Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful, His Kind Of Beautiful

 

Psalm 139

King James Version (KJV)

Psalm 139

 ¹O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
 ²Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
 ³Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
 ⁴For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

 ⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
 ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
 ⁷Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
 ⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
 ⁹If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
 ¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
 ¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
 ¹²Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
 ¹³For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
 ¹⁴I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
 ¹⁵My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 ¹⁶Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
 ¹⁷How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
 ¹⁸If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
 ¹⁹Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
 ²⁰For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
 ²¹Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
 ²²I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
 ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
 ²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Something quick that's been on my mind...I've been thinking about and talking with  my mother about the beauty of nature & she made a comment about if the world so beautiful  now just imagine what it will be like in heaven.   I realized how  unique & beautiful we are....if nature is that amazing, and when we see angels we think how beautiful they are & yet we were made in the image of God!  How awesome is that!  

Right now, after the holidays & the weight-gain associated with it, all the junk I've ate and how much I feel icky, ugly, fat, & gross. No matter how many people have told me they think I'm beautiful, or look a lot better it's just hard to see it myself.  So when this came to mind, I'd like to think that it was my heavenly Father reminding me.

Joyce's Confident Women Devotional I started this year talked about a verse in this Psalm (my favorite Psalm by-the-way) & how we are unique; that no talent we have increases our value or a talent we don't have decreases it.  With my battle at finding my self-worth & not giving in to my feelings at the start of this year, this was a nice reminder.

 

I'm about to start a fast on sweets &  portion sizes & I think my focus may be to begin my 'things I'm thankful for journal' this time with at least one thing I'm thankful for each night.  Also I'm sure that when I start eating healthy again it will help me feel better about myself because honestly when you take care of yourself & eat healthy, you feel better & more confident. You should love God enough to take care of the hand-crafted, personal, & unique image of Himself He gave you & ONLY you.

Proverbs 31 Movement

Those who have read & kept up with my blog know that I've always tried to become more of a "Proverbs 31' type of girl, so this movement just excites me!  It's exactly what this world needs to me.






God is awesome! ...I know I get happy over the silliest things! I've learned to love myself, who I am and the characteristics and trademark details that make me unique, but still-for someone who struggles with knowing that I'll never look like the woman I wish I did, I'll never be a Victoria Secrets model, this speaks volumes.  I think this world would have more beautiful women in it if we worked on inner beauty instead of outer beauty. Usually the outside appearance will catch up with the inside, but the inside appearance doesn't generally tag along with the outside.

His Joy

My chest hurts with love & pain mixed, my stomach feels sick...so much has gone on outside & inside within me. Some good some bad.  Old friends returned, close friends felt pushed away...I've hurt those I love.

I want to run & I can't.  I just want to hold onto someone & cry, but can't.  I want to write the feelings, but no words flow from my finger tips, I want to draw out my emotions, but no pictures form within my mind. 

God give me your peace, your sweet serenity, comfort, joy amongst the storm that envelops this holiday season. Help me remember the true meaning of this holiday, the birth of Your son, Jesus Christ, and His love for all mankind.

I know that with You, Your love, all will be okay.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 KJV

Call me, oh God my Father, help me achieve your will for me. 

In the Eskimo Kiss of my Life

Warm breath gently brushes against her cheek as his velvety lips grace just barely against hers. Foreheads press together and the butterflies begin to dance within her...she knows what's coming.  Noses rub softly together and anticipation builds within as her heart skips a beat awaiting the next few seconds to progress.

That moment right before you kiss the one you love, or your first kiss, not knowing what to expect.  Its one of my favorite moments, although I've experienced it very rarely, the few times I have experienced it, were amazing...and I cannot wait to experience it with my soul mate, the one God has planned for me.

I think the thing that makes the kiss so special is the involvement of all the senses: touch with your lips, cheek, breath, hands, as they gently brush away hair or just  rest against the cheek of the other. Sight, taste, sound, and even vocal as you whisper to one another sweet nothings and I love you.

It's the anticipation that makes the moment before, so valuable to me...those few seconds before one lip begins to dance with another, when your heart is jumping, butterflies are in flight, and your feet begin to leave the ground.  That's what makes the Eskimo kiss or the prelude to a kiss, so invigorating and special for me.  I don't just kiss anyone (hence why I've not kissed much) so the few individuals I have gotten to experience this with, regardless of the ending, were worth it for me.

I was pondering this, when I felt my heavenly Father place it upon my heart that that was where my life was right now. I'm in the "Eskimo kiss" stage of my life. He has promised to bring me someone through others (a prophetic word spoken), through my sister Christina, and through His Word, & I'm trusting and having faith that He will bring it to pass soon and "the desires of the righteous will be granted". So as I wait, I feel like He is telling me that this is where I'm at. I am in the few single moments where the excitement over who my Father God will bring to me begins to flutter within me, and activates - all my senses as well as my spirit. Knowing, however He chooses to usher it in, He will be glorified and give His name glory and honor in the process and let everyone know that He brought us together, and "who God brings together, let no man separate".

