Life's Puzzling Pieces

Life's Puzzling Pieces

"As we pass through the dark experiences of life we see only that dark piece. Our experiences resemble a jigsaw puzzle. Here is a black piece, which seems to fit nowhere at all. It does not make sense. Here is a little brighter piece, and other sections of the jigsaw puzzle are dark, and some pitch black, and we cry and moan in these black moments. But by-and-by the Master will take all the pieces, which look so disconnected to us now, and carefully arrange each piece in its proper place, and then we shall see the completed work of Him who makes no mistakes. Listen, when it is all ready, we shall find that the dark pieces of the puzzle were as important in the completion of the full beauty of the pattern as the bright sections. The dark background will only bring out in bolder and more gorgeous relief the figures in the picture, in the center of which will be His lovely face, and around it the experiences of life over which we mourn now but for which we will praise Him then." 

From the book, "Broken Things", by DeHaan p.137

Let the adventure begin...

Do you know that feeling sometimes you get when you hear a distant train whistle? Or when you see an airplane take off? Or maybe just looking at a road map? The smell of the ocean and the site of a ship out to sea. All of which silently calls ... adventure. 

Or, maybe it's just me... but I love adventure. I love traveling. I love learning new things, meeting new people, and exploring what I don't know. I think I'd go anywhere and everywhere in the world if I could only afford to. It is just built into who I am. I don't think I'd ever be happy staying in one plot of soil the rest of my life. Of course, I'd do that too if God asked me to. Thankfully He hasn't, though. 😀 No, instead, He has moved me into an entirely different direction. The unknown. The uncertain. The unforeseen. An adventure. 

Besides having a strong desire to travel, the Lord has also given me a love for English. More specifically, TESL. (Teaching English as a Second Language) I first heard of it back in 2012, when one of my coworkers at the time, shared how she traveled to different foreign countries teaching ESL classes and also giving the gospel to close door countries. Something in my heart was stirred and I never forgot it. I thought about how incredible that would be. Not that I would ever do it myself, or so I thought. Time went on and the desire always stuck. I prayed about it. Then in 2016, I took the first step and enrolled in an online college course. The Bridge TEFL. Through this program, I am certified to teach ESL anywhere in the world, with the exceptions of North America and United Kingdom. And I was surprised to see just how many countries instantly became available to travel to, to teach at, and to possibly share the gospel of Jesus Christ with. This thrills my soul. God could send me anywhere, as long as He went with me. 

In February of last year, our church read aloud a letter from one of the missionaries we support. Brother Kory Mears in Fiji. In this letter, although not extremely detailed, he mentioned the growing need for an ESL school and the desire to, Lord willing, start ESL classes in the coming year. It jumped off the page and landed in my lap. (Not literally 😋) And thus I began to pray in a specific direction. That summer, the Lord allowed for Brother Mears to come visit our church and I was able to share with him what I was thinking and praying about. He seemed excited and agreed to pray with me for the Lord's direction. Since that time, God has given so much peace, answers to many questions, and a lot of wisdom. Lord willing, I am now in the process of getting ready to move to Fiji, where I'll be teaching ESL for the next year.

God has given me an adventure. One I know He intends to use for His amazing glory, His Eternal Kingdom, and my ultimate good. He is so gracious. So patient. And He is faithful to show us His will. And He is good, in enabling us to take it up by faith.

I compiled this blog, http://lyneasletters.blogspot.com/, if you would like to follow it also, mostly to share this adventure with you. To show you where I am at, what I'm learning, what God is doing, and hopefully be an encouragement in Christ. To challenge you, Christian, to trust in a God who cannot fail. To God be the glory for great things He hath done. 

 Blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord,

,

      Lynea

"Thou Mighty Man of Valour"

I love the story of Gideon. (Judges 6-8) 

It is such a picture of God's intention to use us for something, when we don't feel very usable. 

It is an awesome example of how God often sees in us, something we do not see in ourselves. 

