Family Friday: The Journey

Each path in motherhood life has it’s ups and downs. We journey through mountains, over deserts, along the ocean and through open fields.
We journey through the darkest nights, rain storms, sunshine, fog, and seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Regardless of where we find ourselves in the journey we are often unsure of the next step. We have not come this way before. Each road is new, it’s different, and doesn’t always look just like the path others have walked.
Sometimes we feel so alone. Its seems no one else is with us on the path. We’ve lost sight of those who are ahead or those who are walking behind.

A young bride is fearful and unsure how to be a good wife. She looks around and so many seem to have it together. The marriages of her friends seems…dare she think it? “Perfect?” Yet she feels hers is falling apart. She feels afraid and alone.
A young mom hasn’t been able to leave her home for weeks. She doesn’t doesn’t understand how all her friends are able to attend Bible Studies, get together for lunch and stay sane. She is overwhelmed with motherhood. She feels as if she is walking this journey alone.
A mother of a prodigals is desperate for understanding, but she feels as if she is being judged. She spends her day crying and praying.Her heart is breaking. Does anyone see?
A mother says goodbye to her last child and wonders, “what now?” As she looks around it seems that others along this path know where they are going. They are pursuing careers, going back to school for degrees, they are DOING something. She wonders to herself how did they know what to do? She feels alone.

All of us have found, or will find ourselves in the above paragraphs. Some will find themselves in all of them.
I have walked them all. On each path there is something that remains constant, regardless of how we feel we are never alone. Our God walks with us through each stage. With each step we take He is preparing us for the next pathway of our journey.
We must remember that it may LOOK or FEEL like we are alone but others are with us. There are other women on the same path. We only need to look, speak out and be willing to be transparent.
To often the enemy preys on minds, our thoughts, during these times of aloneness and whispers lies. He convinces us that no one would understand, and that other’s lives are perfect. He tells us we alone in our struggling. He wants to keep us alone and silent.
But we must speak out. We must speak truth. Once we begin sharing our struggles along the journey we WILL find that other’s are struggling too. We WILL find that we are not alone, other women are just like us.
So in light of that I think I am going to spend the next couple of Friday’s talking about the “Empty Nest” path. I know it’s called FAMILY Friday, but I believe it fits. I will be sharing with you what has been difficult, what I’ve learned, and what I still haven’t figured out about being a FAMILY and a mom without any chick’s in her nest.

Living Purposefully with Hope

Have you lost hope? Hope is to believe, desire or trust that things will get better. We hope that our current circumstances will get better. We hope that those around us will accept who we are. That they will love us.

I have learned through the years that sometimes hope disappoints. I remember a period of my life where it seemed that hope after hope there was great disappointment. My circumstances may have changed but at the core of the situation nothing changed. I clearly remember thinking to myself when I was about 15 “there is no hope of anything better than this.”

My hope was that life would get better. That people would change. The object of my hope required putting faith in people to do the right thing, to change. I did not understand then that to put my hope into anything other than Christ would be of great disappointment.

Our only hope is Christ. He is the only one who will not disappoint.

Why would I hope in Christ? While a whole book could be written on the reasons that our only hope is in Christ, I want to look specifically at Hebrews chapter 6–9.

I can hope in Christ because I know his promises are true. (Heb 6:9-16) His promises are unchangeable. (6:17) He can not lie. It’s not that He will not lie, but He CAN NOT. (6:18)

Hebrews 6:18 also says that “we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

What hope is set before us? What hope do we have “as an anchor of the soul”? “A hope both sure and steadfast?” (v19)

That hope is Christ Jesus himself. He is our High Priest. He is the ONE who died that we might have forgiveness of sin.

Because of Christ we no longer have to go to a priest to have our sins forgiven. Jesus is able to save forever those who draw near to God through His sacrifice. There is no need of daily sacrifices because Jesus paid the sacrifice once for all our sins when He offered up Himself. (Heb 7:25-28)

So how should we live? We live in the knowledge that we are perfect (positionally) before Christ. We have hope because our high priest sits at the right hand of God and ministers in the sanctuary of the true tabernacle. (8:1-2)

We live in hope because we know that Christ is in heaven making intercession for us. He is holy, innocent, undefiled, He is God. (7:25b-26)

When we hope in Christ we hope in one who will not disappoint. He will never fail us. He will never leave us.

