Conversations

I’m Tired

You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
Psalm 118:13-14 (AMP)

I’m tired of healthy living.

I’m tired of doing chores.

I’m tired of struggle and pain and disappointment.

I’m struggling with the motivation to do things I know I should. Diet and exercise. Speaking with love and kindness. Being patient. I’m struggling with the simple motivation to just put things away. Really, I’ve wanted to just sit on the couch or porch until whenever…

God I just want some help. I need some answers. When…how…what…who… Where are you, Lord? Why can’t I seem to make progress? Why do I have to deal with this and that and all these things? Why can’t I hear you right now?

“Come and rest, little one. Come sit down and stay for a little while and just rest. Trust me.”

I do. But…

“Be still for a moment. Trust me.”

I struggle with it. I want to be better at trusting you, Papa God. I see all the things wrong or not done and I start getting worn down, worried, and overwhelmed. I think that is what makes me start to loose track of trust. Its not that I don’t trust you, its that I don’t remember to trust you.

“And that is why I want you to rest. So that you can take the time to remember. Close your eyes for just a moment and listen. What do you hear?” 

I hear birds. I hear quiet. I hear children. I hear the wind. I hear rain. … Wow. I can hear.

Thank you, Papa God for the gift of hearing. Thank you for the beautiful sounds you’ve created.

“Now open your eyes and just look around you. What do you see?”

I see sunlight. I see green trees and grass and animals. I see my home, my children, my stuff. I see your Word, open, prepared for me to read it. … Wow. I can see.

Thank you, Papa God for the gift of sight. Thank you for the beauty of creation that proves so potently that you are and that displays your might. Thank you for the opportunity to sit and soak this time of quiet in. Thank you for these reminders. Thank you for the ability to read your Word and learn from it. My thankfulness could go on for decades! There are not enough words nor is there time enough to convey all the things I could thank you for!

“Now you’re starting to get the idea, little one. You have a hard time remembering to trust me when you get tired. You get tired when you forget to be thankful. But when thankfulness flows, like a stream of cool water, you find yourself refreshed and able again to hear my voice and to trust. I know your heart. I know what it needs. I know that when your heart forgets my goodness, it feels sick and that is when you struggle with trusting me. That is when you become weary and worn out.”   

Thank you, Papa God for your Living Water that restores my soul. Thank you for drawing me in to your rest. Thank you for your Life-giving Word that is filled with truth and reminders of your goodness. Thank you for your mercies, new and fresh each day. Thank you, Papa God, for your overwhelming goodness toward me. Thank you for the hope that you give and the rest that is mine in being able to trust you. Thank you for the blessings you have already given me, those that I recognize, those that I don’t, and those that are yet to come.

Close your eyes and listen. Open them and see. Rest and remember.

What can you, Precious Reader, thank The Father for?

Conversations

Who Am I?

Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.
And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Galatians 4:7

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Who am I, really?

What am I doing?

Why am I here?

I can’t seem to do anything right. I’m just failing all over the place. What good am I?

These are thoughts I struggle with far too frequently. I am my own worst critic, especially when things aren’t going according to plan (specifically my plan). This morning, after what feels like a very long week couple of weeks, I was definitely down on myself again. I was thinking about all the things I’m not doing well – I’m not being a great mom, or a great wife, or excelling at work, or keeping my house clean… the list just seemed to go on forever.

I pulled out my Bible to find help and encouragement and read just a few short verses in Galatians chapter four, and paused on verse 7. “What does a good, well-rounded (not stuck up) heir to a wealthy fortune look like? How does someone like that behave every day?”, I asked myself. I came up with a few things: confident, secure, they know who they are, they know how their father is respected.

But right now, I don’t feel like I look or act that way at all. I feel like I’m “failing all over the place”, not measuring up. So I asked The Father, “What does this mean – that I am Your heir? How should I be acting?” I started to write down what came to mind: strong, loved, confident, teacher, encourager, learner, studier, held, wise, helped, capable…img_5407

This mindset shift reminded me of who my Father is which then helped me begin to remember who I really am. All that muck and self-guilt that I started my morning with – that is not what my Daddy-God says about me. That’s not who I am. “Failure” is not one of my labels. I am not a failure, because my Daddy-God is not a failure. I still have things to work on. I’m an heir, not a perfect heir. But I’m not useless, purposeless, or a “failure all over the place”.

Sitting on my couch with my coffee in hand, I thought “Yup. I do know this. Got it.”

I was thankful for the reminders and did have more peace, but I had an almost casual response. I still wrestled a little with my thoughts.

And then came the tap on my shoulder.

