While I have no specific list of things off the top of my head that need attempting, I’m confident that if God asks it, it shall be done! If I am walking in faithful obedience to my heavenly Father, my Creator, and King… failure is not in the mix!
Things may not look like we sometimes think they should, and often we must step into a thing with far less ability than we have within us… but, God does not give us a task without providing His strength and skill to complete that which He has asked… so, I’m covered!
Just to put my bible where my mouth is:
Ephesians 3:20-21: God can do anything, working within us through his Spirit.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and he will make your paths straight.
Colossians 3:17: Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father.
Jeremiah 29:11: The Lord has plans for you to prosper and give you hope and a future.
1 John 4: If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Other Bible verses about God include: Psalm 16:2, Psalm 34:8-10, Psalm 23:6, Psalm 65:11, and Psalm 107:8-9.
While you may or may not have noticed the lack of my presence over the last week, we are in a transition period of being homeless. Now, don’t get fussy just yet, cause when I said that God’s got me… I mean it fully in every sense of the words!
In order for us to be eligible for housing assistance, we must first be classed as homeless. What this meant for us… abandon the RV!
By God’s grace and purpose, from the time we got into the car, we were actually homeless for a total of 35 minutes… the time it took for us to drive to the motel that was paid for and provided. This has to have been one of the easiest moves I’ve ever had to make!
The double bonus is that we barely have anything to take with us, so the packing has been easy. We still have to have the RV towed to a storage facility, as it is not drivable at all.
At this time, all I can really tell you is that I took a shower in my own bathroom last night…
Ok… I can tell you more!
I have a working toilet, hot water, a mini kitchen, a huge fluffy bed covered in white sheets, white pillows, white everything…
My bathroom towels are all white… and clean!
There is a pool, a gym, a laundry room, breakfast provided each morning, free parking, free internet… free everything!
While we are still a distance away from actual housing… I could not be more grateful to my God, my husband, my WordPress family, and absolutely every single person who had a part in opening all the doors, thus far.
This has been such a journey, and though I realize it is not over, when one has been drowning, that first breath of glorious air is indescribable!
Have you ever noticed how, when you read a bible verse, within mere seconds you are already trying to conform the verse to a picture reflecting what you want to see? It’s easy to do since we are human, selfish by nature… good for survival and self-preservation, but not so good for the long run, if you know what I mean. Too much self is never a good thing!
Take my Note To Self #18…
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
In truth, when I was a young Christian I read this as a sign that said if I did all I was supposed to do, then I would be blessed with long life and wealth… cause that’s what I thought I wanted! I also have now come to the realization that I had an unrealistic expectation of the timeline for said $$$ to reveal itself!
I have discovered, as many of you also have, the above verse never said anything about what it means to “Delight yourself” nor did it say the timeline for said results of this delighting stuff! I think it is because over time, we have become conditioned to the old InstantGratificationitis! We want to see results… right fast and in a hurry, or else we surmise that we either failed or just did things wrong the first, second or third time through.
Through the years I have discovered a few things about God, the world, myself and the way of things. One thing about God… He loves to give gifts! I have discovered that every dream or desire I think I really want or need… He always does one better! The other thing about God is that He is much wiser than I shall ever be… things I thought I wanted ended up not being what I needed, or if they were, they were nowhere near being on the same timeline as His!
I think the part I should be focusing on is the delighting, rather than the desiring… at least that is what my spirit is saying.
I chose to put this verse into my list of notes, so that I am reminded each time I read to practice the delighting part first… only after this can I begin to even consider a desire. Each time I read the verse, it poses a question to me… what does the bible say delighting is?
According to Google,
“The Hebrew word for delight (anag) commands us to find enjoyment in God. The Lord wants us to incline our hearts toward Him –– to lean in to Christ where we will discover unspeakable joy.”
I have to admit that Google gave a pretty accurate and simple answer, but still not enough for us to head out with a list of things “to do” that will bring the results necessary. From one answer we head off with more questions… how do we find enjoyment, and what does it mean to incline our hearts toward Him?
God delighted himself when creating us in His image, so therefore, we should be able to feel delight when we are near Him, I think. As humans, do we not gain a great amount of delight and pleasure when we have gained the approval of our parents? God is the only parent I have, so for me it is easy… I just seek to make Him proud of me, in all I do and say.
Before you start guessing and things get complicated, I will just tell you what I do to make God proud. I believe in Him, I trust Him, and I surrender to His will for my life… One Day at a Time… on my knees and in His word! That’s it! Super Simple! No, I don’t spend hours a day doing this, some days maybe, but not everyday! Most days I read a little, work on a memory verse, and spend a few moments in thoughtful prayer… though I do talk to God repeatedly, at many different times of the day.
