Praying for Patience...

"Oh no! Don't do that!"

"Do you know what your asking for?"

Well, I did it! On my way home the other night it was just me and God and I decided against the belief that we're not supposed to or that something terrible will happen when we do, I talked to God about this "patience" thing! And I straight out asked Him for it.

My words were something like, "God, I need some patience here so I'm just going to ask you for it! Please make me a patient person! Give me some patience! Please!!"

Well, what I felt Him speak into my spirit that night was pretty surprising to me and that's why I'm sharing this morning. I'm hoping it will shed some light on something I believe the enemy wants us to be afraid of and deny us of. Patience.

See, over the past several months I've been in a place where a longing to see hopes and dreams I had long ago set aside fulfilled has been rekindled. This is where the blogging gets a little difficult, ok? The bearing of my soul can be a little hard, but here we go God...

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick. but when dreams come true, there is life and joy." Proverbs 13:12

While I was taking a walk several months ago, I realized I had deferred the hope that I once had in several areas. One in particular. I was cool with not hoping to remarry, because it was just easier that way. But what God showed me that morning was that I really wasn't cool with it. Let me take a moment and say that God has blessed me and my girls more than I could ever, EVER imagine!! He is our everything and I pray He is always our number one man!!! Having said that, I also realize that it's okay to desire earthly companionship. Gosh, this is hard to talk about!  So, that morning He showed me that I had been "deferring a hope" in fear that He nor I was big enough to handle the timing or way the hope would be fulfilled. He's big enough, I just wanted to maintain control of my feelings and desires and "just not dream so big". In my desire to stay safe in my thoughts and things here on earth I had actually made a pretty little box for my awesome BIG God!

So, that morning I said something like, 'okay God, you're right. This is something I want, but I want it your way. Not my way! I've kinda messed it up my way before! Help me to wait on you and trust you again. Trust me again.'

Then there's also this desire to just be living in GA at "Our little piece of heaven", a small little farm on a dirt road. Just to be able to not have to go to Wal-mart and push pills. Just to be able to wake up, watch the sunrise, sit a bit, bask in His presence, listen a bit, write a bit, and make pancakes for my girls...and/or hubby (in his time of course!). To just chill. I don't think I'm the only one who prefers chill over crazy! See crazy came along the other week when  the carpet in my basement was found to be squishy with water. I mean a lot of water!  This is when that hope that had been deferred was revealed once again. Here I am up here in NC and the AC unit is pouring water into the next room and my daddy is in GA and a "hubby" is nowhere to be found!!! I was ready to sell the house and I was done with "the wait"! I was tired! I mean tired!

I've finally learned in those moments, God can still handle me when I get in what I call "a puddle", a puddle of my emotions and tears and anger and frustrations. I've learned to "cry it out" with Him and ask Him, "what's next?  You're the man of this house, what we gonna do now?  And I'm tired God, I'm kinda tired of doing this, taking care of this house without an earthly man." So, those were my words that night. I cried. He, in His goodness reminded me of the "ShopVac" I had bought years ago that would suck up water. I texted a friend. She called and prayed for me, offered her "hubby" to help. I declined and did what I had to do. Cleaned up the mess as best I could. Wiped off my tears and prayed my red eyes would go back to normal and went up stairs to my girls, leaving the dehumidifier to do the rest.

There are things in this life real things that cause us to become impatient! There are dreams and hopes that we allow to lie hidden and we ignore because, well, because it's been so long! It could be a longing for a baby, it could be a longing for a home of our own, it could be a desire for a wayward child or spouse to turn to Jesus, it could be the longing for a "hubby" or a "wifey", it could be the longing for a good job, or retirement, it could be the longing for heaven! There are so many things that we desire. There are so many things that simply don't happen on this earth when we want them to.

Those things require patience. Those hopes require being still and knowing He is God and we, we are not. Those dreams and desires require us to wait, wait, and wait some more.

So, that night when I decided no matter if it was okay or not to "pray for patience" and I asked God for patience, I heard Him respond in my spirit in a sweet, loving voice, 'You are patient.'  That's it. That was His response. 'You are patient.'

I was like, 'Wait, what?!'  Then I felt Him remind me that I've already been single and taking care of this home in NC for over ten years now (as if I needed that reminder). Surely, that requires some patience. And I began to thank Him for those years.

