Good Works

Work...I sigh heavy as I think of my weekend at work.  Am I getting too old this kind of work?  My brain sure doesn't seem to be as sharp as it needs to be, and over and over again I feel overwhelmed and defeated by the nagging doubts in my mind..."you are not good enough....you are NOT good enough...YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH".  Oh, it's not just my job as a nurse, it's everything I do...it just never seems good enough.  I always seem to fall short of the standards that I have set for myself.  I cringe as I think of the many ways that I fall short. And after I cringe so hard that my head hurts, I sigh heavy again.

Walking through life with self-made expectations works for awhile.  We can work real hard, and achieve a certain amount of success.  But is it ever really ENOUGH?  I guess the answer to that question depends on what we define "enough" to be right?  Maybe that's the problem... our understanding of what it means to be enough is entirely different than what God intends....or is it?  Here is one of the definitions of "enough" found in the dictionary:  " in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire; sufficiently."
I find this definition to be very intriguing because it seems to clarify, even in a godly sense, what it means to be enough.  "A quantity or degree that answers a purpose...."  So what is that purpose?

The Lord has a specific purpose for each one of us.  

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Exodus 9:16
That's it?  It seems too simple!  Are we are worst enemies when it comes to determining our purpose in life?  Maybe so.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:20-22

We strive and strive for perfection and to be "enough", only to be disillusioned and disappointed, when all along, we were created for GOD'S purpose...and along with that comes God's enabling to fulfill that purpose.

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Philippians 2:12-14

So what about all of the things in life that we feel we need to do?  What about all of my failed attempts to do things right?  What about the times that things don't turn out the way I think they should?  What about all of the people I disappoint? How do all of these things figure into that purpose?  Let's face it, life is full of that stuff!

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 8:27-29

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

2 Timothy 1:8-10
So....even in the struggles of life, when we feel like we are not measuring up....even in our perceived failed attempts, God's grace prevails and He uses it all for His good....IT'S ENOUGH.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Psalm 33:10-12

Back to that definition of "enough":
" in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire;    SUFFICIENTLY."
When I am feeling very insufficient, I need to remember that if He enables me to fulfill His purpose, then ultimately it will satisfy His desire for my life SUFFICIENTLY because , "He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
2 Corinthians 12:8-10

And here is my favorite part of the verse!
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

So if I understand what all of these precious words of scripture are saying, it boils down to one main idea.  Being "enough" is determined by God and His purpose for us....not by our own standards.  Being "enough" is a process that happens by God's grace through Christ Jesus.  Being "enough" is not about us...it's about glorifying God and displaying His power and love in our lives, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.  So when I feel so inadequate, perhaps that's when He does His greatest work in me!   And I can be confident of this:
" that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:6

He will never give up on me! In His Presence, I am ENOUGH!

Sunrise/Moonset

                               SUNRISE                                       

               

MOONSET

Photo credit--Ayda Hamann

I'm in my house, and out the front window is the sunrise, and out of the back window is the moonset,

and I am all in wonder....saying to myself, "how can it be that both the sun and the moon appear at the same time?  I mean, the sun shines by day and the moon shines by night, and it's usually one or the other....right?  Usually it's day or it's night....usually it's bright or it's dark....right?  Well, lately that's how my mind has been thinking.  I see things as either black or white, good or bad, and right or wrong.  And to tell you the honest truth, I have been struggling with looking more on the dark side than the light side.

I struggle with depression.  It is especially bad in the winter months....and, I guess I should mention that

it comes also with being "a middle-aged woman" too! Anyone that has suffered depression can understand the light vs dark thing.  The light is present, yet we still feel like we are surrounded by darkness.  This blog isn't about me though...it's about the things that I am learning about God....it's about His goodness in the midst of darkness, and His "rightness" in the midst of our wrongness.  It's about His SONRISES in the morning and His MOONLIGHT in the night. His Light shines on through day and night, even when we are standing in the shadows of life.  My dear friend Kathy always says that there wouldn't be shadows if there wasn't a presence of light.  And she is right. 

 God, the Creator of the universe, created day AND night, each one working in harmony with the other. He balanced the day with the night so that each day would be recognized and counted. I believe He does that in our lives as well. He balances the joy and the sorrows in our lives, and through that, we gain a greater consciousness of Who He Is, and learn to make each day count.  Without darkness, we wouldn't understand light, and without trials, we wouldn't appreciate joy.  But He is ALWAYS PRESENT in it all. 

Seeing the moon set, the same time as the sunrise, helps me to remember that at the end of every darkness comes a new day, and at the end of every struggle comes a new joy as we acknowledge the LIGHT that was present in the midst of it all.  

God made two great lights—the                                                                 greater light to govern the day and                                             the lesser light to govern the night.
Genesis 1:16

For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory, displayed in the face of Christ.  2 Cor. 4:6

"Happy" New Year!

MOST PEOPLE ARE ABOUT AS HAPPY AS THEY MAKE UP THEIR MINDS TO BE. 

