Hope in the middle of "it"

The crux of our faith hinges upon our steady reliance upon the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Too often we hold back our belief in God, that He is who He says He is, will do what He says He will do, and that we are who He says that we are, and we hold back our trust and confidence and reliance upon Him until we see it manifest through the details and circumstances of our lives. The reality is as God states in His word that the whole of our lives (if we are sons and daughters of Him) has been made subject to Christ and His authority. What we have entrusted to him, he faithfully, continually, perfectly, and eternally will keep and Lord over. He faithfully, continually, perfectly and eternally will lead you and answer you when you call. Tell that to your life! Hold on to Him and cling to these truths before you see how it will work out! Then the peace and joy of Christ can rule over your hearts and emotions and you will learn to be steadied IN the storms of life instead of only being steadied when the difficulty is over. Heathens can be relieved when storms are over but We were made to be victorious in the storms! Victorious over fear of death, loss, ruin, etc... our hearts lie and tell us we have to have something, something other than Him to feel safe, to feel secure, to be at peace, to be happy, and the reality is truly, at the core of our beings and all the  needs we perceive we have is our truest need for Him.. Him who satisfies all things! In Christ, we have freedom from all our hearts "have-to-haves." He longs to make us firm in our INNER-MAN. Immoveable inwardly not in the sense that we wont feel the difficulties of life, not that we wont taste hardship, pain, loss, fear, (Jesus was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief)  but that it won't MASTER over us and be the rudder for our life and faith. Be honest about your struggle to believe, confess your belief, and then run to Christ to ask for help in your unbelief!

"But Christ (the Messiah) was faithful over His [own Father’s] house as a Son [and Master of it]. And it is we who are [now members] of this house, if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ]. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] and their provocation and embitterment [of Me] in the day of testing in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried [My patience] and tested [My forbearance] and found I stood their test, and they saw My works for forty years. And so I was provoked (displeased and sorely grieved) with that generation, and said, They always err and are led astray in their hearts, and they have not perceived or recognized My ways and become progressively better and more experimentally and intimately acquainted with them. Accordingly, I swore in My wrath and indignation, They shall not enter into My rest. [Therefore beware] brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God. But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamor of his sin may play on him]. For we have become fellows with Christ (the Messiah) and share in all He has for us, if only we hold our first newborn confidence and original assured expectation [in virtue of which we are believers] firm and unshaken to the end. Then while it is [still] called Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [in the desert, when the people provoked and irritated and embittered God against them]. So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest], because of their unwillingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God [unbelief had shut them out]. (Hebrews 3:6-15, 19 AMP)

The Song of the Son

It really truly is all about Jesus. Not just in word but reality. Have you ever taken notice of how the Father feels towards the Son? He REALLY REALLY digs Jesus... His Beloved, in Whom He is well pleased, Son. And to be about that which the Father is about is to really in essence to be about the Son. Reflecting on this truth, the following thoughts and pictures began to unfold in my heart...
As Sons and Daughters of God purchased  by Jesus' blood, our lives and the stories they tell compose  redemption's music, which makes each of us musicians. The Father, our ever skillful conductor, beckons us, come. Come and join in the Symphony of the Son. Daily, our lives play out His Song, over and over, redemption's song sings out through our moments. I could see this scene unfold before my eyes....an outdoor orchestra takes their seat at sunset, beautiful colors fill the sky, sweet smells of flowers and earth float on the breeze and the birds and other living creatures sing creation's song as the Conductor begins to look out over the players. I began to notice two distinct groups. To one side, I saw a sea of nervous players, some looking down at the instrument they had been recently given, unsure of themselves, unsure of this thing, these instruments, they held in their hands, unsure of the Conductor. They squirmed nervously in their seats, the questions and apprehensions written all over their faces. Then I looked at the Conductor, His eyes sweeping over this sea of newcomers and a huge grin of excited expectation stretched across His face...He knew the noise that was about to come forth out of this section and it delighted Him, for in the score, He had made provision for the noise they would make as somehow, these squawks and squeaks would be woven into the notes and lines and phrases and together would convey the beauty of the Son in mysterious ways. His heart was full of anticipation and excitement as they would, some for the very first time, press their lips and just breath into their horns in hopes that something would come out.  Then His eyes shifted to another group. These players had been with Him a while, they were silent, calm, almost unmoving as they had their eyes fixated on the Conductor's baton...ready. It was easy to see they had played many times with the Conductor before and were waiting, watching, undistracted. He let out a deep sigh as He studied this group. His playful smile faded into a penetrating gaze as He looked over these seasoned, weathered ones, an almost tangible strength and wisdom rose off of them. They had not only practiced a great deal, but had waged great wars with their music. A knowing rose up in Him, as tears formed in His eyes as He studied these musicians...there would be great music that came forth from these...powerful melodies that would move creation. For these had learned to watch His every move, take every cue, and play the rests with as much passion and conviction as they played the notes in front of them.They had gained their skills over time and for many it had cost them. Their music was beautiful but it had been bathed in hardship, loss, and pain.  These were almost unaware of themselves and their instruments all together, they were just fixated on their conductor so as not to miss one note, one moment of the grand symphony they had been placed in.

