Lately I’ve been thinking about heaven a lot. =) And let me just tell you….I am excited. Lol I mean….I’ve always been “excited” for Heaven. But it’s never really been something that I consciously think about on a daily basis. I was reading my Bible the other day…and this random thought popped into my head.....In Heaven….I get to play with Lions. LIONS! =O Dude…that’s amazing.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6
Ha. That makes me laugh out loud when I think about it. =) And the boys in the car are probably wondering what on earth I’m chuckling about. =) Oh well…
I’m not sure exactly how to put this into words…but another thing I’ve really been thinking and praying about a lot lately is for God to remind me that this life on earth is temporary. I mean, I KNOW that in my head. But do I actually live that way? I understand that money, clothes, furniture is temporary…and that’s typically what I think of as “treasures on earth” (ya know, those things we aren’t supposed to store up?) But as I’ve been praying about it God has really shown me that it’s so much more than just material things. It can be anything. An attitude, a relationship, a desire… When focusing on any of those things, I should be thinking about it with eternity in mind. HOW is this going to affect me in eternity? Or will it? Or perhaps more importantly HOW is this ultimately bringing glory to God’s name? Or again, is it?
There are multiple examples of things in my life that I’m reevaluating and thinking about….wondering just how important some of them are. I’m not going to go into detail because some of it I’m still in the process of changing and other stuff is kinda personal But…I just wanted to put that out there…it always helps to write things like this out so that I don’t forget it and even while I’m typing I’m thinking of new things. =)
God is so good.
Another thing I’ve just been amazed by lately is the fact that the GOD of the UNIVERSE speaks to me. I know I’ve blogged about this before but I guess it’s just something I’m continually shocked by Now what I say “Speaks” I’m not saying that I hear God’s audible voice daily. I just mean that when I pray there is something inside of me (the Holy Spirit) and puts thoughts and ideas in my head that weren’t there before…things that I can’t come up with on my own cuz I’m just not that smart. It’s also amazing to see how He reveals Himself to me as I continue to be faithful in doing what He asks. Not gonna lie…it’s hard sometimes. The Holy Spirit does NOT always make me feel comfortable. Sometimes I feel the urge to go pray for someone about I don’t even KNOW what….and I’m like “God…this is NOT cool….how can I just ask this person if I can pray for them when I don’t know what I’m praying for? What if…I look like a retard and I have nothing to say???” But the thing is, once I get over that and just submit to God’s authority in my life, realizing that he has NEVER let me down….I do what I know I should do…and God always comes through. Bringing words that I don’t even know how they come out of my lips…they just do.
I’m falling more and more in love with Jesus.
Completely amazed and humbled by His faithfulness to me.
What else do I need in life?
*sigh of happiness*
Although 90% of the time lately I feel like I’m going to explode if I have one more thing to put on my calendar...I’ve decided to take things one day at a time. That’s all I can do anyways, right? =) Freaking out gets me nowhere. (Except in a place of wanting to hurt three young men….) haha
On THAT note…the team aspect of things is going pretty well. I think we still struggle with learning to communicate with each other. And because of that we sometimes misunderstand things and someone gets offended by another person when that person isn’t even aware that what they said was offensive….Oh boy oh boy. This year is going to be such a dynamic year of growing for all 4 of us. =) It’s wonderful….haha (No sarcasm there…I promise)
“ALL of my life, in every season, YOU ARE STILL GOD, I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship.” =)
(sorry….it’s on the radio and I LOVE that part!)
K….we’re almost to Rick’s house….
Love and miss you all!
Ok...So I WAS done blogging..and it's nearly midnight and I'm just now getting around to posting this. (didn't have internet in the car...)
But...I have something more to say! And here it is. =)
So...we get to Rick's. Eat Lunch. Drive to go on a prayer walk. We're in the car. and I'm frustrated. During lunch, you could have cut the tension with a knife. Besides the fact that at all times I have a constant list in my brain of all the things I need to get done. Basically, I'm a work in progress.... Anyways...
So we decide to go on our walks separately instead of in pairs like we always do. So...45 minutes alone...just me and God. Praying...
I walk and walk and walk...and find a road with railing on one side blocking off a big drop off with a batrillion leaves and trees and stuff. So I pause. Sometimes I just like to look at creation. =) I'm standing there praying. I can hear crickets and birds and I keep hearing little things all over rustling the leaves. And I prayed this "God, if it's not too much to ask, could you just show me SOMETHING that will warm my heart? Just like...a little sign of your love for me. I could use a little hug..." So..I'm standing....looking....Nothing.
So...I'm just bein real here...I was like, "Ok, God...I understand that you're not my genie...I shouldn't just like ask you to do magic tricks." (Secretly still wanting SOME sort of something..) And i open my eyes and on the ground next to me..is this...
