Created in His Image

My church home group is discussing the topic of "self image" tonight. I've spent the day in the Word and in prayer- seeking wisdom to discuss this in a God-glorifying, not-of-this-world kind of way. I've been taught, even reminded, in this time that I feel the most secure, the most content, in who I am when I remember WHO He is and who I am in Him. I pray these girls leave not focused on being eye-pleasing to the world's standards, but aware of who they are in Him and reminded of Who uniquely created them; I hope they leave knowing THAT is of more worth and importance than waring yourself out over trying to be the world's idea of beautiful.

Yes, there are days, and will continue to be days, when I wake up, get ready, and don't feel that pretty, but it's remembering who I belong to that matters- that HE is enthralled by my beauty, with or without make up, in my most flattering outfit or in my yoga pants... He knows who I am and He loves me. He is of greater worth than any of it. He is what lasts when this youthful beauty fades. The question is: will my love for Him still be there?

God created women to uniquely reflect His divine beauty, and Satan has had a field day attacking this attribute. Sisters, cling to the One who fearfully and wonderfully made you in secret, who knows every part of you, and every hair on your head. Don't let the lies of this world keep you from that.

He is

A CONSUMING FIRE.

LIGHT.

TRUTH.

INFINITE.

ALPHA AND OMEGA.

BEGINNING AND END.

ETERNAL HOPE.

CREATOR.

SUSTAINER.

GRACE.

DELIVERER.

HEALER.

REDEEMER.

LIFE.

SAVIOR.

FATHER.

FRIEND.

HEALER OF MY WOUNDS.

FAITHFUL.

LIGHT THAT PIERCES THE DARKNESS.

CREATOR OF ALL THINGS LARGE AND SMALL.

IN EVERY SUNRISE.

IN EVERY SUNSET.

FORGIVER.

LOVE.

WAS.

IS.

ALWAYS WILL BE.

UNCHANGING.

THE ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE.

UNMOVED.

UNCHANGED.

UNDEFEATED.

NEVER UNDONE.

THE LORD.

GOODNESS.

KINDNESS.

FAITHFULNESS.

REST.

HOLY.

RIGHTEOUS.

POWERFUL.

PURE.

GUIDE.

PEACE.

JOY.

COMFORT.

WISDOM OF THE WISE.

THE ANCIENT OF DAYS.

STRENGTH.

PROVIDER.

THE WAY.

THE TRUTH.

THE LIFE.

THE TRUE VINE.

LIVING WATER.

He will never leave you. Never forsake you. Never mislead you. Never forget you. Never overlook you. He cares for you. HE DELIGHTS IN YOU.

You are HIS.

THAT is Who you belong to.

"Never will I leave you..."

Up until this point, I have been afraid; so much so that the fear was paralyzing my obedience to the Lord. I knew exactly what He wanted me to do, but ran away from it because I was afraid I was incompetent, too small, and far too weak... and would ultimately fail and disappoint. Bottom line: I wasn't trusting His strength, His faithfulness, His love, or Him. I ran away to comfort and familiarity- I was "safe" there. It's funny how you can run to safety and comfort because it seems easier and still not be at peace. Let me tell you something, Satan wants you to stay in your comfort zone- it keeps you from witnessing the richness of God's power.

When I think about being afraid to respond to a personal call the Lord has put on my life, I am reminded of Moses' self-doubt. He questioned and pleaded with the Lord to choose someone more qualified (Exodus 3-4). The Lord said to Moses, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you..." Moses continues to question and plead with the Lord. Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" The Lord answers Moses by showing Him His power.

There's also Jeremiah... I can continue to list stories upon stories of the Lord calling someone who was afraid or felt that they didn't have what it took, but they ended up being obedient and the Lord did incredible things through them.

"God wants to help you to grow by allowing you to see what He can do when you admit you can't. While a sense of your own weakness will help keep you humble before God, you shouldn't use it as an excuse for not doing what God calls you to do."- Priscilla Shirer, Discerning the Voice of God.

That's exactly what I did.

Thankfully we serve a loving, gracious, and merciful God.

He has whispered truth into my heart and continued to call me. This time, knowing His power, I am responding. Putting my trust in Him to do what He has promised and take care of me always. He says, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."- Hebrews 13:5 The very thing I was afraid of He promises NOT TO DO. Why is it that I am just now really understanding this?

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back from captivity."- Jeremiah 29:11-14a

I say all this not only to share what the Lord has done, but that you would be encouraged.

He loves you with an EVERLASTING love and cares for you deeply.

More Than Enough

I'm taking a deep breath- something I've needed to do for the past week or so. I've been consumed by pressures of the world telling me to look ahead to what's next; that kind of view makes me miss the reason why I am where the Lord has currently placed me.

My world has been rocked in the last 24 hours: by worship, sisters speaking truth into my life, and the faithfulness of the Lord. I've done things completely out of character today- that of which I can say was only the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Last night I felt the Lord calling me to total surrender. Ignoring what was going on around me and focusing on the throne of Grace, I pleaded with the Lord to ruin my desires for anything but Him, that He would be more than enough for me, that I would be content hands full or hands empty.

Did I mention He is faithful?

Two of my beautiful sisters have spoken truth into my life in the last 24 hours. One simply said, among other things, "strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord." (Amen!) I was caught off guard by how simple it was. In a season of waiting, I'm restless and sometimes discouraged. I was relying on my own strength, of which is too small, but His strength is made perfect when we are weak!

And, He loves us!

HE LOVES US!!

I want people to get that! I'm desperate for people to know and understand how wide, how long, how deep, and how high His love is for us. And that absolutely NOTHING can separate us from His love. Nothing! He's the Calmer of the sea and knows every star by name; and you are fully known by Him. Cared for by Him. Loved by Him.

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."- 1 John 4:10

Gospel Community...

Oh, how important Gospel community is! It reveals flaws and brokenness. It encourages and loves deeply. And through all of that, because of the Lord's mercy, we can move closer to Him.

"The Lord said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone...'"-Genesis 2:18

Gospel community is good. Without it we think we are doing just fine, but there is no one there to tell you otherwise; there is no one there to encourage you. Iron cannot be sharpened on it's own. We need a community where truth is spoken into our lives over and over again.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."- Hebrews 10:24-25

We cannot neglect meeting with one another. We need to be with people who want to encourage us and help us grow in Christ, who will rebuke us lovingly and show us grace; and through everything, point us to the Cross.

Gospel community is not surface level; it's much deeper than, "Hello. How are you?" It actually means those words. They know your strengths, your weaknesses, your struggles and your messiness; and they love you through it all. Christ's tangible love is at work through the hearts of those who genuinely care for us.

After grasping this, I had to take a look at how I play a part in it all; and I wonder, "How often do I say 'How are you?' and truly want a response that is more than 'I'm good.'?"

Surely there are not very many things more important than caring for a brother or sister in Christ. "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."- Galatians 6:10

I have become lazy in doing this and I am sorry. I think I have too much going on that I can't stop and really know how you are doing. I want to be intentional. I want to be intentional so that iron may sharpen iron and you may be encouraged in your walk; that we can genuinely know why we 'rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.' I want to be intentional so that we can continue to point each other to the grace and mercy, that is the Cross.

He is good and takes delight in us!

A Life Of Worship

"There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."-Luke 2:36-38

Anna, I long for a heart like hers; one that finds no greater joy than that found in the presence of the Lord. She never left the temple and worshiped night and day. His presence was her home. She knew Jesus, truly knew him. She recognized him in an instant, never second guessing, never a doubt in her mind. I want to have a heart like that. She knew what it meant to live a life of worship.

We seem to view worship as just a ceremony or service and in that we leave not having worshiped "in spirit and in truth." It becomes something we just do on a Sunday or Wednesday. Worship is more than a song, a prayer, or a reading of scripture; it is a life devoted to worshipful living. Like Anna, it should be our every moment. We shouldn't need music or scripture to "set the mood" to worship our Lord. If He reigns in our hearts and we love Him with everything we have we should be in a state of worship all the time.

We should be seeking the Lord's heart constantly. And, we should be honoring Him above all else.

Lord, I pray for a heart of worship, a life of worship. A heart that's constantly seeking after You. Let our hearts be overflowing. May we come to Your feet as broken, over-worked, restless people and find our hope and redemption. You are more than anything we deserve, yet You so freely gave of yourself that we may live and no such love. Amen.

God's Love

I have had to consciously remind myself these last few weeks how near the Lord really is. I have felt distant; like there was something caught between us or some shackle holding me down. Something was clearly drawing my attention away from him... or worse, my heart.

My dearest friend explained it perfectly the other day (this is my paraphrase, not her exact words) "The Lord is in all things and through all things. It's weird that sometimes we feel distant from Him, when really, He has never budged. Rather, we distance ourselves. That's when we need to repent and ask the Father to take hold of hearts and thoughts again." It's about us realizing where our hearts are and making a change, if there needs to be one.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, neither anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8: 35-39

Through HIM who loved us, we are MORE than conquerors in ALL things. What confidence we can find in the Lord! NOTHING... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can separate us from His love. It NEVER leaves us!

