Us

Us

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Angels among us....

I only have a few minutes before I leave to get my children from school...

But, I just had to share. I just had to let you know...

This morning on the way to school I had a long discussion with my kids about angels.

This stems from something Presley told me a couple of days ago.

I wrote about it on SHINE this morning. You can read it there, I don't want to repeat myself.

I was telling my kids, reassuring them, that angels were surrounding them. Presley said she could feel the devil taunting her and making her feel bad.

My mind envisioned angel armies encamped around her little body. As soon as I envisioned this, I quickly shared this mental picture with her.

Presley, Satan can NOT harm you. He will try to deceive you and trick you, but you are surrounded by God's angels.

"For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Psalm 91:11 

We read Psalm 91 every single morning. Every morning.

It never dawned on me to explain it like this to her before.

I had always told her Jesus is with her. Because He is.

However, this time, today, she needed to know that she is always protected not just by Jesus but by His angel armies.

I have chills writing this.

This is a revelation of sorts to me today.

I mean, I knew this. But now, today, something turned on inside of me. A Holy Light and Truth that has been there all along, just for some reason I could not connect it to my {wavering} mind.

Here's the way God works, friends:

I got home from dropping my kids off at school. Soon after I receive an email from my dear friend telling me that she has been praying for Presley all morning since reading the SHINE entry.

She told me that she was reading a book on angels, and she wanted to tell me to reassure Presley that angels were surrounding her, daily.

Here's what it said exactly:

 Presley has been on my heart and mind this morning. Please tell her for me that I am praying for the Lord to send her an angel to minister to her when she feels scared. I am reading a book about angels right now, and this is what I just found for her: Angels Protect Saints "For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Psalm 91:11 Angels protected Daniel in the lion's den and closed the mouths of lions. And angels delivered Peter from prison twice. I also read that angels are men. Strong like Jesus and her Daddy! And Jesus is with her always of course! "The Lord is with you wherever you go." Praying for her! Just wanted to share since she was on my heart! 

Y'all! I couldn't control the emotions. God was reaffirming the short few minutes I had in the car with my babies telling them they were protected by God's angels.

This is no coincidence. Only God.

Are you struggling with fear today?

Oh, friend. Know that you are protected. Know that He has an army of angels surrounding His precious son or daughter.

Maybe your children need to be reassured by this?

I'm praying right now that anyone who reads this post will have that same light turned on. That you will not just know, but believe. 

Picture those angels around you right now.

It's almost too much to take in, His love for us.




Saturday, February 23, 2013

A Beautiful Mess.....

I'm starting to see how loving like Jesus can be real messy sometimes. Like big time.

I used to think that loving like Jesus and asking God to give me eyes like Jesus would make things oh so neat and pretty.

Oh, on the contrary.

That's worth repeating: Oh, on the contrary.

Many may disagree with me, and I am so ok with that.

Loving like Jesus and really trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus--is pure Joy, and Happiness, and Abundance, and Blessing! {or so many will say}

I do not disagree that it certainly brings those things.

However, truly letting Him open our eyes to the hurting, the suffering, the lost, the lonely, the mother-less, the father-less...

Oh sweet Jesus, it's almost too much to bear.

We have the absolute pleasure of keeping two foster children in our home this weekend.

They are angels.

But, it is hard.

They are not hard. The situation is hard.

I just finished tucking them in, knowing that this may be their last stay with us.

They may be adopted soon.

Which is wonderful news.

But, I ache for them.

I ache for them to have to start all over again after being in a foster family for over 2 years now.

I ache for their future.

I ache for.....my loss. Of possibly not seeing them again...ever, after they are adopted.

Lem and I have grown attached to these little love muffins.

They are the two children God sent our way 2 years ago while vacationing in St. Simons.

Our good friends were fostering them and we fell in love with these two darlings.

They are the reason that we went through foster training.

They are the reasons that my heart is aching.

It's so messy. This loving thing.

It's never easy, or simple, or pretty and neat.

I often wonder why I am so attached to the...for lack of a better word--unlovables in this world.

I think I have found the answer.

