Tag: help

bloom in the chill

Karla Lees

To help fight the seasonal blahs which usually hit me in the sunless midwinter, I love to bring a bunch of fresh cut tulips home to brighten my kitchen table.  

Last week, as i bought some lovely pink tulips, the florist passed on a wise tip which has stuck with me. She suggested adding an ice cube to the water in my vase each day, to keep the tulips at their best. When I gave her the, “Really?!” look, she smiled and nodded, then mentioned how this only works for tulips.

A good florist knows the quirks of each type of flower they work with. And as God so nudgingly pointed out to me a few moments later, the same applies with people.

When we live or work with other people, we need to know enough about them to know how we can best relate or compliment each other’s skills/talents/gifts.

A good spouse, parent, child, coworker, co-minister gets to know those with whom they are spending their time, because each of us has a quirk just like the tulips do.

We are all made one of a kind, and as a result, what might work with one family member, friend or coworker won’t with another because of their differences, even if they have many commonalities.

The hardest part becomes when someone you work with or love throws an ice cube your way.

And you aren’t a tulip…

  • If that ice cube comes in a harsh word, those who feel most appreciated through kind words will curl their blooms tightly, pulling away.
  • Should the ice come in refusing to block out time together, the one who connects the most through quality time will feel unloved, and begin to wither the longer they are apart.
  • If the ice cube is the only touch felt by those who need caring touch to know they are loved, they feel that chill right down to their roots.
  • When the ice cube is the sole thing you have received from them, and gifts make you spread your bloom towards the sun, you bend over from the weight of disappointment.
  • Should that ice cube be the only gesture they have made, and loving actions is your chlorophyll, the lack of kindness will leave you dry and thirsty.

I have been learning that God is more than enough to help us cope with the icy chills which come our way whether in action or an unkind word, whether unplanned or deliberately tossed towards us.

There is nothing new under the sun, as God knows. As He knows each and every one of us intimately as our Creator, He is the best one to turn to to ask how to deal with the situation, sort our emotions out as we may need to, turn our hurts and anger over to Him, and then to respond as He leads us to.

Last week, I had a doozy of ice cubes tossed my way.  Most unintentionally, a few intentionally.  The resulting chill was intense, and painful.

Yet God knew they were coming my way, and prepared me with wise counsel ahead of time, so I could discern what was actually happening.

Because He did so, most people around me didn’t know there was a heaviness below the surface as I was inviting Him to warm up the chilly places within, and replace them with the warmth of His love.

Beloved, God has made a way for you too to bloom in the chill.

Draw close to the light of the Son. (John 8:12)

Let His Word feed you as you let Him lead you in the growth awaiting in this season. (Matthew 4)

Listen for His love song being sung over you. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Allow His love to ignite into such a fire in your heart that no matter what icy darts the enemy tries to sling your way, they will melt as you come near to Him.  (Psalm 39:3, James 4:8)PicsArt_02-23-07.43.49

at any age or stage, your life matters

Karla Lees

It’s so much not about your age, but the life you’ve lived in those years.

I have a few friends who have recently celebrated (some reluctantly) significant birthdays.

Age is not a big deal to me.

It’s more about the life we have lived in those years than the time we count.

You may be a sixty year old who has never left your hometown,  but have raised three wonderful children who love the Lord.

You could be a 22 year old God is using brilliantly for His Kingdom, but may be insecure in being single.

You may be starting over after a divorce, death or loss of job.

All the life we have lived matters to the One who gave us life.

His Presence with us matters most of all.

God is able to show us things we have lived through from His perspective.

God is able to heal us from the brokenness and hurts we’ve received in our past.

God is able to stir up our hope as He shows us the future He has for us, both now and forever more.

Nothing, not one thing, is wasted or beyond his redemption for those who put their faith and trust in God in this life.

The author of life Himself offers to walk beside us with each step we take in this life.

And experiencing life by His side can cause one blissful moment to linger for hours and one hard hour to fade into a blip of time.

Time doesn’t pass for Him the same way it does for us. We only move forwards. God is beyond time, as its designer and initiator.

I have seen Him speed the skills and development of young people as he has empowered them to step into roles generally thought of as for thr mature.

Older folk rediscover life with the wide eyed wonder traditionally reserved for youth.

Life isn’t about age as much as stage.

Every age or stage is His speciality, as the Creator of life.

Instead of becoming depressed or upset with where you are at right now, invite Him to show you the wonders He has for you.

