Mistress to Bride

I love the book of Hosea. Well I love the whole Bible, but I don't want this post to be a novel, so I'm going to focus.

In case you don't remember, this is the account of the Lord asking Hosea to take a promiscuous woman as his wife. Hosea's a pretty good guy, and loves God with all he is. If I were him, I'd be pretty confused. But he's obedient and marries her anyway. Well it's no surprise that she is unfaithful to him in their marriage. In Old Testament times, this was grounds for divorce. Hosea easily could've said, "I tried, but it's just not worth it". But he doesn't. He continues to extend faithful love to her, though she mocks their marriage and the Lord by sleeping with other men.

I hope you know me well enough by now to know where this is going. Jesus Christ somehow is able to put up with us, and the ways we mock Him. Every time we lash out at someone, we have failed Him. Every time we look to someone or thing other than our Father to please us, we have failed Him. We perpetually fail Jesus and fall short of His glory, but still our God relentlessly pursues us (Isaiah 41:4). If only we could learn to accepted ourselves as His Beloved.



I will take you to be My wife forever. I will take you to be My wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion. I will take you to be My wife in faithfulness, and you will know the Lord. I will sow her in the land for Myself, and I will have compassion on No Compassion; I will say to Not My People: You are My people, and he will say: You are My God. Hosea 2:19-20, 23

But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God. Hosea 12:6

All-Consuming

Sometimes it's easy to get back in the gym after a bad meet. Today, however, was not one of those days. I dragged myself there because I know what I need to do and I'm the kind of person who just gets it done. I was just going through the motions when I got the idea to pray over my pole. I've been having such a rough time with it and it's really been wearing me down. It sounds a little weird for me to say out loud, but I want Christ to rule over every part of my life, and I want to invite Him in to consume all of me.

As I prayed, the Lord was working in my heart. When a vaulter makes a good height, people look at him or her. The pole literally gets thrown to the ground and ignored. But without the pole, the vaulter wouldn't have gone much of anywhere. God is my pole. Sometimes it looks like I'm doing something well, but really I'm nothing without His Spirit reigning over my body. All the glory truly belongs to Him, and I exist to show more of HIs love and sovereignty to the world.

I want to feel that all-consuming fire burning deep within my soul. I want to burn for the Lord Savior Jesus Christ. I want Him to take me further than I think I can go, and I want to do more than just go through the motions.



Lord, I want to feel You so far deep within me, moving me wherever You want me to go. You are everything that I need, and Your passion for me is matchless. Help me to love You more.

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24

Let The Walls Come Down

I'm reading through Joshua right now, and you're probably familiar with Joshua and the battle of Jericho. The Lord made them victorious by no strength of their own, but by His own power and sovereignty. Ephesians 2 also comes to mind; Jesus Christ brought down the wall between the Gentiles and the Jews. I think it's amazing that God doesn't want any walls to be between Him and His people, but also amongst His own people. The Holy Spirit is in all who are in Christ, so by knowing and loving each other, we love God and worship Jesus, who gave us that Spirit.

A wall came down in my life today; I was able to pole vault from a normal grip. I ran about 10 feet less than usual, but it actually helped because it showed me what my strength really is. To be bend a pole the way I did from a short step like that is a great thing. I'm so blessed my coach suggested that because when you're battling a mental block, the most important thing is to build confidence in any way you can. You just have to learn how to believe that you can do it, and small steps break down big barriers.

What I'm getting at is that there are walls in life. There are roadblocks. I think the Lord wants us to be able to trust Him to work through them. The more we believe in Christ's redeeming love, the more we see ourselves as God sees us. We have to know that we are cherished and strong in the Lord.

The healing begins when our walls are broken down by God's grace.



For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation Ephesians 2:14

Pull Me Through

I'm going through something not so fun at pole vault right now, but it's something a lot of us deal with at some point: vaulter's block. I do awesome drills, and look better than ever. I move back, and my run is so much faster than I've ever been. And then, I just don't jump off the ground. My coach went through this, and it was a similar issue - we're not used to having a faster run. I'm incredibly frustrated and disappointed, but he has been awesome. We were talking after practice and I said, "I just really want to work through this" and he said, "I want to get through it with you. I'm here for you and I know what you're capable of" I wish I could believe in myself as much as he believes in me.