The Christ who lives in us will not disappoint. The Christ in us is the HOPE of Glory. (Col 1:27)

Charles G. Finney once said, “Christ cannot be truly and savingly our hope, in any degree further than He is received into, and reigns, in our souls. To hope in merely an outward Christ is to hope in vain.”

Christ is our Hope. Our only rational expectation is from Him. Expectations placed anywhere else will fail. Christ in us is our Hope of glory. Without Christ in us, we have no good or well-grounded hope of glory.

Christ in the Gospel. Christ crucified. Christ risen. Christ in Heaven.

Christ is our only hope. That is a Christ which is actually present, living, and reigning in us as He reigns in heaven.

To live a life purposefully with hope means that I will take refuge in Christ knowing that He alone will not disappoint.

Would love for you to share how you are living with hope! Feel free to link back to me and leave a comment so I can visit!

Past Blog Post for Living Purposefully!

1. Living Purposefully in the New Year
2. Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus
3. Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus
4. Are You Mature?

How Should I Treat My Husband?

It’s Monday and time to reflect on Marriage! IF you are just joining me or have missed a few weeks feel free to catch up here.

 

Last week we looked at the symbols of a Covenant and how they reflect our relationships in marriage. The two symbols looked at were the Robe and the Armor. When the robe is being exchanged it is a symbol of putting on the other person as if becoming one. So in marriage we exchange our “robes” and become one flesh.

 

The Armor shows us that we have a come enemy. Because we are one whatever our enemy does to our partner he does to us. Our enemy is Satan and he desires to destroy our marriages. Together we fight and guard our partners from attacks.

 

Remember, because we are one with each other and one with Christ then anything I do to my husband I am doing to Christ.  In whatever way I treat a brother or sister in Christ it is as if I am doing it to Christ Himself. (Acts 9:1-7)

 

So then, how should we treat our husbands?

 

Scripture has a lot to say about how we are to treat one another. You know all those one another verses like, love one another, serve one another, submit to one another, be kind, compassionate, patient toward one another? ALL those verses apply to our husbands too. Lets just look at a few of them.

 

If at times you feel your husband is your enemy scripture says you are to love him. (Matt 5:43-48)

 

We are to be “tenderly affectionate” to another and give preference to one another. (Rom 12:10)

 

Our speech should be edifying toward each other. (Rom 14:19)

 

Galatians 5:13 we are told that through love we are to be “servants one to another.”

 

We should not provoke one another. (Gal 5:26)

 

We are to bear one another’s burdens. (Gal 6:2)

 

Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving to each other. (Eph 4:32)

 

We are to be subjecting yourselves one to another. (Eph 5:21)

 

So how does your actions and attitude toward your husband compare to just this list? Read over it again and ask God what areas you might need forgiveness or some work in.

 

As I read over it I am convicted in a couple of areas that I could do better at. I want my attitude toward my husband to bring glory and honor to Christ and as I consider this list I can see I need some improvement. (sigh)

 

Well my dear sisters I think that might be enough for today! Next week I want to talk about love and respect for our husbands. I think this is an area that is extremely important and most often misunderstood. So I look forward to you joining me next week!

 

Don’t forget to leave a comment! Let me know what God is showing you in your relationship to your husband! How may I be praying this week for your marriage?

 

Family Friday: The Nest is Empty

From the moment I held my sweet babies in my arms I knew there would come a day when they would leave.

Somewhere deep inside my mother’s heart I knew there would come a day when I would no longer be needed. My job would be done.

There were days when I thought that an empty nest wasn’t coming fast enough. The days would pass ever so slowly. Older women, wiser women, would say to me “enjoy every moment, before you know it they’ll be gone.”

