Psalm 40: 1-3

"I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the Lord."

I caught something this morning when I read this familar psalm and I wanted to share it with you. Notice with me that God lifts us from the pit of despair and sets us on solid ground. But also notice - He has to steady us after we get there!! Isn't that interesting?

I know that after my Mother went to be with the Lord I felt unsteady. I felt like the ground I walked on was shifting beneath my feet. The constant in any child's life - and I guess it doesn't matter the age - is your parents. With both mine gone in such a short space of time, I guess that's why my eyes tarried on the fact that He steadies us on solid ground.

There are many things that pull us, throw us or cause to be in a pit of despair. Some of us just jump in and others are blindsided by it but the pit is deep and dark and full of mire that causes our feet to be stuck with quicksand-like mud that makes walking difficult. Maybe - like me - you have been in that pit for so long that you have gotten used to walking with mud on your feet and as it begins to fall off you need a steady hand to help you walk again. That's what God is telling us. He will pull us out. He will set us out. He will clean us out. It's all about Him. He's the Savior. He's the pit-rescuer, foot-steadier and song-giver. And when it's all said and done - He will get the glory.

I'm just taking some baby steps outside the pit. I need that strong right arm to uphold me. I need the lifter of my head to point me to the Sonshine. And may I just add this to the sore of heart today. I don't know that I even cried out to Him. I was so deep in my pit of grief that I didn't care to leave it. I think He just wooed me with the light to raise my head just enough to see the hand He offered to me.

Beloved, He is the lover of your soul. He not only knows where your pit is, He is already there to facilitate your rescue. A new song awaits you. A steady road is ahead. Wait patiently for the Lord. He is the fulfiller of all He has said. And when it is all said and done - others will come to know Him because of your rescue.

Watching Jesus

Each year I attempt to do something different in my quiet time and this year I changed my Read-Through-the Bible in a year from a chronological to an OT/NT/Psalm/Proverb. I am really enjoying it because I am usually DYING to get to Jesus by late September! That's a good place to be but I'm really enjoying getting a dose of Him everyday in my reading. :)

One of the things I particularly enjoy about reading God's word is 'watching' Jesus. Not just reading the words but watching what He does and what He doesn't do that I think I might have done. Just this morning...He went up to pray early and the disciples came and said, "All these people are here looking for you." And He said, "It's time to move on." He didn't base His plans on what others wanted of Him but on His Father's business. Too often I base mine on the wants of others thinking surely that's His will.

Just this morning.....the friends of the paralyzed man dropped him through the roof for healing and Jesus forgave his sins. Something I noticed was the friends of the paralyzed man were unable to get to Jesus except through the roof. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were on the front row ready to criticize Jesus for forgiving and not healing. So Jesus did both - forgave him and healed him. The paralyzed was ecstatic and the Pharisees were madder than hornets.

Goes to show....you can't always please people and you shouldn't try. Jesus went about His Father's business. He strove to please an audience of One. Even the most religious misjudged Him, labelled Him and sought to kill Him but He shook the dust from His sandals and kept moving. However, He never stopped loving and He never stopped ministering.

I like to watch Jesus. He shows me up when I watch Him do something and I think, "I would have done that differently." That is a heads-up to realign my life to His. Nowhere in scripture do we see Jesus fretting about people's perception of Him. Isn't that interesting? Because we are acutely aware and bothered by how we are perceived by others.....and yet, how about how God perceives us? That was Jesus' number one priority - to be a God-pleaser.

Watch Jesus as you read your Bible this week. Watch to see what He does and what He doesn't do. Ask yourself, "what would I have done?" And begin to realign your life to His ways. Break free from the confines of the dictates of man (and that 'man' might be YOU!) and walk with Jesus.

Have an adventurous and free week!

CHANGE! CHANGE! CHANGE!