Together their hearts cried out, "Lead us, O Great Conductor, into beautiful music, communicating the sounds that need to go out at your slightest wave...help us keep time with the beat you set, no one playing their instrument at their own will but as one among many who together will set forth the sound You hear in your head, the score of the Symphony of the Son." 

And so it is with us, each and everyday. He has made provision for our missed notes, our uncertain attempts, our fearfulness and yet we are growing, ever-changing, into the skilled musicians who at the slightest sway of the baton can be moved from loud powerful earthshaking melodies, to sweet slow sounds that whisper His love, to the rests that come so silence can tell another part of the story. Regardless of which side we sit on, and depending on the day, we could find our selves in either section, the notes we play ring forth the beautiful melodies of the Son. Redemption's song is continually being played each day, one note at a time. Just play, I hear Him say. At home, play. In your mothering, play. At work, play. As you live your life, live one note at a time, watching, expecting, trusting in Me. I will make beautiful music of it all. Just wait and see....

Rock of Ages, Cleft for me...

You might recognize the title as the old hymn..."Rock of Ages, cleft for me...let me hide myself in Thee..." As with many of the old hymns I grew up with, as an adult I realize there are words in them that I have sung over and over and have no clue what they mean! So when I began to sing this song a while ago, the word cleft kept jumping out at me. I decided to spend some time studying it and was deeply moved by what the Lord showed me.
Exodus 33:22  "When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by." A quick check revealed cleft is a noun meaning hole, but it's root is naqar, which is a verb with the following definitions:
In Exodus

Brown-Driver-Briggs' Definition

1. to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear
   1. (Qal)
      1. to cleave, cleave open
      2. to break through, break into
   2. (Niphal)
      1. to be cleft, be rent open, be split open
      2. to be broken into
   3. (Piel)
      1. to cleave, cut to pieces, rend open
      2. to break through, break down
   4. (Pual)
      1. to be ripped open, be torn open
      2. to be rent
      3. to be broken into
   5. (Hiphil)
      1. to break into
      2. to break through
   6. (Hophal) to be broken into
   7. (Hithpael) to burst (themselves) open, cleave asunder 
   
