November 2014 – Chasing Joy

Month: November 2014

for understanding | charactor

November 22, 2014 / mel / 0 Comments

Sifting through the pains of my recent influx of misunderstandings, i am becoming aware of the sting related to having my words misinterpreted from a deficient knowledge of my character.
and then there is the deeper pain of having my character misinterpreted because of misunderstanding my words or my actions, my absence of words or my absence of actions.

i’ve found myself in some difficult passages of scripture lately and this is how things went the other day;

me: ranting and raving about how what i’m reading seems so cruel.

Christ-do you see how you are misunderstanding Me?

me: oof….sigh

here i am allowing my confusion to lead me into questioning the Faithful One’s character. and so it goes with everyone else. i do this to others and they do it to me and it hurts.

some source this quote to Plato, others to Ian MacLaren (http://quoteinvestigator.com)

the Word made flesh has invited me to view His word through what I know of His Character rather than view His character through what i’m struggling with in His word.

and he’s offering me salve for the wounds i’m carrying; that pain when people think bad things about me because I’ve made their favor my goal.

Come now, My love. My lovely one, come.
Come to Me, My weary, My burdened one, come.

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul.

to draw further in: Isaiah 43; Matthew 11:28-30; Song of Songs 2:10-14(NJB)

for understanding | composition

November 17, 2014 / mel / 0 Comments

Her eyes give away the anxiousness mixed with anticipation. in her thoughts she reminds herself that her God is both good and sovereign and can be trusted with what He gives and where He leads.

Photo taken at a Quilt Show in 2011. I do not know the artist’s name.

composing those words and this picture amidst a scene of other excited travelers embarking on a wonderful week-long artist retreat in Normandy France would carry the statements about God into a specific place in a receiver’s heart.

composing those words and this picture amidst a scene of bomb-destroyed rubble and other weary and frightened travelers embarking on a long journey to a refugee camp would carry the statements about God into a very different place in the receiver’s heart.

same words, same picture. different understanding.

the places that the Lord is inviting me- you know, those places of feeling inept, the pain of being misunderstood, of struggling with communication. i have become aware of a myriad of ways this is playing out in my life these days. Providentially showing up it seems everywhere i turn. and so my Father has my attention and i am seeing various places for tearing down idols and building up strength in Him. so here i am with another unplanned series.

today is a lesson in composition.

i have mastered enough of the English language to effectively use words to communicate.

however, that composition thing-the way words filter in through the composition of a person’s life and land where they will within that– Jesus alone is master of the skill of weaving words perfectly and personally, getting to the individual heart of things. He is also the master of the skill of giving enough detail in such a way to gain understanding. me-i am inept at all of that. and so if anything i say is to be understood the way it is meant to be understood-He will have to intervene. and if anything i say is to be understood the way HE means it to be, He will have to intervene there too.

…”for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

and so the Master Communicator invites me to pray over my words….

….and then release them into His capable hands.

growing quiet

November 12, 2014 / mel / 1 Comment

i sit amongst a group of folks and attempt to share a glimpse of hope from my tender Father. the response is clear-they don’t get it. in fact what they hear is completely opposite of what i am actually saying. it’s important to me, so i try again. i give it a third go. driving home, sifting down the frustration and i can name it-misunderstood.

i resolve that i must be inept and unable to communicate. and so i grow quiet. everywhere.

later, i’m back amongst these folks and 4 people, yep 4, share the very glimpse of hope i was attempting before and everyone, yep everyone gets it. i resist the temptation to declare (read shout) “That’s exactly what i was saying!” but i don’t. instead i write in my journal-what am i going to choose to do with this? What are You inviting me into here?

i am very well aware of the churning and battle going on that is specific to me and there is no coincidence here-this pain of misunderstanding, this awareness of my lack in communication-it is purposeful and i know the Lover of my Soul is inviting me into something other, something new.

so i do what makes the most sense for thinking deeply and processing through what is going on in my heart…..

i clean odd and random places; the drawer under the stove, the top of the fridge

i dash outside facing off that wind blowing the fall out and winter in and rescue a few branches with leaves on them…you know to decorate with.

i sit down and read one of the Anne of Green Gables books.

Gilbert had finally made up his mind that he was going to be a doctor.

“It’s a splendid profession,” he said enthusiastically. “A fellow has to fight something all through life…..and I want to fight disease and pain and ignorance…..I want to do my share of honest, real work in the world, Anne….add a little to the sum of human knowledge that all the good men have been accumulating since it began. The folks who lived before me have done so much for me that I want to show my gratitude by doing something for the folks who will live after me. It seems to me that is the only way a fellow can get square with his obligations to the race.”

“I’d like to add some beauty to life,” said Anne dreamily…..

-Anne of Avonlea p.53

me too, Anne, me too.

food for thinking on

November 10, 2014 / mel / 0 Comments

God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives.

-John Piper

Starting anew

November 4, 2014 / mel / 1 Comment

shortly after the Barn Event came the 31 days challenge and i’ve been immersed in the concept of prayer.

today there has been some churning within. i turn on Pandora and Christa’s Frame the Clouds is first. because of course it is.

and so i’m taken back to that Barn and all the tending of my soul that was done there. i’m being led to a new place of trust with my Guide-always a new place of trust.

Christa takes the depths of my being and crafts words and music around it and the result is this; have a listen.

that’s all this space is really, simply my attempt to “frame the clouds”

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

wrapping it all up

November 1, 2014 / mel / 0 Comments

“You don’t learn to pray by studying prayer. You learn to pray by studying God.”

— @hbcharlesjr #ExpositorsSummit

all day yesterday i searched for the words to conclude this series on prayer, but they never came. so i waited-having learned this month to hold the commitment to write each day loosely when the words aren’t there. This morning at Bible Study i heard this quote and knew these were the very words i was waiting for to end this series on.

i started this series with questions and as i glance back through i see this focus on knowing Jesus emerging. and i find myself settling in on a new question;

Lord I know that you are with me, what can i know about You here in this place, in this circumstance?

i’d say that’s been a shift from studying prayer to studying God, wouldn’t you?

One habit that has greatly influenced my prayer walk has been the habit of Adoration. i don’t remember how i came upon Sara Hagerty’s blog, but i will say that i joined instagram so that i could daily meditate on Who God Is. because daily she posts these: