Author: faithforward

I am a daughter of God, wife, mother, educator, and author. Throughout life, I have experienced mountain tops but have also experienced valleys in the pain of losing loved ones and battling various personal health issues, as well as the daily challenges of raising a family, balancing work life, and more. Through it all, it was and is my faith in God that sees me through. Daily it is my desire to put my faith forward to rest and trust in the Lord for his will and way in my life.

Seek not Strive

FeaturedSeek not Strive

Are you yearning for something? Do you want more? Is there a void within you or a longing that is not satisfied? The world boasts its fulfillment through social media, television, latest trends, fashions, drugs, alcohol, sex, and money to name just a few. We work long hours, fill our schedules with events, over extend our budgets, and indulge in foods to satisfy yet still we are left unfulfilled. With not enough and the need for more we strive, often time striving to the point of burnout and complete exhaustion. In turn, this leaves us defeated, depressed, and so as we catch a moments breath we push on, yet only do we begin the cycle of striving once more.

We strive looking for more, when in reality what we need is less. To strive means to use great efforts to achieve or obtain. What are you striving for and why? What is the deep longing you hope to achieve? Are you striving to fulfill what is missing or are you striving as an act of obedience? Hebrews 4: 10-11says, “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore STRIVE to enter that rest” The Lord tells us to strive for rest, a rest from our works as he did. It does not say strive for more, wear yourselves out and keep going. NO! Rest means minimal function – not more. The world may teach us to push and to strive for more, however our Father teaches us to strive for rest.

When we lay aside our works, our doing, our striving it is then that we can set our eyes on true fulfillment which comes through seeking Him.

To seek also means to achieve or to obtain, however, it is done without great effort. It’s natural, there is an ease to it. Throughout mulitiple passages of scripture you will see “Seek Him” “Seek the Lord” “Seek after God” “Seek me” or “Seek you” in reference to the Father. To seek after our Heavenly Father should be a natural occurence, one without hardship. The Lord makes himself available to us. He is not hiding nor does he make it difficult. In Deuteronomy 4:29 it says, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If you seek him YOU WILL find him. So simply stated. Take notice that we do not need to strive which is to use great effort to obtain him, but rather it says to seek, which means to obtain Him without great effort. We are to seek him with all that we are, not more than we are. The Lord teaches us to strive for rest but to seek him.

Our efforts and our works need to be in entering rest so that when in rest we can seek him.

When we seek the Lord, we find his strength, and with his strength we can then move forward to all he has called us to. We don’t need to strive in our own effort when our Father so generously gives us his strength, however we do need to seek him to receive. The world has and will continue to boast its ways of fulfillment and satisfaction, yet it’s path will continually lead us to striving for more and in turn leave us exhausted and unfufilled.

True fulfillment within comes when we strive for rest and seek the Lord in all things, in all times and in all ways.

Full Circle

Full Circle

Today I had the opportunity to sit with a friend, a new and beautiful friend that God has placed in my life. As we sat and shared, cried and laughed, there was a phrase that came out a few times – Full Circle. To begin at one point and go around and then come right back to that same point. In our conversation the reference to full circle was a rewarding one, a blessing as oppose to one where you’re spinning in circles. It began with obedience to do a task that you knew in your heart needed to be done, even if it was a little hard or a little uncomfortable. As that one task was completed, it rippled to another task and involved others. That effect happened a few times till it came right back to the original person who began the task and in return was blessed, along with those blessed along the way. One gave not expecting, but in return was filled.

ONE GAVE NOT EXPECTING, BUT IN RETURN WAS FILLED…. How often do we give only to expect to receive in return? Or, we return because we were given to. That’s all good and well but to give and not expect in return is another level. A level that says I am content, I am good wherever I am at and with whatever I have. I may barely have enough that day but I will offer up what I have if the Lord calls upon me. It’s an unselfish outpouring of time, of encouragement, of talent, of food, or whatever is required that one is able and called upon to give. At times it may be a sacrifice, at times an offering, and at times an overflow of excess. No matter what it is or how it is given, when given with a humble heart and given unto the Lord in obedience the blessing will at one time or another come back full circle.

Full circle…a series of developments that lead back to the original source. As my friend and I spoke it was apparent that the circumstances that came full circle always included our Heavenly Father – what He began He finished. He finished in sweeter and more abundant ways than we could even dream possible.

