Time Uninterupted

I'm sitting here, looking out at nothing but mountains as the sun is about to set, with my cell phone actually OFF, which is quite a rare occurance. I feel like there are so many thoughts running through my head that I'm not sure where I should even start.

Do you ever feel like things are going great and then all of a sudden, God so clearly says soemthing to you and you're awestruck that you hadn't noticed it before? Well, that happened to me this week.

I am someone who loves to be around people. I love encouraging others and I love pointing them towards God, reminding them how much their Savior loves them and longs to spend time with them. This summer however has been a hard one for me because I feel like I haven't been able to fellowship with others. The people I have spent the most time with, have been under the age of ten. It's been tough. And then this week, I was in my car by myself...and God just spoke to me, saying, "Stacy, you love to encourage others to spend time with me...to remind them how much I long to spend time with them. So why don't you listen to your own words? You've spent so much time and energy making sure everyone's relationship with me is ok...(something I can completely do without you!) yet you have forgotten about OUR relationship. You've forgotten that I don't need you... i CHOOSE to use you. So turn off your phone. Turn off your computer. Go to a quiet place and meet with me. I have missed you greatly!"

I began to realize this week how much I have missed spending time, true uninterupted time, with Jesus. To the point where it actually brought me to tears. God doesn't need me to make sure everyone is ok, or to make sure that the whole world is encouraged! He's quite capable of doing that on His own. However, if I'm to use my gifts that He has given me, in the way He wants me to use them I first have to be filled by Him. Because I can't give if I've not first allowed myself to receive. I love how God uses people. But isn't it nice to know that He doesn't NEED us? That He is perfectly capable of doing things without us... but He CHOOSES to use us... which means, whether we mess up or not, God is still in control! But I love that by His grace, he allows us to be a part of His plans, He allows us to be a light in the lives of others.

And I am so glad that He spoke to me that day in the car. I kept putting my relationship with Christ on hold. And I've realized that if I want to help and love and encourage...I first need to come to the feet of my Savior and drink deeply of Him so that an overflowing stream can pour into the lives of the friends God has placed in my own life. I thik that will be so much better...than if I try to do those things within my own ability and strength. So i'm going to make it a point to start each day, reminding myself of His love and grace by spending time alone with Him...so that I can truly show that same love and grace to others.

And tonight, I did just that. All distractions were gone. I spent time with Jesus. I read my Bible, I journaled, I read a book about the amazing love of my Savior.

And I was encouraged. I was refreshed. I was filled. And as I read tonight, "We are filled so that we can be spilled."

Allow Jesus to truly fill you... so that you can show the same love and mercy of Jesus that you have been given by Him, to the people He has put in your life. We must be filled so that we can be spilled... this world needs the good news of Jesus so badly. So let's live our lives in a way that shows we truly know His joy and peace.

The Beauty of A Promise

About a week ago or so, I was outside walking with my friend at this outdoor concert in Chattanooga. We were walking and all of a sudden it started to rain... which it seems like it has been doing EVERY day this summer! The clouds were dark and it looked pretty bad...but after about 15 mintues or so, I look up, and see this gorgeous rainbow spreading across the sky!

I have always loved seeing rainbows. And one thing that I love, probably the thing I love the most... is that they are so full of beauty...and yet they always come after the rain. God used the rainbow as a sign, as a reminder, that He is faithful and He is good. And I think it's no mistake, that He reminds us of this after a storm comes. He uses a rainbow after the storm, to remind us, that the difficult times in our lives, will not go on forever, they will eventually end and beauty will come. Some storms are rather difficult and last a long time, while others, though hard to bear, only last a little while. But no matter what the storm or trial or test we are having to go through... a rainbow will always come. God will always show up. He will bring beauty from pain and will pick up the brokenness of our lives and make us whole again. He is good.

So be encouraged my friends, that no matter what storm in life we are facing... that our Savior promises the rain will end, and the rainbow will come. We will be able to look at our lives and see that He has been faithful, that He has never left our side, and that we are actually stronger now because of the storms we have faced.

Keep searching for the "rainbow" admist the clouds... you will see it eventually. And may that promise of His faithfulness draw you ever closer to Him, and may He receive glory that He is due. For our God is a God that is beyond our understanding... and yet He is a God that wants to know each one of us so intimately. He knows what He is doing with our lives... so let's trust Him... through the rain, through the clouds, and through the beauty of His promise in the rainbow.

The sun after the rain

Today was just a typical day. I had the day off and was set to get a whole bunch of things accomplished (none of which has happened, but the night is still young, right?!) The later on it became, the darker it got outside. Big grey clouds came overhead, soon the thunder began, and then in a few minutes it was as if the heavens just opened up and started pouring right here on the mountain.

It lasted about 10 minutes. I thought it was going to last throughout the night it was so bad. But then... the rain lifted, the clouds moved, and the sun started to peek out. At one point there was rain and sun at the exact same time.

And it got me thinking.

There are storms that we have in life... they come unexpectedly sometimes. We sometimes think they'll last briefly, while others seem to never give in. The rain just keeps pouring and we don't know how much more we can take without feeling like we're drowning in it. We feel like we are outside, with nowhere to go, no shelter from this storm that has come without welcome. But today... the sun came out. The sun came out so much sooner than i thought it would. It came when I wasn't expecting it to. At one point it came while there was still some rain.

Life is like that. Sometimes we get bombarded with rain and thunder and the silly thing is... we're standing outside in it, getting drenched and in danger of the lightening that surrounds us. We have such an obvious option... we try to see how much we can take outside on our own... forgetting that we have Shelter that awaits us. A place to go to be comforted, to be shielded through the storm. Our Shelter is our Father. The sun that comes after our storm, is the lessons we learn through it. It's the falling on our knees completely broken realizing that He is the One we truly must cling to during the storm. We can't be outside trying to act as if we are ok and we can handle it on our own. You get sick staying out in the rain. You get wet and tired and hungry if you stay out too long. No, we MUST go in for Shelter. And even when those storms in life are so bad and it's even a little scary when we are in Shelter... remember, the storm can't make you come outside. We are safe in our Savior's arms. No matter how frightening or horrific the storm... we are nowhere near danger if we run to our Savior for help.

So whatever storms you may be facing... don't handle them on your own. Don't wait outside pretending you have the strength to wait it out. No... run quickly to saftey. Run quickly to shelter.

Run quickly to Jesus... watch the storm from that place of security. And know that there's no better or safer place you could be... then in the arms of the One who will make the sun come out again.