It’s that time of year for our family—a time to step away from regular responsibilities and to seek rest and renewal.
Heart Undivided will take a brief hiatus as well. I already look forward to returning in a few weeks with (hopefully) new perspective and fresh creativity!
Thank you for traveling with me these past months—what an adventure! Let’s continue to pray for each other in the coming weeks—for strength and courage to keep a Jesus heart each day. 🙂
You are loved,
Leigh Ann
I should have been excited about the evening. I wanted to be. But I had a sense of heaviness—and to be honest, I felt a little betrayed.
It was a Monday night, and my family had just returned home from serving in a Kids’ Club sponsored by our church. We were blessed to be part of a great team of youth and adults willing to jump in and use their gifts to share the Gospel with unchurched children in our community.
But my uneasiness lingered through the night and into the morning. Frustrated, I went outside, sat on our front porch swing, and started talking…
“Okay, Lord. What’s going on? Is it my attitude? What is…wrong?”
For a while, there was silence. Then…
Say it, child.
“I don’t know what you mean, Lord.”
Say it.
I sighed. There was no use trying to hide it. Frustration spilled from my heart…
As I prayed about this week’s post, I couldn’t stop thinking about current events in our community, our nation, and the world.
For many, 2015 has been steeped in sorrow.
“Lone-wolf” shootings, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and government scandals rock the nightly newscasts. Human life is discarded like so much trash. Those who mock God’s laws are lauded as “heroes” while those who stand for righteousness are called “bigots.”
Not to mention Satan’s use of our political and justice systems to wage war against Christ-centered laws and precepts.
We do live in an upside-down world and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and to wonder if God is still in control. But we have to remind ourselves…
He is.
Once upon a time, I let my armor get dusty.
It was a familiar scene—a busy morning on the verge of chaos as our family prepared for a day of work and school. In the midst of dashing out the door it was discovered that someone forgot something. Our fast-forward lives came to a screeching halt with a muttered, what did we forget this time? And as we scrambled back into the house for books, a lunch box, keys or sunglasses, I too often missed what was leaning right by the door: my suit of armor.
Without fail, when faced with a stressful situation without my “suit”, my self would jump in and react before the mind and heart of my Lord could respond.
Never a good thing.
How awesome to worship an Unseen God.
How beautiful You are!
Who am I, that You would allow me
To even think of You?
Much less, become filled with You?
How utterly satisfying are Your words…
They minister to the very depths of who I am.
They calm these inner storms
That threaten the peace and joy of my life.
So long, Lord, I was silent. Too long, Father, I stilled my pen.
My sighs were deep with unfulfilled longing.
But You, my Lord, patiently waited…
You quieted my soul
With Your beauty,
Your words,
Your voice.
You gave me, infused me
With new hope, life, and joy.
I love You, Jesus.
I love You, my Lord and my Savior.
O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. Psalm 63: 1-5
The other day, as I went about my daily work, I found myself humming a familiar hymn: I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord…
The stories behind our most beloved hymns are fascinating to me, so I took a few minutes to research this one.
“I Need Thee Every Hour” was penned in 1872 by Annie Hawks (music by her pastor, Robert Lowry).
In Annie’s own words:
One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words, “I Need Thee Every Hour,” were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me.
“They must be really good people—to be able to offer forgiveness like that.”
Usually poised and articulate, the news commentator was flustered and stumbled over his words. “I don’t know what to say…it just doesn’t make sense.”
The world is confused.
They just witnessed family and friends of those slain in Charleston stand and offer forgiveness to their loved one’s killer.
These broken people are supposed to be screaming for revenge. We expect them to cry out demanding blood. They are in anguish—surely they are not capable of rational thought.
Where is the rioting? The finger-pointing?
For the last couple of weekends I’ve enjoyed spending time with my grandsons (that would be Jack and Benjamin 🙂 ) so that their parents could enjoy a little “couple time.”
I am a big believer in the importance of Date Night—especially when your children are little. Something about getting away for even a couple of hours gives a parent fresh perspective and renewed strength to keep going.
Watching my daughters and sons-in-law brought back a lot of memories. I loved how each couple left amid a dozen instructions and a flurry of call-if-you-need-us reminders before racing to their cars. Then—and I knew it would be this way—they were just as eager to return home, scooping up their tiny rascals and planting multiple kisses on sweet faces.
Have you ever had to investigate a suspicious household smell? Maybe someone forgets to take out the trash or a little food gets trapped in the kitchen sink. Or maybe a child’s laundry doesn’t quite make it into the hamper and ends up under a bed or thrown into a corner of the closet.
One thing about this kind of odor—it can’t be ignored. Or covered.
Now, you may think you know where I’m going with this. “She’s going to relate this to sin. Stuff about odor always comes back to sin.”
Nope. Not this time (although there is an excellent life-lesson there…).
Let’s take a different path.
I s
ee it most Sundays during worship and it makes me smile—parents giving their little ones the look…
Be still. Pay attention, or else.
How I remember the days of three squirming, wiggling little girls! Lord, if they would just be still and quiet…
I’ll never forget a Sunday evening when one daughter did get still and quiet—and nodded off, hitting her head on the back of the pew loud enough to make me emit a little squeal. Answered prayer? Hmm….
Leigh Ann Thomas 