sticks and stones.

i don't know about you, but that saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is awful. words hurt. almost as bad as a stick being slapped to your arm or being pegged in the head with a stone....those things have never happened to me, but words, words have happened to me.

this isn't one of those blog posts that calls for a "woe is me" pity party. it is exactly the opposite. while words can be painful and just down right mean, there are words that are a balm to your soul. words that pierce your heart and overwhelm you with joy and love. words that instantly bring tears to your eyes because of what they mean.

my sweet Sweet Rolls are doing a study in Philippians right now. man...we are only in the first chapter, but Paul's love for the church in Philippi is just drippy sweet.

"It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since i have you in my heart and, whether i am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how i long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:7-8

it immediately makes me think of those people God has put in my life that i long to see. not because we are far from each other, but because we share in the same gift of grace and mercy. and how about this one...

"the Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love, he will exult over you with loud singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

take a moment. your day will continue, but take at least a moment, open your Bible, and let the healing words of Scripture usher you into the sweet presence of the Lord. 

God's perfect will.

have you ever been so completely in the midst of God's will that there is no escaping its reality?

no? let me tell you about it.

i am here to tell you, that its unlike anything you've ever experienced. its like God has gone "hey...look what i'm doing over here!" to everyone you know....except He didn't. still don't get it? ok...let me get into detail.

i have this big, enormous, HUGE calling on my life. not to get into too much detail quite yet, but if you read my blog consistently, you know what this calling is (if you've ever even remotely talked to me...you also know). anyways, this is not a new fact...its rather old. try 5 years old to be exact.

when you're not in God's will...He knows it...and won't let it go. not because He's like your mom nagging you to clean your room when your 14...but because of His extreme love for you. He loves us too much to let us fail...and by fail, i really mean be far from Him. so He constantly draws us. when He calls you to do something, just like a father, He expects you to do it....and when you don't...well, there's consequences.

this was true for me. i was far from God. i still loved Him with my entire being, but i wasn't walking right next to Him....i was quite a few paces behind. so this thing, this calling, kept coming back up. memories, thoughts of the future, an eagerness to return, an endless cycle. so, i ran to the Word. i didn't walk...i ran. straight for the Word, accountability and prayer. after vamping up those three things, God took (and is still taking) me on the best ride of my life.

sermon after sermon, conversation after conversation, quiet time after quiet time, the theme was all the same. the question "what are you sacrificing" came up time and time again. God is constantly teaching me things about His calling on my life that i never knew. and truth be told, i love it. its comforting to know, that God, in all His glorious majesty, cares enough to teach me things.

you want to be in God's will? read scripture....it is His will for your life in plain letters. you want to be close to Him? pray...its talking straight to Him. you want to be more disciplined? find accountability partners...it will change your world. once you do that, hang on....you're in for the ride of your life.