Lessons From My Mom

Last month Kiki wrote about "being good enough" and as I was typing out a comment, the idea for this post was born! 

March 3, 2012

I don't think I talk about my Mom on this space very much. She is hands down the most influential person in my life. We have been extremely close pretty much my whole life. She has taught me so many things and if I could just remember half of them I'd be sure to go places!

My Mom always taught me...

 To do my best - She pushed me to do things well, but to be okay with my limits.

To not be afraid of failure - Her exact words go something like this, "The only thing worse than failing is never even trying."

To listen up when learning opportunities show up - Her Dad told her "The only stupid question is the question that you never asked." and she made sure to pass that same wisdom on to me. Pay attention, ask questions, and GIVE IT A SHOT.

That I'm okay - This started when I was a baby. She would always acknowledge the pain and then quickly move on to helping me "brush it off" and reminding me that "it isn't any trouble just to S.M.I.L.E."

These pieces of advice have never let me down.

See , Mom? 

I have been listening!

And don't quote this post 

next time I'm struggling 

with something! :) 

I love you !

Ships Going Somewhere

A few years ago, Hebrews 6:19 was showing up everywhere online. You probably know it. In the ESV Hebrews 6:19-20 says, 
"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,  a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,  where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf,  having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
(The book of Hebrews is so good....I can't wait to get there in my reading plan!!!)
When I first saw that verse going around, I was right in the middle of adding some details to the hall bathroom. I happened to see two things to hang on the wall that matched with the paint and the shower curtain...You guessed it, they were beach related! 

I framed one of my favorite pictures and then decided to design a print based off of that verse in Hebrews. Unfortunately, I put it on the wall in my bedroom for safe keeping (until I got a frame for it). That was in November of 2012...Oops! I was reminded of all of that when I took it off the wall earlier this week in order to prepare for the work being done in there. 
This morning, I came across Ephesians 1:18 which says,
 "I pray that the Father of glory enlighten the eyes of your heart, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you." 

In God we have a higher call than to simply know Him or serve Him or worship Him. We have a hope which is THE HOPE. God made it so that we could KNOW what that hope of ours really is. 
The hope is a sure and steadfast anchor. The hope goes before us. The hope is for us to know. The hope is Jesus. 
By the hope we are made new. By the hope EVERYTHING changes. 
In an article posted on the Reach Records website, they were talking about their mission as a record label. With the dawn of a new year, we're all kicking around ideas about our mission. In the article they said, "the ship isn't floating aimlessly around the sea". 
I love these verses. I love the hope that is mine. My prayer for 2014 is, "Lord, may the hope keep me from floating aimlessly around the sea." 
May we be ships that are going somewhere. May the eyes of our hearts SEE that we may KNOW what is the hope to which we have been called.

Something Important

This is a quote that will stay with me for a while. I took one of my pictures from last fall and put the words over the top of it! 

WHATEVER we do, WHEREVER we are, ONE thing is always most important - we need to be able to dwell on the things of God. Dwelling on those things is ONLY possible if we are actually familiar with them.

May 2014 be the year when you gather yourself around God's Word. 

May 2014 be the year when you gather for yourself treasure from God's Word.

I cannot say it enough - time with Him is never, ever wasted. 

Happy Tuesday! 

Even when...

You don't know how happy I am to be linking up with Amy for Frankly Friday.  This idea that she came up with was GENIUS. Writing these posts about whatever I want with that banner flying over them letting you know that you're going to hear something frank, is perfect.

Last night I was kicking around ideas. I saw a beautiful picture of the sun and I remembered something my friend Alice told me once.

It has been GRAY here this week. Yesterday I had some driving to do, it was the middle of the day and the fog was so thick that I had could barely see ten feet in front of the car...The house has been dark and I wondered when the sun was going to come back. 

Seeing that picture of the sun shining somewhere else reminded me that the sun HAS been shining, I just couldn't see it. 

And that's where Alice comes in. A few years ago I was at her house and we were talking about something. All of a sudden, she corrected me. She said, "Remember, the sun is always shining, even when you can't see it!" 

