The Moment of Surrender

Sometimes I have a one-track mind. Lately, that mind has been set on writing. With my manuscript for Beyond Waiting nearly finished (I can see a light at the end of the tunnel!), I’ve been trying to figure out where I’m supposed to set my efforts next. But it seems like every time I pick up a pen or pose my fingers over a keyboard, the words are stuck and my mind is as blank as the page before me. Yesterday, God reminded me to focus on the more important thing.

The book I’ve been reading with my morning devotionals talked of how goals can become gods. In a little “aha” moment, I realized that my writing was becoming exactly that. So I released my pent-up breath and whispered a prayer, apologizing for getting my priorities all out of whack. I promised not to pick up a pen until I heard God’s explicit instructions.

I think that God often waits for nothing more than the moment of surrender. When I arrived home from work last night, my mind was churning. After weeks of staring into space, my heart came out in a sixty chapter outline of what will hopefully be my first completed novel.

But even though this dream is playing out so clearly before my eyes, I’m determined not to lose sight of the most important thing. This time, I’ll let God be God, and my goals be goals. This time, I’ll let Him be the One to guide my hands.

I pray that you, too, will return to the moment of surrender when all else seems out of place.

Perfect Timing

Ever have something come at just the right time? Life is starting to become overwhelming and you’ve had just about all you can take, then a friend brings you flowers to brighten your day. You’ve been wishing that God was real enough to hug you, then He sends someone else to hug you in His place. You’re starting to think that maybe God has abandoned you altogether,  then you flip open your Bible and read a passage that speaks directly into your situation. I’m used to being the recipient of God’s little blessings, but I’m absolutely floored when He chooses to use me to be that for someone else.

My last post wasn’t supposed to go out until today. I knew that I would be super busy over the weekend, so I tried  to schedule a post ahead of time. But I accidentally hit “publish”. And once you hit “publish”, there is no getting a post back. At first I was irritated. That post was supposed to buy me some time so I could rest after a crazy weekend. But then I got a report that made me realize that blog was posted in perfect timing. The reason the post published against my will was because it wasn’t a message meant for Monday; it was needed Friday. Had I waited until today to post it, it may have been too late. And someone else may have had a weekend that was even crazier than mine was.

Isn’t it funny how the little things that don’t make sense to us can also be the big things that mean the world to someone else? And isn’t it wonderful that God can take our mistakes and use them as a blessing in someone else’s life?

“And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.” -Titus 1:3

Faithful to Fulfill

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me: your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.” -Psalm 138:8

I find it comforting to know that David – a man who is recorded in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart – had struggles just like I do. How refreshing it is to think that I don’t have to have unshakeable faith to be counted among one of the faithful. Even David doubted. Why else would he feel the need to plead with God not to abandon him?

I relate all too well with David’s 138th Psalm. I’ve felt abandoned. I’ve wondered where God was in the midst of my circumstances. I’ve had to remind myself time and time again that God truly is the God who interrupts, redirects, and fulfills my wildest dreams.

You may be floundering in confusion, wondering what exactly your purpose is for this season of your life, but that’s okay. We serve a God who holds eternity in the palm of His hand, and He will be faithful to fulfill His purpose for you.

More Beautiful Things

I remember walking the beach as a child, searching for beautiful treasures that washed in with the tide. In my young mind, every seashell was a beauty. Sometimes, if I was really lucky, I would find one that was nearly two inches in diameter! They were the biggest I ever found, and I considered them huge simply because I didn’t know any better.

I laugh at that childish viewpoint now. Having a friend with a house on a gated island has really expanded my vision (and spoiled me for good). Now I find sand dollars and sea urchins, stingrays and their less-intimidating relatives – the skate. I’ve stood on a bridge and watched dolphins dance in the harbor beneath me. I’ve witnessed tiny sea turtles scurrying toward the sea. All these things my childish mind could never conceive.

Those two-inch shells I found with wide eyes don’t even capture my attention anymore. I know there are more beautiful things in the sea.

I imagine God laughing at me now as I laugh at the memory of myself as a child. “Oh Rebekah,” He says, “if you only knew the things I have in store for you, maybe you wouldn’t be so distracted by such frivolous things.”

And just like that, I sense an awakening. There are more beautiful things in the sea. And as I watch the waves of my life rush in and out, in and out, I wait in expectation for the glorious things God has prepared for me.

Unwind

You’ve probably noticed the lack of posts lately. I went to the beach last week and took a vacation from everything. Well, that’s only part of the reason. Mainly, the silence has been because I ran out of words (which is perhaps the worst thing a writer can do).

At the start of last week, a friend told me that I needed to unwind. Either her words were prophetic or the chaos swirling in my brain was more evident than I realized. In any case, she was right. So I set my mind to unwind.

Ironically, I think that in telling myself to unwind, I only wound myself up tighter. “Why isn’t this working? Why can’t I think? Breathe? Write? Why can’t I release this chaos?” After a week of such questions, I’m happy to say that I found the answer… I can’t unwind on my own. And here’s the happy part of that news:

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Note that it says, “I will give you rest.” Not, “You will find rest because you sought so hard.” Did you get that? Rest only comes when we stop striving to achieve it and simply let God fulfill His promise. And yes, it is a lot easier said than done.

