Forgive Everyone Everything

This is short. I am hurting because there is so much anger and hostility revolving around a couple of dear people in my family. The bottom line is that life is too short to continually react to an affront by someone else. Yes, life is painful. Sometimes, it is those who are supposed to love us the most that hurt us the deepest. Unfortunately, that is part of it. Judas was a close friend of Jesus. Jesus also knew that his FATHER had planned for Jesus to die for all of our sins. He knew pain, rejection, and true heartache. Jesus did not promise us a smooth road. He did say we would have hard times, but He never leaves us. Each pain is an opportunity to show everyone around what He looks like, how He would handle things, how He is working in us. I just read the book, "Fear No Evil" by Pastor Brady Boyd, the Pastor of New Life in Colorado Springs, CO. They experienced some devastating events that the devil tried to use to take them out. It didn't work. To God be the Glory. They are stronger and purer for going through the fire.

May we all be.

Forgive Everyone Everything. Don't take it personally. We are not warring against flesh and blood, but against principality. Remember this. Don't give the devil an inch in your life. It is too valuable to the Kingdom of God. I love you all, be blessed.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Keep going. Don't give up. I know it is hard. I know that everytime you turn around, there is another mountain in the way that is preventing you from really seeing the sun and feeling the warmth. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. This season might end soon, it might not. The fire refines the metal, and all of the impurities are brought to the top, to be skimmed off, leaving a more pure, more streamlined form of the metal that existed before. The same analogy is represented in our lives. When God allows us to be in the fire, the things that we don't need fall away. Desperation may set in and show us that the one thing we can really count on is God and one another. The real friends show up. The real family that loves you- blood or not- become clear. Just as in Job, when his world fell apart, all those that had been his friends, eaten at his table, shared in his prosperity, vanished. Sometimes struggle and pain is what clears the fog so that we can accurately see a glimpse of His glorious face.

Don't wait. Submit to Him. Heaven is better than Hell. Jesus is more than fire insurance. He is hope. He is favor. He is grace.

Amen and Amen.

A little blue...

Ever just feel a little blue? That was me today. I honestly don't know why. It was a very eventful day. Tracey and I drove to Abilene to see my sister Vonda receive an amazing Sociology student of the year award, right before she graduates on May 14th. I cried. I don't usually spontaneously cry, but today, as I saw her walk across the front of the banquet hall, all of the stuff she has been through really hit me all at once, and there she was, looking majestic and precious, just getting the slip of paper, that translated, just said: Vonda is really cool. Then, we stopped at her house and drove home. Then, a storm brewed in the west, and it flew over our house quicker than the wicked witch of the east, and all seems quiet again. I wanted a real downpour. A drencher. A knock the lights out barrage of liquid. Nothing of the sort. I am however only working half a day tomorrow. I am going to a conference in the afternoon by Alliance for Children, that teaches people how to identify children who have been sexually abused, and then who have communicated about it, how to handle that. I am excited since I am anticipating doing a counseling internship with them in the fall. So, I am going to go cuddle up with my husband and try to get some rest before my adventures tomorrow. I will try not to cry as I am tucking myself in.... at least for no reason. I love you all, I love Jesus, and I am very thankful for Him! Beloved, Have a blessed week.

Breathe it in... Drink it in...

The Glory of God. It is fluid, like the air around us....

I had a conversation with a very dear and longtime friend of mine today. She is struggling with some pretty difficult circumstances in her life. She feels extremely alone.
I feel so sad for her. I encouraged her as best I could. The fundamental difference is, she isn't a Believer. She feels alone right now, because she is alone. She hasn't realized that her worth doesn't come from her children, her husband, or her work. It comes straight from her Lord. We were raised in church together. But my faith is now very different from the church we grew up in. My faith is my joy and my salvation. I hear her say that church for her is a behavior modification approach for her children. This saddens me. I want the joy I have, for her. I want her to know how amazing she is. I am praying so much for her to be led by the Holy Spirit. He does miracles every day. He is more powerful than any circumstances that could be in her life or any of our lives.

