DebraBee

As fall approaches quickly the temperatures have finally dropped enough to open our windows in every room of the house, letting a fresh breeze flood throughout. This gives us reason and opportunity to clean corners where dust and cobwebs have tried to take hold. I love a good clean but am not always a fan of the hours involved to do it. Let’s be honest, I can get distracted by my findings.

Today it was a watch. My favorites were always the elegant time pieces to decorate my wrist. Today I found a cheap one I can remember buying out of pure necessity. I had laid this piece to the side because a latch had broken and honestly it was homely. Now mind you, it’s been years since I’ve worn a watch, so when I went to toss this out I was impressed by the fact the secondhand was still ticking off seconds; the battery should have given out long ago.

Holding it in my hand, I kept looking at its face, fascinated by its ticking away flawlessly. It seemed important to notice and I sat down to think about it some. Was I throwing away time in my life just because it seemed worthless?

Mark 13:31-33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”

“The problem is all inside your head, she said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically”…..

Paul Simon sang about “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” and looking at myself and the world around me, I’d say his number was low balled. With the distractions we face in temptations and dealing with life needs, it’s like a marathon only the fit can survive. I myself can, and have, left my Lover on an hourly basis in ways too numerous to confess. Each reason left me feeling empty and dissatisfied. Worse still, were the moments I let myself feel condemned by the master of lies.

The voice of my Lover calls still, without ceasing, never tiring, always ready to take me back in His arms. I hear His desire to pursue me unto the end of myself. Without shame I turn my face to seek Him back. For the many ways I may have left Him, I know there is only one way to return, and that way is Jesus Christ.

Hos 2:14  (Message) “And now, here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to start all over again. I’m taking her back out into the wilderness where we had our first date, and I’ll court her.”

Rom 8:1 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Days are numbered for all of us in humanity and when we realize this, our perspective of time readjusts itself to the understanding that each day is precious; a gift to us. What should we do with this day?

I love a good treasure hunt myself. I set out with a prayer to ask the Lord to help me have open eyes and open ears to recognize the treasured moments our heavenly Father has already laid out for us. I can feel like a little girl saying, “Daddy, Daddy, what surprises do you have today?”

Sometimes my treasures lay hidden in someone else and how to help them. Sometimes they are gifts given to me unexpectedly. A hug, a call from a friend, you know the simple things we might overlook if we walked about with closed mindsets. As I enter into my day I am leaving my house with anticipation and I say, “let the hunt begin”.

Psalms 118:24  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it

In the grand scheme of this world as we know it, basically there are two major camps of people; those who influence and those who are being influenced. Now is the time to decide in what camp we want to pitch our tents! What people group do we want to associate with?

I think sometimes we tend to follow others because we don’t have a clear vision of who we are in the first place. The uniqueness with which we are meant to walk is so often discouraged by conventional ideals to homogenize our personalities so others can feel more comfortable. It’s the same notion which took over restaurants and stores. Make everything the same in every city so people can feel comfortable in knowing they don’t have to experience new choices. Over simplified concept but you get the idea.

Conventional thought must be displaced with “new thinking” that anything is possible and we should expect that “new things” will happen!

I am looking for a generation who will not stop at the edge of the envelope and play it safe. We should be ashamed to seek safe if we serve God almighty. He alone is our safety and He draws us into the great unknown. Let’s stop holding back to see what others are going to do and jump forward into the “what are we going to do for God!”

Moments for flashback come to me now and again. Today, I just settled upon that 80’s song….”Do You Really Want To Hurt Me”. It seemed fitting for the moment. One of those conversations where I knew they didn’t really mean what was spoken in anger, yet they couldn’t help themselves and I was the standing target to be painted. Ouch!

In times past I might have been laid out, but today I bent like the reed and was not broken. This outburst of angry wind would not harm me, it would blow over.

