The 'obedience, love and worship' connection.

So, the past week there has been something that just keeps coming to my mind...well many things...but this one in particular seems to be more prominent!  Last Tuesday night at study (Lord I Want To Know You; Kay Arthur) we studied the name "Jehovah-jireh" - the Lord will provide.  As we worked through it together I had a new way of seeing the whole Abraham sacrificing Isaac story.  I mean this just completely blows my mind...in several ways.  To refresh your mind, or introduce you to the story for the first time, I'll add the text for you to read before I continue:

Genesis 22:1-19 - The Sacrifice of Isaac

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he answered. 2 "Take your son," He said, "your only [son] Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3 So early in the morning Abraham got up, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we'll come back to you." 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, "My father." And he replied, "Here I am, my son." Isaac said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." Then the two of them walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" He replied, "Here I am." 12 Then He said, "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me." 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: "It will be provided on the Lord's mountain." 15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. 18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command." 19 Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba. (NIV)

First of all, the thing that is continually placed right in front of me is 'the obedience factor' - O to have the obedience of Abraham!  To sacrifice your own flesh and blood...at the very next break of dawn at that.  Really?!  And not only Abraham's obedience to God, but Isaac's obedience to his father as he lay there tied down to the alter...smelling the smoke, knife raised and all.  Golly.  It really is unimaginable to my mind (and my mind can imagine quite a bit, lol!).  While Abraham is following through in obedience, I can't even begin to comprehend what was going through his mind.   (*Notice here the prophecy... God 'provided' and gave His only Son as a sacrifice for us...beautiful!)

Secondly, as Abraham told his son that 'God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering', I believe it's safe to say that he didn't know God was going to spare Isaac's life and have a ram right there waiting caught in the thicket to sacrifice in place of his one and only son.  The love he had for Isaac was like no other, just as the love he had for God was like no other - in a unique and set apart way.  (This reminding us that our love for the Lord MUST be held in THE highest position.)

Thirdly, we visit the kind of worship Abraham would have had towards God after the angel of the LORD called out "Abraham!  Abraham!....Do not lay a hand on that boy."  I mean really!  Hokey Dina...again another incomprehensible image for my little mind!  There just simply isn't anything more I can say about that without it going to complete rambling!

So, wrapping up here...we see 'the obedience, love and worship connection'.  As I pondered this, and saw it to be true, my little light bulb went on.  As they are all connected to one another, you can't have one without the other - the Trinity!  This was a wonderful moment for me!  A fresh revelation indeed!  Isn't that cool?!  I mean......ya! 

One other little bit of insight I will share with you in regards to this particular piece of scripture.  As we read, 'Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: "It will be provided on the Lord's mountain".'  Did you know...that it is the same mountain where Christ died on the Cross?!!  How utterly awesome is that?!!  Again, we see Jehovah-jireh...it's got God written all over it!! 

He is a God who is for you, not against you.  In any test you can lay your Isaac on the altar.  You can worship Jehovah-jireh in obedience and know that whatever you need, the Lord will provide it.
(Kay Arthur)

Until next time,
'K'

So I continue to run...

Well...I sit again today with the ongoing struggles I've been in for a while now, as well as some new ones added for good measure.  It's hard.  So hard.  Yet, in the midst of it all, I can hear the Lord saying to me 'look up precious child...I'm right here!' - O Lord, do I ever need to constantly be reminded of that.  I do wonder sometimes though, why, when it's so obvious, is it the hardest to do?

I just went back and read my blog "Oppression and 'the bubble' ".  Where I am right now with things, I found myself connecting with this portion....

 ...there seems to be many things all tangled up in that ball. Sigh. It's the feeling of just wanting to sink into bed, pull the covers up over your head and go to sleep. Praying that when you wake up it'll all be gone and you'll be good-to-go again...

With the many things that continue to become unleashed in my life...it's a wonder I don't become completely unglued and fall to pieces - for real.  Some days I feel that is literally going to happen.  Where there just doesn't seem any other option.  Then there are those days where you go through a temporary moment of 'ungluedness', and as always, time passes and, if only for a short while, you can breathe again.   It's a great comfort to know that I can't rely on me to pull myself up and out of that - that helps take away some of the pressure!  Thankfully I have a friend who is so strong, and compassionate, and loving that especially during times such as these, He picks me up...dusts me off...and let's me know 'all will be ok'. 