   That day on the mountain with God, Moses was hidden in the space that had been created as a result of the rock being split open, rent, forcefully cut. As this began to sink in and I began to see some things. Christ is very often referred to as the Rock in scripture. Christ was cleft, split open by force for us. His body was ripped open, and it is in this cleft that I am hidden, in this split open space. When I enter into Christ, I enter into a space created by brute force. Surrounded on all sides, hiding in this cleft, I am not just reminded of an event that occurred, I am abiding in the reality of what happened. My place of abiding is a place created by great suffering, suffering that affords not just my salvation, but CONSTANT safety, and provides me the opportunity to be in God's presence. Grace is not cheap, beloved. Sin has a cost...a cost that Christ paid dearly for. The gravity of this cost is meant to be a grounding thing for us. I can just imagine, the body of Christ before me, split and torn open, and the Father pointing to Him saying, "You need to step inside here. This is your safe place. This is your place of abiding."  Can you imagine physically stepping into that body pierced, beaten, flesh ripped open? What would it do to our understanding of sin and grace? I don't want to be reminded of that all the time. I want to think about it on Good Friday and that's about it. But to be in Christ, is to live in a place where that reality is not something we just visit once in a while. It was the very act of Him being split open that created a space for me, for us. His resurrected body bears the holes in his hands and feet for all of eternity. I believe this message is important in a day and age where often sin is looked at as no big deal. Just ask for forgiveness, and wallah it's nothing more than a memory! In a day and age where often times the church is compromising morality in order to not turn people away...claiming the standards are just too high and people can't and don't want to accept those, and yet we still think we can offer them Christ? But, look at what sin did to our Saviour! He is a physical picture of the absolute and total destruction and death that sin will reap now in the spiritual and in our relationships. Yes, He is compassionate, and will easily and readily forgive, and has grace for us, but let us not forget how the cleft was formed as we receive this forgiveness and grace.

Keep all hands and feet inside the cart....the ride is about to begin....

When the Lord asked me this question, "Who do you think you should fear, men, or me?", it got my attention. Yesterday was a rocky day....no, really it was just ugly. I found a deposit of anger deep inside me that I had no idea was there, but boy when I found it, it was bad. Thankfully, the children were (reluctantly) bundled up and sent outside when the Lord and I began to work through this, but lets just say, I surprised myself with the fierceness and depth of my sin that was surfacing. It was a mess I had to work through the rest of the day, and gloriously right there in front of my kids, who sadly, got to experience much of it first hand. I just told someone recently that if nothing else in home school this year, my children are learning the importance of and how to go about apologizing. :-) I began to grapple through the layers of this yuck, my outburst and seeking the forgiveness of my kids, wisdom on how to handle better the daily frustrations that just so happened to "pushed me over the edge" this particular day, and then the most important issue, where in the world did this come from and what was I so mad about??? It had really been a decent morning...I had gotten some good things done in my mind (insert proverbial proud of my productivity pat on the back here) and enjoyed some sweet moments with my kids, but as the petty nitpicking increased, lunch passed, I began to be a little more directionless with my afternoon, it started to build. And like a volcano that I didn't even know was there, I exploded. Well, I knew there would be no moving forward, I had to get on my face and begin to ask the Lord what was going on. Okay, ask is not quite it, yell, is more like it. As I demanded answers, I wasn't surprised by His silence. I knew He would answer but not in that moment. The timer went off and the ice cubes that were once my children were rescued from outdoor playtime and as they began to warm up, He began to speak. He spoke to me through James 1, about testings and trials were there to help me grow up and mature in Christ, and where He gives wisdom on how to be in the midst of those moments, but what really got my attention was the verse where He describes the cycle of sin and tells how it gets traced back to an evil desire that is conceived ... so I began to ask what the evil desire was.

