iron sharpens iron

"The person you would most not want to be with in community will always be there."
Henri Nouwen


I first heard this quote two years ago when I was at a residency program. It rang true for me. For whatever reason, there is almost always someone, somewhere that I am, that I would rather not be there. Did you follow that?

I know this is most “unchristian’ of me to admit but it is true. I am not so evolved that I love everyone equally. In fact, there are some that I really struggle with. And for some reason, God makes sure that I usually have one of those people in my path.

Something else I have discovered is that these people have something in common….they usually have some quality I have! Did that ever happen to you? You find yourself rubbed the wrong way by someone. You take some time to think about what it is that bothers you and realize it is a quality you also have. But…you give yourself a pass because that quality is a positive in you and just plain annoying in this other person.

God gently reveals these lies to me. He places other people who are either too much like me or not like me at all to help work out His purposes in my life.

Iron sharpens irons…..that’s how the psalmist puts it. We need each other, and the forging quality of relationships, to work off the rough edges and craft us into individuals who reflect God.

I am trying to be thankful for those people who mirror to me things I need to surrender to God. I also need to humble myself and realize I am THAT person for someone else. I am the one that is someone else’s ‘person they would not want to be in community with’.

It goes back to the basics. It goes back to love. It goes back to looking for the beauty in each other. It goes back to allowing God to do the work in our lives any way He chooses. And if He chooses to use me to work in you or you to work in me….may it be so.

Who are those people in your life? Consider spending some time today thinking about them, what God might want to be showing you through your interaction with them. Maybe we can both get to the place where we can actually thank God for their presence in our lives.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

mold

It is not you that shapes God.
It is God that shapes you.
If then you are the work of God
Await the hand of the artist who does
All things in due season.

Offer Him your heart,
Soft and tractable,
And keep the form in which the artist
Has fashioned you.
Let the clay be moist
Lest you go hard
And lose the imprint of your fingers.
Prayer from St Irenaeus

This prayer speaks about part of the journey I have been on in the past couple of years. I have become increasingly aware of the fact that God initiates everything in me. Some times I become anxious about what may be in the future but I want to continue to trust Him and His timing. I want to be pliable and moldable in His hand.

Consider taking some time today and sit with this prayer. See what God may want to say to you. Journal about what you are hearing and consider how you might want to respond.

Peace,
Deb

spa for the soul

As women, we like to do certain things for ourselves. We get our hair cut, colored and highlighted. We purchase special shampoos, good conditioners, glazes and paste. We buy bath gels, body crèmes, hand lotions. We use moisturizer, masks, potions and lotions. We love makeup. We do our nails…we get manicures and pedicures. Occasionally we will treat ourselves to a massage. So many times, our fantasy is a day at the spa; a day to be pampered and nurtured. We long for that time of rest and relaxation…to renew and rejuvenate.

But, as frequently as we may think of caring for our physical bodies, we neglect our spiritual selves. We seem to think that a prayer shot up, here and there, a minute or two in Scripture, a Sunday morning message, and singing a couple of worship songs takes care of meeting the needs of our spirit.

Think for a few minutes about this. Our physical bodies are in a constant state of deterioration. I know this is not a happy thought, but it is true. All of our attempts to stave off the inevitable may make the inevitable a little easier to accept but it is still happening. Our physical bodies are moving towards death every day. But, our spirit is eternal. Any effort we put into opening our spirit to God, takes us deeper into His presence. When we spend time practicing those disciplines that create intimacy with Him, we are building into something that will last forever.

Now I am not saying that we shouldn’t spend time on our physical bodies. They are gifts from God and we need to care for them. But…what would our spirits look like if we nurtured them as much as we do our bodies?

My passion is to help women nurture their spirits. This blog is one way I want to do this. My hope is that is why you come back…to hopefully feed your spirit. Sometimes, there is food for thought…for your brain and how you think about God and the world around you. Other times, it is for nurturing your spirit. Allow your spirit to be nurtured today.

Blessings,
Deb

relationship

This past week, I was reading a book and came across a section that talked about women reflecting the character of God. This is something that I have always known. I’ve been taught it for years. I, as a woman, reflect God. But how? How exactly, do I do this as a female?

Women are designed for relationship. We love relationships. Even those of you who are introverts love to know that you are loved, that there are people who want to be with you, spend time with you.