Let all know, including myself, that I am worth it, I was worth the wait, to someone out there. That I am beautiful to someone, I am their soul mate, the person they waited for all their lives.

I can bring butterflies within someone, elevating them off the ground. I complete someone.

It's funny the way God works sometimes. I guess the few singles I do know I see finding their mate and I've wondered when it would be that people would look to me and think "they are such a cute couple, they fit together". Randomly, it brought to mind part of the Disney movie The Little Mermaid song: "Part of Your World" in my head. These few lyrics repeating within my head:

"I wanna be where the people are, I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'...

Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun,
Wanderin' free, wish I could be, part of that world."

After telling Tina this, she said it was funny cause she almost wanted to Heytell me"You wanna kiss the girl, Sha-la-la-la-la-la " part of the song "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid and neither one of us has seen or thought about that movie in years, or told the other that we were.  It may be silly, but I'm believing it's a sign, a sign that I am rubbing noses with whoever the Lord will be bringing into my life soon.

Yes, I am a silly silly girl, but you are the one who chose to read this all so, blame yourself =P

Charlotte's Web of Love

81. Charlotte Elizabeth Jernigan

I've always felt that Marie and I were in some way soul sisters.  Whereas sometimes you feel family has to love you out of obligation, she has always out of choice (although sometimes I have began to wonder why)

I think she's one of the few people that have managed to find my obnoxiousness and over-emotional tendencies more amusing than annoying at this point.  No matter what, she always has been & I know she always will be there for me. I can talk to her about anything and she always understands, and can generally make me smile no matter what my day has been like.  I am one of the few lucky people in this world to have known my best friend my entire life, and hope to continue to do so for the rest of it.

I love her art, and her love of art...I love her, but out of all of her artistic expressions, I love her little artwork hand-formed by the fingers of God our Father the most.

She is the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen...

...inside and out, throughout her being.

I don't believe I have ever seen such a beautiful baby, such a beautiful lady for that matter.  Her smile has to be one of the most amazing things ever, her expression of pure joy.  While I know what I feel has no comparison to her mother, sometimes I feel I've had a child myself.  I can only hope that if God is willing to fix my hormones and allow me to have children one day, that I will be able to be the mother Marie is.

Perception

"It's hard for me to think about someone so beautiful doing something like that to themselves..."

Or something to that effect was a statement made to me on Sunday after church from an old friend of mine.  It's always hard for me to talk about....quite a shameful part of me, of my past.

Then this morning, reading my friend's blog Running Disciple followed by an article Philosophical conceptions of the self: implications for cognitive science, discussing the two perceptions of self:

This review examines two important concepts of self: the ‘minimal self’, a self devoid of temporal extension, and the ‘narrative self’, which involves personal identity and continuity across time.

really began me pondering upon perceptions, our own and others of something, anything, of each other.

The Three Brides by Jan Toorop 

I see a minimum of three versions of myself, three existing perceptions:

My own

Others

God's

There can possibly be more than 3 really, for every person we encounter has their own unique perception of 'me', but in general it's going to come down to seeing me in three general manners. 

I see 3 general ways I can be viewed:

• How I see myself:

Dirty, evil, sinner. Never good enough, always messing things up. Imperfect failure. Ugly, fat, unattractive, undesirable, rejected, pointless, worthless, unimportant. unloved and unlovable

• How Others see me:

While not the opinion of everyone, this is a view I've had expressed to me by a few that I respect the opinion of but don't really understand or agree with. 

To sum it up, a purity test once told me I was the 'virgin sacrifice'...Innocent, pure. Once in high school I got fussed at by my friends for saying the word 'pissed' to express my anger, apparently I am not allowed to say such things.  Older gentlemen tell me that 'if only they were younger' and a date once said that he thought if anyone was capable to earn their saint status, he thought I did (ex-catholic). Most generally sum me up as that church-going good little christian girl, who is a bit too innocent for them. I find humanity always seems to place higher judgements and expectations upon others than themselves, and await for our imminent failure-for we always have decent reasons for our own actions-everyone else just has excuses.

• How God sees me: How I REALLY am:

I see God seeing me as the the bride of Christ... I am imperfect alone but perfect through Him who cleanses me.  I am in His image, His temple, His light.  I am made of flesh and blood, bone and muscle.  I fall short sometimes, I fail, but all the while comforted by the warmth of His mighty palm where I reside. No one whispering to me what I should be, or trying to label me anything.

Imperfect made into perfection through the blood of His one and only son, the Son of God Jesus Christ who died just for me. 

