The valleys, the plains, the plateaus, even the deserts in our lives are all good in their own ways, for their own time. We never stay in one place forever, but some seasons seem to be endless and stretch us to the farthest extension of our endurance. But God is a good Father. He never gives us more than we can handle. Sometimes that means we only survive because of his grace covering us or we have to let him carry our burden for us. Without fail though, the rains will come. There will be peaceful mountain tops where our souls are revived. And we will look back and see the growth, and the change, and his evident hand in our every moment.

- Valley of Fire, Arizona

Imitation

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

To imitate someone means, that to the best of your ability, you’re trying to mimic the way they act, match their movements, follow their choices and make decisions you think they would make. To match your voice to theirs, to say what they would, walk with their gate, and go where they’ve gone. To imitate God leaves no room for partial commitment to the task. To live a life of love like Jesus, requires more of us than we can sustain in our own abilities. 

To imitate another person means denying your own identity to try to take on another’s, but because we have been made in the image of God himself, (indeed he is the fulfillment of everyone, who has ever lived, all rolled into one great and perfect identity) imitating him means finally discovering, and walking as our truest self. 

Am I Just Standing Still?

Is it a bad thing that when I go back and read my own posts from 3 years ago it all still feels relevant? It's the same when I read journal entries that I wrote 10 years ago. Does it simply mean that what spoke to me then is still resonating in my heart, or doesn't mean I haven't grown at all? It's hard to gauge where you are on the journey.



The Importance of Being Ernest

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
—
Ernest Hemingway

Welp. Here goes...
Again.

(On a side note- all photographs from here on out will be mine unless otherwise stated. Yay!)  

Perspective. Again.

I am constantly wavering back and forth between being content with what my life looks like, and longing for dreams that have yet to be realised. The last few weeks have been the latter, on a very deep level, that has left me feeling discouraged and bereft. Today God brought such gentle reminders of how he cares for us through the words of wise people and conversations with others who are in similar places. He knows what we need.

 

I know that ultimately, the purpose for our lives, and our children's lives, is not to fulfill our personal hopes and dreams, the aspirations we have for ourselves, or hopes for our children; the ultimate purpose is to follow the Lord's leading and be used by him for his purposes and plans for us. It is a matter of trust, that we believe Him when he says that he knows the plans he has for us and they are filled with his goodness and hope and a future.  If that means we need to walk through the desert for 25 years to truly step into our full destiny, then I want to trust him, and not allow my discontent to push me to take short cuts and possibly miss the fullness of the future he has for us, or chances to be used in some one else's life because of where we are, and what we are going through.

 

The unique thing about how God works, is that the contentment can reside in the same place as the dreams and desires. He makes room for both. But I do not find that balance so easily. It is so hard to trust and even harder to understand why our journey must have so many pit falls and obstacles, lost dreams, and unfulfilled or delayed hopes. My brain does not trust His goodness easily, but my spirit never questions it. And that is the paradox of being both body and soul in one being, redeemed and fallen at the same moment in time. The Father does not view the span of our lives from the finite place of time. He sees the end, the present and beginning of our life as a whole. Our part in his story.

 

And never once have we ever walked alone.

Perspective

Such a good reminder today,

That it is not about me. This process is not about my dreams or vision. The waiting is not about my plans.

My life is His, to do with as he chooses, to bring him glory, and to fulfill His purpose in my life, and through that in the lives of anyone He chooses to use it in.

It is all about him.

The wait.

Your presence is all I need,
It's all I want.
Without it, there's no meaning.

If your presence does not go with us... Do not send us up from here.

Decisions.
Listening.
Letting go.

ex. 33:15