Generally, women show love in a relational way. We give, we nurture, we comfort. The authors of Captivating, share that women, uniquely reflect the relational character of God.

God created me for relationship with Him. He longs for me to love Him, to desire relationship with Him. Jesus said, in Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” See it? It’s all about relationship.

There have been times when I have mentioned, in various settings, that I would like more ‘community’ or connectedness. I am relational and although I like my time alone, I like to be with people. I work better when I can be in relationship with those I work and interact with. Others don’t always feel that need. I could interpret that as if there must be something wrong with me that I need more relationship, as if it were a weakness.

But, when I read the passage in Captivating, I was amazed. It brought back the reality that God, at His core, is relational. Relationships are extremely important to Him and they were paramount to Jesus. It is a legitimate desire and longing and God loves that it is important to me to build a closer, more intimate, relationship with him and with others.

Today, love your status as a woman in God’s eyes…you have been created for relationship. Beautifully reflect that aspect of God’s character.

Blessings,
Deb

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

impossible

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. ~
C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Came across this quote recently. Consider spending some time today pondering all it holds………

Grace and Peace,
Deb

breath

Mornings….I love mornings. I really love early morning. I love the time before the busyness outside begins. I have a sunroom. In the morning, around 5:30, I get a cup of coffee and go into the sunroom. I light a candle. I love candles. I love them because of the significance of Christ being the light of the world. But, I must admit, I also love them because of the fragrance. I am very picky about my candle fragrance. I also love the mood a candle provides. Ok...I'm rambling about candles. Moving on....

Sometimes I turn on some very soft classical music. Then I just sit. I close my eyes and just breath. I cannot think of any other time I just breath. I can feel my shoulders dropping, and my breathing getting deeper and slower. I relax into it. I can hear the birds, my wind chimes, and occasionally, my cats playing outside the door. Sometimes thoughts come into my mind…about an email I didn’t answer or what we will have for dinner. When I notice that I am ‘thinking’, I try to let go of the thought and go back to awareness of my breathing.

Why so I do this? It seems like it is one of the only times I can truly be present…present with God. My ultimate thought is always about Him. I just want to sit and be still with Him. No agenda, nothing to “do”. Just being. It’s not easy to just ‘be’. Doesn’t that sound strange…that it would be easier to actually ‘do’ something than to just ‘be’? This ‘being’ business is not easy. But it so worth the effort.

When I move into spending time in scripture and journaling about what I hear God saying, I feel so much more focused. I feel much more receptive to hearing Him. It truly has become the most favorite time of my day.

I invite you to try just sitting with Him…eyes closed, and paying attention to your breathing. Relax….and listen to what God may be saying to you. May it be a sweet time with Him.

Grace and peace,
Deb

girls

“Dear God,
Are boys better than girls? I know you are one but please try to be fair.”
From: Children’s Letters to God

I wonder how many women feel this way. Does God really think boys are better than girls? Personally, I don’t think so. But I do know how easy it is for us to get this impression. I know many women who excel in their field. Unfortunately there are times in the corporate world or even in the church that women can feel as if their gender speaks louder than their gifts.

We, as women, are image bearers of God. Although that encompasses our gender, it is not limited to it. He also deeply values our gifts and the condition of our heart. I think it brings Him joy to see us exercise our gifts….. the gifts He gave us….. to the fullest.

Please value yourself as a woman. God does.

Peace,
Deb

barren trees and love

Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend. We were talking about some of the barren trees in our lives...about the people that God allows to come into our lives that are difficult. They push us to the limits of our human capabilities. Without God and His love, we would…hmmmm…what do I say here? We would say things we shouldn’t say, we would do things we shouldn’t do.

To speak for myself, sometimes these people say and do things, it seems, on purpose, to hurt me or those I love. I can easily become defensive and want to lash out. I am ashamed to admit I may spend some time planning what I might want to say or do. Thankfully, most of the time, before I act on that, I yield. God begins to work inside me and remind me that people usually act like that out of their brokenness. When I take the time to consider that, I can back up and try to look at them through God’s eyes. How does He want me to be with them?