I would try to enjoy every moment, to make memories and allow other things to fade in the back ground and pour my life into my boys. Then there were days, moments in the life of being a mom, that I just wish they were grown already.

I loved being a mom. It’s the hardest job I have ever had. But it’s really not a job, it’s a privilege, a ministry, a role of a lifetime. Having your child wrap their little arms around you, and say “mommy I love you” makes the hard times of being a mother melt away.

But they do grow up. They become independent. They leave the nest. They build there own homes, family and life. I knew the day would arrive and quite honestly in the later teens years I was totally ready for them to move out.

As they grow up there becomes this natural pulling away. They become young men. God placed a natural desire for them to want to leave and become “king” of their own castle. It’s the way it should be. It’s what I prepared them to do. As a mom I trained, prayed, loved, encouraged, prayed and prayed that they would grow into responsible godly men.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the void it would leave in my heart. I wasn’t prepared for this season of my life.

My nest has been empty for a year and a half. So why is it hitting me so hard now? Honestly in the beginning it was exciting watching them grow up and move on. There were rooms to paint, redecorate and there was a sense of excitement as they left.

Then the quiet settles in around you. Some days it’s just too quiet.

I wonder, “now what”? There is a feeling that I am no longer needed. A sense of having no purpose.What do I want to do when I grow up? I don’t have an answer. These emotions are new. I didn’t expect them. I wasn’t prepared.

I am unsure of my future. I don’t believe for even a moment God is finished with me. As I seek His path for my life now, in this new season, it seems that more doors close than open. It adds to the feeling of not being needed and dare I say it, wanted.

I draw closer to my God. I listen. I am quiet. I wait.

It’s hard. It’s really hard, the place I am in now. Waiting. Waiting for God’s timing and not rushing ahead of Him. I have done that, rushed ahead, it doesn’t work. I know without a doubt that the safest place to be is in the middle of His will. In His presence. I long for that.

So with a heart that misses being a mommy to my two little boys I wait with a heart of excitement to see what God is going to do.

Are you Mature?

Therefore leaving the elementary teachings of the Christ, let us press on to maturity… Heb 6:1a NASB

Most adults consider themselves mature. They have grown beyond needing their mother’s milk to survive. They gone from crawling, to walking, to running. They have learned to read and write. They’ve passed from childhood into adulthood.

It would seem silly, and even somewhat disturbing for a grown adult to decide to go back to childhood. To beginning crawling, to want a bottle of milk or begin babbling like an infant. I Think we all would agree that apart from Alzheimer's or Dementia there would be great concern.

But that is what the writer of Hebrews is talking about in chapter 5:12-6:1 where he says

“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God ” NLT

In the NASB it says “let us press on to maturity” in 6:1. If we are mature in Christ we have moved beyond needing someone to continue to teach us the basics about God’s word and are now digging into the solid meat of God’s word.

Let me ask you a few questions.

“Have you moved from needing someone to teach you what the Word says to gleaning truth for yourself?”

“Are you satisfied to go to church, hear the word preached but not digging into the Word throughout the week?”

“Do you still try to find ways around doing what you know is the right thing to do? Trying to come up with ways that your sin doesn’t seem like sin? Or trying to excuse it away?”

And finally let us look at Phil 3:12-16 which says “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” NLT (I highlighted the text)

Keep in mind as you read the above that the word perfection here also means maturity. So what are those who are mature to do? We are to press on, to focus, and to hold on. Press on to possess maturity. Focus on what is ahead, what you still can learn. Don’t stay in the milk of the word, for you will become weak and unable to mature.   

My dear sisters, let us pray for a desire to live purposefully by pressing on the know God in a deeper and more personal way than today. Let us not be content with milk but let us desire the meat of His word.

Thanks for joining me this week. To prepare for next week please read Chapters 6 –10 and take note of all we learn of Christ. I know it’s four chapters, but get through as much as you can and join me again next Wednesday.

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Blog Post for Living Purposefully!

