Perspective

A blank page
An empty stage
A white canvas
A clear sky
All just waiting for the world to pass by
Ready for the taking 
Ready for the making 
Unformed clay
Unsailed waters 
Unstacked hay
And the Kings daughter

On the edge she simply sits
Every dream at her finger tips
A season of change
The east wind blows 
And suddenly it’s all rearranged 
Where to cling?
How to hold tight?
What can keep her from the world full of fright? 
Where is God in His strength and might?
Tears fall from her face, caught up in the mystery of time and space
She prays for endurance to finish the race
Leaning alone on only faith
Daily asking God for so much more grace
Needing constant reminders of His promises 
When all the answers seem unclear
All she needs is His presence near
Only his unfailing love can make her calm again

She fills the page
She takes the stage
She colors the canvas
And dreams up clouds for the sky
All by fixing her mind up on high
High up on things above
High up on her beloved one
No more waiting and no more fear
For Jesus came to draw her near
He died on the cross and He formed the clay
He not only sailed but stood on the waters
And He stacked the hay
By His power & might 
He conquered the grave and defeated the darkness of night
To the cross she must cling
Through the doubt
Through the storms 
Through everything - even the unknown
Even the unseen

Love is the most Radical of All

Yesterday I blogged about my One Dress One Month experience and how it had impacted me and those around me, today I am writing about love. Not just any kind of love, Christ's love. The love that dwells in us through God's spirit if we confess with our lips that Jesus is Savior and Lord of our lives and truly believe that in our hearts (Romans 10:9-10).

Yesterday I had the joy of getting breakfast with a new friend who I know as Joge. She is one of my dear friends, Kate Miller, best friend from childhood and she has just moved to the Boone, NC area and is looking for work and settling in. I wanted to meet up and hear where she's at in all of this and also see if I had any connections after being here for 5 years that I could put her in touch with in order to make the transition smoother and more enjoyable. Of course the Lord is Lord and as I always find Him doing, he turned this time where I was desiring to bless Joge into a blessing for me too. Her spirit is so kind and gentle and loving it is hard not to be blessed in her presence, but on top of it she had some wise words to share with me about her time doing DTS with YWAM in Uganda and South Sudan. I was telling her that I am leaving for Nepal soon and that I just feel like in my time of prayer and seeking the Lord specifically for my preperations for this trip that I find myself speechless and at a loss of what to even ask God to give me or how to ask him to prepare me. Joge began to speak about her time over seas and simply said that all we need in preparation to do God's mission overseas is love. Simply put, she said that love may look different depending on where you are but it already lives in you through Jesus Christ in you and that as long as we are allowing it to flow freely through us we are equipped with all that we need to go to the nations.

Love is Radical. 

It's not our special talents, it's not our unique abilities, it is not our expert skills that are going to bring Christ to the nations or anyone right in our back yard for that matter. Without love all of these things are pointless (1 Corinthians 13:3). The love of Christ is Radical and it is life changing and that is what we must carry with us everywhere we go, love binds all things together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14). Love is patient. Love is kind. You know the rest and if you don't you can find it in 1 Corinthians 13. It's all about love.

Hearing Joge remind me of what has changed my heart and what has set me on fire from the beginning as a believer - Christ's love - as shifted my focus and shifted my perspective. It seems so simple, but through Joges words God has moved me from a spirit of fear and timidity about being prepared for my trip to a spirit of power, love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). I know that I carry God's Spirit and I know that I am the beloved and I cannot wait to share that with his children near and far.

I hope and pray today that you will love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let him be your source of joy and peace and love. Dig deeper with God so that you can love others more deeply.

Check out these verses that I have been reflecting on that speak about love the Word puts it best:
-Romans 12:9 & 13:10
-Ephesians 4:2
-1 Peter 4:8
-1 John 4:7 & 1 John 4:18-19
-Matthew 22:37-39
-Mark 12:31

Blessings,

Kaity