And I realized how parallel this is to God in our lives. We all go through periods of struggle and resistance, but the Lord wants to work through us. His Spirit of love is all-consuming, and He really does desire the best for us. But He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to hear His voice and believe it. Christ gave everything we had so that we would be free from all things holding us captive. We need to be obedient to Him, and see what He sees in us, people worthy of dying for on a cross. He loved us and cherished us before we ever came into being, and we just have to trust that He knows what's good for us. Listen and go for it, that's what we have to do.

I have a great coach and friend wanting to pull me through this challenge of vaulter's block, and an even greater God ready to pull me through this challenge called life.



Lord God, I know You want to take me further than I think I can go. Let me pray boldly for the courage to do what You've called me to do. I know I'm not strong enough, but You are. In this, Your glory will be showcased and not mine, for I can not do this without Your Spirit. I love You more than life, and the symbols of Your faithfulness You've placed in my life. In Jesus Always, Amen

You in Your mercy have led forth, the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation. Exodus 15:13

Inspiration

Two years ago my grandfather gave his life over to Jesus after many struggles, doubts, and pains. 13 years ago, he went to see a specialist who told him he has Parkinson's. Parkinson's is a neurological disease that very slowly takes basic functions away. Each individual progresses in different ways and times; there is no time table and currently, no cure. He doesn't know what's coming next and small things can be very difficult for him, like tying his shoes or buttoning his shirt. But with the support of his family and church community, he is continuing to walk with the Lord and being continually changed by Jesus. He is so outgoing now and loves to greet everyone with a hug.

He has been wanting to share his testimony with his group study for awhile now, and it's time. Thursday, he will read it for his closest supporters. My grandma and I got a sneak preview; as I read it I was sobbing. I was so amazed at what God has done in his life. It was absolutely incredible. I know that the Lord has been preparing his heart for this very day, and that it will all go according to His perfect will. People are really going to be touched by this story, and I am so blessed that he is my grandfather. It is truly inspiring to see someone go through being absolutely miserable, and then be working through such a difficult disease, and still want to trust God and learn from Him through it all. He comes through at the perfect time.



I picked this song, because sometimes the greatest gifts can come through hardships. My grandpa said that a lot of his healing was learning it was ok to cry and be vulnerable. By being broken, he was healed. And in that, we can gain the confidence to approach God just when we need Him.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Constant

I love reading through my old journals. It's so fun to see how much has changed over the years. I was a cheerleader, president of student council, in love with science, wanting to be an actress. All of these things are part of my past, but it doesn't look they're going to be a big part of my future.

Very few things have stayed the same throughout every single day of my life. In fact, only one thing has always always been there, and that's God. He watched me trying to learn about His Son, He saw me fighting against Him every now and then, and He's seen me striving to know Him more and be more like Jesus. There are days that I read that make me not like me all that much, and the Lord still relentlessly pursued my heart. He stood by me through everything, and I am amazed at the kind of love it takes to love a proud know it all control freak like myself. I'm even more amazed at how much He's been able to change me. I'm still learning so much, but I know the Lord will be there through it all. He's my constant



I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:22-26

Not One

I love a lot of things. I love reading, coffee, my family, my friends, pole vaulting, playing guitar, and hanging out with kids to name a few. But if I could only love one thing, it would certainly be the Lord.

I often find myself thinking about how much God loves us. He knows us before we are born and forms every single one of us. He knows the hair on our heads, and the plans He has for us. Not only did He make a whole world for us, He made it possible for us to dwell and rejoice with Him in His splendor forever. God knew we would fail Him, so He came up with a plan. He would step down from His throne, and walk His earth alongside us. He would show us what it means to love someone. Jesus' mission was to teach us what love looks like: it is patient and kind; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It has no beginning and no end. Where is love more visible than on the cross, where the blood of the Lamb poured out with every shortness of breath.

There has never been and there never will be another love like this. It just doesn't exist. We don't even have the words to truly describe what it is. I mean, we don't really love Jesus the way we love coffee. We revere, adore, worship, praise, and bow down to Jesus and it is still not enough to capture everything He is and everything He's done for us. There is not one love, not one name, that is higher than that of our Lord and Savior.



Lord, You are the true love of my life. I wish there were another word that would more accurately capture what I mean when I say that. Love has come to be so many things, but in reality, You are love. You love me first, so I love You. Amen

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

There is no greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. John 15:3

There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12