1. Living Purposefully in the New Year
2. Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus
3. Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus

In Covenant We are One

This week I will continue with reflections on Marriage as a Covenant. If you missed last week I strongly suggest you read it before continuing. You can find it here.

The idea of covenant started with God. If you look throughout scripture, you will find that every covenant God makes with His people is based on a blood sacrifice. In the Old Testament (Old Covenant) covenant meant the cutting and sacrificing of animals. In the the New Testament (New Covenant) it meant the blood sacrifice of God’s Son.

God never enters into a permanent relationship with man without a covenant. God takes covenant very seriously a study of various covenants made in the Old Testament (Duet 4:31; 7:12; 1 Kings 19; Jeremiah 34:8-22) would show you when you make a covenant with God or man and break it you would die or pay whatever the consequences were.

When we “cut” a covenant with another it carries responsibilities. It’s some of these responsibilities that I want to look at today.

A good example to look at is the covenant made between Jonathan and David. While this is a covenant made between two friends it gives us a good look at the result of the covenant they made. It also gives us a picture of Christ and our covenant with Him. If you are not familiar with this story you can read it in 1 Samuel chapters 16-20.

David and Jonathan make a covenant of friendship because God knit their hearts together. (1 Samuel 20:12-23; 35-42) There are three involved in this covenant. David, Jonathan and God. Each have responsibilities.

Let’s look at David and Jonathan first, for their responsibilities are the same. 1 Samuel 18:4 says “Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.” Isn’t that interesting? I wonder what the significance of it means?

The Robe: By checking my references and comparing scripture with scripture I find out that taking off one’s robe and giving it to another was a sign of “putting on” the other person. In the New Testament we learn that Jesus puts on our “robe” of humanity so that He could take our place on the cross and so now we can put on His robe of righteousness. Other covenants between man were often made by cutting a finger or arm and mixing their blood, some cultures would even mix the blood and drink it. These actions of putting on the robe or mixing of blood all symbolized the same thing, the two would become one. Check out these verses for more - Galatians 3:26-27, 2 Cor 5:21, Eph 4:20-24, Isaiah 61:10

The armor: The Armor was given to signify that they have a common enemy in the Philistines. We also have a common enemy. Col 1:13 tells us that when we receive Christ we gain Christ’s enemy, Satan. We have a common enemy with Christ and being in a covenant Marriage we also have a common enemy. The enemy is relentless in his attacks on the marriage of believers and the Christian family. So as husband and wife we do have a common enemy.

In Acts 9:1-7 we see Jesus asking Saul “why are you persecuting Me?”  But Saul was persecuting the Christians so why would Jesus say “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting”? Because when we are in covenant with Jesus we become one with Him. And by being one with Him anything I do or say to one of His it’s as if I am doing it to Christ.

So lets apply all this to our marriage. We are in covenant with God and our spouse (Of course I am assuming here that both spouses are believers, but even if you enter into a covenant with an unbeliever I believe the responsibilities are the same).

My spouse is my brother in Christ. So not only am I in a marriage covenant with him I am also in covenant with him as part of the family of God. So anything I say or do to him I am doing to Christ. Think about that for a few minutes. How I treat my spouse in my words and actions is as if I am treating Christ the same way.

If I treat my spouse in an unkind or unloving manner, I am treating Christ unkindly and unloving.
If I speak harshly to my spouse, I speak harshly to Christ.

I am sure you get the idea. It is sobering isn’t it?

In a marriage my husband and I are one, we share a common enemy. Therefore, if you treat my husband badly then you treat me badly. IF you hate my husband then you hate me. IF you fight against my husband you fight against me.

We are united as one with Christ in a covenant relationship. We can not be separated.

Oh may God forgive me! I am not the worlds worst wife I am sure – but let’s face it we all battle our flesh! And there are moments that I fail to treat my husband with Christlikeness! Oh God continue your work in my heart so that I might be more like you.

Saturday’s Encouragement: Keepin’ It Real

Well I am very sorry for being late on this entry. We babysat our grandchildren over the weekend and I didn’t even get a chance to turn on my computer!

