< forgiveness >

Here's a fun lesson,

Being wronged in life entitles you to nothing, rather it demands that you grow. 

It's a hard one to swallow, I know. BUT...

If you grow & forgive & move on, YOU become stronger. If you hold on to the wrong, IT will hold on to you & IT will become stronger. 

Think about Jesus as He hung there on the cross. After all the miracles He had done, all the people He had helped & all the love He had shown...they crucified Him....they tortured Him. Some of His final words were, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Not too long after those words were spoken, the suffering ended & He rose again to new life. 

Today, no matter what wrong has been perpetrated against you, you have the choice to forgive & become stronger through it. Don't let someone else's actions keep you from rising up out of the ashes into resurrected life! Power comes from laying it all down & trusting that God knows what He's doing. 

To forgive doesn't mean to subject yourself, rather it means to free yourself. Sometimes that freedom looks like a restored relationship & other times it's a severed one. Either way, when you forgive you no longer allow a circumstance to dominate you. We're called to be servants of God, not our situations. Simply obey, He will never lead you astray.

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, 

as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Matthew 6:9-13

well-oiled

Thinking about "the anointing" today!

It seems like such an epic word...& it is, but it's also very simple. Maybe it's the simplicity of it all that makes it epic!? 

The word anointing in the Bible has to do with oil & lots of it! God's plan is for us to live our lives like well-oiled machines! 

Without oil you're machine might run for a little bit, but eventually it'll seize up. Oil is designed to smooth out the friction & keep the parts moving. Oil keeps your machine from over heating & helps clean out impurities. 

You were made to run & run well. Running well depends entirely on your oil supply. Life will try to drain you of your oil. The devil wants you to try make things work by your own strength, except we weren't built like that. We were built to rely on the oil. 

It's His anointing that destroys yokes & breaks off bondage's in our lives. It's His anointing that sets us apart & enables us to accomplish what He has designed for us to accomplish. No calling was ever meant to be fulfilled without His anointing, & in fact it cannot be. 

What does it mean to have the anointing? It's really the simplest of all things. It means that you have God with you. It's not some super-special-secret-code, rather it's a super-special-cultivated-relationship between you & the Father...something that everyone can have.

Acts 10:30
"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."

Jesus had a specific mission that He accomplished because God was with Him. Why would we try to do it any other way? His life is that perfect example of how to make through both the good & the bad. Stay close to the Father. 

It's easier to keep an engine running on a regular basis than try to start one up that's been sitting around for years or fix one that's seized up. Do yourself a favor & stay oily! Ups & downs will come & go, but the oil will keep you running smoothly. 

where to look

What do you do when everything around you reminds you of the battle you're in?

The song "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" sounds off in my heart. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

I'll be the first to admit, it's not always easy when life is smack in front of your face jumping up & down like a crazy person & yelling "look at me, look at me!!" 

But the good news my friends is that we don't have to do it in our own strength. When you feel like you can't look away from life, tell Him that! When you feel like you can't hear anything but life, tell Him that. & when you feel like you just can't muster up the faith....tell Him that. 

Rest in the fact that He said His strength is made perfect in our weakness. He'll help you look to Him. 

We were never made to deal with life on our own. The plan from the beginning was that He would walk & talk with us. He wants to hear when we're struggling & He wants to hear when we're winning & He wants to be involved in both. 

He doesn't expect us to muster anything up in our own strength. In fact, He says the opposite,

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

So come to Jesus, no matter how you feel. & by "come" I simply mean begin to tell Him where you're at & what you're feeling. Open up a dialog with Him, that simple act is walking by faith - it means you believe He is real & He is listening. Continue to walk in faith by believing that He will answer. 

He will.

every part of you

Never forget that the God who created the universe, created every part of you. 

It's not just a warm fuzzy saying, He really does know every hair on your head, every beat of your heart, every cell in your body & all the good/bad things you face. 

He's closer to you than the wind on your face, He knows you deeper than your deepest place & He loves you more than you can imagine. 

You were purposefully made by His hands. He wanted you & His plans for you are good. 

Trust Him with all your good & your bad, He is faithful & He will not fail you. 

Never let the "bigness" of your problem make you forget the GREATNESS of your God. 

I hope this photo inspires you to remember that the God who created such majesty & beauty & life, is the same God that designed you & He is loving you & fighting for your best right now. 

photo by Amie Willoughby

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work,

chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him,

 to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—

from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

1 Peter 2:9-10 MSG

Philippians 4:8

I just can't seem to get past this verse today.

Remember: either you control your thoughts, or they will control you.

I've included a couple of translations for you, I just love the context & content they give you.

Philippians 4:8

ESV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

TLB
And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.

MSG
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

NKJV
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

the flowers & the weeds

There's nothing quite like the start of a new day.

It can either hold sadness or hope & it's all up to you.

New days are a funny thing. They make you feel like you've got the chance to start all over again & make something good happen...you know, until reality hits & you're dealing with all the same stuff that you've been dealing with for some time now. 

But really, IT IS A BRAND NEW DAY! & you've got the choice to deal with "your stuff" with a new & refreshed attitude or a stale & worn-out attitude. Because your attitude is a choice. 

I never said it was easy. Emotions can be big, but they can be beat. & if they happen to win over you for a day, guess what...you get to wake up tomorrow & show them who's really boss. You win by never giving up! 

--- I was doing a bit of gardening the other day & because I had left it off too long the weeds had gained quite a lot of ground. Their roots were hard to pull out, & I needed a special tool to dig them out. At one point, I accidentally pulled out a plant & I was amazed at how easily it came out without having to dig...it's root wasn't nearly as strong as the weed. ---

What am I saying? 

Keep dealing with yourself! Never stop dealing with the hard things because the longer you let them go, the harder they get to pull up. 

Keep building up the good things in your life. Spend time daily with God & in His Word, pray, worship, give, communicate with godly people, etc. Take care of those good root systems & give them time to root themselves strong! 

You can't only take care of the flowers in your garden & let the weeds run wild, or else soon you'll have a bunch of dead flowers in a weed garden. 

Pour into your life spiritually & let God tend to your garden...the flowers & the weeds.

John 15 

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, 

and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, 

unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. 

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, 

for apart from me you can do nothing. 

making it

So it's been 2 days. 

We celebrated Abigail's 1st birthday on 5/26 & it was both happy & hard.

Honestly, I didn't handle it as masterfully as I had hoped. I could have easily spent all of the weekend curled up in bed & crying. That's just how I felt. (*makes me ever more grateful for a strong & supportive husband*)

But hey, guess what, I'm still here! I made it through. 

& hey guess what's more...

You're still here too! You've made it through today & yesterday & the day before that! 

I know sometimes the pain feels overwhelming & the future seems daunting, but we can't let ourselves get caught up in all of that. 

Don't let the battle make you forget how strong you've been & how far you've come.  

I remember so very clearly a message preached by one of the best, Mrs Zane Johnson. She preached on scars. & yeah they hurt, & yeah they take time to heal, BUT they also prove you're stronger than whatever you're facing. 

So even if your process has been messy, don't lose sight of the fact that you're making it. Let God continue to heal those hurt places. He can & He is & He will continue to.  

He is our hope & our strength. In the midst of the battle, we find our rest in Him.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— 10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”