Happy Spring to you all!  Forgive me for my negligence in writing! Life's been kind of nuts, as I'm sure it is for many of you.  And just when I think things are settling down and I can exhale, something happens and things get nutty again!  I guess that's life though, and we learn to find His peace in the midst of it.  Peace isn't inactivity, but it's being settled in spirit in the middle of the chaos.  Still, I do long for more quiet moments to steal away.  

Life reminds me a lot of Colorado weather.  This last week, just when I packed up all my sweaters and warm items, we got a blizzard.  I knew, in the back of my mind, that this would probably happen, but something in me is eager to embrace the new season and so I move around stuff in the closet and get ready for SPRING!  Then...BOOM!...we get nailed with snow, and I have to break out the scarves and coats again.  Then, the next week it's 70 degrees.  It reminds me not to get too attached or too comfortable in the season I am in, because the Lord is constantly mixing things up, in a good way, in order to cause us to fully develop our "wardrobe." That wardrobe is the fruit of the Spirit and the weapons of our warfare.  And so, while I love those seasons where I feel like life is coasting along so smoothly, often I can find myself getting stagnate in my relationship with Him.  Then, when things shift and "winter" comes for a bit, He's reminding me of my deep need for Him.  Suddenly, in that harsh wind, His Spirit blows.   

Anyway, I was just thinking about that today, because two days ago we did have that blizzard, and today it is beautiful and sunny and soon to be warm again.  Seasons come and go, as does the craziness, joy and pain of life, but one thing is constant...our need for Him.  

Another thing God's been showing me, as He's been peeling back some of the layers I've allowed to accumulate around me, is how much I sometimes process life through the need to please others.  Does anyone else fall victim to that besides me?  Being a first-born, I was always the one who wanted to get straight A's, win the Spelling Bee (which I did, by the way), say the right thing, do the right thing, make everyone happy. Throw in the "artistic personality" and you got real trouble.  It's a house of cards, and if you carry those tendencies into your adult life, you tend to order your life around what "others" want or need of you, rather than being true and authentic.  God has been showing me that tendency in me...the tendency to protect and to operate in fear, at times, rather than faith.  So, I'm learning.  I'm asking Him to slow me down and speak to me in those moments so I can rightly divide the truth - to love and live more authentically.  

What's God doing in your life right now?  I'd love to hear from you.  What new things is He showing you about you, your family and  your faith?  My prayer for you is the same as it is for me..."God, get me where I can be best utilized for Your glory...and if I am blind or mid-guided, please protect me from myself, so that I might be fully used for Your name's sake.  Set me free from all that holds me back from being salt and light in this world.  Use me, Lord.  Heal me, that I might help bring healing to others.  May I find my satisfaction in YOU, Lord."

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!  May the Lord find you in the very place that you are right now and speak tenderly to you, leading you into fertile places..."