The Righteous Judge

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you..." Matthew 7:1-2. That is a command with a promise. Yet I feel that most of us do not take this command too seriously. At least I know that I didn't for a long time. But I have begun to understand the law at work here. And do you believe the bible to be true? I know that I do. Yet I have spent most of my life judging myself and others. And at the same time, I have equally felt judged by many others. "Why, God?," I've spent countless hours crying out in pain! "Well, hello, child...I laid it out clearly in my word. Who are you to judge? I alone am Judge!" 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 states, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." When God began bringing this point home to me (from Matthew 7), I learned the freeing beauty of forgiveness and not judging myself or others. Yet I still struggled with judging men's motives. However, recently God has brought me to the 1 Corinthians verse. I can't pretend to understand what someone else is thinking or feeling, regardless of their actions. That alone is up to God. But what I can do is forgive that person of their actions, love them, not judge them and ask God for wisdom on how to handle that relationship. The rest is then up to Him and then I find myself less under the knife of their judgement as I have had them under the knife of mine. And at the same time, it releases us from living under the weight of their judgement. You see, we can learn this lesson and stop judging. But that doesn't mean everyone else will stop doing it. The problem resides when we allow ourselves to live under the weight of their judgement. Who defines you or judges you? Them or Christ? Thank God that He alone is my worth and Judge! This is a life lesson that is beneficial to me in so many ways and I pray that you too begin to practice. May we all balance what the bible has called us too in each of our own, personal, relational circumstances....living love, relying on wisdom, clinging to truth, bowing in humility, walking in forgiveness, knowing whose we are, and letting God Judge. One less thing then that we have to worry about. Oh praise our Righteous Judge who robes us in His righteousness!

Pruning

Last night I just sat there and wept and I dont cry usually. I feel so broken-hearted, mis-understood, alone, pruned to nakedness. So much change is happening in my life and I wish I were perfect. There, I said it. I desperately want to be a fruitful vine of His love for the world to see Him with! I want to be as much like Jesus as I can be. Which isn't a bad thing to want at all. We should all actually want that. However, b/c I think that way, I put such high expectations on myself and others...which isn't good. I'm an over-expector! :) I'm constantly feeling let down or like I let myself down. People can never be perfect. Only Jesus is! But we can be Christ-like and oh how I thank God for His grace! I am screaming on the inside about so many situations that are completely out of my control but that others feel that I should control. I wonder, "What am I doing wrong, God? What should I be doing different? Please either correct me or encourage me. Either way...I just need to hear from YOU! I need you to fight for me. I want to be perfect! I want these people to do what You say! I need your help! I need you!" I had a rough day for many reasons yesterday. But I had to push that aside and at the end of the day, do my job as a YL leader and as a mom. As the sun began to set, I returned some texts from hurting kids and then I gathered Lillie in my arms, bathed her, massaged her with lotion, fed her, read her a story, prayed for her, sang over her and then rocked her to sleep. Her sweet spirit calmed mine. Then I headed outside to water my plants and just gather my thoughts. I breathed, put my hands to the nozzle and just drank the Father in. I wept, cried out, listened. He entertained me with hummingbirds dancing all around their feeder and at my tree in my backyard; butterflies at my flowers; my dogs relaxing in the sunset; and a gentle breeze. As I watered I watched the plants drink in their nourishment and revive their weary heads. I glanced at one of my plants and was amazed at how much growth had taken place. See pictures below. I remember when it was first starting to prune itself and it looked so sad. Steven told me to just throw it away. But I was determined to revive it. "There is still life in it" I told him, as I cut away and saw the green inside it's outwardly dead stems. So I did what I could do and waited. "The law of the garden is the law of life: Early sacrifice for later bounty. Cut out that which seems good to invest in the best. It's painful to prune out good things blooming. Its hard to remember why you are pruning. It's hard to have faith in the harvest coming-but later. It takes courage to crop a life back-but it's exactly the way to have the best crop of all." - Ann Voskamp. I lose patience in the pruning times. A garden isn't always producing fruit. But to fulfill it's purpose, it must stay connected to it's life source. And sometimes you have to cut away the good, to get to the better. You must be patient and let God work. I get it. "I am connected, God! What now?," I cried out. I finished watering and then a phone call came from one of my mentors at just the right time. A voice of truth, protection, encouragement, hope, love and comfort. I sensed God telling me, "Sweet child, you are far from perfect. But I see your heart to want to be and I applaud it. Rest in my grace. I am in control and will handle these situations for you. Can you trust that I have a plan in the pain and even I was mis-understood as well? Yet as a sheep was led to the slaughter, so I did not open my mouth. Stay quiet in this season and know that the truth always wins in the end. Just follow hard after me and I will take care of the rest. I am having to prune some things in you and around you. But you are not left alone." Ok, Jesus...I trust. That I will. I am no martyr, but I guess I know a little bit of what Jesus meant in Matthew 10. Bottom line, following Jesus isn't easy. It's actually harder. But you always win in the end and with Him, you have peace, joy, truth, hope, etc. One day the blossoms will re-appear and be a sweet aroma to all! Something I wouldn't trade in all the world...even in the midst of deep pain. But for now I must wait...be still and know that He is God and then He will be exalted in my life if I remain in Him! O God, I desperately am trying to remain in you! But thank you for your grace that releases me and others from perfection! May people afford me that same kind of grace as well, I pray. I plant my feet in the soil of You and await the harvest! "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.