Around October, I was probed by someone I love and respect and quite honestly desire approval of, in regards to homeschool and how it was I knew I was doing a good job. Like a dagger in my soul, this comment cut to the core of my fear. I don't remember what came out of my mouth (something benign that shifted the conversation), but in my head I was angry....and saying, "I don't know! Why are you asking me this?? I am terribly afraid of this question and I really hope you can't see that right now because then you will think I am inadequate and incapable!" And just like that, for the next three months up until yesterday, I began to live under this fear. Over the course of this time, He spoke some helpful things like exposing to me that our country has made an idol of education, and much of the world, proclaiming it as the salvation for the broken, and poor, the solution to the worlds worst problems, and to some extent, I had believed this at some level, and let the fear that I wasn't going to do a good job begin to rule over my days, directing my steps. The only problem is, when an idol has been given authority in your life, it will rule with fear and it will spawn chaos and more fear. Sadly, many of my days were a mix between trying to serve this idol and trying to rest in Christ. I even got a picture of each foot on different sides of a fence trying to walk this thing out and it wasn't working. I had been battling discouragement to greater and greater measures as the days went on. Even though I was hearing bits and pieces of truth, such as being reminded of wonderful people like my grandmother whom I believed walked the road her Lord set before her and heard "Well done, my daughter" when she crossed the threshold into glory, and all with an 8th grade education. I heard and believed to some degree that it really is more important to focus on their hearts and character and that knowledge can catch up later. And I was kind of trying to be lead through my days by the Holy Spirit yet still trying to formulate some semblance of some kind of routine and learning that would affirm my abilities and impress some one, anyone, everyone, who I sensed was looking in and waiting to critique. And then there was the real fear I was truly aware of, the fear of "the school system"....their standards and marks of measuring the job I was doing constantly hovering in condemnation over me. The culmination of all of this God mercifully brought to a head and showed me through my own ugly outburst, just how damaging and debilitating trying to serve two masters is. It is impossible. Not only that but He will not bless that. He will not share the stage. I will be mastered by one thing and one thing only. I must choose. Today, I let the words of my Beloved wash over me like rain, and they poured light through my soul like I have not experienced before reading these precious red letters in Matthew 10,

³² Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
³⁴ Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
³⁵ For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: ³⁶ and a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.³⁸ And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.
The tears came ushered in by the peace from receiving the sweet admonishment from the Lord. And the answer to His question, "You, Lord. I fear you." I have to let go. Really let go. I let go of the need to look like I am doing a good job academically. I free my children from the expectation that through their "performances" they must make me look good for others. I let go of the fear and accept that given a test on where they are in their knowledge tomorrow in comparision to if they had stayed in school they would show minimal growth from last May. I am done making sacrifices to a faceless, deaf god that will not bring me hope and assurance, nor help my children truly be trained up in the way they should go. I declare the truth that Christ is ALL sufficient, and He will not fail in leading us, the parents, in all matters concerning raising up our kids to walk the glorious, kingdom advancing road that is before them, and the school system and others are not only not to be feared but grossly inadequate for what the Lord has called us to do in this season. There is no other good alternative, other than to completely abandon myself and my fears and care only of the opinion of my Maker, who happens to be the smartest Guy in the universe, not to mention the one who has the paths of each of my children laid, beginning to end before his gaze at all times.He is worth this kind of wreckless abandonment. He is worthy of my devotion, at the cost of my own embarassment. So, I am buckling my seatbelt and throwing my map out the window. I think this ride could get a little crazy....er.

Best Gift-Giver Ever...

When my oldest son turned three, my husband and I made the decision that we would not "do Santa" as a part of our celebration of Christmas. At the time, our now almost 11 year old was already grasping spiritual concepts, asking deep questions about spiritual and supernatural things. We felt that to present or encourage the story of Santa as fact would cause conflict in his mind and heart, and on top of that, we felt like we would be lying to him. Please note, in no way then or now do we look down on others who include the story of Santa in their celebrations, but felt it was not what we were to do.

Now seven years later we hold to that and everyone in the family has been quite content in that choice. This year, however,  something new has come to my attention that serves as a further confirmation of this choice and it's really rooted in the following scripture passages:

Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].  And it was of His own [free] will that He gave us birth [as sons] by [His] Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself]. (James 1:17, 18 AMP)
Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent?  If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good  and  advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good  and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him! (Matthew 7:9-11 AMP)

When I was reflecting on Christmas this year, my heart was pricked with the realization that our Daddy WANTS to be seen as the Giver of Good Gifts that He is. He longs to be known, fully, to the deepest parts of his beautiful heart.  It is so easy for the world and those who don't know Him to view him as a God of anger, wrath, or apathy instead of the good, loving benevolent Daddy He is... It is in this longing of His heart to be known rightly, that I find deeper passion to reserve the "Good Gift Giver" identity solely for Him, and to make him known in that way to my children, first, and also to others. Oh how many times, more than I can count, has He truly seen the deepest desires of my heart and miraculously and completely provided for them? I'm talking secret things no one else can know. He certainly isn't my magic slot machine that bends at my every earthly and fleshly craving, but truly knows how to delight me in ways that are good for me and bless me beyond imagine! I just long for my children to run to the Lord with the list of things they desire, holding them up to him who owns the cattle on a thousand hills; the One who did not see fit to withhold any good gift from us, including the most precious gift of His son, and know with all their being that their Father sees, knows, and will not disappoint their hearts even if the answer in the meantime is no or wait. He truly delights in showering us with his gifts of love!