This week, being a crazy week I had so little time to read all my favorite blogs. Hopefully I will be able to catch up this week. My purpose originally was to “hug” those women that encouraged me through their blogging in a particular week. What I didn’t realize is that it might be possible to have the same women week after week. So while several of the blogs of last week continued to encourage me this week I do have one to add for this week.

I have actually known this blogger for most of my life. She is the one who led me to the cross of Christ. She helped me see my need of a Savior. This week she wrote a blog on Seeing Color.

I have been mostly black and white my whole life. It’s a constant struggle for me, a battle I often fight. But reading this I was lifted up. I felt like I could feel my very soul saying be free to see the wondrous colors of grace I’ve created for you!

Thank you my dear friend. So go on over and visit my friend Gina at Keepin’ it Real.

A Family Legacy of Prayer

A five year old stands by the graveside of her father. Tears flowing freely down her face. What happens now?

A woman standing beside the graveside of her husband. She is falling apart inside. What happens now?

Death comes so early to a father of three small children. He leaves his wife and the mother of his children. A mother that will be unable to care for herself let alone her children.

It will take years for her to become strong. To become healthy and able to care and love properly. In the meantime, the children grow up in a world of hurt, confusion and aloneness.

But they have not been forgotten. There are those that fight for them on their knees. They daily beseech God to care for these precious children.

For years they will pray, not seeing or hearing of any fruit for their labor. Some would die not knowing if their prayers were ever answered.

The faithful prayers of grandparents, Aunts and Uncles were taken daily before the throne. A family legacy of prayer being offered up on their behalf.

A God, who is faithful to answer prayers, would watch over and work in the lives of the children. The five year old that once wondered what now would meet her God at the age of sixteen.

At twenty she would fall before her God and surrender completely to His love. She would not know until years later of the faithful prayers of her family. A family that never gave up hope in their God.

To many there were times when this family may have have looked completely lost. What hope was there for such young ones in a world that seemed against them?

What hope? The only hope. The hope of Jesus Christ and the faithful prayers of a family who never gave up.

For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Ps 100:5

My encouragement to you today is to faithfully pray for your family. You may or may not live to see them answered, but God is faithful to answer the prayers of the saints. I am thankful beyond words to my grandparents who faithfully prayed, dying before they ever saw fruits of their prayers.

Living Purposefully: Consider Jesus

So how did your reading and list making of Hebrews 3-5 go? I love reading God’s word and making list. Having a list of who the scriptures say Jesus is will be very helpful! I often pull out lists I have made to review when I forget!

Having a list can remind me of WHO I am according to God’s Word, WHAT He promises and WHO He is. These become critical to remember when my enemy attacks my mind with lies and I can’t seem to remember who or what!   

Today is one of those days for me. I am struggling with lies, so lets get into the truth of His word and learn some truth to fight with!!

Goodness so much truth, so much to see and learn AND LIVE in these three chapters! Did you see in 3:1 where is said “consider Jesus”? That means to fix your eyes on Jesus which is what we have been doing! Also in verse 1 did you notice what is says about us? We are “holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling,” isn’t that exciting?

So let us continue to “consider” or “fix our eyes” upon Jesus!

In chapter 3 we see that Jesus is the Apostle, and High Priest of our confession. He is faithful. (1-2) We see that he was faithful as a Son over His house. Did you notice who is apart of His house? WE are,that is, IF we hold fast our confidence and boast of our hope firm until the end!! He will be faithful to us if we are stay confident and firm in hope until the end! (5-6) also see verse 14


In Chapter 4 we learn that Jesus is a high priest who have passed through heaven and HE sympathizes with our weakness. He was tempted and yet did not sin. He is without sin. (14-15)

In Chapter 5 we see that Christ did not glorify Himself but it was God who made Him High Priest.(1-6) Jesus lived His days on earth in the flesh. He offered up prayers and supplications to the Father. He cried out in tears before His Father. He learned obedience from suffering and because He is perfect He is the source of salvation.(7-9)

I am sure you are thinking, “but Sharon there is so much more in these chapters!” and you are correct. It’s a great struggle for this student of the word to not want to dig into every “nook and cranny” of these chapters to glean truth. But for this time we just want to look at what we can learn about Jesus. He is the one that we are to fix our eyes on and how can we if we do not know Him.

