Who am I, REALLY?

I am untouchable until the day God has determined that I shall enter eternity.  UNTOUCHABLE.  Cool eh?  God already knows.

I have asked my family not to spend money on a funeral but rather for them to buy a plane ticket to Israel and take my ashes and sprinkle them on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem.  Then spend time in my favourite country in the world.  :)

Is death a morbid thought to you?  It shouldn't be.  For those who have submitted their lives to Jesus have been given the gift of eternal life.  For we only shall sleep in death as we pass through the valley of death He will walk with us.  (Psalm 23)

As I journey daily with the God of the universe and His son Jesus Christ, by the power of HIS Spirit in me daily, I am diving deeper than ever beyond the mere thoughts of humans.  Why not?

"Who's your teacher Carrie?"

" ... ahhh... God.  Yes God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth the sea and everything in it."

"And where exactly is HE?"

"He's in me and His text book that He constantly brings alive is the Bible."

In my studies this week... I'm simply so humbled that everything is about God.  I regret to think that I was ever good at anything... really.  I'm laughing thinking about it.  We are but this little mist, maybe of 70 years, relative to thousands of years and billions of people.... do I really make that big of a difference??  lol....  Who are we??  Who are we next to God?  Nothing.  So what is my purpose here?

It is this... to bring glory to Him.  That people would look at me and see more of Jesus.  What does that look like?  Nothing selfish, but sacrificially giving of myself.  To look something entirely different than how others may be treading through life.  That money, fame, honor wouldn't have a hold on me but that I'd be so relentlessly desiring His praise, His glory, His fame and wisdom to be shown off to so many.

Once a fellow pastor told me I was too zealous for God.  I humbly took it away somewhat saddened and just asked Him as I always do when someone says something to me.  I want Him to just tell me the truth.  I trust Him.

"Lord am I too zealous?  Do I need to tone it down a bit?"
"Carrie, when you get to heaven with me and I look upon you, do you think I will say, 'Carrie, you really shouldn't have been so excited about me??'"  That's all I could hear Him say and instantly I chuckled with Him and was refreshed in my pursuit again of more of Him.

I won't ever push my God on anyone, especially my children as they develop their own journey.  BUT ask anyone that knows me well, and even if I am so tired and quiet there is one thing that someone can ask me about and I'll somehow get all fired up and go on and on......  YES... Jesus.

God is so great and so awesome.  No one is His equal.  And it brings me SUCH joy to say that!!  I don't need people to praise me, I don't need to be a great preacher, famous, or have millions of dollars, but I do want Him to know that there is no one greater to ME than Him.  He's the apple of my eye, and quite frankly I love it when He shows of.

Even as I was reading Jeremiah 36:26 I chuckled that when you play hide and seek with God, you don't stand a chance.  What He hides no one can find.  So why do we worry, why don't we trust Him more?  When we do we start to talk about everything with Him.  We spend the majority of our days talking to Him and then looking to His word for His answers.  (See how time in His word teaches us of Him but gives us hope and security in truth)

Even as I saw a clip today of New York Times Square on the news, I gave Him glory.  Why?

Well I was there just this past year with my husband, sister and her finance.  We had a great time.  But as I looked all around at Times Square it BUSTLED with activity.  Much like Vegas, but more corporate mixed with tourists and entertainment.  There was so much going on in every inch of that square and yet today a LIVE picture showed it as a ghost town.  Why?  Because God is rolling through His power with a storm that causes everyone to be reminded that we're nothing next to His great power.  And instantly I am reminded of His word, " I say to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that all people that He has made know His work, he stops everyone from their labor."  Job 37:7

Awesome eh?  So why Hurricane Irene?  Well as your boarding up your homes, and even the NY subway shuts down, remember that God is God.  His power beyond understanding.  Let's simply humble ourselves with joy, remembering that "I am nothing.. but you my Lord are EVERYTHING."

May my life bring you glory, Lord.  I am yours unashamedly.

xo

(Isaiah 45:14,21b, 46:9, 48:11)