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Wisdom Seekers

Karla LeesLeave a comment

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5 (NIV)

The quest for knowledge can become a fact finding mission without an end, unless you know the right place to search.

I am married to a man who is my complete opposite. As a science brained person, he loves logical progression as he acquires knowledge (a+b=c). As an artsy creative type person, I love to use my senses and intuition to learn. We have been known to frustrate one another because we cannot explain ourselves so that the other gets what we are saying.

As newlyweds this caused a great deal of friction in our marriage.

Until I discovered this verse in James, and realized if we were ever to understand one another, we would need the Holy Spirit to help us communicate.

It takes His wisdom to show us what is behavioral, and what has been hardwired into our design.

God has never failed to shine His truth and wisdom on any situation where I have first waited for Him to speak.  

Heartbreaking, traumatic or at a crossroads—whatever the circumstance—His wisdom was the exact fit for what I needed to know, and for where I needed to go from there.

I can honestly say I am still married today because of God’s wisdom, love, grace and guidance through some very turbulent waters.

Pause and Apply:  Do I tend to leap before thinking? What do I need to bring before God so He can speak wisdom into it?

Prayer:  Lord, You give the gift of wisdom to all who ask. I am asking today. Help me navigate the choppy waters ahead in a way that pleases You.

The post Wisdom Seekers first appeared on Remade.
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lean into Hope

Karla Lees4 Comments

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His timing is perfect.

The Max Lucado quote above jumped out at me last Sunday night, again yesterday morning, and won’t leave me be.

This morning, I awoke to the beginnings of a migraine. and this quote jumped back out to me, yet again.

I choose to believe it’s God reminding me of the truth it contains.

Lean into Hope.

God knows we need a shoulder to lean on and strong arms to hold us. That’s His job. Ours is to learn in at all times, trusting He is there for us. No matter what.

Heed the call of heaven.

We can’t find our path through the storms without His light showing us the way through. We may not be able to see our way, but if we are listening for His voice, we can hear His direction guiding us onwards.

Press into the Promises.

Our God is the God of Promise. What He says will happen, will.
What He says He will do, He will.
The precious promises He has wrapped throughout the Bible are there for us to wrap our hearts about when things are bumpy, painful or seemingly exhausted of hope.

These three short sentences all have something in common, besides all being penned by the same man.

They are all calls to action.

We need to choose to do these three steps in order to keep our equilibrium during the storms.

Because God is waiting for us to lean, heed and press in to Him.

He can’t do those steps for us.

He can be with us when we accept His reminders and invitations to come…

Lean on the arms which never tire, heed His loving voice speaking hope and life, press in to our ever present never shaken Rock.

He is the strength we need.
He is the love we crave.
He is the foundation we long for.

You do remember He adores you? Always has, always will?
No matter what?

Choose Hope, Beloved.

Every day, every time, every season.

For He alone will never fail to rekindle our hope when we put our faith and trust in Him.

are your roots showing?

Karla LeesLeave a comment

I recently has to get my hair done.
Because I have very curly hair, i can’t always tell when my roots begin to show, until they are pretty bad.  Like over an inch or two.

Because I am transitioning back to my natural dark ash blonde, (which is actually a lighter brown but the boxes & color wheels say is dark ash blonde, so I guess technically I am still a blonde!) now that I had a lot of roots showing, I needed a new game plan. Where am I headed now? More highlights & lowlights to keep transitioning with each cut, or dye my whole head to match the roots, then add a few highlights for fun.

I went with option b.  Because I am not ashamed of my roots.  I like the color, and want to work with the body I’ve got.

How long are your roots?

Are they subtle and barely noticeable, or obvious to everyone who sees you? 

Are they hidden because of how you carry yourself?

The roots to which I am now referring?

Your rootedness in God.

Do you spend more quality time with Him than anyone else you are in relationship with?

Can other people tell you are depending on Him in your day to day life?

Can you remain standing when the storm hits?

God is unshakeably dependable, our Rock of Ages.  Nothing shocks Him, ever. Nothing can move Him out of His position as Lord over all.

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There is living water & wisdom to feed the souls of those who dig deep and draw close to Him.

And the closer you get, the deeper you become His, and the more He steadies you.

So unlike your hair, these roots are the ones we want to be visible in our lives.

We want Him to look at us and see we are standing on His Word, trusting in His ways, and seeking Him in every moment.

We want roots so deep we are constantly strengthened by Him, grounded in His Promises, & in His Presence.

May we look beyond the superficial, find the courage to let our root grow, and not be afraid to let them show.

Presence

Karla LeesLeave a comment

The past few days, I have felt overwhelmed physically.

A few of my sore muscles are having a hard time giving up their tension, despite prayer and the efforts of my physio & massage therapist.

Sleeping on my left side is foreign to me, I have always been a back or right side sleeper, and with my right side sore, staying asleep HSS now become an issue.

I am generally not a big whiner, but a solution finder.

I am in a situation I cannot control. nor see a quick end too.

The trail ahead seemed very steep last night.

I could only pray, “Help” before falling asleep.

This morning, as I awoke and spent time in His Word & Presence, He has reminded me I am not in this alone.

He is with me.

He is strengthening me.

He is helping me.

I was only looking at my physical symptoms, but God was looking at my whole person.

My spirit is reaching out for Him more than ever before, because I don’t want to make it through without Him.

My solution, my Hope is found in Him alone.

I am actively bringing my thoughts into alignment with His Word & promises.

I am being honest about my feelings, but not letting them run my decisions.

But how I am physically weary of being sore.

And that is the area God reminds me I need to bring into alignment with His truth.

I can keep going when I depend on His strength.

He is more than enough for me, even as I struggle.

Its okay to be real before Him, and fully rely on Him for all I need.

Maybe one of you needed to hear this this morning too.

I hope He draws close to you, and reminds you of what you need to hear from Him directly as well.

Once again, it is well with my soul.

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Because all things are possible, in, with and for our God!