Empty spaces?

The Empty Tomb

                          "He has risen just as He said." -Matthew 28:6

In all of us, there is some degree of brokenness. Something that was once whole, maybe too long ago to remember, but is now broken.  Shattered by pain, disapointment, rejection, guilt, or heartache.  That broken place can stay broken, and then it just feels like an emptiness.  A void.  And you may have become so accustomed to it, that you have forgotten what it feels like to have it whole, filled up.

God knows.  He knows our brokenness.  He knows the pain, or anger, or numbness. 

But He doesn't want to leave you that way. His death on the cross, and then resurrection was more than a love story.  It promises us that nothing broken ever has to stay that way.  It offers hope to the hopeless. 

That empty tomb was a visible, tangible message for us.  For God, NOTHING is impossible, too broken to fix, too ugly to make new. 

"The power of the resurrection means that nothing but the tomb is meant to be empty!" -beth moore

The empty spaces you have were meant to be filled by His love, grace, and mercy.  Maybe you haven't released it to Him yet.  Maybe you haven't totally trusted Him with those broken parts of your heart.  Maybe you feel ashamed for Him to see them, or maybe you've grown numb to them.

The sooner you let it go, and entrust Him with it, the sooner He can breath life back into those dark, dead spaces.  He'll make it better than new.


Psalm 147:3  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Tame your tongue

^{James 3: 3-11
3} When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴ Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.


⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Wow, what a great reminder.  We truly are the only ones who can "tame" our own tongues.  We can be provoked, angered, tempted, flustered, and our mouths just pop open and junk comes out.  And it can't be put back in.

In first grade, I must have had a pretty loose mouth, because I remember clearly, on more than one occasion, being made to sit alone in silence, as my teacher rebuked me, "if you can't say something nice it's better to say nothing at all!"  (I know, I'm in shock myself..)

How are you using (or abusing) your speaking privelages?  Consider each day an opportunity to bless or "burn" with your tongue.  Because out of the same mouth can come kindness, or evil. 

All Eyes on Him

Tonight I was reading my son a children's bible story about Peter walking out onto the waves toward Jesus.  What I love SO much about scripture is it's great relevance, whether you're 5 or 85, and that there's always potential to gain some new insight that you didn't see before, if your heart is open to it.  And as I sat and typed this it occurred to me that I already did a blog entry about getting OUT of the boat (haha, I tend to have a slight memory issue) ...so this one focuses on trusting Him once you're out.

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  ²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  ²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”   -matthew 14:22-33

Verse 26 reminds me of times when we fear what's ahead and we don't recognize God's hand is at work.  God is an absolute.  He is good, all the time.  We may not always like what we see ahead, but we can be sure He's there when we get there.  His plan is perfect.  He never changes.  His love for us never changes.  And He will always be with us.  We may have times when we feel we can't see or feel Him but His promise remains...He will never leave us or forsake us.

Then in verse 27, when the disciples express fear,  Jesus immediatly offers comfort and reassures his friends.  "It is I!  Don't be afraid!" 

In verse 28, Peter wants proof. What I love is that even in Peter's moment of doubt and testing, Jesus continues to reassure, rather than rebuke.  Peter literally asked Jesus to "prove it, and let me walk on water too!"

And Peter did!  He asked, and he received.  Jesus allowed Peter to experience walking on water, as long as PETER's FAITH would allow, anyway.  Is there something you may never know because you haven't yet totally trusted God with it?

 And then we get to the kicker- verse 30 and 31.
When Peter saw the wind and the waves, he began to sink.  Isn't that what we do?  As soon as we allow our thoughts to wander from truth to dark little places of doubt and worry, fear takes over like a crashing wave, and we're hopeless and helpless in it's grasp.  It's only when Peter's eyes stayed on Jesus, that he was able to do the unimagineable...walk on water!  And it's only when we keep our focus on Him and His power and love, that we are able to do great things amidst a storm!

The ultimate message of this passage, though, is that Jesus reached out to Peter as he sank and caught him. 

And if Peter had not reached out to grasp his hand, he wouldn't have lived to tell about it.  Are you struggling and sinking, and gasping for breath?  Reach out, because He's waiting to take your hand.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  First post of 2012...woohoooo. 

A lot of us will face the inevitable question, posed by someone.  "What's your New Year's resolution?  It's often an unwelcomed question too, especially if we haven't gotten around to even thinking about it yet.  Or if we know we haven't yet fulfilled the ones we hoped for in 2011...

So, instead, I want to ask a few other questions.
What's NOT working well in your life?  What would you change? What relationships need work?  What are your worries?  What is your focus, and should it be different?  What gets most of your energy and attention?
What qualities do you admire in others that you wish you also saw in yourself? 

Now, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to sit around and wait for something different to happen, and frankly, I don't have much patience for people who refuse to change their circumstances, but would prefer to sit and wallow in them.  I think God has given us the will, and the intelligence, to make significant changes in our own lives, and the lives of others. 

For example,  (and many of my closest friends and I seem to share this problem) life is "too busy."  Seems like everybody has that same gripe. 
So do something about it.  Cut things out. Don't allow your children to each participate in 3 activities at once. Don't say "yes" to every opportunity that arises, no matter how "good" it is.  Don't volunteer in 4 different things, and then offer to take a position in the PTO, and then start a non-profit organization, and then take out your frustration on those you love the most.

Clear the schedule.  Make time to just live.  Stop and smell the roses.  Then, when something comes before you that's clearly from God, you may have the right attitude and energy to embrace it and fulfill it beautifully.

Maybe you are carrying around  bitter, or broken heart.  Stop and consider if you've been taking care of it.  Have you allowed people in, who desire to bless and love you?  What have you been "feeding" it?  Meaning, are you surrounding yourself with people and messages that reinforce your hurt and bitterness?  Or have you taken charge of the healing process and chosen to reject self-pity?

Wherever you are as you enter 2012, focus on what you can change.  Pray that you are able to let go of the things that you can't change.  Reject the things (and obligations, and people, and habits, and thoughts, and attitudes)  that tie you down, and keep you from being your BEST self.  Because this is YOUR year.

I love you my sisters. We are all in this journey together.  Let's encourage and pray for eachother, and never stop fighting the good fight.

 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  -galatians 6:9