Right here, right now.

For although God is beyond time he way we know it, He never fails to step into our lives and stay with us through it all.

Not thrilled you are X years old and you haven’t seen Y happen yet in your life, or you are tired of carrying the weight of Z about on your way shoulders?

Come to the One who gave you life, who helps you live life to its fullest, and empowers you through life’s ups and downs.

All of your life matters to Him, from your conception to whatever age and stage you are right at now:
○The good, the bad.
○The happy, the sad.
○The highs, the lows.
○The celebrations, the blows.

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praise and worship to change the atmosphere

Karla Lees

Praise and worship arrest the atmosphere that is constantly whispering fear, failure and regret.  Lisa Bevere

These past few weeks, God has been whispering to me to listen before I speak, even more He ever has before.

When I get that email which causes my anxiety level to soar in an instant.

When I remember something I had forgotten to do, and am unsure how to handle my disappointment with myself.

When I knew I blew it, and the enemy blows a sense of heightened fear onto the reality that I failed.

Maybe you too can relate.

Instead of immediately reacting, I have been stepping into a new way to handle these kind of situations, which inevitably happen to all of us at one time or another. (Even more if you live, work or hang out with people on a daily basis. Which is most of us!)

I put on my praise and worship pants.

I step into the wonder and awe of my More than Enough, and leave the atmosphere of failure and not enough in my rearview mirror:

  • I proclaim God for who He is.
  • I keep my eyes fixed on His ways.
  • I set my heart to seek His heart for me, His heart for those I interact with or encounter.
  • I choose to focus on what I do know instead of the what ifs and all the other questions which tend to pop into our mind in stressful situations.
  • I sing, write, draw, sit in quiet as I feel lead, and listen for His direction and prompts.

But first and foremost, i remind myself who is with me.

Who lives within me and walks with me.

And as His temple, I don’t want to willingly partner with anything that will make me less of a host to the Holy Ghost.

So I proclaim I am His, and I am refusing to allow anything that does not come through His hands into my temple.

And I send it back to where it has come from.

As I do, He shifts the atmosphere to that of His Kingdom.

And fear, worry, anxiety, lies, failure and regret ebb away in the light He brings with His presence into the immediate situation where He has been invited.

I pray if you too need to shift the atmosphere about you, that you will clearly hear His voice guiding you as you invite Him to move on your behalf in the moment.

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disappointment

Karla Lees

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It’s still there.

That disappointment you have been trying to avoid bringing into the light.

Thinking that if you don’t look at it, it won’t hurt as much. 

Harbouring our hurts only deepens them.

I have struggled with many disappointments over the years, and I have discovered the truth: each disappointment is the opportunity for a divine appointment.

Have you been praying for something you hold dear, and it hasn’t happened yet?

Did someone you love let you down, again?

Has it been x number of years since your last raise?

Did you get passed over for promotion?

Has your significant other broken up with you?

Did your loved one die even though you had been praying for their healing?

Have your womb and arms remained empty despite your petitions?

Last night, He reminded me in my LifeGroup that what matters to us, matters to Him.

Money has been tight for the past few years. Surgeries & schooling, unexpected car repairs & time off work without any raises can leave you frustrated.  I had been praying for increase, however God wants to bless us with it, and not seen almost any fruit in quite some time. All our needs are covered, except my desire to be debt free.

We were invited to pray what was on our hearts during LifeGroup, and as I had already stepped our on Sunday to ask people to join me in praying for something related but equally important, I decided to not speak up about that need, and my disappointment it hasn’t yet come to pass.

Imagine my shock when God prophetically spoke that exact request through the leader a few moments later.  Increase is coming.

God has a way of reminding us we can always bring what is bothering us to Him, doesn’t He?

He has never informed me that what was on my heart was insignificant when I brought it before Him.

He has always welcomed me with open arms, heard me out and loved up on me wherever I was at.  Whether I share my joys, pain, hurts, grief, or blessings.

Every disappointment I experience can lead to my experiencing God in a deeper way, if I not only bring it to Him, but give it to Him.

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 MSG

Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8

And when we do?

He meets us there.

We experience divine appointment in exchange for our disappointment.

As I stop typing and move on to spending some time with Him this morning, I will close by leaving you with one of my favorite passages to claim when I am struggling with loss or disappointment, when the road ahead is unclear.

May He meet you right where your disappointments are, as you bring them into the light of His Presence. May He comfort & strengthen you too, as you draw near, and remind you of the blessings He has in store for you.