Abe Lincoln

But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.Psalm 68:3

Ever wonder what it is that makes children so happy all the time?  They start smiling in infancy and spend most of their childhood in that state of mind no matter what goes on around them!  They find joy in the simplest of things and their laughter comes about as freely as their breathing does!  Part of their unconditional happiness is a result of their inability to understand the difficulties of life right?  They don't get burdened by life because they live in the moment.  They dance when they feel like it, they sing when a song fills their heart, and they reach out and embrace even the most stoic of people if they feel like giving a hug!  Happiness is what most kids are all about. Their laughter is contagious!

It is a common to extend the phrase, "Happy New Year"  as we begin a new calendar year.  But I know and you know that some days are just plainly not happy.  And as a Christian, I know that God doesn't promise every day to be happy, in fact, He tells us that in this life we will have troubles (John 16:33). But in His next words, Jesus says, "take heart, for I have overcome the world!" He says, "I have told you these things so that in Me, you may have peace".  So what is happiness anyway?  Is it a feeling of bliss and a lack of sorrow, anger, or anxiety?  I don't think that the kind of happiness that God speaks of is the total absence of any other emotion.  I think He speaks of something far greater than emotion itself....something that is much deeper and complex.  The kind of happiness that God speaks of is something that surpasses and overrides any trouble that you and I may have in this world.  It is something that doesn't waver, even in the face of diversity. It is that peace that passes understanding and that joy that comes from knowing that because Jesus has overcome the world, we have too.  We are firmly rooted in Him for all eternity....and the best is yet to come!

We may not be able to shed the difficulties of life, nor should we because it is in the difficulties that we grow spiritually and gain compassion for others, but the key is to make up our minds to be happy.  To commit to look at the one thing in life that we can count as unwavering joy, Jesus...and live in His moments.  Let His songs bring singing to our lips and dancing to our feet, and let His love cause us to reach out and embrace even the most stoic of people.  Because after all, happiness can be contagious!

So, my greeting is sincere when I wish you all A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Kara

I'm the Lucky One

"Let me take your picture!" Kristin says to me, as she smiles and her eyes twinkle from across the table.  I ask why and she giggles.  I'm suspicious, "Do I look weird?  Do I have something in my teeth?  What are you up to?" I don't know how many pictures my kids have of me that are worthy of blackmail!  They are constantly catching me either sleeping with my mouth open or some other hideous expression on my face!  Kristin says, "I just want to send a picture to Kylie to prove that I am the luckiest one"....what?..."we are sending pictures back and forth trying to prove who is the luckiest one~~~I'm the luckiest one cuz I am with you!"  So she snaps a picture and promptly sends it to her sister, and gets a snapshot of Kylie back with a look of , "NO FAIR!" on her face, and a comment that says, "You're with Mama?!  I'm jealous!"
 I see this and my heart swells with gratitude.  And all of the aches of the day melt away as I realize that I am the lucky one.  Only luck has nothing to do with it~~~it is the purposeful and love-filled grace of God that gives this moment to us.

I just kept thinking of that moment all night, and each time I thought of it I got a big lump in my throat.  I am so touched by the love of my kids~~~ and the fact that they still want to spend time with me!  And I know, with all certainty, that God loves me even more!  And what if~~~what if we took "snapshots" of God and shared them with our loved ones to show them how "lucky" we are?  What if we announced to all those we know that we are the luckiest ones because we get to spend time with The Father?  I know one thing~~~there would be no need for jealousy because anyone who wants to be with Him, can.  He is present and among us at all times, and anyone who wants Him in their presence can be "the lucky one".

Could it be, that His presence is in each one of us who believe, and when we share our love with one another, we share a piece of His presence? We share a snapshot of God! I know it's true.  And when I am holding back, I am missing out on the greatest gift of all~~~the gift of making someone's heart swell with joy as He fills it with gratitude.

Thank you my sweet girls, for making your mama feel so special.  Thank you for sharing God's presence with me and for giving me so much joy.

Thank you God, for your everlasting presence in all the ways that you make yourself known~~~and felt by the heart. 

11/13

The Golden Thread

​In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3

Jesus, the Golden Thread who weaves and holds all things together
​Past Present and Future~~~*
How is it possible that the unfathomable Glory of God, the Radiance of One brighter than all of the Light in the universe, could be present between the leather bound covers of the Book?

He spoke through the Prophets of old…..words from the lips of holy men who had the very Breath of God, forming the truths of what was, and what was to come. He spoke at many times and in various ways. The words were murmured and spoken over the ages of time, passing on the treasures of wisdom from people to people, and lived out just as He said.
Jesus was there from the beginning, connecting the story with His Holy Spirit’s powerful influence……like a needle, piercing the fabric of time, placing the Golden Thread in places…..seemingly unlikely places…..throughout the world, stitching the Tapestry of time with His very presence.

But in these Last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of All things, and through whom He made the Universe. HE MADE THE UNIVERSE….God, through Jesus, made the universe.
He not only was there from the beginning, He was the beginning. From nothing, He made something. So began the story, and the Triune God worked together, three persons, working together to form the story of life.

