You Know Me

Our God is amazing. Did you know that?

He is never too busy to work in the smallest details of our lives!!

On Tuesday, just one week before Christmas Eve, I got to listen to some awesome teaching by Sharon Thomas of Established Footsteps on Jesus as the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) (which I posted about here). The next day, a week before Christmas Day, I was almost in tears because I had to get semi-dressed up for an Awana Journey event...

The next day, I was plunged into the swamps of sadness because I had to leave the house to go see my husband for lunch...and my jeans were tight...and I didn't want to be seen in public.

Any of this sound kooky to you? You're not alone. Just writing it makes me feel pretty stupid, but it's something I think is best thrown out there.

Lately, I've been struggling with some depression.

There, I said it. If peace is being fully known and still loved, then you can't have peace if you hide things all the time. So, this is me throwing it out there.

No one but God, Josiah, and my children would ever really know unless I told you myself. To the outside world I try to keep the smile up and continue laughing, but they see the tears and the strife; they see me in the muck.

"Why?" you ask?

Because I've gained weight. Because I'm almost back to my highest weight ever. Because it feels completely pointless to even try to lost weight anymore because I'll just be weak and gain it again. Because my energy is gone and my muscles packed their bags and left, too. Because I hate to look in the mirror. Because I think my husband hates looking at me. Because I feel totally alone in any efforts I take. Because I miss my husband every single day because he lives here, but he's working so hard that most of the time he's not here...even when he is.

Should I go on, or are you getting an accurate portrait of the pity party?

I've been praying about this the whole time. I haven't stopped praying about it.

But can I tell you something?

Sometimes, that peace that passes all understanding, and the guarding of our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7) takes a while. God has perfect timing, and He knows when the absolute best time is for His peace to come to us.

He knew that on Thursday Josiah would urge me to take a walk...just to take the first steps. He knew the sun would be shining and the sky would be clear. He knew I would go to Huntington Beach and drop on my knees in the sand and pour my heart out to Him...

And He knew I would have peace, knowing that my problem was BY FAR not the biggest problem in the world, but He still cares, so I don't have to feel guilty about being on my knees in the sand because I'm fat and I'm tired of the fight.

He knew the sound of the James and the sun on my face, feeling His creation all around me and through me, would pull me out of my own muck and mire, and settle me in His gentle, loving hands.

He knew on my way back I would see the homeless people and be reminded of how truly fortunate I am.

He knew. He knows.

Folks, I wish I could tell you I conquered this. I wish I could stand here in front of you and say, "I licked this depression! I'll never be sad about my weight again!" But unfortunately, that would probably be a lie.

I'm just as human as the next person. And Satan prowls around us like a lion, seeking anyone he can devour (1 Peter 5:8) I try to resist and be firm in the faith, knowing that people all over the world feel the same way I do (5:9), but sometimes I falter.

So, I humble myself before you and under the mighty hand of God, casting all my cares upon Him because I know He cares about me (5:6-7).

Right now, I'm about to go for a walk, knowing it may not make me one pound lighter EVER, but also knowing that it could keep me from gaining another one, and it will make me healthier and make me feel better, and knowing that God wants me to and I will be obedient.

I don't know what you may be struggling with right now. Is it your weight? Your job? Your marriage? Your finances? No matter what it is, please know that He cares, and He will bring you peace, but first, you have to seek Him!!

Seek His face, and eventually, He will bring you peace.


(After my "Got Peace?" post, my sister-in-law Jamie posted this video for me on facebook, and it touched my heart down deeeeeeep. Thank you, Jamie!)

Linking up with:
Time Warp Wife

Got Peace?

Are you at peace?

I don't mean are you NOT having a war on the outside. I mean, DEEP DOWN, in the pit of your soul, do you have peace?

No?

Then let's talk.

From what Scripture says, peace is having an open, honest relationship with Jesus. It's as easy as that.

This is the third and final post that came in part from a lesson Sharon Thomas taught recently through her ministry Established Footsteps. It was called DEEPER Christmas, and really dug into God's Word, and how we can relate Christmas with who Jesus really is: Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). 

We all know those names. They're all over the place at Christmas. I discussed Sharon's take on "Wonderful Counselor" last week. And yesterday I discussed "Almighty God" and "Eternal Father."

