Is it just me? Am I the only one who sometimes feels like a 5 year old - crying to not have wait for what I want NOW, trying to convince God to IMMEDIATELY pick me up, telling me "yes, you can have what you want, and yes, I'll do exactly what it is you think you need me to, and right now"?
Realizing I'm waaaaay more than 5, and that God will no more do that than I would have to my own 5 year old is both embarrassing (that I behave/think that way sometimes), and also a relief (that He loves me too much to give in on what's not HIS best for me)...
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
It doesn't mean the waiting and discipline is fun, or even any easier, but it does mean we can trust Him
Isaiah 26:3 - "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
When you are His you are:
Marked - having a distinctive or emphasized character; a banner, a dividing line, a border around...
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were MARKED in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit - Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
Sealed - evidence of authenticity; insuring that the contents have not been altered...
"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were SEALED with the promised Holy Spirit" - Ephesians 1:13 (ESV)
Identified - to cause to be or become identical; to be or become the same; claimed as known by or belonging to another...
"And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he IDENTIFIED you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago" - Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)
Have the kind of week that leaves no one around you in doubt, that you KNOW without a doubt, that you belong to THAT kind of God!
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
Marked - having a distinctive or emphasized character; a banner, a dividing line, a border around...
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were MARKED in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit - Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
Sealed - evidence of authenticity; insuring that the contents have not been altered...
"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were SEALED with the promised Holy Spirit" - Ephesians 1:13 (ESV)
Identified - to cause to be or become identical; to be or become the same; claimed as known by or belonging to another...
"And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he IDENTIFIED you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago" - Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)
Have the kind of week that leaves no one around you in doubt, that you KNOW without a doubt, that you belong to THAT kind of God!
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
Sunday, May 18, 2014
A thread in time...
Some down time this morning has me reflecting on a thread. A thread that I and some friends all seem to be traveling through life tethered to lately. A thread the weaves itself around and within all our paths circumstances. The kind of "similar" that shouldn't be ignored. The kind that leaves no doubt something very specific is happening. And obvious "something" that is somehow linking us together in some deeper way we have yet to see or can't begin to know.
Same lessons to learn? Same lessons to teach? I'm sure that's part of it, but not the full of it.
Maybe the outcomes won't be alike, but the journeys sure are - that much is VERY evident at the moment :)
I hope I'll get at least a small glimpse of the bigger picture God is surely painting, using each of our "colors" to blend the one tiny area on His canvas we exist on into all the others... after all, the picture isn't complete without our part in it is it?
praying eyes and ears open :)
Joyful on the journey,
Marisa
Same lessons to learn? Same lessons to teach? I'm sure that's part of it, but not the full of it.
Maybe the outcomes won't be alike, but the journeys sure are - that much is VERY evident at the moment :)
I hope I'll get at least a small glimpse of the bigger picture God is surely painting, using each of our "colors" to blend the one tiny area on His canvas we exist on into all the others... after all, the picture isn't complete without our part in it is it?
praying eyes and ears open :)
Joyful on the journey,
Marisa
Monday, May 5, 2014
Roll With It...
Mondays have a life of their own sometimes it seems - instead of trying to beat it into submission, lets decide here and now to just let God handle all that mess & we'll just roll with the punches ;)
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Ready...
"If Jesus backs you into a corner, it's to set you free. He's holding you down long enough to snap that trap you're in." - Beth Moore
ready to hear the sound of the chains breaking... ready to stop wrestling... ready to shake off the bindings... ready to breathe in deep, and finally exhale just as deeply...
Awaiting a breaking - and so ready for it,
Marisa
ready to hear the sound of the chains breaking... ready to stop wrestling... ready to shake off the bindings... ready to breathe in deep, and finally exhale just as deeply...
Awaiting a breaking - and so ready for it,
Marisa
Monday, April 21, 2014
Monday Morning Musing...
What did we leave our bed, our car, and our house, believing this morning? That the day was defeated already, or that an adventure just may await us?
If God was thinking of us when He created the world, then He was most assuredly thinking of us before this Monday morning began too!
Having faith that He faces whatever the day brings with us isn't entirely accurate - He also faced it BEFORE it reached us. In its very design.
So instead of straining blindly against the things that try to trip us up, sticking to us and causing us to panic - as if we just walked through spider webs - we need simply to let His love and plan for the day wrap around us like the very air we walk through - clinging to us on all sides, above and below, in front and behind.