His request – our obedience – His blessing

What is the Lord asking of you? What is he prompting on your heart? Are your listening? Are you acting in humble obedience or are you responding so that you may in turn receive? Think back to a blessing that you received, an unexpected blessing – can you trace it’s full circle? What was the Father’s request and how did your obedience play out?

ONE GAVE NOT EXPECTING, BUT IN RETURN WAS FILLED. What do you have to give? How can the Lord use you today?

Alignment

Alignment

Are you a person of order or are you free spirited and let things come as they do and go with the flow? Maybe you’re a little of both. I tend to be a person of order and thrive on organization, schedules, and plans. As a mom, wife, and friend I cannot always have the order I function well on, and as of 2020 well any order I had was quickly gone. Learning to go with the flow has been a skill I am acquiring and have learned to really enjoy. Being free spirited at times has allowed me to relax, lighten up and laugh a little more. It has taught me to not worry about what is next and that a perfectly lined up schedule is not always needed to be productive.

There is an alignment however that is needed if I want to thrive and be fully fulfilled in the life I live, and that alignment is my body, soul, and spirit. Though I have always been a “type A” or “Enneagram 1” if you like to categorize personalities, the inner workings of my soul and spirit have often been in dissarray causing improper function in my body. How I felt, thought, and acted were often scattered even though I longed for them to be in sync and properly in place. What I knew and wanted, as well as what I believed, didn’t always line up with what I did and how I felt. I’m not talking the big things of life but the little things, the everyday decisions, the thoughts that are within. The little things that over time build up to big things and can cause problems if they aren’t in place. For example, when someone injures their back, it may be just the back that hurts at that moment, however if the back is not fixed over time it may cause the hip to be out of alignment and so on. The same is true for our inner selves. When our body, soul, and spirit are not aligned properly we are not able to function as we were meant to. In Thessalonians 5:23 it says “May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus” Our soul is our mind, our will, our desires, while our spirit is what connects to God. In order for us to live in peace we must have proper alignment of our spirit, soul, and body in Christ.

To align our spirit means to develop our walk with Christ in an intimate and personal way. We are to read and study the word of God, commune with our heavenly Father, as well as pray in the spirit. To truly seek him with all our heart and walk in the way the spirit leads. When we align our soul, we are training our mind, our emotion, and our will through the alignment of our spirit. This alignment only takes place however when we CHOOSE to walk with the Lord, when we CHOOSE to seek him and when we CHOOSE to follow his ways. When we align ourselves in spirit and soul it is then that our body can properly align as well.

Alignment is a continuous process. It is not a one and done fix. Just as we care for ourselves daily in brushing our teeth, or visiting the chiropractor when your physical body is not aligned, we must do the same within. Our spirit and our soul need proper care as well as our bodies so that we can live the life the Lord has called us to. When our spirit is neglected through the lack of time with the Lord it then causes a ripple effect into our soul where our emotions, choices and reactions respond not according to the will of the Lord often leaving us in despair, without hope and in disarray. Without proper function of our spirit and soul we often begin to see, though possibley not noticed at the beginning, a decline in our bodies.

Alignment refers to a position of agreement. Today’s alignment I speak of is the agreement of body, soul, and spirit. If you are struggling physically or emotionally, I challenge you today to reflect on whether or not you are properly aligned. How are you developing your spirit? your soul? your body? I challenge you to start by spending time with the Lord in study of his word, and in communion with him. Ask for His guidance to train your mind and emotions. Nothing will change until you take the first step and make the choice. To thrive and to be fully fulfilled is to be aligned in Christ.

The Master Gardner

The Master Gardner

A post from June 2020…

Sitting in the garden the other night deadheading the plants I began to ponder its similarities to our own lives. You see, the purpose of deadheading plants is to regenerate new growth, to rid the plant of negative energy use and to redirect more productive use, such as growing new blooms. It also gives better eye appeal as the worn and dying blooms have reached their end. Beautiful for a time, yet no longer thriving. When properly deadheaded the plant has the freedom to grow and bloom again. Its new blooms give off fragrance, catch the eye of onlookers and for a period show forth the beauty intended, but in time the deadheading process must once again occur. Sometimes it is just one or two blooms within the plant that are cut back and other sometimes it is all of them at once. When we deadhead a plant, we get rid of the blossom that no longer blooms. Another process that can occur is pruning. Pruning is ridding any part of the plant, even new growth. This is done to train a plant in the way you want it to grow, to restrict growth you do not want to happen, or to just help it grow healthy.

