A Longing

Yesterday, I had a 2-inch needle stuck into my knee for a shot of cortisone.  I'm 22. I should hardly need cortisone shots in my knee.
What's wrong with my knee you ask?  Well, I think the general answer is that it's "old".  I've overused it through gymnastics, injured it by hyper-extending it numerous times and beat the poor thing up. So at 22, I have a body that is already slowing down and having trouble keeping up. Great.

This makes me long for a body that is whole, complete and finished.  It makes me long for the day when we no longer need doctors, and hospitals, have no more pain, cry no more tears, no longer injure, break, sprain, or twist anything and there is no more sickness.

I long to be whole, not only in body, but in mind and spirit: to be wholly sanctified and please my Father in Heaven, to spend eternity in His goodness and light.

I long for Heaven.

I used to think about Heaven as one long church service.  Don't get me wrong: I love my church. And I love attending church and church functions. I am close with my church family and truly enjoy being there and worshiping with them. But an eternity-long church service does not sound "heavenly" to me.

Thankfully, I have grown up and read a few more books and studied Scripture a little more and have come to realize that Heaven is SO much more than a church service.  It's an eternity of discovering the mysteries, the wonders, the goodness and love of our infinite, faithful God.  It's an eternity of fellowshipping with the children of God.  It's being constantly in the presence of God and bathed in his light and his love. An eternity of joy and peace and growth. And that sounds far more inviting and thrilling and wonderful.

I have no idea what this might "physically" look like and the pictures in my head are probably far less magnanimous than Heaven actually is.  After all, how can my finite mind come up with any idea of what heaven might look like??
But can you imagine God's library? Or His flower garden?  Or His vegetable garden?  Can you imagine the colors we might see? And the sounds and tastes and smells?
Everything touched by the hand of God and no longer tainted by sin. 

Oh, I'm ready.  I'm so ready.

May God grant us the blessing of tasting and seeing that He is good, even here, upon the earth [Psalm 34:8].  May we cling to the hope that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, even while we eagerly await being taken home to eternity [Psalm 27:13].

Questions...

A few questions to ponder, straight from Scripture:

"What is man, that you are mindful of him and the son of man, that you care for him?" [Psalm 8:4]

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" [Romans 8:35]

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" [Romans 8:31]

"And [Jesus] said, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?'" [Matthew 8:26]

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth." [Isaiah 40:28]

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" [Galatians 4:9]

"And why are you anxious about clothing? If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" [Matthew 6:28 and 30]

"Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?" Will what is molded say to is molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" [Romans 9:20]

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" [Romans 8:32]


The answers to these questions can also be found in Scripture and provide such a firm foundation to face each day with hope and confidence. 
May we remind ourselves of the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love for us (Eph 3:18).

Thought Bubble of the Day

I forget that God is with me.
I forget that the "God-man", Jesus, faced every temptation, just as I do.
I forget that God suffered and died.
I forget that God is mighty.
I forget that the Spirit prompts in whispers.
I forget that He uses other people to teach me.
I forget that He IS accomplishing and He WILL accomplish His purpose in my life.
I forget.

"But the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating even to dividing the soul and the spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." [Hebrews 4:12]

So I go back. And let the truth of God's word penetrate my heart. And remember. And cling. And hope. And let the Spirit speak through it's pages. And stand upon the faithful promises of God - "for all the promises of God find their "yes" in [Christ]" (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Let's remember and live victorious in the promises and work of God today.

Blessed

The night it all began... NYC, July 2010

See that handsome man up there in the photo with me?  On that evening, we were simply friends, taking a picture in the middle of a walk around downtown New York City. Touring the East Coast with Worldview Academy, serving as the leadership team, we had no idea what the future held...and now, I am so thrilled to say that that amazing man will one day soon be my husband.

We're Engaged!!!

Mark is such a huge blessing in my life. I could fill pages on this blog about our story, his characteristics, why I fell in love with him, and what God has taught me through my relationship with him. 

God has blessed us with supportive parents, faithful friends, praying people and His gracious mercy throughout the two and half years that I have known him. We have served together, laughed together, cried together, worked together and I am abundantly happy to be continuing our journey together. 

"In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." [1 John 4:10]

God is so gracious. 

We are praying that God would use our relationship to bring Him glory - that the way we live, interact, pray, work and love would be a testament to His grace, mercy, patience, kindness and forgiveness. We are praying that God sanctifies us through this marriage, as hard and painful as that will sometimes be.  Please be praying with us as we continue this journey and take the next step in our relationship.

Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

1 Thessalonians 5:23, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."