We bump into the things the enemy throws up in our path, yes. BUT all within the very day GOD created.
Don't hand over the day to the enemy - walk freely in with the Creator!
Have a victorious week!
If God was thinking of us when He created the world, then He was most assuredly thinking of us before this Monday morning began too!
Having faith that He faces whatever the day brings with us isn't entirely accurate - He also faced it BEFORE it reached us. In its very design.
So instead of straining blindly against the things that try to trip us up, sticking to us and causing us to panic - as if we just walked through spider webs - we need simply to let His love and plan for the day wrap around us like the very air we walk through - clinging to us on all sides, above and below, in front and behind.
We bump into the things the enemy throws up in our path, yes. BUT all within the very day GOD created.
Don't hand over the day to the enemy - walk freely in with the Creator!
Have a victorious week!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
A Monday Expirament
As we begin and move through this week, how about we attempt something that may feel like it could give many a panic attack... trusting God with everything in it.
Eeeekkk! I just heard a collective gasping for air by some at the mere thought.
Yes, there are things that we all must put on our to do list, things and people we are responsible to and for. But what would happen if we let God choose some things on our list? And what if we - dare I even type it - Let Him CHANGE some of the items too as we go?!
Does leaving room for Him to handle your list sound dangerous?
I think it does too a little. But...
Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Jeremiah 17:7
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Now imagine the thrill around the corner, the 'unexpected' that He's in charge of and has created. Don't you also feel a little excitement at the thought of actually moving freely about your day in Him and His perfect plans?!
Me too :)
Marisa
Eeeekkk! I just heard a collective gasping for air by some at the mere thought.
Yes, there are things that we all must put on our to do list, things and people we are responsible to and for. But what would happen if we let God choose some things on our list? And what if we - dare I even type it - Let Him CHANGE some of the items too as we go?!
Does leaving room for Him to handle your list sound dangerous?
I think it does too a little. But...
Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Jeremiah 17:7
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Now imagine the thrill around the corner, the 'unexpected' that He's in charge of and has created. Don't you also feel a little excitement at the thought of actually moving freely about your day in Him and His perfect plans?!
Me too :)
Marisa
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
I'm Branded with Love
"From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."
~ Galatians 6:17
And here, simply, is what God has so sweetly poured over me in His presence as I did...
I am a new creation - I am eternally protected, loved beyond measure, made righteous, forgiven, and I inherit heaven... I can forgive, let go, walk in truth and favor, and move ahead bold and confident... I stand in the shadow of the cross of Christ with His wounds flowing down over me, branding me as His - the world can not reclaim me, I am slave to nothing but Jesus - truly, what can any one do to me that my God doesn't make right in the end
Celebrate who you are in HIM today, celebrate who HE is today!
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Time for Something Different?
The drive thru window was dressed in red and green and looked quite joyful, but the attendant was really distracted, even abrupt as I waited on the coffee I ordered.
So I said, trying to strike up a conversation to see what might be wrong, ..."are you excited about Christmas?" Her reply went something like this - "Excited??? I have so much shopping to do, I am so not ready, I need more time, more money, and someone to help with it all, I am just ready for it to be over with".
I looked at her face. The eyes that darted back and forth. Her downturned mouth. Her countenance showed me she really meant what she said.
So I suggested something... "Then just don't shop this year."
She looked at me like I was on crack.
"What? What do you mean? I cant do that!"
"But why?" I asked.
"Because! I mean, everyone expects to get presents!"
I said "Well sure, little ones do, but the older ones and adults in your life - they're old enough to understand it's not about them at all, right? That its about being together, being thankful, about celebrating the birth of Christ. What if you just decorated, watched some Christmas specials together, cooked a big dinner together, and found a new tradition?"
She blinked several times then said "What do you mean? I don't get it".
I told her that we do gifts for our kids, but that the adult siblings/family members, etc stopped exchanging gifts a long time ago. And that my husband and I never have really - we just decided when we got married to make that for the kids and to either plan a getaway together or get something for the house we needed as a present to one another. No stress, no pressure, and that our Christmases had been peaceful ever since. I shared that we find Christmasy activities to do around town together, watch certain specials, go look at lights, find somewhere to give a little of our time and money to, decorate, go to church Christmas Eve services, have a family Christmas Day dinner, etc... but that all the stressful things had purposefully been removed years ago.
"What if you did that?" I asked her.