I was listening to the radio in my car (I rarely do that these days) and a brand new song by Lauren Daigle was playing. It was about what God says about us. It was exactly the things my Daddy-God had been speaking to me earlier this morning!

Tap. Tap.

“Are you listening to what I’m telling you, little one?”, says The Father. “You are MY child. My child is not defined by averages, successes, or feelings. You are my very own Daughter. There is nothing we can’t do together and I’m always right here to help you, to hold you, to give you exactly what you need to do all the things you need to do. Who are you? -You are loved, you are strong, you are held, you are able. You are Mine.”

To the Precious Ones reading this, if you are struggling with your thoughts today, know that you are His. You are held closely by The Father, who loves you so dearly, without condition. You are helped by Him. He is able to do anything you need Him to because you are His child. Who you are is not defined by the measurements of the world around you. Who you are is declared by your Daddy-God. You are priceless to Him. You are His very own precious, beloved child and all He has is yours.

What do you hear The Father say about you?

Conversations

Library Card

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.”
– Isaiah 40:28

 

Just for kicks I decided to do a Google search for “knowledge” – 1,330,000,000 results returned! I can’t even conceive that many things about “knowledge”! And each one of those results was put together by human beings so no doubt there are many things repeated. This verse made me stop to think about how vast God’s knowledge is. God’s knowledge though, has no duplicates, no repeats, but still extends far beyond our capacity to comprehend. It is overwhelming to think about how every good leadership principle, parenting principle, academic subject, self-help book, etc. comes from God’s vast knowledge.

I imagine a huge library, the end of which I can’t see, wall-to-wall and floor to ceiling, cathedral heights of nothing but books. It reminds me of a well-known animated movie where the main female character of the story is surprised as she enters a library in a castle where books are wrapped all around the walls and went from floor to ceiling. The library of God’s understanding and knowledge stretches even bigger than this!

I imagine taking one of the books off the shelf and look at the title: “How to Forgive”, author: God. Jogging down the row of books in front of me, finger tips grazing each book as I run, I pick a random book from the shelf where I stop and I read the title “Connected: Curing the Pandemic of Everyone Feeling Alone Together“, writer: Erin Davis, author: God, research conducted by: Erin Davis & God. Even the good books that we have written, have God’s knowledge and understanding all through them.

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As I look up and down the vast array of books, I begin to feel small, but I’m realizing that just means that I will have plenty to keep me busy when I get to heaven! And in fact, rather than feeling overwhelmed, I have a sense of peace. I am getting a glimpse that first of all, there are answers to all of my questions. I may not know what those answers all are, and there will be books in here that I may not ever understand (like why does traffic have to be a thing, especially when I want to get home), but all of that is ok because what’s really important is that there are answers, and He knows them all.

How do I deal with a stubborn kid? “I’m glad you asked me” God says. “I have lots of material on that subject! We will find a few examples from your life in here, Sarah. But don’t worry, I’ve got another book that should help you understand the mercy and grace I’ve given you to be able to handle that stuff.” He says with a gentle smile and a quick wink to reassure me He’s not holding any of my stubbornness against me.

What do I do about my body and mind going haywire, especially the older I get? “Ah!” He exclaims. “There is some really great stuff over here, I’ve even got diagrams and molecular structures drawn out so you can see exactly how I fit your body together. There is a full book just about your body, Sarah, because it is completely unique. In fact, I have a book on every single person I’ve ever created. The DNA part you won’t be able to read on your own, but I can help you past all of that to get to just what you need to answer your questions.”

Why is there evil and hurt in the world? He pauses. His face turns a bit softer and more sad. “I’m afraid there are some very hard things to understand about the answers to that and I don’t think you’re going to be able to handle it, little one.” Kneeling down and putting his hands on my arms, looking at me on my eye-level He says, “Can you be ok for now just knowing that I understand these things, and that I love you so much that I am doing everything to do what is best for you? There are going to be some questions you will have, like this one, that I won’t be able to teach you all about because you won’t be able to understand them. But its ok, because I do. Can you trust me to understand and only give you what I know you can handle understanding? I know its very hard, especially for you, little one – you are very inquisitive and you love to help. Know that I love you and everyone that I have created, and my presence in the middle of those times of hurting is evidence of my love.”

I nod my head solemnly indicating I understand. It is hard not knowing everything, but as I walk over to the big sofa by the window to sit and read with Him, I’m ok with not knowing.

I know that He knows.

I know He’s got it all under control.

And right now, I have a pile of books to focus on (like building leadership potential, & raising kids of godly character, & being the best wife just for starters). These are going to take me some time to get through, and there are so many more after that!

