Obscure signs

On my way home I've passed this sign hundreds of times not really paying attention to it, just glancing at it, you know that look you do that you half see something and you may recognize it but you don't really "see "it. Today as I was jamming out Jimmy Eat World and I was almost home when I saw the sign and then the Lord asked "Isn't that how you treat me?". Intrigued? What was the sign? No it wasn't a burning bush or anything like that but it was the sign for the boat launch in my neighborhood. Strange huh? Well the Lord doesn't always use conventional means to get my attention.

Here's what I think of what He was trying to get me to think about, so play along with me and stick through the analogies. Let's say we're the boat and we're tied down and safely hitched to God, the carrier, the trailer, the hauler, the One who keeps us grounded. The ramp represents the ups and downs of life and the water is either calm for smooth sailing or choppy for a rough going. What our Father does is He will release us into the waters of life to live free and experience both the shallows and the deep uncharted depths but He's prepared the boat well just as any captain would. It's not without the necessary life savers. Life vests for when we feel like we're drowning, flares for when we drift too far and need others to see us to help and lastly the anchor. The anchor to prevent us from going where we shouldn't while we're working in the depths and learning to sail though life's lessons.

If you happen to come upon rough waters and you feel like you're in danger or it's getting too much to handle, remember that the One who keeps us above ground and safely secure and is willing to take us anywhere is also the one that provides the anchor, He is the anchor. If we have faith that He will provide safety when needed
then fear not. 

I have a tattoo and a matching custom wall hanging that reminds me daily that I've got Hope, Love and an anchor that will keep me from drifting. I pray that whomever reads this remembers that you too have Hope that the Lord will provide, His unconditional Love and a steadfast Anchor to keep you grounded and will prevent you from drifting beyond Him.

Read: Hebrews 6:19 

Every fallen leaf has a story

The trees are going to sleep and the autumn winds will blow, soon the leaves will at last release their hold of what they grew to know. They will fall to the ground and become as dust and food for future growth but will remain memories of a yesteryear. Another season passed.

I feel like we could compare life to that of a leaf in that we go through certain seasons. Seasons of hope, gladness, joy and sometimes of despair, anger and fearfulness. At the beginning of each of these seasons God gives us the opportunity to grow, so we start of as small buds needing light and nourishment so He gives us all that we need, we just have to be willing to let him garden. During this time, we're blooming, we're fragile and learning how to be in the transformation but with the Lord there will always be a lesson. There will times of difficulty, a drought so to speak where we may have strayed because it was difficult and we thought we could handle things on our own. We become stumped. Perhaps we've forgotten that amongst the dry season where we haven't grown as we should've it's because He's using this season to bring us to back to Him. He want's to be part of our every moment if we let Him.

I have to confess that the Lord has been working on me these last couple of weeks and I've been on the battlefield, the enemy has had his way with me, beating me down at every corner. My lesson came to fruition this past Sunday. This season has not been easy, I feel like when I started to bloom the rains stopped, the thoughts of being inadequate and being hurt by the opinions of others drowned out my light, covered me with an umbrella and stumped me. BUT GOD. I feel that this season is starting to be over. The veil of the umbrella has been removed because I refuse to allow others to define who I am and the light has broken though. I am a daughter of the King and His opinion is the ONLY ONE that matters.

So just as the leafs life comes to the end of another season so will our seasons end. We've both grown, we've survived the purpose and at the end we've changed appearances and now it's time to let go. Each season we go through we have the opportunity to feed the next and to help others blossom in their growth. 

Read: Genesis 40:10

59 "One Another's"

There are 59 commands in the New Testament of "One Another's". Be at peace with one another; Wash one another's feet; Do not slander one another; Encourage one another and it goes on and on but the one that is mentioned the most, 15 times respectively is...Love one another. As Christians these commands are sometimes learned from the pulpit and though other believers in our community but putting these in to action should come from the overflow of our heart and love for the Lord.

I was doing some research about the number 59 I found that in numerology it is said to have this meaning "its sense of personal freedom — broadly, wholeheartedly, intending to encounter all aspects of humanity that it is feasible to experience."* Isn't that interesting that in looking at the number of times there is a command in the Bible for one another's that the number in another fashion represents a sense of personal freedom. How could we not take each of these and apply them in our lives? Imagine the personal freedom we could have if we lived as we were commanded! While I understand that realistically each of these can't be done on a daily basis, why as a community of believers can't we be more intentional?

Andy Stanley says it best, "The primary activity of the church is one-anothering one another." Let's start by the living out the command mentioned most, and the rest will fall in line. Love ONE ANOTHER as He has loved us.

Read: 1 John 4:7



*https://affinitynumerology.com/number-meanings/number-59-me