Embrace the Within no. 21

“Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them]. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:14-18 AMP

Yesterday we dropped the oldest off at college. It was really difficult to see her crying and missing her family. BUT it was also reassuring that she, despite talking a big game about being away from us, is rooted in the relationships she has with her siblings. There was a lot of weeping on her part because things were changing. Add change is difficult especially the first time your life really has to change.

Looking back over the many changes I have faced in my life, I have a different perspective on change. When I look back to thirty years ago when I was preparing to go away to Atlanta and begin my journey away from home and that change in my life, I now look at what happened to get me where I am today and how fortunate I am for the change in plans. I was going to be an engineering major and see the Olympic games in Atlanta and here I am now a middle school English teacher with his oldest daughter off to college. Life is too humbling to get too concerned about the changes. It is humbling because no matter how many books we write about the world, how many guesses humans have for events on this planet, how many theories we put forward and laws we create, we are never in control. And that is probably the most difficult part of change that we need to learn in life.

We are not in control and we are not alone. Living at peace with that concept is one of the most difficult struggles I faced as a child, teen, young adult, and adult. And it is a struggle I am watching my daughter face as well. Letting go of the wheel and letting God guide us goes against our independent nature. And that is the wonderful lesson God is always trying to teach us. Rather than trying to force our lives down the roads we think are best, we need to let God be in control. And that kind of surrender is scary at first BIT over time it makes looking back on your life comical. You find the humor in all the plans and goals that didn’t matter. I find all those changes that led me to here and now and how they shaped my purpose to be reassuring.

I know that she is struggling with the change today. BUT I also know that God has a plan for her just like God has a plan for me and has a plan for you too. And rather than weeping about the change, we can grow to rejoice and embrace the wonderfulness of change. Change allows us to be closer to God. Change allows us to love our neighbors. Change allows us to grow as Christians. Change allows us to leave our homes and create new homes. Change is essential for us to reunite with God.

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin

Embrace the Within no. 20

"You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside

and my intricate outside,

and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex!

Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking.

It simply amazes me to think about it!

How thoroughly you know me, Lord!

You even formed every bone in my body

when you created me in the secret place;

carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something.

You saw who you created me to be before I became me!

Before I’d ever seen the light of day,

the number of days you planned for me

were already recorded in your book.

Every single moment you are thinking of me!

How precious and wonderful to consider

that you cherish me constantly in your every thought!

O God, your desires toward me are more

than the grains of sand on every shore!

When I awake each morning, you’re still with me."

Psalms 139:13-18 TPT

Embrace the Within.

I am never alone. From my beginning, God was there forming every aspect of my body, my life, and my soul. God knew me before I knew me. God knows me better than I know me. There is nothing I can do to surprise God. And I am never alone because of that. I was never alone. Even when I feel like no one is there. Even when I struggle and fail. Even when I face giants and want to run away from what is promised by God. Never am I ever alone.

I barely understand anything about my past, my present, and my future and none of that matters. I used to think a lot about how I ended up here because none of it makes any logical sense to me. My ways are not the ways that God has planned for me. My ways are so limited in scope and range and perspective. I have no idea what goodness God intends for me to work for God's glory until after the fact. All my knowledge and wisdom is retrospective while God's is omnipresent. And that is why I trust in better plans than my own. My plans would not have me here. But God's plan does.

There is a lot of trust in following our own nearsighted plans. A lot of trust in believing I know a lot more than do. So, I will remain in my lane. I will worry about the little I can control each day. I will pray when God wakes me. I will train my body, my spirit, and my mind when I start my day. I will follow God's example. I will ask for guidance through prayer and scripture. I will work on my relationships with God and my neighbor. And I will pray before God puts me to sleep. That is a lot when I type it out. More than enough for me to worry about doing. More than enough for me to control. More than enough for my lane.

God is in control of the rest. I am never alone. And you can be in that sort of relationship as well. All you have to do is ask. All you have to do is choose to not be alone. Then, the work begins. Then the change begins. Then, freedom reigns.

Peace to your house. The reign of God is now. You need never be alone. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you are looking for.

#EmbraceTheWithin#MyNepheshMyChoice#NoGodsNoMasters