I'll admit, writing this is easier than actually realizing it and applying it right now.  Although this does appear to be such a difficult time for me in life right now...it's been the best place for me to be.  Sounds kind of like an oxy-moron doesn't it?!  If you have been in the same place as me before, you'll understand this to be true.  In the hardest times....when it's the darkest...the Light shines even brighter!  This I continue seeing for myself - not by sight, but by my ever growing faith in Christ Jesus.  Even when He allows these difficulties, I know His plan and purpose are so much bigger than I can even begin to grasp.  Lord, help to remind me of this truth, and to cling to it.

'They' say, 'when it rains it pours'....I'm expecting that to be the case.  I'm asking for a downpour to be the case when it comes to growing in Him.  The more it rains, the more I grow and become more of the woman he has intended for me to become!  More in His image - each and every day.  The painful part of the growing is the pain involved of the stretching beyond what we've known - what is familiar.  That is our refining....our edification.  Without it, we can't grow. 

God never said it would be easy, but He did promise that we'd never be alone!  May you and I rest in the knowledge of the Lord's unwavering faithfulness.  He is the ultimate....Creator, Savior and Friend.  The one who is 'open 24/7' for us, and drops everything when we come running into His arms as a child with a scraped knee, a broken heart, or a problem we just can't solve on our own.  So, I continue to run...with my eyes upwards to Him - my El Shaddai (all-sufficient one)...my ALL in ALL.

Until next time,
'K'

"Dance, praise and love".

I came across this beautiful poem today as I was deleting things from my Facebook account in preperation for the removing of it (...yay for me!...a whole other topic there...).  As I read over it again, I just felt the need to share it with you all.  So here it is...short and sweet, simple yet profound!  I pray this blessing over you all who are reading this blog today.

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you..
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
Dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

-Mother Theresa-  (bold - my addition)

Until next time,
'K'

The Ultimate 'life saver'

I've been feeling 'under pressure' lately...like no matter how many hours in the day there is, there is still so much more to do.  Sigh.  Not only is it the day-to-day tasks that are at hand...(as they keep one busy enough!) but it's the mounting of everything else topping that. 

You know...I actually started typing out that 'list', then realized that isn't important to anyone else but me - nor is it necessary for this blog.   Needless to say, I'm sure we all have these seasons in our lives where we kind of feel like we're 'drowning' a bit.

The good news is, is that even though I may feel like I'm drowning with this 'stuff', I'm not because I  know The Ultimate 'life saver'!  If that isn't encouragement I don't know what is!  That being said....those issues I'm dealing with still remain very real in my life.  They are significant in my business, in my family life as well as my personal life - which warrant thought and careful consideration to make my life run as smoothly as possible.  I do question sometimes though, what I can omit to simplify my life even further.  Do you ever question that?  What have you done about it....or thought about changing to make that happen?  I chuckle as I write that because that seems to be something else to 'add to the list'! 

Perhaps it's just the season in my life currently.  There is just so much I'm taking in and learning about our Awesome God - and how that affects my life (earthly and eternally) - that is starts to become a bit overwhelming.  I wonder what I'm actually retaining!  One thing I do know, is that the Lord will have me recall what I've learned at the appropriate time - because He can!

I feel I'm kind of all over the place today with this blog, and perhaps that is so.  So, my apologies if you've read this post and wondered why it didn't seem to make much sense or that it was hard to follow.  Or maybe you are in the same place I am in, and were able to hear exactly what I was saying!  In any case...I continue to document my journey - the highs and the lows, along with all the confusion and frustration in between!

I pray a blessing for you dear reader!  That you (if you haven't already!) would come to know your Creator and enter into a right relationship with Him.  The rewards of doing so far outweigh any hardship we will ever encounter!

Until next time,
'K'

Pausing for a while from...'the time waster'.

