Empty

Are you afraid of how slowing down makes you uncomfortable?  You know the questions that come when you take a moment to pause?  Like does my life have meaning?  Is there more? The feeling of emptiness creeps in and I don't like it. It reveals that there's something wrong and I don't know how to fix it. So I rush to cover it. I fill my life with more stuff. What else is on my to do list? Who can I call now? What show can I follow so I don't have to deal with my life. And don't forget our security blanket ...... the phone(can't leave home without it.) It's a great pacifier when things get silent and awkward. Do I have a text? What's everyone else doing? Instagram, facebook, twitter and so on. And still the emptiness remains.
There is a security that only God can give. A void that's just His size.  Everyday I rush to fill it with all this other stuff I always come up short. Others can't live up to the expectation I put on them.  When we take time to deal with our emptiness before our creator, our relationships a will be healthier.
He doesn't just want to cover up, He wants to heal. He doesn't just want us to laugh, in His Presence there is fullness of Joy. He will never leave us or forsake us. So the next time that awkward, lonely, quiet, feeling comes, bring it before Him. Let's turn the tv off, put the ringer on silent, set aside the list and pause. Take off the "I've got it all together" mask and find true comfort and peace in the arms of God through Jesus Christ.  He has the answers to the questions of emptiness we're afraid to ask.

1 Peter 1:18

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.......

In Between

You know those times where you just can't wait to get to the new? You're so excited about stepping up and conquering only to realize it's not what you thought it would be.

 April 29th 2012 was the day Isabella conquered the two wheeler.  It was a proud and sad day all at the same time. We soon realized that she was ready for the next step. The bike we removed the training wheels from was great for learning but too small for soaring. Joey and Isabella made a trip to Wal-Mart and picked out that new bike. Isabella was so excited.  I have to admit I was a little unprepared for what was about to take place. This newer bigger bike was quite a challenge. Five minutes into this process Isa looked at me and said, in a disappointed but not defeated voice, "this is not a fun as I thought it would be." Joey took over at this point.

When I came around the corner with Alexandrea I saw what I think every parent sees when teaching their children to ride. Yep Isa was on the ground crying. Joey picked her up, held her and took her inside where he began to take care of her cuts and scrapes.  She thought it might be better to stick with her old bike.  It was comfortable and known.

I was going to write this post when Isa finally conquered this bike, but I figured there's a lot more of us in the  "in between" stage then in the "arriving" stage. You see Joey and I have full confidence that Isa will ride this bike.  I believe some of us are in a trial that instead of God rescuing us He's allowing us to learn something. We might fall off, cry and want to go back to what we know, but He's there to pick us up, clean us off and cheer us on.  What He won't do is hop on our bike and ride it for us. If He did we would never learn. I am certain that He is confidently watching us learn knowing that in due time we'll get it.

So let's embrace this in-between stage and not rush.  I'd hate to miss out on the valuable lessons that only can be taught during this time.

  God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12 The Message