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Still Advent
The preparation isn’t over just because Christmas was yesterday. The day we celebrate His birth isn’t the only day He is to be celebrated. Advent is still expected. But in the cycle of our annual traditions, we follow earth around the sun and begin the preparation of a new beginning, a new year.
We consider what it will hold as we also consider what is behind. Recounting the times past, moments forever ago that cannot be reclaimed and wonder what the next ones will bring. Deep contemplation between December 25 and January 1. Resolutions formed?
But don’t lose sight of advent. He came as a baby the first time. His second coming will be different.
After the serving of all the food and gifts, there is still serving to be done. As much as I want to hibernate, there are still preparations to be made. Not just preparations for the new year but preparations for my heart and mind to prepare for Him. Leaving space, making space to include Him. Cleaning up from yesterday in preparation for tomorrow.
Will you join me in making space? Will you join me in leaving what is behind and prepare in excited expectation for what lies ahead? Will you join me in continuing to celebrate advent?
Centered
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19
My equilibrium has not been centered lately. Even as I type these words, the positioning of my keyboard is messing with me. I have shifted positions several times just trying to find the comfort spot to let my fingers move over the keys in the familiar way from how I was taught by Mrs. Wakefield in tenth grade. I think I have found it now. It is all about being centered and posture.
For me, symmetry and order keep me balanced. I know not everyone has this same characteristic. Those around me may get frustrated by my constant straightening. I don’t make a very good decorator because where I want things to be equal and balanced, artistic eyes would say otherwise.
But it isn’t just in the physical realm where I find balance important. My early morning hours open my day to what I can expect. Over the last several weeks, those precious hours have opened my days to work. It has consumed my time from waking until I finally close it up late evening, ready to sleep, only to rise again to the same thing. Leaving me exhausted and terribly off-balance.
This morning I was reminded of the firm foundation that brings everything plumb. He is the center of everything. I was reminded that nothing I face has not already be measured and weighed and exacted by Him. His line is pulled taut. It is straight and precise. He cares about the details. No matter how insignificant details may seem, He sees them and knows them and takes great care over them.
So instead of numbers and organizing accounts this morning, I sit in the center of Him. I rest in the fullness of Him. I find comfort in knowing His love surpasses my knowledge. I am thankful to find grounding in Him.
Remember
This is to remember. Because honestly, I forget. I can easily fall back into thinking junk and get myself into a mess. If I write it out, I can return to these pages and remember.
Remember to take every thought captive.
Remember to think on things that are true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and of good repute and excellent and worthy of praise.
Remember to practice.
That friend who says she has to learn the lesson before she can teach it, I get it. Experience is a good teacher.
Thanking God for many scars and for the opportunity to remember His goodness and grace this morning. How about you?
Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12
Samuel set up a stone to remember the Lord’s help.
How do you remember God’s goodness in your life?
Remembering the Armor
Bound around my waist, in the center of my body, a belt squeezes me tight. No room to shift around under this belt. It has a sure hold. The grip is undeniable. Although, my waist wants to push it off and become flabby with exorbitant delicacies that belt holds tight. It is a certain length and cannot be added to. I have found that it is actually much shorter than I once thought.
That belt points up to my chest where a protective covering sits. This covering protects my heart. The lifeblood that pours through me is filtered underneath this covering. Removing impurities. Filling it with life-giving oxygen. Pumping it through my veins to every extremity. Providing flow that keeps me moving in the right direction.
That great pump pushes down deep so that I am prepared to step out in peace. Giving me direction in front of my toes. Pointing me onward in this rat-race. Not looking back.
But as I move forward fiery darts are thrown my way. Because I am moving forward and not backward, those darts come fast and furious. Aimed at the most precarious of places. Aimed to kill. But they can’t. Of that I am certain. Every flame of death will be extinguished.
Gushing waters bombard and overtake my head. Swirling torrents slap and twist around me turning me violently from one side to the other and then back again and then up and then down and sometimes right back up. But my head is covered with a helmet. And the helmet contains a great flotation device that prevents me from being held under too long. It buoys me back up with great gentle strength.