For I do have worth against my own view.  I am worth the time, worth the seasons of my being.  worth the trials, worth the pain.  I'm somehow deserving of His love, I am beautiful and I am loved.

There is a deeper reason for my existence through Him, I have purpose.

The world always talks about "accepting yourself" and I started wondering when, if ever, I managed this during my recovery. The answer is I think never. 

I haven't accepted myself, I have put down myself and accepted Christ.

If I had of accepted myself, my self-view, or self-perception, would be better.  I don't think I want to accept myself, I just want to accept God's view.  I want to merge His view and make it my own. 

Putting down myself and lifting up Him.

"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:5-7 KJV 

 For I am only worth anything if you see me through Him.  And any "good" others see in me, any beauty is really His beauty shining through me.  Any resemblance to anything remotely close to a Saint, any "virgin sacrifice"-like qualities are His grace being reflected through me.  

I think Paul really grasped this concept when he wrote 1 Corinthians 15:9 

"For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." NKJV

 

• Other's viewed Paul as either "Saul" the perfect Pharisee, or Saint Paul the powerful disciple.
• Paul saw himself for the murderer he was
• And God saw Paul as a perfect vessel to flow His mighty power though

Day by day I see Him in me, and I have learned to love myself, because I learned to love Him that is in me.  Him that shines through, Him that guides, Him that loves.

Your Breath Takes My Breath Away

Your breath takes my breath away,

blowing oh so gently through every strand of hair,

numbered and named by You.

Walking underneath Your covering, 

part of me yearns for You,

in ways which are incomprehensible, untouchable.

Only You understand this feeling from within.

A love deeper than I can fathom grabs hold of my soul,

through the quiet I hear you,

through the forest I see your face,

as it smiles upon me.

The warmth of your embrace.

Take time to love me,

take time to notice I'm there.

To feel my presence within you,

beside you,

before you,

following after you,

protecting you,

holding you.

You are the peace amongst the chaos of my inner spirit,

Calming the storm within my mind's eye.

Grasping hold of the only true parts of me,

piecing me, molding me back together into the shape of Your palm,

each crease and wrinkle defining who I am.

How can we feel alone?  Today I realized that alone is not a state of being of a state of mind. We can be physically alone or alone within a crowd, alone within our minds.

I needed peace.  His peace.

Walking on the trail today, absorbing Him, getting some quality God time in where I feel the most at peace. I could feel Him there, just loving me,
enjoying me.

I needed that, I needed the warmth of Him and His love, His presence.  There I finally grasped the concept that every time I felt alone in my life,

He was there.

I felt the sadness He felt as I ignored and rejected His love so I could cry in my self-imposed misery.   But even with all that, His overwhelming love and affection comforting me, pressing us forward. 

No, I wont live in the past mistakes I've made. I wont dwell on the pain of my own past, but on the pain of His as we continue down this nature trail, trees and nature singing His praises...as we walk hand in hand. 

Powerful Joy

41. Thunderstorms & Lightning

There is something about lightning, about a thunderstorm to me that I find amazing.  I think it comes the closest to really representing what the fear of God is really about.  The power behind them, the glorious light & sound.  Power to kill you in an instant, & yet such amazing beauty.

For me, its indescribable.  But I hope in some inner level with each of us, understandable.


42. My sister Elena.

I am afraid I don't tell her quite as often as I should, but I am so proud of her for all that she has come from & done.  She is such a strong person, & no matter how many times or how deep she fell she was always willing to pick herself back up & press forward.  She's accomplished so much, & is one of the most beautiful people I have seen. Passion & drive, interesting, unique, silly & quirky, a deep thinker & someone I look up to.  I see the hand of God upon her so much, I think He took extra time when forming her, adding intricate details that we will never completely be able to discover them all.

I am proud that He chose to bless me with being her little sister.

Time Ticking Away

So much happens so quickly nowadays, it's hard to keep a hold on time and not letting it get wasted away...

Today is Leap Second Adjustment Time, one of the times that have been favored for the addition or subtraction of a second from our clock time to coordinate atomic and astronomical time. The determination to adjust is made by the International Earth Rotation Service of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, at Paris, France.

This brings to my mind thoughts of the value of time, of seconds.  We tend to think of time as so fixed and finite but in reality, maybe not so much?

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 2 Peter 3:8 KJV

How do we then define time, how does one go about having the 'time of their lives'?  I don't think humanity really has a hold of what it is to begin with.  To me then, it's the quality of our moments on this earth that I define as time.

This is something that has been bouncing within my brain-quality versus quantity of time.  We are always looking for more time, we want to live longer lives but what's the use of having a mass quantity of years here if the quality of the time was pathetic?