But today...today we wrap this up with the "Prince of Peace." *sigh* Just saying that brings calmness to my heart.

Once again, Sharon was looking at the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42, and she said she initially had a really hard time seeing where "Prince of Peace" was in the story...and then she saw it.

Twice in the story it's mentioned that Jesus told this woman everything she ever did. Everything.

Can you imagine sitting down with Jesus and having him tell you everything you ever did? And from what we see of what he says...um...He's not talking about how brilliant you were at your recital in the third grade, ya know? 

He's telling her about the dirt...the nasty...the SIN. Can you imagine having a face-to-face conversation with Jesus about everything you've ever done? I don't know about you, but that would be a looooooong conversation for me.

But that's what Jesus did. He told her everything she ever did, but in doing so, He didn't stone her; He didn't bring out the whip or the cross; He knew her sin; and He knew He would bear it for her...and He loved her still.

"Come, let us discuss this,"

says the Lord.

Though your sins are like scarlet,

they will be white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they will be like wool.

(Isaiah 1:18)

"Come, let us discuss this..." It just gives me chills. 

The Creator of the Universe pulls up a chair with me, sits beside me, looks at my dirty, sinful, nasty self and says..."Come, let us discuss this. Your sins are dirty, but if we discuss them and you hand them over to me, I can make you clean again."

Oh, there is PEACE in that.

Isn't that what we all want from people? We all want to be truly known, and yet, still loved.

How many women swooned when the lawyer in Bridgette Jones Diary told her he loved her, just as she was...not thinner or funnier or smarter...just as she was.

And how many of us had a yearning from deep in our souls to be known and loved in exactly that way...just as we are.

Guess what? You already are. 

Just like when we discussed Jesus as a Wonderful Counselor, He already knows you! And he LOVES you...in that there is PEACE!

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in every situation, 

by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Once again...chills. Don't be anxious...talk to Him, trust Him, and He will give you a peace so deep it transcends all understanding.

It's about the relationship. It's about knowing Him and being known by Him. It's about being real and transparent and knowing He loves you and accepts you and cares about you.

Sometimes, when we want people to love and accept us just as we are, they fall short...we all do...we're human. BUT GOD, oh but God, He is perfect, and through the sacrifice of His Son, whose birth we celebrate this season, we can have a relationship with Him and have peace.

Praise be to God!

So, if you're celebrating Christmas this year, then you should be at peace. You should have a perfect perfect peace in God. If you don't, talk to Him. He's waiting for you!

The picture of baby Jesus in a manger is a beautiful picture, but if we leave Jesus in that manger, then we've left our present under the tree to get all dusty. It's only when look at who He became, who He WAS, and who He IS that truly unwrap that gift and bring the meaning of Christmas into our lives!

Once again, I strongly urge you to go to Established Footsteps and listen to Sharon. She's amazing.

I'll leave you with this passage of Scripture, which perfectly illustrates how a relationship with our awesome God leads to peace:

How happy is the one

whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered!

How happy is the man

the Lord does not charge with sin,

and in whose spirit is no deceit!

When I kept silent,

my bones became brittle

from my groaning all day long.

For day and night

Your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was drained

as in the summer's heat.

Then I acknowledged my sin to You

and did not conceal my iniquity.

I said,

"I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"

and You took away the guilt of my sin.

(Psalm 32:1-7)

Linking up with:

Time Warp Wife

Who is Jesus to YOU?

It's been difficult for me to settle in to write this blog. With all the hullabaloo on facebook about Duck Dynasty and sin vs. "tolerance" and "wrongful birth" lawsuits (which made me cry AND gag), it's been hard for me to sit down and just write about Christmas...but that's what I'm going to do.

Know why?

Because Christmas...the celebration of my God coming to Earth in the flesh to DIE for me and RISE from the dead and SAVE me...is totally worth putting breaks on all the other nonsense.

We're talking again about Christmas from the perspective of Sharon Thomas from Established Footsteps. I listened to this second teaching again today and took notes, and I was just so blessed by it. (If you'd like to see my blog post on her first Deeper Christmas lesson, you can view that here.

