Psalm 145

Psalm 145

I will exalt you, my God the King;
    I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
    and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
    your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
    and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
    and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
    and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
    he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
    Let every creature praise his holy name
    for ever and ever.

The best kind of hiding

Hiding God's word in their hearts...

And, a super cute little guy who is soaking it all in...

Not for a moment

I am so thankful for music.  This song.  I love it.

After all, You are constant.
After all, You are only good.
After all, You are sovereign.
Not for a moment will You forsake me.

-Meredith Andrews, Vertical Church Band, "Not for a Moment"

When the last thing I want to feel is joy

If I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that joy and my radar haven't had the most intimate relationship lately.  I've been longing for life to slow down for just a moment so that I can re-focus and remind myself of all of the beautiful "why's."  The Psalm 126:3 "why's," that relay the truth in the darkness that, "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."   Or, maybe, I'm longing for life to slow down enough that I can just hide for a while.  

The blogosphere makes me nervous.  It's a remarkable place, really.  A place where free voices are a dime a dozen.  But, having a voice can be dangerous.  It can easily turn into a platform for complaining and pity-seeking and self-loathing.  It so quickly becomes a place for criticism and cruel judgment and lies that get believed simply because something strange--an uncanny binding with the possibility of reality--happens when opinions get put into fonts.  

And here I am on my unpublished soapbox, admitting that I have a serious love-hate relationship with the very platform for my readable thoughts.

It's because of days like today.  The days when I'd much rather hide from the world.  The days when I want to complain.  When I want somebody to feel sorry for me.  To really hear me when my words aren't so eloquent.  To still hear me when words won't come out at all.  To affirm my grief over something I have lost.  To affirm my grief over losing something that wasn't really mine in the first place.

A very real and present enemy would love for me to think that my life is the worst one that I could possibly be living.  That today was a waste.  That a year was a waste.  That a decade was a waste.  That I should dwell in the dark shadows of what is behind me or what might have been.  That I should leave my hope today behind for the fear of what might happen tomorrow.

But, a very real and loving Savior wants me to remember that He has already walked this road before me.  That remaining in Him is what brings the fullness of joy.  That He is working everything out for good.  That He is always faithful and kind, and He's not holding anything back from me.  "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless," (Psalm 84:11).  

When I am too weary to hold on to anything else, there remain faith and hope and love.  So, instead of complaining, I'm going to hang on, for life, with a tired and aching grasp, to the truth that I know and to the One that holds on, for life and with ever-strong hangs, to me.  

There is a harvest of joy available to me.  But it requires something.  I can't just hear God's word and acknowledge that it sounds great.  I have to dig down beneath the layers of dirt, plant it into my life, and let God shape me and grow me with it.  

"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.  Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them," (Psalm 126:5-6).

Love Boxes

It's been a while since I've sat down long enough to get to my blog.  We recently moved into a new house, so life has been pretty hectic.  It's been such an incredible blessing to be in our own space, and we're having a ball giving it a facelift to fit our family's personality.  Not to mention, to the glory of God, I've been able to walk through most of the process (take that, CRPS!).  Grace that I so don't deserve.  It's amazing.

Well, somewhere in the middle of packing endless stacks of boxes for our big move, my creative and innovative first-born (who was obliging the role of "un-packer"), came across an unopened box of markers.  She squealed with delight:

"Mom--there are children who don't have anything to color with!  We need to give them these markers!"

She sat down at the table, with a bright colored sheet of paper, and concocted the most beautiful idea.  She sketched out a box, filled with several (very specific, in her typical detailed fashion) items.  Her list included crayons and markers (the good ones, to be exact), drawing paper, a Jesus Storybook Bible, a water bottle, and a healthy snack, all placed in a white plastic box.  Then, Ava asked me to write out the note that would go along with it.

Four years old, and the lovely little soul had me pen these precise words:

Dear Friend,

I may not know you yet, but Jesus knows you, and He loves you very much.  The Bible says, "We love because He first loved us," (1 John 4:19), and it also says, "Be kind to one another," (Ephesians 4:32).  I hope you have fun coloring!

Love,
Ava Grace

We shared Ava's idea with my parents, who showered Ava with financial assistance to get the boxes started.  We then pitched it to our Community Group at Northridge Church, who gladly got on board, as well.

Within a week, Ava raised enough money to purchase the makings of eight "Love Boxes," as she calls them.  Through the help of one of our service coordinators at Northridge, we found a local organization that is thrilled to distribute the Love Boxes to children in need. 

Sweet little Ava, we couldn't be more proud of you.  Watching God's love grow in your heart is the most amazing privilege we could have as the people who were so greatly gifted with you.