Who lived a fuller life, a baby who dies in the hands of its mother in perfect peace, with love and immense joy...or an extremely old man, angry and alone, with no friends and loved ones?

I think we all search for more time because we secretly realize how much of time we have wasted so far and are scared to try and discover something worthy within ourselves to express our lives by.  Maybe we all have a fear that we have no depth or quality, so we'd rather keep delaying our finish line to see if we will ever discover something worth anything. The truth is that the only good thing inside, the only thing that gives us quality, is the Lord God almighty.  Jesus within each of us, His Holy Spirit, is the only part that really can add to this life anything of value.

Strange as it is, I started this on a run (shocker I know) after a friend wanted me to help them get back into running.  Everybody who wants to always tells me that they don't want to hold me back, but in reality they aren't, they add to me.

Yes, I can run pretty far compared to some people, but also when looking at others my miles seem slow and pathetic, just a warm up for multi-day runners.  What makes a run worth anything is the experience you have during.  My time with God the Father, or wonderful conversations with friends are what truly define a good run I think, not how hard I pushed myself...not how fast I ran...not how many calories I just burned...not how high is my heart rate...not how out of breath I am...& not how many people I passed along the way.

Like with dancing, I don't think it's about how well someone danced...how on step they were, but more how much of themselves they poured into it...this is what I love about art and dance honestly, seeing people expressed so openly.

This concept I then realized applies to me whether your talking about a physical run, spiritual run, or just the running of our lives.

Be Joyous

So my best friend Chelsi started this 100 things that bring her joy-picture list thing, & my sister Elena started one also.  Seeing both of theirs I wondered what I would put on my own.  So here part of it is!


1. God the Father


2. Jesus Christ my Savior

3. Holy Spirit who guides me


4. God's Word, the Holy Bible


5. Psalm 139


6. running in nature with God


7. Childhood forever friends-Marie Jernigan


8. hanging out with best friends, people who accept you for who you are


 9. Hikes or Nature walks (esp with my Chelsibabe)


10. Being with my sisters

11. accidentally falling asleep on the couch with my mom


12. veggies/ fresh produce

13. Salads














13. Salads



14. growing things


15. going to the theater/orchestra


16. musieums, especially art


17. Ballets


18. the night sky/star-gazing


19. Sunrises & Sunsets, whether outside running or in my car.


20. Cat head rubs

Work in Progress

God's still working on me :)

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

Philippians 1:6 KJV

Forgiven

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him

Daniel 9:9 KJV

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:10-12

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Psalm 130:3-5 KJV

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence

Ephesians 1:6-8 KJV

I have been forgiven. 
I am forgiven.
I will be forgiven.
There is nothing I can do to deserve it, I don't need to deserve it, as it is a gift bestowed upon me by my God the Father and Jesus Christ out of their amazing unfathomable love and grace that cover my soul. And if God can forgive me, I forgive myself also

Little ones to Him belong; they are weak but He is strong. ...

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable. 
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength. 
Isaiah 40: 28-29 NKJV

I am strong through Him, & have a powerful God that backs me up!
He uses me to reach others in a positive way...God loves me & always enjoys my company

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!

2 Timothy 4:17-18 NKJV

Me on Purpose

 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;^[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
Psalm 139: 13-16 KJV

I was prethought out, hand crafted, unique, designed and formed.  Each feature and aspect of me and my body were shaped softly by the very hands of my God that way on purpose.



Love is by His hands...

^"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8 KJV

Through Christ, I am God's beloved

I deserve to be loved, & have the right to love in return

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

John 13:1 KJV

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-40 KJV

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I John 4:9-11 KJV

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Revelation 1:5-6 KJV

You are my Joy

There is something about the moon that people find inspiring. We sing about it, poets speak romantic words regarding it, it's been painted, photographed, drawn, and gazed at.  Stars accent its beauty and whisper sparkling sweet nothings as the waters act as its perfect dance partner.

I started a joy collage a while ago, collecting photos online I wanted to print of things that brought me joy...when my mother's computer got hacked into and now they are hidden in a mass of files we saved before reformatting it.  Thinking about it a few days ago and wanting to finish it, I noticed my friend updated her blog with her joy list also, and this began me pondering again on what brings me true joy as I walked outside with the morning sun's rays hitting my shoulders and face.

As things begin hitting my mind...how the sun was hitting me warming me, the sound of rain and how it falls on window panes and drips off my nose, a gentle breeze and the warm smell of honeysuckle, the moon and stars, nature, trail running, hikes, John Denver songs, dancing alone like an idiot in a shirt and undies, painting, piano, symphonies, theater, museums, lace, my hands hugging a hot cup of tea where the warmth flows through and the steam squeezes out the tiny hole upon my face, cooking and creating a new healthy dish, gardening, growing and eating vegetables, a really good hug, the idea of my fingers entangled with my love, gazing in a porch swing, quilts, cuddling, making my mom's coffee in the morning, the release of myself of feelings and emotions as pain hits my fingers holding a pen upon finishing a letter...