We're looking again at John 4:1-42, the story of the Samaritan woman Jesus meets at the well. We're also looking at Isaiah 9:6, where we see the prophetic names of Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Today's focus is on the middle two: Mighty God and Eternal Father.

Is that what you see when you look at the nativity scene? Our Mighty God, our Eternal Father lying in the manger surrounded by his earthly parents, animals, and shepherds?

The wise men knew who He was when they followed the star. They brought him gifts that symbolized his royalty...not royalty in an earthly sense, but heavenly authority. Whoa! That's pretty cool.

In the last post, we saw how the Samaritan woman was mixed up, confusing literal water for spiritual water, and how Jesus acted as her Wonderful Counselor, knowing exactly who she was and saying "If you knew the Gift of God..." (John 4:10).

If you knew the Gift of God...Wow. How many of us really know that gift?

The Samaritan woman went on to show how confused she was. She says in verse 19: 

Sir...I see that You are a prophet. 

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,

yet you [Jews] say that the place

to worship is in Jerusalem.

She thought he was a prophet. She was sitting face-to-face with her Savior, but she still couldn't SEE Him. Her perceptions were skewed.

Sharon points out here two things the Samaritan woman does that we ALL have a tendency to do...she formed her perception of Jesus based, not upon truth, but upon her surroundings.

Our fathers - How many of us have perceptions of Jesus that are based upon our family or our heritage? 

What other say - Is our perception of Jesus based on the truth of God's Word, or is it based upon our cultural landscape? 

Jesus replied:

"Believe Me, woman, 

an hour is coming when you will worship the Father

neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know.

We worship what we do know,

because salvation is from the Jews.

But an hour is coming, and is now here,

when true worshipers will worship the Father

in spirit and in truth.

Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him.

God is spirit,

and those who worship Him

must worship in spirit and truth."

(John 4:21-24)

That is powerful!! We are to worship our Lord, Jesus Christ, not based upon our perceptions of him or through the lens of our heritage or culture, but in spirit and truth!

She still doesn't get it though. She's confused and doesn't want to hear what He's saying so she just says, "I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us" (4:25).

Poor girl. It's like a Candid Camera moment, isn't it? She's looking at this "prophet" (aka the Creator of the world and the Messiah) saying, "Whatever you say 'spirit and truth' man! I don't get it, but one day the Messiah will come and then I'll understand."

But Jesus once again reveals himself to her and says simply, "I am He, the One speaking to you" (4:26).

I am He...the One speaking to you. *sigh*

Who is Jesus in your life? A friend? A good teacher? A baby in a manger? A prophet?

Scripture tells us everywhere He is so much more!! He is our Mighty God!! He is our Eternal Father!!

(For more examples of this, see: Heb 1:1-3, John 10:30, Matt 1:23, and John 8:58 to start.)

Until she really knew who Jesus was, she couldn't truly worship Him! She just knew Him through what her family and the Jews said. 

But Jesus wants us to know Him...and He wants us to know HE is enough. 

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation,

because by Him everything was created,

in heaven and on earth,

the visible, and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-

all things have been created through Him and for Him.

(Colossians 1:15-16)

Jesus is ALL. And He is ENOUGH.

He's enough to mend your brokenness. He's enough to ease your pain. He's enough to fill you up.

The key is, you have to let Him. You have to seek Him, in spirit and in truth. Only then can you receive your Gift! Jesus Christ IS our Christmas gift; He IS our merry and bright!!

So today, no matter what you're struggling with, no matter what Christmas has been in your past, and no matter what you think about Jesus, seek Him, in spirit and in truth.

Like me, that may mean purposefully putting off the nonsense...take a break from the shopping, events, and Duck Dynasty drama, and really dig in to God's Holy Word.

Take the time to truly unwrap your Gift.

(Disclaimer - once again, you should really listen to this teaching for yourself. Hearing Sharon's passion about the way God has revealed Himself to her through His Word is worth every minute!)

Early Christmas Present

Tonight, I couldn't sleep. Why? 

I was having a pity party.

I'm not even joking, folks; I was having some kinda night. I don't know if it's because my hormones are wacky, or I'm just mentally exhausted, or what, but I was distraught.

I felt lonely. I felt like I missed the boat on something. I felt like I just couldn't make anyone happy.

