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14 febbraio so, after a LOOOONG absenceWell ... I guess I cannot get away with any more long absences. In an obscure way, I really felt good about being hounded by some of you (especially my dear friend Dawn Doty) for a new entry. So sorry for my silence ... I have been very busy, and maybe if the spirit hits me, I will tell you all about everything that's been going on in my life -- going from crazy to crazier, interspersed by rare moments of quiet. Right now, though, I am just very relieved to have this time with you, and I hope Dawn will smile at me and say, "Way to go, sister!" One of these days, Dawn -- yep, soon -- I will write all about your sweetness and goodness in my life, and why you never cease to make me laugh! Right now, it'll be our little secret ....
But I cannot write on my blog without at least sharing a little bit of God-filled wisdom that I hope will build you up, and you can somehow see your own experiences reflected on what I have to say. We are here to learn from each other, so here goes my devo for today. I must tell you that this comes straight from an email I wrote to my beloved friend Michelle. Every Thursday or so, we do try to come together through chat or email exchange ... it's an accountability time for the both of us, and I cannot tell you how important that is to me. You will glean from this letter that Michelle has some health issues, as have I -- and that sometimes these health concerns do bring us down. But God's hand is mighty, and always -- He never ever fails -- He brings us up to His marvelous glory.
Read on, friends, and I hope you take a piece of knowledge or two from this little devo:
Hi Michelle,
I thought I might start my day after quiet time with a greeting to my dear friend. My prayer for you was very earnest this morning, because yesterday you said that your body felt like there was fire in your bones -- and very earnest for myself as well, because I still have very painful and very angry rashes on my body today. I hope you're much better today ... well, if not this minute, then I pray that the day will wear on with triumph for you. I am praying the same thing for myself. I think the ones on my face have started to abate some -- on my torso and legs, they're quite another matter. But we'll see how the day progresses.
Arnold had to drive up to Chicago last night (he's on his way back now) because he had to hand-deliver important documents to our lawyer up there. The folks in Indiana had mistakenly (or ineptly -- sorry, I am very angry at them right now) sent the documents to us. Thanks to Eric's help in tracking down those papers. FedEx brought the documents right around 8:15 pm ... much too late for any overnight courier service that could have spared Arnold the drive up to the big city. Poor guy. From Chicago, he will go straight to work. Not a good way to start his day -- much less Valentine's Day. He and I have never been big on this red-and-pink day ... but I at least would have loved a great big squeeze and kiss from him this morning! :)
Well, as I said, my prayers were very earnest for you and me early this morning. As I sat there just laying us down for the Lord, I thought of Mary and Elizabeth in the book of Luke. Yeah, sure, they had very different circumstances than we do -- but this morning, the heart of the matter to me was that God brought these two women together for a purpose higher than their own (they are cousins). They came together 1) to glorify the Lord; 2) to lend strength to each other; 3) to show the world what Luke 2:37 means -- "For with God, nothing WILL BE impossible."
Future tense, compared to the present tense of Luke 18:27, and the present imperfect tenses of Jeremiah 32:17 (in context of the whole passage) and Jeremiah 32:27. So as I thought about these things, I took SUCH great comfort in the fact that God is just not done yet with me, nor with YOU! I heard a phrase this morning which really helped me, and I believe it was the voice of God through Chuck Swindoll: "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." Let's memorize that together, shall we?
Your illness, my illness -- these are impossible situations in the face of men. But not with God! Last week you told me that you remember YOUR progress made from last year's status, and give God the glory. Awesome! That helped me too ... I remember myself from 15 years ago when I was at death's door, with my hair falling out after turning orange ... and now here I am! Crazy, crazy skin ... but alive to do God's work. Who would've thought that this scrappy, messed up girl from the Philippines who had a very dim view of a joy-filled life would be able to speak to women and build them up and encourage them?! Who would've thought that an arrogant army girl who felt invincible would experience first the shorthandedness of a no-God life, then experience to the full His abundance?!
But God says, in both present and future tense, "I am the Lord God, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" and "With God, nothing will be impossible." His work continues. And I know He wants you and me to travel this experience together, just as Mary and Elizabeth did, with their shared experience of carrying babies in their wombs. The "babies in our wombs", yours and mine, is the glory-to-glory changing of our bodies. We are getting better, though it may not be so evident. But this is the time that we hold on to one another because we have much to share, and we have much to learn from each other.
I thought about this some more, and remembered the wedding at Cana, Jesus' first earthly miracle. Jesus did not just change water to wine -- He changed water to good wine. His was a work of quality!! That's you and me! God is not changing us to mediocrity, but He is improving our quality! Isn't that an awesome, awesome thought? And as I dug deeper and deeper, I realized that there is that two-fold objective of Jesus in this miracle (and all other miracles), and they're found in John 2:11. Jesus' objective in this work of quality: 1) to manifest His glory; and 2) to have others believe in Him. Check on it! I'm not making it up! This is not a mind-wrestling bible study ... it's straight from the heart of God!
I jumped and jumped this morning as I saw you and me placed in this situation. You and I are being turned to GOOD WINE!! Good wine that will be poured into the lives of others, that everything we do may manifest His glory and lead others to Him! What a miracle.
I am liberated from my despondency this morning, because God is good, and I am good because -- only because -- of Him.
Thank you for being Elizabeth to my Mary -- or being Mary to my Elizabeth. Whichever is which, I don't care ... it just encourages me to know that we are here TOGETHER at this stage for a reason, and the reason points to God alone.
I love you much. Email me to let me know you got my message, and you understand my heart.
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