In Every Season He NEVER Changes

2010 has been a year of answered prayers. I've heard time and time again that hope deferred produces steafastness, hope, and a joy that is unspeakable, that the longer the wait, the more you see the blessing...how true this is! I don't often like to talk about personal stories in my own life, but this one deserves to be told :)

For 9 years I prayed quite consistently for the man God had made for me, the man I would one day call my husband, my other half, the love of my life. During those years, I was consistently reminded of where my true joy, my true hope, and true happiness was found- in Christ - and also who the true of love of my life was, Him and Him alone. And yet the desire to be a wife and a mother never seemed to fade away. Prayer after prayer and year after year I waited on "His" timing, which of course is much easier said then done. I remember people telling me that he would be worth the wait, I even told myself that, and of course the fact that God's timing was much better than my own.

I'd like to say that I always believed that, or that I was patient and faithfully trusted the perfect creator of all, but that isn't the reality. I can remember nights of tears and crying out to the Lord to answer the prayer I had begun praying at 14, the prayer for the man He had made for me, and the prayer I had yet to see come to frutition.

And then His timing came around, and He blessed me with the greatest gift, aside from my salvation, in Keith. A man who loves Him first and foremost. A man who is hardoworking, faithful, and loving. A man who is handsome, chivalrous, and charming. A man who exceeds my hopes and dreams and expectations. The man I had prayed for, the man God had made for me. And I stand amazed...speechless...and grateful. To say he was worth the wait is an understatement. And in looking back God's timing was JUST RIGHT, it always is.

Although for me 2010 was full of blessings, it may have been a rough year for you, one full of trials and tribulation. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

Throughout our Christian life we will have many "seasons". Looking back I can recount numerous times I was in "want" so to speak and many times I was in "plenty". Through it all I have seen one consistent thing...FAITHFULNESS. I am amazed more and more as I look back and realize that through EVERY season, both the good and the diffcult, He was there, carrying me, leading me, providing, remolding, loving, protecting...for that I am beyond thankful.

And although there are many new "seasons" this year for you and me (as I get married, graduate school and the sort) there is one constant who has been faitfhul from the start, the rock, the cornerstone, the precious Savior who we can depend on forever and who will equip where He calls. My prayer is that 2011, no matter what seaons come our way, will be even more full of Jesus for those who seek His face!

Born to Die

I think sometimes I forget that the manger is merely the start, not the end. That the Christ child's birth was a foreshadowing of the greatest act in history. That the shepherds who knelt beside the sleeping baby couldn't even imagine the reality of what would happen to that little boy. That the prophecies of old had just begun to be fulfilled. And that the little boy sleeping in the manger was only 33 years from the reason He came.

He was born to die. Think about that reality for a moment. Although each of us face death we weren't born to die. Our very purpose isn't wrapped up in the death we have awaiting for us. And yet that is EXACTLY why Jesus came. His birth was merely for His death (and later resurrection). A master plan, a perfect Father, His only Son...born so He could die, but why? For me, for you...

You see, the manger points directly to the cross, they can't be separated. Jesus came to die so that we might live. John MacArthur says it well, "Here's a side to the Christmas story that isn't often told: Those soft little hands, fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, were made so that nails might be driven through them. Those baby feet, pink and unable to walk, would one day walk up a dusty hill to be nailed to a cross. That sweet infant's head with sparkling eyes and eager mouth was formed so that someday men might force a crown of thorns onto it. That tender body, warm and soft, wrapped in swaddling clothes, would one day be ripped open by a spear. Jesus was born to die."

And yet there is great encouragement and hope in the glory of this story, the end was not his death, the end was His victory OVER that death. He conquered the grave so that we might live with Him. And the greatest hope we have is knowing that one day we will reign with Him, that we will glory in Him perfectly, and that we will live with Him forever. You see, "If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: "God with us." We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth! " (John MacArthur)

May we remember the manger by remembering the cross and then rejoice in His birth which was the beginning of the salvation of our souls, and glory in Him and Him alone this Christmas!

Enjoying the "NOW"

I find it funny that I tend to always be looking to the "next" in my life in certain areas (my wedding day), but at the same time wishing it wouldn't come just quite yet in others (turning 24). And yet both leave me missing the NOW.

As I sit and think about the path of the last 24 years of my life, I am blown away, amazed, and greatly humbled. The Lord has led me faithfully on a providential journey that has left me falling more in love with Him and longing more than ever to be home at last, in His presence. I constantly find myself realizing how dependent I am on Him and how blessed I am by the work of salvation and sanctification in my life. On this, the 24th year of my life, I want to say THANK YOU to my precious Jesus who has lavishly loved me, patiently sanctified me, and graciously led me.

Thinking about everything that has happened in the last 24 years has left me realizing how often I have failed to enjoy the "NOW", to celebrate where God has me in any given moment, and to recognize the blessing of that season. So often I have found myself wanting the next big thing, or wishing that what was to come would just hold off a little bit longer. God always has you RIGHT where He wants you, whether it is where you want to be or not...His timing is perfect. When I think about my discontentment manifested in my life over that reality I am broken...I want to rejoice in His working and His path and rather soak up the season I am in.

That is my prayer this year of my life, to live in the NOW, to enjoy it, to "smell the roses" so to speak and to trust that God's timing is perfect, His placement is carefully designed, and He is working to make me more like Jesus. I pray that in doing this I will find more joy in Him, see more of the blessings He gives, and bring Him all the more glory! After all as James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." And life itself each day is a good "gift"!

Complain Less, Glorify More

"Do everything without complaining or arguing." -Philippians 2:14

Complaining... let's face it, I'll be the first to admit, we all do it, and probably everyday. We seem to lump this "sin" into the pile with gossip, discontentment, and impatience; sins we see as more "respectable" (as Jerry Bridges would say) rather than as hated by the very God who spoke the universe into existence and who bled and died for us. Paul commands the believer in Philippians to do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing, and that means EVERYTHING. Convicting...I think so.

Complaining is easy to do, especially in a society that promotes it. We are supposed to get what we want, when we want it and if not then we are excused to be upset. Customer service lacking perfection causes us to complain, traffic during rush hour leads us to complain, church starting late= complaints...and the list goes on. But why? Why do we complain so much, and about everything?! The truth is, we complain because we aren't satisfied in who God is, we aren't wrapped up in the gift of salvation we have been given, and we are not fixed on Jesus.

I read a devotional by Charles Spurgeon last week that touched on this very command. Here is what he has to say about the matter: "If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified." This is a reality! If we would only take our eyes of ourselves and fix them back on Christ, where they belong, we might complain less and find more joy. Our hearts were not meant to be satisfied by anything in this world apart from Christ, and when we allow ourselves to be fixated on the things in this world that attempt to satisfy we find ourselves discouraged and often times complaining. No amount of money, no relationship, no job, no car, no amount of beauty...NOTHING will satisfy our hearts but Jesus. Even the gifts He gives us must be recognized as just that, gifts from Him.

If we would only stop each time we were tempted to complain and remember the cross, and the gift of grace...would we complain less and glorify Him more?