Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Oil










As I was busy with my morning routine and taking care of the needs of many little ones today, the Lord reminded me of something......

My oil.

And the price that has been paid for it.


As I mentioned in my last post about the waiting. (Oh the waiting!!) It's a good thing. It works patience in us. It grows our faith. It stretches us in ways we never thought we could be stretched.

Our waiting and our deeper trusting. It produces oil.....

Just as suffering does.

As we seek Him through our suffering. He turns our situations around and he turns our suffering into oil.

And oil sweet friends is what we need flowing in and through our life to best represent Him.

You can't demonstrate His heart without it.

Relationship with Him breathes. It flows. It loves. And is full of oil.


Oil flows from a life that has suffered. Survived. Overcome. Withstood.

And has something left to give.

In fact, has something left to pour into the hearts of others.

What we experience and overcome in life can work tremendous compassion in our hearts or it
can go the complete opposite route and cause bitterness and resentment to set up camp inside our hearts.

When we allow time with Him to work compassion in our hearts the oil flows.


It is what will cause you to notice the employee working behind the concession stand at Target while you are waiting to pay. It's what will cause you to walk over and make sure she is okay. To encourage her and to bless her.

You don't see uniforms or red shirts anymore at Target. You see hearts. You see people.

His people.

People who got up and came to work that day with a heart full of things that only God can repair.

It's what causes you to go from "people watching" to  "people blessing."

It's what causes you to go from being a spectator to being an agent for change.

It's what creates an attitude inside your heart that leads you to finding creative ways to bless people.

Instead of indifference you walk with compassion.

Instead of thinking about it, you demonstrate it.

You don't see waiters and waitresses.

You no longer just see "the girl who answers the phones" behind the desk.

You no longer want to hear negative talk about "so and so and such and such."

You see hearts. You see opportunities to be His hands and feet. To be His mouthpiece.


Even in the midst of your own pain.

In the midst of your own suffering.

In the midst of your own trials and heartaches.

The immense joy of "people blessing" is the best cure for our own suffering.


I have found that the ones in life who are the greatest and most tremendous blessing to others are the ones who have suffered beyond comparison. They are the recipients of the largest quantities of precious oil and have made the choice to spend their life as a vessel for Him.

They are not limited in blessing others because of financial circumstances.
They bless anyway.

They are not waiting for things to "get better" in their own life before they will help others.
They bless in the midst of their waiting.

They are not too busy or too focused on their own life to pour into the lives of others.

They are creative.  Inspirational. Intentional. Full of purpose.

They are life givers. Seed sowers and World changers.....

Surround yourself with people who pour......


I will leave you with my all time favorite quote by John Wesley.

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."


Isn't that a beautiful way to live?

Talk about a lifestyle of worship......

I pray that this post fills your heart with encouragement today and plants way for opportunity and that most of all your life is dripping with His sweet smelling oil.......


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Trust





Right now. Right this very minute. I am waiting. Waiting for breakthrough in many areas.

Waiting for a phone call from my oldest daughter about something very important that's happening this morning. Waiting for a phone call from my childs Dr. with the lab results. Waiting to make sure my son is okay after an overnight stay in the hospital, tons of lab work and still they don't know what is wrong. Waiting to hear some response about a decision that we made. Waiting for something we've been waiting on a very long time scheduled to happen tomorrow.

And this morning as I was talking with Him. I shared my heart about all that we have going on personally. All that we are waiting on. All the things that need to work out. All that has my heart tied up in knots. All that has been consuming me so much lately that I can think about little else.

And He whispered....


"Are you waiting? Or are you trusting?"


Crickets.


I'm trusting of course.

And then I said something like this....
"I trust you Lord , you know that I do but I have to wait.... And I am tired of waiting. I need things to come together. I need things to work out. I need to feel settled for once. And for things to finally be okay for once."

He gently reminded me of three little letters that make the difference between simply waiting and actually
trusting.

Here they are.

B-u-t.

I trust you BUT......

That's where I found myself this morning.

Those three little letters keep me up at night and make my stomach turn and cause my heart to race.

It's easy to trust the Lord when everything is going well. When every prayer request is answered with a yes and everything in life seems to fall right into place.

In all of the major life changes that we have been walking through, I realized that I have hung my faith on uncertainty and despair.

I've camped out there many nights because life has sent me through the ringer and because the Lord has allowed so much over the last few years,  I have slowly allowed my heart to be filled with despair.

Not intentionally.

Maybe out of weariness or out of exhaustion from parenting solo for so long.

I didn't even realize it.

Until this morning.

I have allowed my trust in Him to wander and waiver.

I've been on a spiritual see ~saw with the Lord.

I trust you Lord. Are you going to disappoint me again?

I trust you Lord. Are you going to allow this again?

I trust you Lord. How much are you going to allow Father?

Up and down . Day after day. Month after month.

It has taken it's toll.

I'm just being real. I'm sure most of you would never question the Lord.

But I do at times.

It's easy to trust the Lord when things are good. Really good.

I've experienced that side of Faith. That side of trusting Him.

It doesn't take much.

It's an entirely different level of faith to continue to trust Him without the breakthrough.

To trust Him as Jehovah Jirah. My provider.

I have believed God for incredible things over the years. Believed for babies for Mamas who couldn't seem to get pregnant. Believed for marriages to get healed who were headed for divorce. Believed for healing, supernatural finances and families to be restored.

And I have been blessed to be a witness to many of these testimonies as God proved to be faithful.

I love to believe God for other peoples breakthroughs.

I have discovered though that I do not always believe Him on the same level for myself.

And so this morning I am getting off the see~saw of despair and disappointment.

I am choosing to stand in the midst of the storm with both feet planted firmly in what I know to be true.

That He is.

And that no matter what ......He still is.

No matter what.

There is a recompense coming.

There is a breakthrough coming.

There is an answer and a blessing and a new thing coming.

He is working it out and He is orchestrating every single thing to work for our good and His glory.

Behold, the days are coming.


"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God. " ~ Amos 9: 13-15.



Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Summer


                                   The start of summer - Pearl and Ashton~ May 2011


Good Morning Friends! I hope that you all are soaking up the beautiful month of June. We are excited that school is out and summer has finally arrived and we are enjoying our easier mornings! I have done my best to take all five little ones to do something fun each day. I am not sure how I am doing it except that I feel His grace equipping me!

We have been praying for quite some time for a new job for my Husband here in town or that there would be a breakthrough with his current job and he could reside here with us full time.

Neither one happened.

Each time an opportunity would open up close to home and he would pursue it, God seemed to shut the door.

The only door that opened for him was still out of state. But it was a wonderful opportunity and so for that reason and several others he has accepted a new position.

We prefer life here for our children for many reasons and really felt God called us here two years ago but the distance is incredibly hard on a family and I am a little worn out to say the least.

So as I am approaching the two year mark of parenting solo, we are trying to follow the Lord's leading for our family and for what is best for our little ones. It has been a long season for us and we are praying for His guidance and continued grace.

In the meantime I am trying my best to give the children a special summer as well as try to hold everything together here at home!

On another note I would love to hear what you all are doing for the summer!

Where are you going on vacation? Do you have special things you are doing with your children each day or each week? I would love for you to share your ideas and plans in the comment section!

Thank you for sharing and Happy Summer!