Come and Reign victorious Prince of Peace...!!!

Since I've been gone...

Well, I have updated you on what has changed in my life during my long blog hiatus. However, I feel I should explain a few life lessons that I have learned along the way as well. First, as the Brandon Heath song states, I am certainly not who I was, and I am so very grateful for that! Thankfully, God indeed does love us just as we are, yet too much to let us stay that way. We are always in need of growth, and if we are not constantly growing up in Jesus, then we have to ask ourselves, "Why?" It's like a baby. Of course I am going to pull out a baby analogy! :) Lillie is only 4.5 months old but already she goes through "growing pains." Babies are constantly growing....even my little munchkin! Lillie will go several days where she will sleep about 14 hours a night and only be awake about 6 hours a day, eating about every 3 hours. Then she will cycle out of that and barely take naps and eat like every 2 hours. Her body is either needing sleep or fuel as she grows. Same with us in Jesus. We need times of "sleeping in Him," as did Adam, while He prepares us. Then we go through seasons where He seems silent, although He is always there. Like He was when David penned the Psalms. We can also experience times of great distress, for His Name's sake, as did Job and Paul. Or we can go through a season of great feeding and life, as with the early disciples.I could go on and on. It's just like the Seasons. How appropriate of God. While I was away from here for awhile and my life encountered many different life changes, God fed me with great life. He is Life! It was stretching but grand! And then He came and reigned as Prince of Peace and allowed His ruling power to bring me through some tough challenges. There were times when I was on the brink of despair. However, He taught me a very important life lesson on worship. How we can't control the circumstances around us, but we can control just how we react to them. Therefore, we must stick close to Him through thanksgiving, walking in the Spirit and being slaves to righteousness. I learned to worship God like I never have before. And I am not talking about the raise your hand in praise kind. Although that too is so important. I am talking about offering all of you to Him (esp. your pain), as a sacrifice of praise. I am talking about the sacrificial kind. The hurtful kind. The nailing of your agendas to His cross and being real and vulnerable so you can be a sweet aroma to Him. The kind that hurts deep but heals even deeper. I learned how to choose to rejoice. And in that, I discovered that we can experience His life in every season that we are in. Even in the painful ones. It breeds hope and joy. For there truly is so much to be thankful for! So I encourage you (if anyone even reads this anymore or I am at least encouraging myself), to be thankful. It changes things. You can make a heaven out of hell. Your outward circumstances may be out of your control. But you don't have to let the enemy win with your inner self anymore. That is a sacred place for you and Jesus where worship opens up the gates on your heart for the King of Glory to come in! "Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." Psalm 24:8 & 9.

1st beach trip

Lillie loves water and so we took a spontaneous little drive to Galveston yesterday. It was raining on and off so we couldn't do much, but the little bit that she experienced, she loved! I can't wait to play with you more there little Lilster! And to share my first plate of hummus with you (we ate at Olympia Grill.) I hope you love ethnic food as much as your momma does...esp. sushi! :) You were a joy to watch in God's creation but yesterday sure did tire you out.

