Sulking in Salt

Are you struggling with letting go of something or someone today? You know you need too, but you don't want too! Your mind plays over and over again your desire, your hurt, possible reasons or options for why it didn't work out or why a person is not playing the role you wanted them to play--the wounds are deep, the unknown variables larger than you can grasp. The door seems shut and locked, no matter how many ways you try and break the lock. Consider that God has posted His angels in front of the door, with flaming swords, to protect you, rather than to punish you. Consider that God is using the hurtful, disappointing actions of another, not for your hurt, but for your protection. He loves you that much! Even in our disobedience, God will reach out and protect us -- He doesn't want us to remain in a place that He does not deem the absolute best for us. Consider the story of Lot. Lot and Abraham parted ways--Abraham gave Lot the first options at what land to choose. Lot looked about and chose the land that appeared to be the best..full of pretty shiny things, things that satisfied the lust of the flesh, and went on his merry way. What Lot didn't realize is that he was choosing a land that God had plans to utterly destroy! Sodom and Gomorah were on God's hit list. When the appointed time came, He could have just left Lot and his family there to go down with the ship, but He didn't. He sent His angel to Lot to instruct him to get his family and get out. Lot didn't want to go! He feared and fought the instructions, but the Angel insisted. Lot gathered his family and negotiated with the angel to go to a city which God would protect from the impending destruction. Go! and Don't Look Back! It seemed like they were going to make it out in time, Lot was heeding the warnings of the angel, but then, his wife looked back--the scriptures say she turned into a pillar of salt. Hard to imagine, but I think you can see that this pillar of salt represents what we so often allow in our lives. We keep going back to what God is calling us out of. We think it's just what we need, but God keeps saying "No! I need to protect you from this. I can see what you can not see! Trust me and go!" Thanks be to God, that at just the right time, often right in the midst of our disobedience, He sends His angels and pulls us from the impending destruction. If that's not Love, then I don't know what is! How can you not let go when you realize that what you are being asked to let go of is so that God can rescue you and bring you all the beautiful things and people He has waiting for you?

Dear Daughters...

My thoughts drifted today on how God holds us in the palm of His hands. It's nothing I haven't heard before, but for some reason, today, I paused and really reflected on it. We all long to be known, to have that deep connection with others. We want others to seek us out and desire to TRULY know us--we want to feel valued and important to others. We want to be more than just a "liked" selfie on FB. Getting those "likes" makes us feel special, for a moment, but then what? It's so important to build good healthy relationships with other like minded people. I'm not just talking about people who will "like" your posts, but people who really want to get to know you--people who are willing to invest in who you are, speak the truth in love, set aside time to spend with you. Make a point of finding out what makes you tick -- It's often through these types of relationships that we end up discovering ourselves, what makes us tick! With all that being said, if you're feeling lonely, unnoticed, like no one out there really truly cares about your well-being, take a moment and think about how God knows you. No matter how perfect a friend you may have in your life, there is still a special spot that only God can fill in you. He really truly knows the very depth of who you are. When you are wounded, He feels your wounds...when you are lonely, He wants to spend time with you... when you are happy, He is doing the happy dance with you. But we forget about that, because we can't see Him, He doesn't pick up the phone and send a text or call -- He's not "liking" our posts --but He is there waiting to fill that very special spot He formed in you, just for Him. One other thought about the importance of good, healthy relationships... you will find that there are what I have deemed as responders and reachers. Responders are those people in our life who will respond to our reaching out to them, most often these days in a text, but rarely initiate a desire to communicate with you. The reachers are those that take the time to reach out to you, seek out your companionship or just to see how you are. Put your energy into those "reachers" in your life, for they are they ones that will speak truth and love to you.

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