In Other Words Tuesday

This is such a terrific quote. I found myself thinking a lot over the last few days about these words and wondering what IS passionate wholehearted love for God? I don't really have the words to answer that question. I feel like I KNOW that wholehearted type of love when I see it, I am blessed to know many people who have that type of love for God. So I got to thinking about the flip side of this; what does it look like to NOT have "passionate whole hearted love" for God?



I DO know what that looks like. I started to type "Unfortunately" at the beginning of the sentence and quit because truthfully, it's all been part of my growth. I've always KNOWN about God but it's only been the last 12 or so years that I sought out and found my relationship with my Lord. And that relationship has evolved significantly over that time. There was a pretty significant amount of time when I did "read the Bible, attend church, and avoid 'big sins" and I most absolutely was NOT passionately whole heartedly in love with God. A lot of that time, I was plumb miserable. And I knew it. I KNEW that there had to be more to my relationship with the Lord than what I was experiencing. I didn't know how to get it. And believe me, I TRIED. And there's the crux of the matter, I tried.

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 Did you catch that? HE gives us love. Our love comes from Him. I don't MAKE it happen, it doesn't matter how hard I TRY. Love comes from God. When I finally completely surrendered my life to Christ, when I admitted that I couldn't do it, God infused me with love.

I know I'm not doing my experience justice with words. What it basically boils down to is, I can't MAKE myself love God. (And you can't either!). God provides that whole-hearted passionate love. In my case, reading the Bible, attending church, and avoiding the "big sins" laid the groundwork but they were certainly NOT passionate whole-hearted love for Christ. In opening my heart fully to the Lord, not only did I begin to love God whole-heartedly but I truly began to realize and feel God's love for me.

One last part of the quote I want to address. The phrase "big sins". In the eyes of God, sin is sin is sin. 21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment (Matthew 5:21, 22). Anger and murder are the same in God's eyes. Sin is sin is sin.

Debbie at Heart Choices is hosting In Other Words Tuesday today. Check out what she and others had to share about these great quotes.

IOW Tuesday - June 23, 2009

“There was a time when [you fill in] defined my life and left me physically void, cocooned in a prison of fear. It stole my every hope and dream. But God’s love and His Word set my heart free. I learned that within the confines of God’s story, nothing had been stolen from me, rather everything was given to me. My life, which felt so out of control, was in reality in complete control – God’s control.”
~ Wendy Blight Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story

“There was a time when depression and guilt over bad choices defined my life and left me physically void, cocooned in a prison of fear. It stole my every hope and dream."

I've known about God my whole life but coming into relationship and walking with the Lord were steps I made in my more adult life. Prior to that I was a reckless college kid making the bad choices reckless college kids sometimes make, finding myself in situations that were not healthy or appropriate. And I regretted a lot of those choices for a long time, thinking that surely they had somehow marked me for life. I was often bringing the same situation to God and asking for forgiveness. The first time I ever heard God speak to me was related to this very situation! I was, once again, asking God "How often do I need to seek forgiveness before I feel this burden lifted?" and God spoke into my heart, VERY clearly "How often do you want to keep bringing this up?". I WAS forgiven. The FIRST time I went to God with a repentant heart, He forgave me. “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” Acts 13:38

Depression was another story. I’ve struggled with depression off and on my entire adult life. The summer that Kayleigh was born, I remember being so discouraged I had our two boys, and this beautiful baby girl, and I was overwhelmed. One day, I just laid on my face before the Lord and said “I can NOT do this on my own. Help me!” And God picked me up, set me back on my feet and said “I’ve been waiting for you to admit you needed help.” “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

Don’t get me wrong. Things have not been perfect since then. I still occasionally struggle with feeling depressed. I still have to remind myself that God forgives my repentant heart. But one of the things I found VERY encouraging as I pondered this quote; my life is not defined by the loss of Seth. Oh, I miss him greatly. However, I look forward to seeing him in Heaven and as long as I have that hope, he is NOT lost to us. That’s my point. I have hope in something greater. My life is not defined by me, my shortcomings, my failures, my weak areas. My life is defined by the One who created me. For one thing, the examples I mentioned above (and other incidences in my life I have yet to mention) ultimately served to bring me closer to God. It can be said that I am deeper in relationship with the Lord BECAUSE of the very same negative things I used to believe defined me.