One of the questions I have begun to ask myself is, “What would love do?” Don’t get me wrong…sometimes love is tough. Sometimes love needs to say hard things…set boundaries….say ‘no’. But, for me, those things can come from my sinfulness, not my ‘love’ for the other person. So the only way I can check myself is to ask “What would love do?” What is God asking me to do, how is He asking me to be with this person in this circumstance? Then, I need to act on that. It isn’t always what I want to do, but it is what I am asked to do. It doesn’t always work out either. It isn’t like “You do this and it will all turn out ok.” Hardly. But doing the right thing is still doing the right thing. I do it because it is the right thing, not to get a certain result.

Next time someone hurts you, try to step back and consider asking yourself the question, “What would love do?”. Then work towards that.

Peace,
Deb

growth

“Some of our deepest spiritual work is done in the context of our family of origin.”
MKG

I think there is truth in this statement. Those formative years created the foundation for my emotional make-up. How I chose to process those experiences and those relationships impact how I will move in this world. Being able to look at them, with God, can allow me to see places where God was present with me even when I felt alone. I can see times where He intervened and protected me. I can also see times when I ask…”Why didn’t you intervene?”

If I believe that God loves me and that he will use everything in my past, present and future to mold me, then I can look back and see His hands in all of it….I can even come to place of gratitude for all the experiences I’ve had.

Learning to be grateful, learning to forgive, learning to move on, learning to love…these are all some of the deep spiritual work God has allowed me to do in the context of my family of origin.

No matter whether you look back with memories of joy or memories of pain, God can use it all. It may not be an easy journey to process it but well worth the work involved.

Grace and peace,
Deb

forgiveness

A couple of months back I was having a conversation with a friend. She said something that really stuck with me. We were discussing some family issues that she was going through and how important forgiveness is. I was so moved by what she said that I wrote it down:

“Forgiveness is something I do for myself so I can go back into relationship with love.”

Simple but profound. To me, it embodies what Jesus talked about. He was always sharing about how we should forgive because then God would forgive us. But it seems to me that the essence of what He was saying is that we should forgive because it is the way to live in love, not because of what we can get out of it. But, so many times, I am questioning if I want to live in love with those who have hurt me. It would be so much easier if I could cross their names off my “People I Love” list. There are two problems with this perspective. One…there is that other thing Jesus said….that thing about loving God and loving others. Yeah…that thing.

And there is the fact that I have hurt others. I’m very glad they have not crossed me off their list.

Today, I invite you to think about who you may be keeping outside of your circle of love by choosing not to forgive. Consider asking Jesus what He wants you to do…and then consider what needs to be done. Live in love.

Grace and peace,
Deb

girls

“Dear God,
Are boys better than girls? I know you are one but please try to be fair.”

From: Children’s Letters to God



I wonder how many women feel this way. Does God really think boys are better than girls? Personally, I don’t think so. But I do know how easy it is for us to get this impression. I know many women who excel in their field. Unfortunately there are times in the corporate world or even in the church that women can feel as if their gender speaks louder than their gifts.

We, as women, are image bearers of God. Although that encompasses our gender, it is not limited to it. He also deeply values our gifts and the condition of our heart. I think it brings Him joy to see us exercise our gifts….. the gifts He gave us….. to the fullest.

Please value yourself as a woman. God does.

Peace,
Deb

love letter

“The Word of Scripture should never stop sounding in your ears and working in you all day long, just like the words of someone you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did. That is all. That is meditation…Do not ask “How shall I pass this on?” but “What does it say to me?” Then ponder this Word long in your heart until it has gone right into you and taken possession of you.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I cannot tell you how many times I have read a certain piece of Scripture and thought, “Oh…so and so needs to hear that” or “I wonder if so and so has ever heard this?” Or my most recent one, “Wow…I could use that on the blog!” Notice the problem here? What I am reading is for the benefit of someone else. Is that wanting to help others or, maybe, avoiding what God wants to say to me? Maybe both, maybe neither. It may just mean that I am going through the motions of reading it and not slowing down long enough to see how God wants to speak to me, directly to me, through it. What He may want to say to me may just be for me…not information to pass along or material for a later teaching but words that may be life-giving, life-changing to me. I don’t want to miss His words for me.

Consider reading the Word today as if it is a love letter from God to you. How is He expressing His love for you, today, through the Scripture? Read slowly and listen.

Peace,
Deb

colored leaves and barren trees

“Joy and sadness are as close to each other as the splendid colored leaves of a New England fall to the soberness of the barren tress. Joy and sadness are born at the same time both arising from such deep places in your heart that you can’t find words to capture your complex emotions.”

