Golly! Isn’t He wonderful…a continuation

.....In scripture, God is known to have thoughts that are not our thoughts, and ways that are not our ways. Yes, we are made in His image, but remember that God is the Ultimate Being. Something else that rattles me up is the idea that God is always thinking about us. His thoughts are on us individually, and constantly. His thoughts are vast and without number. For instance, if we were to count the thoughts that He holds, each of them would out number every grain of sand on this planet (Psalm 139). He is so far above and beyond who we are. I can’t get enough of how big He really is. Our planet earth is so small. The waters of the earth fit in the hollow of His hand, and the nations are but fine dust (Isaiah 40:12-17). He is so great, He has weighed the mountains on scales, and the hills in all the earth on a balance. I mean golly, isn’t He wonderful!!!!

Okay, now let me refer to the idea of heaven again…we haven’t been there. We can see the earth (all though I doubt that one human being has ever experienced every square inch of the planet at the same time), we know this planet because we see it, and know it.

Yes, right now, we all discern and we are all made to be seers of the Kingdom, encounter God’s glory, and receive heaven coming down to give earth a kiss. However, are we opening our eyes? Can we really, truly see?  I’ve read a book on this whole concept of opening spiritual eyes, so this concept isn’t my own thought, but rather something that has brought inspiration to my thinking: Jesus not only came to heal the spiritually blind, mute, deaf, and lame, but He also came to heal the spiritual eyes, mouth, ears, and the entire person, physical, mental, spiritual. While I’ve kept this thought in mind, I’ve come across Isaiah 35.

We not only have a window to see things, we have the eyes to see things in the moment. And it amazes me to find such things in this way.

I’ll return to the concept of the question now, in my own summary of an opinion. I believe that heaven is going to be beyond what we can comprehend right at present. I also believe that we will be not only restored, but we will be renewed bodies, minds, and souls. We will be in the new heaven and we shall experience God in the fullness of His presence for the rest of our days.

Here comes my brain boggling time bending question. What does eternity look like? I’ve never known anything, besides what I can try to know about God’s way - that doesn’t have a beginning nor end. I almost get the feeling like it’s all about the middle. People always make a great deal about the center of things. Everything typically works out best in moderation. You cannot have too much of a good thing, and you cannot have too much of a bad thing, that’s just how it is, the way it goes.

Absolutely amazes me. I am totally blown away, and it excites me. I love being blown away (very romantic). I love-love talking about my Beloved Lord this way. What else would a bride do? I love this. I adore being swept off my feet and radically in love. Oh, I do enjoy this life.

Along with my whole joy over this topic, I’ve also come across something deeply interesting. I started wondering about the actual pleasure of quiet time with God here on the earth. I started thinking extra out of the box later in the week, and wondered how God could be everywhere at once. I was driven in the moment, and couldn’t help but dig deep in my imagination. 

I was in my room. I went over to one corner and twirled once in a circle, tried to count how many things (objects, lamps, desks, bed, books, etc.) I could touch within my reach…surprisingly, less than I thought I could. Then I went to the opposite corner and repeated the method. My room is in no way harmonized, so I didn’t have an equal amount of things to touch on either side. 

Then, I wondered, if God is in the “room of the world” how does He get so intimate with His creation?

This didn’t frighten me, or put me in a place of doubt, but rather, something more to do with an extraordinary curiosity. I thought about it; just about let my thoughts run mostly rapid. While I was doing this, I was really stirring things up. I was praying the whole time, asking the Spirit to show me what I was doing, and how to go about discovering the different concepts. I’ve never seen God, so how do I know what He looks like. Does He have a gazillion or more hands, does He only have five fingers? I wanted to know. I tried picturing God this way, and it’s so beyond what I know.

I knew I was really just messing around, but then I kind of enjoyed playing with the ideas. Then it hit me.

God has the whole world in His hands (Ha, reminds me of an old kid’s song). He is so deep and wide (also another song!). It is so funny how things fall into place like this. The entirety of events that we experience, impact us deeply!

