settle

i want to tell you a story - a story of God's faithfulness and intimate counsel, of His personal tending to my heart.

i fell in love today.

i fell in love all over again with the Story, the Battle, the Adventure, and the Warrior God who is so recklessly passionate and unashamedly lavish with His love.

as evidenced by the past several posts, i have been in need of a reminder of Who my life is about... and i needed to be reminded that i am on this journey intentionally - deliberately. there are characters in this story, most of whom i have not even met... so typical of the Lord to use "random" strangers in my life to bring me back to Him. this cast includes mike and deb, and brian and deann... and me and the Lord.

the story goes like this... enter mike, whom i met at the retreat. he has kept up with me faithfully, spurring me on toward Jesus. one day while he is rebuilding his wife's blog folder, mike is prompted to introduce me to brian, a friend and ally. through this seemingly random introduction, the Lord arranged a very personal encounter with Himself, using the words and heart of this stranger... and the gentle reminder that i so desperately needed wrapped around my heart. the Lord accomplished this through a fellow sojourner, a fellow warrior, a true follower of the Way. in his own words, a disciple of Jesus...

my heart has settled once again. my vision is less cloudy, my fear and uncertainty fading away. yes, the road is long and the battle fierce, but they are worth every heartbeat and tear shed along the way...

Jesus is beckoning. i dare not tell Him no. to do so would be to deny my heart, and thus deny Life in all the fullness He intends. to not take my place in the Story is unimaginable.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 corinthians 15:58