Henry Nouwen

I can identify with this quote. There have been times in my life when I am so filled with joy that I cannot find the words to express it. The birth of my children, those sweet times of being a mom to little ones, having one of my teenagers come to me with a problem, seeing them marry people who loved them, gaining an awesome grandson the same day I gained a new daughter, the birth of my granddaughters and now my newest, a grandson. Then there are the times I am merely sitting with someone and they begin to share their spiritual journey and tears come to my eyes as I listen to the beauty that God is working in their lives. That is joy.

Then there is the flip side…the sadness. I have also had the experience of feeling such overwhelming sadness that I thought it might consume me. At times, there are no words to express what I am feeling. It is experienced more as a physical sensation, an ache in my chest. There have been the obvious times…the death of my sister-in-law at the age of 16, a miscarriage, illness in my children, the loss of my father-in-law, watching my children, as adults, go through painful situations, and the sadness of my own sin. There are also those times when I have such a sense of sadness and there is nothing that I can pinpoint in my life as the cause. I spend time with God asking Him what it might be that I am feeling sad about. I sense it is sadness over child abuse, the Sudan, poverty, etc….my heart can literally hurt over these things.

Joy and sadness. Both a part of life. Both are intense and both tell me I am alive. I want to embrace both, knowing that they are part of being human and knowing that God can hold all of it.

Embrace the joy and the pain in your life. Know that God will use all of it…to draw you closer to Him.

Peace,
Deb

faithful

“I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.”

Mother Teresa

Have you ever been asked by God to do something that you were not sure you could do? I have. And in those times I take my eyes off God. I look at the circumstances and see why it won’t work. The anxiety of making it successful is a bit overwhelming...the kind of overwhelming where I wake up in the middle of night and can’t get back to sleep.

But then, somehow, someway, God reminds me who is really in control. Why do I always forget that? Why do I always have to be reminded? He really is patient with me. And what He gently takes me back to is that all He wants me to be is faithful. And to leave the rest up to Him. That is a comforting thought. It’s enough to help a girl go back to sleep.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

awareness

Someone pointed out to me
That a pebble and a diamond
Are alike to a blind man.

Maybe I’ve been fingering
Diamonds all this time
Without even realizing it.
The author of this poem, Steven James, makes the point in his book, The Story, that blindness isn’t because of lack of light. That is darkness. Blindness is the inability to see the light that is all around you.

I think my life has been like this. God is always speaking to me, always moving in my life, but I usually don’t see it unless it is huge. I am like a blind woman who is surrounded by light but I am unable to see.

The prayer I pray the most lately is that God would allow me to see Him, to hear Him. I pray for new eyes to see what I have not seen. I ask for new ears to hear what I have not heard. All I want is to more aware of His presence. My inability to sense or feel Him isn’t because He isn’t here or isn't moving…it’s because I haven’t known how to look for Him.

The more I pray this prayer and keep my intention towards God, the more I notice Him in the simpler things in my life and sense His love for me.

Consider asking God for greater awareness today. It is a beautiful prayer that will draw you closer to Him.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

eden

East of Eden….I hear this phrase a lot in reference to our estrangement from the garden and the way life was supposed to be.

I try to imagine what Eden was like. What was ‘perfect’ like? What was ‘paradise’ like? What was walking and talking, having perfect fellowship with God like?

What would life be like with no shame, guilt, frustration, pain, sadness, tears, disappointment, AIDS, orphans, widows, sickness, adultery, power plays, low self-esteem, arrogance, terrorism, murder, lying, gossip, war, rejection, addiction, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, anorexia, bulimia, obesity, starvation, car accidents, plane crashes, computer crashes, global warming, arguing over whether or not there is such a thing as global warming, prejudice, racism, ageism, sexism, all the other ism’s, scarcity of resources, drought, famine, cancer, heart value surgery, miscarriages, stillborn babies, birth defects, anxiety, depression, mental illness, death, separation from God, etc.? The list goes on and on. I am sure you can add some of your own.

We don’t know what Eden would have been like. We have no context for it, no reference point. All we know is that it was...and will be again. What a wonderful thought. And I am so excited that there is something to look forward to that is so beautiful and perfect that my limited human mind cannot even begin to conceive of it.

Thank you God, for the promise of "Eden restored" when we will once again walk with You in perfect fellowship.