Looking back on my last post, I know that I have been under attack lately. Stress, exhaustion, and busyness has definitely given the enemy opportunities to get to me in more ways than usual. I am trying to just focus on being in God's presence. Thankful for all the gifts I receive every day. Thankful for my husband's strong arms around me. Thankful for my flannel nightgown my Mama gave me that gives me a hug every night, thankful for my beautiful sister, Red who is the household math guru, thankful for my daughter Jayde who was accepted to the Art Institute of Fort Worth today, thankful for my daughter Ashley who encouraged me to try skiing just once, thankful for my son Spencer who shared his vehicular adventures with me, thankful for my son Liam who is working his tail off to pass all of his classes this 6 weeks, thankful to my son Seth for being taller than me but still giving me his little boy, sleepy hug first thing in the morning....

My Father knows my heart, He has my heart, and I want every day to revel in His majesty, and be the daughter he wants me to be.

If you are struggling with deciding if He is real, if this God thing is all it is cracked up to be, jump in. With both feet. He is real. He is near. Beloved, YOUR name is tatooed on the inside of His hand.

I have a word for you. Soak it, Breate it, Drink it in...

Psalm 139. It was written for us.

O Lord, you have examined Allison's heart and you know everything about her.

You know when Mary sits down or stands up.

You know Barbara's thoughts even when she is far away.

You see Kay when she travels and when she rests at home.

You know what Joanne is going to say even before she says it Lord. (ha. inside joke)

You go before Vonda and follow her. You place your hand of blessing on her head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for Kasie to understand. (Ha ha. it keeps getting better.)

Pilar can never escape from Your spirit! She can never get away from Your presence!

If Ashley goes up to heaven, You are there; If she goes down to hell, You are there.

If Jayde rides the wings of the morning, if she dwells by the farthest oceans, even Your hand will be there to guide her and Your strength will support her.

Ashley could ask the darkness to hide her, and the light around her to become night, but even in darkness, she could not hide from You.

To You, the night shines bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to You.

You have made all of the delicate inner parts of Pilar and knit her together in in her mother's womb.

Thank you for making Kasie so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous-How well Vonda knows it!

You watched as Joanne was being formed in utter seclusion, as she was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw Kay before she was even born, Every day of her life was recorded in Your book.

Every moment of Barbara's life was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your thoughts about my Mama, O Lord. They cannot even be numbered!

We can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when Mary wakes up, You are still with her!

O God if only You would destroy the wicked! Get out of our lives, you murderers! They blaspheme You; Your enemies misuse Your name. O Lord, we all hate those who hate You. We despise those who despise You!

Yes, we hate them with a total hatred, for your enemies are our enemies.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts; test us and know our anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in us that offends You and lead us along the path of everlasting life.

Amen.

Lord, is this a yes or a no?

Good morning friends. I am here, in my house with 4 of my stir crazed babies, yes, glad it is a snow day, but wishing there were something more fun to do... The power keeps going in and out, so we are kind of doing what we can while we can do it, laundry, housecleaning, etc.

This is not a post that is going to tell you the magic formula to hearing God. I have not aleays had the best luck with that. What I do know is that sometimes, we have to take our emotions out of the equation. It is not always an issue of how we feel about something. Take for example, my wonderful son. He is 14, full of pent up energy and competition, and he desperately wants a dog. I desperately want for him whatever he wants for himself, unless it includes x box. So, the agreement about a year ago was that if he could keep his grades up, he could get a puppy. Unfortunately, he is distracted, so oftentimes turning work in is just not on the top of his list.

Much like his mom is with turning in lesson plans... But, I digress.

So, he is not passing all of his classes, instead, only about 3. Now this boy is responsible when it comes to dogs. His hermit crabs in his room, of which he only has 2, kind of fall by the wayside because they are very low maintenance, and very boring. (He claims. No offense to hc lovers out there...) But, we have a dog that I brought home about 6 months ago, and he is extremely helpful in taking care of her. In fact, he is really part owner of our beautiful Sarah, truth be told. She has definitely bonded with him significantly, she sleeps on his bed, he takes her on walks and plays with her. He loves her and takes good care of her often. One might even think that was his dog. So, I know that he could take care of his own dog, but the fact remains, he is not passing all of his classes. He doesn't have any money saved for supplies or anything, and he is not passing all of his classes. Did I mention he has to pass all of his classes?

Now even though he asked us last night, my husband and I discussed it at length, still determined that the answer was decidedly negative, Ghost Rider, he texted me last night begging. Then he came into the living room with me this morning, begging. This time, I had to look him in the eye and tell him that he knew the answer was no, and he was torturing all of us with forcing me to say no again and again... This is when the Holy Spirit reminded me of what no means.

