one day at a time.

 

God never gives us our whole future at once
... He simply lets the sun rise.

a new day, my beloved & me.

My beloved calls to me: 

"Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one."

{sos 2:10} 

how wonderful that every day is a new day, with a freshly painted sunrise just for you & for me. each day is an opportunity to strike out on a new adventure, where i awake and my beloved calls to me, 'come away with me, my beautiful one'. there are some days where i am so aware of his presence, and other days i miss his call... where there is a distinct difference between the ordinary and extraordinary day.

today, i chose to listen, to follow, to begin a new day full of adventure with him. i am thankful for each new day i am blessed to live, thankful for the the glimpses of grace and love i am honored to see in my little world. thankful that the darkness of some days are met with the brightness of a new day.

thank you for this new day, this adventure with You, my beloved.

love as jesus loves.

so love as jesus loves. 

love them with such disarming simplicity, 

love them with such unaccustomed tenderness, 

and love them with such infectious joy

... 

jesus saw a little child 
who wasn't loved enough 
 - a least of these -

who had ceased growing because 
someone had ceased believing in them. 

how have we missed this? 

how have we forgotten to love one another as he loves us? 

...

lodged in your heart is the power 
to walk into somebody's life and give him or her 'the courage to be'. 

you have the power to give someone
the courage to be, 
simply by the touch of your affirmation.

 {brennan manning}

no matter who we are, whether 'well-known' or 'a least of these', we are forever His beloved children. and we are called to love has He has so furious loved us... to share love, to be love, in our words and actions. to give one another the courage to BE, to LIVE, to BE ALIVE... to live in the truth that we are known, loved, and adored by our Creator.  that we have purpose, significance, destiny in Him. 

i'm absolutely loving this book, this man & his words. 

thank you brennan manning for so humbly sharing what you have learned with the world. 

reminder words: endurance, character, & hope.

today i keep repeating this verse, here are a few versions:

more than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  

{ESV}

there is more to come: we continue to shout our praises even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. in alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! 

{The Message}

boy, did i need this reminder today. i am learning to cling to scripture this summer as i walk in this season of faith. some days are easier than others, but no one ever said that walking in faith is easy. no, quite the contrary, it is a slow and continual process of dying to myself, my fears, my doubts, and learning to trust, hope, and love my beautiful Saviour. 

i am thankful for this season, thankful for the troubles that are developing "passionate patience" in me, thankful for the ways i continue to be challenged to "stay alert" and "expectant" for what God is going to do. thankful for the ways He continues to shape my character even on days like today. 

so i continue to hope, somedays with great faith and somedays with faith the size of a mustard seed... 

i've also been listening to this song on repeat: 

God I look to you, I won’t be overwhelmed.

Give me vision, to see things like you do.

God I look to you, you’re where my help comes from.

Give me wisdom, you know just what to do. 

jesus, you are GOOD, always. help me to feel your peace and see your vision, help me to see things like you do. i'm looking for your goodness, trusting in your faithfulness, and hoping for your beautiful mysteries revealed.  i'm remembering to breathe, to live in these quiet moments, to find stillness in the midst of the unknown... thank you for walking with this little girl. thank you for leading me. thank you for loving me. i continue to follow where you lead. trusting. hoping. believing in your promises. jesus, i look to you... you know just what to do. 

complicated clarity.

sometimes, i think life is UBER complicated. but then i think maybe life is complicated so that we have to depend on God for it all to work out. maybe each new challenge presents itself as an opportunity grow in dependency on God. (which makes me smile because we try so hard to do things on our own and become independent).

i also think, hmmm... i asked for God to increase my faith, and this season is the perfect opportunity to grow in faith and assurance. it reminds me of that verse in the bible, 'i believe; lord, help my unbelief' (mark 9). of course i believe that God provides, that God cares about me, that God is with me always.. but even in my belief, there are places where i still doubt. and this season sure as heck is teachin' me about the places i still try to independently rule myself. lord, help my unbelief.  

in my random daydreams today, i thought about this whole season in my life. learning to rely on God for every little detail. and i thought, hmmm.. i wonder what God is preparing me for through this season? maybe i'm learning how to trust and rely on God now, in our safe little town, with friends&family to support me... so that one day, maybe, if i live in a foreign country totally out of my element, i'll be able to look back and say, 'hey, God provided for me then, surely he'll provide for me now'... 

i am thankful for where i am at. 

i am loving the place i am at. (as hard as it is at times). 

i am learning and growing lots in the place i am at. 

right here. in this moment. 

day by day. 

selling books is the new thing.

God provides. He does. and i am constantly blown away by how much he cares, how much he really is taking care of everything.

i may not have a summer job.
but Amazon sure does love selling my books for me.

:) 

thank you Jesus for the little ways you provide here and there.

reminder: He is HOPE.

throw all your cares on Him because...
He cares for you more than you can comprehend.

trust also in Him with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding...
so that the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
His peace, will guard your heart and mind.

for He knows the plans he has for you,
He has plans for a future filled with Hope.
and Hope does not disappoint.
for He is Hope, and in Him there is fullness of JOY.

amen.