Beneath the Surface

As I ponder this word, so many things come to mind. I think of Esther who was chosen above all other women and invited into the courts of the king. I am no different. I have been chosen, in fact I was created specifically for the purpose of serving the greatest King of all. It is He that has invited me into His courts to know Him and be known by Him. How beautiful! I have an invitation by the Lord of the universe. And He knows everything about me. He sees more than King Ahasuerus did, more than a pretty face, brown hair and green eyes. King Jesus sees my everything. He sees character flaws, imperfections, hurts, disappointments, bad attitudes and works in progress. And yet, amidst all these flaws, amidst Him knowing there will be times I disobey and fail, He still invites me.

He tells me to come and take part in all the extravagant gifts He's purchased for me at the price of His own blood. He wraps me in mercy I do not deserve and grace I could never afford. He removes my covering of shame and replaces it with a crown of His glory. He pulls away my cloak of disappointment and gives me His hope.

The immensity of His generousity is too much for me to bear! His is a Kingdom of order instead of chaos, light in place of darkness, joy instead of mourning, beauty for ashes, peace in place of confusion and life rather than death. If there's anywhere I deserve to live, it is not here. Not amidst this beauty and this grace. Yet this is the place that I am invited to spend my life. In this place, my King has built me a home. Though I am not perfect, I am privaledged. I do not deserve a king's love, yet it's the One who's called love that is beckoning me. He would rather die than live without me, though He knew that it was my wrongs that would kill Him. Oh the love of my King! My heart will never understand it. I don't know why I was invited, the mystery of love is beyond my grasp. Yet I know that I dare not miss this invitation by the One who knows me through and through.

"I give my life, to honor this: the love of Christ, the Savior King."

This line came up in a song in my prayer and worship time this morning and it drew me into such a state of awe for the God we serve. I began to dwell on the honor and worship that God's worth calls for. We give our lives to honor Christ's sacrafice. It's a sacrafice on our part for what He did on our behalf.

I began to think. We honor our vetrans for fighting for our country. We honor our seniors for paving the way before us. We honor our authorities and our police, firemen and paramedics, for working hard to keep us safe and give us the ability to live a good life. We honor our parents for giving us life and raising us. We honor sacrafice, we honor devotion, we honor mere men who do their jobs - how much more must we honor our King? Our world understands honor to some degree - how much more should the Church? How much more should we pour our lives out at Christ's feet?

A mere "thank you" isn't enough.
A mere good deed with not suffice.
Even a mere ministry does not even begin to give Him all the glory and honor our God deserves.
All we have pails in comparison to Jesus' worth. Yet it is our lives that we must give all the same.

In His love, Christ carried the cross that I was meant to carry. I owe everything that I am to Christ and then some. He willingly traded all His glory and perfect for me imperfection and sin. What amazes me even more, is that He would do it all over again in a heartbeat for us. Every piece of me belongs to Him. Yet how often to we honor Christ with our lives? Many times, I find myself dishonoring more that I am honoring. Each and every day, we must give our lifes to honor this: the love of Christ, the Savior King. Our lives are an offering; a sacrafice I want to choose to make everyday.

Lord, I pray that my life is a pleasing sacrafice to you. Keep my heart on your alter each and every day. Be seated on the throne of my heart. To you belongs the power, glory, honor and praise. My only desire is to worship you with a life that you have given to me. It's yours to begin with. The least I can do it pour it out before you my King. Take my heart, it's yours God through and through.

Woohoo! I made it all the way to Thought of the Day #7. I am now about to finish what I started and complete the task I set before myself to do. And it feels great! Which is why I chose this last day to talk about finishing. Now I know it wasnt some great huge feat that I completed...all I did was write every day for a week! But it wasnt easy. Around Thursday, I just did not want to write. Nothing came to mind immediately and it was difficult to make myself write that day, but I did it. And I am proud to say I finished what I started.

