Let it go!

"Let it go"... "I just gotta let it go"...
Those were words I spoke this Monday.  I finally came to that conclusion during lunch with a friend as I shared thoughts I had been battling with over a few days.
"Let it go, Let it go, don't hold back anymore!"
Thanks to Disney and their movie Frozen, those were words I sang yesterday, words I sang really loud...my poor girls! They have to put up with me and my loud, off key singing much, much too often...
"Let it go Blake, just let it go."
Those were words Adam Levine spoke to Blake Shelton on The Voice last night when the girl with the amazing voice chose Adam as her coach over Blake...
How many times have we spoken or heard those three words? Many, I would guess. How many times though have we actually followed through with those words...letting go...truly letting go...letting go and letting God....
I also heard these words two weeks ago when I met with the co-leaders of Oasis-a ministry for single moms and their kids. We were ending our time together with prayer when one of them asked us to put our hands out, palms up and say out loud, "I let it go, I'm letting go"... Needless to say, after a few seconds had past she had to look at me and give me a little extra encouragement, "Do it Lenee, just do it, let it go"...
It was a bit hard for me, harder than I would've thought. I did it though.
When the same words came to me on Monday, it was hard once again.
I'm a control freak, I am an independent freak, I am a plan it, let's do it, let's get'er done freak. So, letting go and letting God is something I am learning to do daily, moment by moment most of the time.
Life hands us so many things...the battles we face in this life hand us so many things...insecurities, rejection, fear, pain, addictions, wounds, deep wounds, cuts, deep cuts, scars...We can choose to carry what is thrown our way or we can make the choice to let them go. Let them go and let God. That's a hard task but not impossible. I believe, we need to consciously be aware of the things we are holding onto before we can let them go. That's what two weeks ago was about for me, that's what this week continues to be about for me. God is revealing things that I am still holding onto. He is asking me to simply let them go. Stop carrying things I'm not meant to be carrying. Last week I talked about the race we are meant to run, to win. I remember a dream I had several months ago...in this dream, I was running. As I ran, I looked down to see my hands were full, totally full, of stuff, just stuff...stuff slowing me down, slowing my pace, zapping my energy. So today, months later I'm still laying that stuff down. I am so thankful for a God who loves me so much and is so patient with me. I'm thankful He continues to reveal that stuff little by little to free me and not to overwhelm me.
When He reveals our stuff. That's when we have a choice to make. We can keep running with it, or we can "let it go"...
I don't know what your "IT" may be or how God may reveal "IT", but I can assure you that God wants you to let "IT" go and let Him do an amazing work through "IT".
So, when we make the choice to "let IT go" what might that look like? How do we really "let IT go"?
First, I had to ask a few questions concerning my "IT". I had to ask myself why IT was really getting to me? Why was I letting IT bother me so much? Would IT really even matter two weeks, two months or even two years from now? I had to get to the root of what had been dug up... I finally saw IT as the once familiar, now not so familiar (praise be to God) pain of rejection. I had to recognize the enemies' voice and lies and call IT what IT was: a tool of the enemy, a firey dart that he just shot so accurately. I then had to ask myself if IT was worth my time, emotional energy and negative thoughts...Was IT going to matter one bit in the long run? And ultimately was I going to trust my God to take IT and just let IT go? Give it to Him.
So many times we don't ask those questions or even shut up ranting and raving long enough to even think about what our "IT's" really represent.
I then decided IT was not worth my time, energy nor emotions that I had already wasted on IT. I was able to make a conscious decision to let IT go and let God have it. And I had to say out loud, "I let it go", I had to sing really loud, "let it go!" over and over, reminding myself and the enemy I let IT go. IT had no power over me.
What I did next may be a little unusual for you, but I went through my home and removed everything that connected me to IT or reminded me of IT...Sometimes we leave memories lying around our home that only serve as negative reminders... Be wise in this. Pray as you look for these things. Don't keep them hanging around, for the enemy to throw as a fiery dart on some unsuspecting day.
I then went through my facebook settings and I unfollowed as I felt necessary. Now, don't get me wrong here either- this wasn't a spiteful act. I just realized I was tired of seeing stuff and reading about stuff that could very easily become just another IT to zap my time, emotional energy and slow my pace.
Sometimes we have to "de-clutter" our mind, our home and our facebook page...
So, today, over the next few days, my challenge to you is this: ask God to reveal the "IT's" that may be slowing your pace, draining your much needed energy to keep running this amazing race. Take time to think about what you may see yourself holding. We serve a really awesome God...
Ephesians 3:14-20 in The Message reads, "My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out heaven and earth. I ask Him to strengthen you by His Spirit-not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength- that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite Him in(Let it go and Let God). And I ask with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."
He truly is good, really, really good!!!
LET IT GO, LET GOD...
We can enjoy the hammock under the palm trees so much better when we do!!!

