have a Bible in their own language, yet. 

I have a study Bible in the New American Standard version, a thin line Bible to take with me in the English Standard Version, and a New Testament in the New International Version.  My husband has a study Bible in the New King James Version, and a smaller travel sized one in the English Standard Version.  Our oldest has a copy in the New International Version, and we have two children's Bibles here, too.  We have the freedom to have these, to study these, to read these, to bring them with us whenever we want wherever we go, and to go to church where hundreds of others are opening their Bibles up, as well, without any hindrance from government officials.  I am very thankful for this freedom.

I have been to illegal churches in other countries, and I realized more than ever after those experiences that we are blessed with the freedom to openly worship God and carry a Bible.  I don't want to take that for granted!

I thank the LORD for His gift of the Bible.  I also pray that more people will not only have one, but that they will learn to study it and read it daily in their own language trusting God to teach them through it and help them live in truth and freedom as a result!  Help me do this more and more, as well, my Lord!  Thank you, LORD!

Thanksgiving 2011: My Lord and My Husband

Thanksgiving is coming!  I cannot believe this is November already.  Seriously I wonder how times feels like it goes by so fast sometimes.  I decided that instead of getting crazed by the busyness that can overwhelm so many of us during this season of holidays leading up to Christmas, I want to focus on being thankful.  Being thankful is a chioce.  There are many things that can lead to despair if we focus on them, but focusing on thankfulness helps us to navigate through the other stuff more easily and with a more cheerful disposition.  I am asking the LORD to help me be cheerful and thankful instead of run-down, overwhelmed, or stuck in disappointment. 

What a good time to focus on this and share with others - Thanksgiving!

So, every other day I will write about two more reasons I am thankful.  I hope you will be encouraged and even inspired to write down what makes you thankful and thank the LORD for the blessings He has given you, as well.  This is of course not an exhaustive list.  I only have twenty-four days in November, including Thanksgiving, so there will be twenty-four reasons to be thankful that I will share with you.

Day 1: My Lord

I write a lot about Jesus on here, so you probably would expect I would be thankful for Him.  I am not listing Him first to sound like a good Christian.  I am listing Him first on this list because really I recognize that everything I have is from Him.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)

I started following Him (calling on Him as my Lord and surrendering to Him as my Master) almost fifteen years ago.  It's hard to believe it has been that long.  Before that I thought I was already a Christian.  I celebrated Christmas and Easter, and my parents taught me a lot of moral truths that are found in the Bible.  However I didn't realize that being a Christian was not just about knowing about Jesus and believing in Him. 

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." (James 2:19)

It was about calling on Him, asking Him to forgive me for my sins, and deciding that He would be the Lord of my life from then on.

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9, 10)

As time passed since that moment, and I continued to learn more and fall in love more with Him, I came to recognize my daily need for His guidance, love, direction, forgiveness, wisdom, etc.  I am so thankful because He has never failed to meet one of these needs. 

He has never failed to show Himself when I called and waited on Him to answer.  He doesn't always answer in the way I expect, and sometimes I have to realize that what I am asking for is actually not what is best.  Thankfully He shows me this with such grace and mercy.  If I listen, then much trouble is avoided.  If I decide to go with my own way anyway, there is sure to be at least some difficulty.  He always takes me back, though, even after I have disobeyed and returned to Him with my head down and shoulders slouched because of regret and remorse.

I am thankful that nothing I can do - whether good or bad - can change His love for me.  I am sealed with Him, and I will forever be (see John 10:29).  There is so much more to share.  I am so thankful.

Day 2: My husband 

One of those good and perfect gifts the LORD has given me is my husband.  It's not that he is perfect, and I couldn't expect him to be, but he is so wonderful!  I have written an ode to him before, and I am truly so thankful for him. 

We met back in college, actually before I transfered to the school where he was about to finish his undergrad.  I said to the LORD, "God, I want to marry a guy like that."  I didn't actually think I would ever see him again.  He was graduating.  Well I didn't know that he was going to be there for another three years working on his graduate degree.  We ran into each other again months later, and I still didn't really think much about it.  I learned he had a girlfriend, and I honestly didn't think he would ever be interested in me. 

Thankfully God had other plans.  Later that year he did become interested in me (he and his girlfriend had broken up months earlier), and I became very much interested in him.  It's a long a beautiful story.  I still say I "married up."

Now over eight years later I feel more in love with him as time passes.  We have had disagreements, times of lackluster, and even annoy each other from time to time.  However, he is my best friend and more than I could have thought to ask for in a husband and father of my children.  And he loves me, too!

He is such a great daddy, too!  Our children adore him, and for good reason.  I am always amazed and thankful for his growing relationship with them, his desire to seize teachable moments for God's glory, and his tender love for them.  I am thankful to be on the same page with him, as well, when it comes to raising and training up our children.  We are partners in this.

