Living Out Your Purpose

You may not know this, but I have super powers.

I’m the only one in the house who knows how to replace the empty tissue paper roll in the bathroom AND put the toilet seat down all in the same visit.

I know how to replace the kitchen paper towel roll, too and even wipe jelly off the counter…. but my super powers don’t stop there! No ma’am! I and only I can see the little wads of dog fur that accumulate beneath the couch and with my super-mom strength, I even manage to single-handedly lift the empty milk container from the fridge and stuff it into the garbage can.

With my special super-mom x-ray vision, I see beyond the backpacks and shoes all the way through to the dirty sock in the middle of the living room floor…the one that everyone else steps over for 3 days.

It’s really not their fault…poor things – they obviously don’t see all the things I see or possess the same powers as I do.

Obviously, the little jobs mentioned above are meant to be shared, but I have to believe that there are certain tasks meant for only you and for only me.

Have you thought about that lately?

About the task set aside with YOUR name on it? As the days stretch out into months and years, have you considered what it is you are meant to do? Do you believe that you’ve been designed to fulfill a particular need in this world – a purpose YOU and only YOU were created for and that it began all the way back when Jesus spoke your name for the very first time?

I want to remind you that it’s never too late to seek that purpose and live it out fully. If you’re still here, there’s still work to be done!

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

(1 Peter 2:9) NIV

Find Your Center

I remember her tiny fingers swirling through flour releasing frail wisps in afternoon sunlight. And the kitchen all aglow like honey dripping down in late summer with windows open and the fragrant butterfly bush wafting in. Through our giggles and anticipation, together we formed little dough balls on the pan... formed little memories for the heart.

We pressed the centers of each and filled each little well with jellies and preserves. Our eyes grew big knowing the delicious center held the sweetest part.

Makes me think about what’s really at the center…the center of me?

What’s at the center of you?

I’ve thought about it a lot lately…considering my “center” in conversations. Do my words and my actions really reflect what’s within me? Do they reflect who’s within me?

Am I always mindful of the One I serve? The One who brings me through? The One who hears my thoughts and knows my heart?

Do I remember Who’s at the center when I’m discouraged and sad? I rush to speak His name when my soul rejoices, but do I remember my center when the storm rages?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 15:13) NIV

Lord Jesus,

Help me to always feel your presence and hear your voice. May you always be at the center of me, the center of my strength and my courage just as I pray you are with the reader of these words. I thank you and praise you whether in my rejoicing or in the heart of the storm. In Jesus' name. Amen.

When I Need a Safe Place to Land

It’s that perfect scripture shared by a friend just when I need it most.

It’s the song or hymn felt and heard from somewhere down deep inside.

It’s that sigh when I’m found nestled among pillows on my favorite seat in the house.

It’s that great cup of coffee that soothes away the tension and strife of the day.

When it’s fear and uncertainty that have me alert and jumping, it’s only the Lord who, with one steady wave of His hand, sweeps away all that has me on edge….all that rattles me. He speaks peace to my weary self and breathes comfort and security that claims me as His own.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8) NIV ~~~ I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

(Psalm 16:8) NIV

Broken or Breaking Free?

I stood staring out the window and let my first cup of morning coffee work its magic. I watched as the trees swayed with a warm breeze releasing their leaves to flutter like a mass of butterflies to the lawn below, and I smiled.

‘If only we could break free from sin and negative thoughts so easily."

In that moment, I thought of those held captive by jealousy, insecurity and hopelessness…and I prayed.

The leaves make it look so simple, but it’s not easy to release ourselves from what we’ve clung to for so long.

Criticism, jealousy, low self esteem, low self worth, unforgiveness, anger and past hurts are not of the Lord…yet we attach ourselves to them.

To live a life overwhelmed and consumed with thoughts of what YOU want to be, and how YOU want things to change can drive you crazy. Maybe, it’s time to stop letting them “drive” you…period.

Embrace who you are in Jesus and shake loose from the shackles, the desires of the flesh. Instead of focusing on what is just out of reach, consider that it may remain beyond your grasp for a reason.

Don’t accept the grip of insecurity. Instead, let the security of His faithfulness “grip” you. You were created for SO much more!

I kind of think we’re intended to be beautiful from the inside out; not the outside in. It has to start from the heart or it’s contrived, and becomes what we make of it instead of us exuding what He planted within each of us.

When the beauty of the Lord lives within you, you are beautiful.

When the strength of the Lord lives within you, you are strong.

When the power of the Lord lives within you, you possess all the necessary power against evil.

When you accept the Lord’s forgiveness, you have the ability to forgive others.

When you accept His love, you have the ability to love others…AND love yourself.

Break free, my friend, and let the beauty of the Lord shine through you!

“Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”

(Isaiah 53:4-5) NIV

“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind”

(Psalm 107:19-21) NIV

How He Reaches Us

Most days find her snapping jagged words; how the blue eyes flare red and sting the heart.

But today, there’s solace found in crouching low with her hens and egg collecting, happy in her boots and hay and chill in the air.

Funny how dropping to our knees lifts us.

I noticed her quiet and thinking deep when she climbed in the car with backpack and that end-of day smile. This mom treads light in a teenager’s space and I dare not pierce the quiet with questions. Instead, I welcome what she offers and watch from the window; this girl now a young woman full of life and tomorrows needing room and space and finding it out in the air; with the rake and shovel turning soil and making sense out of the day. She’s a puzzle; each intricate piece chiseled from stubborn stone, yet polished bright to reflect the sun.

I remember my own long afternoons spent in boots and hay and barn and horses chomping to the rhythm of my youth. Life lays out raw in a dusty stable. There, the pieces fit together and somehow make sense. The stuff of life dissolves like sunlight seeping through barn door cracks; the smell of grain and leather saddles and a horse’s coat.

But it doesn’t take a barn or dust or even hard work to find the answers...

It takes a relationship.

He knows when we need our space and our quiet distance from the world. And He meets us in our solitude. He knows how to reach us, and His words speak clear through to the heart.

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

(Matthew 6:6)

Christian Women's Voice Magazine!

Coming February 15^th…

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I Love the Reign (revisited)

It started when the sun took its rest beyond the trees

That perfect, random rhythm on the roof that makes you stop and listen

You know it's nothing you've created - it's the work of the Lord

It's out of your control.

I've waited all day for the gentle song of peace that now feeds my soul.

I've spent a restless, uneasy day - shifting moods and stumbling around with the clouds

As if switching unsteady dance partners in a darkened room

But then, I hear the voice in the rain:

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations.

I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) NIV

He brings the sun and the stars, and the wind that grows my strength

It's the work of the Lord - it's out of my control

He gives vision to see more clearly the blessings that surround me

He brings the dark when the day is done that I may take refuge in Him

And he brings the sweet song of rain on my roof that I may simply stop....and remember

It's His reigning power over my life and my home that comforts me

It's the work of the Lord...and I'm so glad He is in control.

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind

of the spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's

people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose." (Romans 8:27-28) NIV