Beauty for Ashes

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday...Approximately forty days before Easter Sunday. The begining of Lent, a time of fasting, repentance and purification...
As I made myself ready for work yesterday and realized it was Ash Wednesday, I began to think, beauty for ashes. These three words have given me much comfort and peace over many years. The first time I have these words highlighted and dated in my Bible reads 6/16/05...close to ten years ago. I even had an official license plate that read "BTY4ASH".
Isaiah 61:3, "To all who mourn in Israel , He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory."
Beauty for Ashes...I got ashes, you got ashes, all God's children got ashes. For me, ten years ago my heap of ashes came in the form of a dissolving marriage. My world had been turned upside down and I was struggling just to get back on my feet again. I was one messed up girl. I felt like I had been burned to a crisp!
When God revealed these Words to me, they were my hope. I began to think that in the midst of all this burning and somewhere in the heap of all these ashes there had to be some beauty somewhere, somehow, at some point. The beauty didn't happen overnight unfortunately. Oh, if we could just go to sleep for a while and wake up beautiful, right?! It was a process, a refining process, a slow process, a long process that continues as I type today.
One of the things I learned through this process is this: In order for God to give me beauty I had to give Him my ashes. I couldn't hold onto them. I had to trust Him with my ashes. I had to give Him my pain, my broken heart, my broken dreams and every heap of ashes I could see. I began, little by little, give it all to Him. I walked through a lot of hard stuff. He began to reveal ashes I didn't even know existed. I realized I could either keep my ashes and continue lugging them around, spilling them every where I went, or I could give them to my God and believe Him for the beauty He promised through His Word. The choice was mine. I admit, so many days I was tempted to keep them... sometimes we can find comfort in our ashes, can't we? We want to wallow in those ashes and sit there immovable. On days like those, I had to remind myself almost every moment that these ashes were not meant to stay...they were not my identity, and ask God to help me part with them. His Holy Spirit at work in us is faithful and able to do infinitely more in us than we ever thought or imagined possible (Eph 3:20).
I wish I could say that divorce was the only heap of ashes I've had to give to God, but it's not. I've had many things in life that I've been burned by. I'm sure you could say the same. Life is unpredictable. Life can be downright difficult at times, it may seem like everywhere we turn sometimes that there is a torch waiting. Because of that, I think we can find hope in these Words spoken through Isaiah. We can choose to give God our burnt places, our mistakes, our pain, our broken dreams, our heaps of ashes and choose to trust Him to give the beauty.
I am reminded of what we use to do with the ashes from our fireplace growing up. Mama wanted us to shovel them into a bucket then take them out to her rose garden in our backyard. They became the fertilizer for the beautiful roses that would eventually bloom in the spring. The ashes of winter fed the spring flowers. The ashes are never wasted! The ashes from our cold winters are what fertilizes the garden God is planting in us also. The things He wants to grow in us are actually fed from the ashes. Wow! to think that without the ashes we may not grow as much nor bloom as beautifully...
This takes us to the last part of the previoius verses..."For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory." Our good God doesn't just want us to survive, He wants us to thrive! To live life strong and graceful for His glory. The ashes we give to Him, He takes and uses them to give us strength and grace to display His glory. That's what I call amazing GRACE!!!!
I don't know what you face today or what you have faced in your past, nor what either of us will face in our future. I don't know what your ashes represent, nor how many heaps have piled up through the years. All I know is that those ashes can actually bring new life. They are the fertilizer for the beautiful roses and the graceful oaks.
We have to go through the mourning process and receive His joy. We have to choose to make the sacrifice of praise instead of despair. We have to give Him our ashes. We have to choose to part with them, to no longer find comfort sitting in them. We have to allow our awesome God to take them from us, to use them in the garden He is planting to give us new life, to bring forth something beautiful. Something that displays His greatness as the Master Gardener, the Ultimate Planter...to become living proof that He can indeed cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
As we begin this season of Lent, may we not just start a fast, but may we also start a search...Let's take a look around, see any heaps of ashes? Don't hold on to them...Don't waste the fertilizer...There's a beautiful garden ahead.