I explained to my precious offspring, that the no for right now, doesn't mean no forever. Take heart dear one, if this applies to you also. The thing about it is, God's timing is always perfect. For our canine companion situation, this is not perfect. Resources are needed to medically take care of the dog, grades are needed to earn the reward, and all the things are not lining up to perfect. I told my son that there was a dog in his future. A God planned dog. One that would be perfect for him. One that would be even better than he could have thought this particular 4 footed friend was. I reminded him that sometimes what we think might be a no, is just a not now.

So, if you are seeking an answer, and things are looking at no, remember that God has power that is abundantly above and beyond everything we could think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)
Take heart. He is the God who sees you (Genesis 6:13), and He will make a way.

All in Love,
Allison

Bloom Where You're Planted

My mother has a problem with this statement. I can't remember exactly what she said was wrong with it, but something about growing where you're planted, instead of blooming, but I think blooming is much much better. Is it enough to just grow? Why just get a little bigger when you can grow and bloom!!! I think the blooming involves joy and walking in your spiritual gifts and really making the world around you a better place. Just think what would happen if we never walked past something without making a difference, regardless of how small... If we saw a piece of trash and picked it up even if we didn't put it there, or smiled at a crying baby, or told a frustrated young mom, that this too shall pass, or even pray for a situation that needed some covering? All too often I have been extremely guilty of just passing it by and thinking "shame on whoever through that piece of trash there" or "goodness that baby is a brat, can't that mom get it to be a little quieter?" This is our world. We were put here to be Jesus's hands and feet. Did he leave the hard jobs for anyone else, or did he jump right in with both feet and speak up?

I am visiting my sister in Abilene and just enjoying the ability I finally have to bless her in an amazing way. I love her so much, but more than that, every once in a while, the planets align, and I am able to just come up and act like a kid in a candy store... what do you need? lets get it. What are your heart's desire? Done. I remember times when things were so tight for me and my little family, and she would write a check to me for the money to make the groceries, or whatever we needed at that time. She was my blessing, she made me see the love of Jesus at a time when I was just learning about Him, for real, at work in a personal way in my life. This woman is amazing, preparing for graduation, with a 4.0 mind you, with 2 kids tagging along. For anyone who doesn't think this is a huge undertaking, consider the sacrifice that goes into something like that. Constantly giving, constantly running, never having a minute to yourself, to do what you want to do, to breathe peacefully. With all the things that come with kids in 2 parent households, there is a break, someone else to keep the fire for a minute while you relax in the tub, or take a nap while the other runs to the store, but when you are on your own, it is a very different situation.

She has bloomed. She has blessed, even when where she has been planted has no heat for a couple of days when it drops to 32 outside. When there is no gas money and the cross necklace has to be tearfully sold.

She is reaching for the Son each day, blooming and helping each other bloom. Praise the Lord for her. Praise the Lord for provision in my life so that I can be a conduit. It is amazing.

Blessed to be a blessing,

Allison

Approval Junkie? Addiction anyone?

I know..I know... I just blogged about going to bed. However, I was playing with the lay out as I am waiting for my clothes to get out of the dryer, and I like the new layout that I have picked... tell me what you think... ANYWAY...
I was looking at the way older posts are more accessible now, and it doesn 't just show one day at a time, and I was thinking that I like it and I was wishing I was more... more ________.
More interesting, more spiritual, more healthy, more thin, more inspirational, more... you name it.... It's not about me!! And I get frustrated when my mind goes to default and I try to find ways to make myself better. So more people will like me, more people will read my blog, more people will be inspired to do great things to glorify God, all of that... but I want to stop focusing on me. I want to be a bill board. I want Him to be the focus. Him Him Him...
Again,
I love you all out there in the grand scheme of things world. Thank the Lord for something that awed and amazed you today. Give it up for Him. He is sooo wayyyy coooollll.
oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo.

I took a nap...

