Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung. Okay, maybe not officially yet, but close enough. The official first day of Spring is two days away, and I'm already basking in the glory of the very idea of all the fabulous promise that is unique to this time of year.

This has already been a week of Spring firsts - first mowing of the backyard, first firing up of the grill, first sandals. There is an anticipation that accompanies Spring that is like no other. As the temperatures gradually warm and the gray winter sky gives way to a cloudless blue canopy, color begins to emerge all around. Yellow daffodils, green grass, pink roses have begun to peek out of their winter hiding places, a teaser of the burst of color that is just waiting for the right moment to emerge.

I can't wait to get my hands dirty and plant the Spring flowers that will grace the front and back porches. While it does sometimes happen naturally, beauty is often the result of work. The beauty of creation is the result of the work of God's hands. Beautiful hair is the result of the work of taking care of it. And the beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit is the result of the teamwork shared by two spirits - God's and mine.

My work is to submit my will and my heart to Him, completely and constantly, and His work is to take it from there. He continues to mold me into His image, freeing me from the lies and hurts that make me feel anything but beautiful. Freedom and beauty are closely interwoven. The more freedom I experience in my walk with Jesus, the more my beauty becomes evident to everyone, including my harshest critic, the woman in the mirror.

As we dive headfirst into this glorious season that promises new life, take the time to take inventory of what dreams in your heart are still in their winter slumber. Nudge them awake, and if necessary, blast the music until they jump up from their bed and come storming out the door of your heart - out into the glorious warmth and light of this new season in your life.

This is the season for resurrection! That which was dead now lives! There is nothing more beautiful than a life transformed by grace. The freedom that comes from knowing God and knowing who you are in Him makes you irresistible.

The creation waits in eager expectation
for the sons of God to be revealed.
Romans 8:19

The Smell of Freedom

It's been more than a month since I posted. In some ways the days have sped past me like I was sitting still, and in others, it is as though it has been much longer.

We lost David's sister, Judy, on February 11. She suffered a fatal blood clot in her lung following surgery on a broken ankle. The time spent in Austin with the family was bittersweet, but the presence of the Comforter was quite strong at the funeral services.

Two hours after singing at the funeral, I lost my voice, which had a significant impact on my plans to lead worship at the Thrive women's retreat that weekend - in fact, it made it impossible. But God had other plans, which He typically does when ours turn south, and it was a sweet time with my sisters, including a very timely and personal encounter with Him. God is so good.

Over the next several weeks, as my voice has slowly recovered, I have come to appreciate the silence and the things that the Lord is speaking to me in that silence. For weeks I was rendered quiet and was forced to slow down and listen. What I heard was the strong, gentle voice of the One who knows me more intimately than I even know myself. He has at the same time quieted things in me that needed to be stilled and begun to stir up in me those things that have laid dormant for far too long.

Revelation regarding my own value and worth is slowly taking shape in a way I never expected. From understanding more about myself and my destiny to recognizing the specific strategies of the enemy to target me personally, I am coming to a place of a deeper awareness that will lead me into a freedom I have never known.

The smell of deliverance is lingering in the air. Freedom hovers nearby, whispering my name and beckoning me with the challenge, "How desperate are you? How badly do you want to be free?"

Pursuing the Pursuer

It's February already. I'm not quite sure how it sneaked up on me like this, but it did. I feel as though January was for me part crazy busy productivity and part quiet retreat, somehow all at the same time. I'm not quite sure how that happened either, but I suppose I don't really need to know all the answers as long as I know the One who does.

My January journey came to a climactic close Sunday morning, February 1, as I sat on the floor in the back of the church, journal and pen in hand, and tears flowing so freely that I had to repeatedly stop writing because I could not see the page in front of me. The music ended, the tears ceased, and I sat staring at two pages of one of the most powerful personal words I have ever received from the Lord. The specifics of what He shared with me are too personal to share in this forum, as they are precious glimpses into the sentiment of the heart of a Lover toward His Beloved. I was overwhelmed by the bold confirmation of His affirmation of me, my dreams and my destiny.

I hesitate to share with you even what I have already written for fear of being received with the same enthusiasm as was Joseph, the Dreamer, when he shared with his brothers the dreams the Lord given to him regarding his destiny. I do not share this with you out of pride or selfish ambition. I tell you what happened to me because it is my desire to encourage you to pursue this same intimacy with Jesus, the Lover of your soul, the Wooer of your heart, the Lover chasing after the affections of you, His Beloved.

My January journey has ended, but the real journey is only beginning. This new place I find myself in is precious, but I don't want to stay here for long, because there is still distance to cover for me to snuggle up even closer to Him. I'll be sharing more of the insights I've received in recent days with you soon, so watch for them. They are changing my life, and I can only pray that they will inspire you to chase after the One with reckless abandon as the pursued becomes the pursuer.

"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would
outnumber the grains of sand."
Psalm 139: 17-18