And all this so I can swing my sword. Awesome and powerful is this sword. Sharp and precise. Made in the greatest refinery. Purest of metal. No dross. Unmatched weapon of war.
The whole package wrapped in the most delicate but durable of wrappings. Sheer and airy at times. Dense and thick at other times. Impenetrable all the time. It cannot be removed from this package. You can slip inside and reside there but once you are there, you are there to stay.
Leaves me in a sure-footed stance. Truth and righteousness abound with peace in salvation protected by the word and wrapped in prayer. Alert and ready. For myself and others.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:14-20 (ESV)
Old Chair
It is sad. This chair I am sitting in. It has some pretty ugly scars. It is still incredibly comfortable. I can prop my feet up on the ottoman or pull my legs up in the chair with me. It is even big enough for me to lay on my side and catch a short nap.
At one time the fabric was my favorite. I still enjoy the colors. I still enjoy having this chair. But it is unsightly now. I am not really sure if the quality of the fabric was not durable enough for the beatings we have given it or if our beatings have just been too hard. Either way, there are some holes.
Those holes started as a fading of the color. Then one thread snapped and gave way to a small hole. Then that small hole was picked at and sat on and wiggled in and became a bigger hole. A rip in the fabric. An irreparable gash in the covering of this chair. This hole cannot be sewn back together.
The only thing that will fix this chair is to remove the old covering and replace it. Some might even say the whole chair needs to go. Just depends on the perspective of the beholder. Depends on the relationship of the sitter to the chair.
Isn’t this old chair a little like me? Thread bare in places and gashed wounds bleeding stuffing in other places. Cuts run deep enough that there needs to be an overhaul in the fabric. But just how much am I willing to pay to refinish this old chair? Is it worth it to me to refinish it or do I need a fresh start?
I think we all find ourselves in places in life where we have to look around and see what needs to be refinished. Evaluate ourselves from different angles and determine what needs happen moving forward. Looking back will only help so much. It may keep me from making the same mistakes again. But I don’t want to return to something of low quality that will leave me desiring better.
The good thing about this old chair is that it reminds me this world is temporary. No matter what I purchase, it will not last forever. No amount of money can purchase a man-made object that will last forever.
So, in my quest for long-lasting durability, I shift my eyes up. Realizing I may have to raise the bar a little more in order to know excellence. I won’t settle for mediocrity. I won’t compromise on quality.
And if you think I am just talking about furniture, you are wrong.
Because the fabric of my life is not just this ragged chair. The fabric of my life is the love of my Savior. The essence of His Spirit moving and shaking and holding me. The people He brings into my life that gives me different perspectives. He helps me see beyond myself. He provides me a good comfortable seat in this theater of life.
Sometimes the seat can get a little hard to sit in. But it isn’t because He has changed. It isn’t because He has left me. It might just be because I took my eyes off Him. Some obstacle may have grabbed my attention and caused me to have temporary blindness.
So, I am asking Him to return my vision. To clean the wounds of my gashes and forgive my wandering heart. To bind up that which is torn. To make quality repairs that will last for eternity.
Warrior Princess
She has always seen me differently than I see myself. She looks through eyes of love and forgives my imperfections. She knows they are there but doesn’t get bogged down in the trivial.
Her hugs are all encompassing. She wraps her long arms around me and doesn’t hold anything back. She isn’t shy about displaying how she feels. She has hugged me all my life.
There is a picture of her and me. I was just a baby. They had put a wig on my head that made me look like a little Native American with long dark braids. But I was just a chunky little baby being held by someone that already loved me dearly.
She finds beauty everywhere. She carries a camera and points. The results are precious memories. Memories captured by the eye of the beholder. Always seeking beauty from the Creator. Perhaps because she is beautiful. Living in beauty.
And now she finds herself in a battle. That disease that requires treatments that can be tormenting. And she knows about that torment because she has watched loved ones in similar battles. But she isn’t scared. She is fearless.
