A Crack in the Door

How I love You, Jesus!

The words above keep resonating in my heart and spirit. It's been a crazy couple of days, but there's been a crack in the door of my heart. Part of my heart was split in two, but where it began to break in response to a deep ache inside, the light of love began to stream through it. And it then began to sing...

How I love You. How I love you, Jesus! Through it all, You remain. Your light shines through the dark crevices of this heart of mine and I find myself overwhelmed, unwrapped, uncovered, and astonished! I don't know where we are going or what you have in store, but I have to stand on the TRUTH that you are good. You are always good. You never fail. You never leave. You take the mess of my heart and restore it. You renew my heart and give me Yours! How I love You, Jesus! How I love you. I don't know how to love, but still--my heart cries out: I love you, Jesus! I love you!

Life is filled with uncertainties and shifts in our lives. Life is filled with wonders and treasures beyond belief, but the most magnificent wonder and treasure is that of Jesus. He takes hold of us and captures us beyond belief and takes us up mountains, around corners, through waters, fires, storms, and places of stillness--all to show us who HE is and to GIVE us life--to BREATHE into our very beings HIMSELF.

This in turn, causes our hearts to say: How I love you, Jesus! How I love you!

Isaiah 43

Forget about what’s happened;
don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
-Isaiah 43:18-19 (MSG)

What a couple of challenging past days it's been! I feel like a need to take a deep breath and breathe out. I recently was blessed beyond measure at praying for a young lady and witnessing her healed inside and out. It was beautiful, but shortly afterwards the night swept in like a thief. Needless to say, there were quite a few circumstances that occurred me to take notice and reevaluate my life.

I recently started a new job out of my home. I wasn't expecting to have a shift in my professional life, but it came just the same. Now, there is a shift happening in my personal life and as much as I don't want to say good-bye to the past, the Lord is calling me to do so in order to heal and to see the fullness of the new thing He's bringing forth in my life!

So, I guess that my word/encouragement to you is that you would allow the Lord to take you where He wants. Look ahead and see that he's doing a new and amazing thing! Get ready and move forward in the things of Him alone! Blessings to you and your heart!

Perspective

Look as a photographer does. 

Use all your lenses and change your position:

from close-up to wide-angle, from ariel to x-ray.

Take in the small things but zoom out to see the full picture.

Look beyond the obvious.

Relish the complexities and the relationships.

-Patrick Lindsay

Do you ever carry the habit to continually look at circumstances or situations from one perspective? Maybe you see things so closely that you are unable to see the magnifying picture. Maybe you look so broadly that you can't see the specifics needed for a situation. Personally, I know that the subject of perspective was challenging for me. When I was taking my studio drawing classes in classes, it took months of practice to get my perspectives just right. Somehow, the shape of an object would appear "flat" or "obscure" in my drawing. It took patience, direction, and guidance from my professor to train my eye to a new perspective.

As it is with art, I believe that the same lesson applies to our daily lives. We hit joys and challenges along the way. There are life events that trigger us and can either cause us to gain or lose perspective: the birth/loss of a child, a failed marriage, physical/terminal illness, loss of a job, a promotion, an inheritance. The list goes on, but the key is--how will we respond? How will we look at and into the situation? Will we allow the circumstance to obscure our response or will we remain steadfast in our perspective?

James speaks of how we are to "remain steadfast" (1:12) under life's circumstances. We aren't to give way, but to look to the One who is in charge of it all. He calls us to see from His perspective, so that we may dwell with Him and find peace. He is the Giver of all life and is able to see a situation from beginning to end. So, as I asked my art professor to teach me about perspective, ask Jesus to teach you how to see from His perspective. As you listen and obey, you will be amazed as you learn to see as He sees.

Evident Prepared Change.

Jesus, tune our hearts to yours. Realign us. Recalibrate us. Give us wisdom. Let us see things like you do. Let our lives be led by Peace. -Jenn Johnson

As a coastal southern gal, I've adapted to be expectant for sudden weather changes. As a teenager, my closet used to have my sweaters next to my tank tops. I felt like I needed to prepare for whatever changes came across my path. Upon reading this prayer quoted by Jenn Johnson and watching the rain pour like buckets from the sky outside my condo, I was reminded of how evident change is. I was also reminded of how the Holy Spirit is the same, but forever changing all at the same time. We need to be ready to move wherever the Lord says move. We need our hearts turned to him because unlike the weather advisors, his word is always correct. He is unpredictable, but never unpredictable. I love that! 

So, today, if your heart is out of sorts, or you have been trying to tune your own life, take a moment and stop. Ask Jesus to tune your heart to his. Ask him to realign you and to set your heart with an unbelievable hunger for himself alone. He is more than able.

And get ready. He'll take you on an adventure and will tell you exactly what you need when you need it.