The Dream

Well, today I am thankful for our house. I am thankful for the process that we went through to buy it. I am thankful that we bought this one not the one next door!

During our house hunting adventure the past year, we had fallen in love with the house next door to the one we actually bought. That house had been up for sale months before ours came into the market. It is a gorgeous house and we tried hard to find fault with it, but just couldn’t really come up with ideas on what to complain about in order to make the seller bring the price down… : ) However perfect it was, though, we had a sense that didn’t allow us to feel 100% comfortable with it.

We didn’t know what it was. We couldn’t put our finger on it. It just didn’t feel right, but we decided to make an offer anyway, for it was just a great house. The night before we had decided to place our offer, Dan had a dream. He woke up rather startled the next morning. He told me about it. I don’t remember the details really well. But in his dream, he saw me helplessly sliding down the icy “dream house’s” steep driveway in my little, 12-year-old Honda Civic. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think it was a big deal, but Dan was truly mortified by what he saw in his dream. So much so that he decided to place a really low offer instead of what he had previously thought.

Obviously, we didn’t get the house. Later, this one came up for sale and here we are. Eventually, a young couple with two little kids bought the other house. They seem thrilled with it. I don’t blame them : )

Today, over a year later, I became startled by Dan’s dream. It is our first big snow of the season. Dan was outside cleaning our front steps. I, as usual, was watching him from the front window (nice, cozy and warm inside : ). Suddenly, he lifted his head, looked over to the neighbor’s direction and then gave me a knowing look. I immediately knew. I looked in that direction too and saw the young neighbor’s pickup truck sliding helplessly down the steep, icy driveway into the road, only to stop on the other side of the street. He got himself out of the jam with his FWD, backed up into his driveway, only to helplessly slide back down again sideways. By then, Dan was already walking there to see if he could assist in any way. I remained standing by my window with my mouth wide open.

God protected us from a treacherous situation, indeed. Sometimes we don’t get to see the end purpose of it all, but in those rare instances in which we do…it is pretty sweet, and for those moments when God shows His hand, I am most grateful!

The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."  Lamentations 3: 22-24

Linking with: whole hearted home and R-R-Wednesdays

Change - He Gives and Takes Away

And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Revelations 21: 5

Today, once again, I'm taken by this portion of His Revelation…He makes all things new…what a refreshing thought…

In this age of darkness and desolation, when the entire world seems up-side-down, let along our own personal lives, knowing that our Trustworthy God himself declares, from His very own throne, that He is already making all things new, surely brings hope to an otherwise seemingly hopeless existence. Even when we are face down on the floor, gasping for air, bleeding hope out of every pore, we could be reassured that He is, at that very moment, making it all new. The pain we feel is the pain of the old order passing away, which is never easy. 

Making things new is not a smooth proposition. Not many people I know like change. My kids certainly hate it. I’m not very keen to it either. The way I see it is that the main reason we don’t like change is because change always involves leaving something behind. That something, often times, is something dear. Like seeing the old family car been driven away by a stranger after we sell it. Or closing the door of an old house behind us for the last time…or packing our personal effects and clearing up the desk that represented our home for over 8-hours a day for the last decade or more…change always means ripping ourselves apart from something we once held dear, but it is not meant for us any longer. 

The good news is that more often than not, change ends up being good! Many times the newer car is better, the new house is nicer and the new job is more rewarding. It doesn’t make it any easier, though. Especially when what is left behind or what is lost is a loved one…and we are there, at the moment of transition, when we are up in the air, in that dark void of pain and uncertainty, not sure of what’s ahead, that’s when change becomes its scariest. That’s when the enemy takes advantage of us and of our weakness to implant the seeds of fear and doubt in our soul with the evil goal of creating separation between us and Our Lord. 

