Valley of Deep Roots
The thing about life is that you keep learning. You keep taking the things you've already learned to a deeper level...it never stops. In order for deep learning, God will take you deep. His truths will grow deeper roots in your soul. There is a theme of "deepness" that is the beautiful coming out of the ashes. Isaiah 61:3 I often write about learning through the hard things. But I need to clarify that I don't camp in those hard places. But I've tasted of them and of HIM. If that brings hope to just one person to God be the glory! If you can't relate to the struggles common with anxiety, maybe you will be able to understand someone in your life who has those struggles. We are all different parts of the body working together.
The monumental shift in my life came in my mid 30's. God did soul surgery at the deepest level. I came out of that season on a mountain top! I had clung to so much Scripture for survival that it saturated my soul! I became a firm believer in speaking it out loud! I had a new gusto for praise and for speaking truth into the lives of the hurting.
None of that has changed, but I revisit the orphan side, the dark side at times. I'm not talking about going into depression or having a big crisis. I'm talking about walking through valleys with purpose. I pray through Colossians chapter 1 often. In that passage it helps us to ask for knowledge and discernment. Sometimes I pray it without believing it. By God's mercy and grace He allowed it so that I would be refreshed with the truth of Romans 8! "The mind of the flesh is death and the mind of the Spirit is life and peace!" In order to embrace the deep truth of Romans 8, you have to see the contrast, and experience the deliverance! He does give me discernment!
The mind of the flesh for me is fear of rejection. It is the opposite of truth. Ephesians 1 says we are loved, redeemed, forgiven, adopted, chosen, blessed, accepted BY THE MAKER OF THE UNIVERSE! The LIE is rejection! Revisiting that is not fun at all! If you are revisiting old triggers, take this opportunity to grab on to truth and ask God to take it deeper with you! He will! He says in Matthew 7:7 "ask, seek, knock and the door will be opened unto you!" We don't just learn this once and then coast on that knowledge the rest of our lives. We have to revisit truth every day for ever! John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." We must stay in the Word.
Be patient for the breakthrough. God's timing is perfect! His truth is all the sweeter when He drenches you with life giving water. Receive GRACE! I tell others to receive grace! I tell them with true passion and belief! But I have been reminded to receive GRACE for me. To receive it in such away that I can freely love without fear of love coming back. That is a mountain for me! I was on top of that mountain once, and I am climbing it again! "Perfect love casts out fear!" 1 John 4:18
I teach these truths to my high school girls with great passion! Sometimes the passion is to prevent them from experiencing the valleys and mountains...but that is not life! We learn and grow in the valley where all the water seeps in and the grass grows tall. The key is to be equipped going forward in life so that we don't get stuck in the valley. We must recognize there is purpose there, and that God's grace will hold us there, ever so gently. He then carries us up the mountain. He carries us!
So I lay it out there, the bare me. Colossians 1:27 "Christ in me the hope of glory." There is nothing else about me that is pretty. Without Christ I run away from relationships. I stop talking before "they" figure out how dumb I am. Without Christ I see all my nervous fidgets, I see the anxious anticipation of talking to the intelligent. But in Christ I can say I don't know much, I may look red faced, and may even panic in their presence, but His presence in me says so what! Let the weakness show, because 1 John 4:4 says, "greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world."
If I am going to blog, it is going to be about the present, no matter what. If I blog without pointing to Jesus, I blog for nothing. I pray that through my honesty you can cling to Him as well. The present is saying wow, I just revisited a lot of my greatest weaknesses. The present is saying I can choose to be humiliated or humbled my my flesh. I can pray for the mind of the Spirit which is life and peace. I pray to walk humbly so that I can love freely and honestly and without fear. Two more of my favorite verses, 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." And Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite." Make it so Lord, make it so!
A sweet friend recently reminded me of a powerful song. One that we've shared together over the years. Thank you my friend. Here are the lyrics to Bones, by Hillsong United:
You can take my dry bones
The monumental shift in my life came in my mid 30's. God did soul surgery at the deepest level. I came out of that season on a mountain top! I had clung to so much Scripture for survival that it saturated my soul! I became a firm believer in speaking it out loud! I had a new gusto for praise and for speaking truth into the lives of the hurting.
