"I do not pray for a lighter load, but a stronger back." Philip Brooks

As the deer longs for streams,

so I will long for you, O God.

                                       Psalm 42



Unnecessary

I tend to be a little on the hoarder side when it comes to my possessions.

There. I admitted it.

It's not because I love things. On the contrary- I find that the older I get, the more I want to throw away and the less I want to buy things.

The hoarder side of me comes in when I remember that the dusty porcelain doll that I haven't taken down from the shelf in ten years came from my dear aunt, whom I would never dream of offending. That's why the doll- and many others like it- survives my yearly cleaning rampage.

When I was without an automobile a few weeks ago due to a necessary repair, I took the morning to go on a much-needed cleaning spree. Silencing the, "But you might offend your aunt!" voice in my head, I threw away a lot of things and started making plans to give away a lot more.

While the refreshing process was taking place, I began to think about how my usual attitude toward my closet reflected my usual attitude toward prayer- there's a lot of unnecessary "stuff."

Now, it's not that prayer is unnecessary, so please don't get me wrong. Prayer is one of the most important parts of our walk with Christ. What I'm talking about is all of the extra words that we tend to throw in our prayers to make them more "acceptable," "nice to listen to," and "Christian."

Why don't I just get down to the honest (and sometimes ugly) truth with God? Why don't I talk to Him openly, like the Friend and Father that He is? Instead of trying to make my prayers sound impressive and well-scripted, why don't I come to Him in my humble, helpless state and tell Him what's really on my heart? He's the only One in the universe who can completely understand, anyway.

If you, like me, struggle in this area, I encourage you to really focus on getting rid of the unnecessary, flowery language that we often put in our prayers and begin to be open with God the way that we were created to be. It may not be spring just yet, but some spring cleaning is definitely in order.  

Did You Know?

A pair of gleaming five year old eyes peered down at me over his bunk bed. With his usual, bright enthusiasm he said, "Did you know?"

I looked up at him. This was my third babysitting job of the day and my eyes were more on the bleary side. But I grinned at him and said, "What?"

"God's stronger than Batman. Yeah! You know, He's stronger than Bumble Bee. God's stronger than Superman, even."

"Wow! Is He the strongest in the whole world?"

"Yeah. God's the strongest."

"And He'll always take care of us?"

"Yeah, He always does."

If you are feeling like you're not strong enough, it's because you're not. Oh, but how mighty is our God!

Allow Jesus to gently lift you with His loving arms, to take you under His wing and refresh your soul. He is longing to do just that, to bring us His perfect strength in the midst of our bleary-eyed weakness.

Because, you know, He's the strongest.

Faithful All the Way

The other day I felt like God was telling me to go somewhere and buy something. (I know that that's not very detailed, but it's all you're getting- it's an exercise in imagination! =)

I parked my car and sat there for a minute, knowing what I was supposed to buy but worrying that it wouldn't be there or I wouldn't pick exactly what I was supposed to. Then God told me something very simple:

If I brought you all of the way here, don't you think that I'm going to finish things off by showing you what I wanted you to buy in the first place? 

A logical question, to be sure. And as I smiled and left my car, I knew that He would be faithful to do just that.

It's a simple example, but something that I've thought about a lot lately. If Jesus has taken the time to show us-  in most cases, over and over again- a step that we need to take in our lives, why in the world would He suddenly bring us to that new place only to say, "Well, here you go! Now you're on your own." It's not a part of His character to be undependable. On the contrary, He asks for our all so that He might lead us exactly where we're meant to go.


"Send me Your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell." Psalm 43:3

What's done for Christ...

             

            Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only           

what's done for Christ

will last.

 -C. T. Studd

At the End of the Day

I had a bad day yesterday.

I'm not going to deny it. They don't come often, but for some reason yesterday was an out-of-the-ordinary exception to the sorts of days that I usually have, which are wonderful.

When it was over, I climbed under my covers and pulled them tightly around myself, suddenly remembering that I had a chance to do it all again tomorrow. This time, however, I knew that things would go well.

But what if they didn't?

Honestly, it doesn't really matter. My "bad days" are heavenly compared to what some people face. I just finished a book last night about girls as young as five years old who are sold into the sex slave industry by family members in need of some quick money, and they often die of AIDS before they turn twenty years old. And I say that in present tense because it's happening today. Right now.

What matters is that, at the end of the day, when I pull the covers over my head, Jesus is right there with me. He loves me, no matter how many stupid things I said or careless mistakes I made. He's proud of me, and He's excited about sharing this journey with me- a journey that will most likely include some "bad days," but those days are nothing in comparison with the joy that comes when we're right in the center of His will.


"Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy." Zephaniah 3:17   

Your Grace is Enough

I glanced at the scene behind me as I buckled my seat belt. On the floor of the car there were bags. Bags of groceries I had picked up for mom, a bag of clearance sweaters, a bag with shoes (a thrifting find) and even a bag with a lampshade.

As I pulled out of the parking lot to head home, I thought about the hundreds of people I had just seen, shopping, as I was, and simply ended up with a pile bags with stuff in them, not at all enough to satisfy the desires, problems, and attitudes of the heart.

Those were the thoughts in my head as I came to a corner, and God  gently said, "go straight,"  which was a way I wouldn't normally go. I did, and wondered why He told me to go this way. Maybe there would have been an accident if I had turned? Suddenly, as I came out of the woods,  one of the most gorgeous winter sunsets appeared. It was bright and beautiful and powerful.

Had I turned, I wouldn't have ever noticed the magnificent sunset! A song called, "Your Grace is Enough" was playing on the radio, and it was perfect timing. This song and sunset were a clear picture that my "stuff", and your "stuff" can never compare to what our King has to offer.

That sunset resulted in a amazing time of prayer in the evening alone with the Savior. Could bags of goods from a shopping trip ever do that? Dear friends, may this sunset be a reminder for both of us that He alone can satisfy. Don't settle for less.

His grace is enough.