Fear

That night the LORD appeared to him and said,
"I am the God of your father Abraham.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bless you and will increase the number of your
descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.
Genesis 26:24

Passion. Purpose. I love those two words. God has written these on the words of my heart and they spill from my mouth at every opportunity! I truly believe that every person was created with passion for a purpose.

Today my husband called me and told me of a business opportunity he encountered while having lunch. I could hear it in his voice, trembling as he told me of a lifelong dream and the possibility of it coming true. YES! I wanted to scream in to the phone, but instead said, "Go for it."

But I don't have any formal training. I'm really particular about how I want things. But I'm trying to (change) my life, and this is kind of the opposite of that...

And your point is...?

I can't. You can. Please help.
A small prayer my pastor taught a group of moms to get them through their day, but I felt it was appropriate for my beloved.
No, you cannot do this; but GOD can. He gave you this passion and this dream. He will give you the way and the means. Don't run from it. Embrace it.

Even now, I pray this into your day: "DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR I AM WITH YOU" -- don't fear your passion. Love it, embrace it, cherish it, know that the One who created you, knit you together, also gave this passion to you for a purpose.

Faith, part II

I have been a follower of Jesus Christ my whole life -- well, almost. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I asked Jesus "into my heart" (Sunday school-talk for accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior in my life). My mom thinks I was 2 or 3, I say more like 5 or 6. Either way, the memory of standing in front of the hall mirror, hands over my heart and saying, "Jesus, I accept you into my heart" is one of my earliest memories. I was raised in a Christian home and married a Christian man. I go to church on a regular-basis and try to dive into the Word daily.

Does this make my life perfect and serene? Ha! Far from it. I know God, the one true God, has given me eternal life through his son, Jesus Christ. Yet, I still struggle with faith, or trusting that God -- the giver of life, master and creator of everything -- knows what he's doing when it comes to my life. This week, I have had to purposefully say, "God, you know what you are doing. I trust in you."

This morning I was reading in Deuteronomy 31. I realized a theme was present and had to do a quick search for related passages. (I use www.biblegateway.com) When I see a theme present, especially in a given passage, I get a little giddy. Our pastor always points out that God does this when it is really important and he really wants to drive the point home. Well, this week I have seen a similar current flowing through my reading: God will take care of me, no matter what.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV, emphasis mine)

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5

God's promise to us: he will never leave us. Never. God is forever, so never is pretty much...well, the opposite end of forever. If you can wrap your mind around, accept the fact, that God is, was, and always will be then it should be easy to move to he will never leave you. I have had some minor trials this week, but nothing that a little mommy-time out couldn't handle (there is a good reason for locks on the bathroom door).

Pick up your Bible and see what you can find in it. Do you see the story of love woven into the tapestry? Do you see God's promise, eternal life, ebbing through pages? I pray you are able to see God's presence in your life today and every day.