 Take both of your hands and cup them, like you have handfuls of candy. Picture the Lord to be holding His hands this way. Know, that inside of His hands is the planet. And every fingerprint of HIS hands is touching the areas of the earth.

If you’re like me, you must be wondering if His thumb is on me…or maybe His pinky is on you? Don’t even go there, because I went there and it’s not successful, nor Biblical. But we do have a place to take our imagination on adventures, and hopefully we’ve been there today. Haha, I’ve been sitting here typing since seven-forty-ish. And it is now nine, I have three full pages, time has flown by…and yet slowed. I’ve gotten a date-orange scone, and a cup of mint tea. I’ve taken my time, for sure, but I am also not an active morning person, and my font is small. I have also been distracted by a case of people watching. 

How does God fill in His time? He doesn’t live according to time though! I need to remind myself of that! Things don’t just happen, He has an agenda, but I am sure it is much greater than then every agenda that has been printed in our world. Oh, it’s beyond me!

So, that is that. My thoughts are finally drained a bit more than they were. And I am, for now, content. Oh the wonders of just being blunt, random and in a day dream mode.

{And that concludes a little back-tracking...along with a refreshing reminder of a thought pondered}

Beyond Imaginable...

Well, I was going through some files recently, and found this draft of an intended post. Typed it up in August…or maybe October? Might as well post it!!

Oh, goodness me. I need to write a bit, here and there…about this and that. Mmm, I’m not entirely sure where I am going with this, but my whole initial point is to merely take up sometime this morning. It’s interesting actually – trying to fill in time. What is time really besides just a few seconds. Why is it that sometimes our human brains can go two hours in agony, and boredom, while another two hours fly on by? Goodness, why is that? There are many things I wish I could be able to describe a bit better. Time is one of those topics I don’t think I feel remotely confident in. Are we even justified to tell time?

Okay, getting to the core of things, try breathing in and out, which takes some expansion of time. Or perhaps you should observe the day, as it passes. Surely the sun rises and sets. Our clocks go round and round. Weeks go by and by. Seasons start changing. It’s interesting to me, how much people do to fill in the time. I wonder if there is anything direct about the way people tend to go about accomplishing tasks, or are we all just sheep in a flock? What are people filling their mind with? Each and every person is unique, different clothing, voices, hair. People are unique, so what are people doing with their lives that are oh so even more unique. What do you think about on a daily basis?

I’m sitting inside a little coffee shop on some corner of the block in Portland. My mind just started going on little rabbit trails, to fill in this time I have. Perhaps this is all to keep myself busy….perhaps this whole typing thing is intentional, I’m not really sure the reasons nor, where the inspiration comes from. I’m rambling, I know, but here’s another thought that I have been craving to write down, but I won’t be able to post this until a later day….

A friend from a small group asked me a question last week, and to be honest, it completely impacted me to continue exploring the wonders of the wandering mind. The question, she asked, “Do you think we’ll have quiet time with God when we get to heaven?”

First off, I must say, I love questions like this. It builds my faith, and perspective on things. And it also gives me some confirmation that I am not the only one who thinks such things. I am a deliberate debater; whether or not I always chose to stir up conflict, I debate within my brain. It’s rather annoying, but it keeps me alive, and fills in the time. Obviously, there is self-control, and I do not allow my mind to wander any place that it pleases.

Okay, so maybe you are not interested in what my answer was to my friend in our conversation, yet, you must deal with it; I am going to anyway, because I am not only giving you my thought but also my expanded thought of what I said in the moment.

My own experience in scripture, prayer, education, and through other teachers, I feel that ultimately heaven is going to be beyond what we can imagine. We do not use our whole brains, we are merely human, with fleshy-flesh – we do not hold all the answers. However, I do believe, that we should think about what we think upon the most glorious thing we could picture heaven to be. After all, God has placed imagination within our brains; I believe that imagination has purpose. 

So continue imagining the glorious thing we could picture in our brains what heaven will be like. Now, imagine something much more glorious. Once you are in that state of mind, concentrate and come up with something (scripturally based of course) of what you see as heaven. This idea must be the vastest image you can think of, so hold onto it! 

