wholeness

This Christmas break is the first time that I have been at my new home for more than a week. It has been incredibly lovely and restful, but I did learn a few key things that I thought might help you out in case you ever visit me in the middle of nowhere in Colorado.

Here are 10 lessons that Colorado taught me:
1. It is not necessary to pack boots, scarves, mittens or warm cardigans when coming to a high desert area for Christmas. You will not need them and they will waste your precious luggage space.
2. Unpacking clothes and putting them in a dresser is very hard when you bring home more clothes than you need and when the dresser is smaller than you'd like.
3. In all honesty, it's okay to wear the same pajama pants all winter break in your own home, especially if you have a sister to borrow clothes from. You don't need to pack four pairs. And you certainly don't need to pack 10 pajama/workout/lazyday tshirts.
4. Even the longest and funnest list of to-dos can get bypassed when you end up realizing that you really just want three weeks of doing nothing and watching movies with your family.
5. Always use filtered water to make coffee in the morning.
6. Good luck trying to sleep next to an innocent looking 10 year old cousin. Chances are she snores louder than any grown man you've ever met.
7. Taking life slowly is always underestimated and always needed (trust me).
8. Even if you're a morning person, it's okay to stay up late and sleep in late once in awhile.
9. Skype dates do not measure up to real, face-to-face coffee dates. They just don't.
10. If the 'Christmas feeling' never comes upon your heart, that's okay.

And one last thing: Jesus came to bring peace. He came to make us whole. And take heart- for there soon will be no limits to the wholeness he brings (Isaiah 9). And until that day when the Earth and all that is in it is made whole, cling to the fact that His Kingdom is not just in the future; it is now. And at this very moment in time, Jesus can and will make you whole. Friends, let him begin the process of wholeness in you today!

And if you should ever choose to visit Colorado, let me know. I have many more tips that could certainly help you out.

mornings

I am a morning person, through and through. I love the feeling of waking up before everyone else, sometimes even before the sun itself is shining. I love making coffee while the house is quiet and watching the sun come up over the horse pastures across the road. I love the idea of being an observer, of being the only thing moving, the only thing with its eyes open.

Biblically, mornings are pretty amazing too. They are a blessing every day.

Every morning is a blessing because:
- I'm awake because God has sustained me! (Psalm 3:5)
- God's mercies are anew every morning (Lamentations 3:23)
- God hears my voice right away (Psalm 5:3)
- God is with me right away and all through the night (Psalm 139)
- God has made this day- I should rejoice! (Psalm 118:24)
- God has given me the choice between good and evil (Deuteronomy 30:15)
- No matter what happened yesterday, joy comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5)
- Salvation has come to me! (Luke 19:9)
- My God is the same faithful God this morning as he has been for ages past, and he will be the same tomorrow too! (Hebrews 13:8)

I don't think that all of you are morning people. In fact, I know that my singing and cheeriness in the morning has annoyed even the dearest of friends on various mission trips. And that's okay! Just cling to the fact that tomorrow morning when your alarm clock wakes you up at 5 am, it is still a good morning. Even when your alarm clock doesn't wake you up on time, it is still a good morning. When your coffee pot explodes coffee all over you, it is still a good morning. When you cried yourself to sleep and your eyes are puffy, it is still a good morning. When it is raining and when you're mad and when you're stressed out and when you are incredibly happy, it is a good morning. It's a good morning because it's a new morning, a new blessing from God. Every morning is a sign of God's unending mercy.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never comes to an end; 

they are new every morning; 

great is Your faithfulness."

-Lamentations 3:22-23

Good morning!

hope

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, 
   but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
                  -Proverbs 13:12


My parents always always used to repeat the first part of that verse to me as I grew up (and sometimes they still do). "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, babe." "Don't get your hopes up, Kait." Because when the possibility of something exciting comes up, I immediately start getting hopeful about it (see my entry on patience). Over the years, I have experienced a lot of unnecessary heartache because I got my hopes up too quickly over things that weren't solidified- and even some things that were. 

“Show me, LORD, my life’s end
   and the number of my days;
   let me know how fleeting my life is. 

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
   the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
   even those who seem secure...

But now, Lord, what do I look for?
   My hope is in you."

      -Psalm 39: 4-5, 7

Friends, hoping in the Lord will never result in a hurt heart. He will never disappoint you or let you down. He will never compromise on his gifts for you or on his plans for your life. Put your hopes in Him and you will never experience dissatisfaction. 

"Israel, put your hope in the LORD, 

   for with the LORD is unfailing love 
   and with him is full redemption."
     -Psalm 130:7


The Lord is full of unfailing love and redemption. He has no limit. He has no end. Don't be afraid to hope in the Lord.