In two days it will be 2011. I can hardly believe we are entering into another year. So much has transpired this past year. As I reflect back I think of pivotal moments that stirred or changed things in my heart. The first starting with me practicing blogging and then the list of life events began: my grandmother passed way, our middle son graduated from boot camp, I started a new job, my second book was published, I went to Mexico with 3 of my 4 children, our oldest son enlisted in the army, my dads health began to fail, my youngest turned 16, my daughter changed colleges.
These memories are frozen in time inside of me. I can recall each day clearly and I can summon up the emotion that is attached to the event as if it were yesterday. The tears of loss, the goodbyes and fears along with the joys of success, victories and triumphs. I rejoice in prayers answered and new roads taken and I tremble with the unknown for my soldier boys in these uncertain times. There are periods it feels as if my heart will cave in with all the worries I carry for my children but then God will swoop in and lift the burden and give me a measure of peace that I will almost feel guilty.
One year has captured the color of change so perfectly. In the famous words of Walt Disney “If nothing changed there’d be no butterflies”, I think on all the changes and can see the butterflies that have come from cocoon like times. Dark, silent and way too long seasons of waiting but the beauty of the breaking-forth’s outweigh all the pain. And if it brings my Savior glory in the end, then I am willing to have my cocoon time.
I can only imagine what this next year will bring. I expect I will be spending a lot of time on my knees as my boys serve overseas. And I also predict God will cover them with His mighty hands and keep them in His perfect will.
As I inspire to finish my third book I try to concentrate on what God has for the year. I always start the year with a Daniel fast and partner with God for what He has in store for our family’s lives and ministry. This will be my fourth year of beginning this way and I have to say it has been incredible seeing the power of God increase with each year. A freshness falls like snow and a warmth of His presence is felt like the summer heat.
I look forward to writing the new things God brings in our lives. I anticipate pain along with joy for our coming year and if I may be so bold, I feel God has given me a word for 2011.
There will be a new construction to take place in peoples lives. He is going to build on what He has started as well as change and remodel a few things. Some will experience add-ons, some renovations, some new foundations and some brand new areas of growth. I see powerful acts of God happening in people’s lives that only can be explained “miraculous” I also expect to see reinstatements in peoples lives. I see fruition coming to those who have been in barren places that is so abundant it’s almost freighting. Due time is coming this year.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. I truly believe this is the year for the lifting up and the season of due time! Wait for it though it tarries wait for it.
May this year bring you all that you have wept for and prayed for. May it be filled with the presence of God and the Power of Him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly all that we ask.
Happy New Year and resolve to make it great!
Holly
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Merry CHRISTmas
We are on the final leg towards Christmas. It is only 4 days away! I pray your home is brimming with family and friends.
As we take time off school or work let’s keep our minds and hearts set on the true meaning of the season. I love the rush of the malls and smells of all the baked goods but without our Savior these fabulous perks are hollow and meaningless. They are just another average day filled with busyness and calories.
As you finish your final stretch, I encourage you to bring to remembrance the very reason we celebrate this “Holyday”. As families travel and gather, let us remember the first travelers that started the journey towards celebrating this glorious day. As gifts pile under the tree, keep in mind the gift that was poured out for us on a criminal’s cross. As we congregate around the table for fellowship and food, recall the gathering in an upper room where His gift of the Spirit fell and empowered the church.
Taking this time to delight in our Savior’s gifts of acceptance, grace, peace and invitation to relationship with God, will bring back the Christ that many are trying to leave out of the season. Say it with conviction when you leave a store, greet a stranger with the fervent message, bless the needy with the hope of what it truly means to proclaim the words “Merry Christmas”. Be the Jesus people need to see, and deliver the gift that the lost need to receive.
It is with a bold heart I say Merry CHRISTmas!!!
Holly Ruddock
As we take time off school or work let’s keep our minds and hearts set on the true meaning of the season. I love the rush of the malls and smells of all the baked goods but without our Savior these fabulous perks are hollow and meaningless. They are just another average day filled with busyness and calories.
