Saturday, December 21, 2013

somebody sat on me again!

As Mia Thermopolis is revealed to the audience in "The Princess Diaries", she is in the school courtyard...a student sits on her, not even aware of her presence.  She tells her friend, Lilly, "Somebody sat on me again."

I felt like that today. I know I'm not invisible. I know that I am making a mark on this world, doing the very thing I was created by my CREATOR to do... But the idea of people sitting on me is no less painful. Sometimes the "sitting" is when people scream awful untruths at me in their insecurity and others lash out  because they need to move on in the world but are unwilling to do so...these past 13 months have been filled with this. I'm tired...

Then the Lord reminded me of Psalm 121...

Psalm 121 The Message (MSG)  A Pilgrim Song

121 1-2 I look up to the mountains;
    does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
3-4 He won’t let you stumble,
    your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
    Guardian will never doze or sleep.
5-6 God’s your Guardian,
    right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
    sheltering you from moonstroke.
7-8 God guards you from every evil,
    he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
    he guards you now, he guards you always.
 
I wish I knew what moonstroke is...does it hurt like sunburn?
 
Well...I am thrilled to know that God never sleeps in the midst of any of my troubles! God is on this (that's me!) pilgrim's journey! So, I guess it never takes God by surprise that someone sat on me again. Thanks, God, for the sighting of you in my life. This brings me peace & joy in the midst of the trial.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

the center


My washing machine has an old fashioned agitator in it. It is the center of all that happens in my washing machine. It moves the water, soap & clothes around. It is what makes the whole thing work!  Without the agitator, my laundry isn't quite the same. I use it to measure where the load is laid.  When the balance of the machine is off, the whole thing tries to move across my floor, like in the movie, Mr. Mom. 

1 Kings 8:56-58  May he keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors.-The Message.

In the windy journey I've faced, I find myself thankful Jesus is my center. Debris has been kicked up in my face & has tried to hit me from behind.  I will not be distracted from the rhythm God has created in my life. I will walk according to the pace He has set.

The rhythm consists of prayer, bible meditation & study, serving others, spending time with my friends & family. The pace varies in seasons. Lately the pace has been rapid and hard.

I continue to put my life in God's hands.  He must be the center...Sunday I was reminded by Lauren, a 6th grader, as I was recanting the tale of Joshua and the day the sun stood still. I made the remark that the sun stopped moving...and she quizzically said, "Doesn't the Earth move around the sun?" 

Thanks, Lauren, for reminding me what is at the center of everything!

Lord, when I am underequipped for what I am experiencing, help me to remember that you are my Center, my Balance, my Rhythm. You speak to me that I may hear what pace to take, what words to say, what part of the burden to pick up and what part to surrender.  Thank you so much that I am not in this alone! Help me to remember the signposts that have been posted in the past and look for the signposts of today!