Victory is the backdrop of my life. Joy is the soundtrack, inflected with hope. Love surrounds me. Faith is the ink that inspires my writing.
This is my life, my walk in words. Life is a journey to eternity. Destination: heaven. Hope to see you there.
If my Greek is correct, my given name means "beautiful." I pray my "lifewalk" is a beautiful one.
I’ve got Jesus. He’s enough for me. In Him, I’ve found contentment not complacency.
Be like Elisha. He was persistent and persistence gets results, especially in this lifewalk. While, Elisha disobeyed the orders of Elijah, it was for good reason (II Kings 2:1-15). He persistently sought after that which was of God and desired more. He wasn’t content with his portion. He wasn’t satisfied. Elisha sought to seek the promises of God and a deeper relationship with Him.
Elijah ordered him to stay at first at Gilgal, then at Bethel, and finally Jericho. Obedience would have demanded that Elisha stay put. Desire made him continue onward with the prophet. He kept moving. He kept seeking. He knew Elijah would soon be leaving him — that God was going to take him away. Elisha, however, didn’t want to think of that — he was in pursuit of something. He was propelled on.
At last, Elijah asked his “son” what is was he wanted. Elisha made it clear. It wasn’t a tangible gift he wanted, but it was something that would withstand time. It was something that would equip him in his lifewalk. Elisha wanted a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. The latter informed, that was tough, but not impossible. Elisha would have to see the Lord take Him away in order to receive it.
Elisha didn’t stop until he arrived to the place of his blessing, the banks of the Jordan River. He kept up with the prophet, his “father.” He saw him taken away in a whirlwind. It was hard for him to see his father leave, but he received his promise.
The lesson is this: stay in pursuit of the promises of God. Seek more of Him. Draw closer to him. Don’t stop at Gilgal. Don’t be satisfied to dwell at Bethel. Keep moving onward, past Jericho. Don’t settle. Stay in pursuit of God. Seek His face. Develop a deep yearning for more and a burning fire within to press forward. Be clear with what your requests are, your very needs, in developing your relationship with the Lord. It may be tough, but God is willing and able. He longs to have a meaningful relationship with us. To walk with us. So don’t stop.
There’s so much more waiting on the other side of “through.” We just have to get there.
The Festival of Falling Apart
In some regions of the Middle East, Jewish women preparing for Passover call it not the “feast of unleavened bread,” but the “festival of falling apart.” The name-change reflects the exorbitant amount of time and energy consumed during spring housecleaning. Such a thorough scrubbing and polishing probably originated in the obligation to make certain all remaining leaven was eliminated as Passover drew near. In this way, too, every household, however humble, could become a “place of worship” where families might gather to praise God’s goodness and share creation’s bounty as it bursts forth fresh in spring. At the same time, these physical acts embodied spiritual wisdom - strength renewed, vision regained, hope revisited, and communities reunited.
Strange as it may seem, falling apart lies at the core of spiritual growth. Yet this may sound counterintuitive, for both religious and cultural reasons. Isn’t “perfection” the goal of spiritual growth? Isn’t it the “American way” to reward success, getting ahead, and “having it all”? We have little love for deadbeats or “losers” and scant patience with people who “come unglued” in a crisis. And we hate the idea that large chunks of our lives may need to be spent in remediation, retooling, or “bottoming out.” The thought that we may need to start over - more than once - seems preposterous. Still, “starting over” is what this week is about. It’s about God’s audacious gamble: What if the world fell apart and I started it anew? What if a “new creation” begins in the bleeding body of a man executed among criminals? What if God’s other name is Servant? Could anything - or anyone - ever be the same?
Falling in love with God may mean falling apart.
Meditation by Nathan D. Mitchell, copyright © 2010 Liguori Publications, (www.liguori.org, (800) 325-9521) and presented by The Catholic Health Association of the United States under special arrangement.
By Kierra Sheard, this song inspired this:
Honesty molds a sincere relationship: one of integrity, intimacy, fidelity and trust. It builds a relationship of wholesomeness, purity, and sacredness. Fellowship. Communion. That’s what God desires.
He desires humility from us. He loves our ordinary and un-fancy selves. Just be you with Him. Take off the extra. He loves you that way. What way? Simply as you are.