Gideon wasn't a mighty man of valour. At least, not to our standards and certainly not to the standards he had for himself. (Judges 6:14-16)

But GOD called him, "thou mighty man of valour" in Judges 6:11-12. Gideon was hiding. He was threshing wheat in the most unsuspecting way possible, because of his enemies the Midianites. He wasn't super courageous. He wasn't super strong. In fact, he gives the Angel of the Lord a list of reasons why he shouldn't be the man to lead in the deliverance of God's people. But, that list didn't matter. Why? Because GOD knew what He was doing and because GOD was the one doing it. God calls us by a "new name" in the book of Revelation. And here, God calls Gideon by what Gideon wouldn't call himself. God calls him to something he wouldn't have felt called or qualified for. And so the Lord does with you and with me. We know who we are. And we know that 'in us is no good thing'. (Romans) How could we do what a holy, all-powerful God would do? We can't. And if we are honest, we know we can't. But what does God say? "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37
He holds the power source and we are promised that power (even a faith that moves mountains!) through Him. Gideon is filled with the Spirit. (v. 33-35) and what happens? He lays out a fleece. (More than one actually.) He obeys God. He tares down his father's idols. He listens to God when the LORD told him to send MOST of the men willing to fight with him away. There were too many for GOD to get the glory. What did Gideon do to win victory? In men's eyes... something very foolish. He blew a trumpet. He lit a lamp. And GOD delivered the people. "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon". (Judges 7:17-18)

God calls us to step out by faith. Not based on what we see in ourselves. Not limited to what we think we already know how to do. But based on a God who cannot fail. A God who cannot lie. A God who always wins victories.

It is said that courage isn't the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to act in spite of that fear. Gideon was used of the Lord to win the victory against his enemies, because he had ENOUGH FAITH to allow God to OVERCOME his weakness. This is what the Lord want to do through us. To take Him at His word by FAITH and ACT on it.

This really encouraged me recently with some of the things God has asked me to do. Teaching is something I have never done before. But He's opened the door for me to go to Fiji and teach ESL there. I know I'm going to feel nervous to the point of being sick when I stand in front of a room full of people who don't speak the same language as me! Moving to a foreign country for a year without much of a plan past that, the unfamiliarity, the unknowns and lack of the same sense of security I've know all my life to this point, isn't easy for me. I know my own weakness and inability. And so does the LORD. In fact, He knows those weaknesses better than I even do. But God also sees the invisible. Faith. He sees what He can do, if I'll only choose to trust Him and step out on His word. This is a blessing. I might feel weak and doubtful and afraid, but God says "thou mighty man of valour". And I can trust what HE says over what I feel or think. To God be the glory...for great things He HAS done and WILL do... if we would only trust Him by faith.

Asking God for Specifics

Last Spring, 2015, I remember praying one day. My family had just sold our house and were preparing to move to a new location and build. There was already a special place between the Lord and I where I'd always go to pray at night. I'd shed a lot of tears there. Shared my heart with God. And it was almost sad to think of leaving it behind, although I know God is not limited by a "prayer closet". So I remember asking the Lord if I could have a new special place to pray in our next home. Outside would be nice. I thought, especially in the summer time. But also some place that felt safe and somewhat secluded. And so I left my request with Him. I knew He'd have the perfect place in mind if that is what He desired. And then I kind of forgot about it.

And so time went on and my family moved. Twice actually, before we finally settled into our new home. The Lord really has blessed us with a beautiful place to live. And so I was out one day to take my usual walk. I love walking. I felt more adventurous than normal and decided not to take the road...and so up the hill near our house I went. It isn't owned by anyone...and it happens to open up to the most beautiful view over the ridge. But you have to climb to find it. So I climbed. And there it was. My new special place. An old little bench sitting on the top of the small hill. It must have been there for a long time. But it was perfect. And so scenic! And I sat there for a minute and thought- how lovely. Then I remembered. I had asked God for this almost exactly a year ago. I'd forgotten. And although it had taken me a little while before I found it...it was here waiting all along.

