I Am, Because He Is!

Are you like me? Do you find yourself looking in the bathroom mirror while you are getting ready in the morning, giving yourself a “pep talk” before the day officially begins? Sometimes the pep talk is meant to pump up my motivation for that day. Other times the talk just falls flat. It feels empty, and I am left wondering who I am and what is my purpose?

Who am I, really? Who are you? Am I really anything special? The question hangs there, in the early morning air, leaving me wondering.

Then Jesus speaks to me and my heart responds.

He tells me…….

I am loved.  —  We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us…(nothing) can separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:37-39

I am strong.   — I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

I am wonderful.  — I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I am wanted.  — God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 

I am……..because, HE IS!

God, Let Me See You!

This is something I wrote back in 2012. I was thinking about this very story, the other day. How many times do I long for God to reveal Himself to me? Do you? If so, maybe this post is exactly what you need to read today.

 

Let Me See You! 

And God…

Aren’t you here, right now? And can’t I see You, as You move in the every day? Are You not still the powerful Elohim? I look at Genesis and am still in awe of it….right from the beginning.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NIV

You created… out of nothing. No one else can do that. No one, but You. How mighty are the works of Your hands!

You are God, that created all things and called them good. You are the same God that creates all good things in my life.

On days when my eyes only see the gray of You, the dim image, only the shadowed essence of Your glory…

Father, place me in the cleft of the rock and open my eyes to You!

This life is difficult, full of pain, and all the not-good-enoughs.

Life on many days is ripped wide open. Gaping.

Let me see You!

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On some days my prayer is just like this one that I wrote.

Simple.

To the point.

“Let me see You!”

My prayer comes from the book of Exodus, chapter 33. Moses and God are having a conversation…and Moses tells God he wants to see His glory. God tells him okay, but He didn’t allow Moses to see His face, “for no one may see Me and live.” So God put Moses in the cleft (a crevice or crack) in the side of the mountain and covered Moses with His hand while He passed by. Moses was only allowed to see God’s back as He went by.

Moses was gutsy, wasn’t he? That was a big request… and yet, God said “yes” to his request.

This is one of my favorite stories of the Bible and, quite frankly, it is not one of the more common Bible stories… the ones that most people know. I like to think about Moses. He is told by God that He will lead the people of Israel. It is a big job. Moses goes back and forth with God about whether or not people will know that God is with them. He reminds God that, “this nation is Your people.” God agrees and says that His presence will be with them. Which leads up to Moses’ question about seeing God…and God telling Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Can you imagine how Moses must have felt? In awe? Honored? Excited? Nervous? Terrified?  No one can see God’s face and live. His glory is too much for an individual to fully comprehend. I, of course, wasn’t there and don’t know for sure, but my theory is that seeing God face to face would be so intense that a mere human body could not physically survive it.

His glory.

Who He is.

Overwhelming.

And still, are you like me? Do you want to see His glory? To know that His presence is with you?

God delights to reveal Himself.

One Day We Will All Come Together

This world we currently live in is a broken, spinning orb. A world where we look for perfection, but, often times find division and doubt. There are wonderful moments for sure, but they are still tinged with the rot of this world….a rot that started when humankind bit hard into the fruit and felt the taste of separation from God.

But, for those of us that know Christ, one day we will all come together.

Every race and nationality from all the corners of the world. Every socio-economic bracket. Male and female. Old and young. Big and small.

No barriers.

Together……..the redeemed.

Our voices will raise in unison to the One who deserves all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor, forever and ever. Amen.

What a day, glorious day, that will be!

“Jesus Messiah”   By: Chris Tomlin

He became sin, who knew no sin
That we might become His righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing, love so amazing

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

His body the bread, his blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn

Love so amazing, love so amazing, yeah

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

All our hope is in You, all our hope is in You
All the glory to You, God, the light of the world

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

 

 

He Is Faithful

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me! —Thomas Chisholm

God is faithful. He doesn’t let me down, or disappoint.

So many times I overlook the gift of His grace. I find it easy to get caught up in the moments of the day, blindly overlooking all the ways that He is faithful. Not only has he been faithful to be today, but each morning brings new mercies.

Grace abundant.

Today I am thankful for: 

*crisp winter morning *bright sunshine * petting the horse’s muzzle *the smell of fresh coffee * warm sweater * smiles from friends * church family * lunch with my husband and daughter * good conversation * school assignment turned in! * quiet afternoon * Super Bowl fun * looking forward to some snow tomorrow *a new week ahead

I Can’t Go Wrong

 The beginning of that school year was the beginning of my career as a special education teacher. I was twenty-two years old, just beginning to put my knowledge to the test. Looking back, I didn’t know near as much as I thought I did. Isn’t that the truth for most of us, when we were in our twenties? Big on ideas, not real big on life experience.

The morning was underway. Attendance had been taken, and learning groups had already begun. Bobby*, a sixth grader, wasn’t there yet. He was late. The classroom clock ticked off the first moments of the school day. The door opened and in walked Bobby*. He came up to me, eyes averted, and mumbled something about being late. I, in my own naive youth, abruptly replied to him with, “I understand you are late to school, but it is important for you to be on time. Now you are going to be behind this morning. Hurry up and put your stuff in your desk, so we can get you in your group.” My teacher mindset appreciated punctuality and I wanted to get that across to him, but Bobby* wasn’t finished.  He looked at me and said, “I’m sorry. Last night, with all the rain and wind, the living room wall caved in. I was up most of the night with my Daddy putting tarp up, so our stuff didn’t get wet.”

Tears began to well up in my eyes. I looked away. Now it was my turn to mumble an apology. This poor boy, who was a good student, and had a tender heart, after a difficult and stressful night, now had to listen to his teacher gripe at him. He had helped his Daddy. He was doing important work to save his family’s house. I felt badly about my cavalier attitude, not comprehending what it meant to live in a house that was weather worn and crumbling.

I learned a lesson that day, one that stuck with me. I learned a lesson that didn’t just apply to my career in teaching, but to life. Things are not always what they seem, in fact many times, we only skim the surface of what is going on with people. We often jump to our own conclusions about others because it is more convenient.

And that is wrong….. so wrong.

None of us is perfect, and most are fighting battles that others know nothing about….because of this, I can’t go wrong treating everyone with kindness.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 NIV

*Bobby is not my former student’s real name.