(This post a continuation if previous post titled "Keep on keepin on")
I so love the new album by Steffany Grerzinger. Every song so beautifully written and anointed. One song especially has spoken volumes to my heart. It's called "Steady Heart". I could quote the whole song or you could do yourself a favor and go buy the cd! It's called The Undoing.
But the song starts out:
"I can't see what's in front of me....
still I will trust you"
And then the chorus goes:
"Steady heart that keeps on going,
Steady love that keeps on hoping,
Lead me on.
Steady grace that keep forgiving,
Steady faith that keeps forgiving,
lead me on"
It's so simple but exactly where my heart has been. A place where when things are good, bad or normal, to keep my heart steady in Jesus. And my mind focused on Him. It's a choosing. There has been amazing encounters with Papa in this season of life. Then there has been heartbreaks. Also disappointments. And then there's been the mundane. Mostly it's been an incredible season of dreams fulfilled that were birthed by God years ago. And it hasn't always been easy. Birth can be painful! (Can I get an AMEN?!) And for sure we've felt some of the pain and stretching spiritually. But the pain so worth it to see the miracles happen in the midst of difficulty. We've seen orphans become sons and daughters. We've seen the Kenyans led to us to be house parents, becoming mothers and fathers to children once orphaned.
And then we had one of the mattaw children recently run away back to the streets after being part of the Mattaw fam for over four years. Thankfully he came back home after a month. Not easy though. That's just one small example of challenges faced. They're there alright though!
Then there have been times my seven year old keeps mixing up letters B and D. And then that time he couldn't tell us the sounds for G and J. After we have practiced the alphabet and all letter sounds a million times. But I knew my heart had to stay steady and not go cray cray. Because Elisha would end up a stress ball. And I was determined to have a reader. Steady. Wait for it.... Wait.... And now he's reading. Thank you Jesus!
In our family, we've seen incredible fruit come from us moving on site at the children's village. For sure though there's been rough times. Times where, for reals, I felt like this:
But then I get saturated in the presence of Jesus and given a completely renewed mind. Strength comes. Life happens. And Papa gently whispers "you need to stand up. Will you keep saying yes and believing me to be who I say I am?" And his goodness leads me to my feet. God is love. And His love just wrecks me to the point of saying yes again and again. And he reminds me to keep a steady heart.
His presence really is everything. When you get to where you realize just how weak you are on your own and how Jesus is everything. He really does just fill you with all hope and joy. It's like you're a tree, bending and not breaking in a storm. Like you're standing in the sea and the waves come crashing in but your heart isn't moved. It's so anchored in the One who laid down His life for you that you would be made WHOLE. We aren't called to hang on for dear life, eaten up with fear and worry. We also aren't called to lay out on the shores while a few "spiritual elitist" go out. We are all called to brave the storms that come and be hope to a dying world. It doesn't take long to see on the news or Facebook that the dark is getting darker. But that just means the light of Him IN us is getting brighter. He just wants our whole being surrendered to Him and He sure uses anyone that says yes!
My constant prayer is to finish this race well. Check out this incredible passage:
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Did you catch some of those incredible promises?! There's no lack. When walking out our destiny in Christ, we are not lacking any gift needed to accomplish it! And then it states that He will sustain us until Jesus comes back. As in we can finish well. Be sustained. Heart steady. Not tossed here and there by the waves. No sinking in the sand. We are anchored in Jesus. Rooted in Him. He's is faithful!
And you know how the song ends? She sings
"And as the dawn breaks.
and the clouds clear.
In an open space.
Together we will run."
If in a fog, He will clear it up. Breakthrough comes. Sure, times come where we feel we are hanging on, but if we will LOOK to Jesus, He sustains us and empowers us by His Spirit to live life abundantly. And to thrive not just survive. And then we keep pressing on and running with Jesus! The dawn is breaking in. Hope is on the horizon.
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