I tell you, I got a package deal with him.  I am oh so thankful!  The LORD knows I need him.  He has balanced me out in so many areas that balance was greatly needed.  Sure, the LORD has used me to balance him out, too. 

I love my husband and thank our Lord for him!

What are you thankful for today?

Learning to Love the LORD

My daughter likes to stall before bedtime, which we do not allow.  She tries, but she eventually gets in trouble for not obeying respectfully.  Sometimes this is simply in the form of, "Hey Mom..." and then a series of questions right before I walk out of the room.  Knowing that she is attempting to avoid going to sleep at the moment, I tell her we will talk about that tomorrow. 

Occasionally there is a question that does need to be dealt with right then because I can tell she has a genuine interest and/or concern about something.  At those times I try to sensitively answer her in a timely fashion.  Then if needed we do talk more about it the next day.  We want our children to be open and honest with us even with tough questions and especially with things they would not discuss with anyone else or maybe feel embarrassed about.  As they are little and have little problems we can help them through, our prayer is that we can equip them to deal with the bigger problems that come when they are bigger.

A few days ago just as I was exiting the room before naptime, my daughter said, "Mom, I like God, but I don't really love Him."  Thankfully the Holy Spirit immediately gave me this response: "That's okay, sweetie.  You are just getting to know Him.  You will grow to love Him more and more over time."  She was satisfied and seemingly relieved by my response and said, "Okay."  Then she turned over and started off to sleep.

Both pleased and thankful for her honesty and the response God gave me, I began to think about her statement more.

How many of us would be that honest in our relationship with the LORD?  Especially as one new to faith, can you say you really love Him yet?  Maybe you do, and that is great.  If you don't, though, don't be discouraged.  In any relationship love takes time to grow.  As you get to know the other more and trust builds, then love soon grows all the more.

Even seasoned Christians may experience a lull in love for the LORD.  This happens, in my experience, because of inconsistency in prayer and Bible study and/or a difficult experience that has lead to doubt, fear, or distrust of the LORD's care.  Both of these issues are answered by more time in Scripture, more time in prayer, time with a wise and trusted Bible-believing and following Christian, and honesty with God and others. 

God wants our honesty.  I have felt the most relief and the most love from Him at times when I was the most ugly towards Him.  The times when I was ungratefully shouting my demands or discontent at Him because I was not happy with the way something was going have been the times when I have most clearly and profoundly heard and felt His unconditional love toward me. 

No matter where my love meter is toward Him, He loves me more than I can fathom.  No matter what I do well or what I do poorly His love for me never changes.  Whether I succeed or fail, He remains steadfast in His love toward me.  It is indeed remarkable.

So many miss this love because of unbelief, wounds from the past, perfectionism, lack of understanding of Scripture, lies from the enemy and others, and sheer lack of intenionality to grow in a relationship with a loving Savior.

Jesus loved you and me enough to die a painful death, suffering greatly, and then rising again three days later in order to set captives who call on His name free forever.  It's a lot of take in.  It's a lot to understand.  We will never understand it all this side of Heaven.  Should that stop you from continuing on, and learning and growing more in love with Him, though?  No!

Receive His unconditional love, and let Him grow your love for Him as you intentionally seek to know Him more.  It's a beautiful thing that makes me smile.  Thank You, Jesus!

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:11,12)

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:9,10)

Grandpa

Yesterday my husband's grandfather breathed his last breath here on Earth.  He also took in His first breath of Heaven.  Grandpa wouldn't say so, but I think he was a real hero.

Grandpa was close to ninety-two years old.  He had been married for sixty-six years to his wife.  He had been following Jesus as Lord and Savior for over seventy years.  Grandpa was full of wise cracks and enjoyed teasing those he loved.  Even though the last eight months of his life were mostly spent in a bed in his home, his mind was still sharp until the last month or two.

The last time we saw him was a couple of months ago, and during that visit he told my husband he was ready for Jesus to take him home.  My husband assured him that as long as he was still here there was a purpose for him and that in the Lord's time he would go home to be with Him.  He was at peace because of his relationship with Jesus.  He knew his time was coming, and he was ready.  What a blessing to have that assurance and joy even in the midst of suffering.

How amazing to spend nearly a lifetime knowing, growing, and serving the LORD!  He and Grandma were even missionaries in China for three years before communism came there, and they were forced to leave.  He was a pastor until his retirement, and the churches he pastored over the years still send them gifts each year and keep in touch. 

