I am His Beloved

"Can we surrender the mantle of trying to be,

as someone has described us in our drivenness,

'General Manager of the Universe?'

Many of us are so accustomed to trying to be good--

doing what is right,

covering everything on our to-do-list--

that we live our lives,

even our spiritual lives,

at a frantic pace.

We cram every minute of every day with activity

and achievement,

measuring our worth by what we earn

or what good deeds we have done.

But this beautitude

'Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'

(Matthew 5:3)

says that approach is all wrong.

When we offer to God what we cannot do--

our weaknesses--

then the kingdom is ours.

God says in this beatitude,

'When you give up your illusions of control

and power

and acknowledge your absolute need of Me,

all that I have opens to you.'"
--Mary Lou Redding

"The Power of a Focused Heart"

Can it be that I am nearing this place?

Is it possible that I am giving up the fight?

Am I finally letting go of who I want to be

and 

giving thanks for who I am?

The way I have been living

dishonors my Creator.

Deeply.

Psalm 139 declares unabashedly,

the uniqueness with which 

I was created.

When I aspire to be someone else

when I think I am not enough

when I doubt the capacity for servant hood I have been given

I am telling God He made a mistake.

And it grieves Him

Because He had incredible plans for me

even before I was born (Psalm 139)

I am a work of His

planned in ages past (Ephesians 2:10)

He started something good in me

and promises to bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6)

I am His beloved.

Oh how remarkably, beautiful

and true

this is becoming for me.

And regardless of my weaknesses--

Despite my fallen ways of living--

No!

Because of these fallen, broken ways of mine--

He shines through

even brighter
(2 Corinthians 4:7)

"For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you.

He is a mighty Saviour.

He will give you victory.

He will rejoice over you in great gladness;

He will love you and not accuse you.

Is that a joyous choir I hear?

No, it is the Lord Himself

exulting over you in happy song."

--Zephaniah 3:17,18  LB

Day after Day

"For thus the Lord God,

the Holy One of Israel has said,

In repentance and rest you shall be saved,

In quietness and trust is your strength."

--Isaiah 30:15

Oh how my heart longs to live these words

from my Lord God,

the Holy One.

Day after day 

I continue to turn away from so much

the keeps me from Him

so that I may more fully

turn to my Father

Rest

a deep and abiding rest in 

the Sovereign One

This

is my salvation

Shhhh

my soul

Quiet the voices

that disturb my focus

on Jesus

And trust

Trust in the One and Only

wise 

gracious

compassionate 

God

Here

I will

find

strength

The Power of a Word

It was just one word

not new

not flamboyant 

but so life changing

for my soul to take in.

It's dismantling

the many other words

that have cloaked my spirit--

discipline

work

regimen

to-do list

schedule

must

should

have-to.

This is how I've lived my life

physical life

emotional life

mental life

spiritual life.

And yet a part of me

a large part of me

hasn't fully lived

certainly not lived with 

freedom

and

abandon.

But that's all changing.

Because if I look at all of life through the lens of

invitation...

the view is so very different.

And when I participate with God

in an ongoing conversation

we discern together

how my day will unfold.

"God...are You inviting me to take on this task?"

"God...is this an invitation to rest?"

"God...grant me endurance to live out Your invitation to
take care of my health."

"God...I don't know if You are inviting me to sacrifice
or not...
thank You for Your faithful love
regardless of my choice."

Oh the freedom this word affords!!!
I can say "no"!!
I can respond to His invitation
in many ways
and I am loved no matter what!!!


The power of this one word
invitation
is slowly opening the door to
living free.
Day after day
it is becoming more and more natural
to approach
all of life
with the guidance of
Him
and
this single
 solitary
soul-awakening
word.

Being Lazy with God

These are the only words I remember today

of the prayer prayed over me

by my Spiritual Director.

Her prayer was so gentle and beautiful

that I wish I could recall each word expressed,

but when this trio of words slipped off of her lips

I think I almost gasped, 

forgetting everything else

focused on this thought alone.

To be "lazy with God"???!!!!

Oh to be that free!

To be rid of

should's 

and 

ought's

 and 

have-to's

and 

must's...

Can I even imagine such a life?!

Imagine???!!!!

No, tonight I'm starting to live it.

I'm beginning to hear God's invitation

to live free with Him

He's beckoning me in such a 

quiet, powerful way.

And I'm saying

yes....

oh yes!!!!!

Time to move from blogging

and lounge elsewhere

with God:)