Wednesday, November 27, 2013

What Thanksgiving Has Taught Me



I still remember it like it was yesterday.  

I woke up and knew in my heart something was not right.  A frantic call to a phone number left me numb when I was told someone would call me back as to what I should do.

After waiting for what seemed like eternity I got dressed and told my husband to drive me to the hospital.  I knew what was happening but I didn’t want to believe it. After a few tests the doctors confirmed what I feared the most.  There was no detectable heartbeat.  Just like that.  I could choose to stay in the hospital and have a DNC or I could go home and let my body take care of it naturally.  I chose the latter.  I suppose a part of me thought maybe the doctors were wrong.  Maybe this wasn’t how the story was going to end.  I was wrong…and Black Friday can take on a whole other meaning in times like this.

I have learned a lot since then.  I have learned that sometimes a body remembers all on its own…before you unintentionally think about it.  Before you know it the years have passed by like water running through your hands and sometimes you feel like you don’t have anything tangible to show for it.  It can leave you feeling empty and broken if you’re not careful.  I have learned not to be defined by what others may think of us as we walk this path without children.  I have learned that it doesn’t make me love their children any less or that I am not happy for them.  I am…it just so happens that our life worked out different.  I have learned that I can be happy regardless.

This morning, during my devotions, it all became a little clearer to me.
Christ fills empty vessels.

Beth Moore says, “Nothing destroys life like emptiness.  Hollow places deep inside of us never sit dormant.  They are vacuums attempting to inhale anything within reach. Left unchecked, the clock will tick only so long before the life self-destructs.  Christians are not exempt.  We still battle overwhelming feelings of emptiness.  We can possess eternal life yet never be “filled” with God’s love.”

She then goes onto say “When we allow Christ to fill our hollow places, inevitably others will draw closer to us. Only Christ can fill our empty pitchers.”

For many years I wanted to avoid Thanksgiving altogether.  Skip right to the Christmas season and get it over with.  In doing that I missed out on the gift of right here and right now.  Now that I am older and wiser I know that joy is not the absence of sorrow…it is the presence of God.  If I take my empty, broken pitcher He will fill it until it overflows and that is just one of the many reasons why I am so thankful this Thanksgiving.

John 2:7-8
Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.


Sweet Sweet Mercies

Thursday, August 15, 2013

What does Radical Obedience Look Like?

Its been a long long time Bloggy World!  Life is going by fast-goodness its been almost a year since I last posted.  How is that even possible?

Today I am participating in a blog hop for Melissa Taylor's online bible study titled What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. 

What does Radical Obedience Look Like?

When I hear the term Radical Obedience- I immediately conjur up images in my mind of selling our house and everything we own and moving to a place far far away.  Or perhaps starting up some type of program for hard to reach youth or at-risk women.  Then I think - I'm not sure I am equipped for such tasks.  Truth is right now- I don't feel called to those things either.  And folks that just took a took a ton of courage to say.  For so long I thought that made me a bad person-that I didn't aspire to do those things at this point in my life.  One thing that has become clear to me this week is:

Sometimes radical obedience starts small.

Yesterday, in Nicki's video she said something that resonated so loudly with me.  "It is not about the task.  Radical obedience is in the mundane, common everyday places"  (that gets an #amen)

I am a time waster.

I am a procrastinator.  Make that a BIG procrastinator.  Although at times I prefer to say that "I work much better under pressure".  Truth be told I really only think of doing the laundry when I am down to my last pair of underwear.  Dinner?  I could go without it.  (Too bad my dear hubby can't). Vacuum?  ( If you see me do that- you know we are getting company. :)

Nicki's words got to me though.  What if I approached these mundane, common, everyday things and turned them into time to thank Jesus that I have laundry to wash (and a washing machine to wash it in)?  What if I put as much time into thinking about dinner and thanking God I have a wonderful husband to cook for?  What if I vacuum the house before the Hubster does (perish the thought-lol) and thank God for a house to vacuum?

These too are glimpses of being radically obedient.  Not taking a single thing for granted.  Time with Jesus in the daily chores of life.  What could be better than that?


**I assure you my house is not messy (I sure make it sound like it here.)


P31 OBS Blog Hop