You see, she is a warrior princess. And she has a promise. She lives right smack in the middle of that promise. A promise so sure that nothing can destroy it. Her armor is divinely appointed. Anointed.
She knows the battle she faces is not her own. The battle she faces has already been won. She already knows victory. She will take this journey and let her Author write the chapter. And He will hold her hand every step of the way.
And on the other side of the battle she will have a testimony. It will be known. There will be a crowd of witnesses beholding the race she runs and they will see grace and mercy and peace. The Giver of these things has an endless supply and provides abundantly beyond anything we can imagine.
Decisions for God
Haven’t I been guilty of the very same thing? Singling out those that may disagree with me and knowing they oppose my thoughts. It doesn’t make me dislike the person or become angry because they think differently than me. Just offers me an opportunity to love regardless of our differences.
Offers me an opportunity to reflect on my beliefs and lay them down beside God’s Word for a self-check. Am I believing truth? Or do I need to readjust my beliefs to bring them in line with where He wants them to be? Or do I need to hold fast and tight to right where I am and fight for what I believe?!?
And to waste time on being hurt or angry because I have been singled out as having a strong belief is not the best use of my time. But using the time to study and pray for the Holy Spirit to renew my mind so that the good and acceptable will of God is proven through me. So, I can live transformed and be that proof in living form.
Will I allow the differences to shake me so hard that I rip out my heart and quit doing and living where I am planted? My roots are well established and although they can easily be ripped from the ground should they be left and perhaps experience some pruning above ground or is a total transplant necessary? Maybe a few weeds need to be pulled up and thrown out, burned, destroyed. Cultivate the soil so those roots receive much needed nourishment.
Preparing for a great harvest.
Chewing on this today. This week. This moment.
Looking around to consider others.
Stopping and listening.
Desiring God to reveal what it is that is needed.
Wanting to be certain that the decisions made are according to His will.
Will you pray that very thing with me? For us all!
Hidden space
They pass by with swollen bellies. Life growing within. And I remember being there. Three times I carried that growing life. I felt the pokes and prods of little hands and feet and head and knees. Not knowing at that time how the pokes and prods would be so different decades down the road.
How they grow up and away! No longer needing mama’s protection. No longer wanting mama’s protection. That life giving time oh so fleeting.
And as those young mothers pass I want to reach out and hug them. I want to tell them to cherish each moment. Like really cherish them. Even in the middle of mass chaos and frustration count each blessing. Because those moments change quickly.
Brushing long hair into ponytails becomes watching her walk down the aisle and away.
Holding hands snorkeling becomes calling only when needing something.
Sitting in the daycare parking lot with that little fellow climbing into the passenger seat beside me to eat breakfast becomes him climbing out of the passenger seat into school and how dare I even think about telling him I love him in front of friends!
And sitting, preparing for the day that will remove that life giving secret space. That precious space that held and comforted and grew three humans. Memories flood back.
And at the same time so very thankful for what was. And thankful for what will be. Because even as we walk through all the different moments of life there is a constant. And He never changes.
Making Space
In tight spaces, we look for creative ways to optimally utilize the area. Every hole filled. Packing in as much as we possibly can. Packed so tightly nothing else can fit.
When we are bored, we find something to occupy our time. Looking for entertainment to fill each moment so our minds are full. We read or watch television or exercise or illuminate our faces with a screen or eat. Cramming as much into whatever it is we are doing to avoid boredom.
Always needing more.
Or so we think.
My office is a small space. I sit in it for 8+ hours a day. There are two screens staring at me for most of that time. I have them positioned so that I can look out a window. I need to look out that window occasionally. I need to stretch my eyes so that the close space of my office can open up a little.
It also allows me to open my mind. Stretching out a little more space. Expanding beyond the confines of my tight space. Knowing there is a little more happening in the world than what is right in front of me. Allowing perspective to come in and shake me up when an ambulance goes by.
But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with the stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:19-20 (NASB)
Making space and clearing out and looking beyond the clutter and taking time can find you at the feet of Jesus. All that is needed!