I stopped. And I realized that Alice was right. Even on the darkest of days, when the fog is so thick you can't see more than a few feet ahead, the sun is shining. 

God created the universe and we can be sure that the sun will rise and the moon will set and the tides of ocean will come in and go out. 

For some reason, it's very important to Alice that she remember that. She rests in knowing that what God wills will stand. She rests in knowing that the rising and setting sun are reminders that God's word is sure. She knows to trust Him.

Let the sun and the fog be a reminder today. They are His. In His hand you are secure. 

You can be sure of them, just as you can be sure of Him.

 By the way, I can see the sun again today. Somehow, the certainty faith delivers is more precious than the certainty sight insures. 

Some Things to Click On

via Desiring God

 Here are a few links that have had my attention lately:

* This article on praying Matthew 7:1-5 explains what I meant about living the way of the gospel.

* Here you'll find a Scripture to go back to over and over again to find truth and hope no matter what. Jesus met the conditions, just GO to Him.

* A reminder of HOW Jesus loves us. It might not be how you thought He did...

Also responsible are the books I've been reading. I finished both "Full Disclosure" by Dee Henderson and "You Don't Know Me" by Susan May Warren on Sunday. Though they are fiction, I took my time reading them.

 There was commitment to God and the caution with people in Henderson's book. Writing seems worth the trouble. Communing with God really is the main thing. And people...I'm still wrestling through my thoughts on what I learned about relationships with them from this book.

 The pain in "You Don't Know Me" had me bawling. Saying goodbye can be so difficult, even when it's best. Wishing life had a pause button doesn't change anything....Knowing it doesn't might help you enjoy the good and press on through the difficult. 

Would you do me a favor? Share a link to something you've enjoyed lately with me.

What have you learned from a book lately?

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

November 5, 2013 that is....The first snow of winter 2013. A brown sugar cinnamon mocha. Time to sit down and write about what's been on my mind.

I've read a lot of good stuff on the internet this week. (I'll post some links for you another day.) My thoughts have been ALL over the place.

* I've been thinking about Advent. Last year I put together a set of cards with Scriptures and activities that went along with John Piper's "Seeing and Savoring Christ". Any suggestions for this year? I'm debating on using a book, an advent guide, or maybe just putting together something of my own around a theme or text. What do you do during Advent? 

* GOALS for the rest of 2013.

*My brother turning 21 this weekend. You know what the kid asked for? An eating plan, recipes, kitchen tools he might need for said recipes, a mug, and some different teas. Hear me out here, he was a lineman in football (the kind that made people flinch), he's over 6ft tall, he lives in hoodies and athletic shorts, our Grandma called him a "bull in the china shop". He's no hipster, no lady-like sissy...He's a tough guy and THAT'S all he asks. I love that kid!

* God is HAPPY. I know some people have a problem with that word because it seems fickle and fleeting. Sometimes I'm one of them. Yesterday morning I took a little bit to really think about God being happier than we can even imagine. I am a pretty serious person, I smile a lot but I'm always thinking. In my head, God is holy and just and full of joy. But, happier than I can imagine? I never thought about that....I'll be kicking this one around for a while. 

*Living in "the way of the gospel". The way that see's the wickedness in my heart and in the world and responds by calling it out and graciously continuing with mercy and hope. If it's my sin, I can confess it and go right to God. He will give me grace and mercy and with that comes joy and hope. If it's a friend's sin, they need me to help them do the same and show them what God has already been giving me. It's the gospel being the good news all the time. It's the gospel received and shared over and over again.

*The presence of God. The place everything makes sense. The place I belong. The place that keeps me living in the grace and sharing that grace with others.

*The Holy Spirit as mentor and companion. He is there. I haven't been living like it. Living without regular Christian fellowship wears on me QUICK. I've been feeling the pain lately. I've been realizing what's really missing, my communion with Him. Jesus promised that His Spirit would be the one to Help...Why haven't I been going to Him?