What exactly was it that attracted me to these things, what attributes? And as I continued to walk in the morning sun it hit me, quite literally, it was Him that attracted me to all of it.

Whenever you are generally discussing art with someone, many times you will ask what is their favorite artist, what style or technique do they enjoy the most.  This is because art, especially painting, is such an emotional thing. You cannot create art without leaving a piece of yourself behind, lost within the birth of the new creation. Its the you-ness that makes art so unique.  There has been and never will be an artist like Picasso or Van Gogh or yourself.  This is also like when you have a child, there is a piece of yourself and your partner that forever goes into that child. And there will never be another child with the same characteristics.  This is what each of us are, this is what the world is, for God.

The moon in and of itself is quite cold and ugly, a gray dusty rock that spins and revolves around this world, and yet without the light from the sun reflecting upon it, we would have no idea it was there for the most part.  This is a perfect example of us!  We are each a moon, an ugly, cold, rock, that spends its time revolving around this world.  Christ is the Sun, and it is His holy light that when we reflect brings about the true beauty created within each of ourselves that the world could never reveal. 

This concept is also how I've began to look at all the creations, all of my favorite things.  As I sat outside swinging on our porch eating my raw snack veggies I realized that it was the characteristics of God and His art.  The qualities I enjoy of nature shine of Him and His love. The pieces of Himself He put in each of them.  The joy I feel as I was swinging outside gazing at our Japanese Maple, are both aspects and characteristics of Him, each one unique to the individual enjoying them. 

God used immense emotion when He created the world, when He created us.  Christ used immense emotion when He came down in the form of a man to save us all, so He could gaze upon His own artwork, His own moon, and find joy.

Amazing Love, How Can it be?

*Originally written on Sunday, April 3rd, 2011*

 

Psalm 139 (KJV)

 ¹O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

 ²Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

 ³Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

 ⁴For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

 ⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

 ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

 ⁷Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

 ⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

 ⁹If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

 ¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

 ¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

 ¹²Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

 ¹³For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

 ¹⁴I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

 ¹⁵My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

 ¹⁶Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

 ¹⁷How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

 ¹⁸If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

 ¹⁹Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

 ²⁰For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

 ²¹Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

 ²²I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

 ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

 ²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

 This has to be my favorite psalm, I will look at the others and love them but everytime I read this one, it just reaches in and speaks to me in a way I don’t understand and cannot explain.  I guess its one of those personal things between God and me.  I think its because I feel that I understand the way David felt when he wrote this. I cannot begin to fathom Him thinking of me, especially that much.  I cannot imagine that He loved me enough to write an entire book of just what He planned on accomplishing through me, who He wanted to bless through me.  He wrote about our relationship, His amazing love for me, and every word hand written by Him was written with Christ’s blood redeeming me, allowing me to be held in God’s arms, wrapped in His amazing unsearchable love!  

Picture this, God sitting with a book of blank pages before Him, as He takes His finger and gently places it upon the page. 

And He starts to write…   

As He writes the first few letters, then a word or two, and it begins…

Excitement starts to shine from His face just thinking of you, just you as you are, just as he made you,  good and bad…

Love flows as Christ’s blood forms words, words of Your future through Christ that your heavenly Father plans for you! Just for you, only for you. He ends the book with a single tear of love falling upon the page, blending with the blood and forming His signature.

As I finished my study this morning, ending with just looking over this Psalm, soaking it in, I folded myself upon my bed and layed all before Him.  And I just loved Him.  I can’t offer Him anything, do anything for Him, all I can do honestly is LOVE Him and allow Him to use me, work through me.  I want to be a dry sponge and absorb as much of God as I can!  I want to drip of His being so others can experience at least a taste of who I have loving me, thinking of me nonstop, watching over me.

“ ⁹Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. ¹⁰Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”     Isaiah 41:9-10

 Just laying before Him, letting Him have me, being silent and thinking of all the aspects of God my physical mind will allow…there is just something about it.  As I slowly, grudgingly, began to rise I saw the Sun shine brilliantly through my window, through my bamboo blinds, stronger than ever before.  His love shone through my room and touched me…warmed me…let me know that although I am not seeking His presence, His presence is still there, loving me no matter what, and always will be…

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
         The LORD will give grace and glory;
         No good thing will He withhold
         From those who walk uprightly.”

Psalm 84:10-12 (NKJV)

^~

^“2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
         From this time forth and forevermore!
 ³ From the rising of the sun to its going down
         The LORD’s name is to be praised.
 ⁴ The LORD is high above all nations,
         His glory above the heavens.”