Then, here's the best part, I thought, 'Wait a minute, wait a stinkin minute! Patience is a fruit of the Spirit! It's in the "list" in the Bible! I began to say to the list, 'love, joy, peace, kindness, longsuffering, PATIENCE.... I was like, 'Yay!!! It's in there!'  That means it's something that is produced when I just stay connected  to  The Vine! I don't have to work for it! I don't have to pay for it! I just receive it and say, "Thank ya!"

It was like God showed me that it's kinda like a FedEx package has already been sent to my front door. It was part of the package sent to my address with my name on it when I first believed, but I just keep walking right past it, going inside and leaving it on my doorstep. It's only when I receive the package, the gift, open it and bring it inside that I begin to enjoy it's benefits.

The enemy wants us to stay blinded to the many gifts and fruits that have already been provided! He wants to keep us distracted from taking notice of the many packages sitting at our door addressed personally to us. If the enemy can keep us consumed with asking for things we already have then he will keep us from realizing we already have them, that they are ours and then using them effectively against him!

God has already provided. Through His Spirit and in Christ Jesus we have patience!!! I am patient! You are patient! God said it, not me! He gave it, not me!!! We have EVERYTHING in the "list"! We have to stop begging for or praying for something we have already been given. We got it! It's done. Jesus is sitting down, The Spirit abides in us. We are connected to the vine producing the fruit. Everything we need in this life to finish well, to run the race set before us, is at our doorstep, the door of our hearts. We have been given the patience to wait upon those things we hope for and the things we dream about. Open the door, stand in awe of all the gifts that are ours and be filled with the goodness of God and everything He has for us! It's a good day! It's a great life! He is a BIG BIG God!!!

Hope for it!!! Dream BIG!

Because sometimes we wait,
Lenée

Sometimes the Road is Long

And the Journey is hard...

I realized about an hour ago that 6 years ago today, August 10, 2010, I began writing the intro to what is now a book. My Book. Of my story. My journey. Me. Crazy! What a road! What a journey! To get here. Today.

I begin to think back to how I had gone back and forth with God and argued my point about as long as I could. For about a year or so every time I felt the nudge, or have the thought to write my story, I would tell Him over and over that I just couldn't do it. I couldn't put myself out there like that. How would people respond? What would they think? I just didn't want to tell my story. It would be okay. I didn't have to do all that!  I'm not even a writer for heaven's sake!!! Were some of my best arguments.

So, on a rainy day during my one on one camping time with just Jesus and me the thought arose and the nudge was felt once again, I gave up and gave in. But, not without making a deal with God first. I decided that as long as He would be my strength and give me the words, then I would do my best to be faithful to telling my story. To share with others the things in His Word that He had walked me through and was still yet walking me through. It has been one of the longest roads and hardest journeys yet. I sat there and I began to recall things that I didn't really want to recall...so that I could share my journey, in hopes that it would bring some hope to someone else's journey. It began to rain tears inside that little camper as I started writing about the things I had put off for so long. Today, I am so thankful to say that He stayed true to His promise to be my strength and give me the words as I poured my heart out before Him and now what is before many. And to throw it to the wind for Him to use for His glory. To know He is truly faithful through it all.


There have been other long roads and hard journeys along the way... I remember once sitting across from a friend of mine who began to share with me her journey of being a single mom. When she told me that she had been single for ten years, I thought to myself, oh, that will never be me. I don't think I can stay single that long. I'm pretty sure I thought in that moment I would remarry within three years even! Hahaha!!! I'm so thankful that didn't happen!!! Think of all the precious moments and adventures I might wouldv'e missed had that been the case! I'm thankful God has made this single mom thing beautiful in its time. Yes, there have been many hard moments along the journey and yes the road is long, but I can truly say my God and me are so much closer because He has been the One I have continued to rely upon. Yes, there are days I still long for the companionship of an earthly husband, but I remain thankful for the precious time I'm able to share with just me and my girls and Jesus, cherishing every moment.

I think that may be a big key to these long roads and hard journeys. Remain thankful in the midst of it all. 1 Thess 5:16-18 tells us, "Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."  Always look for the good and don't dwell on the bad. Be all you can be in the midst of it, relying on God to give you the grace He promises to be sufficient. Whatever you do, don't be afraid to hope and keep that hope even when everything around you tries to tell you its hopeless. Keep your hope in the One who has it all figured out!!! God knows I have sure tried to figure things out in the past and I still try to figure things out!!! I have to just remind myself, He's got it! Chill, Lenee! God's got this!