Proverbs 19:11  A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense

Smith Wigglesworth is one of the most interesting man I have ever read about and has a most inspiring walk of all saints. I tend to understand him easily because he’s not full of empty words. Loving to write myself, at the core of my being, I detest the b.s. (just being real!) of those who speak a flatulence of words without saying anything. It just garnishes the air with a stench of nothing of worth.

As I read this man’s thoughts, he spoke of the victory in battle. Have to tell you I can feel pretty wounded by what I have been through, both past and present, so it was extremely encouraging to take in what he shared about our badges of war. How soldiers who return from various skirmishes are given ribbons or badges to put upon their chest as a visual sign for what they faced; how they were obvious testimonies of survival.

I confess to be a survivor of my own battles but I haven’t yet worn the badge for all the world to see. Up to now I have felt beaten down by the lie of shame for having been in the battle in the first place. I was reminded that it’s in the trial where we are made perfect. How can I expect to help others coming behind me if they can’t see an outward sign that “yes”, I made it through the war”?

Experiencing loneliness is not common in my daily life; at least it hasn’t been for a very long time. Recently however, I have had literal waves of it hit me at the strangest times and it doesn’t always make sense. How can one feel lonely when surrounded by people who love you and you know it? Still it happens and I must confess it’s not my favorite emotion to encounter. I’d almost prefer anger because it’s easier to express, especially with a baseball bat and some convenient bottles lined up on a low level fence if you get my drift.

As I experience these moments I am drawn into a passionate need to seek my Father’s presence, where I find comfort and peace. I understand I can’t soothe my soul apart from Him and this is eye opening for our “self-sufficient” mindsets. I become grateful for this loneliness which pushes me into the desperate place of seeking my one true love. Without trials to show us our need of God we would be forever lost in our own confidence and distractions.

Psalm 84:5-7  (World English)   Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, Who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes the autumn rain covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength. Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.

So here’s the inside scoop! I was with peeps in worship this morning singing and praising to a different song list when my thoughts were completely disrupted by this line bombarding my mind over and over…..”I belong to you and you belong to me”.

I finally relented to find my notepad and write the thing down along with a question, “Lord what is this song?” This is what I learned….

I Belong To You – Lenny Kravitz

You are the flame in my heart
You light my way in the dark
You are the ultimate star

You pick me up from above
Your unconditional love
Takes me to paradise

I belong to you
And you
You belong to me too

You make my life complete
You make me feel so sweet

You make me feel so divine
Your soul and mine are entwined
Before you I was blind

But since I’ve opened my eyes
And with you there’s no disguise
So I could open up my mind

I always loved you from the start
But I could not figure out
That I had to do it everyday

So I put away the fright
Now I’m gonna live my life
Giving you the most in every way

I belong to you
And you
You belong to me too

You make my life complete
You make me feel so sweet

Oh I belong to you
I belong to you
And you, you
You belong to me too

You make my life complete
You make me feel so sweet

Oh I belong to you
I belong to you
And you, you
You belong to me too

You make my life complete
You make my life complete
You make me feel so sweet

Oh I belong to you
I belong to you
And you, and you
You belong to me too

You make my life complete
You make my life complete
You make me feel so sweet

Like most people in the world, I wasted lots of time in the chase of things I imagined would soothe some deep longing in me. Of course I had no intellect about some of what I chased beyond seeking simple pleasure. It never lasted. The most elaborate material item I could own always lost its luster in a shorter time then I would have imagined. Even people whom brought me great joy and comfort could only offer me a limited amount of satisfaction. I want more!

What does it mean to want something more? To want something so deep it seems beyond comprehension or description? I can only imagine what it was like for the disciples to meet Jesus and just “know” He was what they had always been looking for. When He said, “follow me” and they dropped everything and left everyone without hesitation to chase the deeper thing which cries out in all of us.

To our natural eyes this seemed crazy, walking away from every treasure given us upon this earth to walk with the Son of God and a promise yet to be delivered? Over two thousand years later Jesus is still calling to individual hearts to “follow me” and the decision is still the same. Do we do this without hesitation or will we allow the chasing of earthly things hold us back from laying up our treasures in heaven?

Mt 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.