My sister and her husband finally got moved last week! They left their log home of eleven years on ten acres in the countryside of Greenville. They sold every stick of furniture in said house including one horse, three dogs and two cats and moved to a townhouse a stone's throw from George Bush Turnpike in Garland. They are beside themselves. So excited to be closer to work and school, to have high speed internet connection (vs. dial-up, can anyone relate?) and no - read this NO - maintenance on the outside of their townhouse. No yard work, no painting, no repairs - PERIOD. They are also buying all NEW furniture and decor after 20 plus years of hunter-green-striped livingroom furniture and hand-me-downs. Oh my yes, they are thrilled to death.

Isn't it interesting how we bemoan change unless we are the ones who initiate it? How many times do we say we don't 'like' change? Yet that's really not true. It's change that we don't initiate that bothers us. Why is that? Oh yea, it's because we like to change things that 'we' think will make our lives better, easier, more comfortable, more convenient, etc. And how many times do we really know best?

So what we're really saying is we think we know better than God does what is best for us. "Please let us arrange the changes in our life God because YOU are making us uncomfortable."

Our country is in a MOST UNCOMFORTABLE period of change right now. Many reading this are hurting from unemployment, loss of income, illness or grief and the discomfort of those changes are real and they are painful. No denying it. Just like there is no denying that my sister's life is made better by the changes they have made. So change is not always a bad thing. It's just a different thing. And different requires change on our parts. Change of attitude and change of vision.

Growing older is a change that I am beginning to appreciate. Oh I don't appreciate the aches and pains, lack of strength and effects of gravity, but I do appreciate the wisdom that comes from living longer. I have lived long enough to know that God is faithful in my troubles. I have lived long enough to know that even the changes I didn't want, see or thought would kill me are used by Him for my good and His glory. I have lived long enough to know that He is more interested in my character than my happiness. I have lived long enough to know that He is molding me into the image of His Son and He uses my circumstances to accomplish that. I have lived long enough to know that this life is not all there is and I would be better served to prepare more for the next one than this one.

I'm really, really excited for my sister. I anticipate this move will make her life simpler and allow her more time to do the things she loves. I have the same prayer for you and me. Wherever you are today - it is a time of change that God is using to make you like Jesus. And that is a good change. The mold itself may be a painful one. The pruning tool may be sharp and cutting deep, but the result will be beautiful for He is the master gardener.

Already February?!

I can't believe we are already into the second month of 2009. This year has already been met for my family with sorrow. Many of you are dealing with challenges and heartaches too. Having a prayer chain for the last ten years via the internet has been an 'in your face' reminder that life is all about seasons. We all have times of trouble and times of joy. God is gracious to blend the two.

I made a german chocolate cake from scratch this weekend. It was my mom's recipe and one that she always made for my uncle - her baby brother - on his birthday each year. And it just so happened that his birthday was the day after her funeral. I thought it would be a way to 'attempt' to repay him for all the wonderful and kind things he had done for my mother through the years.

The recipe was different from anything I had done before. Several ingredients had to be mixed separately and then combined. Dry by themselves. Shortening and sugar by themselves. Wet with dry. Then the egg whites had to be stiffly beaten and folded in. It was a lot of trouble but it was a GREAT cake. Three layers high and topped with an icing of coconut and pecans. I remembered as I stacked those layers how my mother would put toothpicks in between the layers to keep them straight and to avoid their sliding around after the icing was on. It reminded me of life.

God goes to a lot of trouble to blend just the right amount of joy and sorrow into a life. Not too much to make us frivolous or melancholy but enough to make us grateful for the times of goodness and compassionate in times of trouble. He is the toothpick between the layers of troubles to keep us from sliding away under the weight of our cares and He is the icing of sweetness who makes life worth living. In His eyes, the effort is worth the cost and time and trouble because we are being molded into the image of His Son.

We're early into the year and it looks like it will be a challenging one from all predictions. Savor the sweetness. Look back and see how far you've come. Look ahead and know that your destination is sure. My individual ingredients weren't appealing, my kitchen was a mess, but man oh man the outcome was great. Same is true for us.

"O taste and see that that the Lord is good."