So wherever your road is taking you and no matter how hard the journey might be, I just want to remind you of what I was reminded of today. Our God is good and He is faithful. His Holy Spirit at work inside of us is able to do the exceendingly abundantly that we all hope for.

Luke 1:78-79 says it so well, "Because of God's tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."  

The Light from heaven has broken through to us now that Jesus has come and taken all of our junk, all of our long roads and hard journeys to the cross where He left them, where He suffered for them in our place.

Be encouraged! Don't give up!!! Keep going, just keep going! Keep believing! Keep hoping! He's able to strengthen us along the way! He's able to take us along the path of peace.

Because He loves us so,
Lenee

No Longer Mud...

But clay. Clay on the Potter's wheel.

I use to think I was just mud, now I know I just got a little muddy. I no longer believe I'm just mud, but through the grace of my God I now know and believe I'm clay on the wheel of a really great Potter.

As I took a long walk this morning, I began to think about the difference between mud and clay.

I came up with only one: purpose.

Mud lies in a rut on a dirt road. Clay is gathered from that same rut and sat on the potter's wheel and molded with a purpose.

I believe we're all clay instead of mud. The world would have us believe we're just mud. If we're all just mud then it doesn't matter does it? Our life has no purpose, we're just blowing in the wind. Just making it through one more day alive. The person beside us at work, our neighbors near us, our family, the person at the gas pump, the lady in line at the grocery store, the policeman down the street, the fireman around the corner, the friends we hang out with... none of their lives matter if we're all just mud.

But what if we are all clay? What if we have all been gathered and hand picked by an amazing Potter and placed upon his wheel to be molded and shaped into vessels with purpose? Great purpose. With a great Mastermind behind it all.

Then lives do matter. Words do count. Actions do make a difference.

So, today my words are short and simple. We are clay, not mud. Clay on the wheel and in the hands of a loving and faithful God who is molding each one of us into who he planned long ago for us to be. His vessels. Like Him. God is love. Let us choose to be love aslo.

If you're like me, you've been asking the question, "God, what's going on here? What can I do to make a difference since everything seems so out of hand?" I believe his answer to me was "love". Just love. Love the person that walks out of the same front door that I do and eats the food I buy. Love the person that walks out of the front door next to mine. Love the person that rings me up at the grocery store. Love the person that is in front of me with a hundred and fifty items to be rang up. Love the person who is pumping gas next to me. Love the persons in my life who may be a little more difficult to love. Love the person that yells at me today at work. Love the person beside me at work today. LOVE. Just love. Love any and everybody that happens to walk in my path today. And the next day and the next. Because they are not mud, they are clay. They have purpose, I have purpose, you have purpose. We all have purpose.

That love will look different for every circumstance and every person. When we take a moment and we ask God to show us how to love each and everyone then we choose love over hate and we win. God's purpose wins. Each and every time.

God is love. I believe that it's a good day to begin to be that same love to this hurting world we're placed in for only a short time. Be intentional about it. Take time to do it. LOVE. Just love.

Because He first loved me,
Lenee

Valley of Blessing

Sounds pretty awesome right?

A Valley of Blessing. That's no doubt where I want to be. I would think that's where most of us would like to be.

As I was getting ready yesterday morning, I put on some music. Some music I hadn't listened to in quite a while. It was a CD I had found in the car. It was a Marvin Sapp CD. Man, was it good! A song came on and it was on! The song talked about finding your place of worship. "Look into your pain and find your praise." I was reminded of a time in my life when I was going through a lot of pain and I would listen to the song over and over. I was reminded of how sometimes we really have to make a conscious decision and effort to find a place of worship and decide to look into our pain and find our praise. 

Then I get to church and what is the pastor talking about? How to fight the enemy through worship in story found in the Old Testament. I was like, "Ok God, I'm listening." 

We often associate the valleys of life as those not so good times. Those hard times we go through and rightly so. The mountain top we can see clearly, we can see what's coming over the horizon. We can see for miles ahead on a good day. The valley on the other hand, we can't see what's on the other side of the hill. We don't know what's coming until it has toppled over the ridge into our lives at any given moment. So what is it about the valley found in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, that makes it so different? What makes it a Valley of Blessing?

Worship. Worship makes the difference. Praise. Praise is the game changer.

This valley starts out in verse one of the chapter just like any other valley. There is a battle about to begin. War has been declared on King Jehosophat and the children of Israel. The situation is really bad because about three armies have come together and are already on their way to ambush them.