A bench might seem like a small thing. But it meant a lot to me...and reassures me of both my Father's love for me and that He cares so much about what I ask Him for. He is such a good Heavenly Father. Sometimes I wonder that He could love everyone so much as I know He loves me. I feel like I must somehow take up all His time. I'm so needy. And He is always there. Always working on my behalf. And yet, God is so amazing as to care and seek all men in this same way.

I'm encouraged to ask God for specific things. For little things and big things. I don't want to limit God in any way. I am willing to dare for the impossible. Like Caleb did, in entering the promised land. It didn't matter that there were giants! God was greater and desired to win amazing victories. And he believed God for them, even when no one else did.

"And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it." (Numbers 13:30 and 14:24)

I don't mean to say that we are given everything we ask for. The Bible tell us how that we can ask amiss...and how we need to pray in the will of God. But that also doesn't mean you can't get honest and real with the Lord and bring before Him all things.

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:13-15)

I'm thankful for my new little place...and it feels extra special, just knowing that God gave it to me. So what have you asked Him for? What are you daring enough to trust Him to do? The Lord is faithful. And I know that we can trust His answer to us, no matter what it is.

Quote of the Day

"The elements of happiness in this present life no man can command, even if he could command himself, for they depend on the action of many wills, on the purity of many hearts, and by the highest law of God the holiest must ever bear the sins and sorrows of the rest; but over the blessedness of his own spirit circumstance need have no control; God has therein given an unlimited power to the means of preservation, of grace and growth, at every man's command."

J.H. Thom

Peacefully Drowning

Spiritual Lessons

Peacefully Drowning

 

6:15 Am. I reach over and dismiss the alarm. Jumping out of bed I grab my Bible and rush through devotions. Personal, throbbing hurts to tend to – but there isn't time to think or write.

7:45 Am. I multi-task by cooking breakfast, getting dressed, taking out my seventeen different supplements for the day, and start the car so the windshield ice might melt. That's when I remember my heater and defroster won't work in the cold. I scrape away at the ice with my gloves while standing with snow in my boots, picking away at the unyielding ice. The sun is just coming over the mountain. I'm caught away in a tempest of thoughts. I have 100 things to do today...or was it 101? I know there was something else to remember... Oh yeah! Breakfast inside is burning!

8:00 Am. I'm supposed to be driving out the Hutto Highland gates right now. Instead, I'm scraping the bottom of a burnt pot. The second pot I've burned – in the last two days. Mom's threatened to buy me my own pots and pans. Abbie comes down stairs and demands that we play dolly. Plus she needs me to pour her milk. Beth has a math question and Jeremy is frustrated with penmanship. I go to rinse the pot and remember we ran out of water last night....and we don't have gasoline for the generator.

8:10 Am. I'm in the car driving out the gate. That's when I remember I left my lunch at the house.

8:45 AM I'm off the snowy mountain, wrapped in blankets and beanie and gloves, and on my way to work. Ponderay Lake is dark and choppy, fringed in powdery snow. I sometimes play music or listen to preaching or a book on CD, but my own mind is an overwhelming companion. It never pauses long enough for me to listen to anything else. Family difficulties weigh down. I ponder how to make more time. I feel like I'm drowning. But sometime God will stay the waves from crashing in on me....right?

5:00 PM. I'm locking up. There's still so much to do. My boss is on family leave and needs me here more than ever. Talked on the phone today with mom. She's doing worse. I still have groceries to get.

6:30 PM I'm home. I still have to make my own dinner even though the family is sitting down to theirs. I kick off my boots, set my things down in a chair and rush into the kitchen to prepare food.

8:00 PM I'm dead tired but there's dishes to do.

9:30 PM I sit in bed with jammies on and my diary on my lap. I want to recount the events of my day but I'm so tired. I wonder why life seems so bleak and purposeless and chaotic. I wonder why I feel sick and why I look sick. My health is deteriorating along with my sanity. Mid-sentence I remember I have forgotten to remove my nail polish... I stare down at my toes. I'm just too tired.