Remember, for now, we are just gathering information. We are observing the context of Hebrews so that we can better understand how to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race before us. (Heb 12:1-2) I pray that your appetite has increase for a deeper study of His word will cause you to come back at some point and study for yourself all that Hebrews has to teach us.

Before I close for today I want us to look at verses 11-14 of Chapter 5. I was struck what the author says here. They had become dull of hearing so they didn’t go on saying all that could be said about Jesus. The readers of Hebrews, were not new believers for the author says “by this time you ought to be teachers”. But because they had become dull of hearing they were in need of the “milk” of the word and not “solid food”.

So let me ask you, and myself, have we become dull of hearing? In order to live a life purposefully we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and keep them there. We need to be feeding upon solid food and not remain feeding upon milk and the elementary principles of God’s word.

Solid food is for the mature in Christ. How do we become mature? Verse 14 says that those who practice and have their senses trained to discern good and evil are mature.

So let us not be dull of hearing and feeding on milk. May we be purposefully in our study of the Word, putting it into practice and allowing it to train and teach us. 


If you are just joining me for Living Purposefully or you've missed a few post I encourage you to click on the below and see how you can catch up. You will also be about to get the link with button to place on your blog for direct access to this series. Thank you so much for joining me!

Marriage is a Covenant

The study of God being a Covenant God and how I am to live in light of covenant has so impacted my life. One of the area’s it’s impacted the most is my marriage.

From the beginning of my marriage I believed it was a lifetime commitment. That love was a choice to stick it out, for better or worse until death do you part. You work through the hard times, you don’t just give up. Over the years I would say “marriage is a covenant, not to be broken” meaning it’s a promise between a man, woman and God and shouldn’t be broken. Once I studied covenant and what it mean in light of God’s word it took on a whole new meaning.

So before we even go on let me TRY to explain in a few words what covenant means. (the Covenant Study took 12 weeks to explain it, I don’t know why I think I can explain it in a few short paragraphs!)

When became a follower of Christ I entered into a Covenant with God. In the Old Testament every time there was a covenant made between two parties it required the sacrifice of animals. The animals would be cut in half, laid opposite of one another, and the two making the covenant would pass through the flesh. Both parties knew that if either of them broke their part of the covenant God would do to them what was done to the animals. God takes the making of a covenant very serious, it’s not something to be entered into lightly.

Just to be sure we get it I want to repeat that when you enter into covenant with someone and break it their blood would spill just as the animals blood did.

When Christ came to earth He was sacrificed for our sins and we symbolically “pass through” the sacrificed body of Christ into a covenant relationship with God. Christ was the blood (symbolized in the Old Testament by the animals) that was poured out for our sins. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins we “pass through” His flesh and blood to God and enter into an covenant with God.

(warning: this may be too graphic for some, but I will try to be sensitive in my description.) In marriage you enter a covenant with your mate. A man enters into a woman and do to the passing of flesh the hymen is broken, spilling blood and a covenant is made. This is why in the Bible they often placed a towel on the marriage bed to show proof of the covenant made between them.

Isn’t that just beautiful? When I understood this I cried. It really broke my heart even more that I hadn’t waited for my husband even though he waited for me. I understood in greater depths what Jesus meant when he said to the woman at the well, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (John 4:17-18) I also understood better why adulterers where stoned. In adultery they broke covenant with their husbands and deserved death. But that was the Old Covenant and we live under the New Covenant.

Under the New Covenant I am forgiven of past sins because of the shedding of Christ blood. I have entered into the New Covenant with Christ and therefore no longer condemned. I can come to my husband pure and forgiven and enter into a covenant with him. Isn’t that beautiful, do you see what I just sat and cried? Our God is such a gracious, forgiving God. Amen?