As I look within, I am reminded of the same process of deadheading and pruning that needs to occur. What in me is no longer thriving? What in me is taking up energy that could better be served elsewhere? What reshaping do I need so that I can grow properly? Am I living in freedom and new growth or am I trying to survive and bring forth beauty from old blooms? In John 15:2 the Bible states, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

Our Heavenly Father is the master Gardner. Just as I needed to take the time to deadhead and prune my garden, we need to let the Lord do the same within us. As we allow Him to rid what is dead within us, what is taking up unnecessary space, we will have the freedom for new growth, new blossoms, and new beauty.

I recall a time in my life when things were busy…not necessarily bad but just nonstop. I was working full time at a job I loved, raising kids, attending sports events, church ministry and more. Life was good and I was busy doing but my inner garden had become so overgrown. There were blooms that needed deadheading and so much that needed pruning. Yes, my garden was full, but it was not properly thriving. My roots were not getting the nourishment they needed, and many dead blossoms lingered on until I allowed the Lord, the Master Gardner, to come and change things. As I began to rest in him and allow the process of deadheading and pruning to occur within me there was a rebirth in my garden. New life was growing and a sense of freedom from within as my roots were now being properly watered. The once overgrown spaces were carefully managed allowing light to come in.

What does your garden look like? Are you in need of the Master Gardner to do a work within? We have that choice to release it all to Him and to let him deadhead and prune. I challenge you today to let go and let God.

A New Season of Hope

A New Season of Hope

A writing from August 2020…

It’s hot!   The sun beats down, the oppressive humidity without end, the beauty around that once flourished now covered in drought and longing for a little rain, a little refreshment.  The excitement for summer days now overshadowed by a season that seems to have started too soon, yet doesn’t seem to be ending.  The release of children from their normal school days in March is now extending through the fall with many unknowns still in sight.  One season meshes into another, one hope shattered by the next delay, plans unknown and schedules in disarray.  

2020 has been a year…  I don’t think I need to say more than that.  Life has been altered for each of us in some way and for some in many ways.  If you are a planner like I am, the plan book has more crossouts and scribbles than a child just learning the joys of writing!  I’m sure I could continue on to list what has changed, the disappointments, the frustrations and more, but my heart is already too heavy as I’m sure yours is also.  Instead, there is a soft whisper within that says, “I am here…I have been here and I will continue to be here.  I am your light in the darkness, I am your way through the storms, I am your drink when you thirst and your peace when anxiety knocks at your door.”  To the soft whisper that speaks within I am thankful.  When the noise of life gets too loud around me and there’s so much flashing that I’m blinded, I am thankful that the Lord chooses to speak to me and to you in a still, soft whisper.  His gentleness and unwavering love is our guide, our anchor for the soul.  

As I look ahead with still so many uncertainties and can feel my hope crushing in the weight of delays and unknowns I am reminded that Christ goes before me as it says in Deuteronomy 31:8, “ The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.”   In this my hope is renewed, my spirit rises and my plans drop because I know He has me and that His plans and ways for me are greater.  Like a little girl following the lead of a trusted adult that goes before me, I grab hold of my heavenly Father’s hand and trust Him in my today and in my tomorrow. It may be through a storm, it may be over a mountain or through a valley, but knowing that he guides me, that he will not fail me nor leave me is enough for me to continue to press forward.  


Today I challenge you to grab hold of your heavenly father’s hand and not let go.  He will carry you, he will guide you and he will never leave you. His plans are not our plans and though at times it feels scary, seems weird or even impossible the journey with Him is far greater than the journey without Him.  When you want to cry out “Why me?” I instead challenge you to cry out
“Lord what do you want to show me in this?”  God has a plan and His love for us is far greater than we can imagine.  I pray and believe that 2020 will not be just a year that we remember for Covid 19, but more importantly I pray that 2020 will be the year we remember for what the Lord did in us!  Grab hold…his hand is waiting for you!

Intentional Growth

Intentional Growth

Change is inevitable.  Growth is intentional.  