As you finish your final stretch, I encourage you to bring to remembrance the very reason we celebrate this “Holyday”. As families travel and gather, let us remember the first travelers that started the journey towards celebrating this glorious day. As gifts pile under the tree, keep in mind the gift that was poured out for us on a criminal’s cross. As we congregate around the table for fellowship and food, recall the gathering in an upper room where His gift of the Spirit fell and empowered the church.
Taking this time to delight in our Savior’s gifts of acceptance, grace, peace and invitation to relationship with God, will bring back the Christ that many are trying to leave out of the season. Say it with conviction when you leave a store, greet a stranger with the fervent message, bless the needy with the hope of what it truly means to proclaim the words “Merry Christmas”. Be the Jesus people need to see, and deliver the gift that the lost need to receive.
It is with a bold heart I say Merry CHRISTmas!!!
Holly Ruddock
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
giving up
“Just give up” was whispered to me in my sleep. For weeks I had been waking up in the early morning with my heart racing in fear. The enemy had been harassing me in my sleep and this was just one of those times. “Give up your dreams and the call” seemed to be his verbatim.
I would contemplate the thought of throwing in the towel during those midnight hours. To just give up on my writing and give myself to work. The temptation was to lay the dreams down because the pipe was getting longer and life was getting shorter. As a working mom and an author I have often wondered when I would get to be strictly a writer. With the constant pressure to just give up and give myself to work and forget about my dreams, I could feel discouragement trying to be my advisor.
Last Saturday the Lord reminded me of a sermon I had preached four years ago. It was titled “The Destruction of Ignorance.” The heart of the message was about close friends brining disaster to our home and for an example I shared the story of my palm tree being destroyed by a new dog we had just adopted from a shelter that had separation anxiety. Out of a panic, he destroyed a palm I had for years and in minutes took it to its roots. With one small remaining stem sticking up out of the pot. After I cleaned up the mess, set it back on its right end, packed the dirt back around its roots and trimmed off the broken pieces it was quite pathetic. To look at it you would have never known that it was a majestic palm; it looked like a new seedling in a big pot. But underneath it was a great root system that declared it was a mature palm.
In church a couple weeks ago one of our pastors gave a word of encouragement. He said, “I sense there are some people in here who feel like giving up. They have been feeling hopeless and discouraged and struggling with the thought of giving up.” I squeezed Joe’s hand as the tears ran down my face. Then last week in church during worship, I had a vision of a giant root. It had once been a great tree of fruition and it was about to bloom again. Then my mind went back to the sermon of the palm tree.
As our senior pastor took the pulpit to preach he was having everybody turn to Psalms 103, I grabbed my bible but my bible landed on Psalms 92. (Don’t you just love it when your bible knows where it needs to fall?) And in my own writing I had bracketed and underlined verses 12-15
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.
God was reminding me and encouraging me to stay the course and to not give up. He was using my words and sermons I had preached. He was using scriptures I had underlined years ago and He was causing me to recall what I believe in and believe for.
Living an average life of work, bills and food has never appealed to me. However for a time, it seemed easier to let go of the dream and just become another person who once had one but grew old. Of course I want to mature and become wiser but I want the years that God is seasoning me in to be complimentary to the dream He has placed in my heart. As a mother my first dream is to instill in my children to dream and aspire and pursue the things of God. And As a mother I need to lead my example.
I would contemplate the thought of throwing in the towel during those midnight hours. To just give up on my writing and give myself to work. The temptation was to lay the dreams down because the pipe was getting longer and life was getting shorter. As a working mom and an author I have often wondered when I would get to be strictly a writer. With the constant pressure to just give up and give myself to work and forget about my dreams, I could feel discouragement trying to be my advisor.
Last Saturday the Lord reminded me of a sermon I had preached four years ago. It was titled “The Destruction of Ignorance.” The heart of the message was about close friends brining disaster to our home and for an example I shared the story of my palm tree being destroyed by a new dog we had just adopted from a shelter that had separation anxiety. Out of a panic, he destroyed a palm I had for years and in minutes took it to its roots. With one small remaining stem sticking up out of the pot. After I cleaned up the mess, set it back on its right end, packed the dirt back around its roots and trimmed off the broken pieces it was quite pathetic. To look at it you would have never known that it was a majestic palm; it looked like a new seedling in a big pot. But underneath it was a great root system that declared it was a mature palm.