“But God’s love and His Word set my heart free. I learned that within the confines of God’s story, nothing had been stolen from me, rather everything was given to me. My life, which felt so out of control, was in reality in complete control – God’s control.”

I am so grateful.

Loni did an AMAZING write up and review of this book. Head on over to Writing Canvas to see what she and others had to say about this quote.

IOW Tuesday - June 16, 2009

I'm late getting to In Other Words Tuesday. (Yeah, big surprise). I wasn't sure I was going to do it. I'm sad today. Of course, that doesn't make today much different from a lot of days.

I've been wondering lately, if I'm just going to be sad for the rest of my life. I find myself thinking "Where is God in all this? Where is MY joy?" But here is what I KNOW to be true. Jesus loves me. "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." (Psalm 9:10). The Lord will not forsake me, I just keep turning to Him.

In spite of my sadness, I DO have peace in my soul. I do occasionally question that. I question my faith. I often get hung up on my FEELINGS. When this happens, I try to remind myself of what is Truth. When Seth's loss was fresher, I would chant to myself, out loud, almost as if it was a "mantra", usually in my vehicle; "God is good, He loves me, He is Enough," over and over. For even when I do NOT FEEL it, I KNOW that to be true.

I just keep pressing in to Christ.

“In trouble then and fear I sought

The Man who taught in Galilee;

And peace unto my soul was brought,

All my faith came back to me.”

~ Anonymous

Head over to Shortybears Place and see what Denise and others have to say about this quote.

In Other Words Tuesday

Once again, I am a day late and a dollar short for In Other Words Tuesday. But I REALLY didn't want to let this one go by.. Just in case you can't read the quote above:

“What I believe is so magnificent, so glorious, that it is beyond finite comprehension. To believe that the universe was created by a purposeful, benign Creator is one thing. To believe that this Creator took on human vesture, accepted death and mortality, was tempted, betrayed, broken, and all for love of us, defies reason. It is so wild that it terrifies some Christians who try to dogmatize their fear by lashing out at other Christians, because tidy Christianity with all answers given is easier than one which reaches out to the wild wonder of God’s love, a love we don’t even have to earn.” ~Madeline L'engle

So, in case you haven' t figured it out, I believe what is stated above. And yes, I have a very hard time wrapping my brain around all of the implications in that statement. I KNOW that God loves us. I KNOW that by His Grace that is GIVEN to us, I don't have to earn it. All God desires is relationship with us. And it IS terrifying.

One of the main themes on my blog lately has been trusting in God. How can I NOT trust a God who "took on human vesture, accepted death and mortality, was tempted, betrayed, broken, and all for love of us"? I mean, seriously, if God is willing to go through all of that, hasn't he already illustrated that he has my BEST at heart? Lots of people get hung up on tragedy. If God is so good and loves us so much, why do babies die, people get cancer, etc. Honestly, I don't have a pat answer for that. I wish I did! I know that question can be a huge stumbling block for some. I struggle myself recently. Honestly, I occasionally struggled before losing Seth.

I think about how much I love my children. I would do anything for them. And that love, overwhelming as it can be, doesn't even compare to the love God has for me. However, negative things do happen to my children. I can not protect them from every hurt & injury in the world. I don't know that I would want to if I could. When Kayleigh runs the water until it's hot and sticks her finger under it, and it hurts, she learns not to do it next time. And she learns to trust me when I say, "Don't do that". The fact that a negative has happened, doesn't diminish my love for her..

The negatives in my life don't diminish the fact that God loves me. The truth is I live in a fallen world. Sin exists here. Bad things happen. And God loves me. He proves it by sending His only Son to take on human form, and die for me. For ME. For YOU. Really, what more do we need?

To get other people's take on this quote, visit Patricia at Typing One Handed.

In Other Words Tuesday - Answered Prayers?

Well, today is Tuesday and that means time for "In Other Words: Tuesday". Today Loni is hosting over at Writing Canvas. Head on over and check out the amazing, inspiring story she shared today, as well as what others have to say about today's quote. Keep reading for MY take on it!


Can I say how much I LOVED today's quote? Well, LOVED might be a bit strong. Actually, now that I'm REALLY thinking about it, I may not even like this quote from Gary House's book, Seeking the Face of God: The path to a more Intimate Relationship with Him. But here's the story.

