Lay 'em down.

I'm a planner. Always have been. Will probably always struggle with planning too much. And while the mere tendency to plan things isn't inherently bad, the Lord is teaching me that the hope in my plans can be detrimental to my faith.

I am learning daily that God made me in a uniquely special way. Part of that "me" is a type-A, slightly control-hungry personality. Again, He made me that way! But I believe that He fashioned me this way in order to stay intimately connected to Him. Constantly turn to Him when control is out of my hands. Woven through my very being is an invitation to be near Him and have communion with Him. (Yep, I even see God in my neuroses). I am actually grateful (now...hindsight is 20/20) for all of the times that my plans have been dashed. Because in those moments, I know and am acutely aware of a Sovereign Creator. A sweet Savior. A good God. My god. His plans are so much better than mine. And I am so grateful.

So, today, my advice is this: Plan. Dream big dreams. Then lay it all down at the throne of the Most High God. Live today well...like it's all you've got (because it is all we've got). Bask in the beauty of relinquishing all control. Cast the burdens of the day's trouble, demands, and plans onto the only One able to carry them. And love Him all the more because He does. Lay down your plans, friend. He'll pick them up and run with them.

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Psalm 55:22- "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."
 
Isaiah 55: 8-9- "“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."


Proverbs 19:21- "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."

Ephesians 3:20-21- "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

I will arise and go to Jesus.

My God stamped this hymn on my heart this morning. I pray that it resonates within your spirit as it did mine.





Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.


I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

It's Not About Me.

So, this post is going to be pretty transparent and vulnerable, but I am willing to let it be that in order for Christ to be made greater. Glorified. With that in mind, away we go.

I am 26 years old (young, I know), living in a place that I love, doing a job that I love, surrounded by people whom I love. However, I am also surrounded by dear friends and family my age who are married to amazing men and raising children of their own. Some, with two or three! God planted a desire deep in my heart years and years ago to have a family one day. With every fiber of me, I want to be a wife. A good one. One that glorifies the Lord and repects, adores, and compliments her husband. I want to be a mother. A good one. One that loves her children the way that God loves me. Unconditionally, with nurture and discpline. I want to make warriors and beauties out of my children, for His kingdom.

So, do you see where my heart is? I'm in a place in my life where desire and reality do not quite meet. And it is hard most days. (I warned you that this would be transparent.) Sometimes the longing is physically painful, even. But today, the Lord hit my heart hard with affirmation. With peace. With truth. This was His message to me: "Kaylie, I love you deeply, but life is not about you." "Wow, Lord", I responded, with only a brief moment of offense before my heart sank. Because I know that full well. Even when my brain doesn't get it. (Or when the blue-haired ladies at church don't get it.) I know that whether I rise, fall, marry, don't marry, raise children of my own, or have none, Christ is my everything. And more than enough. My life is not about me. It's about Him. Truly. Deeply. And completely. I also know that one day, if my desires for a family are fulfiilled, that truth will continue to true. It will permeate everything that I do, as it does today.

A piece of Scripture that I have clung to this year is Psalm 84:11. It reads: "For the Lord, my God, is a sun and a shield. He bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from he whose walk is blameless." Such sweet words. In it, I find a few truths for my heart: My God is my Light and Protector. He is good and He doesn't hold out on His children when they are faithful. Today, those words ring truer than they ever have. And perspective is gained. If the desires of my heart are not being fulfilled at this point in my life, then I have no choice but to believe that they are not good for me. Because He knows me better than I know myself, I trust that He is right. And believe that He is working in my heart and plans. Everyday, I will choose to delight in Him. To glory in Christ. In this, I know that He will plant desires, new and old, in my heart in due time. And WHEREVER He leads, I'll go. Because it's not about me. It's about Him. What is, you ask? Everything.


Ecclesiastes 3:1-11:
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

Rest for the Weary.

There are certain times in life when the condition of our hearts become glaringly obvious. Those moments when you get a glimpse of what you're made of. And of what you lack.


For some, it could be in times of sorrow. Others (better than I) times of overwhelming joy. For me, I wince at the condition of my heart when I am exhausted. Worn out from the inside out. This week was one of those times for me. Through physical and emotional wear and tear, I see very clearly in hindsight that I am a broken girl. But redeemed completely by a sweet Savior.


When we are tired...when our defenses are down...when our vision is clouded by the things of the world...our Enemy sinks his teeth into our unaware souls. And the sooner we become aware, the better.


So before you and I start a downward spiral of sin and apathy, we must fight. The moment that you and I realize we are in one of these valley-times, we must start climbing out. As fast, and as hard, and as faithfully as we can. In the midst of our sorrow, our joy, our exhaustion, know that we are not beaten.  Your soul has not been overcome. You have been redeemed from all that you think that you are. All that you were. And all that you become when you embrace your humanity. You shall want for nothing, dear one, because the Lord is enough and more than able to fight for you.


Find rest in knowing that you are led by a kind Shepherd.
Find comfort in knowing that grace exists.
Find courage in God Almighty alone.
Find beauty in your weakest moments for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.






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Psalm 23:
"God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. 
  You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
  You find me quiet pools to drink from.
  True to your word,
  You let me catch my breath
  and send me in the right direction.
  Even when the way goes through
  Death Valley,
  I'm not afraid
  when you walk at my side.
  Your trusty shepherd's crook
  makes me feel secure. 

