Ode to Campbell

My niece is growing up and I cannot wait to see her this summer. One my favorite things that she has done over the past couple of years is say, "I hold you" when she wants to be picked up.

Todd, myself, and my parents are never immune when she runs to you with her arms wide open, squeezing her little fists open and close and reaching for you, "I hold you, Aunt Joolie".

I love to pick her up and just hold her as she cuddles into me. It is a feeling too precious for words and makes me feel like I have conquered the world.

So very cute...but she is growing up and probably no longer says that anymore so I wanted to document it through this short little tidbit as I look forward to seeing her soon.

I was thinking about it this morning and was struck with a thought- Campbell reaching out to me and saying, "I hold you" reminds me of Jesus- reaching out to us with his arms wide open in the midst of trials, joys, and the normal hours of our day.

Jesus reaches out, his arms ready and says, "I hold you".

Not only does He desire for us to respond to Him, but He is telling us a truth- He already holds us! All we have to do is rest in his arms.

Isaiah 49
13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands

Romans 8
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 62
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Matthew 11
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Are you a White Rabbit?

"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date" And the white rabbit scurries around looking at his watch frantically.

I feel like this many days...and yet my 'dates' are not very important. It is just the everyday schedules that I manage in my life. Now, I say 'manage' but most often it is just trying to get where I am supposed to be with all my little people dressed for what we are supposed to be doing.

Todd is out of town this week and next. Our family has been blessed by relationships and I have been given gifts this week. Sunday- some friends of ours took my children for about 8 hours! Personally, I thought they were crazy- but each to his own. My kids had a wonderful time and I got to take a nap, a long bath , and spend time with Todd before taking him to the airport. Wednesday night a couple of girls in my small group came over after the kids were in bed and brought dinner. I got to have grown up conversation and a grown-up meal. Then yesterday, our same crazy friends picked up my kids in the afternoon, took them to a water park and brought them home for bedtime.

Finally, as you can tell because I have been blogging more consistently, my brain has been resting. I know it sounds goofy- but many days I feel like my brain is full- it cannot take any more noise or sounds. On those days, it is difficult for my to find rest in my Savior and yet, I know, intellectually, that time spent with Him would make it all so much better.

Resting in God is sometimes a hard thing to find. It takes the form of being still and waiting. One of my friends sent me this below.

This focuses on verse Psalm 25:5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long and then this from John Phillips Exploring the Psalms "On Thee do I wait all the day." An important principle of guidance is that God is never in a hurry. Often He will make us wait and wait before finally making the path clear. That is where most of us break down; we are impatient so we act without God's guidance and then complain when things go wrong. Often when facing an important decision we will find that everything is cloudy at first. Guidance will come only as we wait. It is Satan who says: "Hurry! Act now! It's now or never! If you miss this you'll miss God's will." Satan guides by impulse; God guides us as we wait. We can liken guidance to a glass filled with cloudy water. If we wait, the sediment will sink to the bottom and the water will become clear. God cannot lead us if we are rushed and hurried, dashing here, there, everywhere - always responding to pressure. David was wanting, willing and waiting to be led. "Lord protect me! Pilot me!"

But resting in God also takes other forms. God's rest and peace comes from within ourselves. It is all about tapping into the resources He provides.
Matthew 11:28-29 explains this: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

It doesn't say he will slow your life down, or remove the burdens placed upon you but it does promise rest for our souls- a refuge. And yet many of us see our time with God as one more obligation, one more thing to do. That is the challenge in our busy lives. Our challenge is to see God as a refuge, a place of peace, a 'filling station'.

I don't have answers on how to make that happen for you- that is your challenge- and I highly doubt it is a 7 step program. Seek God first and all these things will be added unto you....