Psalm  113:2-4 (NKJV)

~

“² Praise Him, all His angels;
         Praise Him, all His hosts!
 ³ Praise Him, sun and moon;
         Praise Him, all you stars of light!
 ⁴ Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
         And you waters above the heavens!”

Psalm 142:2-4 (NKJV)

~

“But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
      That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

Proverbs 4:18 (NKJV)

Feelings...nothing more than feelings...

*Originally written on March 14th, 2011*

I hate that I have such strong feelings, strong emotions, & a strong soul sometimes...One of the hardest things for me to do is express how I feel, I feel so much with such a passion it feels like I'm cracking into pieces...every tear is so loaded with more than any person I can imagine.  I know God doesn't give us more than we can bear, but this is such a heavy burden to carry sometimes...

so I run...like Forrest Gump I run with all I am, I harden myself, grab some sneakers and run till I'm numb or my legs won't carry me any further...why express things nobody else really is concerned or even knows exist.  Who would listen anyhoo, and why would they care to?  Part of me wonders why I'm even writing this blog.

I had planned on only running 6 miles, but you KNOW it's God when the Floyd Road Silver Comet trail light changes right when you reach it, its such a rarity, that I changed directions to my longer route and went up to 8.4 miles, but ended up running 10.5 instead.  While it wasn't enough to run away completely from myself-not even a corner really-I did connect with God by the end.

The blue sky and warmth from the sun, or for me the Son, powered me...cheered me up and on and even helped me bless others on the trail He brought along my path.  And the end, I felt heavy, but instead of it being from all the hurt and feelings and inner pain within my soul, it was heavy from the blessed weight of His unmerited favor and love, the weight of all that He is!

The more I know and experience Him the more I want to know and experience! And yet, the harder it is to really handle...I'm sure we don't even grasp an atom of the being and essence of God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit.  At one point I almost wanted to collapse, but not from my own tears but from the glory of God upon me, it was like He was drawing me to Him, comforting me but in the act of His embrace, the closer I got the harder it was to bear the fullness of who He is...yet like a drug I still crave more!  It may overwhelm me, and the more it happens on my runs I wonder if my body will be able to handle it, but I want another hit of Christ, I want another dose but a bigger one!  Give me oh God as much as I can handle of You, and then even more!  If it kills me it would just draw me even closer to You!  And what a way to die, to die from the embrace of the LORD!

Not that I'm wanting to die or anything, just a thought.

On the way home a song came on that always reaches me, Beautiful by Mercy Me.

The days will come when you don't have the strength
When all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful
I'm praying that you have the heart to find
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful
Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skys above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You're meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

A friend once posted this for me (and others) and it really does reach out to me...I just sat in the car, crying out to my Father, tears I cannot explain, for feelings I cannot explain.  My soul is tired, I'm tired of caring so much.  Wishing they would just leave me, but knowing He's given them to me for some reason and purpose I cannot fathom at this point in my life.

In all of this life, at least I'm beautiful to Him, at least I know that God desires me, loves me, understands me and accepts me just as I am, just as He created me to be. Knowing all the mistakes I would make, He loves me.  Knowing I would let Him down He loved me.  Knowing I would doubt Him, knowing my lack of faith, knowing how many times I would cry to Him over the same silly things that in the end, don't seem to matter much to anyone but me...He loved me.  He even made me to care about those silly little things...I may not be able to express my feelings, not even well to God, but I can cry with all my heart to Him, and He understands it all, the unspoken inexpressible feelings, emotions, the pain, the tears...He strengthens my Spirit and through it-my soul is nourished

and I carry on.

Through Him, and by Him and Him alone...despite He's lack of answers He has for my pain-filled questions, He carries me on with a joy amidst the storm of my life.  For the joy of the Lord is my strength and stronghold in times of trouble.  We don't have to understand, in fact I think that is when we receive His true peace, is when we let go and let God...

it just took me 10.5 miles and a cry on the Lord's shoulder to get there

My Joshua Tree

*Originally written on March 12th, 2011*

I'm currently reading a new book, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, A Memoir...and although the beginning was kinda slow, I've really started to enjoy it.  Before I even hit 50 pages, I've already had a few lines speak to me.

It wasn't just any tree. It was an ancient Joshua tree. It stood in a crease of land where the desert ended and the mountain began, forming a wind tunnel. From the time the Joshua tree was a tiny sapling, it had been so beaten down by the whipping wind that, rather than trying to grow skyward, it had grown in the direction that the wind pushed it. It existed now in a permanent state of windblownness, leaning over so far that it seemed ready to topple, although, in fact, its roots held it firmly in place...One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree, I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight.

Mom frowned at me. "You'd be destroying what makes it special," she said. "It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty."

