ACCEPTANCE IS KEY!

O Lord, there’s something magnificent about accepting things we cannot change—no giving up or giving in, but experiencing the deep peace in our brokenness!

Acceptance is key!

Lord, I know it won’t always hurt like this, but it does now.

Today I'm leaning once again toward choosing numbness over feeling. Feeling is too painful, Down right scary!

’God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up…” (1Pet. 5:5-6)

Let the ink of the gospel get into your bloodstream. (my prayer notes, without citation) Gospel wrapped friendship. Friendship on the same side of the struggle. Focus. Refocus. Share. Focus on His great faithfulness! 

The only great in my life is my need. How about yours? 

"IN THE PINK"

One's feelings can go from one place to another in a New York second!

Anger to peace. My weakness to His strength. Through a black hole to "in the pink."
Fear and anger to confidence and acceptance. Self serving to self-denying. Entitlement  to '"of the heart." Spiritually, the heart God sees.

A just, pure and lovely lifestyle from one's thoughts and attitude of the heart,(Hebrews 4:12).....

...."living in the pink" emotionally, physically and spiritually,

providing a sense of peace, purpose, and forgiveness!

PEACE! PEACE !! PEACE!!!

So many terms for peace; nouns, verbs, (new to me) phrases; and exclamations.

Just check out Paul David Tripp's terms and phrases in my scribblings!

But.........peace can be  so transitory. Just ask your Ukrainian friends. 

True peace in Scripture passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7) Christ's peace is the sum total of God's blessings to those in his covenant community. In Christ. (Psalm 29:11) Peace with God through Christ Jesus

Peace is a person, and his name is Jesus. (New Morning Mercies, 2/16)

PEACE NEEDED

Peace is always needed for a healthy life but it seems to be needed even more as Christmas approaches. And so I pray---peace for others!

(Picture hanging in Chatios Memorial Chapel, The Cove 2013)

Today I prayed Numbers 6:26 for a squad of others!

the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (ESV)

For more meditating on that one verse, consider the AMP version.

The LORD lift up His countenance (face) 

upon you (with divine approval, 

And give you peace (a tranquil heart and life)

Peace, offered from God's Word,  feels good no matter which version you consider.

FULLNESS WRAP UP!

Fill-up needed for the day? Regular. (Joy) Mid-grade. (Joy & Peace) 

Premium Octane. Fullness of God.

Where does one go for this premium fill-up?

God's word of, course!

...to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)

Where else would one find all the fullness of Him!

"Spot On"

Sometimes a devotional entry will be "spot on"----a full spotlight shining on me and my shortcomings, needs, frustrations, desires, etc. 

Last Wednesday (7/31) on a patio in Texas, my on-line entry of Jesus Calling---with words used by Sarah Young---got my attention.

Frustrated.

Frazzled.

Upset with self. 

People know me to say, "It's so hard being me." How that must sadden God's heart----my low opinion of myself. My self-deprecating humanness.

Since then, I have been meditating a good bit on one of the the scripture passages for that day, John 20:19. I've practiced being still enough to hear the resurrection blessing, "Peace be with you." 
Peace from God, available to me through Christ----I just need to appropriate it into my life.

Then, yesterday's sermon gave me more points to ponder. I recognized the one who destroys my peace and the One who not only grants me peace but assures it as He calls me by my name.

Satan knows my name but calls me by my struggle. (Oh how I fall into that "shame" so easily.) But God knows my struggle, yet He calls me by my name. (John 10:13)

"Spot on" devotional followed up by a "spot on" quote!

"All a-dither"

1/26/13 "All a-dither" was a term used by "older" folks in my small town in my growing up years. In particular I think my grandmother, "Gena" Adams, used to get all in a dither over my mother's flamboyant ways. It's a term that could have described me yesterday---one day after THE home invasion. All caps THE indicates it was a very personal home break-in. It had indeed left me "all of a  dither"---an idiom from a Middle English word didderen, to tremble. My outward demeanor might not have manifested that behavior but my inner self certainly felt shaky and weak.

Dither---my actions in blue---because I think blue might be the color for a "funk mood"

• in a flutter or tizzy, (walking in circles or from room to room with no apparent direction)
• in a state of tremulous agitation, (feeling irritable and sad all at the same time) 
• to be unsteady in purpose or action, as from loss of courage or confidence, (stymied by indecision so nothing of purpose was accomplished)
• to be nervously irresolute in acting or doing, (couldn't decide door choice for replacement) 
• a state of indecisive agitation (inability to make decisions greatly frustrated me)

But God....whose Word always reminds me to "fret not," Dotsy, had a plan for me. First, lots of encouraging calls with offers of help, invitations for a "secure" place to sleep, and emails with prayers. Secondly, he had me up early for my Saturday prayer time, so routine for me that I didn't have to decide anything. That time has been assigned/decided for me for over 17 years now.

Once seated with Bible open, and assuming that fretting was akin to dithering, I chose to stay in my prayer chair for several hours. 

In my marginalia of Ecclesiastes 4:5-6, I had written (in 1991) that "dropping out" (i.e. folding hands and giving up) is not the answer and often we need to recognize our limitations and only make modest demands on ourselves in our desire for inward peace. 

The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

Hopefully no more "all a-dither" days but rather days with the One who is my peace and my security even when the back door is still just "rigged."