That’s one of the many beautiful things about God… at any moment we make room for Him, there He will faithfully be standing and ready to meet with us. When David was only a boy, tending his fathers flocks, he spent many a solitary hour walking with and talking with God. That young king to be, spent a great many hours delighting in the Lord, out in the middle of nowhere, with no music band or fancy choir to perform for God… it was just a boy who loved God so much that he always wrote, sang and danced before his heavenly Father. From the boy in the field, to the young man before a Giant, and on to the King he became… always the delight would surface.
All the way back to when this verse was put to paper, David was probably the originator of the acronym, KISS. Again, I am pleased with Google’s response,
Keep it simple, stupid (KISS) is a design principle which states that designs and/or systems should be as simple as possible. Wherever possible, complexity should be avoided in a system—as simplicity guarantees the greatest levels of user acceptance and interaction.
I shall take from both David and Google, not overthinking like I sometimes can, and just delight in God each day! He knows my needs and desires even before I do, so there’s no reason to try keeping a list, or try guessing God’s timeline or plan… He’s got this so I’m going to let Him handle all my presents!
So, as I am getting a bit more organized, my Investigating Truths episodes will become my journaling storyboard, using all of you sweet people as my crash test smarties…my hope is that you will come along with me as I try my hand at sharing my truths with other souls in all different forms. I want to do this because in the same sense that people learn in different formats, they also receive grace, love, and mercy in just the same manor. My wish is to always stay a few steps outside of the “Normal” boxes that we can find ourselves stuck in. Think of Journey With Me as a cozy little lobby, with no door to close anyone out, filled with plush and colorful sofas to stay as long as one wishes, and right in the center is a table for any who stop by…
Apon this table I wish to have lovely bowls filled to overflowing with little gifts of joy, laughter, wisdom, truth, grace, and mercy pouring out over the edges…these vessels are never empty, as I have a supplier that delivers an unending supply…nothing ever expires!
It is my passion and purpose to ensure that you always feel welcome in this lobby, just remember, I am no more than an administrative assistant to a very Self Sufficient Site Manager! He supplies me with whatever I need, so if you are ever in need of some, please receive freely, as there is no charge here for love, acceptance, and extended stay guests…welcome!!!!!!!!!
I want to start us out now on a test run of a more poetic style…
This style is being practiced with a copy of a letter I wrote to my first born. Dreams impact me in a way I cannot fully explain, so I try to write them down thinking that with time, I may come to decipher some secret code…lol. I am still not fully sure of what this meant but I hope you will enjoy the format I tried to follow, very loosely, by the way!
I Dreamt of You…
Down along a 2-lane road, driving slowly around each bend and curve, Lush green foliage covering the hillside, giving shade as we passed by
Ocean waves met the eyes, if one followed the hillside down, drawing the eyes onward, toward a delicate little town
Finding ourselves within a U-shaped cove, the endless clear glass blue came and went from beyond the shore
Cobblestone lined the streets, buildings of soft colors greeted our eyes, Beckoning one inside for toys and treats
Though no other cars appeared, a plane rested upon the shore, the bottom made of glass and with delicate silver handles upon the door
You, Babybear, are the only face I remember clearly,
flying low over the ocean waters, you were sitting on the glass bottom surrounded by soft light
Time seemed to stand still as whales began swimming to you, Up to the window they came, seeking your tiny hands
Your arms stretched out to reach, eagerness filled your eyes, you had the most beautiful smile, and I could feel your joy and excitement
I couldn’t stop watching you, the happiness clearly on your face, and the look in your eyes, forever it was etched into my memory
Under water we flew and into a cavern of brilliant lights we appeared, vivid blues, reds, purples and every color imaginable, were here being cast about, reflecting off the stone
Suddenly, the cavern filled with a multitude of whales, along with their young ones, gracefully gliding by
Through the glass we touched them, trailing fingers along their skin, as if nothing were in between, and Glass no longer appeared
You began floating amidst them, gently carried on invisible currents, Baluga whales began appearing, Dolphins as well
Swimming freely with all of them, you breathed water as if it were air
I was the only one who spoke in this dream, saying Gentle we must be, for if this be a birthing place, mindful these mothers now seem, of this I was sure, for as you are my child, it would be that for me…
You may only be a small child, and though I don’t understand this dream, I will always believe that you are a very special little girl.
Journey With Me! 