God is so good! All the time! Today I had the privilege of pausing for a while from things and taking a look back on how the Lord has worked in my life - especially the last few years. What I thought was the most painful and heartbreaking time in my life, He truly has turned around for my good and His glory! What a bitter sweet thing to now know. It's hard in those moments when we don't understand and can't even begin to see a little glimpse of the bigger picture He sees - but we're not necessarily supposed to! Otherwise, He shows us and/or gives us the discernment required for doing so. How it blows my mind - the FACT that I'll never 'get' Him! How can that in itself leave a person in complete awe?!


I've been contemplating, once again, the whole Facebook thing. Sigh....I know, I know! Believe me, I've thought about it, and thought about it again....and again! There are some good things about having it, but when I weigh the 'pros' and 'cons'....it appears the 'cons' tip the scale. The biggest thing that was holding me back from actually just doing it, is the fact that I have a page (through my personal page) that is a gateway to this blog and I didn't want to lose that connection with those who follow via FB. So, my conclusion...create a completely new and separate FB account for this blog! This will allow me to continue updating followers of new posts, but I won't be sucked into 'the time waster' that I have found FB to be (just my opinion from my experience!). What in the world did we ever do before it?? Really!

Anyhow, on that note...I should sign off, lol!
Until next time,
'K'

The Bouncy Castle and high expectations.

Sorry, sorry, sorry!  I know my intentions of posting more regularly are really great, but somehow 'life' keeps me from sitting down and doing so.  I do miss doing so when time has slipped away on me so quickly.

The kids and I had a busy weekend, and it was sooo much fun!  We went over the to LFCA (Land Force Central Area) Training Center (formerly the Tank Range to you locals!) in Meaford on Saturday.  They were having 'Winterfest' for the families of the military...yes, I am aware I am not in a 'military' family...but was so kindly invited by the Captain running this event, who are good friends of ours.  Needless to say it was an energy filled day to say the least!  Although the weather was crappy outside (as it was last year for the same event!), we managed to keep busy for the day.  They had so many things for the kids to do...and some for the adults too!  The Bouncy Castle and Bouncy Slide are always a hit with the kids, even the big one's too!  The two of us Moms got to jump around in it for a while once everyone had left...oh how great to feel like a kid again!  I laughed as I thought of the sight of these two woman jumping inside this Bouncy Castle as the young recruits walked by while cleaning up!  Yes, we can be child-like too :)  We didn't care - we were totally in the moment!  The kids thought it was great too that we were in there, once they realized it!  But oh how the abs felt afterwards, lol!  Guess that's a sign they aren't used enough?!  Anyhow, besides that there was a treasure hunt, camo face painting, dressing up in army gear, a craft, SAT (simulated target shooting), army truck rides (that was great too!)....and of course food!  Such a great day...thanks to good friends!

Later that night, the kids went to Nana and Papa's for a sleepover while Mommy went out with the 'girls'.  My friend (same one from above writings) had some tickets to go and hear this 'Kevin Fox' at our local theater - The Roxy.  So three of us managed to get away and spend the evening together listening to this wonderfully talented musician.  We'd never heard of him before, but now that we have...cd's were purchased!  He is an accomplished Cellist, and is very inviting to listen to with his playing.  He does much more than sing and play (if you want to know what all he does...google him!!) and it was a privilege to watch him (and his band mates) preform for us for the night.  It was a real unexpected treat!  Thanks to the girls who helped making the night fun...not that I'm surprised there was much laughing due to the company it was! 

I was thinking about how we knew nothing about this person, yet we went ahead with our eyes open and with no expectations.  In the end, we were completely blown away!  All too often we have such high expectations...then when they aren't met, we're left disappointed.  Why do we do that to ourselves?  Not only do we place them on ourselves, but we place them on others too.  I mean, yes, we are to have standards, that's important, but why do we seem to have high expectations?  That's something I've tried to really let go of lately.  In some areas of life it's been pretty easy to do....in others, not so much.  But I'm trying!  Perhaps being aware of our doing that is half the battle?!  Hmmm, just something to ponder I suppose :)

Until next time,
'K'