Bubbles

Those that know me well know that I love to blow bubbles. Some think it is silly, some immature that a grown woman delights in blowing bubbles. Honestly, bubble guns are my favorite--I get a lot more bubbles with very little effort. Hehehehe

I haven't always been so playful. Once upon a time I was very serious and didn't really find humor in much. My daughter can attest to this while she was growing up.

I have been very fortunate that I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of my life at the age of 11 but I did not always have a personal relationship with Him. I went about my life doing as I pleased...for years. As any believer knows, following our own path never goes well. I came to a point in my life around 2005 when I confessed that I could no longer run my own life and needed God to intervene. There were two things that God brought to mind immediately; the first was a reminder that I needed to go to the mission field, the second was a reminder to have a child-like faith. Matthew 18:3 says, And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." I needed to remember what it was like to be a child and to put my full trust in God. The one thing that I delighted in as a child was blowing bubbles. So, the next thing you know, I'm blowing bubbles everywhere and still do today. The very next year I took my first mission trip to Ecuador--and wouldn't you know it I took my bubbles and the kids loved them!

Over the years my trust had been shattered and doubt, insecurity and fear replaced it. Part of the journey of my inside matching my outside is God uprooting those things that didn't belong: doubt, insecurity and fear.

Last year, Joshua 1:9 and 1 John 4:18 were anthems for me.
Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to face a fear head on (so to speak). I jumped out of an airplane at ten thousand feet! The humorous part was that I carried a bottle of bubbles with me. You see, along with remembering to have a child-like faith I also needed to replace the fear that plagued my life with the perfect love of Christ. I'm still having difficulty putting into words all that transpired over the weekend but I can say that I am overwhelmed with joy and peace!

Little by Little - It's About Time

Have you ever noticed how time seems to slip by little by little? In the US we live by a clock. We try squeezing so much into a day. We want our food fast, managers want us to multi-task, we give up sleeping hours 'to get it all done', we overcommit and run ourselves to the point of exhaustion. God never intended for us to do it all. In Genesis 2:2 it says God rested on the seventh day. Do you think God needs rest? He's omniscient and Omni-present; he does not need rest but set an example for us to follow. No matter where in the world you live or language you speak we are all allotted the same amount of time in a day - 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, that's 1,440 minutes in a day. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven...." In seeking to find balance in my life I had to recognize I cannot do it all. I must choose how I spend my time. If I am not intentional and seek God in ALL that I do I can find myself weary, exhausted and far from God's plan for my life. It's not that I don't seek Him or desire to follow Him but if I become so 'busy' that I do not put Him first I run out of time in the day. I must make a choice to put God first and make wise chooses in all aspects of my life - reading scripture, prayer, eating, exercising, work, you get the idea. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." In Psalm 90:12 tells us 'So teach us to number our days,that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.' In our busyness we may forget this is life is NOT all there is when you are a child of God. This physical decaying body, the world we live in; this life is temporary. This life is fleeting. Are you using your time wisely? How are you spending your days?

Strength

In 2011 I began this blog as a journey for me to document God's healing work in the broken places of my life. My physical health was exploding into many medical issues, my mental health was frayed as my only child rebelled and moved to her estranged father's home and my soul was empty. With a sincere heart and tears flowing I begged God to intervene in my life. To do whatever He needed to do to bring me to wholeness. I remember praying that God would make my outside match my inside. Shortly thereafter, I committed to attending my Tres Dias weekend where the work began. Let me tell you, at the time, I had no idea what that would mean or the transformation that would take place in the years to come. As I start this again, there is too much to write but I hope to capture some of the pieces along the way. The Holy Spirit has delicately been prompting me to write again for a while and I have every 'intention' of doing so but day after day it had not happened. Today, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and experiencing several hours of hearing scripture being poured into individual lives...I could not just 'intend' any longer; I need to take action. The interesting thing about our intentions (good or bad), is that if there is no commitment and discipline the intended 'event' will not come to fruition. As I mentioned, 2011 I had mounting health issues. I began to discipline myself in my eating and physical activity. It has now become a way of life; it still requires daily action and commitment. I have friends that have encouraged me to do things I thought never possible (Warrior Dash - thank you Tracy Geiser), to participating in Sprint Triathlons (next year will the goal is the entire course) and to next month jumping out of an airplane. My physical body is not where I want it to be but it has seen significant transformation. I have grown spiritually as well but found myself stagnant. I was not committing or disciplining myself in the study of God's Word. I became spiritually empty. God gave me a vision at one point of a woman lying on the floor in a hospital gown withering away. At the time, I was the largest I had ever been in size. God whispered to me, that is you lying on the floor. While the outside of my body was exploding out of control my inner spirit was wasting away. Remember my prayer? I asked for my spirit and my body to be aligned. The spiritually fat in the title? My desire to growth in the Lord in such a way that my inner spirit radiating the glory of God would BURST from me and I be a reflection of God's glory. While I had dedicated a significant amount of time to purchasing the right kind of foods, meal prep, planning physical activities, keeping appointments with experts (coaches, trainers, nutritionists)my time with the Lord began to diminish. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." See, it is important to remember that our body is a temple and has been bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) but it is equally important to remember that the physical body is temporary and we have an eternal assignment. Recognizing that it is important to discipline our bodies and nourish our souls while training our spirits in righteous can be overwhelming. We can not do this alone. We need a strength beyond our own ability - we will focus on one while neglecting the other. Where does your strength come from? We need the strength of the Holy Spirit residing within us. In scripture, God references strength repeatedly. The King James Version strength is referenced 80 times. The Greek word for strength (might) is endunamoo as referenced in Ephesians 6:10 KJV "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." We gain our strength to endure, to persevere, to learn, and to overcome by relying on the power of Christ that dwells within us--not in our own strength. In our own strength we will fall short, exhaust ourselves and grow weary. Rely on the power given to you. As I have been on this journey I have discovered that I never walk alone. God is always with me and He places different people in my life at different seasons. Each of those is part of His plan (Jeremiah 29:11) and His purpose. I am grateful for every season and the strength that I have gained by learning to be weak and His power being perfected in me. I found such encouragement today that so many lean on Philippians 4:13. Through the storms of my life God always brought that scripture to mind; to comfort, guide, and strengthen me. Still working to be spiritually fat and physically fit for the glory of God! "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13