Was it really God that showed up? Or was it you.

Well, it's Tuesday.  Weigh in day. Yeah, it bugs me that it's on a Tuesday, too.  Weird day.  But, that's ok.  It is what it is.  I quit lifting weights and have been noticing a difference in the weight.  I just don't care about weights right now.  I want the weight gone.  So, today I was down to 152.  Haven't been this light in over 8 years.  Kinda nice. :)  Even nicer is how my spirit is feeling.  I feel so much lighter spiritually.  The Lord is amazingly faithful. 

It bugs me when people say, "God really showed up!"  Um..God doesn't change.  He doesn't move.  We do.  GOD didn't show up, YOU did, when you finally decided to look UP and OUT of your circumstances and put your focus on His marvelous face.  He stands at the door and knocks. It's YOUR choice to let him in, or not.  Therefor, what you should really say is, "I SHOWED UP, OPENED THE DOOR, AND WELCOMED DADDY IN FOR A PLAY DATE!"  He wants to talk with you, dance with you, listen to you, minister to you, laugh with you, wipe away your tears.  But He won't push His way in where He is not welcome.  He LONGS for intimacy with you.  Open the door.  Show up.  If you want what He has to offer you, you HAVE to show up.  You can't collect a paycheck unless you show up for work.  Why do you expect to have intimacy with Christ if you don't show up?  It's not His job to "show up", He never left.  He's been standing at the front door of your heart, with a smile, arms  open, gifts in hand..why won't you answer the door?  If your child was standing at the door, excited to show you something he had prepared just for you, and he was knocking..would you ignore him/her?  Would you turn him/her away?  Don't turn your Father away.  He loves you with a love that exceeds all expectation or imagination.  Let Him love you.  Show up.

I was listening to a message online and the speaker said:  "Inside of you is a treasure without measure. For He inhabits the praises of His people."  I thought, wow, that is so true.  I'm not just a body.  I'm a vessel, holding a treasure with value beyond measure.  But, the only way I can truly appreciate/embrace/use that treasure is if I actively PRAISE.  It's in the praising that we truly see Him and know the many treasures he has given us.  I can read my Bible, listen to worship, etc, but until I PRAISE Him, I cannot truly embrace the treasure that He has planted inside of me.  I cannot truly be inhabited by Christ.  Of course He is always with me.  But, until I welcome Him to inhabit my deepest innermost being by PRAISING Him, I am not able to grasp all that He has for me.  I go back to kids..if my child brings me a piece of artwork that he/she has worked on for days and it soo very proud of him/herself, would I just say, "Good job.  Proud of you."  Or would I say, "Wow!  You have done such a wonderful job!  I can really see how much work you've put into this!  I can see all of the colors and the beautiful shapes and details.  You amaze me with your commitment to making this your very best project yet!"  I mean we go on and on praising our children, right?  Making sure that they know that they are truly valued and loved.  We tell our friends about them, we post pictures of them, we relay stories all over town about their accomplishments.  Do we do the same, and with the same excitement, for our Father?  It's in the PRAISING that we truly encounter Him.

I see so many hurting, lashing out, closing off, pushing away.  And it breaks my heart.  How much more does it hurt the Father to see his children hurting, and hurting others?  I can't imagine.  Grace and love can cover the hurt, if you let it.  Don't allow the enemy to find any foothold.  Before you know it, that one little thing you can't let go of will be the beginning of a huge yoke of bondage in your life.  It's not worth it.  There is nothing worth holding onto in anger.  Give it to your Father and chose to move on in love.  Every decision you make is shaping your future.  Why not make the choice now to make your journey one of beauty and forgiveness instead of marring it with hurt and anger in which you will have to deal with later.  Fervently pursue peace.  You can find peace through praise.  If you are busy praising, it means you are being inhabited by the Holy Spirit.  And it means that you have no room for bitterness.  The Holy Spirit and bitterness do not co-habitate.  So, let it go.  Let go of the hurt and the anger and the disappointment.  Look UP.  The Father can heal every single wound.  But, again, you must open the door and let Him in.  And you must praise him, even through the storm.  Do this and you will begin to see things in a whole new light.  Things that were once murky will become clear.  Old wounds will be healed.  And you will fly.  You will soar on wings of eagles.  You will dance with your Father.  He longs to help you.  He longs to hold you and take all of the pain away.  He longs to show you love like you've never experienced.  But, it's up to you.

Alrighty, I wasn't going to share any of that. I was going to blog about dieting and thank my friend, Michael for the chocolate oatmeal cookie (thank you, M!).  But maybe someone out there in blogworld needed to hear it.  Maybe we all do.  I know I do.  We all falter.  But, it's time to get real.  I've heard that statement so many times over the past few months in sermons and from meetings with friends, "It's time for His people to get REAL."  Stop living behind the mask of perfection and instead admit that you need Him.  You can't make it without Him.  It's time to get REAL.  And there is no shame in that.  Because, you were never intended to be perfect.  And you most certainly were never meant to make it a day without Him.  It's ok.  Just let it all go.  The illusion of control is of no use to you, or anyone else. Be real, and open the door for your Father.  He's waiting on you.