It is a very good thing to start something. Afterall, we must all start before we can finish. The verse does not say that starting is bad, only that finishing is better. I want to be a passionate starter, but I also want to finish what I start well and with zeal. Over the course of my life, there have sadly been many things that I started, never to finish. There are 3 areas that personally I want to carry this mentality into:

We're almost there folks! Thought of Day #6, here we go!

"The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpter stayed with me to sound the alarm." Neh. 4:17

This is an account in the Bible when the people were rebuilding the walls of the city. Yet I realize that it is this account that is so often very applicable to our lives. This is a time in my life, especially while I am young, for building walls. It's a time that should be dedicated to building solid foundations around my beliefs, habits and areas of my character. Its a time to figure out exactly who God is calling me to be and the kind of person that I want to become. It's a time where I am learning the desires of God towards my life and changing the way I live to match the plans He has.

While that is all good and dandy (and dont by any means allow me to diminish how important the buidling is) it is during times of wallbuilding that the enemy is stricken with fear. Me leaving behind childish things, high school ambitions and surrendering to the will of God scares him to death. The enemy will do everything in his power to discourage it and he will attempt attacks in the weak places. That's where this verse comes into play. I must constantly be on guard, day and night against the enemy. We must learn to work and build up our character with one hand, defending our faith with the other. God wants do do something miraculous, but there's not point if I let God build something, just to allow it be be torn down a moment later.

It's time to get aggressive! There is a fight that comes with being a Christian and its one which we will be victorious in! We must learn how to get violent witht the enemy, but keep up the growth all the time. For me, I will not compromise my beliefs, character, purity or destiny at my own expense.

Yet this is not where the story ends. Verse 14 of the same chapter says that we fight for family and for home. This building project and this fight are not just for our own benefit. By compromising our destinies, we may also lose our family now and families to come. This is not merely a fight for me, oh no, its a fight for my downline. Its a fight for the generations now and to come. And it is certainly not a fight that I am willing to lose.

Father, thank you for strength in the battle. God I am so excited about all that You are doing and I thank you for the amazing things you have set before me to do. Protect me against any attacks of the enemy. You are raising up a mighty generation and its starts here, with me. Thank you for choosing me, loving me, finding me, calling me and changing me. You are all that I build for, all that I fight for. To you forever be all the glory Lord.

Thought of the Day #5
What is happiness? Is it eating ice cream or running through sprinklers? Is it Christmas or family or friends? Is happiness found in a blue-sky, sunshine day or curled up by the fire, hot chocolate in hand, during the winter? Is it spending all day with someone you love or hearing the laughter of a child? Now I do not attempt to tell you all the reasons in life we need to be happy, though there are many, and I dont aim to explain the secret to always being happy in life. What I do know is that there are little things all around, small opportunities to smile each day.


This topic reminds me of this silly show I remember as a kid. It was called "American Dragon: Jake Long" and it was the kind of show you watched when there was nothing else on and you wanted an excuse to not have to clean your room...so basically I thought it was pretty lame. Yet one thing I really remember about the show was my two favorite characters, sisters that were called the Oracle Twins. In the show, these girls could see the future. One was very dark and gloomy and yet she saw all the good things the future would hold. The other was very peppy and happy all the time, yet she always foretold disaster and bad things to come. In the episode I remember, someone asked why the girls acted one way, yet foresaw the opposite. The first, the gloomy one, said that since she knew that good things were bound to happen, all she had to look forward to was negative. Yet the other sister then gave her side saying that since she only saw the horrible things to come, even the slightest chance to be happy she adored.

Little did I know it then, but what these cartoon characters said held a great deal of truth. Sometimes, even when good things are happening, all we choose to see is the trials ahead. Sometimes its easy to focus on the negative things we are facing or that we think may lume ahead, but we never stop to ponder the chances to be happy even though they are right in front of our face.
I think we need to take a different approach. We need to learn to be like the other twin. She understood that the dismal events in life only make the little rays of sunshine shine brighter. She understood what it meant to find joy even in the most trying of times.

