The bible is filled with scriptures on seeking God. To seek Him is our greatest privilege. It is in the seeking and the finding where we encounter our greatest treasure, Jesus Christ Himself. As you read through these scriptures, don’t be in a hurry, take some time to really ponder what it is you are seeking today.
We’ve entered week two of our “Words for 2020” series, and this week’s word is Steadfast. It’s such a great word when you learn what it truly means and just sit with that for a bit. It strengthens, it encourages, it brings peace and hope. Steadfast is an amazing word to root and ground oneself with.
This weeks blog is more of a guided journaling meditation. When we take the time to sit, listen and make room for God to speak we can discover the most amazing things. Schedule out some quiet time and find a spot that inspires you to be still and listen.
I surrender! What’s the first image that comes to mind when you hear those words? White flags being waved from behind a pile of rubble? Hands raised in the air, head held low? Perhaps you see it as coming to the end of yourself, like you have lost, given up or quit. In many contexts that can be exactly what it is happening. But remember we serve the God who has created the upside down kingdom! He tells us that in order to rise high we are going to have to get low. If we want to be the greatest we need to serve others.
It’s a new year which means a natural time to reflect. To look back on what happened throughout the past year and set your sights on the future as the new year unfolds. 2020 is not only a new year but in fact a whole new decade.
It is so important to be intentional in our lives, to purposely set our gaze and move towards what God has for us in this new season. Have you taken any time to reflect and project?
One of the richest and most humbling parts of spending a year traveling around in our Winnebago Travato (Woodrow) has involved community. I have been stepping into a place of understanding my need of others, and that this is a good thing. That there can exist a healthy dependence upon one another. Maybe it would be better called interdependence, where two parties are truly blessing one another.
We never intended to spend the winter in Canada, yet here we are and loving what God is unfolding in our lives on Vancouver Island where the weather has recently dipped below freezing temps at night. We do have a propane heater in the RV and run it infrequently, but when things get this cold it’s wise to run our ceramic heater on low throughout the night to keep our water pipes from freezing. This has opened a door of opportunity to be blessed by others. People invite us to park in front of their home or in their driveway to plug in for the night. One friend even puts the extension cord out for us; his way of rolling out the red carpet! Because of this we’ve stayed toasty warm as things got colder, all because of the hospitality and kindness of others.
What does it mean or look like in your life to BE the difference? Many of us have an embedded desire to do something great, to make a difference in the world, to know that our life matters. To be apart of something bigger than ourselves, something significant.
For myself I am realizing it starts with simple everyday choices. Intentional choices. Showing up in the small things one day at a time turns into greater things over time. I am watching this take place throughout the last six months as I choose to show up day by day at the gym, doing the prescribed workouts. No one single workout changed everything for me; it was the consistency of taking one small step each and everyday. After six months I can look back and see there have been some significant changes happening here! My body has transformed, my skills and abilities have progressed, and my mindset has been changing to realize I can do things I never thought I could.
I am in awe of the current season of life. I wonder how long it will last. It seems a little bit like a dream, is this real life? Is this my life? Is this what I get to do. The funny thing about life is we can’t know what is around the corner, we don’t know when something may end or a new thing begin. And yet how much time do we waste worrying about what may or may not happen. What if instead we just embraced what is, and lived fully in it. No excuses. No apologies.
The blog this week is simple, short, with no excuses and no apologies. Just an exercise in living in what is!
This week we’re starting a new series called Discover God’s Greatness. We will be taking time to work our way slowly through Psalm 145. This psalm caught my attention and I have been singing my way through it on the piano. The verses captivate me so I just linger on each, singing them again and again.
We never know for sure how or when God is going to intercept us along our journey, and when He does it’s often much different than we’d expect. I suppose it has everything to do with the fact His ways and thoughts are so much better than ours. The lyrics “so much better Your way” are currently resonating with me. What I do know is this, God deeply desires to connect with us, He is constantly pursuing us, and He can be as creative as He wishes in His approach with us.
God is using CrossFit to unfold a new chapter in my life’s story with Him. If you are not aware, CrossFit is an approach to fitness that uses olympic lifting, gymnastics, and cardiovascular conditioning in all sorts of combinations to create an effective fitness program. I have not always been an advocate for CrossFit. In fact, as a group fitness instructor I used to tell people not to do CrossFit! I am singing a new song after taking on a personal challenge of doing 90 consecutive crossfit workouts (6 days a week). God has been teaching me spiritual lessons that apply to many areas of life. As I share them here I pray they empower you to move forward in what God has for you.
This series is titled Spirit Soul Body, not Body Soul Spirit for a reason. It’s just a matter of personal preference. I feel as though Spirit needs to come first and Body last. Not that our bodies are worthless, but going back to the car analogy from our previous post, this body is just the vehicle that houses our Spirit and Soul while we’re here on Earth. While maintaining your vehicle is crucial, especially if you want to get around comfortably and reliably, its occupants are far more valuable.