Anyone Thirsty?

My newest screen saver is an amazing portrait of a calm and quiet brook....sunlight filtering through evergreens, sparkling clear water, the hope of a new day breaking with the sunrise. WOW, I'm feeling poetic tonight:) Anyway....what catches your eye is the graceful doe on the bank of the brook leaning down to fill her momentary need for water.

Of course, it reminds me of the verse that says...As the deer pants for the waterbrook, so my soul longs for You. My soul longs, that's for sure. It is truly never satisfied. One amazing experience demands yet another. Do you know what I mean? There is something exciting on the horizon for you...maybe a well-deserved vacation, a promotion at work, a night out with friends, a new outfit that you feel great in, a gift certificate waiting to be spent, even a ministry opportunity. That adventure, if you can call it that, comes and disappears quickly and then we are on to what's around the next corner.

There isn't anything wrong with those things unless we are looking for them to fufill us. What truly and deeply satisfies our longing is Him. He brings a peace and consistent joy to our days. I'm certainly not there every day, but I'm growing, of that I'm sure.

It reminds me of our physical body's thirst and need for water. If we don't drink enough fluids our body begins to dehydrate. I looked up the symptoms of dehydration one time and I believe it parallels to what happens in our spirit when we neglect our daily times with Him and His Word.

Listen to this....Dehydration causes a person to become tired, cranky and stiff-jointed. It can bring on headaches and cramps. A dehydrated person will be lethargic, impatient, have a weak pulse, suffer dizziness and become disinterested in drinking. In severe cases, death may result.

Staying hydrated benefits the body by increasing our physical and mental endurance, helps to maintain a pleasant demeanor, prevents muscle cramps and keeps toxins flushed out of the body.

My love for the Word and my times with the Lord are increasing. When I miss them, it really affects my day. I sense the thirst of my soul. I'm realizing more and more that Jesus is my lifeline. No matter what, I need to keep myself hooked up to Him. So, if you feel your soul is thirsty, remember the deer. Make your way back to the waterbrook and you will find yourself being satisfied. Then the other adventures that come your way are brighter, more special....you've already been drinking from the right well so the rest is a beautiful overflow.

Thoughts to Ponder

"Although it seems safe and logical to be in charge of your life, being in charge becomes a heavy, lonely responsibility. Your Father graciously offers to take your life, protect you, strengthen you, and comfort you on your journey. You need not fear relinquishment, for it leads to freedom, security, and the REAL YOU."

Cynthia Heald, A WOMAN"S JOURNEY to the Heart of GOD

"I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him."

Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

"The giant step in the walk of faith is the one we take when we decide God no longer is a part of our lives. He is our life."

Beth Moore

Even though it seems to us that absolutely nothing is happening in our lives, God is working behind the scenes on things that HE will manifest at exactly the right time. His love keeps me in times of great trial and stress.

ME

Easy to LOVE

Well, it's my husband's birthday today and I forgot til after he had left for work! I can hardly believe it.....it's the aspartame! What other excuses can I find for my decreasing memory skills...?

So, I've been thinking about him this morning and remembering how blessed I am. How when we wait for what God has for us it is very, very good. And God's timing is always right.

Russ came into my life at a time when I was pretty broken and very needy. I was in a place where I desperately needed God to heal my heart. And God faithfully did that.

When I first met him, he entered the dining hall mouth first! He was so loud and outgoing he scared me. Everyone loved him....everywhere he went. That is something that has always been part of him. He loves people and people love him....much because he is real and so easy to relate to. I have always loved his honesty.

Time went by and we became friends. There was a group of us that hung out together. I was pretty much a wallflower in the group. Happy to be there, glad to smile or give a hug but not overly vocal about my life or opinions.

There are two events that are forever etched in my memory. Somehow we ended up alone talking on the stairs in the dorm. There had been a ministry time and I was very emotional. I just wanted to be loved for who I was....tired of trying to keep the perfect face on and be how I thought people wanted me to be. I was fighting to be free. Russ asked if he could pray for me. He took my hand, with no romantic thoughts, only kindness, and prayed for the Lord to fill the void in my heart and when HIS time was right to bring someone special into my life who would love me for who I was.

It was such a pure moment. Neither one of us saw what was coming. We were friends and that was enough. And then one night, something changed....

We were all goofing around in my friend's room playing chubby bunny. (stuffing marshmallows in our mouths til no more could fit!) That was a LONG time ago! The topic of the word CUTE came up. Russ proceeded to describe how the word could mean different things. His last description was... and then there's CUTE ... like Yanna. The red began at my toes and crept to my face. I couldn't do anything but laugh. But something went off inside me. HE THINKS I'M CUTE!

That was the turning point. My heart warmed up and I saw him in a different light from then on. The rest is history! We've had so many adventures since then. Some fun and some extremely tough to get through but we've made it.

Just last week I realized that I have been blessed with a husband who is easy to love. Yah, like everyone else, we have our moments and struggles to work through. We're still learning about each other. But still, I am blessed. I told him that. He still continues to love me for who I am and is definetly the answer to the prayer he prayed for me so many years ago.

The moral of the story....don't get tired of waiting. God's timing is not ours, it is perfect for each of us. Don't accept second best in your life. What HE has for you is very, very good.

Happy Birthday to a man who is still very easy to love!

Look Up

Lift up your face to Me, My daughter. Look into My face and feel My love for you. I know your heart feels broken, let down once again. But remember this, I am holding your heart safely in the palm of My Hand. You are safe.

You feel alone but you are not. Believe My Word to you that I will never leave you or forsake you. In your brokenness I will be your strength. Rest your weary head in My lap as I wipe away your tears and hold You tenderly as only your Father can.

You search even unknowingly for something to fulfill you. Someone to understand, to empathize, to lavish their love and attention on you just because you are you. You long to be adored and validated. You ask, "won't anyone push through my defenses and not tire of my insecurities long enough to find the heart of me?"

I adore you. I think about you all the time. You bring a smile to My face. I want to be the air you breathe. Take in My love for you and it will fill those empty places in your heart. Will you let ME? Will you take My hand and let Me love you, go through each day and allow Me to show you the adventure I want to share with you?

I am calling to you.....O My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely. Song of Solomon 2:14.

He is standing before you as the lifter of your head, the One who lifts the veil from your face. He is the revealler of your beauty.

Call Back

Life is a steep climb, and it does the heart good to have somebody "call back" and cheerily beckon us on up the high hill. We are climbers together, and we must help one another. This mountain climbing is serious business, but glorious. It takes strength and steady steps to find the summits. The outlook widens with the altitude. If anyone among us has found anything worthwhile, we ought to "call back."

If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back-. It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track. And if, by chance, Faith's light is dim, because the oil is low, your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.

Call back, and tell me that He went with you into the storm; Call back, and say He kept you when the forest's roots were torn; That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the hill, He bore you up and held you where the very air was still.

Oh, friend, call back , and tell me for I cannot see your face; They say it glows with triumph, and your feet bound in the race; But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim, And I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.

But if you'll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry, And you'll say He saw you through the night's sin-darkened sky-If you have gone a little way ahead, oh, friend, CALL BACK....it will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track.

Mrs. Charles E Cowman
Streams in the Desert

If you've been comforted, today is a day to offer comfort. If you've been loved, this is your day to offer His love. If you've been forgiven, this is a day for forgiveness.