Psalm 37

Fret not yourselves because of evildoers;

be not envious of wrongdoers!

For they will soon fade like the grass

and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness

as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who

prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

For the evildoers shall be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;

though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace!

When we are aware of darkness, even overwhelming darkness, this is what carries us! This is the truth that reminds us that in the Lord we can endure anything knowing that it is but a season. Fret not! Trust in the Lord! Delight in the Lord! In just a little while, the wicked will be no more! And on the heels of this, if we truly believe it, regardless of what reality we currently face, there is nothing to do but give thanks. Give thanks to a God that is faithful and good and gracious and holy! A God who did not stoop to accommodating our ugliness but rather made a way for us to be welcomed into his holiness! A God that through his son, chose to make us his beloved!

26 and 26 things i'm thankful for

I am 26 today! I'm sure that my parents feel this way more than I can imagine, but my how time flies! What fills my heart is that I am entering my 26th year acutely aware of unmerited blessing in my life. Gifts from the loving Father and Savior who chose to be my Beloved and to make me his beloved; I will spend my life thankful for the privilege!

Here are 26 things I am thankful for:
1. A redeemed family that fills the walls of this simple house with love, laughter, and memories.
2. Parents who are leaving a legacy of love, forgiveness, repentance, and pursuit of the most high God.
3. The privilege of brothers! I am forever thankful for you guys Ryan, Michael, and Jon. You all have brought great joy and comfort to my life.
4. Brothers of a different kind. My brothers in Christ have blessed me and faithfully shown me what godly men look like, not what perfect men look like, but what men whose hearts belong to the Lord look like.
5. Sisters in Christ. I am privileged to have women in my life who pursue the Lord and pursue me in friendship. They challenge me, and uplift me, and I am better because of them.
6. Family that loves and delights in me and goes out of their way to be sure I know it.
7. Situations in my life that are opportunities to see the glory of God as He works to redeem messes I have made and ones that I experience because of this broken world.
8a. A sister-in-law that pursues me in friendship rather than competition. Dana you are a treasure.
8b. My three nieces: Anna, Naomi, and Abby.
9. Dreams.
10. Trust.
11. Hope.
12. Goodness.
13. Faith.
14. People. In all of our brokenness, though we don't deserve such a glorious place in creation, people are what the Lord chose to bestow his image on and it is through people that I see the Lord.
15. Music, sound, expression. The Lord did not have to make us beings of such rich expression but I am so thankful that he did.
16. Trials. They are the playground of an all-powerful God who promises to use all things for the good of those who love him! (Remind me of this if ever I seem to be forgetting:)
17. The unknown. Nothing has brought me closer to the Lord then the season of unknown that I am coming out of, where each day is an opportunity to find contentment in the consistency of his presence and his character.
18. My Grandma, who covers me in prayer and loves nothing better then to spend time with those she loves.
19. Shiloh, my dog.
20. My new room. :)
21. God as my provider. Who could do this better than the author and owner of the heavens and the Earth? (Again, if ever I seem to be forgetting this a reminder is welcome).
22. The gift of the Holy Spirit.
23. Stillness.
24. The breath-taking nature that surrounds us with evidence of a good, loving, and merciful God!
25. Silliness.
26. The above ones are not necessarily in order but this one is purposefully 26th because it has taken all of my 26 years to discover new depths of the grace of God and the gift of Jesus Christ. I pray that each additional year I am granted is marked by further understanding of His depths!

Thanks be to the God and Father of all things! Thanks be to the the Savior Jesus Christ who came and died that we might live and have life to the fullest! Thanks be to Him for every day that we are offered the opportunity to live for him!

His Victory Over Me

Self-righteousness is a struggle for me. An interview goes well or someone goes out of their way to bless me and I immediately have to resist thoughts that betray a belief that these things happen because I deserve them, rather than the truth that our God in his goodness bestows favor where it is not deserved. This is not a denial that work ethic is reflected in reviews. If you work hard, you will likely earn the favor of your boss, which will likely open additional opportunities either now or in the future; but have you ever considered the things in your life that have built your work ethic, character, compassion, inspiration etc? I am tempted daily to claim these things for myself but the reality is that I have not been the author of any of them. They are in my life through grace and by design. My work ethic is the result of a desperate battle with dyslexia that my loving Father determined to bless me with. In all the tears I cried as a child, never was I aware of how such a battle was shaping my character. All good things in me and my life are the result of one of three things: the work of the Holy Spirit, gifts from the Father, or circumstances determined by the Father. The days I live in awareness of this are covered in thankfulness and contentment. But there are days when I choose to live out of an opposite belief that I am deserving of such goodness. These days are characterized by an ugly battle between self-righteousness and insecurity. Those two things may seem an odd combination, but in my experience they are always together. Self-righteousness requires a belief in my own goodness which I know to be false. Consequently, I must fight to out perform myself. A fight that I know I cannot win. But, and praise be to the Lord that in Him there is always a "But", this is not a fight I have to engage. This is a fight where the only appropriate response is the white flag of surrender. Freedom here comes from acknowledgment of my sin and surrender to the only one who can defeat it. And He has defeated it. His victory stands even in the moments when my conviction fails. Even in the moments when my heart looses its footing and finds itself between feeling entitled and feeling ugly, unable, and unwanted. His victory reigns over me now and forever more!

The Lord is good! A stronghold in the day of trouble;

He knows those who take refuge in him.

Nahum 1:7