In the land of the living...

Sometimes the troubles of this world seem to scream so loud, for so long, that it begins to eclipse the goodness of the Lord in our lives...slowly chipping away at one of the most crucial things from which we gain our strength. Hope. Without hope, our heart weakens. Slowly. Steadily.

Those troubles scream at us, demanding our attention. We begin to notice them as soon as we open our eyes each morning, and drift to them consistently throughout our day. As we place our heads on our pillows...they're waiting for us. Heavy. Burdensome.

If only.

If only we would remember what Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans..."the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us...".

But is that it? Is that our lot in life? Are we doomed to daily defeat on this planet, smothered by ever mounting troubles...only to know hope after we step into eternity?

No! In no way are we shackled to the weight of earthly despair. In this matter scripture screams much louder than our annoying troubles. Much louder!

I love this...in John chapter 10, Jesus plainly said that He had come to give life and give it abundantly. He was explaining that those who truly belong to Him will not listen to the voice of a false teacher, the "thieves" who had come before Him. Those thieves wanted to steal, kill, and destroy. The original word for 'destroy' means "to render useless".

Boom.

When we focus on our troubles, they become larger and louder than life. Our strength is weakened, our hope begins to diminish. We are indeed...rendered useless.

We must not settle for useless. We must not rest in our troubles. We must turn our focus, as difficult as it may be, to the only One who will reverse our uselessness, and make us useFUL. We can read and rest in 1 Peter chapter one...we have a living hope. Jesus. He lives and He IS our hope.

When our troubles scream defeat and despair in our face, let our hearts take courage. Let's be strong, and wait for the Lord. Let's believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord not only in eternity, but in today. In the land of the living.


“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalms‬ ‭27:13-14‬ ‭

Handing over my boy...

Almost 21 years ago God gave Steve and me the first of five precious souls. Four of them took turns breathing their first breath...usually through an earth shaking scream at the top of their little wet lungs...and one not meant for this earth.

That firstborn. Oh, man...he grabbed us. He grabbed us hard.

Sweet. Smart. Funny. Courageous. Mighty. Mighty, indeed.

So many amazing facets to my Drew boy, and one of my all time favorites is that he's a protector. Family, friends, anyone with a special need, and those who are labeled unloveable because they look or act different than what society deems as "acceptable". You name 'em, he'll protect them.

Boy, I'm a sucker for a protector. Aren't you?

I knew the day would come when God would bring in the bride He had prepared for my boy. I've honestly never worried about it. For some reason it's been an area of trust that I've had with the Lord. I've rested in the truth that these babies are His. They belong to Him eternally, and He is going to accomplish exactly what HE wants to accomplish in each of them.

Whew. That'll take a load off.

BUT...there's always a but...I love this boy. So, so much. What would it look like to hand his heart over to another. Yikes...would I choke?

I have a constant prayer for my girls, the girls that will marry my boys, my boys and the boys that will marry my girls. I literally beg the Lord to give my children a heart to love Him first, above anything and everything, and anyone and everyone this earth has to offer. After all, He IS high and exalted, the One True God, and nothing and no one can compare!

I also have specific scriptures I pray over the girls, and also the boys. I circle my girls with Proverbs 31:25, "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” And my boys with Joshua 1:9, and Luke 2:52, that they would, "...be strong and courageous...", and "...grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."

I love it when God allows me to actually SEE, daily fleshed out in real life, answers to my prayers!

Alex is indeed clothed with strength and dignity. Drew is strong and courageous, and walks under the very hand of God's favor. Their hearts are united with their gaze fixed on what truly matters...King Jesus, and His glory.

The day came. The last day for me to be the main woman in his life.  The first day for him to have a heart to hold above my own...his bride's. And may I honestly say, with all transparency...nope, no choking happening over here!! It was one of the sweetest, and dearest days in my life.

The love I have for my new daughter in law far surpasses anything I could have ever hoped for, or imagined. She is everything, and more. Lover of Jesus first, filling up on His unfailing love, so that she can unconditionally love, and also receive the love of her husband in return.

Steve says so very often, "I'm such a rich man." He couldn't be more correct. We are rich. Wealthy with love and blessings far beyond what we deserve. These four souls, now with one addition, are the greatest earthly joys that together we posses.

So, I gladly hand over my boy to the favor of God in his life...his forever love, his radiant bride!