Change can turn our world upside down if we’re not careful. Trust me, I know. There was a time in my life when God allowed change to become my normal. I fought it tooth and nail just like an unruly toddler.
But looking back I can see God’s hands were lovingly moving all the pieces of my life around … and it was for my good.
Today I am humbled to once again share a part of my journey in a guest post over at (In)courage. If you are not familiar with this beautiful place where women connect and share their hearts then today is your lucky day!
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Founded in 2009 by DaySpring, the Christian products subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, (in)courage is a vibrant community where thousands of women have gathered since then to connect, share stories, and spread encouragement.
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I promise you will love this place to connect with others and our God … this site has certainly been a beacon of light for me in recent years.
But don’t forget to click over right here and read more about the year that God totally changed my world … for my good and His glory.
Change is messy my friends … but our Heavenly Father knows that change can bring us closer to Him if we will let it.
Fall’s autumnal color wheel enchants my soul to the point of ignorant bliss.
Early in my youth I would drink of these delights, guiltless and unaware of the spiritual connection nature afforded.
Bejeweled perfection was constantly evolving all around season after season, yet I was oblivious.
I knew I loved being in the midst of His artistic backdrop; however, I never stopped to question why the amber foliage or brilliant periwinkle skies made my heart sing?
I took the giver for granted.
For example, one might argue the sunset with every color of pink and salmon explodes in visual rapture because that’s the natural order of things.
But how can that be when every single evening sky since the beginning of time has never been duplicated by the master painter?
And why pink on a Tuesday?
Why the occasional yellow with a hint of orange the day after?
Could it be He remembers how color is an aphrodisiac to my soul?
Does He consciously think about tickling my senses….all for my pleasure?
Could it be He is that sensitive, caring and loving?
Could He possibly love me so much He devises the perfect fall day with vivid intense color and a host of rustling leaves whispering joy in my ears?
It’s just a fall day you say, He didn’t make it just for you.
Maybe so….but how could it have such a profound effect upon my soul unless He knows and cares about how it makes me feel?
God is ever pursuing me like an old fashioned suitor.
As time goes by, I become more and more aware of these priceless pleasures wining and dining me.
They make me stop what I am doing and look up.
My master creator, the ultimate artist is ever awakening my soul…showing me His handiwork….longing for me to praise Him…..so I do.
I believe He specifically fashions my pleasure every day.
With every cornflower blue sky He tints, I close my eyes and smell the Indian summer.
My mind is catapulted back to my prayer warrior grandmother who loved October’s parade of colors most, just like me.
I remember her spaghetti with baseball sized meatballs and the velvety yellow daffodils I picked every spring blanketing her hillside farm.
I recall animated bed time stories and sweaty, bareback pony rides.
All one of a kind memories and experiences no one else can claim.
Just a blue October sky you say, the natural order of things. I say nonsense!
He orchestrates my pleasures right down to the detail.
Oh yes He is the God of detail who puts stripes on the wooly worm, mistletoe in the tree tops and polka dots on the butterfly.
He knows the detail will catch my eye, jog my memory, and take me back to a sweet, sweet time.
Every pleasure from His hands pluck the senses like a gentle harp…and when this divine moment happens…the sensory perceptions of our world can go a million different places.
And you can be sure we won’t all go to the same place.
The essence of our DNA the creator has tailor-made in each of us, is beyond vast even before the sensory journey begins.
As the seasons spin, let him awaken your heart in the crisp evening breeze kissing your face.
Listen to the bluebird banter as the morning frost glistens.
Close your eyes and feel the pleats on the bumpy pumpkin.
Let the creator take your mind to a place only He can….and worship Him for His worth.
Are your senses dulled by the natural order of things?
How many tailor-made pleasures have you rushed through?
How many have you exchanged for man-made moments like TV or social media?
This season let the master creator romance your senses in a way like never before.
Let His creative handiwork give you wild pleasure…..and then give Him pleasure back.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11
Everything changes in this vacuum of time called life.
The babies grow up, the loved one passes away, the job ends, the divorce becomes final, the friends come and go.
Resistance is the human reaction we all grapple with.
The seasons of life can bring great joy as well as great pain.
The good changes are easier to deal with, the scary changes with consequences not so easy.
With every change the uncertainty of life as we know it becomes a distance memory and if we’re not careful…..it can cloud or stall our future…..but be cautious because our faith is our future.
Don’t get stuck living in the past…….it can be a miserable place to exist …I know….I’ve wasted too much time living in the past.
GOD allows change for good….even though we don’t like how it comes sometimes.
We may face life events that seem catastrophic or heartbreaking….but if we are abiding in JESUS….HE will work it all for our good.
The fact that HE allows change….regardless of how it comes….. shows HE doesn’t want us to stay as we are….HE knows change can bring us closer to HIM if we will let it.
Its when we resist HIS change that we stumble and stray….getting lost in the foggy circumstances.
We can choose to stay the way we are….. where we are at……or we can embrace the change….and become more.
More like HIM is the change HE wants.
I know many are wrestling with big changes in your lives……but instead of dreading and fearing them….let GOD’S peace rest in your heart.
Take time to grieve or regroup…..but …don’t linger too long in the pain because that’s the place Satan uses to trip us up……the pain can cause us to become bitter, hardened….hopeless.
The bible says there is an appointed time for everything….for every event under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
If change wasn’t part of life there would be no long summer evenings on the porch….we wouldn’t have the splendor of fall to look forward to…..there would be no winter for the earth to rest…and without the rest….the spring wouldn’t bring new life.
The same is true in our spiritual life.
Fervently trusting JESUS will change the shades of our faith, making them more brilliant…..no matter what season…. be it the hurts and the joys…. seasons of change spin abundance from GOD’S heart.
Change hurts…. but somewhere along the path….the evolution of the heart finds a harvest of mercy, healing, joy and new life.
Hold on tight to JESUS… embrace the change….and see what HE does next.