How many of us have found ourselves in valleys and to make matters even worse the enemy seems to continue to set up ambushes along the way? I've been there. It's no fun at all. Just when you stand up to try and catch a glimpse over the horizon something comes flying outta nowhere and smacks you right in the face. BAM!!! What in the world?! Where did that come from?! We have an enemy that never fights fair!

We may find ourselves in many different so called valleys of life. Sickness. Disease. Injuries. Divorce. Death. Job loss. Addiction... There are so many. We live in a fallen world. But, in John 16, I'll assure you with the words of Jesus, "But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Thank you Jesus!

By the end of the chapter this same valley where the battle begins has been named a "Valley of Blessing". So what happens in all those verses in between? At the beginning of the chapter war has been declared and ambushes have been set up and at the end of the chapter there are enemy dead bodies everywhere and King Jehosophat and his men are taking the plunder left behind. Good stuff too. I mean valuable stuff. All kinds of stuff. Equipment, clothing, and all kinds of valuables- more than they can carry!!! The Bible says it took them three days to collect it all!!! Now that's some stuff! That's some really really good stuff! And on the fourth day the Bible says they all gathered together and named the place the "Valley of Blessing" because the people praised and worshiped and thanked the LORD there.

So how do we turn our valleys of battles into valleys of blessings?

There's a few things the wise King Jehosophat did that we might can learn from.

He immediately sought the LORD for guidance. And he told everyone else to do the same. Wouldn't it be awesome if when the enemy comes at us we immediately turn to God for His plan and His ideas, telling our friends and family to do the same instead of asking everybody we know what we should do? Go to God first. Get his ideas first. Please know I am a huge advocate for counseling, I'm just saying, ask God first and not last.

He prayed in front of the people and declared that God was powerful and mighty and the ruler over all the kingdoms of the earth. Sometimes we have to stand in front of our children, our parents, our siblings, our friends and declare that God is all powerful, He is able to do awesome things in the midst of this ensuing army and battle waged against us. We have to declare that God's power is so much greater than anything else on this earth that would present itself against us. Remind ourselves and anyone else around us that our God is greater.

He reminded himself and the people of the awesome things God had done in the past and his promises for the future. That is so important for us to remember. There's a song that I would sing many times and the only line I know is, "And He'll do it again for you, He's the same now as then. You may not know how, you may not know when but He'll do it again." Take time when the enemy rares its ugly head and remind ourselves of what God has already done, where He has already taken us from and stand on the promises of His word to hear us and rescue us again and again.

He listened to the voice of God. One of the first things God said was, "Do not be afraid." He then went on to say in so many words, I got this! You're not even gonna have to fight! This is not your battle this is my battle and I will fight it for you. You just stand still! (Boy! Is that a hard one sometimes!) You just stand still and watch me do it! We must take everything in us, the faith given by God Himself, and stand in it. Stand on it. We have to make a conscious decision to trust God to fight for us. To stand still. To choose faith even when we are tempted  to fear because of everything we see with our natural eyes. Ask God to open our spiritual eyes, to see things from His perspective. Perspective changes everything!

He was obedient. God told him to get all the musicians and the singers and put them out in front of the army. In other words, "Get your praise on! Find your place of worship." And as crazy as that sounds, to lead an army into battle with the worshipers in the front instead of the swordsman, he did it. Jehosophat decided that it was best to trust God and do what He said rather than trust his own logic and battle stategy. Realize that God's strategy in battle is so much different than our own. Seek Him and His strategy first. Listen and trust it. Obey it. It may not make sense and it may be contrary to what we would think or believe to be the right thing, but make a conscious decision to obey and just do it.

He did the un-natural and God did the impossible. The worshipers went out in front of the army singing very loud and playing there instruments very loud. It totally freaked the enemy out!!! Wouldn't you love to freak the enemy out sometimes? Oh my goodness! I sure would! We gotta do things out of our natural way of thinking. And do them God's way and see what happens!! The enemy was so not expecting that battle plan and it totally messed them up! They began to turn on themselves and fought each other! They defeated their ownselves!!! See the enemy is already defeated, we just gotta trust God sometimes and allow His plan to remind the enemy of that! The battle was over and there were dead bodies all around. And they had not killed a single one!!! God is so good! He is able to do the impossible!

