We Need Each Other

I've always been of an independent mind. At least, that's what I thought. I've always loved people, but I never believed that I NEEDED them.

Lately, my pastor has been speaking on the book of Joshua. He has been telling us about the need for each one of us to cross the Jordan and go into our Promise Land. What has been striking me as most significant to my life in past days is the point he has made about the children of Israel crossing the river TOGETHER. They needed each other in order to take the Land and follow the Lord in obedience.

Two people come to mind when I think of the needs in my life right now.

One is a lovely young woman that the Lord has blessed with a gentle spirit. Even though she is 7 years my junior, she has taught me so much about seeking the Lord, and the importance of sitting at His feet. I've grown so much closer to the Lord, and I know that much of it has had to do with her prayers on my behalf. She also has been given a gift of encouragement in helping young woman feel beautiful and beloved by their Bridegroom. And with our prayers for one another, we've been helping each other on a journey towards absolute obsession with our Jesus. In His sovereignty, I've been given a soul sister in Christ to walk with along this part of the path of my life.

On the other side of me, walks a man of challenge, intrigue and adventure. Every word that comes out of his mouth makes me think. He is one of the dearest friends that I've ever had because his honesty and integrity urge me on to become more like Jesus. We go through challenges of friendship because of such different personalities and gender conflicts, but the Lord has given us such grace and blessing. No matter what the circumstances we have always worked it out, learned from it, and through it have become even better friends. He doesn't let me wallow in my selfish ambitions. He pushes me to have the mind of Christ, and think of others before myself. I've learned difficult things about myself through my friendship with him. But in it, I've had to think more of him, and as a result have thought more of others.

I know that right now, I need these two people. While one friend is helping me grow closer to God, the other is helping me die to myself. God in His plan has placed His purpose for my life into their lives, and I praise Him for His gift of them.

Thinking of these two precious people, has also reminded me of the words of wisdom spoken by my project director this past summer. She asked us to think of our best friends and the people that they are. Because in a year, we will be that person. My prayer is that these wonderful workings of Christ in the lives of my two friends will overflow and splash all over me. In these aspects of their growth in Christ, I pray that I WILL be like them in a year. But I mostly pray that whatever the Lord is doing in my life will become grace overflowing into my friends, and that they will be blessed because of Christ's work in me.

So as we cross the Jordan together, I praise the Lord for these two friends that he has placed by my side. May we cross with purpose and push each other to pursue the will of our Maker and His plans for our lives.

We need each other.

"Now ye are the body of Christ..." I Cor. 12:27

A Change of Perspective

We all have our own struggles. There are so many things that we don't understand, and ask the Lord in the most sincere way to change the situation. We think that if it's more bearable, we can at least get through it and move on. But God doesn't want to change what happens to us, He wants to change US.

I had such an experience lately. I was struggling in an area of my life, trying to find joy. Begging the Lord to not just get me through, but to love the journey. One moment I was in prayer, frustrated and crying out to the Lord. Then in the next moment, His revelation came to me. I had asked Him a question while feeling pity on myself, when He answered my question with His own question. What He asked burned through me, illuminated my mind and penetrated my heart. He revealed to me His grace in the situation. He showed me that I was seeing everything in the opposite way that He wanted me to. Suddenly, my thought pattern made a complete "180", the self-pity was gone, and His gifts to me flooded my soul.

He changed my perspective.

He allowed me to see the situation the way He saw it. To see the blessings, the grace and what I needed most, the JOY. I saw HIM. And through this I was able to see this situation with the mind of Christ.

Since then, I've had a change in perspective in so many more aspects of my life. It's been amazing to see situations and people through His eyes. My prayer is that I will continue to be blessed with such a window into the soul of God. To find compassion, mercy and love for those who I find it difficult to show such affections to. To put the comforts of others before the comforts of myself. To stop being so selfish and self-centered....in other words go against my human nature altogether.

So, even though I've been blessed to look into this window of perspective, there is still such a long journey to go. I'm still so naturally wicked and want so much to look out for ME. But Jesus Christ lives in me...Change is not just good, it's inevitable.(:

Continue to change me, Lord. My heart, my soul, my mind,....my perspective.

Form me into the image of Your Son.

Change is good when you serve a God who never changes.

My God is Big!

I can't begin to tell you what God has revealed about Himself to me. Mostly because in my human mind I can't comprehend or begin to explain the vastness of my God! But in all of His vastness and His power, He still wants me. My thoughts, my hopes, my dreams, ALL of me. The King of the universe who sustains all that He has created with a single thought, has precious thoughts of me! In fact, "How vast are the sum of them? If I could count them,they are more than the sand..." (Psalm 139:17-18a). My mind cannot contain such an amazing picture. But it's real, it's true, because it's HIS Word!

And on the other side of it, this God in all of His vastness still takes the time to move all the neutrons, protons and electrons in perfect harmony, creating a symphony of matter that we call LIFE! From the biggest of the biggest galaxies, to the smallest of the smallest elements, God is in, God is with, God IS! And in all of this He knows my name, He knew me before He created this universe, and He wants more then anything to be My Friend!

What sweetness there is in knowing that in our confusion and chaos, God is in complete control. His hand is on all that happens, and when there are days that we don't see Him, He still sees US.

Let me encourage anyone who reads this post: Don't confine God. Sometimes we get comfortable in who we want our God to be that we forget the joy in exploring who He Really IS. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and then prepare yourself for the ride of a lifetime!

My God is Big! How big is your God?