 Now I know we've all heard variations of this type of story, I remember Joyce Meyer's using a version with a baby eagle, but there are so many elements to this one that make it reach me even deeper.  First off I love the name of the tree, it reminds me of Joshua in the bible, like the tree standing strong he was one of the only two Israelites who left Egypt to get to see the promise land after 40 years in the dessert.  Because he had faith in his God and knew that God kept His word.

 "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5-9

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

All those who have accepted Christ are children of God, we are sons and daughters! Heirs of the King!  But we, just as the Joshua tree was made to withstand the wind and dessert weather, are made to withstand.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[c] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:10-13

Its our struggle against all the opposing forces that shape us into who we are. If we never had any battles, we would never learn how strong our heavenly Father is, how much He loves us, adores us...like any relationship its the hard times that help the relationship blossom and the two people together even more.  We learn more of God's character, and more of the character He created us with. 

A friend of mine on facebook put up two statuses that God spoke to me though at around the same time:

"When you believe in Jesus you are saved, when you realize that Jesus believes in you, it will radically mess you up!!!!"

and "Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"

The more you learn and trust in Jesus and His unmerited favor (grace) that He blesses us with if we choose to accept it, the more battles we will have to endure to truly grasp even a fraction of the love Christ really has for us.  Until you have a hard battle, you never know you could endure that battle through His strength.  Until Peter stepped out of the boat to walk on the water, He never knew that through Christ, he could.  Before Job lost everything he had built around himself, he never knew-or would have probably believed-that he even could endure so much hardship though our Father. He never understood or grasped a fraction of the full power and love of the amazing YAH. I never knew I would be able to endure a Father with a tumor for 15 years, an eating disorder, running 13.1 miles, or even my biggest battle I'm currently undergoing~myself, until He brought me though all of them (and still is) with His peace and love. Holding me the whole way, cradling me, embracing me and capturing all my tears, crying some of His own while watching me go though these battles.  We have to be afflicted to find the true comfort that comes from Jesus. 

On a date, hiking Sweet Water Creek, Ga., after our picnic walking back we passed a tree covered in knotts and while my date thought it was hidious, I found it strangly intreguing, beautiful.  I think this is how the world sees us, our battles look ugly and they don't understand. They are outside of His peace, they are looking down at the problem and down at themselves. But through the eyes of God, when we keep our focus on things above, on Christ, on our Father above who guides us through His love, we are beautiful! 
We, like the little girl, try to protect ourselves, hide from the hardships, from the wind of the world that tries to tear out our roots, but that will just kill us, destroy our beauty. We cannot grow strong without something (or someone) to fight against. 

When we are planted in Christ...having done all, we WILL STAND no matter how the wind pulls at us. No matter how the battle is perceived from the outside world.  

And while we feel ugly, forgotten and alone in the cold dessert night, all the time God stands beside us, painting our lives into a personal and unique masterpiece, beautiful and unlike any other on earth.

my next painting, I think I too want to paint a Joshua tree...my Joshua tree...

Cleansing Your Temple Through Christ

*Originally written on January 12th, 2011*

With this time of the year comes diets, diet pills, weight loss surgeries, healthy eating shows, 'magical' weightless clothing, reattempted new year's resolutions, crazy-packed gyms, & probably the highest profit scales make all year...its a constant reminder to me of a mindset I have to battle with, feeling like I'm a fat tub of lard of a failure and need to go crazy on cutting out everything unhealthy I eat and redesign my eating habits, eat less, workout more, push myself harder and try to achieve more and make myself actually feel proud of myself for once.  But God is gracious enough to remind me every time that there is no amount of my mental 'law' I can achieve, I can accomplish that will bring true joy. It's only through Christ, His sacrifice and grace, His unmerited favor upon my life that gives me anything, any joy or peace.  So let's refocus this health craze into proper perspective...lets go biblical!

Abraham: lived before the law was ever made & was the man God made a covenant with.  He gave Him health and the world, & that was before the law was ever even established!  This alone should show us that there is no power in the law with taking care of yourself. 

Joseph Prince mentioned that there are only 2 people in the bible that Jesus Christ calls having strong faith:  the Centurion and the Canaanite women.  Now what do these 2 people have in common?  That they are both gentiles and were never taught about the law!  All they knew was Jesus and His power and glory, no law telling them how they failed and what they didn’t achieve…This is the kind of faith we need to have!  Faith that Christ can do all and that through Him, so can we as long as it is in His will!

Next some bible verses!

Jesus Cleanses the Temple 

Matthew 21:

12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God^[f] and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’^[g] but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”^[h]
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,

      ‘ Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
      You have perfected praise’?”^[i]

I would also like John's perspective on this:

John 2:

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten^[a] Me up.”^[b]
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them;^[c] and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

Paul said:

 1 Corinthians 3:

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16" Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." Glorify God in Body and Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 6:

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”^[b] 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Ephesians 2:

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

  
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. 