I prayed. 

I prayed getting changing into my sleep shirt. I prayed brushing my teeth. I got down on my knees by my bed and I prayed, knowing that I was thinking wrong and feeling wrong, but feeling powerless to stop it. 

So, there I lay in my bed, soaking my pillow with tears...until....

Until I finally decided I couldn't go to sleep anyway, so I might as well get up. When I did, I saw a message from a VERY dear friend, asking me if I wanted to go to the "DEEPER Christmas" event with her (by Established Footsteps). That, in and of itself, lifted my spirits. On a night when I felt so alone and just unlovely, my sweet friend sent me an invite.

Oh, my dear Lord Jesus...how you know what I need. And it gets better....

It seems, this DEEPER thing is a three part event. The first two parts have already happened, but you can listen to them online, too...FOR FREE! So, what do I do...I listen to the first one, of course.

And it was brilliant.

Sharon Thomas (founder of Established Footsteps) speaks about trying to find the true meaning of Christmas in her life and what God has been showing her...

and it's in John 4:3-42.

Yeah, you read that right. It wasn't the first chapter or two of any of the gospels that helped her. It wasn't the sweet baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger with the cattle, oxen, and sheep. It wasn't gifts of gold, frankincense, or myrrh, or angel announcements on a starry night.

Nope...it was the Samaritan woman at the well.

Now, I strongly encourage you to listen to Sharon tell you this...strongly. But, just in case you want the cliffs notes, here goes.

The Samaritan woman was mixed up in oh so many ways, not the least of which was her mistaking Jesus trying to give her literal water instead of actual water. She was mixed up in her life all over the place.

John 4:10 says:

Jesus answered her, 

“If you knew the gift of God 

and who it is that asks you for a drink, 

you would have asked him 

and he would have given you living water.”

Eventually, he does just that, gives her the living water.

I knew all that...but I still didn't connect it with Christmas.

But then Sharon takes us over to Isaiah 9:6. AHA! This is a familiar Christmas passage, right? Yes! I know this one! I'm all like Elf in a Gimbel's screaming about Santa - "ISAIAH 9:6!!! I KNOW THAT! I GET THAT!" - but I didn't...not all the way, anyway.

That verse reads:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Where she rested with this one was on "Wonderful Counselor." She says the meaning of the Hebrew word there for Wonderful is not just "great", it's like "awesome beyond all possible comprehension."

God sent us a Counselor that is awesome...beyond all possible comprehension.

He sent me a Counselor that knows me better than I know myself; who created me; who loves me; who knows the beginning and the end.

My Counselor doesn't just point me in the right direction; He can give me the power I need to walk that way!!

My Counselor knows. I don't have to wait a week or two and keep a journal and try to remember what my problem was on Wednesday of last week. He knows now.

He knows when I'm lying in bed having an all-out pity party and soaking my pillow. He knows me. He loves me. And He (and ONLY He) knows how to fix me!

Praise be to GOD!

And get this, that is our Christmas gift folks!!! The baby in the manger was SUPER awesome, really and truly, but the sacrifice of our Savior on a cross, the sending of the Counselor, and our ability to have a relationship with God is the REAL gift!

Well that's Christmas, folks. Wrap it, bag, it, and take it home.

So, back to the Samaritan woman...she's all confused looking for literal water, and here we are, all confused, trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for people, and make every play, and bake every cookie and cake, and sing the right notes, and find the right sweater.

It's just earthly water, people; it might quench your thirst for a minute, but not for long.

Sharon calls it "Present Day disconnect." Get it? "Present Day." That's punny!

But God has already given us the best gift ever. He's given us the living water! He's given us water that will quench our thirst into eternity. He gave us a Counselor. Hear me? 

This is important - He gave YOU a Counselor. 

YOU. 

Yes...YOU.

Praise be to GOD!

So, this year, while you're having so much fun at Christmas (and by all means, have fun), make sure you take some time to talk to your heavenly Counselor; drink some living water. And while you're at it, let someone else know about the gift, too!

And listen to Sharon say all this because she really is a lot better at it. I'm sure I'll have more to say after I listen to the second and third installments.

But for now, I'm going to go back to bed, cuddle my husband, and hope my pillow is dry by now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!