In the Fire

We are in the fire right now.  There's no ignoring it, no denying it, and very little we can do about it but pray and trust and cling to Christ and each other.  I don't know what our future holds, and quite frankly, the unknowns spark a range of emotions from being slightly unsettled to downright terrified.  I have struggled to comprehend some of the difficulties we have experienced since Paul came home from Iraq-- mostly difficulties relating to his health issues and our own financial situation.

I know we aren't alone, even though the heart is often slow to follow the head.  Christ said He would never leave us nor forsake us.  God said in Isaiah not to be afraid because He had called us by His name and we are His.  He promised that when we passed through the waters, He would be with us, when we passed through the floods they wouldn't sweep over us, and when we walked through the fire we wouldn't be burned, because we are precious in His sight.  He said He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust.  He said He would fulfill His purpose in us and be faithful to complete the good work He had begun.

So I cling to these promises like a child trying desperately to hang on to the monkey bars so she doesn't fall to the hard ground below.  The Spirit supports me and brings encouragement, just as a parent holds the child onto the bars so they can make it safely across without falling.

There aren't too many people that follow this little blog, and I keep it mostly as a place to write down things that the Lord is teaching me as we step heavenward day by day.  If the Lord happens to bring you to this post on this tiny blog, we would be grateful for your prayers for our family.

I do not know what God is doing, but I know He is doing something.

On that knowledge, I plod on...

All Grace Abounds

II Corinthians 9:8- "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

The following poem was written several months ago, and it is even more true today.  Amy Carmichael said of II Cor. 9:8, "All means all, not some;  always means always, not sometimes.  Lord, today help us to live upon this all."

II Cor. 9:8
On hard days, Lord,
On good days, Lord,
You say, "All grace abounds."

In the light of dawn,
At deep twilight,
You say, "All grace abounds."

When in my life
Naught else abounds,
And I behold
Scant provisions,
        scarce solutions,
             the overwhelming impossible,
Even then,
You say, "All grace abounds."

Why, dear Lord?
Why does all grace abound?
Why do You make it so?
"So that,"
Two tiny words-
A purpose?
In Your sufficiency,
At all times,
In all things,
Good works abound.
Because--
You said, "All grace abounds."

Super Mom vs. Abiding Mom

Our school year officially begins tomorrow, and I guess I have to admit that I have mixed feelings.  I'm ready for the routine,  but I also find myself wishing that summer was here for a bit longer.

We had a hard summer in many ways.  The Lord especially taught me much about His expectations of me as a wife and mother versus my expectations.  By God's providence, I came across a chart called "Super Mom vs. Abiding Mom" that has been very thought-provoking for me on this journey. It came from a homeschooling blog, but it's not just for homeschoolers.  It is instructive for all moms.  I share it here in the hopes that it might encourage someone else.

So for now I plod onward toward another school year, trusting the Lord to continue to teach me what it means to abide.

Morning Glories and Grace

Sarah and I planted Morning Glory seeds this summer near a trellis we made with bamboo poles and twine.  I had no idea how much I would fall in love with these beautiful flowers.  The seed packet must have had a mix of colors, because we are now finding flowers of about six different shades of pink, white, and purple. They are just gorgeous!

And isn't it just like the Lord to teach me more truths about Himself through my garden?

I watch these beautiful flowers bloom every morning, and they only bloom for that day.  By the end of the day, they are faded and wrinkled.  They shine gloriously, and then fade as evening comes.

But then the next morning, more blooms have appeared, and I get to enjoy them all over again.  I have come to love opening the curtains every morning just to see the lovely, bright flowers with their faces turned toward the sun.

At night you can see the next day's flowers tightly wrapped in the calyx, just waiting to burst forth into bloom, but then they are new flowers the next morning, repeating the cycle once again.

As I looked at them this morning, the Lord brought my mind to the mercy that is new every morning.  His mercy is given for that moment-- for that day-- and I move through the hours that are filled with activity, responsibility, and sometimes great trial.  By the end of my day, I am faded and shriveled and used up, and I crawl into bed praying for much-needed rest and new mercies for the next day.

And those mercies are always there-- those mercies that come fresh and new and bursting with life-giving beauty.

This morning that mercy came in the form of a realization that God's glory is stamped on even the smallest things.  Those flowers are reminders that grace flows down.  They are reminders that even tiny things like Morning Glories, with their short, insignificant little lives, glorify God perfectly by pointing to the Creator who fills me up and gives me the strength to bloom where I'm planted, with my face turned toward the Son.

I think that for the rest of my life, I'll always wonder if this is why they are called "Morning Glories".

Be Still

Ps. 46:10- "Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations.  I will be exalted in the earth.


Psalm 46:10

"Be still," God says.
"But, Lord," I say,
"I have so much to do."

"Be still," He says.
"Abide," He says,
"There's much I want to do in you."