I think its clear that we are indeed the temple of God.  When Christ died for our sins, tearing down the old temple and He was resurrected and brought up a new temple within each of us, within our hearts.  How we care for our temple is obviously important!  Christ is living within YOU!  His clensing blood, His redemptive blood that brings grace and washes us flows continuously through us once we accept Him into our hearts!  That is quite an important job, that is a very important reason to take care of your temple, if there even is a better one. And not because its by YOUR power or YOUR ability or awesomeness or law or whatever, for nothing is done by you, but by Christ within you!  He is the reason to and the way to!

An important way to look at taking care of your temple is to see how Christ cleaned up the earthly temple. In Matthew it reports Christ comparing the temple to a den of thieves, that's powerful.  How do you steal from your temple?  What are you buying and selling within your temple?  Instead of giving a true sacrifice of yourself to God, what is it that is taking the place, what selfish and perhaps unhealthy habit are you giving into?  And this does not remain within the physical boundaries, what selfish habits or things do you have that you know you should stop that you keep putting before God?  That's taking place before Him...it could even be some sort of religious act, remember the doves were for sacrifices! 

What did Christ say the temple was supposed to be…a house of prayer!  This just shows even more how it’s not by our own strength but God's that we can truly care for our temple in the way He intended!  It first and foremost is about our communication, love, affection, and relationship with God our Heavenly Father-which we do though Jesus Christ, His son and His sacrifice that allows us to be called sons and heirs!
Right after all that, Jesus began to heal those who needed it...this shows me that once you get your temple in proper order, then and only then will you see miracles and healings. Then you will have true health and wealth. First comes cleansing and then comes healing and miracles but you limit Christ by the condition of your temple.

After that, we shall sing praises to Christ and our Heavenly Father for all His mercy, grace, & love and this will bring the last of the trio: happiness. For true happiness comes when you stop looking at yourself, your limits, and what you can and cannot do and begin to keep your eyes on the prize, on the light, on the Son of God Jesus Christ and the Father Almighty!  Then His amazing overpowering joy will come over you!

One part that John brings up also is that this was during Passover.  Passover is a time of remembrance of the story of Exodus...and the creation of the law. Christ was showing that none of their sacrifices were good enough for their sins, and their heart behind them, the most important aspect, was also totally wrong!  It took His death upon the cross to completely 'cleanse' the temple, and tear the veil of separation between God and man so that He could afterwards always have a connection to keep the temple clean!  Jesus will do all the work!  Through His awesome glory and power, through His amazing love I cannot begin to fathom, He not only cleans our temple and makes a way for us to reach the Father and be called His son, AND He'll help to keep the temple clean! 

The Son of God became the Son of Man and died for all our sins and transgressions, our sicknesses, our pains, our dirt...so that we can change from being just a son of man into a son of God and spend eternity with the Father and Him!  Now that's love!

So how do we keep our temple clean?  Not by our works but by His work! Does this mean I can do whatever in the heck I want and Christ will just act like a maid and clean it all up?  Not so much people. Christ still expected them to try and keep the temple clean, keep their hearts in the right place.  And when Christ lives in your heart, He’ll guide you and keep your heart in the right place if you truly listen to Him through prayer, meditation, and a relationship with Him.

Paul mentions that how we build our temple, what it’s made of, is very important so that when we are tested we can withstand.  This applies spiritually and physically. We need to be strong in all 3 of ourselves, Physical body, Soul (emotions and mind) body, and Spirit body.  When we are tested by fire, when the world throws things at you, what we are made of will show! Remember we represent Him!  He also mentions while he can do all things, that doesn't mean he should do all things. Yes, there is a difference. He then names food and sexual sins, physical sins!  And then reminds us that we are not our own and were bought at a price, and that price was the cross!  Let’s make sure we are worth the purchase! 

Through Christ we have a peace between the law and grace, He achieves the law which we could not for us, and brings peace between us and the Father! And we are all in this together!  We are all, as Christians, the temple of God-singularly and collectively-and we should help lift each other up! We are His body!  Be a blessing to one another and inspire one another to keep taking care of themselves, reminding each other of who we are, of our identity in Christ and strengthen each other...With Christ and as a team we can achieve a true health and happiness!

*Comments from old blog:

Yet again thank you biblegateway.com! (me)

Becca, this is really good! I really needed to read this It is always a good reminder of how important it is to take care of our bodies God’s way rather than “our” way, and how we don’t need to live by the law. I wonder when I’ll ever truly get that through my head! Love you

Chelsi

http://runningdisciple.blogspot.com/

 

Thanks! It was all Him because I needed it myself lol! Glad it could help somebody besides myself (^-^) (Me again)