*God's love and provision comes without condition. It was a sunset over a wheat field that made this truth wash over me a few weeks ago. So many times things in life are based on conditions. I throw the conditions out and rid myself of the drain they place on my life. With God, HE took care of every condition and loves and provides freely and gladly. I have Him and He holds me. No matter what. He is better than anything else. He holds me better than anyone else ever can. 

 

 

So, it's snowing. The years are FLYING by. And God is showing how GLORIOUS He is, how far reaching His love is, and how He is calling His people to imitate Him. 

What's been on your mind lately? 

No Empty Word

On September 25, I read something very encouraging through the Solid Joys app that was created by Desiring God. 

 

The title of the day's reading was "Life Hangs on the Word of God" which was written around this text from Deuteronomy 32:46-47:

He said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

 

 

God's Word is stronger than any other word that has or will ever exist.

Did you catch this - "for it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word..."

Throughout 2013 God has been showing me just how much I need His Word. 

I have come to see that it really is by His Word that I even LIVE. 

Sure, I can stumble along without it. Sometimes it even seems like I'm doing just fine without it. 

But you know how it goes, THEN you get back into it, you turn to it again, and BAM!!! God is there, showing you a MILLION things that are exactly what you were needing (maybe even looking) to hear. 

If we HOPE to see anything, we have to start with the Word. The Word serves as the glasses to our soul.

If we HOPE to hear anything, we have to start with the Word. The Word blocks up our ears from the lies of the world and makes sense of the whispers and shouts of truth all around us. 

Look. 

Listen.

It ALL hangs on the Word of God.

Click ^^^ for a list of all the posts in this series.

He Holds the Future

 

Last Thursday I wrote about how uncertainty and anxiety are connected. Even though I was writing about things that I am SURE of, I couldn't give an answer that satisfied me. 

I see the problem. I see the root. And yet, I can't fully grasp the solution. I still don't have an answer, but this week, God has shown me at least two PIECES of the solution. 

One came by way of a John Piper quote that someone shared...The quote came out of a book of his that I read several years ago called "Future Grace". The quote is this:

 

"We fight anxieties by fighting against unbelief and fighting for faith in future grace. And the way you fight this 'good fight' is by meditating on God's assurances of future grace and by asking for the help of His Spirit."

The other came from this blog post written by Emily Freeman about the movement that makes a difference. 

So the point is this - anxiety is real and, as best I can tell, it is caused by uncertainty. As a Christian, the fact is, uncertainty does not come from faith. Simply put, what doesn't come from faith is sin. I am a sinner. Saved by grace, yes...but still a sinner. I NEED that grace CONSTANTLY. I will be uncertain, I will be anxious. I will sin. I need grace and an unlimited supply of it is mine. 

 

 

When I am uncertain, I need to go to the presence of God. That is the ONLY place where I can be certain...My certainty in that place tells me that WHATEVER it is about the future that I'm struggling with will be accompanied by grace from God. 

I can't be sure about the future, but I can be sure of the grace God will supply me with when that future comes.

He HOLDS the future. He HOLDS me. And He isn't about having His people wander about without His grace.

The struggle isn't over. I can't seem to fully understand the answer. 

I have Christ and I can go into His presence. There I will find the pieces that I need. Pieces of truth that will feed my soul and keep me moving along through this thing called life. 

 

Any "change" I "make" isn't really good for much and will only stay "changed" so long as that's what my sinful self deems "best"....

What is very good and does stay is the presence of God. That's where I need to go. Care to join me there? 

Joy

If you've ever been to my "about me" tab and if you've ever read to the end of what I wrote there, you came across one of my favorite verses. The verse is Philippians 3:10. 

 

"For my determined purpose is that I may know God. 
That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, 
perceiving,recognizing, and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly. 
That I may be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness..."

 

Years ago that verse was part of the "old school" header I had. When I redesigned my blog, there wasn't a place for it there, but I knew I didn't want it to go away. It may be buried in a tab, but it's a verse that's central to my life. 

I just want to KNOW GOD...And I want my life to be continually TRANSFORMED by that knowing. I want people who know me, to feel like they are closer to be God because they've been near someone who has been close to Him. 