Psalm 23 (MSG)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

for those lost in a maze daze

Karla Lees

I recently read a Christian fiction book where one of the characters was trying to explain to the other about how God longs to guide us.

Because you & I both know there are days when we sooooo need someone to take us by the hand and help us along when we feel like we are about to stumble.

The image the author shared resonated deeply within me, and made so much sense I will attempt to put it into words to share with you today.

We have a tendency to live life thinking we are in control & able to make all our own decisions. We are trained to become independent thinkers at school, and to think of ourselves first as modelled in today’s society.

Until the day I, you,  realize we are actually are in a maze.

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Not an easy only one way to go maze but a multidirectional maze where each step either takes you deeper into the maze, or leads you further towards the exit.

A type of maze we will spend our whole life in.

How we spend that life as we navigate can make all the difference.

When quite young, my kids had a funny habit of chasing one another from room to room on our main floor in a continuous circle.  For years they went round & round, until one of them discovered they could turn around and chase the other back.

Until we realize there is another option, we sometimes stay on the same path longer than we are meant to.

Returning to this image I was sharing about…. the one character finally pointed out to the other,

Which is better when you are in a maze: seeing what is facing you at ground level, or a bird’s eye view of the entire maze?

That’s struck a chord within that is still working its way deeply within me.

What I see when I look at what is facing me is limited only to my narrow vision.  I cannot see the big picture based upon my own abilities, no matter how hard I try.

I do however know the One who sees all.  Who knows all.  Who gets me inside & out, coz He designed & hand crafted me.
Who wants to share His ways with me.

And you.

So instead of fretting over which way to go in front of me, I need to look up.

For He sees the path which is best for me to take, and will let me know, through His Word, a quiet whisper, a sense of direction, a peace to take the next step. 

As some of the decisions are more life impacting than others, I try to make sure I don’t react, but respond as He leads.  Before I move, I ask Him for confirmation.

Not because He is going to steer me wrong. but because I want to walk the path He has for me.

And I know that left to my own devices, I would react more out of selfishness and ease than wisdom.

There are a few crossroads up ahead in the near future, and I am asking Him for clarification before taking the next step.

Even though I don’t like to wait.

But I don’t want to end up going around the same part of the maze over & over again because I refused to listen.

Been there, done that, done with that.

What is mind numbingly awesome to me is how much God longs to take us that next step, to walk along side us, to equip, lead, teach & strengthen us as we go.

Just as Jesus looked to Him & sought His infilling & wisdom as He lived through His time on earth, God longs to do the same for each of us.

The pitfalls, repeated routes & dead ends we will miss along the way He leads, and the victories & blessings which will come our way?

Amazeing!

seasons change

Karla Lees

A friend I haven’t connected with for a long time came to mind this morning while I was getting ready for my day.

So I asked God (which I am starting to do more & more) if I should get in touch with her.

He said, “Leave things as they are.”

I prayed for God to bless that person, then thought to myself, “Why?”

Then I heard, “Your season has passed.”

I got it.

You see, some people we encounter are only meant to be in our lives short term.

We do one another a disservice when we try to force a short term connection into a long term one.

Some times, a short term mission is meant to be short term.

You can see this in relationships that happen to across when they make a movie or are in a production together.  Close quarters can lead to a closeness with someone you wouldn’t have but for the circumstances.

God reminded me that I am not the same me I was when I was friends with this woman, and I am not to go back.

There are times when a person isn’t healthy for us, or we are awakened to the fact they never were. 

Or they seem to take off or fall apart with the arrival of every storm, also known as fairweather friends.

But we may not be able to see the truth, until the season has passed.

Then there are the friends who are in your life for the long haul.  The ones who chose to be your sisters & brothers, who can live anywhere in the world and you can pick up as if no time has passed between you.

These are your any weather, no matter the season friends. The ones who pray for you daily, lend a hand when you need one, tell you the truth when you need to hear it, and are in for the long haul. 

Jesus had a few friends like that. He left His mother’s care to one, and His church to another.

If you look through the Word, there was a large group of people who travelled with Him.

Not all stuck with Him through it all, in fact….most of them fled or let Him down when the going got tougher than they expected.

But He forgave them, each & every one. And restored the ones who would be in it with Him for the long haul, the ones who came back to Him.

We need to do the same.