Change occurs within us and around us, without notice or with notice, scheduled or unscheduled.  Some of us try to prevent change and some of us run towards it. Time changes at the ticking of the clock as the day changes from dawn to dusk, and back around again, each movement propelling us forward in time.  Length of day and temperatures change resulting in seasons, which leads to change in our participation of them, our activities and our responses.  We change from infancy to adult with many stages in between.  Change often occurs due to sudden trauma or unexpected results.    This change, often without warning, can be startling and often invokes fear at the unknown.  Personal change can be hard and its lasting effects vary due to the lack of intentional purpose it came with. All around us there is change and it is inevitable.

Growth on the other hand is intentional.  Intentional growth is to develop or increase on purpose. We set our minds to be purposeful about what we are doing, when, with whom, and how we are doing it.  In doing so, growth happens; a daily, perhaps even lifelong progression. When we grow intentionally there is lasting effect. The time and effort we put in is rewarded by increase.  Increase in muscle tone as we workout, increase in skill as we practice and apply, increase in self awareness as we learn about ourselves objectively.  Growth is intentional.

We don’t always have choice in change, however we do have choice in growth.  Each day we are given opportunities to grow, to be intentional.  I have a choice to be intentional about the foods that enter by body and the way I care for myself, the friends and influences I surround myself with, the responses I give to situations that come my way, my time, my work; I have a choice to be intentional about my growth as a person and my growth in Christ.

Ephesians 5:15-17, Passion Translation says, “So be very careful how you live not being foolish as those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times.  Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes.  And then you will have discernment to fully understand God’s will.” 

In Ephesians 5 Paul writes with instruction as to how we must live out our faith.  He instructs us to be careful, to live honorably and with true wisdom, making the most of every situation.  Paul is instructing us to be intentional with our faith.  Paul has his own  intention in writing, and that is for our growth in faith.

In 2 Peter 3:18, Passion Translation, Peter writes, “But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Peter is instructing us to grow, to be intentional in God’s grace and our intimacy with him.

Growth is intentional.  Growing our faith is intentional.  Growing our intimacy with Christ is intentional.  We have but a choice to be intentional in Christ, to be purposeful in our pursuit of Him. Growth takes time and discipline, however its effects are lasting and its reward gives us increase.

As we are intentional with Christ we increase.  As we increase we grow in all that the Lord has for us and in our relationship with Him.

I Thessalonians 3:12, NIV “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else”

Change is inevitable, but growth is intentional.  

In His Time

In His Time

I remember as a child I longed to be 13.  In my world and in my friends 13 meant many new freedoms and experiences.  Those in which I now look back and think are quite silly, but nonetheless it was our focus and what consumed our heart’s longings.   The wait was hard, but our eagerness was great, and so with excitement and anticipation we planned what we would do, what we could do when we all turned 13.  Our efforts in rushing the process was to no avail as time moved slowly, yet steadily ahead as it always had, and our eagerness only prolonged the days at best.

In looking back, I remember the anticipation more than I do remember the days that followed turning 13.   Probably because the wait was more painful with our minds so consumed with playing out scenarios of what it would be like, and not really having the answers.   I’m sure the days ahead were fun, but I wonder if it was truly worth all the energy spent in waiting for that day to come.  As I reflect on more current situations I am mindful of the energy often used and at time wasted on anticipation or in fear of things awaiting us that we truly have no control over.   So often we build ourselves up to a point of anxiety and feed ourselves with information that isn’t factual, but is built from past experiences or predictions and twisted thoughts in trying to figure out what will happen, how it will happen, when it will happen, or how will I respond when it happens.

As time didn’t change with my eagerness as a child, still it will not change in other circumstances of my life.  What can change however is my approach and my reaction to the wait.  When anticipation or fear begins to arise within and unknown circumstances loom around me, I have but a choice.  I can choose to dwell upon, to fret or fear and create anxiety within of a story in my mind that’s not factual nor proven or I can choose to trust upon my creator, the one who created me and knows me best.  The one whose promises remain true.

Time.  We didn’t create time, nor can we control time or the events which happen within it.  There are many things we do have control over, however, when things are beyond our control it is the wait where preparation and growth occur that matters most.  It is the wait that grows our Trust in the Lord.  When a farmer plants seed in the soil the result of what’s to come is not immediate.  He needs to trust the process and wait.  Over time and with proper care, the once planted seed grows and blooms to what the farmer trusted it to be.  Had the farmer not properly cared for the land during the season of wait the result would not be the same.  Even so with proper care, not all seeds will flourish as the farmer hoped for, but his preparation during the wait will yield a much stronger crop than had he not prepared at all.