10:00 PM I run downstairs, heat my water bottle for my nightly castor oil pack. My parents are talking about life's hardships. Car broke down. Money can't be stretched any farther. Health issues. Complex relationships. I go to bed thinking of the full day of work I will have tomorrow. Dad needs help at work. How to put my life on hold? I have started going to bed later and later ... I fall asleep with the thought that I have no other choice than to get up early the next morning.

Somewhere along life I stopped.

Was God judging me? Had I done something wrong? Or maybe He was teaching me....something? That's when I decided I didn't need to know. And I was just going to trust Him. Even if He never made the continual crashing waves stop. Even if He didn't come to my rescue and call “Peace be Still”. I was drowning, but from now on, I decided I was going to peacefully drown. And it happened.

6:15 Am. I reach over and dismiss the alarm. Jumping out of bed I grab my Bible. I only have a little time for devotions. I simply tell God what hurts. I don't have time to write it out. I simply tell Him.

7:45 Am I multi-task by cooking breakfast, getting dressed, taking out my seventeen different supplements for the day, and start the car. I remember my heater and defrost doesn't work in the cold. I scrape away at the ice. The sun is just coming over the mountain. My storm of thoughts comes to take over, but I take the time to breathe in the cold air and look at the sunrise. God is good. He gave me today. And somewhere He mentions that His mercies are new every morning. Thank God for mornings. Oh yeah! Breakfast inside is burning!

8:00 Am. I'm supposed to be driving out the Hutto Highland gates right now. Instead, I'm scraping the bottom of a burnt pot. The third pot I've burned this week. Maybe Mom will buy me my own pots and pans. Abbie comes down stairs and demands that we play dolly. As I pour her milk for her cereal I tell her how much I would love to play with her. Maybe after work we will play dollies in bed. Beth has a math question. I show her her mistake. Jeremy is frustrated with penmanship. I let him know he has beautiful penmanship, and sometime this evening I will help him. I go to rinse the pot and I am thankful we have water.

8:10 Am. I'm in the car driving out the gate. That's when I remember I left my lunch at the house.

8:45 AM I'm off the snowy mountain, wrapped in blankets and beanie and gloves, and on my way to work. Ponderay Lake is dark and choppy ...and beautiful. The sun casts pink highlights and the border of trees stand like ancient white towers. I live in a picture-perfect place. My mind is an overwhelming companion, reminding me of my “to do list”. I decide to sing. I sing to God, quietly and sincerely and without talent. It really doesn't matter: it's just us. I sing about my family difficulties. And my lack of time. And how I feel like I'm drowning. I tell Him I'm going to drown peacefully, even if it doesn't feel peaceful. I realize it's not just me and my mind today...I have a better companion.

5:00 PM. I'm locking up. There's still so much to do. Talked on the phone today with mom. She's doing worse. I still have groceries to get.

6:30 PM I'm home. I still have to make my own dinner even though the family is sitting down to theirs. I kick off my boots, set my things down in a chair and rush into the kitchen to prepare food.

8:00 PM I'm dead tired but there's dishes to do. I find time to play a ten minute round of dollies and to talk to Beth and Jeremy.

9:30 PM I sit in bed with jammies on and my diary on my lap. I'm so tired. I know why I feel sick and why I look sick. My health is deteriorating because I was so desperately fighting the waves. Mid-sentence I stare down at my toes. I'm still just too tired. But it's okay.

10:00 PM I run downstairs, heat my water bottle for my nightly castor oil pack. My parents are talking about life's hardships. Car can't be fixed. Money can't be stretched any father. Health issues. Complex relationships. I go to bed thinking of the full day of work I will have tomorrow. Dad needs help at work. Life can't be put on hold. This IS life. I crawl into bed and turn off my lamp. So this is what it feels like to drown peacefully. My circumstances haven't changed, but instead of fighting I'm at peace with it all. Morning will come, all too quickly, but now I didn't dread it so much.