In church a couple weeks ago one of our pastors gave a word of encouragement. He said, “I sense there are some people in here who feel like giving up. They have been feeling hopeless and discouraged and struggling with the thought of giving up.” I squeezed Joe’s hand as the tears ran down my face. Then last week in church during worship, I had a vision of a giant root. It had once been a great tree of fruition and it was about to bloom again. Then my mind went back to the sermon of the palm tree.
As our senior pastor took the pulpit to preach he was having everybody turn to Psalms 103, I grabbed my bible but my bible landed on Psalms 92. (Don’t you just love it when your bible knows where it needs to fall?) And in my own writing I had bracketed and underlined verses 12-15
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.
God was reminding me and encouraging me to stay the course and to not give up. He was using my words and sermons I had preached. He was using scriptures I had underlined years ago and He was causing me to recall what I believe in and believe for.
Living an average life of work, bills and food has never appealed to me. However for a time, it seemed easier to let go of the dream and just become another person who once had one but grew old. Of course I want to mature and become wiser but I want the years that God is seasoning me in to be complimentary to the dream He has placed in my heart. As a mother my first dream is to instill in my children to dream and aspire and pursue the things of God. And As a mother I need to lead my example.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
the invisibles
She sleeps on the sidewalk between the street and the fence,
Our nameless and faceless resident.
Her roof is an umbrella her foundation a tarp
And I drive by her home wondering how she'll stay warm.
She’s lost in a world that seems distant to me,
Her eyes are hallow and her face hard to read.
She’s somebody’s daughter, sister or wife,
And she’s wasting away in her cornered-off life.
I can’t seem to sleep knowing she is covered in snow,
Unsure if she has a warm place to go.
These broken little people who are lost and unseen
And wander the streets with faces unclean,
Are noticed by God and loved by the Father
And He is waiting on us to love one another.
The stretch of His arms and the warmth of His hands,
Waits on our heart and our faith to extend.
As we drive by or walk by or see them in church,
Our lives maybe different but in the same way we hurt.
Longing to be seen, loved and accepted
Pained by mans words and feeling rejected.
Our homes maybe different but our hearts need the same,
A Savior to save us and a friend to remain.
Rather we are a people who sleep on a bed or a tarp
Our deliver sees us and heals the broken heart.
By Holly Ruddock
Our nameless and faceless resident.
Her roof is an umbrella her foundation a tarp
And I drive by her home wondering how she'll stay warm.
She’s lost in a world that seems distant to me,
Her eyes are hallow and her face hard to read.
She’s somebody’s daughter, sister or wife,
And she’s wasting away in her cornered-off life.
I can’t seem to sleep knowing she is covered in snow,
Unsure if she has a warm place to go.
These broken little people who are lost and unseen
And wander the streets with faces unclean,
Are noticed by God and loved by the Father
And He is waiting on us to love one another.
The stretch of His arms and the warmth of His hands,
Waits on our heart and our faith to extend.
As we drive by or walk by or see them in church,
Our lives maybe different but in the same way we hurt.
Longing to be seen, loved and accepted
Pained by mans words and feeling rejected.
Our homes maybe different but our hearts need the same,
A Savior to save us and a friend to remain.
Rather we are a people who sleep on a bed or a tarp
Our deliver sees us and heals the broken heart.
By Holly Ruddock
Monday, October 18, 2010
My prayer of thanksgiving
You are my refuge, Lord. When I am weary and tired and full of fear, You hide me in Your shelter. When I think I am alone You send others to encourage me. When the climb is to steep You reach down and lift me up. When I feel silenced because others seem more important, You reassure me I am valuable.
When I am unable to speak You provide the words through my tears. When I have no direction You grab my hand and lead the way. When I am thirsty You lead me to fresh water. When I am shrinking back You thrust me forward. You will not allow me to tremble in fear. You make me courageous. You hover over me when I feel small. You smile when I am curious about deep issues. You catch my tears in a bottle. You never waste a trial I go through. You are not surprised by my sin. You think I am wonderful.