In deepest gratitude,
Deb

love

“All your love, your stretching out, your hope, your thirst, God is creating in you so that God may fill you…God is on the inside of the longing.”
Maria Boulding

This has been a new concept for me to wrap my brain around the past couple of years. I always thought I was the one trying to get closer to God…that it was my idea. Several years ago, when I began to explore a more contemplative spirituality, I truly thought that I was seeking a closer relationship with God. Now, I look at it differently. I have come to understand that the reason I desire a more intimate relationship with God is because He is stirring that within me. His desire to have intimacy with me is causing my desire to have intimacy with Him. Isn’t that an amazing thought?

In reality, it really isn’t a new thought to me at all. For thirty years of walking with Jesus, I have read and heard this verse:

"We love Him, because He first loved us."
(I John 4:19, Amplified Bible)

It’s like I never really ‘got it’ until recently. It makes perfect sense though doesn’t it? That everything good originates with God. I can only do or want good things because of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.
I am in awe today, reflecting on the fact, that the God of the universe, the creator of all good things, desires to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with me. That makes me want to run to Him, to spend time with Him and to please Him with my life.

He wants that with you too……

Grace and Peace,
Deb

being

Practicing sitting in silence and solitude, journaling, and lectio divina, all have moved me into a more contemplative relationship with God. These spiritual disciplines have helped me reflect on how I see God moving in my life. They help me deepen my relationship with Him, enjoying the intimate fellowship. But…that is not where it ends. If it stays an inner journey and there is no outward evidence of this time spent with God, then what is it for?

Although this time with God is very meaningful to me and I love the solitude, I am called, by God to take what I am learning about myself and about Him and move in the world in a different way. The beauty of spending time with Him, ‘being’, is learning to listen to His voice and discern what He may want me to be ‘doing’.

I invite you to spend time with Him today in solitude and listen to see how He wants you to ‘be’ with others and ‘be’ in the world.

Grace and peace,
Deb

art found at http://854w5th.com/monta/interstices.html

prayer

“It is of course possible to dance a prayer.”

~Glade Byron Addams

Have you ever considered that prayer could be expressed in a dance? Or in a drawing? Or in a painting? A poem? A sculpture? A collage? Or any other artistic form? I know I didn’t. Until recently, I only thought of prayer as something you did with you hands folded, eyes closed and body still.

But, it makes sense to me that the creativity God gave us can be offered back to Him as prayer. There are those who are wired in such a way that their art is an expression of who they are or what they are thinking or feeling. And what better way to ‘speak’ with God.

Consider using your creativity to speak to Him today. Offer it as a prayer...as an expression of your love to Him. Enjoy.

Blessings,
Deb

friends

Bless them who wait with us,
Who labor with us,
who cry with us.

Bless them who know our limits,
Who push us beyond them,
Who see us through.

Bless them who call us to our strengths
Who tend us in our weaknesses,
Who dress each ragged wound.

Bless them who laugh in the face of convention,
Who weep for our own pain,
Who bind us to come and live.

Jan Richardson




This poem reminds me of the incredible women God has placed in my life……bless you and thank you for everything you add to my life. The picture is of me and three friends when we were in India in 2005. The four of us had all been to the tsunami area together and it was very impacting to us. We created a bond through that experience and the fact that we has each other to process with helped us work through the difficulties.

I encourage you to take some time today to reflect on the women God has put in your life to make the journey easier. Thank Him for their presence and consider letting them know, in some small way, that they have made a difference.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

rest

The last couple of days, I have had conversations with women who are just plain tired. They are so busy…taking care of their families, doing ministry, working, trying to make time for friends. They feel overwhelmed, stressed and sometimes, even ill.

This is not the way it was meant to be. God didn’t design us to ‘just keep going” like the Energizer bunny. He means for us to rest, to slow down, so we can listen to Him.

Often we confuse ‘doing’ with ‘being’. All the things we are busy doing are good things. It’s just too much. We don’t have any energy left for truly being present to God. Spending time with Him seems like just one more thing to do.

As women, we (and I include myself in this) need to purposely slow down. We need to allow our ‘doing’ to emerge from our ‘being’. What do we hear God saying to us? What does he want us to be involved in? What does He want us to say no to?

Take some time today….yes… take some time …to spend with God and just ‘be’. Know that the world won’t fall off its axis if you slow down. Try it…sit down, close your eyes and offer up five minutes to God.