Friday I listened to a sermon by John Piper back from 1984. The sermon was on Philippians 3. As I watered my begonias, I was ecstatic at this thought -

Christian, there is more of Christ to know than you now know.

Really think about that. HOWEVER long you've been a Christian. HOWEVER much you think you know. There is STILL MORE of Christ to know. 

The sermon was about so much more than even that...But that thought really stuck with me.

As we know God, there is ALWAYS more to know. As we keep pursuing Him, He is stirring up that desire in us. As we see and savor and share what we find in Him, there is such JOY. 

We won't pursue perfectly. We won't know perfectly. The joy will sometimes seem completely gone. 

Yet, He is there. 

With that, there's one final thought I'm going to leave with you. I saw this quote and then I took this picture during my Friday morning outside. I decided to put the two together...

 

Promises

If there is ONE thing in my soul that needs to be worked on each day, it is this:
hope in God...
Hoping in God sustains us.
Hoping in God gives us joy and peace and contentment.
Hoping in God is our security.
Hoping in God gives us purpose. 
Hoping in God is ours in Jesus. 
Yet...I can at least speak for myself here...So often we worry (with or without God), question, fret, and a whole slew of other things that leave us as ships ready to be tossed by whatever wave happens to come our way next. 
I went to write out a verse in Lamentations about the mercies of God being new every morning. As I copied it down, I decided to read the verses around it. And that's when my mind turned right back to that familiar place: 
hope in God...

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in Him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24

 The steadfast love is with us, His mercy is always new, He is faithful, He is our portion...We have so many reasons to hope and when we have come to the end, to hope some more. 
Hope in God...You won't be disappointed! 

Real Faith

Ladies, I have a question for you today....Do you pray? By this I mean, do you spend earnest time in prayer to God? 
I do and I don't. I have seen God move in specific ways in answers to my prayers over and over again. It blows my mind. It's exciting and yet it's humbling. The God who made and keeps EVERYTHING is here calling me to pray to Him, to have faith, and to watch as He works. 
I am quick to thank God. I am quick to look to God. But I'm just not quick to ASK for things. 

Even so....Every single time I have asked for something specific I've seen a clear answer to it. No spoken words, no writing in the sky, and no pretty package on my doorstep...Not even a "still small voice". What I've seen is CHANGE...Changed hearts, changed situations, growth, understanding, overcoming, and quite a number of times, something given. Usually, answers didn't come overnight, but they came. 
Last week, while I was watching Heidi's kids I decided to turn a sermon on during "nap time". I looked through my iPod and decided on a sermon Mark Dever preached last year. Check it out HERE: Real Faith...Prays. 
Dever is one of my Mom's favorite preachers and I have to say, I can see why! He brings Scripture to real life and I happen to love how he ALWAYS has some piece of history to add to the point he is excited about. 

Ladies, listen to the sermon. Examine yourself and follow Dever's advice!!! Do you pray as though you believe that God is listening and will actually MOVE? 
Pray: Boldly...Specifically...Perseveringly....and WATCH as God works. 
2013 has been about DRINKING and a huge piece of that is praying...God works through our prayers. He works today and our prayers live on long after us! 

Praying isn't mainly about talking to or hearing from or getting something from God...Praying IS about setting a pattern of FAITH. Praying is KNOWING truth, STANDING on truth, and staying FOCUSED on God. 

As I pray, I need God, I need His Word, and I make for myself a path that leads me to walk with Him....Praying is what builds and strengthens and "fleshes out" the mind of God in my own head. 
Dever says to think about what you didn't pray about yesterday and pray about it today. That's A LOT....Don't run, don't worry, don't fear: do pray, do wait, do believe....He cares and He is working and in prayer you are saying, "in faith, I believe".

