A Quick Note, A Heavy Heart.

This is me just leaving a quick note, without embellishments.

In light of the shooting which I'm sure all of you have heard about, I did not do a regular post on Friday.

My heart was simply very heavy for the families who are currently going through something I can't even begin to try and understand.

So instead of posting about a trivial thing, I made the decision not to post.

This morning our pastor preached a message on John chapter 19-20.

Where Peter and John find the tomb emptied after Christ has been crucified, 

'Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes.'

{John 20:1-8, emphasis mine}

Our pastor pointed out that the disciples who came to the tomb saw and believed but did not understand. 

This sits with me in light of the shootings, that while I don't understand the purpose of why this has happened.

God is still in control. 

He still has a plan.

I choose to still believe that, even if I don't understand.

Please be in prayer for the many families affected by Friday's tragedy.

Much Love,

L

P.S. I will be away for the next few days with my hubby, seeking God and celebrating marriage.

//Thankful Scripture//

{Via}

As I have been working through an older She Reads Truth bible plan (Soul Detox), 

the topic of words has come up frequently. 

Just realising that words have so much power.

The power to encourage and the power to tear down.

And realising that often what we say, or don't mean to say.....shows us where our heart is.

When we have the right heart, we hurt less with our words.

Well that's food for thought for me.

Much Love,

L

Contentment & the 10th Commandment

As we were sitting in a bible study early Sunday morning, the pastor started preaching on the tenth commandment. 
I will go ahead and say that I don't know that off the top-of-my-head.

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

[Exodus 20:17]

This is not normally the type of passage which is talked about a lot, at least not where I have been attending church. 
So it caught my attention.
As we unpacked the actual definitions of that verse, it becomes clear how serious this is to the Lord as He added it as a command. Right up there with murder and loving the Lord above all else.


So while we talked about it as a group we discussed the meaning of covet: to want something that belong's to someone else and discussed what we could want that others have.
Material possessions (like a house, iphone, etc)
Relationships (boyfriend, fiance, perfect husband)
Situation in life (good job, set financially, obvious spiritual gift, big ministry)

As a group we then talked about how the Lord has each of us in a specific situation for a reason.
If He has chosen not to give us that job right now, or bring that guy into our lives or bless us with a baby......
then 
He obviously knows that we don't need those things to accomplish what He wants us to do with our lives right now.


And how do we counter envying others?

With contentment.

We chose to focus on where God has us. Not where He has those around us.
Seeing those blessings He has put into our lives, the opportunities given to us.
As we focus on what we have instead of what we don't have.
We will grow in contentment with where the Lord has us.

This has been a hard lesson for me this past year.
Choosing to trust the Lord with our finances when I thought we had so little. (He always provided)
Trusting Him with involvement at our church when we lived so far away and couldn't realistically get involved. 
Being frustrated seeing others the same age or younger than us seem to have it a lot more together and start a family. (I have since learned that comparing myself to another just brings frustration, never contentment) 


Learning that we are not anyone else.
We are us.
God has plans specifically for us.
Just like He does for you.
And they might look very different to everyone else around you. 

What an exciting adventure!

'And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.'

[Philippians 4:19]

Much Love,

L

Ponderings on turning twenty-five.

 

If you had asked me what I thought my life would be like at 25...

...at 3, I probably wouldn't have been able to give you an answer. Being that old was beyond my comprehension, I would have just thought one of those 'grown-ups.'

...at 5 I might have told you an owner of a dream house (probably pink) complete with jeep, a mommy and married to ken.

...at 7 I might have answered ballerina, I was on a ballet kick without ever having taken a class in my life.

...at 13 I might have been more serious and told you a kindergarten teacher. Perhaps I should have listened to 13 yr-old me.

...at 16 I might have told you married and a mommy. Oh and perhaps a doctor on the side. That one stuck a little longer than the others.

...at 18 I might have said probably still in med school.

Well here I am days away from being twenty-five and I can honestly say almost all of those predictions of where I thought I would be at aren't true.

I'm ok with that.

The truth of it is, I honestly don't know what life will look like in the future.

I am married now - one of the Lord's biggest gifts of grace in my life. I did think that I would have children by now, or perhaps be expecting anyway. I also thought we would be set financially a little more by now.

But God's ways are so much bigger than my own.

He has nothing but good things in store for me.

Just like He does for you.

'For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.'

{Jeremiah 29:11-12} 

The beauty of it is, He has my best interests in mind, not just my comforts. 

He knows what will bring me eternal happiness and what will only satisfy temporarily. 

He desires to grow me and shape me, not just make life easy for me.

The even better part is He so loves that sometimes He does give me those dreams out of His love for me. Sometimes my heart's desires line up with His best for me.

But His focus is eternal, on things above.

'Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.'

{Psalm 37:3-4}

As much as I sometimes want those dreams to be here already, I only have to read His letters to me,

'For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. 

The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.'

{Psalm 84:11}

and I am reminded that He knows what He is doing.

Life may not always look like I want it to.

And I'm learning more & more.

This is a good thing.

'There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens...'

{Ecclesiastes 3:1}

With Love,

An almost-25-yr-old Daughter of the King