Breathe s l o w l y and r e s t.

Peacefully,
Deb

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

difference

Can people look at my life and say “That life would not make sense if God didn’t exist"?

Let that sink in for a few minutes. If we are believers, shouldn’t our lives reflect that? Shouldn’t something look different? If people can’t tell the difference, what is the point?

I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten a soda out of a machine and the machine has given me too much change back. I always take it into the store and give it to them. They are shocked. Or, if I notice that a clerk charged me too little, I tell them. Again, they look at me as if I’ve grown two heads.

Don’t be misled. I have more than my share of times of falling way short of the person I want to be. I just pray that I recognize it and I work to redeem it. Because if people can’t say that there is something different about me, than I am not living fully into this life in God.

Peace,
Deb

creations

“If your heart is straight with God, then every creature will be to you a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine. No creature is so little or so mean as not to show forth and represent the goodness of God.
”Thomas A’Kempis

My heart must be very bent. I struggle to see the beauty in a thousand -legger. We moved into our house tow years ago this October. The first time I saw one my heart skipped a beat. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. They are fast. Really fast. I guess I’d be fast too if I had a thousand legs. (I know it’s not REALLY a thousand legs….just seems that way!) I had not seen any in our last two homes. After the sighting, I directly went to Jeff and said, “We need to move.” I realized that was a rash decision. I took a few minutes and decided we could try something else first…an exterminator. Jeff wasn’t too keen on this solution either. So, I went to the internet to find out how I could rid our homes of these little beasts. Not such a good idea. It did not help me one bit to see page after page of thousand-leggers…in color! I had a really hard time sleeping that night.
I look at all of creation and see the incredible imagination of God. He is the source of the creative spirit. The shapes; large, small, miniscule, fluid. The colors, violet, maize, robin egg blue, scarlet. The textures; skin, scales, fur, hide. The legs: two, four, six, thousands. You get my drift.
No matter how I feel about a particular creature, it is a God –creation, made just the way He intended. I know He loves thousand-leggers. I’m just not there yet.
Enjoy His creation today.
Peace,
Deb

reality

“I believe in the sun when it isn’t shining.

I believe in love even when I can’t feel it.

I believe in God even when He is silent.”

Barlow Girls

Have you ever been on a plane taking off on a cloudy day? Everything is gray. Then as you move up through the clouds, all of a sudden, you breakthrough to sunshine. Then it dawns on you that it has been shining all the time whether you have been able to see it or not.

I think it has been like that in my spiritual life as well. It can, at times, seem gray. It can seem overcast and I can’t feel God, I can’t hear God. But, just like the sun, He is there, He is present. My inability to hear Him is no more an indication of Him not being there than me not being able to see the air I breathe.

Even if you can’t feel Him today, even if you don’t hear His voice or sense His presence, He is there all the same. If you are in a place right now, where He is silent, gently remind yourself of that truth....that reality.

Grace and peace,
Deb

satisfy

Last week I was at Creation. If you don’t know what that is, think of it as a Christian Woodstock. 75,000 people on a hillside listening to music groups and speakers. Crazy.

Amid all the noise, all the people, all the responsibility (I work at the festival) I was able to hear God speak. One of the bands, Tenth Ave North, shared a prayer that they pray. It goes:

“Satisfy me, Lord…I’m begging you to help me see that you’re all I want and what I need.”

I want that to be my prayer. I am, all the time, looking to other things to satisfy me. I say all I want is God but I find myself falling into other traps so easily. I want material things. I want recognition. I want control. I want love. I want, I want, I want. See a theme here? Never satisfied.

I think that is because I am always using substitutes. Don’t get me wrong…I get glimpses of only wanting God, only needing God, but sometimes it seems as if they last as long as the next commercial or the next thing that doesn’t go my way. But I know that I am closer than I was last year and hopefully, I’ll be even closer next year.

I invite you to spend some time today asking God to create a desire in you that He would be enough…He would satisfy you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

character

"Character is what you are in the dark."

~ Unknown

What does the dark illuminate in me? What do I know about me that no one else does….no one else but God? The knowledge that He loves me in spite of my bent character …in spite of who I am in the dark, brings me to my knees. That kind of love un-does me and makes me want to continue to surrender to His transforming work in my life, to bring more and more of His light into my character, so that in the light …or in the dark, I am the same.

Grace and Peace,
Deb