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess our sins one to another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three ears and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. James 5: 13-18

God is Right There

What a morning it has been! I woke up to the sun coming in through the window and decided that I would get out of bed and head out to the patio. I love beginning my day outside in the fresh, cool air while it is still completely peaceful. 
This morning I brought out a glass of water, my Bible, and my journal. I decided to read the five Psalms of the day (take the day and keep adding thirty to it until you run out of Psalms). As I read Psalm 5, 35, 65, 95, and 125 I saw one theme:
The cause of the Lord stands. 
I was also reminded that my soul needs to KNOW that God is at work. He is my salvation. He surrounds me and keeps me walking in that salvation that He has given to me. 
Everything He made is in His hand. I can be sure of that. In Him, we have our cause. Oh that I would be led by that cause daily! 
Since then, I came inside and had breakfast and visited with my Mom. Then I settled back down to read "Knowing God" by JI Packer. I'm not one to re-read books, but there are a few books I do re-read. This book is one of them. 
If there is one book you should read this year (I hope I haven't already said this...), you should read "Knowing God"! It has been a few years since my last trip through it....I forgot how RICH it truly is! 
In the first chapter, Packer quotes Charles Spurgeon in a call to the journey through coming to truly know God, 
"Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity...Go, plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea; be lost in the immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead..."
Any of you who have spent time with God in an attempt to KNOW Him, know this to be true. Whatever questions are raised, whatever convictions are had, there is NOTHING like sitting with God. 
However strange it sounds, there you find plain truth that leads to the clearest thinking you can have about life. And what PEACE and JOY and SECURITY truth brings. 
Packer describes Psalm 119 as communicating the fact that,
"His supreme desire was to know and enjoy God himself, and he valued knowledge about God simply as a means to this end. He wanted to understand God's truth in order that his heart might respond to it and his life be conformed to it."
I promise...If you take the time to read this book you will be on your way to knowing and enjoying God and having a heart that responds to His truth and a life that is conformed to it....And there you will most certainly find REST. 
The last few weeks have been full of spending time with people who love God and to be able to know them and the God that they love is absolutely refreshing. 
I hope this spring has been this for you too! If not...It's not too late! Today, dig in. Seek Him! 

Colliding

Earlier this week I came across a post that really packed a punch. You should go over and check it out!

I think I have mentioned it before....I am definitely a doer. I know that my works don't save me. I know that I could have died the day after I got saved and I would have just as much of God to enjoy for all of eternity.

BUT. I get caught up in the doing and being something "amazing".

In reality, even with all of my trying and thinking and studying, I'm something pretty NOT amazing.

I get tired. I get sick. I get grumpy. I snap at people and lose my patience. I get lazy.

God is constantly reminding me of two things:

Who He is

Who I am not

As I see my sin and His glory, I see because of Christ.

In Christ, I must keep looking. In Christ, I see what I am through Him and I see that I have all that I need.

There is one verse that I have in my head but apparently I didn't memorize it quite right because I can't seem to find it right now. I did find this one though....

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." 2 Peter 1:3-4

The point is this, whoever we are, wherever we come from, in Jesus Christ we have been given all that we need. We are complete. We are ready to treasure God right now and forever.

God is pleased with me because He is pleased with Christ. End of story, beginning of an amazing eternity.

So, as Amanda said in her post, this week, be the woman God knows you to be.

God knows you and He knows you in Jesus. Just rest in being that lady.

Let what you are trying to be and who you already are collide so that your striving would be a joy. Get in the Word and let it fill you with hope in Christ and faith in all that He has promised.

Sunday Afternoon All Things New

Today marks the beginning of another week in the 31 Days series I've been working on. 

I've got some pictures, some words of wisdom, and of course an intro to this week's 31 Days theme. 

This weekend has been sunny, windy, and COLD. Most of the leaves are now on the ground. I don't know where they all went, but no one has been raking and yet hardly any leaves are in yards. Guess God did the raking this year. 

So, I'm sitting here in my spot by the window. Squinting a little bit. Enjoying the joy of a window that keeps most of the cold out but lets the warmth of the sun in. 

****************

Remember that sermon I told you about by John Piper? 

Well, I'm going to share some words of wisdom that I copied down. These come from the first 20 minutes of that message. I already have 3 pages of notes. I'm not a doodler. It's 3 pages of WORDS. 

I'll just share the best parts! (Quotes belong to John Piper, unless otherwise noted)

"God created the world for the praise of the glory of His grace supremely manifested in the death of Jesus."