None of that has changed, but I revisit the orphan side, the dark side at times. I'm not talking about going into depression or having a big crisis. I'm talking about walking through valleys with purpose. I pray through Colossians chapter 1 often. In that passage it helps us to ask for knowledge and discernment. Sometimes I pray it without believing it. By God's mercy and grace He allowed it so that I would be refreshed with the truth of Romans 8! "The mind of the flesh is death and the mind of the Spirit is life and peace!" In order to embrace the deep truth of Romans 8, you have to see the contrast, and experience the deliverance! He does give me discernment!
The mind of the flesh for me is fear of rejection. It is the opposite of truth. Ephesians 1 says we are loved, redeemed, forgiven, adopted, chosen, blessed, accepted BY THE MAKER OF THE UNIVERSE! The LIE is rejection! Revisiting that is not fun at all! If you are revisiting old triggers, take this opportunity to grab on to truth and ask God to take it deeper with you! He will! He says in Matthew 7:7 "ask, seek, knock and the door will be opened unto you!" We don't just learn this once and then coast on that knowledge the rest of our lives. We have to revisit truth every day for ever! John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." We must stay in the Word.
Be patient for the breakthrough. God's timing is perfect! His truth is all the sweeter when He drenches you with life giving water. Receive GRACE! I tell others to receive grace! I tell them with true passion and belief! But I have been reminded to receive GRACE for me. To receive it in such away that I can freely love without fear of love coming back. That is a mountain for me! I was on top of that mountain once, and I am climbing it again! "Perfect love casts out fear!" 1 John 4:18
I teach these truths to my high school girls with great passion! Sometimes the passion is to prevent them from experiencing the valleys and mountains...but that is not life! We learn and grow in the valley where all the water seeps in and the grass grows tall. The key is to be equipped going forward in life so that we don't get stuck in the valley. We must recognize there is purpose there, and that God's grace will hold us there, ever so gently. He then carries us up the mountain. He carries us!
So I lay it out there, the bare me. Colossians 1:27 "Christ in me the hope of glory." There is nothing else about me that is pretty. Without Christ I run away from relationships. I stop talking before "they" figure out how dumb I am. Without Christ I see all my nervous fidgets, I see the anxious anticipation of talking to the intelligent. But in Christ I can say I don't know much, I may look red faced, and may even panic in their presence, but His presence in me says so what! Let the weakness show, because 1 John 4:4 says, "greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world."
If I am going to blog, it is going to be about the present, no matter what. If I blog without pointing to Jesus, I blog for nothing. I pray that through my honesty you can cling to Him as well. The present is saying wow, I just revisited a lot of my greatest weaknesses. The present is saying I can choose to be humiliated or humbled my my flesh. I can pray for the mind of the Spirit which is life and peace. I pray to walk humbly so that I can love freely and honestly and without fear. Two more of my favorite verses, 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." And Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite." Make it so Lord, make it so!
A sweet friend recently reminded me of a powerful song. One that we've shared together over the years. Thank you my friend. Here are the lyrics to Bones, by Hillsong United:
You can take my dry bones
Breathe life into this skin
You called me by name
Raised me to life again
You can calm the oceans
Speak peace into my soul
Take me as I am
Awaken my heart to beat again
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Alive in me
You move in the unseen
You set the captives free
As I stand and sing
You're breaking the chains off me
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Alive in me, alive in me
Alive in me, alive in me
Alive in me, alive in me, alive in me
Breathe in me Your life
I can feel You are close now
I can never hide
You are here and You know me
All I need is You and I love You
I love You, I love You, I love You
Breathe in me Your life
Till Your love overtakes me
Open up my eyes
Let me see You more clearly
Falling on my knees till I love like You love
Like You love me, I love You
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Alive in me
You called me by name
Raised me to life again
You can calm the oceans
Speak peace into my soul
Take me as I am
Awaken my heart to beat again
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Alive in me
You move in the unseen
You set the captives free
As I stand and sing
You're breaking the chains off me
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Alive in me, alive in me
Alive in me, alive in me
Alive in me, alive in me, alive in me
Breathe in me Your life
I can feel You are close now
I can never hide
You are here and You know me
All I need is You and I love You
I love You, I love You, I love You
Breathe in me Your life
Till Your love overtakes me
Open up my eyes
Let me see You more clearly
Falling on my knees till I love like You love
Like You love me, I love You
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Alive in me
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