breathe – KARLA LEES

when the ground is shaking

May 27, 2015May 29, 2015 Karla Lees

Your work schedule has drastically changed,

illness has suddenly inconvenienced you,

the bills keep getting higher,

and the weight of it all makes you feel like you are on shaky ground.

Maybe, just maybe, you are like me.

You can carry too much on your own shoulders, and all it takes is one shift of one situation to throw your balance off kilter.

Like Chicken Little, you begin to think the sky is falling, and you proceed to run around like a little chick in circles.

You too may forget to look up, & give up.

Look up into the face of the One who wants to show you the love He has for you.

Give up trying to do it all alone, and allow Him to shoulder the burden you were never designed to carry.

That sounds so simple, yet many days i find it more of a struggle.

Because i forget to look up, and give up.

When He strengthens me, i can do way more than i ever dreamed or believed i could.

Because He is so much more than we can even imagine!

When i make the time to worship, dig deeper into the Word, and listen to hear His voice above the world’s murmurs of busyness….He never fails to remind me He is there for me, and longs for me to look up, and give up. When i do, these words come to life within me:

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:1-2 ESV

And He reminds me of these such truths, through my daily quiet time, worship, instagram, Twitter & Facebook, the words of fellow believers and even different translations of the same verse.! Sometimes hearing a familiar Word put a different way can awaken your soul to it afresh:

God, the one and only—I’ll wait as long as He says. Everything I need comes from Him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life. Psalm 62:1-2 MSG

God, may i ever take my eyes off of myself & my circumstances and look up to You first before and above all.

Help me to give up what i am carrying, even if i don’t know i am. Free up space within for my soul to breathe in Your company. Be the solid Rock i am anchored upon, my hiding place & fortress of strength.

In and through and with You, I can make it through, knowing You are more than enough, all i need.

space in your place

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 Karla Lees

The truth is,
inside of what GOD is doing
is the most spacious place
you could be in.

@SteffGretz

Stretching your arms seems to make more room for air in our lungs.

Yet rolling up our clothes as we pack them takes up less space in our luggage, doesn’t it?

How can we get more in yet take up the same or less amount of space?

By letting the Designer reconfigure the design.

I am learning to take a deep breath, and blow out whatever is wanting to take up space that I can’t afford to hand over within me…negative thoughts & feelings such as:
*offense
*crankiness
*lies
*anger
*envy
*jealously
*impatience
*irritation

Instead, I breathe out a thanks, and invite in what He has for me:
*love
*goodness
*kindness
*joy
*peace
*gentleness
*self-control
*hope
*faith
*trust
*life in its fullness

When we remove the blocks within which had been in the way, God moves in to those places and makes them richer, fuller and more spacious.

Life expands when it is given room to do so!

Take a moment, and breathe.
In and out.
Repeat.

Exhale the worries, anxiety, concerns & broken dreams,
the stuff you want to take your hands off, and the stuff you want to take its hands off of you.

Inhale His love as you draw close to Him.

Let His Presence steep deeper and deeper as you soak in His goodness, mercy and grace.

May He continue to stretch us, making spacious room in us
to hold all He has for us,
Himself, as we open our lives to His touch.

We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Romans 5:2

He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved —surprised to be loved!

Psalm 18:19

#pressingin
#armsopenwide
#wideopenspaces
#hopeinHisPresence

Sunday Psalm: Ebb & Flow

January 25, 2015 Karla Lees

The river seems too deep, God
as I stand on the shore.
I hear You calling my name,
the one You gave me.
Part of me wants to jump in
while the other part
remains anchored
to the safety of the shore.
You know the struggle I face,
and You change the surface
of the water until all I can see
is Your reflection.
Again You ask me to come
with that voice of love, majesty and triumph that stirs my soul
to action, and the battle within
is decided when I take the steps that move me forward,
closer to
Your Presence
and where You want me to be.
The waves come crashing around me once I get deep enough that
turning back is not an option,
and I am carried off into
Your ocean of love.
As the soaking ebbs & flows
over me, again & again,
I feel like I am in a dream.
Discord sounds off to the distance and I open my eyes,
taking my gaze off Your face
as I do.
And I begin to sink.
Panic wells up as I struggle,
desperate to breathe,
crying out with
all that I am for rescue.
You are there,
with Your hand stretched down
to bring me up
to the safety of Your Presence.
You were always there,
in command of the wind, water, storms and waves.
I am the one who looked away,
never You.
I praise You for Your love, God.
Your ever present,
always for us,
never failing,
into eternity
amazing love.
I can trust in You,
even when the waves come crashing,
the storm sounds escalate
and I feel lost along the way.
My Rescue is
always with reach,
keeping me within arm’s length,
vigilant in His watch.
I can rest as the waters
cleanse me,
invigorate me
and lead me to the shore
where He is waiting.

#SundayPsalm
#singanewpsalm