Our suburban is paid off, praise the Lord, but it does entail having work done on it from time to time, so... it is now in the shop, just for some minor work. However, it does give me the amazing opportunity to deliver my precious husband to work at 615 am so that I can deliver my own self to school on time. Our day starts at 740 am, so it makes for an early day! After the 3 day weekend, for some reason, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck this morning, so I had to come home and take a nap. Contacts still in my eyes, Liam made me a great cheddar cheese quesadilla and I couldn't stay awake any longer. I crawled up on the couch, Sarah snuggled up with me, and I just.... took a nap. It was wonderful! But, here I am up at almost 11 pm and chances are good that I am going to be sleepy again in the morning, so I am going to do an laundry rotation (washer to dryer, dryer to couch, couch to closet...) and then shower and hit the sack.

Just wanted to send you guys some love. We should all take random naps, slow down, and enjoy the blessing of this amazing world.

Good night!

~Crazy Love~

So, this is not a paid endorsement. I just found this picture on the Crazy Love website and wanted to put it on my blog. I know that Pastor Francis Chan has no idea who I am, but he is helping me to know more about my God, which is enormously amazing.

I bought this from amazon last night and put it on my Kindle app for my phone. I am so pumped about this that I can hardly stand it. I just want to share that nobody put me up to posting it or talking about it, or anything. My mama can testify... if I don't want to do something, it takes a lot to make me do it. So, there you go...

Anyway, back to the book... I'd seen it in Lifeway a couple of months back, and it popped up on my amazon's list of what they think I'd like. I read the intro for free and decided that it really was speaking to me, so alongside of my bible in 90 day plan, I am trying to get closer to God through this book too. Right from the get go it has changed how I see my amazing, awesome, monumental, huge, bigger than I have words for, Jesus. I want to be changed. I want to be more authentic. I want to dig in my heels and be known as a Christian, because other people categorize me as that, not because I claim to be one. I want to be so controversial because Jesus was controversial. I don't want to be seeker sensitive. I know that people hated Jesus. He rubbed the pharisees the wrong way. I want to be just as irritating, but just as much full of love. I want to be in love with Him. I want to be committed to Him. I want to be pumped and excited about Him and what He is doing. I want to be ignited. Crazy. Embarassing. I want to be like David, dancing for Him. I want to be more foolish than this.

I think this book can help me do that. Being in the presence of my Daddy... priceless. I want to remember how enormous He is. How perfect He is. How everything in my life pales and withers in comparison to His cosmic power in my life.

Last night, Tracey and I let Seth and Liam drive for about 30 minutes in the local community college parking lot. They did fabulously well. They are so amazing. It was pretty groovy watching my last 2 babies drive around the parking lot, with Tracey in the front giving great instructions. He has so much more patience than me. It was a little disconcerting too, since they are still pretty young, but on their way to being not so young anymore. Seth, 12 this year, and Liam a staggering 15 this year, are incredible little human beings. Jayde, reaching for the stars in all of her 19 years, toward the Art Institute, Spencer, killer handsome senior in high school, looking towards the Air Force in May, Ashley, majestic and reserved, also looking towards her future as a junior.... they are all incredible humans in their own rights. They are also testimonies, even though they don't fully recognize this, that God is a big God. He can handle anything. He blended our family in a way that we never thought possible. His mighty hand has truly carried us in times we were not walking, but drowning. Now, they are all focused on the future, looking towards God's plan for their lives, not staring at each other in frustration. We are all moving as one toward the common goal. The Lord has shown himself sooooo faithful. It is amazing. He is amazing. I stand in true awe.

I love you guys. Be amazed. Look toward the stars and be amazed. You are perfectly and wonderfully made.

Amen.

{{{ Yawn }}}

Ok, my blogger friends, I am sooo tired. I have a lot to do, too! I wish I could be tired on the days that I don't have that much to do. I am working on my Master's in Counseling. I am a 6th grade Math teacher. I have a large beautiful family that I wish I could just take care of all the time, but unfortunately.... I have so much stuff to do. I have resolved to grade papers every day instead of waiting until the end. I have resolved this before however... Somehow my procrastination always seem to get the best of me.

So, I have made a cup of coffee, sat down in front of the computer to do my homework, a paper, I might add about validity and reliability in psychological testing, but I am here with you fine people. If you read anything that I have on my blog, would you just send me a message? I would love to read your comments, chat with you, and just hear about what is going on in your world.

I can see that people from Russia have even checked it out! Just tell me what is happening in your neck of the world. It would be most enjoyable.

Love to all, please reach around, big reach, and give yourself a huge hug from me.