Just Breathe

The gun has fired, the flag has dropped, the bell has sounded to open the gates. The race has begun....
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward. Now He is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven." Hebrews 12:1-2
We are all running a race... Some of us may think, 'yeah! A stinkin' rat-race!' Well, that may be true at times, but I choose to believe we are created for more than a stinkin' rat race!
I began running a few years ago. I run in 5k's from time to time. After a few, I realized it wasn't always the race that I enjoyed, but it was the feeling I had after I finished the race that I enjoyed most. The finishline was certainly always the best part! The run can be hard and exhausting, but it can also be life giving and invigorating. It can push the heart to pump harder and stronger like never before! I think the race of life can have some similarities.
JUST BREATHE....Those are the words I felt in my spirit last week as I began thinking about my life-race. The race He has set before me. Not necessarily the race I would have chosen for myself. Sometimes the race can be uncertain. The race can be challenging. The race can be exhausting. The race can be overwhelming. Other times, the race can be beautiful. The race can be exciting. The race can be adventurous. The race can be amazing. The race can be many things, so in that moment, God had to quickly remind me that one of the most important things no matter where I am in this race is, "JUST BREATHE."
I began to think, it's just like when I go for a morning run. If I can breathe right, then I can keep my endurance...Slow, deep breaths...Slow it down! Sometimes I have to force myself to slow my breathing down...I get to a place in my run and I begin to take quick short breaths. It's then that I almost get a feeling of panic as I try to keep up my pace.
It's the same in my spiritual race, my life-race, the race I was created to run and win! There are times, like this past Friday, when I begin to try to look ahead and figure out what the next part of the race is gonna be like...Is it gonna be uphill, downhill, curvy, straight, rocky or smooth??? Questions that I have no answers to. Questions and anxious thoughts that I have to let go of and let God because He promises in Psalm 32:8 "The Lord will guide you along the best pathway(race) for your life. I will advise and watch over you." This verse promises me that no matter what this race looks like ahead that God will be faithful to have a sign at every turn showing me which way to go. He will have water stations set up for me to revive me along the way. He will have people along the way to cheer me on and to give me the encouragement needed to keep going. Jesus will be my ultimate race guide because He has ran the race already.
My role in the race: throw aside the things slowing me down(old ways, old thoughts, relationships, social media, bad habits, time zappers, distractions...), pay attention to the signs at each turn and keep my eyes on Jesus(His Word in the Bible, open doors, closed doors), drink the water provided(His Holy Spirit living in me), receive the encouragement(from His Word, and good friends and family He puts on this race with me) and JUST BREATHE----take deep slow breaths, meditate on His goodness, be still before Him, choose to trust Him, have faith that He is with me. Choose to believe and fully realize that He is the author and finisher of my faith and this life-race. He is my strength, it is Him who I am to run like. He is the One I am to pattern my race after.
I am thankful that He created me for this race. God is so awesome that as my creator, He has given me everything needed to finish the race He has set before me. He has not set me up to fail, He has set me up to win! The same is true for you!
Just as Christ ran the race set before Him, we can run the race set before us. Each of us no doubt are created for our own unique race. Right now, the race may be uncertain, it may be exhausting, it may be uphill or it may be exciting, fun and you may be catching a second wind on the downhill...Whatever the race, we can fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our race...we can run and not grow weary because of His strength in us. We can choose to daily trust Him and obey whatever the race holds. We can run like Jesus. We can recognize those places along the way where God wants to show us something beautiful. The race of Jesus included death on the cross, then rising in victory defeating death, hell and the grave. Our race may include taking up our crosses and dying to some stuff too. I believe we will experience victories also.
He ran His race. He did it because He knew the joy that would be His afterward. He knew there was a great finishline ahead. He crossed that finishline and He SAT DOWN. His work is complete. He is sitting by God the Father JUST BREATHING...just waiting to hear the words, "ok, the race on earth is over...go get 'em." What a day that will be.
I pray I will see you that day. I pray we will be giving each other high-fives, and celebrating together across the finishline. There will be confetti, lots of confetti! There will be music, really loud music! There will be a celebration like no other. And there will be Jesus, sitting, resting, breathing deep, smiling BIG and I think He's gonna say, "Welcome home, I knew you would win your race!"
JUST BREATHE.

