Tax Me Thankful

In my quiet ponderance today, my heart is riveted with what does my thankfulness look like? Does my heart overflow it?
I am convicted as I read Colossians 2:7, "overflow with thankfulness."


"Thankful", not only by words, but by my actions...


For when I step out of our society and still my heart in conversation with God, I feel as if I've stepped out of "a society that is hard wired with 'entitlement' as one of our dominant genes". I am so completely humbled in this conversation and so deeply convicted that I feel the desire to share it openly.


God teaches my heart once again.


"Carrie, TRUE humility before me, overflows with thankfulness from the heart. For with this humility one realizes that really they have nothing before me and therefore the by product is 'thankfulness'."



I am taken back somewhat and yet the question arises, "What do you deserve Carrie?"

"... Oh boy..." (deep sigh).



"Lord I DESERVE death." (I instantly am reminded of "For the wages of sin is death". Romans 6:23)



So if death is all I deserve everything else is an absolute gift. Then I think of how John the Baptist, truly got this. Not only did he live such a humble, but bold life, he didn't let things of this world hold him back but rather professed that "one can receive only what is given him from above." (John 3:27) He got it. He held everything loosely focusing on a kingdom that will last forever and as a result God used Him to build it forcefully. (Matt 11:12)



Oh Lord, what am I holding too tightly? For when I don't hold it tightly, I don't yell like a selfish child, "Mine!" Rather, I become thankful knowing it was a gift first given to me from above.



Are we thankful for our cars, or do we complain that it's old? Are we thankful for the choice of clothing we have, or do we complain that we don't have anything to wear!? Are we thankful that we have employment whether it's a dream job or not, especially in hard economic times? Are we thankful for our free education, or that the sun exists every day faithfully whether we see it behind clouds or not? Are we thankful for the mecca of food stores, and countless selections around us, or are we frustrated that the lettuce look a little wilted or a package damaged? Are we thankful for hands that can type, and a cell phone that rings, a taste bud that savours, a voice that communicates freely, a pillow to lay our head on... are we thankful? If so ... WHO are we thankful to??? Shall we not turn our heads upwards? Shall we not thank Him now.. and readily.. not once a day... but whenever we're thankful!? Do you think God would ever tire of our sincere thankfulness? I know when our children or my husband is genuinely thankful I want to so continue to bless them. Why would it be any different to God? Now I'm reminded to even thank Him for this loving family God has given me.


We live like Kings and Queens in Canada. Really. If we turn our gaze out and up we will begin to quit focusing so selfishly on ourselves and learn to give more freely realizing all we have is "on loan."

I am amazed that even when Jesus broke bread and fed the 5000 people, or when He intimately broke it at the Last Supper it is recorded that He "Gave Thanks" as He did it. Wow...


God in human form, realizing the incomparable worth of the gift God would give us in His death that would ultimately give us Life. It's ours, freely. One day we shall all know the truth to the PRICE tag associated with this gift... then our reaction will be bended knees and open confession of such.


"Today, I chose my Lord, to thank you for everything you've given me, but most blessed is the presence of your Son in my heart. For my soul longeth for that greatest treasure found only in you. When my moral flesh becomes immoral I can just imagine how I will dance, sing, laugh and love as I never have. Help me to express this now. That I would make you smile over and over, knowing no one gets me quite excited as you do!! BIG BIG :)


NO one shall take your glory! This I declare. You are God and God alone. But I know... you said it already! I'm just repeating you!!! ;)



Isaiah 42:8 "I am the Lord; that is my name I will not give my glory to another or praise to idols."

To Him be all glory, honor, praise, power, and especially our thanks, both NOW and forevermore.

A humbled but thankful work in progress,

C

Beautiful Babe

I ran into one of my lovely young ladies in the washroom at church on Sunday. She's been a little quieter than usual the past few weeks and so I felt compelled by the Spirit to write her an email as to how she was really doing. She openly confessed her struggle with the lies of the enemy, common to EVERY young girl, that she needs to look a certain way in order to be "beautiful" according to the world's standards. I'm not even sure if the enemy can stop at Size 0 or if he'd rather move to the minus sizes in due time... ugghhhhhh.... it frustrates and angers me; the poisonous lies he is feeding our young women, especially in this area!