At that moment, when we feel lost, we remember that the One who lives in us is still there. And we call on Him, claiming His trustworthy promises, relying on His deliverance and mercy, knowing that He is making all things new for our own good. At that moment of instability, we remember who He is and what He has done. On that hour of loss we remember that…

The God of the Universe holds us by His right hand! (Isaiah 41: 13) He knows our name! (Isaiah 43: 1) He is making all things new! Whom/what then shall we fear? (Psalm 27:1) So we say: Blessed be His Name, when He gives as well as when He takes away!

Linking with:Be Simply Better

Trusting His Promises

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3: 22-23

May today be a day to proclaim the Lord’s Great Faithfulness and Love! May waking up groggy, achy, tired, worried, scared, ill-tempered or bad-humored not hinder our ability to praise Him for the gift of a new day to be fully His! May His compassion and mercy be evident to us today, particularly when we are having a hard time getting through life’s winding paths.

This day I am most grateful for His promises, which are true and eternal. It does not matter when He proclaimed them…it doesn’t matter if I don’t believe them…they are as true today as they were when He spoke them. And as His children, we are as blessed to receive them now, as those back in time were when they first heard them. 

And the promise I cling onto at this hour is the one in which He reveals to us that…

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelations 21:4

The words come directly from the One Seated on the Throne, who loudly announces that He makes all things new…as He vouches for His own Holy Word. What more do we require? He whose Words are actions can take care of it all and lift us up on wings like eagles. He can pull us out from any circumstance, even the most dire. We are never consumed, no matter how hot the fire! He, Who Is Love, dwells in us…so His Greatness protects us…and for that, I am most grateful.

“Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord onto me…”

Praying with Friends

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7

Yesterday I went to brunch with one of my dear friends who took time out of her busy schedule to share it with me. She is one of my prayer pillars, whose thoughtfulness, kindness, love and knowledge of The Word make her into one of God’s wonderful instruments here on earth. 

Cindy and I met several years ago under rather interesting circumstances which are outside the scope of this post. The most interesting part is, however, that prayer brought us together. We held a few two-people, highly intense and eternally rewarding prayer meetings on selected Saturday afternoons a few years ago. Those were wonderful –informal times of praise and prayer within an attitude of worship and thanksgiving that allowed us to lift up to Him all our concerns, petitions and supplications. 

I remember the refreshing feeling I used to enjoy after our two-warrior gatherings. Yesterday, as I listened to her praying on my behalf, I was reminded of that at our “brunch fellowship.” And I was also reminded of the fact that not only the Holy Spirit prays and intercedes for us in Divine prayer when we can’t do it ourselves; but our sisters and brothers in Christ do it as well. (see The Holy Communicator)

My friend prayed over a pretty comprehensive list of requests for my life which astonished me since she mentioned things I had pushed to the back of my mind by now due to other items making their way to the top. She showed me that in her caring nature, she remembers my needs in ways that even I cannot. 

It was very moving and I didn’t have words to express my gratitude in person. As I came back home in the afternoon, I knew that God had arranged for our meeting yesterday and that His hand was upon us as we shared together in His presence. He was sitting with us in our rustic booth at that humble dinner. 

I thought many times that I should pray for her concerns as well, but the words just wouldn’t come out of my mouth. As the Lord joined us in our private gathering; however, He touched Cindy to utter the words and minister to me in my moment of pressing need. I felt selfish on my part, but then I realized that as God arranged this meeting, He had a plan and the same way, He will arrange for another one where the plan will be different. We are never exhaustive in prayer. Prayer renews itself every time; hence, the command to praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5: 17). We are to lift each other up, always, non-stop, with prayer, praise, petition and thanksgiving so the gentle breeze of peace which comes out of nowhere, can sooth our weary souls…and for that, I am most grateful.