In these acts of creation, redemption, and keeping, "we see God's massive, pervasive self exaltation and promotion." 

We don't like that thought. We do not find it loving. We don't see God for who He is. This is a problem. 

We find God offensive and confusing. 

Yet, God provided a solution. Piper calls that solution "Christian Hedonism". Whatever you call it, the solution tells us that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." 

That sentence changed my life six years ago. 

Coming to understand what that sentence gets across has changed the lives of many. Edwards, Lewis, and Piper to name a few. Hopefully it has changed yours too! 

The sentence "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him", tells us that "there is no final conflict between your highest exhilaration and God's highest self glorification."

"Not only is there no conflict between your happiness and God's glory, but His glory shines brightly the more happy you are if your happiness is in Him." 

"Therefore, when He exalts Himself, sustains His glory, spreads it in the world for our praise, He is loving us, He is kind to us, He is merciful to us, giving us what will make us most deeply and most permanently happy." 

Because of who He is, "God is the one being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue."

"If you try to exalt yourself, you're not loving anybody! You are distracting them from what will make them happy." 

"You won't make them happy...You distract them from what will save them."

"If God exalts Himself, He's not distracting you, He's loving you. 'Come to Me, come to Me! I'm everything you've ever wanted. Come to Me. Be satisfied in Me. Enjoy Me. Treasure Me.'" 

"God's design to pursue His glory in the world turns out to be an act of love. Your duty to glorify Him, turns out to be the pursuit of your joy." 

CS Lewis wrote, "The world rings with praise. We praise whatever we love and admire and treasure and enjoy...Just as when men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge them [others] to join them in praising it." 

He goes on, "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment...Delight is incomplete until it is expressed." 

Sister, if you are struggling to find something. Look no further. The One who made you made you with a purpose. That purpose is to know Him and be known by Him. As this takes place, you will find completeness in Him.

Your purpose is to glorify Him by being satisfied in Him.

It sounds silly. It sounds foolish. 

It is. It is silly. It is foolish. UNTIL you come to treasure and enjoy Him. Until you know Him, you can't even imagine what knowing Him is like. 

Once you know Him and your life is changed. You will see how silly and foolish you were without Him.

"Your duty to glorify Him, turns out to be the pursuit of your joy." 

Pictures: Fresh towels// A coffee, a farmer's market find, and a new recipe//New chopper, one my most used kitchen items//Cozy spot//Books I'm reading//Slippers that even 89 year old ladies make fun of.

*****************

This week, I'm going to talk about the EXCITING part of making a home. These require the most work, but they don't happen very often. Most of us look forward to them. 

This week we're talking about entertaining, holidays, and seasonal decorating. 

Today I want to challenge you to ORGANIZE your seasonal decorations. 

If you have A LOT, get some boxes or totes. Label each one. It's as simple as cardboard, packing tape, a sharpie, and some index cards.

If you have a few things, find a drawer or a shelf where the things of the season can be together. 

It doesn't have to be hard. Having things organized may make the difference of what, when, or maybe even IF you put things out. 

So, get organized. It's the first step to enjoying these special days!

Port of Call

"If a man does not know to what port he is sailing, no wind is favorable." 

Sagamore Beach, MA  2010

My Mom shared this quote with me the other day. I kind of laughed in agreement when she shared it. Maybe you did the same when you read it just a few moments ago? 

Well, I've been thinking about it. It's true.

The most irritable people are those people who know what they're NOT doing but aren't sure what they ARE doing. Nothing can make them happy. Nothing satisfies them. But, everything seems to be "against them" if you stick around long enough to hear about it. 

Plymouth Harbor, MA 2010

On Tuesday, I was talking about what our purpose is. 

As Christians, we know to what port we are sailing. 

God is about the work of giving us those winds that are most favorable, namely, what it takes to make us more like His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Sometimes we fight the wind. Even then, it's there, coming along to push us towards our destination. 

Along the Shining Sea Trail on Cape Cod 2010

So, what wind of God have you been struggling against? 

What wind of God is there in your life trying to bring you closer to  Him and more like Him all at the same time?