Climbing

Yesterday I took advantage of the ONE sunny day of the week and ventured to the backyard with the kids. They were so thrilled to be out there.

As they began to play, the adventure of climbing over the plastic wall was clearly the highlight for everyone. I was praying I wouldn't pull a muscle as I hoisted them each over the top!

As they "took turns" (haha, very funny) I was thinking about how different they all are. Even the different amounts of help and direction they required for this exercise was unique. Little Garret could climb with ease and just wanted a "high five" for his success. Kelsey and Libby simply needed support under the arms and a word of assurance or direction when they missed a step. Genevieve wanted to climb the wall too but refused to put down the ball she was carrying. "You can't do both things at the same time," I told her.

Finally, desperate enough to be a part, she put the ball down only to yell...don't drop me Miss Yanna....the wind is going to blow me away! I did laugh quietly...she really was afraid:) There was no way I would drop her, but I had to consistently remind her of that fact.

And then there was Kiley, who for some reason, didn't like her place in line. The pout lasted for most of our climbing fun until she realized she was really missing out.

You know where I'm going...we're like each of them from day to day. Some things we don't need a lot of support with, others...we need to put something down if we're going to manouver successfully. HE is faithful to wait til we put down the ball we're carrying:) And when we get an attitude, it's up to us to get rid of it, or let's face it...we're missing out on all the fun. We're all supposed to be CLIMBING you know. Regardless of how we're doing it, He is there giving us the individual support needed for the task. He won't let you fall!

Come Walk With ME

Today I had to go to the doctor for some tests. I didn't tell anyone that I've been overly concerned but the truth is I have been bothered. I had been back home for a little while when my parents stopped by. It was nice and quiet and a perfect time to talk. They simply said...we were thinking about you and were concerned...how did everything go today? A very simple thing, really. But it affected me today. They were thinking of me. (all is well, by the way)

I realize more and more how in our busy lives we are often preoccupied with what WE have to do. Sometimes it may even be what we have to do for our families. But we can get caught up in the doing and forget to really find out who the people in our lives are and express to them that we care and are thinking of them. I think of Martha and Mary. I've always felt a little bad for Martha....I can be busy just like her. Today I wondered though, if Jesus said what He did because deep in Martha's heart she was serving for the wrong reason. Did she think that in her doing she could earn the favor of the Lord? I don't know, but this is how I am at times. I get so busy in my serving that I lose sight of WHO I'm serving and if I miss loving HIM in the process, truly, what's the point?

Psalm 139:17-18 says really that HE is thinking about us all the time. I mean if we are thought of by the Lord as often as there are granules of sand on the seashores of the earth, that's pretty much ALL the time. Who could count that far, that wide and that deep?

I have a spouse who I know a lot about. I know he doesn't like to try new things at restaurants, that he doesn't have a favorite color, that he almost ran a truck off a mountain at 18, that he loves to keep things organized and that he has an incredible gift for making people feel loved and special. We've spent a lot of time together over 16 years. I know him deeply and even sense things when he isn't speaking. OH, what can be communicated across a crowded room!

I have four sons who are incredibly unique. I know what to buy each one to make their eyes light up. I know what meal to make for each one to hear "awesome supper mom!" Too bad they can't all enjoy the same food! That would make my life less complicated. I have spent years caring for and nurturing my boys. I know when they're lying, faking, or trying to get away with something. I have a sense of their individual talents and giftings because I have spent so much time watching and listening to desires, their likes and dislikes.

I also have a close friend who loves ju jubes. I know her favorite flower, what makes her cry, what ticks her off. I know when I'm in a store what she would choose to buy. I know her hopes and dreams for the future and her disappointments and hurts from the past. I know what she's thinking a lot of the time just by watching her expressions.

Why do I write about all that? Well, how do any of us know the depths in the people around us? We've spent time listening and talking with them.

Imagine an incredible piece of artwork and having the opportunity to sit down with the artist and hear him talk about what inspired the painting. What he felt as he added various colors, the story he wanted to tell through his masterpiece. What an incredible experience! We have this wonderful opportunity every day.

Sometimes a special speaker will visit our church who may have a prophetic annointing. I'm sure many of us (myself included) are wishing for that person to have a personal prophecy over us. It would bring clarity, maybe some direction, an answer we've been waiting for. The truth is...we are walking with the very ONE who fully designed us to be exactly as we are. He remembers things about our lives we have long forgotten. He knows why you have a splash of red in one corner or a hint of yellow in the middle:)

We are often simply too busy or distracted to take the time to find out what He has to say. Ocassionally we run to Him when the pressure is on or we are at a major crossroads in our lives. But He invites us daily to Come Walk With Him. To hold His hand, to find out why He made us and what purposes He has for our lives. When we seek Him with our whole hearts we will find Him.

Sometimes I fall into doing things because "it's the right thing to do." While this isn't necessarily bad since we are not to live by our feelings and our feelings should not control us....there has to be more than that. My life with Jesus is to be about relationship. If I sense I'm getting legalistic and dry I need to check what my connection with Him is like. Am I trying to believe His promises without spending time with HIM, the promiser? Given two promises from two people....one I know and one I don't, I am going to trust the promise from the person I have a relationship with. Something is established between us. I believe we can't love someone we don't know....and that takes TIME. TIME that many of us have filled with bountiful good things, but is robbing us of the TIME to build a relationship with the ONE who thinks about us more than the sand on the seashore. It really doesn't make any sense, does it?

I want to leave a legacy to those coming behind me. I don't want it to be one that says...she was a busy woman, running to and fro giving little spoonfuls of her oil to everyone. I want my lamp to burn brightly...I want that legacy to be...she loved Him. So I must walk with Him and let Him fill me up. "Come away with me, my dove. Let me hear your voice, let me see your face...for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely." Song of Solomon 2:14

A sunset walk on the beach with Him is calling you....will you come walk with Him?
Ask Him what His thoughts are towards you. If you've been away for awhile, repent and pour your heart out to HIM. He is calling your name, calling you to run into His arms. We place so many things in our lives at high priority...the time is now to place a priority on knowing the Lord. Then we will begin to walk out the promises He has for us. We will know intimately the Promiser and trust that He will fulfill His promises.