Now...anyone who knows me or has been reading this blog should know that God gives me caterpillars when i need them most. You can read about one particular time here. And as I'm walking (yes I KNOW this is silly...but bare with me) God spoke to me through this fuzzy little dude. I'm walking and praying with him on my hands...and he's crawling SO fast that I'm constantly putting one hand in front of the other so he doesn't fall and splat on the pavement. And this little dude was totally content just crawling, full speed, from one of my hands to the other, and on and on and on, pooping occasionally. =) And in that moment, I had this thought. One hand at a time. When he got to the end of my hand....my next hand was there for him to keep going....and when he got to the end of that one...same thing. But one thing was for sure, the little fur twig did not slow down!
Now...me and this little dude should be similar. I mean...one of us is slightly less furry and log-shaped. But...ya know. =)
Why can't I just GO...full speed. At all times. Trusting that God has His hand laid out guiding me as soon as I get to the end of this one?
DUH.
Ok...I need to go to sleep. And I think you get the picture. I'm SORRY this post is soooooooo long. But yeah...I gotta write this stuff down! =)
Ok...once again (for real this time)
Love and miss you all!!!
Wow, I was wondering where the caterpillar thing was going, but that made total sense and it really struck me. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletegood Jorb Brittney:-) proud of you
ReplyDeleteI have good memories with caterpillars. Remember that big house we used to have up on that hill? It was a lot of land to go with it. I've revisited it once or twice in the last couple of years. It's a lot smaller than I remember. The house if for sale again, and we got to go check it out. ...Let's just say, it's not what I remember. I hadn't been there for almost five years! Lots had changed in my life since.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, caterpillars. I'd usually find them at my grandma's house, just fifteen yards down the hill. I never thought of God using one to get to me. I don't think He ever tried, either. Because if He did, don't you think He would have succeeded? Last time I checked, God doesn't fail.
No. You and I are quite different. I hate bugs. Caterpillars, not so much. But I still hate bugs. God's creation or not - They're disgusting. I'd only ever play with them when Laura came over. Which was more often than I could think about.
You learn new things everyday. And today, you learned something about me. =)
I really liked the way you saw the hand-to-hand run for God. Well, that's what I'm calling it. I think it's a suitable name, though. Don't you?
It's a good question, "Why can't we just keep running, trusting that God's hand will catch us?"
The first thing that popped into my head was, "Because I'd be exhausted!"
Honestly, I believe that answer, too. We're human. We can stretch ourselves, yes. But we must take some sort of break in between marathons. This is why we have "ups and downs," as I call them. Maybe not with everyone, but with most, life goes really high up: That's when everything in life couldn't be better. Then life has it's downs: When nothing in life could possibly get worse. We don't necessarily reach the very top or the very bottom that often, but that lifeline is pretty bumpy.
All that to say, we're human. We will have really good runs; marathons. But sometimes we'll fall off track. Maybe just stopping for a drink. Sometimes we crave Gatorade, but we need water. Let's say that Gatorade is something physical like, music. When your stressed out, perhaps it gets to the point that you put everything aside, put headphones in, and face-plant into a pillow. Gatorade. It helps, but it's not what you need with all the sugar and calories.
Now let's say that Water is the Bible. When you're exhausted and can't go further, maybe it's time to put things aside and get some Water. Read the Bible.
By reading your posts, it appears that you're getting plenty of water, though. =) Which is great. Keep it up!
Oh, and don't worry about long posts. Maybe someone like me will come along and post a long comment to make up for it. =)
Love this one.
ReplyDeleteI love how God speaks to you and gives you caterpillars! Just like the heart of a Father...to take care of His children. Thank you for sharing that story. It was so precious. I love the "just GO" concept with it! That is so true.
Quit apologizing about the long posts!! They are so fun to read and we all love hearing what you are doing and what God is showing you. :)
The countdown is ON for Christmas!
Love love,
Kim
So...I typed this llooonnggg comment yesterday and it's not here....so here I go again.
ReplyDeleteI love this one. It is so cool how God reveals Himself to you with those little wooly guys. You have always loved them, ever since you were a little girl. God knows how to get to your heart. He is such an amazing Father....He loves you so much! It reminds me of Gene and the marbles that he used to find. Remember all those stories? It makes me wonder...if the rest of us would slow down and wait on the Father what would He show us?
I also like the "just go...full speed" trusting God to have His hand out there for your next step. So true....
Brit, your family is so proud of you....we love you very, very much and cannot wait to spend time talking with you when you get home.
Which is 35 days from now, by the way!
Keep up the great work, honey. See you in 5 weeks!
Love, love, love you,
Momma-sita
Thanks for listening, hearing and responding to our wonderful Holy Spirit!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up - it is great hearing you grow and grow in Jesus! He is is the only thing worth living for.
About eternity, how about ruling and reigning with God when He returns - lying down with the lions and total peace - wow - it will happen!
How far exactly are you from us? Tell me the town and state so I can figure it out.
Love you
FA