Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.
Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise...(James 5:13)
Truthfully, I've been battling with a false view of my self-image since I haven't been able to go running for a LONG time. I can see how ridiculous this is because it's not like I'm sitting on the couch all day eating bon bons! (who really eats bon bons anyway? Give me some Nachos and ice cream and I'm happy! ) And of course the self-image battle is not merely physical. It's my worth and value on this earth that's being attacked as well. Matt Chandler says that we have this warped view of busyness giving us worth and value and therefore when we are not busy, our value is seemingly robbed from us. I so lived with this view for YEARS and have recently repented of this! It's not biblical and it actually robs us of our JOY! But...the lies still dart at me from time to time, so it's been crucial to fight back with truth! Through prayer and through Scripture. (the helmet of salvation helps too!)
But having said all that, I have never felt more joy in the midst of suffering! I've just been striving and praying for focus on God's grace in my life. Like getting to live with my best friend, my husband, who has been the greatest agent of the Lord to me! It's a beautiful thing to be uplifted with truth by another when you're falling down into lies, and then to be able to do the same for the other! Mike and I discover a deeper love for each other every day, and he and I have been laughing in spite of sickness, difficult work hours, and exhaustion! We are just loving our home, loving our marriage, loving the new recipes we've cooked together, and loving our Lord! I love how God chooses to use us in each other's lives! I love how He uses us to be His comforting and challenging voice of truth, His providing hands, His persevering feet, and his burdened heart for the lost! I've been crying so much lately as the Holy Spirit moves me to rejoice, grieve, confess, repent, get up and fight, or REST in his perfect love!
All in all, my prayer life has been transformed! I have been praying non-stop lately and end up falling asleep talking to God and waking up in conversation with Him. It is so cool! I've also been having horrible dreams where I'm battling something or someone. But I am never defeated, I just wake up exhausted, haha! But I love how he just wants to be in that constant relationship with us. No matter what kind of mood we're in or whatever our circumstances may be. In sickness or in health, for richer or poorer...sound familiar? I love the image of Christ the groom and His bride the church! Wow!
WOW...
Speaking of "WOW," In our girl's group we're looking at "WomenOftheWord" and beginning with Mary of Nazareth. Some of the most precious things have come out of the girl's mouths, such as: "I never knew Mary was only 12 or 13! If an angel told me I was going to have a baby, I would just cry!" and after having looked previously at Adam and Eve and men and women's roles in a God-intended marriage, one girl said: "I think I'm just not as feministy anymore after this." (I'm loving it!!) The most wonderful part is that Tash and I (my fellow leader and sweet sister!) are being spoken to by the Holy Spirit just as much through the girls as they are through us! Age means nothing regarding faith and greatness, I am certain of this! Greatness is another part of our "WOW" study, as we seek to imitate true greatness rather than what the world so foolishly esteems to be "great."
3 Things I've noticed in Wavertree, Liverpool...
1) Parents are being saved through their children!! God is using the younger generation to bring the older to church and to tell them about Jesus. They see the change in their children and are intrigued to come along, so they do, and by God's grace meet Jesus as THEIR savior! This is beautiful! Two of our youth share this story and I love their mums dearly! They are the most servant-hearted, humble women!!
2) The body of Christ here is GENEROUS! And it's usually the ones who have very little to give that give the most! I am so humbled by this and I pray earnestly that Mike and I will be as generous as they are with what God has given us! Money has turned up when we needed it (to the exact pound!), household items have been bought for us that would otherwise add up, friends have blessed us by treating us to a nice meal or wine, chocolate, and footy by the fire, and equally appreciated; people have devoted themselves to pray for us specifically when we haven't even asked for specific prayer! God's eyes are constantly on the righteous and he is not unaware of our needs or even wants! Praise God that He gave us His righteousness and took away our filth!
3) There are a lot of broken homes here. God has given me insight into various people's pain lately and I have been really, really burdened for the brokenness people are feeling lately. The neglect, the loneliness, the insecurity, the living under the weight of lies, the loss, and the list goes on. Most of our youth come from divorced or separated parents, my husband included. And it most assuredly affects them! I cannot relate to this and have always taken for granted my parents. But I can understand the hurt and the pain that comes from struggle and sin and suffering. Please pray for healing in Wavertree! Please pray that people would surrender it all to Jesus!
"O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger."
~Psalm 8:1-2
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