Growing Together

I stood by your side wearing white without realizing I was hardly more than a girl. That day became a picture frozen in time.

Now I stand by your side in faded blue jeans with little hands clinging to my pockets-the hands of our girls. And I realize that I am hardly more than a woman.

While you stand by our sides- a picture frozen in time.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13

Super Size It

I find that when my life seems larger than me, then it also seems out of my control. But when I feel larger than life, I feel very much in control. So which way would I rather have it? Well, my head thinks it is best for me to have control, but my heart beats differently.

So go ahead and make mine bigger. Super size it. I want to be living large with God in command.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Salvation

I grew up in what felt like the back side of a small town where the only thing to do on a Friday night was to count the stars in the country.

Until one day my restless heart traded in a sky full of stars for a pocket full of ambition. But I soon came to realize that selfish ambition can't light up the night sky.

So I sat in the dark waiting for someone to give me a light . . . only you did not show up like the rest-all tall, dark and handsome. You should up with sweet salvation.

"Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,
'Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.'

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert."
-Isaiah 35:3-6

God-Sized Dreams

God created us with the ability to create. Just as he placed each star in the sky, he also placed each dream in our hearts. Each one counted and ready to wake like a collection of starry nights awaiting the dawn. But while it is still night, God holds our dreams the same way he holds our hearts, like a small galaxy spinning in the palm of his hand.

What is your God-sized dream?

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
-Ephesians 2:10

Monday

Sometimes I wonder if I start my day thinking I can command an empire.
I storm the house!
I sieze the day!
I charge the challenges!
....Until I remember who is really in charge.

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Brave Heart

Openly embrace the redemptive work of God in your life instead of avoiding it.

There was a time when you sang, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." But now you sing about a time when love left you hurting.

So you sit with a wounded heart that was once called brave. And now God is calling you to stand again . . . and shine.

"Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Jesus (Matthew 5:16)

Sacrificial Love

Sacrificial love comes from a deep place. Very deep. So deep that I have to dig to discover it. But if I am in fact going to dig, where do I begin? At first I thought there must be some sacrificial love hidden in the soil of my own heart, but it did not take long for me to realize I could find none.

So I acknowledged my need for God himself to supernaturally place his sacrificial love in my heart. And then I kept on digging...only to find the cross.

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -Jesus (John 15:12,13)

A Lost Soul

For the longest time, I felt like a lost soul trying to hitch hike my way into heaven. Until one day I realized I needed more than just a free ride. I knew I needed a relationship. But not the kind to call me on the phone or take me to dinner. No, I did not need a casual date, just like I did not need a casual Jesus.
"For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost." -Jesus (Luke 19:10)

Near-Sighted

I tend to be near-sighted when I work with the strength of my own hands, making my own plans. But God is far-sighted, seeing the big picture. So I fold my hands and look at the cross instead of myself, knowing that God's plan is so much bigger than mine.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:12-14

A Mother

Her love is soft like velvet.
Her words are a sweet perfume.
Knowing she has today,
she embraces her child with visions of tomorrow,
as she showers her little one with grace and truth.

"Her children stand and bless her." -Proverbs 31:28

The Artist

Do you ever think of God as The Artist? I do. And I believe he vividly paints a picture of love throughout the Bible. So if loving people is God's art, the let's pick up a paintbrush!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
-John 3:16

Doubt

By mistake I spilled a little bit of doubt on my dreams today. And when I tried to wipe it away, the doubt smeared, leaving a big streak. Now my dreams are stained by something I so carelessly allowed to spill out of my heart.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
-James 1:5-8