Resting in His Time

Spiritual Lessons

"Resting in His Time"

I stepped into her new little home. It was small, but cozy. There were old family pictures on the wall and blankets folded up in a chest. She pointed out what once used to be her grandmother's and that was now passed down for her own household. It was sweet. Here she was, newly married, pregnant, and getting ready to set out on an adventure of a lifetime. And in a small way, I envied her. I've always dreamed of doing some of those same things. Getting married, setting up your own little 'home', having babies, and starting off on the adventures of life along side your best friend. It was almost a melancholy feeling, even though I was really happy for my friend.

Timing is something I've been pondering lately. It seems like God rarely ever does things how we expect Him to, if ever. Even things we feel like He's told us about. His timing certainly isn't ours and when the Bible says "His ways are past finding out" (Romans 11), He really meant it. And honestly, that's probably a very good thing. God gives us grace for the 'here and now', and not our tomorrows. If you could peak ahead and glance at what your life would be like in 5 years...would you? I would be tempted to. I'm a naturally curious person. But I know that I'd regret it if I had. Here I would have seen some things, possibly even really hard things, and I would have forfeited my 5 years of His grace in preparing me for that future time. Now that might seem rather silly to some. Obviously, you CAN'T see into your future, whether you would choose to or not. But, I think some girls are in danger of doing this in their hearts and even their imaginations. They 'dream up' what their futures will be. They have expectations. And when these expectations aren't met, they fall into despair. Sometimes we even hold expectations as to timing. I wouldn't have thought I'd be almost 23 and still single. My mom was married rather young and so were some of my sisters. It was just kind of an 'expected'. But, here I am regardless. And I'm thankful. God hasn't failed me, because I'm still unmarried. And God would still not have failed me  even if I NEVER got married. Why? Because my life is to be "hid with Christ in God". I belong to Him. I was created for His purpose above any other. He has a reason for His timing, even though we can't see it for ourselves. And in a way, it really is thrilling. He has a beautiful purpose for my life...even right now at this moment... and it is a purpose for good. For His glory, for our sanctification, and for others' service. He obviously doesn't have a need for me to be married just yet, or else I would be, and that's okay. He knows exactly what He is doing and I can trust Him for it. He cares. I'm not forgotten in the shuffle. 

As a single young woman, sometimes there are the "ups and downs" of being single. At least, there is for me. As much as maybe we'd even like to suppress it, we can't deny that as a woman, we were created to compliment a man. There is no way around it. It is a natural God given desire and calling. We were created to nurture. Whether that be children, our husbands, our families, brothers and sisters, our communities, our pets, a garden, or even plants! It's there. And sometimes, in being single, it can be a frustrating desire to deal with. It would be easier just to "throw in the towel" so to speak and say "who needs men! I'm getting an apartment and a dog!" But true peace and real purpose for my life lies in surrender. Laying down all our desires, natural, God given, or otherwise, and placing ourselves in His will for His divine purpose. Just as I wouldn't seek marriage to complete or fulfill my life, I also wouldn't swing in the other direction and embrace singleness to prove my independence. Embracing or denying a desire doesn't make it go away. It must be given over to God. He can deal with it. He can give us the grace and strength to be content and courageous women for Him right where He's placed us.

If you are still single, you can count on it, there is a divine reason for it. I'd like to encourage you to stay faithful to Him. He's doing something special. He's preparing your heart. He's writing your story. Marriage is only a step in the journey. It isn't the journey itself. So even in the ups and downs of being single, the happy times, the hard times. The times when it feels so easy, when you feel content and ready to serve Him alone. When your heart is soaring. And then the times too, when hope feels lost and desire seems forgotten. When your heart feels the squeeze of a hope deferred. Can we still trust Him? Yes. Can we rest in His timing for us? Yes. Knowing that He works "all things together for good". (Romans 8) Knowing that "all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Colossians 1)

Quote of the Day

“Beware of letting your care degenerate into anxiety and unrest; tossed as you are amid the winds and waves of sundry troubles, keep your eyes fixed on the Lord, and say, ‘Oh, my God, I look to Thee alone; be Thou my guide, my pilot’; and then be comforted. When the shore is gained, who will heed the toil and the storm? And we shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. If at times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, never fear; let us take breath, and go on afresh. Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes produced by the multiplicity of your domestic worries. No indeed, dearest child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the loving, forbearing graces which our dear Lord sets before us.”

