Finish Line

We are approaching the finish line.. the year is almost over. A good time to reflect on the experiences of this year..to remember all that we have lived through. A great time to give thanks.. remembering that God came through over and over for us. We can choose to see the difficulties or we can choose to see His hand catching us.. His arms protecting us..His voice reassuring us.

The world is a tough place and there are no signs that things are going to get easier. We have no control over our future..but we have a God that promises to lead us. Can you see around the next corner? I can’t. My future is unclear and uncertain..but I know God’s heart. He is up to something. Let’s finish well..anticipating..with excitement..the good things that God will be doing in the new year.

Do you have any loose ends? Is there someone you need to thank? A call you need to make? An encouraging word you need to give or maybe a hug? We can choose to approach the finish line with hope and grace for those around us. I want to finish this year with a grateful heart..overflowing with thankfulness to my God. What about you?

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

 

Still Waiting

The end of the year reminds me of things that I am still waiting for. Since I have a temperament that loves closure (ENFJ) I wait for things to happen and struggle when  they don’t. When something seems to take forever..it is so difficult to continue waiting. Often I am tempted to just solve the problem..to bring an end to the dilemma. God continues to teach me to stay in the uncertainty with Him.  A good signal that I need to pray and ask for peace in the waiting.

So here we are in the last day of the 11th month of the year. One more month and we enter into a new year. Since my birthday is on December 31st this always has special meaning for me. When we celebrate New Years Eve.. a brand new year of my life starts the next day.  It is wonderful to take advantage of that new beginning. To believe that God will meet me in new ways.. that He will complete what He has started.

As we finish this year.. let’s focus on those things that He is doing right now. What will happen in the last month of this year? What surprises will He unfold for us. What longings will be fulfilled? When we are filled with hope..we can focus on what He will do.. not what He has not done. When our hearts are focused on the goodness of God we know that He hears the cries of our heart. Our hope is in His faithfulness not our own solutions. His plan is unfolding day by day.. not too slowly or too fast. His perfect plan is happening in exactly the right way at the right time. He is with us and for us and He will catch us if we fall.

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numberd! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up , you are still with me!”

Finding Hope

How do we find it when we are hurting? Not an easy question to answer..but one that we must explore thoroughly. We can’t go on without hope..we were created to be hopeful people. Life brings many opportunities to lose hope..to give up..to shut down. We lose someone we love..through death or separation..our dreams die..our life takes a turn into a dark place.. our health is threatened..our financial picture is bleak. Our human response is grief..a natural response to loss of any type.

Once grief hits we find ourselves on an emotional ride that is overwhelming.  We may analyze the loss and blame ourselves for what has happened..or we may blame others. Our hearts hurt and we can’t find an answer that releases the pain. God takes us down a path that is filled with deep emotional darkness and we wonder if we will ever see light again. Where is hope? Where is God? What happened? How did we get in this situation? Fear tries to speak lies to our heart. We get depressed, angry, frustrated and sad. All of this is normal..yes normal. It is the grief process.

Our hope is in God. He is with us when we cannot see Him. His plan is still for good and not for evil. His eye is on the sparrow. He has not forgotten. He will restore the years the locusts have eaten. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is the comforter.. He knows your pain. He sees your tears.. He feels it all  and He is with you. These are not just words..we are talking about the Living God..the one who set the heavens in place. The God who made you and spends every moment of every day with you. He is your hope and He will come through when you need Him the most.

“Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 

Are your ducks in a row?

A good friend always told me that I liked my ducks in a row..when I first heard her say that, I wondered if it was true. Now I know that it is. When I use that expression these days I picture myself trying to line up a bunch of ducks that are running wildly in all directions..an exercise in futility. There is no way those ducks are going to form a straight line and stay that way. Life with God is not a straight line either. Some days I feel like the ducks..running wildly in all directions wondering what is next.

Somewhere I bought into the idea that my life would make sense. One thing would follow another and everything would be in order. No way.. that is not the way life is unfolding. It is far more unpredictable and full of unexpected twists and turns than I ever imagined. When I ask myself why this is true the only answer that makes sense is the one that focuses on the sovereignty of God. Since life can move in any direction without our permission we need to know that someone is in control and it is obviously not us.

Knowing that God has a plan definitely adds a new dimension. He is the one who knows the bigger picture and He is able to see the course of our lives from beginning to end. His view is nothing like ours. We can become consumed with our own small stories..forgetting that something much bigger is happening..something beyond our daily experiences and struggles. God is doing a great work in us and around us. He is working out His redeeming work in our lives. He is teaching us to look beyond our circumstances and believe that in the Kingdom of God all is well. He is in control and nothing can prevent Him from unfolding His plan..nothing and no one.

“I am God, there is none like me. Only I can tell the future before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”

August

It’s almost the middle of August and I am still waiting for summer. The sky is overcast every morning and it seems to take hours for the sun to appear. They say it is one of the coolest summers that anyone can remember around here. I miss the heat..probably because I grew up in a warmer climate but also because I love the feeling of the summer season. Summer reminds me of being a child..without school..time to read a book..ride a bike..go to the beach..time to just be.

It’s still summer even without the heat. Let’s capture that feeling while we can. Admittedly it is different for adults.Everything does not just stop because it is summer. We still have jobs, responsibilities, and not as much free time as we would like. We still need summer. Time to rest..to reflect..to enjoy..to move more slowly. Think about what summer means to you..find a way to make that happen. Don’t let summer pass into fall without a few golden moments that remind you of your childhood. Life is too short to miss even one summer. Take a walk..eat ice cream..water your plants..play with a child.. collect sea shells..watch a sunset. Find time.

“So the creation of the heavens and earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested from His work.”