So "to Santa or not to Santa" really ISN'T the question. Whether you choose that or not, consider testifying about the Ultimate Gift Giver as you know him. Or if you do not know Him as such , if you see Him as one who is or would hold out on you, or one who doesn't care about the desires of your heart,  today is a great day to ask to get to know Him in that way....  

Free....to Not Adopt

If you know me and my family, you may be wondering what in the world I am going to say in this post. For those who don't know, my family includes 4 children, of whom the youngest we "imported" from India four years ago. Briefly, our story started when, at 18, in my college library doing some research, I stumbled upon an article about the one-child-policy in China and all of the atrocities occurring there in regards to children as a result. In an instant, I was moved to one day care for one of these children through adoption. While my story went on to include marriage and three biological children prior to the adoption coming into fruition, it was indeed the will of God, confirmed by his spirit and provided for miraculously by Him and through the generosity of others.

I have since been a voice for the abandoned in many ways through sharing our story and through my involvement with different organizations, even helping to put on a conference in order to share the plight of the orphan and equip people to care for them. In my dealings with and exposure to many other like-minded believers crusading for orphans, I have been disturbed by a message that seems to be pervasive. It is not the message of all, but it is frequent enough that it stirred me to write this blog. Perhaps my choice to adopt and to help others in that pursuit may give my voice some credence that others who have not shared this journey may not have, but at any rate, I believe what I have to share is truth, not just opinion.

First, the message I have heard from many:  EVERYONE who calls themselves a believer is commanded in scripture to care for orphans and widows, the oppressed and the poor and if you are not doing this, you are in sin and you are not living the life Jesus commands. (The attitude suggests, "Here is the law...you should be following it. I have discovered this, and am being obedient to it and will now proceed to pronounce judgement on you if you are not.) Now, I believe the word is clear we are to give to those in need and if we have been blessed we are to give to those who do not have much. This is indisputable. What I take issue with is the WAY that is often communicated (the heart behind it) and the very specific and limited way that truth is prescribed. The truth of the matter is that we are not called not to align ourselves to a cause, but to a Person. We as believers, regardless of age, ethnicity, country of origin, are ALL called to serve Christ. To live for him, to die for him. To adopt for Him.Or to NOT adopt, for Him. IF the Lord is stirring on your heart to help an orphan, to help the homeless, to help a widow, to help your neighbor, and you do not do it, THAT is a sin. But you are not bound to a man who tells you this is what you must do. We must help others out of a love response to the Savior who calls us. And for the record those who use manipulation and guilt as means to try and make people do anything, have forgotten the manner in which Christ Himself once called them. He is FULL of grace, and it is his kindness that leads us to repentance. He does not shame us into anything because He knows that when He shows Himself to us in love and full of glory, if we are really his, we will not be able to resist His beauty, His life, His love, and will willingly follow him where ever he calls, even to death, or to the orphan. He indeed does convict us of our sin, but it is always with an invitation to greater life with Him.