Now I know it may not be some amazingly deep theological analysis, but I think it is important to take time to appreciate the little things in life. Take a walk on a sunny day, admire the flowers in the country, enjoy good music and good food. Take time to see the little things and dont let their beauty escape your attention. What are we missing because we are too focused on the wrong things?

Thought of the Day...already day #4!

Today I spend the day with a close friend, going to coffee, attempting to go to the library (which apparently is closed on Thursdays!) and going to the park. And you know what? We had a great time! However, we got to talking how fast time flies. Not only just hours when you are having a fun day, but entire chapters of life seem to fly by. Just yesterday I was going into my first year of Armor Bearers and now, in less than 7 weeks, I'm already in my third year!

This got me thinking about my thought for today to share. How quickly the years go by these days! So often, I talk or at least think about the future. I think of how I cant wait to be older and do this or that. Yet I have realized to really treasure my youth. I wont have it forever, this I know very well. Each and every day I want to live with purpose. I know my future schedule and responsibilities wont always allow me to spend a day with my friend like I did today. Now I dont plan on playing around during all my youth, yet I realize to really enjoy it. I do not agree with a wasted youth, but I want mine to be well spent.

I remember taking the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" module with Pastor Kim my first year. I remember her telling us that we ought to think of spending our time as spend our money. If we were given a certain amount of money to spend over a span of time, I would consider how wisely I would spend it. How often do we spend time like we do money. Many ponder big financial decisions, yet spend great amounts of time carelessly. Just like money spent, time spent will not return to us. We must spend our time wisely.

Seasons come and go. See the beauty in every season, the opportunity in every day. We only get one life to live, a certain amount of time to spend. Have fun, live responsibly, laugh a lot, and enjoy. Just remember, you will never get back yesterday or make tomorrow happen sooner, all we have to today to spend as wisely as we possibily can.

Thought of the Day #3!

'And his armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul."' 1 Sam. 14:7

This is the account of Jonathan and his armor bearer. Jonathan had just given his armor bearer their game plan to ambush the Philistines, and here was hs response. His armor bearer was ready to give everything to support the vision of his leader. It was his heart that got me thinking...

So often, I pray and ask God to use me. But then I realized, God is already using me.

Sometimes being used by God means that God is using someone else. I always thought that being used my God meant being top-dog, but that's not it at all. God uses other people to see if we'll serve under them. Sometimes using me means God is teaching and using me to serve someone else. Sometimes we must support another person's vision and calling before we are allowed one of our own. God used Jonathan's armor bearer. He was with him heart and soul, and together, they made history. God doesnt just want to use me someday, He is already using me today - but am I doing it right? Am I missing my role as an armor bearer because I am too busy trying to be a Jonathan?

I do believe that God has individual plans and purposes for each person. However, I dont want to miss what God is doing in and through me right now because I am too busy looking to push myself to the top. God is ready to use us, will we let Him do it how He pleases?

Thought of the Day #2... Here we go!

"Not with the blood of calves and goats, but with His own blood He entered to Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:12

This verse from my Bible reading today got me really thinking about the blood of Christ...

The same blood that was spilled in Jesus' death is the same blood that gives us life.
The same blood that binds the enemy, sets the captives free.
The same blood that heals the sick, heals wounds of the heart.
The same blood that gives us authority, teaches us humility.
The same blood that paid the price, beckons us to pick up our cross.
The same blood that urges us towards righteousness is the same blood that brings clarity.
The same blood that compels us to win the lost, teaches us to love our neighbor.
The same blood that He gave, has the power to save.

Its the same blood. But we are never the same once we encounter it.

Hey so guess what? I have come to the decision that I am going to do something special for my blog this week. What is it you may ask? Well allow me to tell you...
This week, I plan on doing a "Thought of the Day" concept for each day for the next 7 days. It may seem a little pointless, but I thought, "What the heck, might as well!" So here I am, about to write my thought for day...

Which brings me to my title, "A Child's Eyes"

This morning in my prayer time, the song "Healer" by Kari Jobe came across my worship playlist. As I listened, I felt drawn to a certain part of the song. It goes,

"Nothing is impossible for you, you hold my world in your hands...More than enough for me, Jesus you are all I need."