She stammered out "well, I just, I don't, I can't... what would they all think?"
I said "You may be surprised at how grateful they all are that someone finally put an end to all the craziness, and may decide you just gave them the best gift or all".
She was still blinking and looking at me like I had three heads when I pulled away. I don't know if she'll consider it. I hope she does.
There's nothing wrong with gifts and the like, not at all. It can be a joy to give things, it should be! But when that becomes a source of stress, of making you uncomfortable, becomes a financial hardship, or just takes any joy and focus away from the reason for Christmas at all - its time to reconsider.
My friend Brad blogged the other day that Christmas was really all about us - in the sense that Jesus put on flesh and left Heaven FOR us. But that's the ONLY way it's about us.
To be honest - there are only a few actual gifts I still remember getting as a kid with great clarity. The year I got an easy bake oven, the year I got my record player (yes, I'm old enough to have gotten a turn table), and my first ten speed bike and skateboard.
The things I remember most are the trees, Dad playing Candy-land with me over and over by the tree and never complaining when I asked for one more time, the homemade fudge and candy, the lights around the city we went searching for in the car each year to see who had the best ones, the nativities, and that it took way more years than it should have for me to put 2 and 2 together that my Dad was never at home when "santa" called me every Christmas Eve.
I hate for anyone to "just be ready for it to be over with"... slow down, relish what Christmas is and what it actually could be for you and those you love. A time of joy, love, and peace on earth - even if just for one day
I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases!
So I said, trying to strike up a conversation to see what might be wrong, ..."are you excited about Christmas?" Her reply went something like this - "Excited??? I have so much shopping to do, I am so not ready, I need more time, more money, and someone to help with it all, I am just ready for it to be over with".
I looked at her face. The eyes that darted back and forth. Her downturned mouth. Her countenance showed me she really meant what she said.
So I suggested something... "Then just don't shop this year."
She looked at me like I was on crack.
"What? What do you mean? I cant do that!"
"But why?" I asked.
"Because! I mean, everyone expects to get presents!"
I said "Well sure, little ones do, but the older ones and adults in your life - they're old enough to understand it's not about them at all, right? That its about being together, being thankful, about celebrating the birth of Christ. What if you just decorated, watched some Christmas specials together, cooked a big dinner together, and found a new tradition?"
She blinked several times then said "What do you mean? I don't get it".
I told her that we do gifts for our kids, but that the adult siblings/family members, etc stopped exchanging gifts a long time ago. And that my husband and I never have really - we just decided when we got married to make that for the kids and to either plan a getaway together or get something for the house we needed as a present to one another. No stress, no pressure, and that our Christmases had been peaceful ever since. I shared that we find Christmasy activities to do around town together, watch certain specials, go look at lights, find somewhere to give a little of our time and money to, decorate, go to church Christmas Eve services, have a family Christmas Day dinner, etc... but that all the stressful things had purposefully been removed years ago.
"What if you did that?" I asked her.
She stammered out "well, I just, I don't, I can't... what would they all think?"
I said "You may be surprised at how grateful they all are that someone finally put an end to all the craziness, and may decide you just gave them the best gift or all".
She was still blinking and looking at me like I had three heads when I pulled away. I don't know if she'll consider it. I hope she does.
There's nothing wrong with gifts and the like, not at all. It can be a joy to give things, it should be! But when that becomes a source of stress, of making you uncomfortable, becomes a financial hardship, or just takes any joy and focus away from the reason for Christmas at all - its time to reconsider.
My friend Brad blogged the other day that Christmas was really all about us - in the sense that Jesus put on flesh and left Heaven FOR us. But that's the ONLY way it's about us.
To be honest - there are only a few actual gifts I still remember getting as a kid with great clarity. The year I got an easy bake oven, the year I got my record player (yes, I'm old enough to have gotten a turn table), and my first ten speed bike and skateboard.
The things I remember most are the trees, Dad playing Candy-land with me over and over by the tree and never complaining when I asked for one more time, the homemade fudge and candy, the lights around the city we went searching for in the car each year to see who had the best ones, the nativities, and that it took way more years than it should have for me to put 2 and 2 together that my Dad was never at home when "santa" called me every Christmas Eve.
I hate for anyone to "just be ready for it to be over with"... slow down, relish what Christmas is and what it actually could be for you and those you love. A time of joy, love, and peace on earth - even if just for one day
I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases!
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
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