If a friend has become distant, and isn’t responding to your attempts to connect, ask Him these four questions:

1. Did I do something I need to apologize for?

2. Is this person hurting & i need to let them know I am here to support them?

3. Is this her/his way of showing me this is/was a short term friendship or project only, and I need to move on?

4. Is this relationship unhealthy for me, and I need to let them go?

As hard as this season may be for you to adjust to, it is always better to have the support circle He intends for you around you.

It may not be the group you thought it would be, as God leads you through each season.

But if He is doing the leading, knowing & caring for You as He does, it will be His support system surrounding you.

Ready to walk with you through every season, as He does.

Seasons will change, but His love for you never will, ever.

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whines, how longs & putting it out there

Karla Lees

It’s time to come clean.

I used to have a ‘Why me’, whiny tendency which ran deep.

Very deep, in fact it was my go to inside voice.

When God met me, one of the first things He pointed out to me was my need to whine.

For me, at that time, it was a need, because I wasn’t speaking out about what was bothering me in any other way.

Instead He reminds me I can tell Him how I am really feeling.

And I usually do, unless I get myself too busy without enough time set aside to hang out with Him.

So when I catch myself whining or complaining, I arrange to head to my refuge, the secret place where God & I meet.

I can bring myself just the way I am before Him. I can lay my whines, my how longs, why me and anything else weighing on me, and tell Him about it.

All of it.

No holds barred.

Keeping nothing back.

Pouring myself out of all the junk & stress makes room for more Him to refill me.

His peace in place of my whines.
His strength in the waiting.
Reassurance of who I am to Him.
Enough grace, mercy and hope for that day.

For His Presence is like manna.

Designed to be taken in a daily dose, to be all we need and more than enough for all we will face that day.

Join me today and trade in your junk for His joy.

Like manna, the miracle is found in the Provider, not His provision on its own.

in light of Him

Karla Lees

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20 MSG

Some days, when I work myself into a daze, my mind wanders from the truth in the Word. 

I need to remind myself of who He really is, and what He is really capable of every day. 

The verse above reminds me how grateful i am that His Spirit is deeply and gently at work within us to help us believe, trust and step out to do what He asks of us.

God can do anything He wants, yet chooses to move through you and I! That truth is one I need to wrestle down & accept. Even though I may want to talk myself out of it, my inability to be live it doesn’t make it any less true!

I tend to push myself around, but He is direct without beating me up as He guides me to become more like Jesus.

I am so thankful His grace and patience is never ending, and that He works through us so what He wants done will happen through us. When we yield to Him, His ways come to pass!

Because He is Creator, Mighty, Holy & Awesome, and the Master Planner, He knows exactly what He has hardwired into us, how to fan it to flames and direct us to live out the purpose He has for us.

We may not know what He fully has in store for us, possibly even until we step into heaven one day.

Our part is to trust even when we don’t see the full picture, because we know the One who not only does, but created it! He will light our way as we seek Him with each step.
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You have more depth than I ever could ever imagine, God. Help me to trust You when Your ways don’t appear to make sense in the middle of the situation or circumstances find myself in.

PS. This post originally has been seen at: http://remade-ministries.org/devotion/who-he-is/

prejudiced by pride

Karla Lees

First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
Proverbs 16:18

“That will never happen to me.”

Little did I know as a young girl all that was going to occur in my life.
Molested, lonely, teased, bullied, abandoned, date raped, physical injuries… as much happened to my outsides as did to my insides.

In an attempt to keep a lid on all that, and more, I shoved it all down under close watch, using a razor sharp tongue and sarcastic humor to protect myself from further wounding. On the outside, I appeared to have it all together.

I was proud of how no one noticed. Seriously.. And because I could hold it all together (at least I thought I could with the lie I told myself at that time) I didn’t have much use for people who fell apart at the first sign of trouble.

My pride led to prejudice.

And colored my worldview glimpse of my neighbors for quite awhile.

After God met me in the pit of my own making, many things had changed instantly. My pride at keeping a lid on what was swirling below wasn’t one of them.

Soon after, I married into a family of extremes. High highs and low lows, there always seemed to be a lot of drama ready to erupt.

Coming from my background, heavily influenced by my staunch British raised step father’s upbringing, this just added fuel to the fire of my pride. I was proud my family didn’t have so much drama, until some of the history was shared with my bewildered ears, and I realized my family drama may not have been visible, but was equally dramatic, especially as it had been hidden away under…you guessed it, pride.

My side of the family (both my maternal & paternal) is exceptionally talented with their hands & minds. The one flaw? The privacy of pride.

