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11 December 2024

God with us.

Best part of being a pastor's wife: My life the last year has become inundated with His Word, the good and faithful preaching of His Word, and opportunities for praying in His Word. 

Sundays, good preaching, sweet fellowship. Tuesday night small group, good hospitality, good community, good Bible teaching, good prayer time, transparency. Wednesday night Bible study, GOOD teaching, deep Word. Fellowship. Every week, without fail.  Add in devotions with the kids morning and night, and all the pop-up opportunities for prayer and fellowship and study, I'm just so THANKFUL for the richness of our work being His Word and Worship.

It is never too much. When I look at where I was a year ago and today...the growth that comes from digging.

One of the things that has been preaching to me most lately has been bedtime with the kids.  Beginning of summer, Ben, Nora and I started the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe series, a chapter a night, at bedtime. I wasn't sure how far they'd hang, and last night as we held our breaths through the last chapters of book seven, the Last Battle...OH MAN.

CS Lewis lays out his interpretation of the Biblical explanations of the last days, and we were longing for heaven so bad by the time we finished last night there were tears in all our eyes to still be bedroom bound.  They ran without ever getting weary, they swam without ever growing faint, they couldn't be afraid even when they tried, for there was NO fear.  All that had been blood, sweat, terror and tears was suddenly fresh, cool, free and FINISHED. 

They were met by their beloved ones from all of time, many of whom have become our beloveds! As we read through the names and descriptions of all they met in Aslan's country, Ben and Nora were calling out their friends from months past and clapping their hands over forgotten characters remembered. Further up, further in! the creatures and followers of Aslan cried as they poured into His presence, and everything became so much bigger, more REAL, and better than they ever could have imagined...each chapter better than the last, forever....Lewis finished.

No more tears, no more crying, no more pain, in His presence...painted by CS Lewis, was SO thrilling and SO achingly wonderful you could feel it in your jealous and hopeful soul. 

It was healing.

If we truly knew what our glorious forevers will be, we wouldn't mourn so. We always talk about how we do not mourn as those who have no hope...and that is true. But how much mourning still have I done, that if I trusted Him and heaven better could have been more like rejoicing.  I could trust Him better. 

All these extra opportunities in His Word help me...His Word strengthens our beings, doesn't it. 

Have I been as passionate about sharing and living and obeying His Word as I should be, if I truly believe it and truly trust Him? Have I held as loosely all that He's placed in my hands as I should if I trust it's His? Am I as abandoned as I would be if I truly walked in the promise that this life is but a drop in the bucket and eternity...heaven or hell, will be for all of forever? Is He my standard for faithfulness, for love, for serving, for pleasing, or are those around me? 

God with us. 

Until it shapes everything, I'm still doing the growth that comes from digging!



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