That image, perspective, day dream - whatever you consider it to be - is only a small fraction of what heaven is actually like. So imagine, without picturing, that heaven is beyond the way your brain has imagined.

Are you blown away?

Because I sure have been....

Impressions

Look at the wood and the snow. How the white and brown contrast in color… 

We’ve had quite a unique winter in New England this year. Snow has fallen maybe four times since October. Only a month ago it was sixty degrees. Honestly, this is my kind of winter! I enjoy the freedom to take a step away from the house and still feel warmth from the sun. When it’s clear out I walk, simply to adore the outdoors. The past few weeks, I’ve seen the dirt freeze, then soften, and then freeze again. Such a sight to witness!!

One afternoon, I took five steps down the road and my feet sunk into mud. Took a second series of five steps, my feet rose to firm ground. This is the contrast between the cold-shaded spots, and the soft-sunny glimpses. 

Another afternoon, I went out a lot more bundled up, and found my foot print in the earth. It is mine, because I wear a size 7. Because of the shape of my sole. I know the prints are from my walk, because I pressed deep into the mud.

I know the prints are from me, because I bought the sneakers 75% off at New Balance. Because I remember first purchasing the shoes, how they fit comfortably at first. How I had to really work to break them in. It took a month and a half to really get over my blistering heels! I know the prints in the ground are my own, because I am now over that breaking in phase, I know my shoes.  And although the print may only last because it is frozen for a short while - it still exists. The bottom of my shoe reflects the print on the ground. Just as those crime scene shows when the heroes uncover finger prints to prove the innocent, or the guilty...my foot print is revealed to prove an identity.

I tell you something that has truly left an impression on me.

 

God’s identity is ALL over the blue prints of our heart. He reveals Himself in the most profound, impressionable ways. O How beautiful is His reflection on His children. Although, we all may be fading flowers and dust in the ground, we are here for such a time.

I tell you, there are so many dear people that the Lord has used to shine His image through. Many dear people that have touched my heart in such a way….that I KNOW it is Jesus. I know because, I know Him….and I am getting to know Him more and more every single day.

 

He is absolutely beautiful. 

Ten Decades Of Forgiveness

HERE'S TO ANOTHER YEAR!!!! May we grasp all the moments in the next 365 days as: precious. And let's grab our walking shoes, because this life is too sweet to pass up!!!

With this being a wrap of 2011, and the final blend to this recipe - I give a theme to bring us into brand new treasures - something to ponder upon besides my own dialog :) 

 Excerpts of Chapters 7 and 11 from Beth Moore’s book Praying God’s Word :

Overcoming Addiction -“Obedience to God is not some diet we suddenly blow. It is something to which we recommit every single day, no matter how we blew it the day before. Victorious living is not an instant arrival. It is the pursuit of one victorious day at a time until the sun sets on enough to begin forming victorious habits.”

Overcoming Unforgiveness –  “Aphiemi, meaning “to send forth or away, let go from oneself. To let go from one’s power, possession. To let go from one’s further attendance, occupancy.”

Forgiveness is our deliberate willingness to let something go. To release it from our possession. To be willing and ready for it to no longer occupy us. God is not asking us to let it go haphazardly into the black hole of nonexistence. Forgiveness means letting it go to God. Letting it go from our power to His. Forgiveness is the ongoing act by which we agree with God over the matter, practice the mercy He’s extended to us, and surrender the situation, ,the repercussions, and the hurtful person to Him.

Don’t expect satan to let you off the hook of unforgiveness easily. Be prepared to recommit to forgiveness every single day until you’re free. 

(II Corinthians 2:10-11)

The Word of God clearly teaches that Satan takes tremendous advantage of any unforgiveness in our lives. Unforgiveness qualifies as one of the post powerfully effective forms of bondage in any believer’s life. We cannot tolerate it. Yes, this stronghold demands serious demolition, but the liberty you will feel when you finally let go is inexpressible! Forgiveness is the ultimate ‘weight loss’.”