When I am confused You bring assurance. When I am in torment You bring peace. When I have question You become the answer even if I don’t really understand the why of everything. You comfort my broken heart. You cheer me on when I am running on empty. You tell me to come hide in you secret place. You anoint my head. You find good in me when all I see is fault. You make me feel special in a crowd. You remind me I am made for your purpose. You never look down on me. You never make me feel less. Even when I pray the prayer that I would decrease and You increase. You still cause me to feel important in your eyes.
I know I am favored by you. If we were to dance You would spin me and I could stand on Your feet when I don’t know the steps. You like to use me for little things and big. You allow me to see hurting people. You send me to your lost or forgotten. Your presence fills the room with a fragrance that is undeniably You. Only You could think of the colors that grace the fall leaves. Only You could imagine the invisible colors in a rainbow. Only You could make vanilla smell so incredible.
I just want You to know how amazing I think You are and how grateful I am that You love me. How humbled I am that You see me. How shocked I am that You use me. I love You more than life itself. Even during my emptiest days I felt the abundance of life from You.
Thank You for calling me Yours. I am astounding by your unfailing love.
Your adopted daughter
Holly
When I am unable to speak You provide the words through my tears. When I have no direction You grab my hand and lead the way. When I am thirsty You lead me to fresh water. When I am shrinking back You thrust me forward. You will not allow me to tremble in fear. You make me courageous. You hover over me when I feel small. You smile when I am curious about deep issues. You catch my tears in a bottle. You never waste a trial I go through. You are not surprised by my sin. You think I am wonderful.
When I am confused You bring assurance. When I am in torment You bring peace. When I have question You become the answer even if I don’t really understand the why of everything. You comfort my broken heart. You cheer me on when I am running on empty. You tell me to come hide in you secret place. You anoint my head. You find good in me when all I see is fault. You make me feel special in a crowd. You remind me I am made for your purpose. You never look down on me. You never make me feel less. Even when I pray the prayer that I would decrease and You increase. You still cause me to feel important in your eyes.
I know I am favored by you. If we were to dance You would spin me and I could stand on Your feet when I don’t know the steps. You like to use me for little things and big. You allow me to see hurting people. You send me to your lost or forgotten. Your presence fills the room with a fragrance that is undeniably You. Only You could think of the colors that grace the fall leaves. Only You could imagine the invisible colors in a rainbow. Only You could make vanilla smell so incredible.
I just want You to know how amazing I think You are and how grateful I am that You love me. How humbled I am that You see me. How shocked I am that You use me. I love You more than life itself. Even during my emptiest days I felt the abundance of life from You.
Thank You for calling me Yours. I am astounding by your unfailing love.
Your adopted daughter
Holly
Monday, September 20, 2010
His UNFAILING love
I sat outside on my balcony with my coffee in hand. I so enjoy the weather change of the coming fall. The wind was blowing something fierce. I had my Celtic music playing in the back ground and I was praying for my children. As I was pondering the faithfulness of God I looked across the way. In the apartments across from me stood a woman on her balcony in her morning routine. I have seen her before but this time I looked upon her. She stood in the wind with a can of coke in one hand and a cigarette in the other, listening to the leaves rustle. We both seemed lost in thought. Was she praying? Was she lonely? Was she happy?
Our women’s ministries are focusing on Gods unfailing love for and entire year. So as I read His word, or have devotions or even sit on a balcony in the early morning, my thoughts tend to linger on His faithfulness. As I look around me and see other who are in desperate need of knowing His unfailing, faithful love, I am challenged to not forget it.
Psalm 13:5-6 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.
Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
I think about the times I failed in trusting Him. The times I feared He had forgotten me. Days I was certain He had abandon me; and then like a breath of fresh fall air, He would blow hope into my dry bones. He would visit me with a presence of peace that would crush all fear. He would disperse the discouragement that had set up camp around me and sit with me in my lonely place. And I would rest in His unfailing love. He did as His word promised in Psalm 119:41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;
The signs of a person who rest in His unfailing love are subtle yet obvious. When troubles blow in to their lives they are anchored deep in His abilities to either rescue them from them, or weather the storm with them. A gentle confidence is around them. They may be terrified to drive in a real storm but trust in Gods unfailing love in the ice storms of life. They may scream because a nasty, hairy spider crossed their path but they are spiritual ninjas when they are in warfare.