Having said that, I believe we should take a long hard look at our lives. If we are following Christ, there should be a difference in the way we live. If not, and hear me say this emphatically, THE REMEDY ISN'T TO GO OUT AND MAKE YOUR LIFE LOOK DIFFERENT!!! For if Christ has not made a difference in your life, then He has not made a difference in your heart, and THAT is where He desires to meet you. Get before your God. MAKE TIME FOR HIM. The days are short, time is fleeting. You do not have time to not do what he is calling you to, and you don't have time to do things He isn't calling you to. First and foremost, get to know Him. Ask Him to show Himself to you. Ask Him what He thinks about orphans, widows, and the needy. Delve into His heart. He is ALWAYS supposed to be the center of anything we do, NEVER man. Humanism sets man on the throne....makes man, the needs of man, and service to man the center. This is the core difference between humanitarianism and service to man born out of love for Christ. You see, the more we are around Jesus, the more we know him, are filled by his love, and will desire to love him back. Because He isn't selfish, and his heart is for those in need, if we are being conformed to his image, we will share his heart. So the bigger issue if you don't care about orphans and the needy, if your heart isn't stirred for them, is the lack of conformity to his image, which results from either not knowing Him at all, or just not knowing him well enough. For to be with him, to know him is to be changed by him and to look more like him.

He commands us to love one another, which would include caring for those in need, but that call is preceded by a command to first know Him. Then, in his presence, we can be filled and lead into what that looks like. Bind yourself to Christ, and Christ alone, and you will be filled and thus fulfill HIS purposes for your life.

"Don't mistake spiritual slumber for peace."

 So I am without question, a big picture kind of girl. It's why I have such a hard time with details. It's why I used to ask "why?" when I was a little girl so much of the time and it's why I detest package warnings that read "Whatever you do, NEVER do this!" but don't tell me why..:-) While I will forever be grateful for (and remain in humble awe of) administrator and details oriented types, I recognize there are some good things about trying to get the bigger perspective. I believe it is what the Lord Jesus is trying to tell us in Matthew 24 and 25 as it relates to his coming. I am watching what is happening in our country and across the globe, and I long to understand better these events, for there is much happening indeed I am also very much  interested in what is happening in His Bride, globally.  If you take time to read Matthew 24-25, Jesus is talking to his disciples about end times. He spoke MUCH on whether or not people would be ready...if you have read it you may remember the illustration of the fig tree and knowing what season we are in. My title this morning was a phrase I heard in my head as I sat down to spend time with Him. As was predicted by Christ in Matthew, and has seen over and over in scripture as a theme, some have fallen into a slumber. Francis Frangipane speaks to this phenomenon in the beginning of chapter 6 of his book, "And I Will Be Found By You", when he quotes Zechariah 4:1 and comments, "Zechariah was not sleeping when an angel roused him 'as a man who is awakened from his sleep.' " He goes on to say (which is coraborated by the prophetic word giving by Christ Himself in Matthew 24-25), "Amazingly, in spite of all the signs, wonders, and warnings announcing that we are truly in the last days, Jesus said there will also be a mysterious drowsiness that we must discern and overcome." In these recent days surrounding political events, both in our nation and around the world, I have observed many different reactions: fear and hatred toward one another are a couple of things, as well as some others pressing in to try and make sense out of it spiritually, but among the most alarming, is an apathay that is easily mistaken for peace. "Everything will be fine....things will work out....it's nothing new....etc..." and while it's true that there is nothing new under the sun, there have always been wars, etc... Do we really know and see things from a heavenly perspective? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." There is a place, I believe, that exists in our relationship with our Papa, where our eyes are open....we behold both the times we are in, the gravity of the wars and decisions being made all around us, fully aware of their impact on our lives, our world, and at the same time, we behold His overcoming glory and power, we understand His heart and His plan. In THAT place, we find our direction, our piece in the puzzle, our role in these days. We are called to reflect the glorious image of Christ, the Beloved Son in this time....but first, we must wake up. We will only find this purpose in His Presence. Paul writes in chapter 3 verse 18 of 2 Cor. 4 "And we who with unveiled faces all REFELCT the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." We cannot reflect that which we do not behold. We must behold HIM. We must seek His face and seek to understand what He is doing in these days and truly awaken, unafraid, to our call and purpose on the earth. I pray, Father, our hearts would remain at perfect rest in your presence at all times, but our minds would be knowing, our eyes seeing, and ears hearing. I pray our hands and feet would be calloused and our knees bruised in the preparation of the coming of our King.