I can relate to them.

I can relate to their desire to be loved. To be wanted. To be pursued.

Can't we all?

My friend Mary was asking me today how it was going having the extra kids in the house this week.

I smiled and honestly said that it was so natural. Yes, it was harder, but it just felt right.

Isn't that just perfectly God? To make something so hard, so tiring, so sad....to make it feel just right.

Life is messy.

It is.

However, God uses those messes to bring beauty. Beyond the world's brand of beauty.

Godly beauty.

Heavenly purpose. 

Let me encourage you. If you are facing something hard, there's beauty to be found there.

There's purpose beyond your understanding.

Rest in the mess.

"Jesus never said it would be easy, but He said it would be worth it"
 Matthew 7:13-14


neat is over-rated,

jill

Friday, February 22, 2013

Do what you love.....

I love to write.

It's just in my blood.

If I have some extra minutes {like right this second}, I sit down, inhale, let out a big exhale, and write.

It's taken a long time for me to get back into the habit of doing what I love to do the most.

Probably because for a long time,  I was in denial of my passion for writing. It was something I did when I needed to let off some steam, relax, or heal from a wound.

I think my maternal grandmother was a writer. My momma has shown me some letters and notes that she penned in her beautiful form.

My momma is a writer as well. Her cards and notes convey the sweetest portion of her heart. Every single word is a glimpse of that heart.

I was just telling the Lord yesterday how thankful I am to live in this day and age. I thanked Him for choosing this period of time for me.

 I'm glad I live in a day and an age where I can type. It's cleaner. Neater. No white-out required.

My hearts desire is to write a bible study or devotional. It has been for a long, long time.

SHINE is the closest thing I have to fulfilling this dream for now.

I have so many thoughts that I think: "I need to jot this down. I need to remember this."

You know, those God moments where He is teaching and revealing and you can barely absorb the awesomeness of it all. Yes, those moments.

For now, I will just keep blogging my little heart away.

If you are reading this, I encourage you to do what you love. Do it as often as time allows.

God has given us these desires and these gifts for His purposes and plans. When in use, they set into motion the perfect harmony of His orchestra.

I imagine Him smiling every time I sit down to write. Giving back to Him what He has so generously given to me.

Are you fulfilling your hearts desires?  If not, what's stopping you?

sharpening my pencil--er, i mean charging my laptop,

jill


Saturday, February 9, 2013

I'm good with the small.....

When I was a little girl and day-dreamed after day-dreamed of being a Mommy, I never realized just how hard it would be.

I envisioned aprons, flour on the countertops, pigtails, braids, baseball caps, clean smelling kid laundry, and all the fine things that come with being a Mommy.

Never did it cross my mind the emotional ties that children would have on your tender little heart.

I really don't know how people parent without calling on Jesus day in and day out. I really, really don't.

As much as my marriage has caused me to seek Him more, my children are what bring me to my knees to Him.

Perhaps it is because i feel so responsible for them. It's a huge thing. Huge.

I know that God is control of their little lives, but I have a big role in their lives too.

I must teach them. I must pray for them. I must pray with them. I must show them how to live, by how I live my life. Whew.

I take this job very seriously.

When I say "I", I mean "we". Lem and I.

I used to be very concerned about what my purpose was in life.

I would ask the Lord, day in and day out.  Day in, day out. Day in, day out.

Now, it's crystal clear.

My purpose is being Lem's wife and Joseph and Presley's Momma.

It's never been more clear.

As much as I love SHINE, and the ministry that comes with it--it's just a cherry on top to my real purpose in life.

My desires have absolutely changed. In just this past year.

I used to want to change the world.

Now, I just want to be the change for my children to see. My children are the ones that will be most affected by my life and my ministry.

My ministry in my home is the number one thing.

I can say that without hesitation.

My heart is content with small. Small things and small people. :)

It's funny how we look for our purpose in life, all the while, it is right under our little noses.

Sometimes the smallest things are the hardest to see.

We search high and low, and lo and behold, it is eye to eye and face to face, and cheek to cheek.

cherishing my {not so small} purpose,

jill