It has been over a year and a half since I introduced you to Reese. A sweet little girl who was born with the same genetic disorder as The Princess and lived on this earth exactly one year. She passed from here into eternity on her first birthday but she has left a legacy that cannot be measured. Her ministry still goes on and reaches farther than any of us may ever know.
The last couple of weeks I have attempted to keep everyone updated on the trip that my Coffee Guy has been on for the past two weeks. The Lord has used many lessons, people and experiences to get him there. What I can't leave out is the part that Reese and her beautiful family played in getting us to this point.
As I mentioned in the above linked post, "At the time I found them, I was discouraged. The wife of a former pastor who had no church home. A woman losing hope in the things of faith and especially people who were suppose to help advance the kingdom. I was so parched I was unable to take in the Living Water. I felt that every attempt resulted in a run off with nothing ever soaking in. Then I found her. As I read their updates, their prayers and thoughts began to gently, quietly lead me back towards my loving God. My Savior that has a plan for every life, even mine."
Oh how far we have come from those days of discouragement. Those years where we had not only drifted from our calling but from an intimate relationship with the God we had been serving. Here we are, serving in a healthy, growing church body. Finding a deeper relationship than we had ever imagined possible with a God who at one time seemed so far away.
We still praise God for the life of Reese Renee and the faith of her beautiful parents who chose to share her with the world. Their testimony that every life has meaning and every life serves a deeper purpose has left ripples that are touching lives on the other side of the world. The only regret is that I haven't told them recently. I thought I would start by telling all of you. Who knows who Reese will touch next?
Always,
Hope
There is no eloquent way to say it, the weather this year is strange. Its mid June and we haven't hit 80 once. Yes, I live in the Pacific Northwest, yes it rains here but trust me, not this much at this time of year. We even live in a section that is sometimes referred to as the banana belt of the Northwest but you wouldn't know it if you just showed up in the past few weeks. It has been cold, wet and stormy for a long time. In the past I have written about how I welcome clouds into my life. I really do, in moderation enjoy storms, rain and even a cold day, but in moderation. Always in moderation. This year it seems as if the time for moderation has past. We all seem to be waiting for the clouds to pass and the warmth to once again brighten our days.
As I was thinking about this today, a thought struck me. We all have times and seasons in our lives that are more dreary than others. Some seasons of life have literal and figurative storms that come crashing in and pass. Others seem to just hang around like a never ending winter. Some last days, some years and some decades. So in the lives of those who seem to have never ending storms, getting through is a matter of finding the hope that (as my Mom always said) "This too shall pass".
So how have I faced this very long dull season? On my better days I continue to hope that the Summer will eventually come. We will gather for "Music on the Half Shell", we will cruise in "Graffiti Night", ride our bikes, attend the county fair and visit the Happiest Place on Earth before the school year returns. I also surround myself with those who lift my spirits. Family and dear friends (some new, some who have weathered many seasons with us) walk along side me through the gray days. They add color and add contrast to my life. They make me laugh, smile, dream and they give hope.
Jesus Christ does that in my spiritual life. When it gets dark for a long time, when the pain of loss chills me through, I turn to Him. The only one who can really walk me through, giving me hope for a brighter day and a warmer season. That is the only hope I can bring to those who are living in the darkest, longest winters of their lives. Like the song says, "Sometimes He calms the storms, sometimes He calms His child." In that I have hope.
Always,
Hope
On Sunday, during another wonderful service, there were several people who chose to have prayer for various needs in their lives. While praying the Pastor asked God to release people from their chains or in other words from those things that were keeping them bound up and unable to move forward. This brought on a beautiful time of release and the ability for many to move forward in their lives. No longer would they need to feel held back or frozen in a place of no movement.
This morning, during my own time of prayer and reflection I was struck by something that excited me so much I had to interrupt the Coffee Guy to tell him about it! I really believe this could be one of those life changing moments and I wasn't going to enter it quietly.
As long as I can remember, I have had a love/hate relationship with food. I love it when I want comfort and hate it when it makes me feel out of control. I am one of those girls that could more easily name the very few diets I have not been on as opposed to naming everything I have tried. Its one of the culprits I have blamed when I didn't fit in (literally) yet I have come to know it so intimately that there isn't a dish on this earth that I wouldn't be willing to try and prepare. Food was my friend when I was lonely, my target when I was angry and still there to celebrate the big events of my life! So of course, food must be to blame for so many of the ills in my life, right?
Recently I have been pondering this relationship and have been frustrated to find the answer so elusive. I mean really, everybody seems to have a angle. From cutting out certain foods to how many times a day you eat to writing down everything you eat. We count calories, fat grams and water intake. I have done all that and more! So why can't I get a grip?
While studying Acts this morning, in Chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas were confronted with another group of men teaching about the need for circumcision. It struck me that so many of us are doing the same thing! Circumcision is an act of the flesh, part of the law and an act of cutting away the flesh. I had become part of this argument. I found myself a couple of weeks ago convinced that its not about what we do with our flesh but its our hearts that need to be changed. Sure, our actions will follow but until our hearts are changed, its jut an outward act of the law.
As I read further, I came upon the place where Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Acts 16:25-30 they sang hymns. As they sang, an earthquake shook the entire prison, the doors flew open and their chains fell off. This is where it really hit me. They were busy singing and praising the Lord when they found the sweet release of their chains falling off. They weren't busy examining their chains to see what they were made of or how strong they were. They didn't sit around discussing how they got on there or the unfairness of their situation. They praised their Lord! They concentrated on praising God while in their chains. They continued to seek intimacy with Him instead of excuses to resist intimacy!
My chains are not food. Food has been covering my chains! When I gave up food for exercise, then it was exercise that covered my chains. When I followed the laws of "diet", I was shackled to the law. As I shopped for the perfect clothes, car or mate, those things covered my chains. When I set out to be the perfect wife and mother, those things distracted me from my real chains as well. These things have been diverting my focus from the real bondage all along! The real bondage is going to be different for everyone and I'm still seeking God to figure out mine. Most likely I will find some pride, lack of faith or something else that keeps me from truly being intimate with God. Whatever it is, Romans 8:1-15 tells me to walk in the Spirit. Its a lack of trusting Him and turning to whatever I have considered my chains to be that has kept me from the freedom He intends for me to have!
Today is a day that I am celebrating freedom! After seeking Him, asking for wisdom and having prayers of revelation spoken in my behalf, He is revealing to me that it is time to step forward. Moving away from the old and facing a new day! I can almost audibly hear the chains falling off of my mind and heart.
What are you seeking to be free from today? Do you really want to keep carrying those chains around? Isn't it about time you seek the only one who can make you truly free?
Always,
Hope