As I pondered this phrase, the first thing that came to mind was the child's Sunday school song, "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands" I began to think what this song meant as a child. When I would sing it as a little tike, I believed it through and through. I knew that my God was bigger than any circumstance and He was everything I would ever need. Its funny the faith of children...yet it is also so very challenging. How simple, how thoughtless it was to believe that God held my whole world. Yet today, there are days that, though in theory I believe it, I don't deep within my heart. Is that what happens when we grow up? Why do we lose that child's faith?


Here's what I think. Just because we grow older, just because we have more responsibilities, doesnt mean God let's our world slip from His grasp. Just because now our world holds a whole lot more, does not mean He let's it go. A child's eye somehow just doesnt see reason to worry very often. Though I do not encourage us to act as children in respect to being completely carefree and reckless, I do believe we need to begin to see though our child's eyes once again. We must come to realize that God is everything we need and every little detail He hold's so very carefully. The weight of our world is never overwhelming to Him, even as tiring as it may seen to us. We must not try to take it from His hands either. Let God hold your world and trust that He will never let it fall. Don't be afraid to be a child once again.

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking. I am the kind of person who is constantly trying to find areas of my life to work on, character traits that could use some adjusting. One particular thing that I have been working on is taming my tongue. Let me tell you, I am a sharp speaker. I know that speaking is part of God's call on my life, and it is definitely something that could use help. I will say, I work on being encouraging and uplifting with my words, and I'm getting pretty good at it. However, I am also very quick to criticize, defend and offer clever snapping remarks. Don't let the sweet face fool you, behind these freckled lips is a little pink monster. It's a battle each day to restrain that little fellow, but he puts up a pretty good fight and sometimes (alright most times!) I tend to agree with what he has to say. However, how he says it is not always...how should I put this...kind.

Lately I have also been reading a lot of books. One in particular is a collection of Amy Carmichael's writings. It's called You are My Hiding Place, and let me say, I highly recommend it. Amy offers such remarkable little insights on day to day living that are so uplifting and challenging. I read one about a month ago and I thought I might share it with the few of you hear to read it today. She was talking about those little moments we encounter each every day that she calls, a chance to die.

Today, someone was irritating me so badly. This person was criticizing me because they themselves lacked a discipline that I have worked very hard to achieve. At first, I started to fight back. My words were sharp, blunt and to the point. They of course, came back with a irrelevant remark that bothered me...then that's when Amy's words flashed through my memory. "See in this...a chance to die."

Amy writes, "See in this, this provoking, this rebuke that should not have been, a chance to die. To self, to pride that comes from defending self. Welcome anything that calls you to your only true position, "I have been crucified with Christ..." (Gal. 2:20).

I was right in this matter. Though I often believe I am right when I am not (and that's a whole different story...) this time, I know I legitimately was correct. Yet I realized, it was time to die. I would not give them what they wanted. I would not make a witty rebuttal. I would let them have their say and let that be the end of it.

I love what Amy writes next: "The crucified life cannot be self-assertive. It cannot protect itself. It cannot be startled into resentful words. The cup that is full of sweet water cannot spill bitter-tasting drops, no matter how sharply it is knocked."

Yes, this was a small battle. Yet it is victories in the small battles that lead to victory in the larger ones. When we as believers recognize our place is on the cross, that is when we get to truly live. Let God be your defense. Let God do the talking.

How many of our problems in our lives could be eliminated if only we would see each day, every conflict, every opportunity, every prideful thought, every situation as a chance to die? When we are people who are willing to die, God can give us life that we desire. If we spend less time trying to be right and more time at the cross, words can no longer touch us. Pride fades away. Selfishness ceases. Gratitude grows great. Favor is found.

So when the "sharp knockings" of life come, will we let bitterness spill out, or will sweetness of a crucified life shine forth?
Lord, I pray that you help me recognize my chances to die. I give you the reigns. Be my defense, I'm done. My life is hidden with you. Take it and let your will be done in me.