Camping at the Oasis

I'll begin with what has been a recurring theme in my life. An oasis has been provided for me and you. We just gotta hang in there sometimes and press on to get to it. In Exodus 15 we can find the passage God so often has used to speak to me. I remember the first time God spoke these words to me. It was through Dr. David Jeremiah. I was driving to South Hill, Va on my way to work early one morning. It was ten years ago now that I think back. Wow! Ten years! Sometimes I can be kinda stubborn and God has to keep telling me something over and over... This chapter begins with a song. Not just any song, it's a song of celebration! The children of Israel had just witnessed one of God's greatest miracles by crossing through the Red Sea on dry ground. Can we imagine that for a moment? They were having a pure throw down party with singing and dancing over God miraculously saving them! I would've been right behind Miriam with my tamborine dancing, singing and shouting too. The party lasted for a while but not long enough.... After celebrating for a while they had to continue on through the desert...How often do we stop our praise and thankfulness too soon also?...For three days, they traveled finding no water. By this time we can imagine how hot,  tired and grumpy everybody had become. Then finally they came to the waters of Marah. 'Aaahhh!,' I'm sure they thought, 'finally water!!!' Then to only be disappointed to find the water was unfit to drink. The water as the Bible says was "bitter". Marah actually means "bitter water". Sometimes life can be like that right? We get to a place where we think, 'Yay! Finally breakthrough, fresh water!', only to find that's not the case at all. Sometimes we can even become bitter. So, I think, the Israelites were really ticked off by now. Forgetting what God had just done, they began to complain against Moses and blame him as if it were all his fault. How many times do we try to blame everybody else when we come to our "bitter waters"? So, Moses, being the mighty man of God that he was, did what he knew so well to do...He cried out to God. He asked God what to do next. Wow! The lessons we can learn from Moses! Sometimes we gotta take a moment and just cry out to God. Nothing around us seems to be working out, there seems to be no "fresh water" nor sign of God's provision around and we gotta ask our great God what to do next. As Moses does this, God speaks to him. God shows Moses a log laying by the water and told him to throw it into the water. I'm sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense to me! A log, really? and just throw it into the water? Isn't that just like God sometimes? He might tell us to do something that, in our minds, it makes no sense whatsoever...we're reminded: His thoughts are not ours and His ways are not our own...Moses, again, being the man of God that he was, simply obeyed. He just did it. Sometimes we just gotta do it too! whether it makes sense or not, whether it seems logical or not. Just do it! When Moses did the unsensible thing of throwing the log into the water, something awesome happened. The water miraculously became "sweet" or good to drink. Can you imagine what the Israelites were thinking by now? They were probably like, 'are you stinkin kidding me? put a log in the water and now we can drink it! Who is this God Moses keeps talking to and getting these ideas from?' Their eyes were slowly beginning to open and see that God is much greater than they could ever fully understand. God is so good like that. I think sometimes He does things in such a way that we also have to say, "It was God, I got no other explanation for it!" He wants to open our eyes so we begin to know Him in ways like never before. Through simple, yet difficult at times, trust and obedience God can show Himself in ways that we will never fully understand. The next thing God does is so awesome to me. He reveals Himself as "God their Healer". God tells them that if they will trust and obey His ways, then they will not suffer the things they had just watched the Egyptians suffer just days and weeks before...."For I am the Lord who heals you." Man, that's good stuff! God revealed Himself as "Jehovah Rapha", the God who heals. Over the past ten years, I have needed and experienced healing like I never knew possible. I am still receiving His healing like I never knew possible. I believe that's why I love this passage so much, why it has become such a part of me. I think we can all agree thatthere has been and continues to be places in life where experience the "bitter water". I am so thankful that our God doen't allow our water to remain bitter. I am thankful that God allows us to experience the bitter waters of this life so He can show up in miraculous ways and make our bitter water sweet. I am also thankful for the "sweet waters" of this life. We  serve such a great God that He doesn't stop at being our healer. He continues to bless us more than we can imagine. The chapter ends with this verse, "Then they came to the oasis of Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters." God knows I love to go camping!!! and He knows I love to camp where there is plenty of water and underneath the palm trees!!! Oh my goodness! My God is so good to me! He is so good to you! When we choose to trust and obey Him, He takes us to places where He truly does give us the desires of our heart. He takes us to places in Him where we are fulfilled and content. He takes us to an oasis where we can find rest, be refreshed and become renewed. Get out your hammock, I'll meet you underneath the palm trees.