  You serve me a six-course dinner
  right in front of my enemies.
  You revive my drooping head;
  my cup brims with blessing.
  Your beauty and love chase after me
  every day of my life.
  I'm back home in the house of God
  for the rest of my life."

2 Corinthians 12:9: 

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 

A Long Shot From Nothing.

Marla and I are wrapping up our study on James. And I can honestly say that I have rarely learned so much from such a small book in such a short amount of time. God is faithful, sister, to teach you when you are faithful to learn. Today, I just wanted to share a portion of my study with you. My heart needed to hear this. Maybe yours will too.


"...One of the hardest things our ears can ever hear is..."There's nothing we can do." Listen carefully to James and other inspired writers of Scripture: there is rarely nothing you can do. Being still and knowing He is God is a long shot from nothing. Trusting in a God you cannot see is a long shot from nothing. Holding your tongue is a long shot from nothing. Counting it ALL joy is a long shot from nothing. Submitting is a long shot from nothing. Confessing sin is a long shot from nothing. Resting in Christ is a long shot from nothing. And hear this one really loudly: PRAYING IS A LONG SHOT FROM NOTHING...We have an open invitation to a divine invasion. If we're willing, God is our song when we are happy, our escape when we are tempted, our hope when we are despairing, our joy in tribulation, our strength in weakness, and our immortality in dying. Ultimately, He Himself is our Health."
-Beth Moore



Be encouraged.

Steadiness.

How do you respond when things change? When things don't seem like they'll ever change? How does your heart handle a shift in pace? In direction?

Well, if you are anything like me (and bless your heart if you are), then your immediate reaction to life's changes isn't always admirable. And maybe you don't physically stomp your feet or burst into tears (or maybe you're a crier. no judgement here) every time life throws you a curve ball, but I'll bet you have a lesson to learn about steadiness.

God is good. All the time. And I KNOW that His plans are sovereign. And I DESIRE to do His will. DESIRE to be faithful. LONG to glorify Him in everything I do. So why am I so darn surprised/ confused/ upset when He gives me an opportunity to do so? Well, I think the answer lies in my awareness of Him. When I am diligent in growing my relationship with Christ, I am aware of His hand in my life. When I am lazy in my pursuit of Him, I lose my way so easily. And with it, my steadiness. And in the constant ebb and flow of life and relationships, I think it is fair to assume that we will fail ALOT in this area. But how about today, we all stop. Become aware of His hand in our lives. And ask, in faith, how and why He is moving us through this life for His purpose.








"I am training you in steadiness. Too many things interrupt your awareness of Me. I know that you live in a world of sight and sound but you must not be a slave to those stimuli. Awareness of Me can continue in all circumstances, no matter what happens. This is the steadiness I desire for you.

Don't let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently, remembering that I am with you. As soon as something grabs your attention, talk with Me about it. Thus I share your joys and your problems. I help you cope with whatever is before you. This is how I live in you and work through you. This is the way of Peace."

Psalm 112:7
Isaiah 41:10

Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: April 17

Imago Dei.

The Lord has been so sweet to teach me. All my life really, but more specifically in the most recent days. In an intentional prayer to learn and live in a spirit of teachability, my God has been faithful to give my heart fresh material. Here is what He laid on my heart today. Maybe you need to be reminded. And encouraged. (Hang with my stream of consciousness):

If I'm honest, two of my greatest longings in this life is to be loved and to love well. Out of this heart cry, the Lord is teaching me that with this longing comes an intentional responsibility to 1) Understand love. 2) Fight for it. 3) Truly, and deeply believe in its Origin. Only then can you love. Only then can you be loved.

I love because He first loved me. He called me out of darkness. Out of ignorance. Out of apathy. Into His marvelous light. Out of the ordinary into the extraordinary. To love as He does. And this is love, my brothers and sisters: It is patient. kind. It does not envy or boast. Is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing. But rejoices with the Truth. Love bears all things. Love believes all things. Love hopes all things. Love endures all things. It is unfailing. It is the epitome of God's character. Because God is love. And being created in His flawless, perfect image, I am called to love. It should be the only desire of my heart. To love God and love people. And love well. Do you understand?

But how often do I find myself to be just the opposite? More times than I care to mention. I frequently fail the image that I was created in because I am impatient, unkind, jealous, proud, and rude. I insist on my way time and time again. I commonly become irritable, and bitter in life's circumstances. And rejoice when something less than ideal happens to someone who has hurt me. I deny truth and believe lies. I crumble when trying to bear life, believe people, and hope for things. I fall on my face instead of endure. I fail. But not because God fails. I fail because I allow the Enemy to win in my heart. And to that I ask you: Don't you see that you must fight? The War of death has been won, my friend, but the battles RAGE within us DAILY. Rise up with your shield and sword and declare war on the Enemy that keeps you from loving well and being loved.

Finally, brothers and sisters, know that I (and you) are only able to show love, be love, be loved because of Christ at work in me (us). He fights my battles, and so I win them. He shows me daily how He loves me, so that I know what it looks like. And in turn, I love people well. I cling to His goodness. Rely on His grace alone. And know from the bottom of my heart that He is more than enough for me. In that truth, He mends my heart daily. And allows it to soften for Him and for the people around me.

I was created in His image. In my longing to love well, I satisfy His heart's desire. And in my ability to love well, Christ is glorified. For I know I couldn't do it without Him.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing...Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 8-13