Linking with:  Whole Hearted Home and Little R and R

The Holy Communicator

Today, I am praising God for His Word, and for the fact that in it we find the comfort we need at every junction of life. In this case, we learn in Scripture that even when we don’t know what to pray for or how to pray, The Holy Spirit intercedes and He, Himself, in all His divinity, lifts us up in Holy prayer.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8: 26 (NSV)

What an amazing concept. It is such an unfathomable idea that our human brain short-circuits trying to ponder it. Hence the “groanings” for it is all way too “deep for words.” It goes beyond anything we can humanly express; therefore, the need for the assistance of our Holy Helper, The Paraclete, Greek term that defines the Holy Spirit as our Advocate and Helper.

He comes to our aide when the pain, despair, frustration, anxiety, fear, exhaustion and agony are so intense that words are not enough to communicate them. At that moment, the Holy Guest that dwells in our soul comes up and in unutterable groans, presents our prayers to The Heavenly Father on our behalf. He is the Only One capable at that point to do the communication, as we rest and wait in Him.

I cannot depend on my own capabilities to do anything. I must lean on Him in every situation, even for effective communication!

We have a Father who thinks of all these details in advance. He knew, since before He created us, that there would be a day when we wouldn’t know what to say. Therefore, in order to avoid the breakdown in the lines, He installed a Heavenly Server who does it for us. And for that, I am eternally grateful!

Linking with: Counting Our Blessings and Titus-2sday

All Things in Christ!

Well, I think that from today on, I am going to write posts in the spirit of Thanksgiving for a change. I’m not sure how much I will be able to write, but until Thanksgiving arrives, whatever I write I will resolve to write with gratefulness in my heart.

Right now, for example, I’m going to write about a recent memory that brings a smile to my face every time I remember it. It was a few days ago, early in the morning. I was saying goodbye to Grant as he was leaving out the door to go catch the school bus, when Dylan came downstairs (a rare occurrence since he doesn’t leave for another hour after Grant is gone).  When he saw his brother was leaving, he said: “Bye, Grant. You can do all things in Christ…”

My heart jumped for joy when I heard my young son say those words in his little voice to his brother. I laughed aloud and completed the sentence: “who gives you strength!”

The thing is that I say Philippians 4: 13 to my sons every morning as they leave for school. A couple of times, Dylan has asked me why I say that to him all the time and I have replied that it is because I want him to remember that even when he doesn’t think he can do something, he can always pray to Jesus. He will give us what we need to do what we have to.

Some other times, Dylan has just said something like, “yeah, yeah…I know…” which makes me really angry. And most times he’d just walked to the bus as if he had not heard a word I’d said. That morning, however, I realized he has been listening, and the realization filled my heart with gladness and thanksgiving.

Perhaps, they will remember some of the things we are trying to teach them. I don’t know. But for today, I am grateful that my little boy is finally learning one of the most amazing verses in Scripture…one that I cling onto fiercely every single day of my life. And for that, I give thanks!

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12-13

Linking with: Monday Musings and Candace Creates

Never Crushed...

Once again, the Lord shows me His faithfulness in beautiful ways.  Today, a day in which sadness overflows from my pores as I live through the first anniversary of my dear Father's passing while trying to navigate through life's challenges, God allowed me a moment of respite when, in the still of the early morning, I opened my devotional and I read the following:

"Completely surrender your hurt to Him, withholding nothing, and invite Him to work miracles from your misery."

At first, I kind of chuckle...then, I sighed.  Finally, I did invite Him to work His miracles out of my state of ... well... misery.  He is the only one who could do it.  I cannot pull myself out of this one on/by my own.  Only He has the plan and the tools to carry it through, so that I can come out victorious on the other side. Therefore, I must surrender my hurt, all of it, to Him...withholding nothing.  He can handle it.  And as He handles it, He gives us a way to handle it too from our end.  He gives us Himself, whose presence is the source of all peace. He gives us His Word, which comes alive in times of trial!  He gives us His children, our brothers and sisters in Christ, to walk with us and be the manifestation of His love here in this world.

Therefore, one thing is for sure, we will overcome!  Because, even though we might be in the middle of tough circumstances, we shall always remember...

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9

Linking with:  Be Simply Better and Essential Thing Devotions