sufficient

One girlie we saw off to camp this morning, one girlie turned 2 on Friday, and one mama is packing for Ohio this week.  One Mission Society's bi-annual Global and USA board meetings are next week in Lima, so Emma and I are doing the rare nights away, leaving Matt to hold down the fort and a fantastic Hannah to provide some day-time fun for the remaining kiddos and a fantastic Aunt Sharon also in Ohio to be grandma while I'm in meetings! 

Pray for us all apart, if God brings us to your mind next week.

Meanwhile, the Lord has been using parenting and life to be teaching me a lot right now, and while I could write on it forever, I'm going to highlight the highlight for, I pray, your edification and encouragement.

We have more overwhelmingly gracious and Christ-like people in our lives to sit down and count. I want to be like so many of you, I couldn't pick! You're probably one of them, and ANY day I get feeling poor, the Lord uses you to remind me of the richness of Himself and His Body.

But if you're like me, it's those few really challenging relationships that steal far more of our focus. It's those really hard places that make mole-hills feel mountainous. Satan will use a gust or two, an ugly word or two, a painful injustice or two to make our rootedness in Christ feel shaky, though Christ has NOT changed.

As I sat in sacred church this morning with healthy children, surrounded by beautiful brothers and sisters and heavenly worship, I was complaining to the Lord about a few of those hard places, hard people, instead.

Lord, I complained quietly from the places in my heart I don't have to hide from Him, What is wrong with him? What's her problem? Where is the grace? Where is the kindness? Where is the...

In true Godly fashion, He interrupted me. 

I so often think I just need to really vent it all off, and that will fix it.

But you know what I really need? It's not venting, Lord knows. It's His TRUTH.

MY grace is sufficient for you. MINE. came His still small voice in my storm.

In the dark of that worshipping room, He continued.

MY kindness will be enough. You can stand and thrive on MY grace. 

Even if there isn't ANY from him, from her. Even if you can't find ANY peace in this situation, ANY love from that place, that person... I AM. 

You can stand on MY grace, dear one, and it will be more than enough for you. You can flourish under MY kindness, when the world is mean and when it's sweet. You are seen by ME when you are unseen, you can rest in ME when there is none to be had. You can dwell in MY love when the world is unloving.

In me.

It is in me. Find it here.

It was so true, and so clear, and so intimate, and so rich that it wiped the unkindnesses that have been poking me off course.

ALL the many shortcomings of life, of humans around us, of ourselves that SO hurt and burden us...HIS HAND IS NOT SHORT. 

All the gaps left by brokenness, by the woundedness of others, by our mistakes, HE fills overflowing. 

All the ground shaking and monsoon blowing of life, and He is in the eye.  

All the wrongs of the day, He is RIGHT. 

All the ugly, all the ashes, He is BEAUTIFUL. 

All the fruits of the Spirit we hope for in others but often struggle to find, HE IS.

That means we can walk in peace, unconditional. It means we can walk in grace, untouchable. It means we can walk in boldness and love, unreturned. 

I needed that reminder. I needed that refining word. I needed that refocus, eyes on Jesus.

What are you needing today? REALLY needing? 

Tell Him. 

He's got you.