My mother is one of these heroes. She knows Gods unfailing love to a level I would love to be at but dread the road to get there. I have lived for 41 short years(don’t laugh) and have many more troubles, trials and victories to experience. More days of balcony pondering. More days of learning to trust in His unfailing Love. More opportunities to notice those who are afraid and help them. More opportunities to extend my faith, flex my spiritual muscle and be brave in the uglies of life. More years of laying my children before the Lord pleading for their safety. And more years of seeing my prayers answered in His unfailing, faithful way. Lord, help me to not forget your unfailing Love
You are challenged today to do the same.
Our women’s ministries are focusing on Gods unfailing love for and entire year. So as I read His word, or have devotions or even sit on a balcony in the early morning, my thoughts tend to linger on His faithfulness. As I look around me and see other who are in desperate need of knowing His unfailing, faithful love, I am challenged to not forget it.
Psalm 13:5-6 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.
Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
I think about the times I failed in trusting Him. The times I feared He had forgotten me. Days I was certain He had abandon me; and then like a breath of fresh fall air, He would blow hope into my dry bones. He would visit me with a presence of peace that would crush all fear. He would disperse the discouragement that had set up camp around me and sit with me in my lonely place. And I would rest in His unfailing love. He did as His word promised in Psalm 119:41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;
The signs of a person who rest in His unfailing love are subtle yet obvious. When troubles blow in to their lives they are anchored deep in His abilities to either rescue them from them, or weather the storm with them. A gentle confidence is around them. They may be terrified to drive in a real storm but trust in Gods unfailing love in the ice storms of life. They may scream because a nasty, hairy spider crossed their path but they are spiritual ninjas when they are in warfare.
My mother is one of these heroes. She knows Gods unfailing love to a level I would love to be at but dread the road to get there. I have lived for 41 short years(don’t laugh) and have many more troubles, trials and victories to experience. More days of balcony pondering. More days of learning to trust in His unfailing Love. More opportunities to notice those who are afraid and help them. More opportunities to extend my faith, flex my spiritual muscle and be brave in the uglies of life. More years of laying my children before the Lord pleading for their safety. And more years of seeing my prayers answered in His unfailing, faithful way. Lord, help me to not forget your unfailing Love
You are challenged today to do the same.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Keeping the sparkle in your eye
Psalm 13 1-3 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die
Have you ever prayed the prayer, “Don’t forget about me God.”?
The other morning I woke up with this prayer on my lips and I heard in my spirit Psalm 13. So I curled up on the couch and read it. It was as if David had read my mind. I love how a scripture is like fresh bread. Even though I had read it before, possibly hundreds of times, it was as if I had just pulled it from the oven and I tasted it for the first time. It was warm and a sweet morsel to my spirit.
Restore my sparkle.
I have never had the struggles David had but I have had my share of troubles. I am not running from a mad man. Does road rage count? I have never hid in a cave, but sometimes it feels as if I’m lost in one. The verse that really tugs at me is verse 3, Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
How can one live without a sparkle in their eyes? Sparkles fade when tragedy strikes, failure happen, and hopelessness invades. The light in our eyes, the crows’ feet and laugh lines make life abundant, worth some of the pain. Joy isn't Joy unless your familiar with hardships. But a broken heart can darken the sparkle in person’s eyes
Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete
Much of my passion or sparkle comes from living out who I was created to be. And when I fall short of it or feel the largeness of life swallow up my joy, it can feel as if I have been forgotten. Struggling. That the enemy has the upper hand. Why is it that when our sparkle is dimmed our strength is zapped? Nehemiah 8:10b explains it best…for the joy of the LORD is your strength
I find it ironic that when I am in a full belly laugh I have no strength to carry a small box. But Joy is the thing that gives us strength to carry life’s heaviest burden
HIS JOY makes us complete.
What makes Him joyful? Us being who we were created to be. That is why stepping into our destiny is so vital. Pursuing our dreams, our vision, and our passions. Feeling His pleasure when we do what we were created to do! If I were a betting girl, I would say the majority of us feel a fullness of Joy when we are doing what we were designed and wired to do. Regardless of things, money or power.