I wanted to unwind all at once. I wanted to force all this clutter from my mind and start fresh. But God knows that if He lets that happen, I’ll unwind with the intensity of a high-speed tornado. The aftermath would not be pretty.

But I think I’m finally getting it. I’m slowly starting to unwind and things are beginning to look a little more clear. I’m piecing together a few of the lessons I learned at the beach and will be sharing them in the days to come. So join me on this once upon a time journey where even the mundane is an adventure…

A Handful of Moments

You pass me another handful of moments and I watch them fall like petals around my feet.” -Steven James

And I’ve missed them. I’ve missed them again. It would seem that I miss them every time.

How long has it been since I truly embraced the moment? How many times do I forget to inhale the fragrance of Your presence because I’m so caught up in my everyday, ordinary life?

Please don’t give up on me yet. Maybe, just maybe, today will be the day that I finally open my eyes and see.

Breaking Up With God

I’m a bit of a rebel. I like living on the edge. Once I stepped out of the box, there was no forcing me back in. So naturally, my curiosity was piqued by a book entitled Breaking Up With God: A Love Story. Upon picking it up, I quickly realized it wasn’t at all what I thought it was. See, my idea of a love story is when the couple gets back together in the end. In my mind, Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy… and so was Breaking Up With God.

But I guess the story isn’t all bad because, after spending an afternoon at Barnes and Noble, I came to the firm conclusion that Sarah Sentilles didn’t break up with God; she broke up with religion. And for that I commend her. In fact, if the God I serve resembled the cold, hard creature Sarah described in her memoir, I’d have dumped him too. Luckily for me, Jesus isn’t like that.

God doesn’t call us to follow tradition; He calls us to follow Him. He’s not cold, He’s not hard, He’s not far away, and He is not waiting for a reason to smite you. Yes, He’s just, and yes, He’s fair, and yes, He often lets us learn our lessons the hard way. But He is also love, and He is also mercy, and He is also waiting with outstretched arms for the day you come running home to Him.

I broke up with God once. I was young and I was angry because He didn’t answer my prayers the way I wanted Him to. I thought He had failed me. Turns out, He was weaving an even bigger miracle than the one I had asked for. Seven miserable months later, I came crawling back. Because the incredible God I know and love is impossible to stay away from.

I left religion long ago, abandoning forced habits that weren’t done out of love. But God… I’m too in love with Him to ever stray too far. If Sarah Sentilles ever met Him, she would know. Maybe one day she will find Him. Maybe one day her book will become the love story it claims to be.

Today I pray that you’ll be made increasingly aware of the God of the Fairytales and that you’ll dance in the freedom His love breathes into being.

Don’t Judge Me

“Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.” –Psalm 7:8b

I don’t know how those words struck you just now, but my mouth went slack-jawed at David’s boldness. I wouldn’t dare to pray such a prayer because I know the darkness of my heart. And while I believe that David was merely trying to convey that he was innocent in the certain situation that plagued him, I still found that his words haunted me.

A friend of mine once told me: “Compared to Jesus, we’re like a bunch of filthy rats in a gutter.” That’s what this verse makes me feel like – a filthy rat. Which is why I marvel at the words David penned. My prayer would look a little more like this: “Judge me, O Lord, according to Your love, according to Your unfathomable mercy, O Most High.”

See, if God were to judge me by my own righteousness, I would be cast out of the Kingdom. And I’m what most people would consider a good person. But God says that our righteous acts are like filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6).

Our lives would be absolutely hopeless if it weren’t for the remarkable fact that God doesn’t judge us according to our righteousness; He judges us according to His great love. While we were still playing around in the gutter, God sent His Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

I think those of us who’ve been in the family of God for awhile tend to take His love for granted. We forget what a miracle it is that God would choose to love us. Once we clean up our acts and begin to walk an upright life, we tend to judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to other people, rather than our holy God. We think to ourselves, “Well, at least I’m better than so-and-so.” But the truth is that we can’t earn our way to heaven by doing good works because there is no good that is good enough for God. We’re just like a filthy gutter rat, completely undeserving of the King’s love and acceptance. And the miracle of the matter is that He loves us anyway.

So instead of focusing on your own righteousness, reflect on the marvelous wonder of God’s love. Thank Him for His sacrifice that freed you to be judged by love instead of deeds, and remember that it’s only by His mercy that there is anything remotely righteous in you at all.

Embracing the Fairytale

I won’t be Rapunzel sitting in a tower,

staring out the window and dreaming of the hour

I’ll be free from my gilded cage.

I’ll rewrite the story. I will turn the page.

I’ll be the Little Mermaid stretching out my hand,

reaching toward the surface and dreaming of dry land.

I’ll be Cinderella going to the ball,

escaping from the everyday and standing there in awe.

Part of that world, more than a dream,

more than a life of espressos and cream.

Somewhere, somehow,

I’ll live the life I’m merely dreaming of now.

Faith, hope and trust, second star to the right,

straight on ’til morning, I’ll fly through the night.

Fairytale endings, dreams coming true,

and I’m lost in wonder – glorious wonder –

experiencing the mundane with You.