These Words

As I sorted through old photos I came across photos that dated back to times in my life that felt so far away and long ago. These were photos of people I once knew or was once connected to one way or another. The photos are the only proof of that time existing in my life. As I sat at this box tears rolled down my face. I wasn't sad, but I was surprised that there were emotions still connected to those times and people. 

I also came across a couple of letters I had written to my husband shortly after we had met and became friends. We met in September 2004. The letters were written in November of the same year. I am going to share excerpts from one letter because I want you to understand something very important. In fact, you have heard this so many times that the depth and intensity of these words are often lost on a person...and perhaps are often lost on you. As a result, the impact of these words is altered greatly, sometimes to the point of having no impact at all. So, what am I saying?

Read the excerpts and then continue below (click to enlarge).

The Lord had instructed me to leave home in April 2004. That one act of obedience led to my ending up in Australia later that same year. God didn't send me there because I was so awesome. He didn't send me as a missionary. He didn't send me to save the Aussies. 

He sent me out of His great love for me. He knew I was a mess. He knew I had walls upon walls. He knew I had settled within myself the fact that I was going to journey through life on my own. Oh, I would love people. I loved God. I loved others. I could love outwards. What I struggled with was receiving love- from others, maybe even from God. I knew and was convinced that God loved me, but I kept that love at arm's distance- just outside my my walls. 

I didn't realize that at the time. God gave me an adventure. He took me somewhere I never imagined being simply to put me in a place where I had no choice but to receive. He put people in my life that loved me fully and sincerely. They were strangers, yet they became family. One by one the bricks in my walls were dismantled. 

I can still recall sitting on my friend's couch in New Zealand and, in my mind's eye, seeing myself standing naked amidst a pile of rubble as far I could see. That rubble had once been my walls. I was naked because I felt exposed to the world without my walls. They had been a comfort to me. I now had to learn how to walk and live without them. 

These past 11 years have been so rich and full. God continues to pour out His great love in my life and the lives of my family. I no longer journey alone. I no longer desire to hide behind my walls. In fact, I easily recognize when they sometimes try to rebuild themselves. I know to take it to the Lord, acknowledge it and let it go. I love the Lord so much. If I could wrap my arms around Him it would be to give Him a long, extended bear hug. That's how it feels when He loves me. 

I am sharing all this to tell you that you do not have to have it all together to be used by God. He is not waiting for you to complete a checklist of tasks and rituals. He is not waiting for you to finish school, be ordained, take a vow or any other thing. He loves you with a love that is so intense and so deep. If He has to take you to the other side of the world in order for you to finally receive healing, love and any other thing, then be sure that He can. 

Are you willing to go where He sends you? Are you willing to trust Him a bit more than all the negative stuff that rolls and repeats through you mind, as if on a loop played daily? Are you willing to risk the notion that God knows more than you do? Are you willing to be impacted by Him?

Are you willing to receive and understand with greater measure what these words mean:

GOD LOVES YOU

The message is so simple and almost cliche, yet the truth within these words will turn your life upside-down in the most fantastic of ways. Let Him love you. You're life will never be the same.

Duck Feathers

Have you ever been offended (angered, hurt, betrayed) by someone, whether in church or simply in life? Yes? What if I told you that I knew how you could fly above it all? 

The answer may surprise you. 

The most effective way to handle any offense is with duck feathers. In fact, I suggest you grow duck feathers. Oh, you'll also need an uropygial gland, also known as the preening gland. That's the real secret. It's not enough to have the feathers. You need the oil. 

In the natural, ducks have a preening gland located near the base of their tail. They use their 

bill to spread the oil over each and every outer feather. This coats their feathers with an oily substance that contains diester waxes that help waterproof feathers and keep them flexible. 

The following list is found at:  Preening: How and Why Birds Preen

Preening serves several essential purposes for birds, including:

·         Aligning feathers for optimum waterproofing and insulation.

·         Aligning feathers into the most aerodynamic shape for easier, more efficient flight.

·         Removing feather parasites and body lice that can destroy feathers or carry disease.

·         Removing tough sheaths from newly molted feathers.

·         Creating a healthier appearance to attract a mate.

With so many reasons to preen, it is no surprise that many birds engage in this behavior for several hours a day.

What if you and I engaged in a similar act several hours a day? What if we purposed to preen ourselves daily, just as the ducks do? What do you think might happen??

In the bible the Holy Spirit is often symbolized by oil. Oil was used to anoint kings and priests for service. Its use represented the presence of the Lord over the one being anointed. It  also represents the Holy Spirit's soothing, healing presence. In James 5:14-15  we are instructed to anoint the sick with oil and pray over them. 

Oil also moisturizes dry skin, It is used to reduce friction between two parts. Oil can be medicinal. Oil is representative of so many good things that we, as believers, need in our lives. 

Now, let’s take our examples from the ducks in the natural and apply it to our lives in the spiritual. If we, as Christians, found ourselves immersed in the presence of the Holy Spirit daily (spiritual preening) we would find very similar results happening in our lives.

·         If our spiritual feathers are oiled and waterproofed then the effects of offense are going to be minimal. We will find that we can swim in deep waters of things that would ordinarily drag or bog us down. No longer weighted by these things we may see our lives beginning to thrive as we are able to feed ourselves without the threat of drowning.

·         Spiritual preening aligns us into the most effective shape for easier, more efficient service.

·         The oil of the Holy Spirit, time spent with Him, will remove parasitic people and situations from our lives.

·         Spiritual preening softens our hearts, smooths our rough edges and allows love to grow in us more freely. Our perspective of others is changed to be more in line with how the Father sees those around us.

·         Spiritual preening produces a glow and makes us more attractive in our character and our service to others.

Ducks do not preen once or twice a week. They preen daily and throughout their day. If they did not preen daily they would not be able to float, swim, dive and thrive. The ducks preen instinctively. It is second nature to them. They are ducks. It is what they do.

I challenge you to let your time with the Lord become second nature to you. I challenge you to walk so closely with the Holy Spirit that, when offense comes, you will instinctively preen your feathers. Tap into that oil, coat yourself daily. If you do you will be free from so many things that would otherwise weigh you down.

You will soon find that all that ‘stuff’ just rolls off like water off a duck’s back.