Running to Meet Him

photo credit: feelart/freedigitalphoto .net

 
I had THE perfect Scripture and the perfect post swirling in my head.
 
“Word of God speak! God almost always shows up when I write at the last moment! He's always right on time!!” is what I boasted in a tweet to a friend.
I thought I had all my stuff together.
 
As soon as I sat down to write, life interrupted for the rest of the night. Before I allowed myself to get to full-blown aggravation, I shrugged it off and chocked it up to my family simply needing me.
 
Every intention to get up the next morning to meet the sun was dashed with more hours of sleep.
No big.
I’ll just write after I get the kids’ lessons done for the day.
 
Frustration came to a head when I got no quiet that I desperately begged the kids for.
That perfect post? Completely G.O.N.E.!
 
“I gotta get out of this house!” I say. My emotions were about to get the best of me.
Throwing on my hoodie and sneakers, I head to the grocery store.

Needing God to help me block out the noise and busyness in my mind, there I sit scribbling this post in the parking lot.

I’m halted by God’s gentle words to me; the words that could only come when I sat still:

“This is where I want you at this very moment. I wanted to get you completely alone. It’s been a while. How have you been, My daughter? I already know, but I’d really like for you to pour your heart out to Me.
What troubles you? What are you anxious about? You know that My word speaks to that exact thing. Slow it down. There are so many things that are out of your control. I know your heart and desires for your daughter. That literal, physical pain you feel when she hurts; because you two are so well connected? Yeah…I, as your Father feel that pain because you and I, we’re so well connected.
Just as you desire the best for her, I’ve already got the best for her. She’s My child too, you know. She talks to Me too.
Rest. Cease striving. Regain your balance and live like you trust Me.
You DO trust Me. Don’t you?”

My Daddy spoke directly to my heart and to my pain. He heals me and give me so much hope of a future.
 
It’s what He does and it’s what He’s already said:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11(NKJV).
 
In the quiet of those 15 minutes, God washed me with the promise of His presence and with the assurance that I’m heard, that He cares and that He delights in answering my prayers.
 
He wanted time alone, and it was in that moment that I realized that I wasn’t “running away from home”, but that I was running to His Mercy seat. Not only was I running to talk to Him, but to hear from Him.
 
Are you running away to find a place of quiet and peace? I encourage you to run into our Father’s arms. He’ll have a word for you.
*********************
I wrote that post exactly a year ago! God has shown so much grace, mercy and blessing over the year! He more than heard me and spoke to me, He came through! The hurt, pain and loneliness was mightily redeemed!!

Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

Sparks Are Gonna Fly

Image credit: Darren Robertson/FreeDigitalPhotos. net

Author and speaker, Angie Tolpin: Leaving a Legacy, shared a blog post, Redeeming the Division: Cultivating Unity Among Women, that linked to her video from a recent speaking engagement.

Angie read a Scripture and made a point that I’d never thought of before.

Image credit: Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos. net

When iron sharpens iron, sparks are gonna fly!

In any relationship there are going to be uncomfortable, and some down right, mean times.

Sparks burn!

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t do well with sparks. Not at all.
As I read the entire verse, I realize that the end result should be a smile on my friend’s face.

So…sparks are necessary for sharpening?
Yes.

There are a lot of things that cause sparks in friendships.

Sometimes those sparks burn deep before they ever go out and stop burning.
Those may be the friendships that dissolve without the need to be mended.

There is an individual, between-you-and-God kind of sharpening that goes on then.

But I want to talk about that friend that doesn’t make a spark to harm you, but to..well..sharpen you.

I have those friendships in my sisters and a small (very small) number of others.These are the women that have permission to speak into my life.

Sometimes I don’t like when they make a spark and call out my selfishness, pride and wrong thinking.

I do appreciate the place they have in my life. It’s needed!



SPARKS FLYING isn’t the only thing that Angie speaks about in her message. That’s the part that stuck out most to me!

I urge you to listen to…pay close attention and let the Lord speak to you about friendship and redeeming the division.


Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

Meditate on These Things: Jeremiah 17:7

This has been a verse that I’ve been meditating on since last Monday.

In waiting to purchase a home, I’m learning that:

• I can’t control man’s actions
• to fully trust God in this whole process

Living With Sword and Coffee,
Kela

photo credit: "Wooden Chair On An Exterior" by Phiseksit / free digital photos .net

I Should Be Writing

I recently shared with a few sisters about not having the desire in recent months to write.

Yes, I’ve had the wonderful experience of visiting my daughter, her husband, in-laws, and our precious grandson, Grayson.
Yes, I’ve been packing a couple of boxes, anticipating a move; not to mention spending countless hours scoping out houses online.
Yes, I’ve been educating the kids.
Yes, we’ve had basketball practices daily and games in between.

Yet, that is not an excuse for me to stop writing.

I should be writing.

When I first started blogging many years ago, I had the same reasons that other new bloggers had; to chronicle the lives of their children.

It turned into so much more. I was able to express my heart and mind in a way that I’d never had voice to.
I started writing a message to wives, mothers, home educators, Christ followers, women.

It turned into a God thing and I knew that it was a calling.
That’s when, during my conversation with friends, I asked, “If God put this desire in me, who gave me permission to stop?”
This is one of those things that I don’t want to live by my feelings with!
If I squander and squelch this gift because of what I FEEL like doing, where’s the perseverance in that?

I should be writing!
I WANT to write, and write often.

I’m not into all the rules of blogging.
I’m into great content and a quality graphic to go along with what I write (I don’t hate all aspects of blogging “rules”)

This is where I ask for help.
I feel that I’d greatly benefit from a writing mentor.
You know, someone that’ll ask me if I’ve written anything (even if I don’t hit publish).
Someone that will ask me thought provoking questions that make me ponder…and write.

Do they exist? Who’s willing
That sure does sound like a lot to ask, doesn’t it? But I’m sure that someone is looking for the challenge

I’ll be waiting to hear from you!

Living With Sword and Coffee,

Kela

*Image courtesy of Just2shutter / FreeDigitalPhotos.net