Our wait is much like the farmers.  Our anticipation, worry and fears will not change time nor quicken our wait, however our trust in the Lord and our posture during our times of wait is what will grow us, sustain us and prepare us for the what’s to come.  Just like the farmer tends to the soil of the seed, our Father is ready to tend to our hearts.

As it is written in the Passion Translation, Philippians 4:6-8 “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.  Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.  So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.  And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. “

As we sit at crossroads of what is and what will be with much anticipation upon our hearts may we embrace the wait, through preparation and growth, and know that In His Time all will be as he purposed it to be.

 

 

 

Transparency

Transparency

“Transparency is removing the mask and revealing who you really are; it is getting beyond the surface to what is really going on in your heart.”

As she sat alone in the darkness bound by the fears within, the images in her head grew to the point that escape felt impossible and hope felt unreachable.  Deep within her gut she knew there was more, in her gut she knew there was hope but her head painted a very different picture.   This tug of war continued for days on end, for months, and years.  The war within so brutal and so isolating.  She longed for release from its grip that it held, for freedom.  She longed to breath without struggle, she longed to be seen for who she really was.   Within there was torment, however the surface looked much different.  In her struggle she learned to create, to form, to paint.  She became an artist of the mask.  She then became an artist of several masks.  Each one perfectly crafted to fit the moment, the time, the place it was needed.  As time passed and the torment within remained, her hope was in creating her masks, in covering who she was, the pain she felt, to be who she thought she needed to be.  The cover of the mask temporarily easing the pain and allowing her to outwardly appear acceptable, yet inwardly the war continued its conflict and destruction.

Have you been there?  I’m sure at some time or another we have all put on the mask to cover what is really going on within.  Maybe you’re a professional mask maker or maybe it’s just a hobby you pick up now and again.   To live within a mask is to be covered, whether for protection or for fear, it prevents us from being all that we truly are and all that we are meant to be.  In Ephesians 2:10 God says ” For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  To be His workmanship means that He created us, formed us and crafted us just as we are.  He did this with a purpose and a plan, there was no mistake.  He didn’t create us so then we could create a mask to cover who he intended us to be.  In learning to accept that, and truly believe that, we then can remove the mask that we so carefully crafted and be who He has created us to be.  Our freedom is in Him, not in our works.

For years I have been a professional mask maker, covering my pain to appear acceptable to those around me or better yet, acceptable to what I felt was needed to be acceptable to me.  The masks don’t last though and the process and time to make them only adds to the pain and isolation within.  Just as pottery will crack from the stresses in the clay, so will our masks begin to crack as the stress within becomes too much.   In our weakness it is not more effort we need to put in to creating something that is not, but rather in our weakness we need to draw near to Christ and allow him to help us, to guide us, to heal us.  Isaiah 40:29 says “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”  The same God who created us, who formed us, who knows us will give us the strength we need.  Instead of  crafting and working so hard to independently create the perfect mask to cover, lets instead reach out to our maker who knows all the intricacies of us and allow him to heal and to give us hope and peace within.

In full transparency may we remove the masks that keep us hidden, the masks that bind us to who we think we should be rather than who we were created to be in Christ. And in doing so, the story of our lives, though still faced with challenges and difficulties, will be be written with hope and fulfillment knowing that we are who we were created to be.

As she sat alone in the darkness she was no longer bound by the fears within, the images in her head no longer grew to the point that escape felt impossible and hope felt unreachable.  Deep within her gut she knew who her hope was in and she felt a growing peace.  Her head no longer painted pictures of defeat and discouragement but rather of love and of the goodness of God.  The tug of war battle was but a desolate field being prepared for rebirth and new growth and new things to come for days on end, for months, and years.  No longer isolated she felt the freedom she once longed for as she took a deep breath without struggle, finally living her life unmasked.   As years passed and in her times of difficulty she no longer created, formed, or painted masks, but rather she embraced them and lifted them to her creator knowing that in His perfect time He would make all things new.  Her new artistry talent was one of words and of song – praises to the one who was, who is and forever will be.   Each praise and song humbly created in her time of need and spoken with freedom as she allowed the Lord to turn her weakness into strength.  As more time passed she grew stronger and rose in faith and in the steadfast love of the Lord.  Her inner beauty now matched the outer beauty and the land she stood on no longer a war zone but rather a field of beauty so lush and green with a bountiful supply.