So what does it mean to be married? To be in a covenant relationship with my husband. IS it more than just “being married” and living life together?

Oh my dear sisters it’s so much more! I am so excited to share it all with you, but it’s going to have to wait until next Monday! I can’t wait to share with you the responsibilities we have when in covenant.
Marriage is truly is a beautiful picture of a covenant and the relationship with Christ and His bride.
Oh I just can’t wait until next week to share with you!!

Saturday’s Encouragement

 

I thought this would  be easy. Picking one blog that had been especially encouraging, inspiring or just really touched my heart. But there are so many this week.

Some that brought tears to my eyes, some made me laugh. Some caused me to ponder deeply, to pray and asked to have my heart searched. So I decided that I would allow myself up to three choices for those weeks that it is most difficult to choose just one. :-)

So here they are in no particular order…

Sandra Heska King: A Writer. A Deep Sea Diver.

This week my friend Sandy had some wonderful and inspiring words to share. But today as I read I want you to Roar her words so connected with my heart. How many times have I thought something along this line “I want you to roar. To sink your teeth into the back of my neck and give me a good shake. I want you to throw me on the right path. And growl loud if I stray.”? Or “Could you at least roar loud enough to make it all scramble out of my way?” Oh yes..to have God roar loudly enough for me to hear…to pay attention. I encourage you to go on over for a visit.

Blackpurl’s Knitpickings

Aida has such a lovely heart. Every time I visit her I feel like she has invited me in to sit as she shares her day as a missionary. I learn so much from her and she has encouraged me so often along the way. Her post on Wednesday was most encouraging this week. Her “thought for today” was “I believe that showing gentleness is not the same as showing weakness. It means showing a Christlike consideration for others. That is something I can do.” and as I read this I thought “I can too!” I too need to learn to show more gentleness and consideration for others.

 

Simply God’s Girl

Tania has such a sweet spirit. Always leaving encouraging comments and writing thoughtful blogs. I think I connect with her because she is a .Grandmother also! Quite honestly it’s been hard to find grandmothers that blog! I’ve only recently “met” her but I can tell you I already love her. Today she shared her heart about wounding a friend, my heart hurt for her. I understood, I’ve been there. I’ve done the hurting and I’ve been hurt. But what I loved to read was her quick sensitivity to the Spirit. Her contrite and humble heart. Her willingness to allow God to use that moment to show her something that needed to be seen. A hard lesson to learn. You are precious my new friend!

Family Friday: Sisters

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my sister. I have beautiful memories of growing up with her. We were friends, confidants, each others support system, and almost inseparable. Only 22 months apart we were not only close in age, but close in heart.

There were the typical sister arguments over borrowed clothes, whose turn it was to do chores, but nothing so serious that we couldn’t or didn’t make up within the minutes.

We spent a lot of time together talking, laughing, sharing our hopes and dreams, our sorrows and deep hurts. We would play dress up, do each others hair. Play with our dolls, play house. We rode bikes, drove cars and had boy friends. 

We shared secrets, although there were secrets that we didn’t share that we probably should have. But I think deep down inside they didn’t need to be shared, we just knew. We understood the hurt, and the pain of the kept secrets locked deep within. It would only be when we were older that we could fully disclose those secrets, to embrace them and each other.

I love my sister deeply and as I think upon our growing up years I choose to focus on the good. The joy of having a sister to be there, no matter what. A sister who really understands, because she’s been there living life with you. A sister who would drop her plans just to be with you because you needed a friend.

Today I miss her. We live miles apart, not because several states separate us, but life has separated us.

It’s been years since I have felt emotionally close to her. I’ve tried. I’ve called. But honestly we only speak about 2 or 3 times a year and that is when I call her. I don’t think it hurts as much as it used to, and quite honestly I don’t know if that is a good thing. It does make me sad.