When I am not doing what I was created for I can feel dull and un-sparkly. My lamp feels clicked off when I feel busy but not productive. When I feel weary from doing average things and too tired to dream big things. ARG. This is when I feel the enemy sucking my joy, my life, my sparkle. Like fluorescent lighting it just drains and discolors you. Your eyes are squinty not because of brightness, but from trying to see.
My passions can be summed up in three areas God, Family, Writing. When I am deprived of time with God and my family I loose my sparkle, it affects my writing, it changes my attitude. When I get to busy for any of my passions, my life is dull and meaningless. I can feel forgotten by God when in actuality it is me doing the forgetting. Sure there are times I will go through season that it feels as if God is quiet even if I am doing my devotions and reading my word. But that’s not what I am talking about here. I am taking about loosing our sparkle because we are consumed with tasks and assignments. We forget what brings God pleasure. We are created for His pleasure and Him seeing us take risks with our gifts and invest them in faith, puts a smile on the Fathers face. When we are doing what we were created to do. Your great dream and desire may be somebodys everyday life. Do it any way! I dont care if its not your career, but a hobby, it makes life so much fuller. We feel His completeness because it is creating completeness in us. It is time for us to sparkle and bring His light to those who are in the shadows. Go,inspire another!
Have you ever prayed the prayer, “Don’t forget about me God.”?
The other morning I woke up with this prayer on my lips and I heard in my spirit Psalm 13. So I curled up on the couch and read it. It was as if David had read my mind. I love how a scripture is like fresh bread. Even though I had read it before, possibly hundreds of times, it was as if I had just pulled it from the oven and I tasted it for the first time. It was warm and a sweet morsel to my spirit.
Restore my sparkle.
I have never had the struggles David had but I have had my share of troubles. I am not running from a mad man. Does road rage count? I have never hid in a cave, but sometimes it feels as if I’m lost in one. The verse that really tugs at me is verse 3, Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
How can one live without a sparkle in their eyes? Sparkles fade when tragedy strikes, failure happen, and hopelessness invades. The light in our eyes, the crows’ feet and laugh lines make life abundant, worth some of the pain. Joy isn't Joy unless your familiar with hardships. But a broken heart can darken the sparkle in person’s eyes
Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete
Much of my passion or sparkle comes from living out who I was created to be. And when I fall short of it or feel the largeness of life swallow up my joy, it can feel as if I have been forgotten. Struggling. That the enemy has the upper hand. Why is it that when our sparkle is dimmed our strength is zapped? Nehemiah 8:10b explains it best…for the joy of the LORD is your strength
I find it ironic that when I am in a full belly laugh I have no strength to carry a small box. But Joy is the thing that gives us strength to carry life’s heaviest burden
HIS JOY makes us complete.
What makes Him joyful? Us being who we were created to be. That is why stepping into our destiny is so vital. Pursuing our dreams, our vision, and our passions. Feeling His pleasure when we do what we were created to do! If I were a betting girl, I would say the majority of us feel a fullness of Joy when we are doing what we were designed and wired to do. Regardless of things, money or power.
When I am not doing what I was created for I can feel dull and un-sparkly. My lamp feels clicked off when I feel busy but not productive. When I feel weary from doing average things and too tired to dream big things. ARG. This is when I feel the enemy sucking my joy, my life, my sparkle. Like fluorescent lighting it just drains and discolors you. Your eyes are squinty not because of brightness, but from trying to see.
My passions can be summed up in three areas God, Family, Writing. When I am deprived of time with God and my family I loose my sparkle, it affects my writing, it changes my attitude. When I get to busy for any of my passions, my life is dull and meaningless. I can feel forgotten by God when in actuality it is me doing the forgetting. Sure there are times I will go through season that it feels as if God is quiet even if I am doing my devotions and reading my word. But that’s not what I am talking about here. I am taking about loosing our sparkle because we are consumed with tasks and assignments. We forget what brings God pleasure. We are created for His pleasure and Him seeing us take risks with our gifts and invest them in faith, puts a smile on the Fathers face. When we are doing what we were created to do. Your great dream and desire may be somebodys everyday life. Do it any way! I dont care if its not your career, but a hobby, it makes life so much fuller. We feel His completeness because it is creating completeness in us. It is time for us to sparkle and bring His light to those who are in the shadows. Go,inspire another!
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