While praying this morning about a current circumstance, it occurred to me the following thought:

We will praise and cheer,
admire and mirror,
Even follow, like, and share
Someone-
Hold hands. Walk with them. Love them.
Until they do something
we don’t like
we don’t understand
we don’t agree with
In those moments,
our truest beliefs
about who they are
At their core
are revealed
Our lack of trust
in the motives of their heart
We tend to question their “goodness”
Whether they read the same bible as us
Do they even know truth?

As I sat there, sharing with Jesus my thoughts….He responded, “Yeah- I feel that!”

Read that again. Chew on it for a minute.
#gamechanger

Good Morning. Think about this for a minute….

A seed is sewn by being buried in darkness.

Covered in dirt.

Surrounded by water.

It is then completely broken apart and busted open to push its roots deep into the soil.

As it continues to push through the darkness,

and stretch itself toward the light,

it eventually breaks through.

But continually needs nourishment

from its roots

formed in the darkness,

to keep growing in the light.

Only then

does a plant begin to grow

that

will

produce

fruit.

 “And we know that All things work for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28

“Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done….” Genesis 50:20-21

Love you and praying for you today!!

Thinking about gardens this morning….

How this fallen world started with a decision in a garden.
How sin was conquered once and for all with a decision in a garden.
How our lives bear fruit from the gardens of our heart.
Fresh fruit that provides life or rotten fruit that brings death.
How the word takes root and
produces a beautiful garden of
peace(lilies?)
(oaks of?) righteousness
(fields of?) joy.
How we tend to our gardens (our spirits)…
plucking out the weeds and the thorns
and all the other things that threaten to choke the life away.
The living water that must be poured out for growth .
The process of gathering water and pouring it out. Not always easy.
But necessary.
Tilling up the soil- disturbing it constantly.
Turning it over and over
to keep it from settling.
From getting too comfortable.
From drying out.
From hardening.
All to produce beauty from dirt.
What’s your garden look like??

Can you imagine the guilt and shame Eve lived with? I often wonder if she ever came to a place with God where she felt forgiven. I wonder if she spent the rest of her days on earth being the ‘perfect’ person. Perfect wife. Perfect mom. Trying to make right the wrong of her sin in the garden that day. Is this where it stems from for the modern day woman? Is this where it started? To carry the weight of that sin. Did she share the overwhelming weight of it with Adam? Did she tell him how she felt? Or did she lock it away deep inside thinking he wouldn’t possibly understand? Or maybe he would dismiss her feelings and somehow make her feel she was right where she deserved to be. And what about her children? Did they rise and call her blessed? Or were they bitter and blameful towards her? Did she feel loved? Or completely alone?

I love in this picture how Mary reaches out to touch Eve’s face. Mother to Mother. As Eve hangs her head in sorrow or perhaps shame, Mary so lovingly reaches out almost as if to say, “Lift up your eyes child! Look at how loved you are!” As the serpent in entwined around her legs and ankles most certainly causing her to “stumble”, the head of the snake is crushed under Mary’s foot. The baby in her belly, Jesus, coming to defeat this great enemy once and for all. To take our sin. To remove our shame. To be our peace. To show us love. To love and be loved. To know and be known. Man oh Man! SO many thoughts. So many thoughts. I just want to sit down and tell them to someone much more talented than me. Someone who could put pen to paper and make something of all these scattered thoughts. A perfect story of a completely imperfect girl who as a result of her sin created a fallen world and yet somehow through it all another girl bore a precious heaven sent baby boy who would change everything. EVERYthing!!!