All of us, to some degree or another, want to keep our stuff private.

God wants us to be free from secrets that harm, lies we are ensnared by, and emotions that threaten to overwhelm us if they are released.

Pride is one of the keys we need to hand over to God, so He can set us free from its cage, and destroy its hold on us.

I know, because I ran full tilt into that cage, and lived there for way longer than I came to admit.

We don’t look at the world, others or ourselves from His viewpoint when pride us in the way, but our pride-led knee jerk reactions.

Take Mr Darcy for example.
Raised well, he was instructed how to live a good life, without the guidance of his parents to help him avoid the pitfall of pride. Like his home, Pemberly, he was made of stone. Pride & propriety before all at the beginning of Pride & Prejudice. After meeting & falling in love with Lizzy Bennet, he began to question how his pride led him astray into actions he looked back on with regret.

Lizzy Bennet, a very sharp intelligent woman also struggled with pride. Her encounters with Mr Darcy slowly stripped her prejudice from her eyes as the truth of his character was revealed to her over time.

Two characters, from different rank & backgrounds, both struggled with pride.

And they are not alone, are they?

The enemy was the first fall from pride, and takes great delight in luring humanity into that same fall.

Pride doesn’t allow for change, weakness or a plea for assistance.

It only leads one way until it is uprooted.

If any if these words strikes chord or resonate within, head for the secret place.

God will reveal the state of our minds & hearts to us if we ask, and wait for His response.

But God doesn’t leave us there, once we realize we were in the out of our own making.

He lifts us out, restores our peace, imparts hope and new life, and takes us by the hand as we move on with Him.

The only One worthy of being proud is the humblest of us all. Jesus laid Himself down for us, and God elevated Him to His true position at His side after He did so, honoring Him.

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. James 4:7-10

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runaway, run the way Home

Karla Lees

I have had a tendency to run away from home way too often.

And God always keeps an eye out from His porch, waiting for me to return.

There are times I run because I don’t get what God has planned, and so I fill up at His table only when I hit exhaustion, and can’t run any further.

Other times I strike out on my own to try to maintain control over my life, before heading Home with my tail between my legs, humbled by the startling reality I faced – which reminded me again only He is in control.

Then there are the times when I am sick and tired of waiting for an answer, and I take off to lick my wounds & try to hide away on my own, even though I know that is the wrong place to be.

All the while, my spirit longs for Home.

My body longs for deep rest.

My mind longs for peace.

My emotions long to be still.

My heart? It yearns for Your love.

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I have been keeping how I have been feeling about this current fall bottled deep within.

I hadn’t yet cried until yesterday afternoon.

Why? Because I have been trying to be brave in a situation where I have been praying for God’s justice, and discovered He may prefer for me to offer mercy & grace.

I was hoping to be made whole from someone other than Him.

Someone i respect pointed out that out, as well as that I need to be more aware of what’s going on around me, which hurt.

Because I have been trying to hold it all in, and barely managing with getting all my ‘have-tos’ completed as best I can.

Honestly, I felt slapped in the face with what was not intended to be received that way, but hit me hard through its delivery. It left me reeling for a few hours.

But family speaks truth even when it may hurt.

You see I normally try to be sensitive to the needs of those around me, for the most part. I realize I can’t always do that to the best of my ability at times, but God still wants me to listen for His cues and follow them. Whether it be an act of kindness, encouraging word or offering to help.

In trying to do more than I should be more quickly than I ought to, my sensitivity chip isn’t tuning in, as I struggle to keep it all together.

I had a few friends over for tea last night to catch up. All of us hit a rough patch of various degrees over the past two weeks. We heard one another out, hugged each other, offered comfort where we could, and are praying for each other. That was the other aspect of family I had been missing out on too.

After they left, I still had an ache I couldn’t wrap my thoughts around as I headed for bed. Heavy hearted and drained.

This morning, I awoke to hear God whisper: “I am enough for you. Come rest in me.”

With a jolt, I realized i had been living on my own again, this time without understanding I had even done so.

I am packing my bag for a permanent move Home.

No more flings with independence. No more long runs with futility.
No more sleepovers with sulking.

I am so thankful He is always with us, even when we can’t sense Him, for we are His, I am His beloved.

He will always welcome us home, and help us wash the laundry from the road we took to get back where we belong.

God’s beloved;
God’s permanent residence.
Encircled by God all day long,
within whom God is at home.

Deuteronomy 33:12 MSG

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