Why is that so hard to remember sometimes?

Because I let the fuss of this world get in the way of my knowledge of His pure, unflinching, stubborn love. Having realized this, I hear Him say "Natalie, I have not, and WILL not, take My love away from you. I have your right hand. You are mine and I'm never leaving you." Wow! What a beautiful promise! It puts my soul at ease. I tend to pollute my faith with perishable hope and fading love, but after this pruning, I want to fight with everything I have to remember this constantly.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." -Jeremiah 31:3

As Iron Sharpens Iron

My dearest friend leaves for England tomorrow for two months. And when I say dearest, I mean the GREATEST; the kind of friend that rejoices with you when you are excited, prays with you when you are weak, and stands by you when times are rough... no questions asked. It's an accountability and a love that is very rare in the world we live in. Out of anyone I've known, she has been my biggest encourager. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."-Proverbs 27:17

Tomorrow, she will be off on a wonderful adventure, spending everyday learning more and more about our beautiful Father. I will miss her terribly, but I am undoubtably excited for her.

Tonight, on the way home from CVS, we agreed it didn't seem like she was leaving in less than 24 hours. However, when we got home and I started packaging my belongings, my heart realized what was going on. This was it: the end of life as we knew it. Things are changing. That's what is so baffling about this season of life; nothing stays the same for very long anymore. The only thing that really does is the Lord; His strength, His beauty, and the promise that He will never leave us. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him..."-Romans 8:28 No matter what is going on in our lives; whether joyful, unsettling, or moving... it is ALL for His glory and our good.

Life isn't going to go the way we want, but we have to remember that the Lord is in control and knows far more than we do. "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."- John 13:7 The Lord is FOR US!! He is good! He holds you in the palm of His hand! He is teaching you, healing you, and always loving you.

Sometimes I wonder what people would do if they honestly trusted that the Lord was always with them? I know what Kristin would do, I have witnessed it and I am moved by it.

Here's to the amazing adventure the Lord has laid out in front of her. May it be an experience far beyond her imagination and filled with His love. We will be praying for you! I love you, beff!

Soul Vacation

Life as I know it will change in less than nine days. NINE DAYS! Scary? Kind of. Exciting? Definitely! The last 3 and 1/2 months have been spent trying to understand where the Lord wants me and now that I finally know a little bit more about where I am headed, I am at peace. During these three months I have detached myself from what I used to know, embarked on new adventures, and searched many mysterious places (specifically, my soul and the heart of God) in order to know just a little more about who I am and who my Savior is; I guess you could call it a "soul vacation." I recommend having a soul vacation at least once in your life, or whenever you feel like you've succumb to the ways of this world instead of listening to the Lord. Romans 12:2 explains this perfectly, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing, and perfect will."

I've spent years trying to figure out what His "good, pleasing, and perfect will" is, but haven't found it because I have polluted my mind with the ways of the world. It seems impossible, to me, to be able to figure out what His will is when so many sectors of this world are calling my name; their calling is a lot louder than the whisper of the Lord.

In the midst of this little vacation, I learned to stop listening to what the world wanted me to be and figured out who the Lord has created me to be. No more self-pollution, no more faith-pollution; just me authentically and the Lord organically. Through this I have found pure joy... comfort in my skin knowing I am and am still becoming the individual He has created. This kind of joy produces a certain kind of strength. (Note: I said produces not requires.) "The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."-Isaiah 51:11

It is the Lord's strength in my weakness that brings such a freeing joy. I am relieved that such a mighty, loving, and beautiful Savior has me in His hands, otherwise I would be scared to death.

It is my joy to serve Him and to be consumed by Him. Without this soul vacation I would still be a disoriented girl, engrossed by the way the world has taught me to think, searching for the world's calling instead of HIS.

THANK YOU, LORD!

Joie De Vivre

"Why did I start this blog?!?" that is the burning question in my mind as a stare at this blank writing space. "I did it because I thought the background was cute." and, if I'm going to be honest, that is the real answer. Great! I just wasted more space on the internet by creating another stupid blog. Yes, I said "another." I have 3. I believe this being the 4th. Wow! I can't help it! I can't stick to one... I never get past ONE post. But, I promise on this blog I will post as long as there are things that continue to inspire me; which will be often. I try to find the joie de vivre, or the joy of life, in every day. And I've decided to use this blog to record the little joys I find, hoping to inspire you to do the same. I will look for these little joys in moments of peace and happiness, when things go completely wrong, when I'm scared, and in the people around me. It won't be a list of things I find, but, rather, a story... and I believe everyone has a story worth telling.

-XOX