I promise not every post now will be about Lillie! But since I am not on any social network (kinda loathe them), you will see lots of pictures on here! :)

Lillie Joy

Well, as my last post stated, it has been awhile and would take too much time to go back, so I am just gonna keep moving forward! What life calls for sometimes anyways though, right? So here is an update on my bundle of pure JOY! Lillie is 4 months old now and is beginning to develop her own little personality! She seems to resemble herself alone right now. She weighs 13lbs and still wears 0-3 months clothes so perhaps she will take after my size...ha! Lillie takes great naps and sleeps through the night (averages about 12 hours a night...so blessed!) She looks great in pink and has the prettiest, largest and most alert blue eyes that I have ever seen!

She loves...being sung and read too; watching mickey mouse clubhouse and doing the hotdog dance with mommy; looking at pictures of herself on my phone; being outside; sitting up; her crib (will only sleep there); sitting in her sling on me and me walking everywhere; her bouncer; her daddy; full attention from people; playing with her toys; minnie mouse; sucking her thumb; making raspberries; and esp. bath time and her massages with lotion after! :) She is also hillarious and makes the funniest faces!

I have a feeling this little munchkin will be totally unlike her mommy and very divalicious! I can't wait to see all that she will be like! But for now, I am completely in love with this gift from God! She is such a blessing and a joy...named appropriately! Lillie, I pray that you live as your name, which means, purity, beauty, innocence, jewel, rejoicing and delight! And I hope you sense Zephaniah 3:17 all around you! My little girl/my monkey...You are so loved! :)

Catching Up...

I have thought about posting a dozen times but then something in life always creeps up and steals my time! :) In brief...since I last wrote, I got married to Steven Buchanan on March 19, 2011; honeymooned in Anguilla with my new husband; moved into our first house; got pregnant; had a baby girl named, Lillie Joy Buchanan, on March 20, 2012; watched my husband become a firefighter; and through it all have continued working for YL. Here is it all chronicled briefly through pictures. I am going to start blogging again now! :) If the pictures are not in order, I am sorry. Blogger confuses me! :)

The Nativity

I just finished watching the movie, The Nativity with Steven. I love that movie. What a great thing to stop and pause and watch this time of year. On KSBJ today someone said, "You wouldn't go to someone's Birthday party and bring everyone there a birthday present but them. However, that is what we do at Christmas. We buy everyone a present and neglect presenting our very selves (His greatest gift) to Jesus, the man of honor." A good and true word. I reflected on that, amongst many other things, while watching The Nativity. It really hit me (as I watched the story I have heard and read so many times played out on the big screen), the theme of humility and opposition. Jesus chose a humble girl, a righteous man, a humble manger, and a bunch of humble shepherds all to be a part of this beautiful story. For it is through the unlikely that He shows Himself strong! And not only that, but then I got to thinking about all the opposition that they faced. I grew up thinking that if things didn't work out "perfectly," then you must not be in God's will. But that is so far from the truth. In reality, if you are facing opposition, then most of the time you know that you are in God's will. That is Jesus Himself's story! Now don't get me wrong, sometimes we face opposition due to our own sin. And also, there is a peace that comes with being in God's will. However, His peace usually comes with a sword. Take Mary & Joseph for example...they were considered humble, righteous, highly favored, yet if you really think about it, I'm sure they faced much ridicule, gossip, slander, judgement, etc. They couldn't even find a place in which to birth Jesus in! And they had to flee from their own home town. And all b/c Jesus chose them to carry Him. But that is true of us. We live in a world that doesn't even understand morality, much less the choices we make for the "much more" of God, to live like a George Bailey. But as I previously blogged, if we endure the opposition, we will gain Jesus. And that truly is the greatest gift that we have. I pray and hope that you un-wrap that gift this year my friends. It will require humility, sacrifice, righteousness, and probably some opposition, but it also comes with the "much more" of our Savior. Trust me, it's worth it! :) Nothing good ever comes easy! Merry Christmas!!!