King Jehosophat gathered the plunder. He recognized that God had done an amazing thing that day and he brought the people together to take all the valuable things left behind by the enemy. He just took it up into his arms and said, "Thank you!" It took three days to pick it all up. On the fourth day, King Jehosophat named the place, "Valley of Blessing". Jesus stayed in the grave three days and I'm thinking right now that during that time He gathered it all up. He picked it all up. He gathered all things valuable. He gathered all the good stuff into His arms. He got it all. He didn't miss a thing. And when He finished He said, this is for you and me. It's because He has gathered it all that He can now give it all. Reach out, take it today. Healing is in His arms. Comfort is in His arms. Companionship is in His arms. Unconditional love is in His arms. Extravagant love is in His arms. Financial blessings is in His arms. Your children's future is in His arms. Salvation is in His arms. Freedom from addiction is in His arms. Mental health is in His arms. A new mind is in His arms. A new life is in His arms. Peace and wholeness is in His arms. It's all there. The Valley of Blessing is ours for the taking. Take it and just say, "Thank you Jesus!"

Because He lives,
Lenee

When Life is Puzzling...

This weekend my girls and I have been "snowed in"... I must admit I have enjoyed every minute of it! We have been able to do things we normally don't get to do. Like play dominoes. Like eat every meal at home. Like talk about the first chapter of a book we are reading as a family. Like sledding. Like watch TV. Like put together a puzzle...It has been great. Really great.

And so about that "puzzle time". I have to be "in the mood" for a puzzle. I have to be up to the challenge. And for you puzzle enthusiasts, don't get crazy- this was only a 60 piecer! I like to be able to take it out of the box, spread the pieces out and put it back together as soon as possible; therefore, I purchased a 60 piecer. And The Bible tells us to be faithful with the small, right?

After we completed the task of putting this puzzle together, we each had a sense of accomplishment. We were able to see the finished product, the beautiful picture that all the pieces together had made.

Since that moment, I've been thinking how life can be kinda puzzling at times. I thought back through the process of putting that puzzle together and here are some of my thoughts and conclusions.

The puzzle had a designer, a creator. This is the person who knew what the finished product would be and created that. This person was in charge of making the entire picture, then had to cut it into small pieces so that it would fit into the box, hence it becoming a puzzle.

I realized putting together the outter edges of the puzzle was the easiest part. Those pieces just kinda fell into place simply because of the way they were made, having the same straight edge.

Other pieces were a little more difficult to find where they belonged. I would search based on whether the outer edges matched up or not, sometimes that worked. Sometimes I would just try to put the piece into every open piece of the outer edge just to see if it would fit, kind of putting it together half-hazardly. But, when all else failed and I still couldn't figure out where it fit, I would pick up the box. I would look at the completed picture pasted to it and then I would be able to see where the piece fit in. Over and over we used one of these strategies, until the puzzle was put together. The picture was completed in its fullness and it was beautiful just like the picture on the outside of the box.

So how does this relate to you and me and this puzzle we call life?

You and I also have a Master Designer, a Creator. Standing outside of time, God, the One who thought of it all, looked into time and created beautiful ones to fulfill His purpose, His plan, to bring His heavenly Kingdom to this earthly place He desired to live in. He saw the entire picture, whole and completed and created that. With every thought, there was a new creation, a new creature. That would be me. That would be you.

Then we also had to enter this earth in a kind of box, if you will, that we call a baby, a newborn, a precious little one. A brand new life, a baby who just likes to cry and eat and poop. Really, that's all we know how to do at the time so who can blame us for just crying and eating and pooping?

But then we grow. The box gets opened and the pieces get scattered onto the table we call lifespan. We keep growing. The outer pieces of our puzzle start falling into place, little by little. The outer shell of the picture comes into sight.

Then, at some point we begin to realize there's a whole bunch of things inside of us that may still be a little scattered. There's something in us that begins to wonder how all the pieces we see fit together.

And then we realize that Our Master Designer put a piece in us that causes us to desire Him, His plan for the whole picture, His purposes. We either choose to put that piece where it belongs and choose to recognize Him as our Creator, our Master Designer, or we choose to ignore that most important piece and go on with trying to put the scattered pieces in their places ourselves, in our strength, with our own plans. When we choose the former, we trust the One who sees and knows the complete picture. When we choose the latter, we sadly begin to create a picture that we ourselves think is best, what we would call beautiful.

