memoirs of relationships past

So much so that so little is seen

of what has really actually been

once a facade, a Shakespearean scene

but the audience never claps

memories come flooding in

reminders of what once has been

struggling to keep from caving in

when the news is broken

it had not been unexpected

life's goodness had been long rejected

relationships all so connected

now so distant like a dream

going going...gone

Psalm 27

-of David

 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.  For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.

 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.  Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.

  I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

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One thing I have learned in my life is that nothing goes exactly as planned. Things change, cars break down, people can't make attend something, and yet through it all God is in control. When we are surrounded by problems we need to be more like David --he saw the problems, yes, but then put his focus on God. We do not need to face our problems alone, in the midst of trouble we can cry out to God and seek His help. Do not despair for God is right there!

       

Sweetly Broken

Sometimes it may seem that things are going nowhere but downhill but we are reassured in the Bible that God has all things working for the good of those who love Him. I have a planner with a quote that says "God will meet all our needs...but that doesn't mean all at the same time." Sometimes we need to be patient and endure suffering for a short time so that we can grow. People have told me that God never wants His people to suffer, but in Isaiah when it talks about how Jesus will come and be crucified it says that "it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer" Isaiah 53:10. God's idea is not to annoy us and cause unnecessary suffering but to mold us into what He wants us to be: we have faults and sometimes the only way to fix them is to totally reshape us into something new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come". What we often forget is that we are not only made new but the old is taken away..not all at once but God works away at us to get rid of our sin and make us pleasing to Him. It may hurt for awhile but it is worth the pain...surrender to Christ, trust in the Lord, and He will make you new and better than you ever were before!



♫ At the cross you beckon me you draw me gently to my knees and I am sweetly broken, lost for words; so lost in love, I'm sweetly broken..wholly surrendered ♫

A View of Life from Macbeth

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Macbeth Act 5, scene 5, 19–28

When I'm Seeking God's Will...

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.  Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?  Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
   “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:12-24)

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So...you've got it all figured out, eh! BAM. God throws something new into the picture and suddenly what apeared to be so simple and easy before suddenly changes into something complicated, raises questions, and seems almost unbearable. It's not the first time I've noticed in my life that as soon as I reach a point of contentment it seems my world is turned upside down...but no wonder, the world is always spinning I just don't always notice it.

Paul writes to the Corinthians warning them not to be content just standing where they are..."if you think you are standing firm be careful -lest ye fall". It is when we get overly confident that we let our guard down and fall into sin and temptation; it is when we get distracted by something other than God that we fall down and find ourselves crying out to God to save us yet again.

" Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:25-31)


SO... what's the point? Well now it all seems so simple: don't be distracted by the things of this world. Love God above all else. Don't let idols get in the way of your walk with God...don't look down...just TRUST in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding...and God will direct your path. (Proverbs 3:5 paraphrase)

Blessings

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:3-5

Eric and Leslie Ludy have this to say about these verses: "You're blessed when you are out of options and all you can do is lean on God. Because when you realize you need God, it is only then that you tap into His immeasureable greatness and goodness. You are blessed when you've been stripped of what is most precious to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One who is most precious to you." (When God Writes Your Love Story, page 43)

*These verses mean a lot but often get skipped over as cliche and overused. Often times growth comes through struggles but when people go through struggles their response is not thankfulness for the struggle...they want to be rid of their struggles. Instead realize that problems we go through are given by God and planned by Him in such a way as to inspire spiritual growth and bring us close to Him. We get sidetracked thinking that surely problems cannot be blessings ---but they can be. When I personally go through struggles I love to praise God aloud especially remembering the verses of Psalm 34:

" I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹² Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Love in Action = Faith in Action

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:9-12

There's that word again, one that I'm sure everyone has heard of, has longed for, and has definitely experienced through God -LOVE-. I'm sure that I am not the only one with romantic notions when it comes to love and such things but what the Bible has to say about what love really looks like is very humbling! First of all the sincerity part, wow...it may seem obvious but I am sure that Satan uses our longing for love as a temptation to idolize it. Then there is the whole idea of having that 'significant other' who makes you feel special, pays attention to your needs, etc. all wonderful things but unless they are being done out of sincere love, which means 'honoring one another above yourselves', they mean nothing.

The verses that follow show that love is not separate from faith, "NEVER be lacking in zeal but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord...". I remember a verse I learned in elementary school from Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." This verse echoes what was going through my mind as I read the initial passage about love from Romans 12... The infamous 'love passage' in the Bible begins by saying that no matter what you have or what you do if you do not have love it means nothing.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."   and later in the same chapter... "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."