"Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness ... Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honour her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." //Proverbs 31:25-26, 30-31
How funny it is that I shared this verse with someone whom I thought needed it two months ago, when the person who really needed it all along was me. So I really liked the location of BFF and their pancakes so I brought them there for lunch on Saturday since the rest of the sisters were gonna be busy the whole day. And I think I was really impacted by some of the things they shared with me over lunch, by the words they spoke into my life that day. I think it's true that I've been living my life with reference to the wrong things, that I've been blindsided by what the world thinks is important and necessary. That I've almost had a sort of tunnel vision just because of a perspective I heard so long ago, and have forgotten to broaden my viewpoint to include the qualities that are truly significant. And when they told me that, it was as if the mist that I've been struggling with for so long finally lifted. Because when I look around me, I suddenly realise that I do see so many things that are worthy of pursuit, so many qualities that are worthy of my desire. That in the past few months alone, I've met people with so much strength of character, depth of wisdom, grace and mercy that is beyond me. I've met people who shepherd and serve without calling attention to themselves, people who never ask to be taken care of but are always looking out for others, people who are always ready to speak love and encouragement into hopeless situations. And when I think of all these people, I realise that I've really been struggling with something that is peripheral to who I am. That I've loved and esteemed the things that are fleeting and deceptive, which I've never really needed all along. So I'm starting over again, beginning from scratch. Stepping into another season of my life, in pursuit of the things that should really matter.
"I took my love and I took it down, I climbed a mountain and I turned around; And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills, 'Till the landslide brought me down; Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life? I don't know..."
//Fleetwood Mac; Landslide So we grow up, so things never stay the same, so we move on. But you're the first landslide that happened to me and you will be unchanging to me always and always, no matter what happens. Unlike Stevie Nicks, I'm not afraid of change, I'm not afraid as long as you're with me.
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
//Psalm 30:4-5 (NIV Version) Sometimes it feels like the night will never pass, that the things we struggle with will always be with us, preventing us from moving anywhere forward. But though the night is long, I know that joy will come with the morning. That although the chasm seems far too wide right now and I think I'll never reach the other side, you will carry me over, beyond and through. Soon and very soon. Till then, we walk each day by your strength. By aligning our actions, emotions and thoughts behind souls that have decided to live by faith. Believing that all your plans for us are good, to prosper us, to give us hope and a future. By faith, we build the rooms in our lives, believing that they have already been given to us. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into our laps. And then we will look back and see the journey that we've been through, suddenly understanding the depth of your goodness to us. Soon and very soon.
"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move; We come with expectations, waiting here for You, waiting here for You; You're the Lord of all Creation and still You know my heart; The author of salvation, You've loved us from the start. Waiting here for You, with our hands lifted high in praise."
//Christy Nockels; Waiting Here for You We wait for you indeed, to be upon us. So that we will comfort all those who mourn, to provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. So that we will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour. So that we will no longer be caught up in our humanness, running everything in human wisdom, but to be restored to who you want us to be, doing things the way you want it to be done. Bear with us a little longer so that we will be changed for the better.
"Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
//Psalm 73:25-26
While prepping for cell worship on Friday, I came across something on Facebook that really spoke to me. It was Hillsong Live's FB status and it said, "Life uncomplicates itself in the presence of Jesus." And it really spoke to me because I realised that I spent so much time thinking and worrying about the things in my life and those around me when all I really needed to do was to bring it before God and allow Him to work it out for me. That when I focus on His awesomeness, all things in my life pale in comparison. So I don't know if you're also facing something big in your life or if there are things you've struggled with for a long time but can't seem to solve? If there is, maybe you want to bring it before the Cross and say to God, that you have no idea how to move on. God will not despise a broken heart and contrite spirit. Tell God that you need him to help you carry on, to solve the issues you're facing in your life and to give you direction and a purpose. Let God be God.
"Wait for the man that puts in the time, heart and effort to pursue you. How can he do that if you're throwing it at him? Be secure enough in yourself and your Father that you don't need to throw your heart around and give it away to any man who winks at you. Be a woman, secure in God, satisfied in herself and her life. Give yourself to knowing God, give yourself to loving others and he will come along side of you. You will never have to strive to make him like you, to make him talk to you. He will already be a man in pursuit of your heart without your help." //teenscanrelate.tumblr.com Something I'm learning and relearning in this season of my life. That I'm good enough, that I'm worth it.
"Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days, He will revive us; On the third day, He will raise up, so that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain. Like the latter and former rain to the earth." //Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJV Version) The past two weeks have really been a time of testing and learning. That when I thought I was helping someone else's situation, God was actually using it to teach me more about the condition of my heart and the things that I needed to deal with before I could reach out to minister to someone who was facing a similar issue. The thought of that just reminds me of how constantly I need to keep watch on the emotions and thoughts that pass through my heart, that even when no one else knows what I am going through, God sees and God knows. And that it becomes very important that I need to commit everything I do into His hands, telling Him to take away the motives that are impure and make my heart pure as gold, so that I can serve Him from a place of humility and surrender. And I'm learning each and every day, that so many things need to be committed fully into His hands before I can step into leading others. That my affection, identity and providence needs to be vested completely into God's hands and not be left to man. If not, I would be serving simply to gain companionship, or worse, to satisfy my own very human desires to be loved and esteemed by others. Time and again, you remind me that at the end of everything, you are my very great reward. Nothing else that I get out of serving is better than you. So once again, remind me that it's all about you and all this is for you. It's not about me, as if you should do things my way. You are alone are God, and I surrender.
"Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness ... Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honour her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." //Proverbs 31:25-26, 30-31
How funny it is that I shared this verse with someone whom I thought needed it two months ago, when the person who really needed it all along was me. So I really liked the location of BFF and their pancakes so I brought them there for lunch on Saturday since the rest of the sisters were gonna be busy the whole day. And I think I was really impacted by some of the things they shared with me over lunch, by the words they spoke into my life that day. I think it's true that I've been living my life with reference to the wrong things, that I've been blindsided by what the world thinks is important and necessary. That I've almost had a sort of tunnel vision just because of a perspective I heard so long ago, and have forgotten to broaden my viewpoint to include the qualities that are truly significant. And when they told me that, it was as if the mist that I've been struggling with for so long finally lifted. Because when I look around me, I suddenly realise that I do see so many things that are worthy of pursuit, so many qualities that are worthy of my desire. That in the past few months alone, I've met people with so much strength of character, depth of wisdom, grace and mercy that is beyond me. I've met people who shepherd and serve without calling attention to themselves, people who never ask to be taken care of but are always looking out for others, people who are always ready to speak love and encouragement into hopeless situations. And when I think of all these people, I realise that I've really been struggling with something that is peripheral to who I am. That I've loved and esteemed the things that are fleeting and deceptive, which I've never really needed all along. So I'm starting over again, beginning from scratch. Stepping into another season of my life, in pursuit of the things that should really matter.
"I took my love and I took it down, I climbed a mountain and I turned around; And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills, 'Till the landslide brought me down; Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life? I don't know..."
//Fleetwood Mac; Landslide So we grow up, so things never stay the same, so we move on. But you're the first landslide that happened to me and you will be unchanging to me always and always, no matter what happens. Unlike Stevie Nicks, I'm not afraid of change, I'm not afraid as long as you're with me.
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
//Psalm 30:4-5 (NIV Version) Sometimes it feels like the night will never pass, that the things we struggle with will always be with us, preventing us from moving anywhere forward. But though the night is long, I know that joy will come with the morning. That although the chasm seems far too wide right now and I think I'll never reach the other side, you will carry me over, beyond and through. Soon and very soon. Till then, we walk each day by your strength. By aligning our actions, emotions and thoughts behind souls that have decided to live by faith. Believing that all your plans for us are good, to prosper us, to give us hope and a future. By faith, we build the rooms in our lives, believing that they have already been given to us. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into our laps. And then we will look back and see the journey that we've been through, suddenly understanding the depth of your goodness to us. Soon and very soon.
"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move; We come with expectations, waiting here for You, waiting here for You; You're the Lord of all Creation and still You know my heart; The author of salvation, You've loved us from the start. Waiting here for You, with our hands lifted high in praise."
//Christy Nockels; Waiting Here for You We wait for you indeed, to be upon us. So that we will comfort all those who mourn, to provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. So that we will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour. So that we will no longer be caught up in our humanness, running everything in human wisdom, but to be restored to who you want us to be, doing things the way you want it to be done. Bear with us a little longer so that we will be changed for the better.
"Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
//Psalm 73:25-26
While prepping for cell worship on Friday, I came across something on Facebook that really spoke to me. It was Hillsong Live's FB status and it said, "Life uncomplicates itself in the presence of Jesus." And it really spoke to me because I realised that I spent so much time thinking and worrying about the things in my life and those around me when all I really needed to do was to bring it before God and allow Him to work it out for me. That when I focus on His awesomeness, all things in my life pale in comparison. So I don't know if you're also facing something big in your life or if there are things you've struggled with for a long time but can't seem to solve? If there is, maybe you want to bring it before the Cross and say to God, that you have no idea how to move on. God will not despise a broken heart and contrite spirit. Tell God that you need him to help you carry on, to solve the issues you're facing in your life and to give you direction and a purpose. Let God be God.
"Wait for the man that puts in the time, heart and effort to pursue you. How can he do that if you're throwing it at him? Be secure enough in yourself and your Father that you don't need to throw your heart around and give it away to any man who winks at you. Be a woman, secure in God, satisfied in herself and her life. Give yourself to knowing God, give yourself to loving others and he will come along side of you. You will never have to strive to make him like you, to make him talk to you. He will already be a man in pursuit of your heart without your help." //teenscanrelate.tumblr.com Something I'm learning and relearning in this season of my life. That I'm good enough, that I'm worth it.
"Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days, He will revive us; On the third day, He will raise up, so that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain. Like the latter and former rain to the earth." //Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJV Version) The past two weeks have really been a time of testing and learning. That when I thought I was helping someone else's situation, God was actually using it to teach me more about the condition of my heart and the things that I needed to deal with before I could reach out to minister to someone who was facing a similar issue. The thought of that just reminds me of how constantly I need to keep watch on the emotions and thoughts that pass through my heart, that even when no one else knows what I am going through, God sees and God knows. And that it becomes very important that I need to commit everything I do into His hands, telling Him to take away the motives that are impure and make my heart pure as gold, so that I can serve Him from a place of humility and surrender. And I'm learning each and every day, that so many things need to be committed fully into His hands before I can step into leading others. That my affection, identity and providence needs to be vested completely into God's hands and not be left to man. If not, I would be serving simply to gain companionship, or worse, to satisfy my own very human desires to be loved and esteemed by others. Time and again, you remind me that at the end of everything, you are my very great reward. Nothing else that I get out of serving is better than you. So once again, remind me that it's all about you and all this is for you. It's not about me, as if you should do things my way. You are alone are God, and I surrender.
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