Another Stone...

I originally posted this on my other blog: Thoughts From Someone Who Will Never Be President but wanted to share it here as well.  As our eldest prepares for baptism and writes her story (thus far) to share with the cloud of witnesses that will be there to support, these are just a few of the words I want to say to her. 

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As we approach Sunday, and the next step you take in your faith walk, I think of Joshua and how he listened to God.  How he trusted and obeyed with strength and courage from God.  As they crossed the Jordan on dry land, God told him to take twelve stones as a testimony...

And I think of you as you prepare your testimony.  The account of the things God has done and continues to do in, around and through you.  I think of how you have learned to trust in the midst of trials, in the valley of difficult friendships, and the daily struggles of just being human.  And I thank God that He is watching over you, carrying you and teaching you so many things. 




Remember the work here isn't finished.  We are all still "works in progress."   

 We begin as empty shells, filled with wants and needs and sin - yes, sin.  That dirty rotten side of us that seeks out our own desires, that makes us think and say and do things that hurt others.  

But God knows this.  Before we were born, He knew who we were going to be.  How we were going to be, and He loved us.

 You have chosen to follow Him.  You are seeking His heart and His will and His way. You have accepted His truth and His gift.

  And you choose to bloom and follow Him even when everything around you seems dead and different and hard.

 I pray you continue in His light, letting it shine through you and into the world that so desperately needs it.  Let His Holy Spirit continue to lead.  Be sure to stay tuned to His voice.

     When you feel stuck and alone, and maybe, like you are going the wrong direction in a sea filled with so many options...trust your Heavenly Father.  Trust that He loves you, has created you with a purpose, that He is always with you, and He is your helper.

 

Watch for Him in everything, be grateful for His blessings and remember His promises.  He is faithful, true, and mighty to save.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. 

Keep gathering these stones, and remember God's faithfulness.  Keep recalling them to those around you who will listen, to those who may need encouragement and reminders of what God can do and is doing. 

Love you - Mom