Easter.....a time for celebration and reflection

This Easter is the first year that I have not celebrated with either family or close friends.  Having moved to Atlanta only a few months ago I am still establishing relationships within my church.  The plan was to go home but we all know how best laid plans turn out....due to an extremely expensive headlight (why oh why did I have to get the top of the line Maxima) I had to cancel going home for Easter.  At first this upset me a little but I know that God has a hand in everything.  The lessons He revealed to me this weekend would not have happened if I had been home.  By not leaving town I had the extra time to really seek Him.

On Friday I had lunch with a new friend and went with her to volunteer in the Good Friday service.  We were like communion warriors! Preparing the elements for two services that night.....over 300 trays of grape juice!!! Then I had the pleasure of serving communion which was a first for me.  How humbling to present the elements that remind us of Jesus' sacrifice for us. Standing on the side lines of the sanctuary, the room was filled wall to wall with people.  A thought ran across my mind....what if each of us did our part? There is probably about 2,000 people in this room....what if we all listened to our heavenly Father and did what He asked of us.  That would make our world a much different place.

The night before Easter I decided to read of the account in Matthew.  Funny how at Christmas time we always read the story of Jesus' birth but I can't really ever remember reading about His death before Easter.  It breaks my heart to read how he was plotted against, beaten and betrayed.  All for a greater purpose. All for us. Easter is a celebration of our Lord's resurrection but this year I was given insight into two other aspects.

First was when Judas decided to betray Jesus in Matthew 26:14-16...

"¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. "

Judas obviously betrayed the trust of Jesus but another definition of betrayal is to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; God has expectations of us and we betray Him time and time again. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins.  We do the same and for what? For fame, wealth, status, glory, power....what is it that is more important to you than living up to God's expectations.

The second revelation for me comes in Matthew 28: 16-20...

"¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” "

After Jesus had been resurrected he meets up with his disciples. To reveal to them that he was indeed alive but to also give them a commission.  He leaves each of us with that commission as well.. I don't know about you but I think it is the least that I can do for all that He has done for me.  Christ bore crucifixion and death to pay for all of our sins.  As it was prophesied in Isaiah 53: 5 " But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Obedience to Christ should not be out of guilt or duty but out of the love that we have for Him. 

Strong woman versus a woman of strength...

I found this poem through email a while ago but when I moved a few of my friends made it into a piece of artwork. It hangs right next to my bed and I find myself reading it often...always striving to be a woman of strength.

A strong woman works out every day
to keep her body in shape
but a woman of strength looks deep inside
to keep her soul in shape

A strong woman isn't afraid
of anything
but a woman of strength shows courage
in the midst of her fear

A strong woman won't let anyone
get the best of her
but a woman of strength gives the best
of her to everyone

A strong woman makes mistakes
and avoids the same in the futurebut a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes
can also be blessings and capitalizes on them

A strong woman walks
sure footedly
but a woman of strength knows
when to ask for help

A strong woman wears the look
of confidence on her face
but a woman of strength
wears grace

A strong woman has faith
that she is strong enough for the journey
but a woman of strength has faith
that it is in the journey that she will become strong

Oh how I love my GPS!

One of my most treasured items that I have since moving to the big city is my GPS! After a few weeks of bonding I finally picked out a name...Anastasia. She has been a life saver. Many times showing me where I needed to go. Grocery store, mall, post office , church, etc... Funny thing about my GPS is that I do whatever she tells me without question. This is kinda strange because I don't like anybody telling me what to do...yeah I am kind of stubborn that way :) 

I was given an awesome devotional "Jesus calling" by Sarah Young. Every day it emphasizes that God has a plan for each of us but that is dependent on our trust in Him and continually staying in communication to hear exactly what He wants us to do or where He wants us to be.

Isaiah 30:21

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Just as Anastasia prompts me with directions of right turn ahead or take the freeway, God also gives us directions. Sometimes prompting us to move forward, stay where we are, or retreat and never look back. The one key element for these instructions is to get plugged in and listen. Your GPS doesn't do you any good sitting in your glove compartment. Well neither does your bible do you any good sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Whether we realize it or not we have the awesome privilege of owning bibles, being able to express our faith in public, and worship our God without fear of persecution.

Psalm 32:8
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

In this verse there are four promises that God makes to us on our journey. That He will instruct and teach us but He doesn't just stop once He equips us with knowledge. He also promises to counsel and watch over us. This is indicative of a relationship. God isn't in the business of just teaching us and once we learn the ropes we are set out on our own...left to our own devices. That's what happens when you are in a new city with your GPS. You are so dependent on it in the beginning...after time you learn your way around and eventually you don't need to use it very often. God doesn't want that kind of relationship with us. He craves for a daily dependent relationship with you and me. He leads us step by step but we have to be willing to do what He asks and this doesn't always coincide with "our" agenda, now does it.  However who has the bigger picture perspective..us or God??

We are under the false assumption that we know what is best for us and don't even think about consulting with our heavenly Father. Every choice that we make turn us down a path...sometimes it is the right one and other times we have to recalculate to find our way back to God. The most important thing is that God never leaves us...He is always waiting with an outstretched hand ready for us to follow Him.

Plans.....sometimes they work out and other times not so much!

As every new year rolls around so do the plans. Plans to get in better shape, plans not to be so stressed out, plans to be more spontaneous and do something different..with planning comes expectations.  Expectations that are sometimes met but often times we are faced with disappointment. 

The biggest planning situation of my life has been relocating to Atlanta, Ga.  The reason for such a big move was for a job opportunity and because God said that it was time to go.  You know when He tells you it's time you really can't ignore that!  Everything happened so quickly and I had to burst into action planning.  Getting moving quotes, finding a place to live, forwarding my mail ...the list goes on and on. The movers are supposed to come on Monday and deliver my stuff on Tuesday. Sounds easy enough right? Well Monday rolls around and I still haven't heard from the movers, so I give them a call.  They aren't coming until Tuesday.  Ok mild frustration sets in but no big deal.  I can be flexible and I have plenty of things to finish up. Waiting in anticipation on Tuesday for the moving truck to arrive at 2:00 pm...well they finally arrive at 6:30 pm!!! At this point I am beyond frustrated and ready to get everything loaded and on my way.  Did I mention that I had to be in Atlanta by lunch time on Wednesday. 

Trying to be hopeful that my furniture would arrive by Thursday...fast forward to Saturday when the moving truck finally arrived. However it would have been way to easy to just unload the furniture no we need one more curve ball.  They say that they can't fit the moving truck into the complex.  At this point I am exhausted, stressed, and beyond amused!!! I sit against the wall of my bare living room feeling desperate. In that moment I know of the only one who can make this move happen.  Sitting there with nothing left I prayed.  I prayed to a God of power over impossibility and from where I was sitting this looked like an impossible situation. Finally they got the truck through (the same way I suggested an hour before but you know that nobody listens to a woman, HA!) and my all my stuff was finally mine again.

As the new year started I resolved to do a daily devotion. The first day had a verse that I needed to be reminded of during this new step...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

No matter what our plans may be, ultimately God has a plan for us.  It says "declares the Lord". To declare means to announce, this isn't God sending a vague message or whispering. NO, He is stating very clearly that He has plans for us.  During my relocation I was at the mercy of my movers.  Waiting on when they would show up, empty promises and frustration. Listen very closely...we don't have to wait for God to show up. He is ALWAYS there and always has the plan for us.  Question is... are you ready to listen?

I had a great life in Gainesville, FL but one day God looked at me and said are you ready?  With His hand extended what else could I say but yes Father!