Nonetheless I hold her lovingly in my arms and she seems to melt. So beautiful that she would let her guard down so readily and let me immerse her with an embrace of the Father's love. She is so precious and so beautiful... yet the lies of the enemy rob her of this knowledge. As tears stroll down her face I find my own heart so forlorn to want to instantly remove it for her, but I can't. I can merely encourage her in how to fight, and to stand on the truth. But at this moment the Father was simply telling me to just hold her and love her.

That afternoon just being quiet with the Lord pondering the many great things God is doing in our young people, and also carrying the burden of the ones that are struggling. Presenting these in prayer to the Lord and then as I'm thinking of this precious one, I hear this new song playing in the background. I replay it and listen to the words closely... I fight back the tears as I know it is a song for her from our Father.

So for you my precious one, this is for you. Just close your eyes and listen... and when it finishes I am reminded of a verse He gave me that has so helped me through my struggle of knowing how much He loves me. It's Isaiah 43:4. Look it up, underline it and fight the lie. For to know HIS love for you and the worth of your beautiful spirit ( 1Peter 3;3,4 ) is truly what counts for eternity.

How I long to be so beautiful in my Spirit for my Lord. To me that is beauty.



I love you dear one. This is for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2o0jHNRuU And even now I listen to it and now the tears run down my face. For every word captures my prayer. How deep is His love for you.

You are beautiful.
xo

Beyond Binding Books

My husband is great at strategically overseeing things and proactively offering help to potential problems that he may see arising. A recent one he’s noticed is that my bible that is well used dating to my teenage years, is about to lose its spine. He’s been asking me for over 6 months if he could take it in to get it rebound for me as a gift… but I’ve resisted just not wanting to be without it even for a day. I know it sounds ridiculous or perhaps, “the right” thing to say, but truth is I have not been without it for a single day for the past 10 years. It is often just a reach away. Even in my car, planes, hotel rooms, foreign countries, etc..etc. My husband and daughter can testify to this. Nonetheless, just recently I had a dream that pages started to come out of the binding and I awoke saddened but knew it was a warning to get it done.

My husband with a joyful patience, took me to the Book Binder Friday. A pleasant lady inspected my bible and instantly saw the value I had with it even before I asked if she could do same day service? She laughed. My husband even offered to pay more… (what a sweetie he is). Creatively, she worked something out for me.

What I found interesting was I could tell she didn’t value the bible the same, she didn’t understand its “ridiculous” worth? But her comment as we left impacted me profoundly. For though she didn’t know our God as her Lord and Savior, there was no denying that out of all the books she’s rebound, the way people cherished the transition of their bibles to her promised care, left her with a conviction whether she wanted it or not, that, “perhaps there was something of greater worth in those pages?”

I am often left in awe how God simply reaches to so many, even those that are far away from Him in ways that you and I have no idea.

Not just that, but how it would be a fraction of the price to simply go and buy another bible, yet so many would pay triple to simply have it rebound. Is there any other book that demands such time, attention, care, devotion and legacy?

Even this morning as I study His word, Peter captures it so beautifully in saying “God has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him.” (2 Peter 1:3) The best way to have knowledge of God is to study His words, that give account of His life and ways, but also help us to understand the way He speaks and who He is. It’s a magnifying glass into a realm that is divine and beyond understanding. He doesn’t even stop there but says in the next verse, “He has given us his VERY GREAT and PRECIOUS promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and ESCAPE the corruption of the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)

Behold HIS VERY PROMISES which are not just good but VERY GOOD AND PRECIOUS!!!! Hold Him to His promises.. He loves that!! He is faithful. We just don’t have a clue what half of His promises are!!! For if we did we wouldn’t walk around wallowing that’s for sure.

It’s not His promises alone, but also the escape mechanism He offers so freely to us. I have found this and love it… for when I am deep in scripture even just meditating on a verse and need to go to something else, even just a meeting, everything seems a bit more dim… mundane sometimes. There’s times when I’m listening to scripture in my car and have a deep thought arrive at Walmart and as I turn the car off I don’t even want to go into the store. I feel for a moment I have escaped the busyness and distracted society. Strange.. but true.

I’m starting to understand more and more the power of His words in my life and it does something to me. It intoxicates my soul with a heavenly honey that keeps me wanting more. In one verse there are simply so many layers that there is no other hand written work that can do such marvelous things.

I want to immerse His word into my heart that I would utter worthy things all my life. Things that make people say, “She sounds just like her Dad.’ You got it… my Heavenly Dad.

What a compliment. Oh to be His glory, to represent Him in any way possible. That others may know of His goodness. Yes, even the local bookbinder.