How amazing to spend nearly a lifetime - 66 years! - in marriage!  What a wonderful example of covenant, of commitment, and of love.  They honored their Lord in so many ways through their marriage.  They served others gladly and became well known in their community.  People called on them when they needed help.  They raised a family who went on to raise families.  And now those families are raising families of their own.

I only had the privelege of knowing Grandpa for the last ten years.  I am most thankful for the godly influence he had on my husband.  They were very close, as he was with the rest of his grandchildren, as well.  I know my husband learned so much from Grandpa and looked up to him his whole life.  What a legacy!

I too enjoyed the many times I had with Grandpa and the discussions we had over the years.  Usually our visits mostly included sitting around and talking.  Often those talks would be about something in the Bible or about something we wondered about.  He often talked about the times and current events.  He was real and rarely held back telling us how he really felt.  I liked that - even the rare times that I thought differently than him.

And Grandma.  What a wonderful woman.  She faithfully took care of him and encouraged him.  Although I am sure she is grieving, she knows she will see Grandpa again when it's her turn to enter into Heaven.

It's so amazing to think about what he is doing right now.  He is enjoying what had been promised to him and worshiping the LORD like never before.  He's been reunited with those who have gone before him and waits for the rest of us to get there.  What joy he is experiencing!  No more pain.  No more tears.  Face to face with Jesus.

And we are left here with many memories and the assurance that those who follow Jesus will be reunited one day.  Praise the LORD!

He will be missed by us although we are thankful and rejoice for him that he is now with his Lord.

Please pray for the family and for Grandma who is now without her partner in life.

To God be the glory!

Real

It's been an introspective time for me.  I have often sat down to blog and found myself just saving drafts unable to really articulate much of anything.  I've mentioned recently how I have felt overwhelmed lately and how I have seen the Lord present to help me with that.  It's been a time to evaluate, to think, to pray, to change, to cut back,  and to just sit back and say, "God I really need You."

Although these types of seasons are not really that fun, they do provide an opportunity to be thankful.  It's usually in times of difficulty when we human beings are most likely to realize our own limitations and reach out for assistance.  Unfortunately many reach out in the wrong direction to things, people, and/or gods that don't satisfy and don't provide what is real.  Others who do seek the Truth know what is real.

Real is refreshing.  After sitting with a friend for a good part of the day and just chatting I felt very refreshed.  Part of this refreshment came from the breeze, part of it came from the reason we were there, and part of it came from the fun we were having.  But as I pondered on this more throughout the evening, I realized that much of this refreshment came from just having someone to talk to who is real and feeling comfortable to be real right back.

I try to always be real.  I love real and believe it should be characteristic of who I claim to be and what I stand for, so therefore it is a priority to be real.  Of course there are times when it is not easy or comfortable to be real, and other times when I fail to be gracious along with real.  Still other times I fail to be real all together.  I long to be a genuine and consistent person, and I want to refresh others and glorify God as a result.

Even more than this I am so thankful that I serve a God who is not only real, meaning existing, but also real as in genuine and true.  He will never let me down.  He will never leave me.  He will always remain true and faithful and gracious and loving to me.  Furthermore, I can be real with Him.

Have you ever screamed at God or just yelled while you prayed?  I have.  Have you ever just told Him exactly how you felt and trusted Him to love you and comfort you anyway?  Oh, I am so thankful that I have. He knows exactly what I am feeling and thinking anyway.  Why would I try to "hide" it from Him or wear a mask with Him?  He wants me.  He wants my genuine interaction.  He wants me to be me, even if and when I feel like I can only be that way with Him.  Praise the Lord!

He has also blessed me with a husband that I can be completely real with and still be loved and accepted by him.  It doesn't mean that he always agrees with me or likes me when I get into a funk of some sort, but he loves me anyway.

Real is so refreshing.

Why aren't more people real?  Fear?

Think of how many complicated situations and conflicts would be avoided if we were just real with each other.

Think of how many times we would receive His strength to get through a situation if we were just real with Him about it.

Lord, please help me to be real.

My Strength When I Am Weak

Last week I hit a wall.  I found myself feeling a lot of pressure because I had fallen very behind in many responsibilities and some committments that I had made.  Most of these committments had been made before I knew I was pregnant and before I knew that this pregnancy would be more physically and emotionally challenging than any other to date (and I hope more than any other future ones).  Physically I have been more tired and needing more sleep than I expected.  Emotionally I have struggled because I have spent so much of my time sleeping, eating, and making sure my other children and my husband are taken care of that I felt very overwhelmed with other duties.

I got to the point where I was holding it together, but if anything - and I mean any little thing - came up while I was in that state all would be lost.  I was at my breaking point.  Maybe I could have prevented getting there some, but maybe I had to get there in order to get through it and move on.  Maybe all of it was out of my control, and I really could not have prevented it. 