As you well know, I HAVE learned that faith isn't tested by how often God answers prayers with a Yes. What kind of faith would it be if it were? If God were a "genie", what sort of faith would we be required to have? (Short answer: None). Believe me, I would like nothing better than to have all four of my children here, together, healthy and happy. I would. And I prayed for that. And because I don't get to just rub the magic lamp (and we live in a sinful, fallen world due to our free will), that's not what my life looks like right now. And I'll be honest, deep down, I'm rarely okay with that. I MISS Seth. Every minute of every day. I WANT him here with me, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be. (In my book anyway, right?). And it's not like that.

And, yet, I have faith. I have a Lord who loves me. I am BLESSED to be able to serve Him. Sometimes, right now especially, serving the Lord hurts. I've been taking Kleenex to the hospital (as previously mentioned). And as much as I "like" to go up there and see the nurses and some of the people who loved us through our journey with Seth, it is, EVERY SINGLE TIME, harder than I think it's going to be. I have been able to share parts of Seth's story. I have done those things because God has given me the opportunity and asked me to be obedient in serving Him. But bigger than that, I recieve grace from God to do those things.

Angie, Audrey's mom, shares on her blog, Bring the Rain, that when they told her Audrey would die, her response was "I think my Jesus is the same as He was before I walked into this room". My Jesus is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow. He was before Seth was born and He continues to be after Seth's death. And I AM grateful. For where would we be without Him? Thank God, I can cling to Him with all my might and never have to find out!

In Other Words Tuesday

Take the first step. I have a very good friend who went to law school as a single mom (of three!). To say that was difficult would be an understatement. I was blessed to be able to encourage her during those challenging days. One of the things I would tell her regularly was "do the first thing first". Law school won't be finished TODAY. The whole project doesn't have to be done TODAY.

Faith is like that. I'm not going to figure it all out. Likely EVER but most definitely not TODAY. I don't have to. As a matter of fact, I'm not supposed to. I just have to take the first step. Do the first thing.

It would probably not surprise anyone to hear that God and I have wrestled a bit lately. (Well, I've wrestled... I'm not quite sure what God's done but I'm fairly sure it's not wrestle back..). I am INCREDIBLY grateful to have been where I am on this faith journey as we walked the road with Seth. (I wouldn't be this far, if I hadn't taken the first step!). Sometimes, it feels like I've gone a little backward. Lately, I feel a little more insecure and lost than I used to. Sometimes, I can't see the first step, let alone the whole staircase. Do you know what I"m learning to do?

Take the first step. I'm praying, I'm leaning into God. I can NOT, as much as I want to, do this alone. And I absolutely can NOT climb the whole staircase. All I can do is move one foot forward, lift it a little and take the FIRST Step.

And you know what? That's all I have to do. I"m so grateful.

Click here to see what others have to say about this great quote.

In Other Words Tuesday - Kindness

Have you ever noticed how many memes there are in Blogger Ville? I mean seriously, you could find MANY for every day of the week.. I'm trying out a few (did you notice?) and we'll see what happens.. If you all think I"m overextending your limits of readership, let me know okay?

So today.....



(Picture from Susan's blog at Forever His. Click on here to check out the rest of the "In Other Words" participants.)

Kind words.. Have YOU been the recipient of kind words? Do you pass them along? I love the thought of how EASY it is to hand them out and what a blessing to those who receive them. (Okay, it's not ALWAYS easy, sometimes, when I want to yell at my kids, kind words are farthest from my mind, but what a blessing for them if I can pause, pray, and manage to be kind.)

When Seth was in the hospital, especially at the end, we were surrounded by family and friends, people who loved us. And for the most part, the majority of these people were nice and respectful. But oh, the blessings of the kind words. I don't know that I even appreciated all the kind words spoken at the time but oh, as they echo now, how I cherish them.

One evening, as we stood around Seth's crib, one of the nurses commented "I think he's the healthiest looking single-ventricle I've ever seen" and the others nearby agreed. Honestly, at the time, I remember thinking "For all the good it did us." That was my hurting heart speaking. Now, I cling to the words that nurse took the time to speak out loud. It cost her nothing. But oh what the knowledge that we did the best WE could for Seth does for my husband and I. And my dear sweet friends, I am blessed by women who came around me and in not knowing what to say, or fearing being UNkind, simply said "I love you" and "I'm hurting too". The kindness in words, spoken, and tongues held when appropriate rings in my heart.

I long to be a giver of kind words. Furthermore, I long to be a giver of GODLY kind words. Lord, help me to boldly speak of Your will and Your love for others. Help me to be kind out loud.