“Daddy, will you help me understand this one?” I ask as I hold up a book He wrote called “How to Boldly Pursue God’s Dream for You”

“Of course! I taught Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Peter, even Paul who you might not think had to learn how to be bold in a way that glorifies me – that’s a surprise chapter for a lot of folks. I’ve taught a lot of my kids this one. I would be happy to teach you too, little one. Let’s read it together.”

Smiling, I hand the book to Him and curl up next to him on the sofa by the window as His strong voice begins to read and carefully explain how examples in my life fit together with His Words on the page.

Conversations

Happy Father’s Day, God

Dear Papa God,

This is the time of year that we set aside to celebrate fathers so I thought I’d write you this short letter just to tell you some of the most special things to me about You, my Papa God (Abba).

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The thing you do the best is: love

I have given you plenty of reasons to be impatient and frustrated with me and really, I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you decided you’d had enough. I certainly have had enough of me and my failings. But in spite of all my failings, you haven’t ever given up on me. And, Papa God, its so much more amazing to me that every time I mess up you have always been right beside me with your hand outstretched, ready to pick me up and whisper to me as you pull me close once again. I love hearing you say, “I love you. Nothing you can ever do or say will make me love you less or any more than I already do because I love you so much, I gave up my very best just to have you with me all the time.” I love climbing up on your lap and leaning my head against your chest so I can hear your heart beat as you speak loving words of kindness, grace, truth, and instruction to me. You give me so much grace, forgiveness, and mercy – all things I don’t deserve and never earned – all because You love me. 

My favorite thing you’ve made is: kids – especially my kids

Actually, its really hard to pick just one thing out of everything you’ve ever made! The amazing sunsets and sunrises on the water are so breathtakingly beautiful – I don’t find anything like those in the store, and your hand crafts each one uniquely and perfectly beautifully. And colors all around – your paint palette is amazing! From the pink and purple night skies to the brightest flowers and greenest grass, you make the best stuff, Papa God. And then there’s the people and animals you’ve made – you are so creative! What an amazing imagination you have! And that doesn’t even begin to touch on the stars and the entire universe! But ultimately when I look at the amazing children you made, just for me and the wonderful husband you gave me, I am in such awe. From the smallest things came these two complex, beautiful, life-filled beings that only the best Creator could have ever designed and fit together so perfectly.

My favorite thing to do with you is: talk to you and listen to your stories 

I get so much joy from spending time with you, Papa God. My heart is so thrilled to hear you in our time together. I don’t always do a great job of listening to you (you speak kinda soft most of the time) but I’m learning. And every time I hear you for myself, I just want to stay in that place with you. I don’t want to go anywhere else or be with anyone else or do anything else, I just want to sit with you and listen to you and see all the mind-blowing things you want to show me. I love to hear your sweet voice. I love to see pictures you draw in my mind’s eye as you speak truth and life and love to me. And I love that you listen to me too, Papa God. I know I can go on and on and on…hahaha a little like my sweet 5 year old. But you are so loving and kind to listen to me. And when my heart is heavy and my tears come so fast over the smallest issues, you still sit with me and listen to me, and comfort me and remind me that you’re bigger and stronger than all those problems.

My favorite thing about you is: you pursue and don’t give up on me

It warms and thrills my heart to think about you dancing and singing and rejoicing over me! You are an amazing dancer and singer – I just know it! And oh how you have forgiven me and beckoned to me so many times! I don’t deserve your continued pursuit. Though I would have stopped a long time ago, you are not one to give up on any of your kids, and I’m no exception. And because of how you don’t give up on me and you continue to pursue me, I feel encouraged to approach you. I know that you won’t forget about me or special events in my life, even ones that I don’t realize are worth celebrating, you are determined to celebrate me all the time – simply because you love me. What more approval and affection could I want? I know I’ll find true, pure approval and affection from you, Papa God. How can you be so excited over any small obedience of mine? How can you be so determined to never give up on me? Yet, you are and nothing at all will stop the joy I experience in knowing that you rejoice over me.

 

Papa God, I don’t want to leave this letter; there is so much more I could and should say, though I don’t know if I can find all the words. I don’t want to stop remembering you and thinking about how good you are, and how amazing and strong you are, and how sweetly loving you are to me. I don’t want to leave this precious time with you. But I know that no matter where I am, I can always lift my head up and you are right here beside me, ready to listen to my praises and to speak lovingly to me. You are the best and only, Papa God, and I want to be with you and to be just like you.

Pick me up,Papa God? Hold me closer?

Teach me more, Papa God. Tell me more of your stories; I love the sound of your voice.

I love you, Papa God.

Happy Father’s Day, Papa God.