Hugs and Kisses (and yawns, gonna lay my head down... just for 5 minutes!!!))

Allison

Pray without ceasing...

1 Thessalonians 5:5-18:
Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of the darkness.Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breast plate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. and we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men, see that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I know that is a long scripture, but oh so important for us to remember. We have got to be at our Father's work, people! Quit running to the things of the world that prove a distraction to the things we are going through. I say this to myself, loudly. Pray! Pray! Pray!

Yesterday I was in my car and I turned off the radio. I wanted deliberate uninterrupted time with the Lord. I cried out to Him, expressing my heart's desire to be in a job where He was the focus all the time. He was the topic of discussion. What He is doing, What He wants to happen, etc.

Overwhelmingly, I knew my answer. Even though I didn't want to! I heard it in my spirit! IT SHOULD BE NOW. REGARDLESS OF WHERE I AM! HE SHOULD BE THE FOCUS. HE SHOULD BE THE TOPIC. TO KNOW HIM AND MAKE HIM KNOWN!!!
I hide behind being nice, respectful, upbeat, and sweet. I try to give the Lord the glory for everything. But do I? I am crying, praying for the city while driving in my car, and then somebody drives crazy and dangerously and I say, watch out, you idiot! Is that very Christlike? Not so much!

The more I pray, the more I am in the presence of the spirit, the more fruit I will have. I want to be a tree laden and heavy with the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of the world, or the fruit of the Allison. That fruit is rotten, moldy, and utterly disgusting.
Pray... Pray... Pray...

Lord, I praise You for this day. I praise You for another day to have the grace You give to worship You. For anyone who is stopping by today, I pray that where there is pain, You would heal up their hearts. Where there is loneliness, you would provide Jesus with skin on friends and family to love on that person. Where there is anger, frustration, hopelessness, You would shine a Holy light, to dissipate that darkness. Lord, nothing is impossible with You. Help us to all remember this. I thank You for Your mighty hand that is at work 24-7. Thank You Lord that Your ways are above all of our ways. My way of thinking is so narrow. I pray that Your Holy Spirit fire and water would rush over me, burn away the extra, and smooth out the stone. I love You Jesus. I have nothing if I don't have You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Beware! Danger right around the corner..

The devil knows exactly where we are, and what can derail us at any given moment. We have to be prepared. Case in point: this morning, out of nowhere, the devil started working on me. Within a couple of minutes the thoughts swimming through my head were consumed with worry and self condemnation. It took more than a couple of hours for me to get out from underneath it. I hated it. I knew it was an attack from the enemy, but my mind kept saying, what if it's right? What if those things really might happen and you really are a horrible person? So, even though I was trying to "think" myself better and give myself the truth, my head kept me from it.

We have got to be careful. It is not enough to know the enemy is there, we have got to be prepared. Those who fail to prepare are preparing to fail, right? That should be one of my mantras, because preparation is a shortcoming of mine. Sure, I can think a thing to death, but actually get up and do something about it? God is still working on me, thank you Jesus!

That being said, what do we do when we come under attack? We have to remember that it is the devil's goal to slip us up at every turn, so we have to have our defenses up and ready for anything he might try to throw at us. Worship is where I come into the presence of God best. When I worship, my whole heart and soul is pointed toward the Heavens and the Heavenly. So, for me a great weapon would be a worship song. My prayer language. I could bust out with my prayer language when I feel under attack. Pray the scriptures. God's word is a mighty sword, able to separate bone from the marrow, right? It is sharp and very specific. I weakly tried to remind myself that I was a child of the King this morning. Yes, that is very true, but if that is the only thing I can come up with, that is charging hell with a water pistol. That defense tells the devil who I am, a very weak and fragile princess on my very best day. But my Father....Is 9:6,

He is mighty to save, He is faithful to hold on to me, He is truth and life, He is a mighty warrior on my behalf, in fact He has already beaten the tar out of the devil! Remind your demons how big YOUR God is. That is where the power is. And remember, there is a snare around every corner, but we are not ignorant of the enemy's devices. In Jesus name, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37)!!

Patience, my dear...