 

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

thanksgiving

In just 24 hours my house will be filled with the most amazing smell of turkey cooking in the oven, the table will be set for guests as a colorful array of autumn beauty and I will eagerly be calling the kids together to sit with me and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! This is how Thanksgiving has always been for me growing up and remains to be for me as I raise my family. A tradition I am thankful for and blessed to have.

This morning as I woke, facebook, though the use of posted pics years ago, was quick to remind me of Thanksgiving pasts. In those posts I was reminded of the many years I spent providing Thanksgiving feasts to my students in the classroom. The joy I had sharing my love for the most special holiday. We would dress up as Pilgrims or Native Americans, share the workload and talk about the history of that day. My deepest desire in my heart was to impart on them thankfulness and friendships. We would write what we are thankful for, thank friends around us and be joyful in a wonderful meal we shared together with classmates, parents, teachers and friends that came in to share.

As I looked at those memories this morning there was a little sadness as this is the first Thanksgiving in 22 years that I don’t have students to share this tradition with. But then I had to choose. Am I going to be sad about not having that this year or should I instead choose to be thankful for 21 years of memories and traditions that I was blessed to have and experience. Thankful that memories fill my heart and pictures remind me how truly special it always was. While I may not have my students this year for Thanksgiving traditions, I will have Thanksgiving and tradition with my family. The family around the table has changed through the years and some very special people are missed greatly. Again, I choose to be thankful for the memories of loved ones that once shared this special day with us and thankful for new memories to be made as my children are growing so fast.

THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT BEING THANKFUL! This world is filled with disappointments, failures, sickness and pain….it is also filled with love, joy, friendships and so much more if we CHOOSE to see it!!

While I reflect on Thanksgiving thankfulness I am so urged to continue to be thankful and to encourage others to be thankful for even the smallest thing. Today make your list of thankfulness greater than you list of disappointments. Say thank you to a friend, a loved one, someone helping you at the store or a coworker. A seed of thankfulness is just the start to growing a beautiful flower within oneself and within others. Let the true heart of Thanksgiving be a part of your everyday life and not just a holiday we celebrate in November.

“From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.” Jeremiah 30:19

Wind and Waves

Through it all my eyes are on you. Through it all it is well with me. Let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name. 

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Storms.  We can’t avoid them. Some come quickly and hit hard leaving a mess in it’s trail, a sense of hopelessness, a rawness of what was and what now is.  Other’s are slow and steady never seeming to end and continuing to grind and wear down what is in it’s path.  Pushing and pulling back and forth relentlessly till it’s grip is loosened.

Today I sat gazing into the ocean after a quick night’s storm.  The road behind me scattered with brightly colored fall leaves freshly fallen from the brittle tree branches and loosened tree limbs that lay across the road.  The waves crashing continuously with such rage and force upon the sand.  The wind blowing fiercely pushing against anything that comes in its way.   The parallel of storms so quickly brought to mind. The storms of nature and the storms of life that weigh heavily upon us.

There are varying types of storms both in nature and in life but none of them are often invited nor are they typically enjoyed.  Storms bring change.  Change that requires work and effort to repair, repairs that often take longer than we planned to allow for or repairs that cost more than we are willing to give.  Storms bring a surrender of ourselves.

To surrender to the storm that faces me I must cease resistance.   That does not mean to give up or to give in.  It means to fix my eyes on the one who CAN calm the storm.  It means to let go of self and to trust in Him when the waves crash.  It means to be still even when the winds continue to blow fiercely upon oneself.  Yes, storms will bring change. A change that is often needed and frequently avoided.  Sometimes a renewing of oneself or a reshaping of what once was will bring an increase that never would have happened had the storm not come through.  To surrender to the storm is to say “It is well with my soul.”  It is saying Lord I cannot see but I believe.  Lord I trust that your plans for me are greater than the plans I have.  To surrender is to lay it down at his feet and to rest in his presence knowing that he goes before me, he stands beside me and he is with me.

So many are facing storms today.  Some of the storms are relentless and some so sudden and breathtaking.  In either storm our posture and position remains the same.   We must cease resistance and fix our eyes on the one who can calm the storm.  The storm will inevitably stir up a sense of disorder within.  A disorder that needs to be attended to and one that can be if we surrender.  Surrender not in part but in full – all that we have and all that we are.   To step aside of the chaos and say “Through it all my eyes are on you. Through it all it is well with me. Let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name.”