Sad because I’ve lost a friend. She will always be family, but I miss the closeness that once was. Some will tell me that God will give us spiritual sisters. It is true He does. But it’s not the same. It’s not as if she can be replaced.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I have my expectations set too high. I just know that if my sister needed me I would be there. I would drop everything, if possible, and be there for her. My needs, my desires would take second place to hers. Isn’t that what a sister does?

I would call her, just because I wanted to hear her voice. I would want that consistent connection with her in order to encourage, love and pray for her and with her.

As I write this I am thinking I should pursue her more than I have been lately. I should write her notes of encouragement. Call her. Love her, not just in word but in deed.

AND…

I need to continue doing so until God clearly tells me to stop or calls me home, REGARDLESS of whether or not she ever returns a single call or note.

This is love. This is what Christ calls me to do.

Once again I am reminded that I MUST find my worth, my value, my confidence, my security in Christ and in Him ALONE. It is Christ IN me that gives me hope. He alone fills me up with a love that is everlasting. A love that is complete. Others will fail us. They will leave us, if not because of circumstances, by death. They will be distance at times. We will grow apart.

But Christ will never leave us or forsake us. Nothing can ever separate us from Him! Amen? AMEN!

What about you? Do you have a sister? Are you close? What could you do today to begin to reconnect if there is a distance that has grown between you? How might you encourage her today?

If you and your sister are very close I would love to have you share what kind of things you do together to stay close! What are some of your favorite things to do together?

Would love to hear what God lays on your heart?

Living Purposefully with eyes on Jesus

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:1-2

 

As I sit and read the above verses I quickly realize that to “lay aside encumbrances”, “to be untangled from sin”, to “run with endurance” I must fix my eyes on Jesus. I must fix my eyes on the author and perfecter of my faith.

Who is Jesus? How well do you know Him? For the purposes of understanding these verses I want us to look at what the author of Hebrews has to say about Him. Let’s go to chapter 1 and 2!

These two chapters are filled with the truth of who we are to fix our eyes on. Did you get a chance to read it? Did you make a list? Did anything really jump out at you? Did you see anything new?

Here is what we see in these two chapters about Jesus.

Hebrews 1:2-5 Jesus is the appointed heir over all things. Through Him all things were created. He is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of God’s nature. HE upholds all things by His power. Through Him we are purified. He sits at the right hand of God.

1:6-12 Angels worship Him. His throne is forever. He loves righteousness, and hates lawlessness. All creation will wear out, be changed but HE will remain the same.

Hebrews 2:8-13 He was made a little lower than angels. He suffered death, our death. He is crowned with glory and honor. Through Him all things are brought to glory. Through His sufferings many sons will be brought to glory. HE will perfect our salvation through suffering. He sanctifies. He calls us brethren. He proclaims God’s name to us and puts His trust in God.

2:14-18 He became flesh and blood in order to render the devil powerless through His death. HE frees those who fear death and are in slavery. He helps descendants of Abraham. He was made like us in all things, yet remain God. He is a merciful and faithful high priest. He makes propitiations for our sin. He was tempted. HE suffered so that HE could come to our aid.

This is the ONE we are to fix our eyes on. This is the Jesus that the Hebrew author wants us to know. In fact in 2:1 he encourages us to “pay attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away from it”.

We are to know Jesus. We are to KNOW Him, not just know about Him. Do you know who He is? Do you know His character?

Do you know Him because you have experienced Him living in and through your life? Or do you know Him just because you have read or heard about Him?

My challenge to you and myself is to get to know Jesus. Know His character because you have fixed your eyes upon Him. Be single focused with eyes fixed on the One who perfects our salvation.

Lets fix our eyes on Jesus so that we might KNOW Him.

Over the next couple of “Living Purposefully” post I think we should look a little longer at who Jesus is. If you haven’t already begun making a list of who He is I would encourage you to write down what we already have seen and then be ready to add to it. I promise that it is worth taking the time to have a list that you can refer back to that will help remind you who Jesus is. You will know Him not just because of a list that has been written, but because you have studied and seen truth for yourself.

Read Chapters 3-5 and list all you learn about Jesus. Then join me again next week.