Wow... another post, and so close together! I just may fall out!
Well, I set the rest of my schedule to complete my Master's degree in Professional Counseling. May 2012 I will graduate. I am somewhat jealous of my 2 beautiful sisters who get to graduate this May, but their long hours of toiling over books, papers, and higher levels of thinking must pay off, and for goodness sakes, come to an end! They have earned it. I stop right now and give thanks to our God for allowing women to be able to seek educations here in our country. It is not a perfect country, but we could have been born at a different time or in a different place where such luxuries were not afforded to working class women. Thank you, Jesus, and Amen.
I am communicating my resignation to the administration at my school. I have given myself a rough estimate of 24 weeks left and I will be done. I will suck the marrow from each day with these beautiful darlings that I am teaching until that time.
I still look toward the horizon and realize that I will be able to walk in the purpose of my Father through my degree very soon, and until that day has arrived, I will be walking in the purpose of my Father every day, try every minute, and look to my siblings to keep me on my path. Much love to my ladies! Mary and Vonda, you know who you are! (Everybody does now!!)
(((((muah)))))

Back to life...back to reality..

I remember that song from the late 80's. I don't know who sang it, strangely enough, but I did like to dance to it. Today was our first day back at school after a 2 week hiatus for Christmas and New Years. It was a difficult morning to wake up and get going, but I was glad to be back in the swing of things. Honestly, I am glad to be on my way... out. God has called me to be a counselor, and I will not be teaching again next year. That has been really hard. I had to actually walk through the scripture that says, when all else is done, stand. I was standing. Standing on the promise that if He wanted me to put my master's degree on hold because I'd misheard, or only started my master's degree out of my own selfish design instead of His leading, then I was willing to teach next year, or put my degree on hold. Anyway anyway, I digress. This past weekend, I was so blessed to go to a wedding of a wonderful woman that I was blessed to be able to know through a woman's bible study. While there, I had the privilege of meeting some fabulous Christian people that were involved in outreach. I mentioned my degree plan and my desire to serve the Lord wherever He'd have me. I was so encouraged by the people I'd met, and for the first time, I really felt God confirming that I was on the right track, and He was going to use me to love on His people that our culture sometimes considers "unloveable". I want to be a puppet on His string. I want to focus my energy into "being at my Father's business". What are your goals? What would you like to change? Are those your goals, or His? Share with me! I want to hear it!

Have a blessed day. In Jesus's powerful name...

Wow...Another Year... Same old haunts...

Here we are again, a new year. I have heard so much about a New Year's resolution. As much as my mind is turning over a few things I would like to do differently, when I look back at my poor representation of a regular blog, I see that the things that I am thinking, I have thought before. I know we would like to think that we are full of new ideas and new inventive ways of handling things, but are we really? What am I thinking about? Another year of "reinventing" myself. I am so tired of doing that. I am tired of trying to find an "easy way" to shed some extra baggage, whether in my clothes or my closet! I am tired of trying to figure out who I am and what I am supposed to be doing. One thing. Focus on the one thing. That is what I am going to do. My energy in trying to find a new diet? Going back to my one thing. Trying to determine if my household is striving for holiness the way my Jesus would like? Going back to my one thing.
My one thing? My Father. The Holy Spirit. My Lord.
I need more time in His presence. Seek FIRST the Kingdom. That is what I am going to do. Seek first HIS kingdom. Everything else will be in place as He changes us to His image. One New Year's Resolution for me... More of HIM and much less of me.
Just a thought. There is a song by Addison Road, which I am saving my pennies for, called "What Do I Know of Holy?". Tears flow when I hear this song. This song combined with "Beautiful, Beautiful" by Francesca Battistelli really makes me think of things that have gone on in my life. When I was at my worst, living in a car, staying with friends, refusing to submit to God, how did He see in me something that was worth saving? How did He know that I would one day want to spend every second with Him? If it were possible to saturate myself in Him daily, I would. So, again. My one thing. I am going to make Him my one thing. I feel certain at that time, the tv shows he wants me to cut out, will be cut. The insecurities that make me run to the extra calories, will fade in to the background, and the emotions that are not fruitful, they will be pruned away.... I pray this for all of you. That you will be blessed beyond your imagination, that you will know that your Father is within a whisper's call of wherever you are. I pray you would feel your small hand is His large and powerful hand. I pray that you would feel that He loves you unconditionally. If you didn't know what it was like as a child to have a big, strong, and handsome Daddy in your corner, you do now. He is here, my beloved. Your one thing.
Happy New Year!