That "any little thing" I mentioned did happen, and I was now done.  It was one of those "I'm fine.  I just need to cry right now," moments.  I was fine.  I did need to cry.  I did cry.  Then I was a lot better.  Though the circumstances were perhaps brought on by the fact that I am pregnant, this was not a pregnancy set of emotions.  This had been building.  I have been here before.

I take very seriously a committment made, so I was unsure what needed to be done.  It had become clear that I could not follow through with everything I had going on.  I needed guidance from the Lord!

After collecting myself again, I resolved to get through the next few things I had going on and spend some time resting and seeking the Lord for the answers I needed.  What a day it was, and by the end of it I was spent.  I continued to ask the Lord for help, and I also remembered that I had not read my children's devotions (small lessons from the Bible meant to be read each day to continue to grow in the knowledge and wisdom to help live a life to serve and love Jesus) for the day to them.  It was time to sit down and focus on the Lord with them.

I have been really, really excited about this new devotional I recently purchased for the kids.  After being mostly disappointed with many children's devotionals that, in my opinion, are pretty shallow and not anywhere near the level of depth and insight I would like my children to be exposed to each day, I was very pleased to find this one.  It's called, Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids, by Sarah Young.  (She has a version for adults entitled, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence and a journaling devotional called, Jesus Calling: A 365 Day Journaling Devotional.  I haven't checked those out enough to comment on them, yet, but I have been enjoying the children's one.) 

One important note is that I think this devotional is written more for older children, but reading it aloud to my younger children and explaining some of the ideas presented that may be more relevant to an older child has worked well for us.  My favorite thing about this devotional is that I think it clearly displays a life that is lived everyday for Christ in a practical way, without sacrificing truth and thought-provoking points of life application (like I feel so many other children's devotionals leave out).  Even my four year old has really grown in her understanding of trusting in Jesus with everyday issues since we have been reading this devotional together. 

You can read the reviews on Amazon and gain more insight from different perspectives, as well.  Some people don't like that it is written as if Jesus were speaking.  The way I handle this is explaining that based on Scripture (and each page begins with at least one verse and ends with several passages to look up in the Bible), this is what Jesus might say if He joined us here right now.  These are the truths that He wants us to know, so we can stand firm in Him and resist the lies that come at us.  As my children get older, we will continue to explain this even more.  It is a very personal and very scriptural devotional.

So, I opened up to the day we were on in this devotional.  The title read, Your Strength, Your Song, and opened with this verse:

"The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise Him." (Exodus 15:2)

The very next line was: "Remember, I am your Strength and your Song."

Wow, did that sound like a good reminder to me!  I needed His strength that day in a big way!  What did it mean that He was my Song?  There are several other verses in the Bible that use this phrasing, as well.

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)

"The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." (Psalm 118:14)

The word "song" in these passages literally means "music, melody, song," in the original Hebrew.  Looking at the context of this verse in Exodus, it is important to note that this was part of the song that Moses was singing among the Israelites after the LORD had helped them cross the Red Sea and defeat their enemies.  This was a victorious song! 

Furthermore, pastor, speaker, and author, John MacArthur, mentions in a commentary on the verse above from Isaiah that "the doubling of the personal name of God serves to emphasize His role as the covenant-keeping One."  He keeps His covenant with me no matter what I do or say and no matter how I feel.  He keeps His covenant.  How comforting.  (Maybe we can discuss covenant somtime soon - it's awesome!)

He is my Strength and my Song.  When I rely on Him and His truth, even and especially when I am at my weakest, His strength prevails and carries me through.  When I see His deliverance what other song can I sing than one that praises Him and brings Him glory?  This is a beautiful picture of the intimacy with which He loves us.  I hope that if you don't understand this love or don't realize this love, yet, that you will indeed one day.  It makes life so much sweeter.  Oh, I just love Him!

He did surely refresh me with these words of truth.  I needed that refreshing badly.

Over the next couple of days following this, He continued to guide me and answer the questions I had about my committments.  I am so thankful that I can call on the God who made the universe and actually hear back from Him!  I can only do this because of what Jesus did for me on the cross.  He bridged the gap between me and Himself and made a way for me to enter into the Holy of Holies and commune with the Living and Almighty God.  This gift is available to all who receive it.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8)

I'm so thankful that I don't always have it together - like that is even possible.  It is in my weakness, and my recognition of that weakness, that I realize my need for my Lord.  He is my Strength and my Song, and I will ever praise Him.

Was it a coincidence that on the day I needed to hear this message Sarah Young had put it in a devotional form that I would read aloud to my children?  Haha!  I think not.  God knew that is what I would need on that day, and I am sure that I was not alone.  I can only smile when I think about how perfect His timing is.

He can be trusted.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

Amen.