The Son is the exact representation of His being…..the sole expression of the Glory of God….the radiance of the Divine…and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God’s nature,
sustaining all things by His powerful Word ….upholding and maintaining….guiding and propelling…turning and twisting….weaving the universe by His Mighty Word of Power.

The Golden Thread that ties all things together
made Himself Human for a time……
in bold color for our human eyes to see,
and in stark suffering that no human heart could fathom.
Golden Thread becoming scarlet red, covered the dark places, making them bright white. He provided purification for our sins……riddance for our guilt…
Pulling stitches tightly, binding us to Himself in Holy Embrace, He wove us into His story, the Tapestry of Truth….
And when HE WAS FINISHED, He sat down at the right hand of the Divine Majesty on High where He waits until the Book becomes book no more…….
When the tangible fades to eternal sight, and we are in His very presence forever more.

His Word is Living. His Glory Shines. And although we hold it in our hands….
the Book…..
Is the Living Glory of God. Bound, cover to cover, with the Golden Thread of Jesus, who stitched the old with the new. Wholly God….
Holy God.

Kara
11/11

New beginnings

Maybe some would say it's no big deal, but I call it God's sweet grace......right at eye level from my place in my living room, I am experiencing the joy of watching a mama Robin build a nest in the tree in the yard! After last weeks post, "Temporary Home", it seems like God is giving me a sweet view of a new beginning! Isn't that just like Him?! He delights in delighting His children. It brings Him joy to see us joyful. We are designed for joy. I just read a quote in my morning devotion that describes this perfectly:
" For God has no glory, actively from those that behold His glory and take no pleasure in it; but the essence of the glorifying of God consists, therefore, in the creature's rejoicing in God's manifestation of His beauty, which is the joy and happiness we speak of." (Jonathan Edwards)

So as I take great delight in this picture of new beginnings and speak of it, I am bringing glory to God! It's just that simple!

Lesson learned: Take time to look around at the small stuff.....the beauty that He has created around you, and then smile and let the joy of it penetrate your heart. By doing this throughout your day, you will bring great delight to God!

Temporary Home

Hanging on by a thread......a thin brittle thread, the nest sways gently in the wind. Abandoned and worn, it's useless housing seems somehow to send a message of hope. How? How does something that once cupped fragile, naked, blind baby birds with their little beaks held wide open, desperately waiting to be filled......and now emptily bakes in the sun.....how does this send a message of hope? Well, for one who dwells a lot on what once was, this only sends messages of regret. I mean, think of how many hours that mama bird spent making that nest in preparation for her babies. Thousands of trips to the bank of the river for mud to build the foundation, and then thousands of more trips lining the nest with grasses and tiny branches......well that sounds exhausting to me! And then all that time keeping those eggs warm and safe until the hatchlings were free of their encasing and protection......what dedication! And the work doesn't stop there....thousands more trips back and forth to the nest are needed to find and feed food to the hungry little peeps, until they are big enough to fly from that place of refuge toward the next phase of life. That empty nest hanging from the tree has history!

 For sentimental types, this maybe brings a little sadness to their heart. And I have to say, sometimes that's my reaction to such things. I say, " hey, let's fix that! Let's anchor that nest back up in the tree and put some soft pieces of grass in the bottom and wait for another mama to use it!" Isn't that the nature of sentimental people? We want things to be whole again....like they once were. We don't like change. We want to fix, and fix things for others. In fact, I get so caught up in the past that I miss what is happening right before my very eyes.

 This morning as Scott and I sat in the campground with our coffee, I glanced up just in time to see a Robin flying toward a tree with long strands of dried grass trailing from her beak. I'm not sure I've ever seen that so closely before, but it caught my attention because of the grass flying through the air. She was making a new nest in the tree 30 feet from the hanging nest. That's when I got it.....I got the message! The old nest was a temporary home. It wasn't meant to be permanent, nor was it meant to be fixed. It served it's purpose for the time that was intended. Birds know these things! Apparently even my "bird brain" cannot accept such things as part of life!

 Most likely, after those mamas pour out their efforts for a season of reproduction, their purpose is served and they die. Their purpose is to grow strong enough to reproduce and provide for the next generation......and then they are done with their life here on earth. What about us? Isn't this a temporary dwelling place for us to grow strong in so that we can pass along the treasures of truth and provide for those in need? Shouldn't we be more heavenly-minded, accepting the changes of life as part of our journey away from this temporary home?

 We cling to our possessions here on earth like they are our hope, but are reminded that because of Jesus sacrificial death on the Cross, so that we may be reconciled unto God, we have eternal life......only not here on this earth. This is our temporary home. Our bodies begin to waste away, and eventually we are like that swaying-in-the-wind empty nest.........done. We die. We begin the next phase of life in the presence of The Lord. That is, if we believe the treasures of the truth of Christ and accept it for our own life.

 Since this life is temporary, the message of hope is this: we don't have to FEAR the changes of life, we don't have to FIX the changes of life, and we don't have to FLEE from them. We only have to have FAITH, that the changes in life are are part of God's grand plan, and are moving us FORWARD toward our next phase of life. In the meantime, we FIND purpose in what is set before us and we make nests of refuge for others as we share the message of hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
 2 Cor 4:16-17

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3