What I've come to trust and believe is that our Master Designer is good. He is a good, good God. And you and I are loved by Him. He is a really great Creator and His Designs are flawless in His hands when we allow Him to carefully place each piece of our puzzled where they belong. But too often we try to pick up the pieces ourselves and we panic when we can't find where they belong. We have to sometimes daily, moment by moment even, remind ourselves that when we trust our Creator to put the pieces together that He isn't just half-hazardly checking to see where our gifts and talents, our desires, our life events and circumstances even, fit into this earthly existence; but He is looking at the entire picture. He is looking at His completed work, His plan and purpose fulfilled. He is still thinking that thought from the beginning of time and sees it in its fullness. He knows exactly where every piece fits into His beautiful creation.

I talk about this today and I don't know what your puzzle may look like. I don't know what pieces may have already beautifully found their places, giving you a small glimpse of who you are in His eyes. And I don't know the piece you may be holding up to heaven, looking at all the edges trying to figure out where it might fit in, or even questioning whether it was supposed to be a part of your puzzle or not. I simply sit here with the hope that we will lay the piece down and stop trying to figure its place out for ourselves thus putting our soul into a state of panic. We will choose to trust Him and to wait on Him and believe that He will make it all fit together. To know that He is looking at His beautiful masterpiece, even when we see scattered pieces of a big puzzle. And to believe that He is making all things beautiful in its time.

Choose to trust Him. Choose to know Him. Choose to believe Him and His infinite plan. Choose to lay that piece down that brings confusion, lay down that piece that came out of nowhere. Lay down that piece you want to throw away into the abyss. Lay down the piece you don't even like to hold onto. Lay it down. Just lay it down. Because when you do; when I do; the Master Designer can pick it up. He can put it in its place. He can make it fit into the beautiful picture He saw before time began, the beautiful thought that was on His mind when He created you. When He created me. That is my prayer and hope for you and me today.

Trusting in the Master Designer, My Creator, the Great Puzzle Solver,
Lenee

2016...A Time For Everything...

Words I read the first morning of  2016 were from Ecclesiastes 3... As I went to pick up my Bible that morning, I just thought, Ecclesiastes 3, so I turned there and began to read...

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
What do people really get for all their hard work? I have thought about this in connection with the various kinds of work God has given people to do. God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end....
And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God's purpose in this is that people should fear him."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11&14

I've thought of these verses for several days now...wondered how to settle them in my heart for 2016...there's a few things that stuck out to me...

1. There is time and there are seasons. Time spans and seasons change. I want to be able to recognize God's time and when he changes my season...Walk in grace through those season changes and be able to, by His Spirit, let go of the old season and embrace the new one with peace, joy and excitement. That can be kinda hard when I'm uncertain of the season.

2. With that said, I must choose to trust my God. I need to trust him to make everything beautiful for its own time. No matter what it may look like today or tomorrow or the next, continue to stand on his promise to make it beautiful for my good and ultimately for his glory.

3. I, no matter how hard I try, nor how bad I desire it, cannot and will not ever see on this side of heaven the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. But, I know he does. He sees it. He knows. He holds it. Every bit of it. And he is good. He is good at his job and his work can be trusted.

4. His work was finished in the resurrection of my Jesus, my Redeemer. I can never add to it nor take away from it. "It is finished," were the words uttered by my Savior when he died on that cross and he totally meant those words with everything in him. He requires nothing from me, but belief in him and his work completed on the cross that day. It is by his complete and total work that I am saved and I come to him empty handed, and he fills my empty hands with everything good.

5. I am to fear my good God. I should not get confused with the spirit of fear and the spirit of overwhelming awe, respect, glory and reverance due my eternal God. I should not take his goodness and his choosing to have a personal relationship with me lightly nor pretend for one second that I ever did anything to deserve his presence, his audience and our relationship. I will continue to stand in awe and wonder of how he knows me best, yet loves me most.

Those are just a few of my thoughts and I'm hoping you have a few of your own. Conclusions to settle in your heart and challenges to pursue for the new year we have begun...

2016...there's a lot of things I don't know about you...there's a lot of things I'd like to ask of you...you will be a span of time and seasons of change...and my good God will take me through it all...I don't know much about you right now so I'll just choose to trust the One who does...I choose to believe no matter what you hold and no matter what time I find myself in nor what season is upon me there will be sweet fruit. There will be peace beyond understanding and my paths will be made straight...

Be blessed in the time and seasons set before us - 2016 - He sees it all,
Lenee