(St. Francis De Sales, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 175)

A Prison of Hope

Spiritual Lessons

A Prison of Hope

“Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;”

(Zechariah 9:12)

“Ye prisoners of hope”. I read this verse just recently in my devotions. I'd never thought of 'hope' as possibly being a ‘prison’ before. It was a concept that interested me. Usually, if I would ever think of hope, especially in comparison to a prison, I would naturally assume it lied outside of the prison walls. Maybe like the light that shines through the cell window, or the lingering distant escape from something. Like our future escape from our present reality. Hope should feel like the light at the end of the tunnel...right? Yes, but not always. Hope can be a prison of its very own. Sometimes God asks us to hope for something, and that very hope can actually feel like a heavy burden, a cross to bear, or in this case, a prison. Sometimes, it hurts to hope. It cuts deep into our insecurity and vulnerability. The pain of an absolute, declarative “no” would often times feel more gracious than His, “maybe, wait and see”. Having an unanswered desire can feel more difficult to bear sometimes, than a direct answer. Hope can be painful. Especially when it involves someone else.

Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”

The truth is, our hearts are afraid of being sick. Hope feels open and vulnerable and risky. It is easier not to hope at all, than the fear of being made sick by it. Our hearts are sensitive and fragile. We fear disappointment. We fear rejection. We fear heartaches. But the Lord doesn’t advocate us to fear in this way. We are to fear Him, certainly, but He tells us to “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) He tells us in I John 4:18 that “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Sometimes He asks us to hope, even when it hurts to. Sometimes He asks us to hope against hope. And sometimes He will even reveal a specific future promise and then require us to hope in Him for its fulfillment. Our hopes can take all different forms. They are unique and personal to each of us. Some cannot even be shared with others.

Some “prisons of hope” are merely rotting structures of selfish. Sometimes they are caused by our own foolish making. Not all “hope” in our hearts is by any means “spiritual” or should be nurtured as such. The Bible tells us that our hearts are deceitfully wicked. We need to seek the Lord in honesty and complete surrender as to what hopes He’s allowed or not. Sometimes in our prisons of hope, He never actually intended us to be there in the first place and has already unlocked and opened the door for our escape and we are too busy wallowing in our own self-pity to walk out.

Dear heart, do you find yourself trapped inside a “prison of hope”? I would like to encourage you. Jesus knows the hope you feel.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

He was in “all points tempted like as we are”. You are not alone. He cares about the state of your heart. He understands what it is to feel the pain of a heartache. He cares when you feel trapped by a prison of hope. He sees when your heart takes off hoping, even without your mental consent to do so. Sometimes we can’t help hoping. And that is okay. I John 3: 20 says, “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”

We have a safe place to turn. Jesus is greater than our hearts. But I would encourage you to examine your heart, to examine your prison of hope. It is honestly a place the Lord has allowed you to be in? Has He asked you to hope there? If not, we must surrender that hope. We must ask Him to take all our hope, all our desire, and replace it with His best and perfect will for us. His will is never something to fear. He is love. He delights to give us the desires of our hearts, but only when He knows that that desire will not hurt us. Love cannot allow that. Love must always provide through the best possible. And if you are in a place, a prison that Jesus has asked you to hope in, then take heart, my friend, and trust Him.

Zechariah 9:12 said, “Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;”

In our prison of hope, we have a strong hold that we are commanded to turn to. And that strong hold is Jesus.

“But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.” (Psalms 94:22)

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7)

“Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.” (Psalms 71:3)

“For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” (Psalms 71:5)

Jesus is there in the dear hopes of our hearts, as well as in our deep heartaches. I remember when I discovered for the very first time what it truly meant to feel literal physical pain from a heartache. It no longer was a “term” I’d heard, but a reality in my life. And Jesus was there. Holding me. Comforting me. He eased the pain. And He gave me Psalms 69:32-34, “…and your heart shall live that seek God. For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. Let the heaven and earth praise him….”

