My Birthday Boast!

Last Sunday I turned 23 years young.  We celebrated all week!  Birthdays are great fun.  They are also cause for reflection.  'What have I done with the years I've been given?'  'Who have I become?'  And there's temptation to compile that mental list of accomplishments, comparing my journey to the ones being lived out around me (or, let's be honest, the ones I see lived out on Facebook).  But I've realized that even on MY birthday, it's not about me.                                  

Romans 11:36 is one of my newest memory verses, reminding me that 'From him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.'   It's all for Him; who I am, where I've gone and what I do with my years.  We celebrate my life, yes; with chocolate blizzards, bonfires and adventuring!  These boys treated me like an absolute princess!  But beyond that, we celebrate the One who breathed life into me, the One who orchestrates my days and guides me through this journey.

'How deep the Father's love for us, 

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure'

It's unlikely that I will ever be world renowned.  I may never acquire prestigious status or publish a distinguished work of art.  But I am a daughter of the King and if that's not status I don't know what is!  2 Corinthians 10:17 "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord."   Some days I feel very accomplished; other days I lose my temper, I burn the dinner and hands are thrown up in frustration.  But the truth of the matter is that I am loved by the King of kings.  My life has been redeemed.  I am FREE!  I have been given specific and incredible gifts, designed uniquely for.. me!  When I use those gifts, when I live abundantly; loving BIG and spilling joy into all I do- no matter what I do- God gets the glory and everyday is cause for celebration.

I am humbled by the treasures I have been given, tangible and not.  I am journeying through life with the most incredible man I know and have the absolute privilege of spending each and every day raising our tiny son!  I am surrounded by wonderful people and... oh yeah, I live on an island!  :)  My life's work may not seem grandiose to some but it is a high calling that I would not trade for anything.  And all of this is simply a gift from my Heavenly Father. What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? 1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT  His grace is mind boggling; I am blown away by the love my Papa pours out on me daily.  And that is why I echo the words of a favorite song, 'How Deep The Father's Love For Us'; my birthday boast, my life song, may it bring glory to my King!

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection 

One of THOSE days!

One bloody lip, two poopy diapers and three cups of coffee all before 9 am.  Yes, it's been one of THOSE days.  The sweet iced tea spills, sticky mess all over freshly mopped kitchen floors.  And tooth number seven is cutting through tender gums, making the little man understandably, unbelievably dramatic.  I've called the gas company twice and still haven't talked to a real person, grrrrr!  Crab walking boy makes a bee line for the dog food for the sixteenth time and my crock pot was plugged in but not cooking for the last four hours!?
But then I read the statistic, the one that would usually go in one ear and out the other.  But this time it resonates.  The one about food in my fridge, clothes on my back and a roof over head and am I really richer than 75% of the WORLD?  And then I have a moment of sweet silence and I read the words from Paul to the Philippians and he says he knows the secret to THOSE days, to any days!  To be content no matter the circumstances, to realize how blessed we really are.  In chapter four of his letter lies the answer, 'I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.'  Whether the day goes according to 'schedule' or not.  'I can do all things through him who gives me strength.'

I realize it truly is one of THOSE days.  A day with sun shining and flowers blooming.  There's a snuggly head still heavy with sleep and a homemade cheesecake just because.  A day where we have money to pay that frustrating gas bill and my hard working husband comes home and takes the sweet boy out to mow the lawn.  They laugh together, shirts off and in matching camouflage shorts, cutting a trail through the sea of green.  It's one of THOSE days where I'm so incredibly blessed and isn't that really every single day?
It's a day not really even about ME but completely about 'him who gives me strength.'  He's the key.  He gives me eyes to see and I'm floored by the new perspective.  When days are lived out through the strength that Jesus gives we can be content.  We can be filled with joy despite frustrations, tears and sticky floors.  Praise Jesus for THOSE days because they remind me of my desperate need for the Strength that not only makes this life do-able but breathtakingly beautiful!

Just.slow.down...

Anyone else here struggle with being still?  I mean, seriously.  We live in a society that equates stillness with laziness.  And for good reason; people are either out there accomplishing things or... they're not!  You're a go-getter or... not.  And on the home front there are to-do lists in plenty; cleaning, cooking and a fifth load of laundry and somehow you're supposed to squeeze in a work out?  The dog needs brushed and those darn weeds aren't picking themselves and has it already been a whole week since I scrubbed you, toilet? 

And we go-go-go and we do-do-do in attempts to keep up or maybe just get caught up.  It seems downright silly to sit down for a second and breathe.  Moments spent lingering in the chair, watching the sun dip below the horizon, appear almost wasteful.  

The truth is that there is an enormous difference in doing nothing and deliberately quieting yourself in order to appreciate the moment at hand.  I'm supposed to be learning this simple truth right now.  Unfortunately, I'm struggling with slowing myself long enough to listen to the Teacher.  But His message is unrelenting in the most graceful of ways.  His words are everywhere I turn and I'm starting to pay attention.
'Be still, and know that I am God.' Psalm 46:10

'Life is so urgent it necessitates living slow.' Ann Voskamp 
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:24-26

`                                             

It's not just about consistent quiet times and being deliberate about prayer, although those need to be priorities!  Jesus wants me to soak up every last drop of goodness that He pours into my days.  Lick the plate clean, lean back in my chair with a contented sigh- that kind of savoring is what He desires!  And I've been challenged to count blessings, moments; the gifts that come in every shape, size and color.  Fresh lettuce from our own garden.  Fingernails dirty from a morning of play!  Laundry to fold, fresh and warm against my hands.  Hard working husband home for the evening. Laughter and tears and every single chance to 'train up our child'.  There's homemade kettle corn, teasing from my best friend and the torrential rain pounding on the roof and I'll miss the beauty of it all if I don't.stop.rushing. 

Haste makes waste.  This is what I struggle to comprehend: it's in the pausing and taking time to be still that I actually gain time.  This doesn't make sense to the world, but not many of Jesus' teachings do.  He says we need to lose our lives if we want to save them! [Matthew 16:25]  He says the last will be first! [Mark 10:31]  And he says that in him we will live, even though we die. [John 11:25]  I want to wrap my mind tight around these truths and live them out in my here and now.  The wind whispers through the trees and the stars twinkle and my Papa is calling, 'Slow down, Daughter.  In Me you have all the time you need..'