Don't Let Me Miss It...

I love this song:



I've been so very tired lately. Every day I look for signs of spring; I'm longing for it. At the end of a long difficult winter the hope of spring is so refreshing... especially since it usually comes at the end of a stressful semester! I am looking ahead, wistfully, but right now the season (and the weather!) is still winter. And I am living in the present. I don't want my exhaustion and down moods and wishes and burnout to cause me to miss out on savoring life now. I want to live life to the hilt... even in a long cold winter. I want to seize opportunities, and I want to enjoy the ones that may not be there later on. I'm in a season that is fleeting, and I refuse to allow myself to slowly drag through what is left of it. There's more to life than that.

No, I don't want to miss the glory. I'm tired, yes. I'm ready for spring, yes. But this cannot keep me from adding my voice to that of all creation praising to the honor of His name. With His strength, I won't miss it.

"Don't Let Me Miss the Glory"

-Carl Cartee

"In the view from the mountains

There's a story to be told
In the crashing of the ocean
There's a power that no man will ever hold.
All the stars in the heavens

Decorate your handiwork
And like a mighty choir

They come to celebrate Your work

Don't let me miss the glory
Don't let me miss the praise
That all creation is singing
To the honor of your name

Don't let me miss the wonder
Don't let me miss the grand design
In the lightning and the thunder
Lord, open up my eyes
Don't let me miss the glory

The cry of a baby
The laughter of love
In the dance of the faithful

You will find the greatness of our God above
In the prayer of the righteous
In the beauty of your grace
In a brand new morning's mercy
All your memories of my sin have been erased

Don't let me miss the glory
Don't let me miss the praise
That all creation is singing
To the honor of your name

Don't let me miss the wonder
Don't let me miss the grand design
In the lightning and the thunder
Lord, open up my eyes
Don't let me miss the glory"

Today...

"We know that we have today to move with resolute energy toward maturity and Christlikeness."

-Josh Harris

<3

"I have loved you with an everlasting love,
Therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."
-Jeremiah 31:3

"Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored,
And I love you."
-Isaiah 43:4a

"A new commandment I give to you,
That you love one another:
Just as I have loved you,
You also are to love one another.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples
If you have love for one another."
-John 12:34-35

Peace, My Child

I truly believe there are times when His words to the sea "Peace, be still!" echoe again in our hearts, but we fail to recognize it. Agonizing and worrying over burdens hide the "stillness" that is His gentle promise to us.

I know, personally, I become so caught up in daily life that I forget how all of life should be centered around Him, and I lose the peace and tranquility I could have been blessed with. That is when He gets my attention in a way that I can't miss. Usually a painful way. Usually a way that brings me to my knees in an earnest helpless seeking that I have neglected for far too long. Usually tears are involved, usually pleas. Yet through it all He gently reminds me; "Daughter, you needed this. You were forgetting about Me." And even if His answer is not the one I wanted, His peace that passes all understanding does eventually come to guard my heart and mind.

I do tend to worry far too much, and especially for a daughter who has everything in the hands of a great and loving Father. Often I need to read over the words; "In returning and rest shall you be saved, in quietness and confidence will be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)

Rest, and quiet. Returning, and confidence. Rest of a burdened, fretting, over-analyzing mind. Quietness softly creeping back into a troubled heart. A return; to the One who in fact blessed us with this trial that we might return in the first place. Confidence. A peaceful and quiet confidence, yet still certain and boldly non-hesitant. All gifts from the Father - Who holds the answer in His hands.

Don't misunderstand; I am not saying His gift to a troubled heart is always necessarily passive. Peace is often present in activity, yet it is a serene presence. And he gives ability to remain serene through heart-wrenching pain.

But first, we need to be still...

At His feet.

The Darkness - His Covering

"11He made darkness His covering,

His canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

12Out of the brightness before Him hailstones

and coals of fire broke through His clouds.

13The LORD also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered His voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14And He sent out his arrows and scattered them;

He flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

15Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at Your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

17He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

19He brought me out into a broad place;

He rescued me, because He delighted in me."

-Psalm 18: 11 - 19

"28For it is You who light my lamp;

the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

29For by You I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

30This God—His way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him."

-Psalm 18:28-30

There are times when all seems so very dark. The black clouds are so thick light cannot penetrate, until the hailstones come pelting down and the furious lightning cracks. All feels, so alone, and fearful, and the voice of God isn't audible.

Yet He makes the darkness His covering; concealed in this darkness is God Himself...

Those dark times, those lost, alone times are often those we look back on as times of our greatest spiritual growth. The dark not only makes us aware of how much we need the light, but also, perhaps, allows Him to creep in, subtley - at times when we need Him the most.

Then He draws us out of the many waters, and lightens our darkness. We are rescued, invigorated, and strengthened - and by our God we can leap over a wall.

The darkness causes fear and helplessness, yet it allows our God to creep in and rescue us - right at the perfect time when we need Him the most.

And then finally, His light breaks through the clouds.

Embrace the Joy, Embrace the Pain

"If we do not embrace the path of joy-laden, painful love, we will waste our lives."
-John Piper

The Garden of My Soul

"Fill the garden of my soul
with the winds of love,
that the scents of the Christian life may be
wafted to others;
then come and gather fruits to Thy glory.
So shall I fulfill the great end of my being -
To glorify Thee and be a blessing to men."

-compiled by Arthur Bennet in The Valley of Vision