A light in the valley

It seems as though my family has been walking through this valley for some time now. I am weary at times, but mostly hopeful, resting and trusting in the promises of my God. Lately, however, my valley has grown darker, dimmer and the burden has been too much to bear. Obviously I have been trying to bear it myself. Trying to reason things out, looking for clues all the time of how God may or may not be working. Using my circumstances to measure God's presence ( I know, crazy)

Having mercy and using it in my own strength is completely exhausting and futile. I take on the world's pain and cares as if they're my own but I am only a small, helpless, scared girl without my Father. When He works in me to have mercy on others it becomes second nature: a breath, a blink of the eye-I am doing what I was created for, and I am at peace and fulfilled in doing so.

A shaft of light burst through the haze today. It was as if my Father reached down and took my face in his hands and raised my weary eyes to himself. This darkness has been oppressive, and I didn't even realize to what extent until I saw Him clear and beautiful and I remembered His amazing love for me!

In Church this morning we were discussing John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
I've been a Christian since I was 11 and have heard, studied and memorized this verse so many times. Today it became alive to me again. It was as if all of these pains and heartaches were suddenly put in their place next to a holy, righteous, loving, huge, powerful, unimaginable God.

We read in Proverbs 8 this morning , verses about wisdom and how this wisdom is really Jesus. Listen to the language of the relationship between Father and Son:

23"From everlasting I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
24"When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25"Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;
26While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27"When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,
29When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
30Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men."

To even begin to understand the great love between Father and Son and know the great sacrifice that was made for me , for you. To remember that Jesus, the beloved Son was beaten, nailed to a cross and then the unimaginable...God's wrath was poured out on Him, the Beloved made the enemy. "For God SO loved"! His life in exchange for mine. The righteous for the sinner. I am ashamed of my response to this. I so easily forget this act which in one instant brought me to God himself, never to fear wrath or judgment, condemnation or death ever again. I have been so intent on seeking His hand in my life that I have forgotten how beautiful He is, just Him, not His blessings, provision, gifts....just Him because He is.

Flyboys

There's nothing better on a rainy day than a cardboard box, scissors and some masking tape!

Wordless Wednesday

remember...

Tribute WTC 9/11 visitor center

I must confess...

that I am an adult High School Musical fan! Yes, that would be both of the TV movies, 1 and 2. I love the singing, dancing, cheesiness, and even the adolescent love triangles. Of course without the singing and dancing I probably wouldn't have watched either movie. I am pleasantly surprised with Disney that they have effectively created two "G" rated stories with no s**, drugs or provocative dancing/clothing etc...Now, there are still cliques, peer pressure, and lost and found love, but I think that overall these are sweet and entertaining films for tweens, teens (and even the occasional adult)Did I mention that they make me want to get off my keister and dance!( and it doesn't hurt to feel like 16 again-well..the good parts of being 16)
btw, this video is the opening scene for HSM 2.

Happy 3rd grade!

The first day of Third grade has finally come and gone. There has been much crying, wailing and begging associated with said day so I am thankful that it is finally over. Hannah loved her school last year but now remembers certain struggles she had with specific subjects and it really caused much angst leading up to this year's first day. It didn't help that I have had a horrible head cold along with recurring fevers and bouts of dizziness. I prayed for her in between my mini-naps ( I do still have the boys at home) and hoped she would come through the front door ( Nana picked her up for me) with a great big smile and lots of happy stories to share. Thankfully this is exactly what happened and it didn't hurt that Aunty Mandy bought everyone ice cream to celebrate the first day!

The Bed-head boys attack

Disappointments

My mom sent me this and I had to post it because its such a great reminder to us all. Its taken from: "Today God is First: Daily Workplace Inspiration by Os Hillman"

Disappointments

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God's greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit, revealed deep disappointment when he was forgotten another two years in prison. John the Baptist, when awaiting execution, doubted whether Jesus was, in fact, the Christ because he was sitting there awaiting his death. Elijah, losing all hope and despondent to the point of death, asked God to take his life in the desert; and Peter, who left his fishing business and invested three years of his life only to watch his Savior crucified, wondered whether the purpose of those three years could be justified.

When life doesn't add up, it leaves the heart sick. When we have done all we know to do and the formula has not worked, it leaves us questioning. These are times that try the very souls of men. There is no human sense to be made of it. We are left with a choice: to cling or not to cling. There are times when holding on to our Master's robe is all that we can do. It is all that He wants us to do.

The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not obtained by sudden flight;

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.

Standing on what too long we bore,

With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,

We may discern-unseen before-

A path to higher destinies!

Longfellow

There is only one answer to life's disappointments. Like the psalmist, we must "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (Ps. 62:5-6).