The heart that seeks Him shall live. We can abide in a place of hope, because He is our hope. He is faithful. We can trust Him with our hearts. We do not have to fear disappointment from Him.

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” (Psalms 42:5)

“And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.”       (Psalms 39: 7)

Is your soul cast down? Hope thou in God. He is our help. He is our refuge. He is our stay. We can trust Him with our hope.

“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (Hebrews 6:18-20)

Quote of the Day

"Be trustful, be steadfast, whatever betide thee,
 Only one thing do thou ask of the Lord,-
 Grace to go forward wherever He guide thee,
 Simply believing the truth of His word."


(Anonymous, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 121)

Keeping our Hearts with Diligence (Part I)

Spiritual Lessons

Keeping our Hearts with Diligence

Part One

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."  (Proverbs 4:23)

I'll be honest. This verse has always discouraged me. I've heard it my whole life growing up- "Keep your heart. Keep your heart. Keep your heart!" I've even told this to other girls younger than me. But what does it mean to "keep your heart" anyways? It always felt like a pretty good saying that was somewhat overused and completely unexplained. But it was Biblical, right? It was most commonly used in reference to boys. Not giving your heart away to some guy you "like" or have a "crush on" when you're 14, that may after all, never be your husband. 

It has also been commonly used as I’ve gotten older, during the years when you are officially “coming of age” and marriage is actually a very real possibility. If you ever show interest in a guy or he shows interest in you, it is one of the first things you hear. “Keep your heart.” It sounds good, I’d like to be able to do that, but how? What does it even mean? What does it look like, practically applied?

I’ve been told that if you don’t keep your heart, you will be giving away pieces of that heart, which can never again be recovered. That you will then, never have a “complete” heart to give someone else. I am honestly not sure this is strictly true, just speaking from experience, but I do know there is a difference between “liking someone” and literally “giving someone your heart”. Some girls think they are “in love” with a guy they’ve hardly even spoken three words to, when really, they are only in love with the idea of being in love. This is called “infatuation”. For those of you who might be worried that because you have liked someone, you’ve ruined any chance of giving yourself completely to your husband, I’d like to say that giving your heart, is actually a choice we make. Just like love is a choice. It is painful, vulnerable, and not something that “accidently happens” without our knowing it. Being attracted to someone isn’t “falling in love with that person”. Also, just because you are interested in a potential possibility, doesn’t mean you are “beyond the point of no return”.

That being said, however, I would also like to bring out the fact that our hearts are extremely weak and vulnerable. We can form dangerous “heart strings” very quickly. We can easily become unhealthily attached to someone. (For more on “heart stings”- please look up Toni’s previous post "HeartStrings".) We do need to be careful. The Lord wouldn’t have commanded us to “keep our hearts with all diligence” if He also didn’t know that out of them are the “issues of life”! Our hearts are also very deceitful. The Lord describes them as such in Jeremiah 17:9- “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

We can’t even know our own hearts. They deceive us. 

But guess who does?

“I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

Job understood this truth. He says – “And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee.” (Job 10:13)

Just because “giving our hearts away” is a choice, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful not to make that choice. And because our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful, we need to be cautious. Just the simple fact that God told us to “keep” them, actually means that they can be “given away”. So how do we keep our hearts?

Here is something I recently wrote in my diary-

“The heart seems unruly and impossible to keep. But then, why would He give the command to? He would be an unjust God to command something without giving the ability to actually do it. God doesn’t give commands that are unreasonable. Yet, He also tells us that without HIM, we can do nothing. He is involved in the heart’s keeping. He has to be. However, I think there are principles we can live by to help that along. Just like, we can ‘quench the Spirit’, we can quench His working in our hearts.”

Here are some principles which I believe enable us to keep our hearts with all diligence. All of them are taken from the four verses immediately following Proverbs 4:23, where He tells us to “keep our hearts with all diligence”.

 “Put away from thee a forward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” (v.24)

Firstly, we have our mouths. James has a lot to say about the tongue.

“Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! …For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. … Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? …Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:4-5,7-8,10-11,13)

Where are our words continually dwelling? What are our lips speaking? What are we always talking about? Is it the typical “Who likes who”? Is it always about boys? And romance? Or maybe something even a little more subtle. “I can’t wait to do this or that for my wedding!”? Whatever it might be. Is it wrong to like someone? No. Is it evil to want to get married? Certainly not. Is it wicked to be excited about what you might or might not do for your wedding colors? No, it isn’t. But what we are usually talking about, what we are always dwelling on, says something about where our hearts are. We also need to remember that our mouths also affect our listener. We are not an island to ourselves. Remember how James just talked about a fountain either yielding bitter water or sweet? It is the exact same with our words. We can either be edifying our listener, or we can be corrupting their minds. It could be blessing or cursing. Why won’t we try to use our words to edify? Maybe the next time one of your girl friends wants to talk about the “latest with so and so”, you could casually change the topic. Why not share what’s on our hearts about Christ? He is an endless and beautiful subject matter. Or maybe, we don’t, simply because we wouldn’t have anything to share? I hope not. Or maybe you know someone who is discouraged about their singleness? You just might be able to encourage that heart to stay content in Jesus alone, simply by how you use yours words. A wise man will show forth his works in a good conversation.

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.”  (v.25)

Next, we have our eyes. We are told to let them look “right on” and to what is “straight before thee”. But in doing so, we have to honestly ask ourselves a few questions. What is before me? Where are my eyes looking? Who are they looking at?

Hebrews 12:2 says- “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Corinthians 3:18)

What we are focused on, is what we become. As we set our faces towards the Lord, we are changed into the same image. I wonder what our faces would look like in comparison to this standard. I wonder what we’d honestly see. It depends completely on what our hearts are truly seeking. What are we looking for? Romance? Marriage? Selfish desires? Fulfillment from our own dreams? 
I hope it’s more. 
Proverbs 23:5 warns us about where we set our eyes.

“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?"

If the Lord has told us “no”, then there is a good reason for it. To continue to set our eyes and hearts on something that is not the Lord’s will for us, is not only vain, but can be a hindrance in our walk with the Lord. We have to trust Him with our hearts’ desires. We have to rely on His wisdom. 

He searches the same heart that so easily deceives us.

Proverbs 14:30 says- “A sound heart is the life of the flesh:  but envy the rottenness of the bones.”

What is a sound heart other than a strong confidence and contentment in the Lord? A heart that is set towards following Jesus Christ. Not having a heart that is envious. Not wanting something that doesn’t belong to you. That could also apply to things we just don’t have yet. Are our desires and the focus of our hearts encouraging “life”, or maybe, “rottenness” to our bones? Where we set our eyes bears a big part in how we keep our hearts with all diligence.

I will continue these thoughts very soon in “Keeping our Hearts with Diligence Part II”.

Trusting Jesus

Spiritual Lessons

Trusting Jesus

Trusting Jesus all the way

While the dawn still breaks the day.

Heavy chains confining, what weary burdens I see,
Yet, such peace abiding, as I wait on Thee.

Trusting Jesus to keep me near

Casting away, all thoughts of fear.

Pressing towards that high calling in God,

Oh what blessedness! This path I trod.

Trusting Jesus to do His will

By His grace, each duty fulfill.

Obedient while Time still holds,

Watching His plans toward me unfold.

Trusting Jesus, my cares are lost

His desires with mine, no longer crossed.

Leaving behind, what others may see,

What Christ requires is who I will be.

Trusting Jesus, onward I go

Over high mountains and valleys low.

What evil befall me, whatever cross I bear,

His glory be praised, His power declare! 

Trusting Jesus with all I hold dear

Believing His love, I've no reason to fear.

All I've lost, can only be counted gain,

And all I've gained, but loss, for His dear name.

Trusting Jesus to an expected end

Wherever He leads me, however He sends.

My soul asleep, my heart, awake!

Let me never, no never, my Jesus forsake! 

Written by Lynea Bickish - Spring of 2015