psalm 23

I cannot tell you how many times I have read Psalm 23...it brings me comfort and confidence in who God is.

That being said, I don't think I ever fully noticed the last few lines of the Psalm until recently:

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

I have dwelled so much in my sorrow that I would repeat the first few verses to myself over and over again, completely forgetting the promise that God leaves us at the end.

No matter what happens, God's goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever, no matter what happens. No matter what! Isn't that incredible?

Check out this song by Jon Foreman, called The House of God, Forever.

treasure

"I would run for a thousand years
If I knew every step would be getting me closer;
I'd swim to the ocean floor,
For my Lord is the treasure
My Lord is the treasure."
               -Desperation Band


My family will be moving this summer, most likely to Colorado. I have struggled with this for a long time. It's easy to look at the broad scope of something as an adventure, but to get caught up in the details and then to lose trust in God and his will. Lesson one of this move is that God is in all the details, no questions asked. 


Something that I'm still trying to grasp is the idea of making God my everything- my heart, my home, my hope, my love, my peace, my joy, my comfort...I am realizing that humans seek an outlet to experience all of these things in their lives, maybe through a relationship or a hobby or a really nice home. We want to have something to turn to that will settle our nerves and assure us that we are loved and wanted. Some people spend their entire lives seeking comfort/joy/peace/acceptance. It's almost as if we as humans try digging in random places for a treasure chest, but we aren't paying attention to the map and the details it provides (forgive my weak analogy). 


The Bible says that all of creation points to God. The Bible tells us to place our hope in God, to place our trust in God, to place all of our resources in His hands. HE is to be our treasure- the reason we run the race and our reward for running it well. 


How does this tie back to moving? Well, as I pack up all of my belongings, it is so very easy to become sentimental and measure my life or memories or success by all the things that I am having to put away. I am continually reminded that Jesus is my treasure. He is the reason that I can move 16 hours away and still have hope and joy. I trust that, unlike my material items, He will never fade or be destroyed or lost. 


Here's my heart's take on the song mentioned earlier:


I would move a thousand miles away
If I knew every step would be growing me closer;
I'd live out of my comfort zone, 
for the Lord is my treasure,
My Lord is the treasure.


"Jesus Your love has come one step closer;
I will trust that You will never let me go
Jesus Your love has won me over
All my trust has found no other
I will declare the beauty of the Lord
Nothing compares to the beauty of the Lord
Jesus Your love, it takes my breath away"
       -Desperation Band

beautiful things

This past weekend, I went to Joplin, Missouri to help with disaster relief. It was probably the most impactful thing I have ever experienced. I struggle with how to put into words the exact emotion and hurt that I have seen in Joplin, which is frustrating because I want everyone to feel the same passion for that city that I do. Since I cannot adequately describe what I saw, I have posted a few pictures...However, I now need to describe how I feel and what I will remember forever, as those are not things that can be seen from pictures. 


The people in Joplin look like me and they speak the same language, so identifying with them came easily and naturally. Feeling their pain came easily also, as whole neighborhoods that probably were like mine just two weeks ago flashed before my eyes, completely and utterly destroyed. My team was comprised of people who had individually been prompted by God to come to Joplin; many had sacrificed to be there. Other volunteers in Joplin arrived with just enough gas in their tank to make it to the church and had no money to go home. To say that the body of Christ responded is an understatement. There were believers serving food to those doing work in the homes and to those without homes; there were believers setting up shower stations so that the volunteers could be clean...it was a beautiful union. 


And yet, sifting through debris at one house when there are thousands more that need help makes me feel completely helpless. Seeing piles and piles of wood and shingles and toys and clothes makes me feel helpless. How can my team possibly help? How can this city EVER be healed?


In the midst of these questions, I went to the worship service of the church we were staying at. They played one of my absolute favorite songs by Gungor, called "Beautiful Things". As soon as the band began playing it, I could not stop myself from weeping. Outside the church, people feel hopeless. Their friends and family may have died, and they have lost their home. But the message of redemption and hope is strong in this song, and I pray that when you listen to it, you will pray and weep for the city of Joplin as my team and I have. And then ask God if He wants you to go down and help. Let's be the body of Christ to bring healing to this city. 

"All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us."