Dear Lord…

Today I am praying for all of the people I am related to by blood or law. It’s such a long list. I am not sure how often some of these folks pray — for themselves or others — because everyone is in a different place in their relationship with God and it is my privilege to pray for them! I love them each and so I pray for :

their relationship with God, May they grow in their knowledge of His love for them and their need for a Savior.

perseverance through trials

physical health

mental and emotional health

good relationships with the people they love and care about

their jobs and studies

I typically start with my husband, our children, and the grandchildren. Then I move on to my siblings and their spouses and their children. Then my husband’s siblings and spouses and children and grandchildren. Then the living aunts and uncles on both sides and then all the cousins and their families. Then I move onto the next round of second and third cousins on my side and then to those on Don’s side. I don’t necessarily list everyone’s names the further down the line I go because I actually don’t know or remember all the kids of all the cousins but I typically will say the head of the family and ask God to bless those who fall under that family line. Honestly, it all depends on the time I have that day. And it may not always be a formal prayer time. If they cross my mind during a day, I might just ask God to bless their day and their situation. Formal prayer time is great, but I would rather think of my day as one long conversation with God.

Heavenly Father…

Please be with those we know who are struggling with physical and mental illness. Please be with the doctors as they diagnose and treat. Please be with the patient as their bodies and minds respond to the medication and therapy and head towards healing. Please be with friends and family members who love and support and encourage the patient.

We ask for Your love and compassion to be poured out on those who are learning that their condition is incurable. May they find comfort in You and, if they don’t know You, may they be drawn to You. May we find ways to be of service to those who are walking this road in our circle.

Only You know the number of our days. May we have courage to share our faith in You when we are in a position to, entrusting those we love into Your care and continue to intercede for them even if their hearts are not ready to receive You. May we never grow weary of interceding for others. Give us eyes to see the needs of those around us.

Amen.

The gift of family

I have been gifted with some wonderful family members. While we certainly don’t all agree on everything, there are common bonds of family history and relatives. There are various degrees of genetic connection to these “relations” and, of course, there are some who have no genetic relationship but we are connected “in law”. There are some “in laws” who really know how to be family. What a blessing.

I am thankful to be surrounded by such diverse and wonderful people.

And then there are other folks who are not related to you by blood or law and yet they feel like all the good things about family. They are in your life because they choose to be. And, sometimes, they know us better than family. There is not an obligation to connect, it just is such a natural thing. A relationship so natural and frequent that sometimes the kids think they are cousins because of the amount of time together, and it just seemed easier to have them referred to using something more familiar like “Aunt Mary” and “Uncle Don” instead of the more formal “Mr. ________ or Mrs. ________”.

I am thankful for the people I love in my life, whether or not we are technically related. God seems to bring just who I need in my life at just the right time.

I can’t do it all

And, furthermore, I wasn’t designed to. What a relief!

Our culture and sinful nature pushes us to be independent. And that often even means independent from God. It isn’t sustainable. And the isolation becomes unbearable.

Being in community means being connected to others. There is beauty and vulnerability in sharing burdens and blessings, disappointments and joys.

A community doesn’t need to be a huge group of people. It can be just a couple people you can share your heart with. They might be family members, but not always. They might live close by or they might live far away.

But even better than the human community is communion and connection with God! He is always available. He always hears us. He has shared His wisdom through His Word and can transform our hearts and minds and experiences.

I have no desire to do it all. I am only here to do my part. I seek God’s wisdom and grace and gentle leading in the paths I should go.

I love my own way

I love to make a plan and follow it when it suits me.

I know God gives us a heart and a mind and gives us inclinations and all that. But that doesn’t mean all my intentions are good, proper, godly, or pure.

There may not even be a problem with the way I want to go — so much in life is pretty open ended. I can choose this or that and it doesn’t matter. But when I have invested my time and energy on a certain path and it is clear it is not the way to go, well, sometimes I don’t want to give it up. I want my own way.

Instead of behaving like a two year old in the midst of a tantrum, I try to hand over to God that thing I am holding onto so tightly. Insisting on my own way may not be in my best interest.

I can trust God with my dreams, hopes, and fears. After all, He is the Creator. He knows my needs and provides for me!

Relationships

¹Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
    shine forth ²before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
    come and save us.

³Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

⁴How long, Lord God Almighty,
    will your anger smolder
    against the prayers of your people?
⁵You have fed them with the bread of tears;
    you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
⁶You have made us an object of derision^[b] to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.

⁷Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved. [Psalm 80:1-7, NIV]

Relationships are about give and take. Some relationships are imbalanced all the time. Some relationships are imbalanced most of the time. And some relationships have an imbalance that switches back and forth between the people within the relationship. All of these things are a part of regular human relationships.

Our relationship with God is so different! From start to finish, He takes care of it all! He is sure to hear and restore and save us. But, God also feels. He gives and gives some more, even though He has given it all already. We have the relationship before us.

We have the gift of faith.

He loves and we can respond. Ultimately, He has provided the opportunity for choice to His creation. We can reject. We can turn away. But He holds tight.

He hears.
He restores.
He saves.

I trust God and His Word.

Blessings on your week!”
Liz

Being Known

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139:1-6

I love being known on such a personal level. No matter what else is happening in my many relationships, this one is the most comprehensive. Who has traveled with me through it all? Who has been there, whether I have noticed, known, or cared — through every moment of my being?

It is incomprehensible to me. And yet sometimes I still contemplate it, even though He says it is too lofty for me to attain.

On most days I rest in God’s promise that He loves me, just as I am.

Layers

The initial “hellos” give way to more profound discussions. For some relationships, deep conversations can come quickly, particularly when time is short.

It could be there is just a short amount of time face-to-face due to busy lives but it could also be there is a terminal illness in the picture. Whatever the reason, peeling back the layers that may have been built up against the regular world and having conversations of substance are important.

Sometimes, when I meet someone, we dive deep right away. But, most often, it is over time that a relationship gains trust and leads to richer conversations. I enjoy discussing the deeper things; the challenges, the discoveries, but I am also good with the mundane and silly. Sometimes hanging in the deep for too long can get heavy and there is a need to take a break from it. But allowing time for relationships and discussions to deepen is important.

I know I am guilty of squeezing conversations into a short period of time. The lingering cups of coffee and opportunity to really get into some meaty discussions are set aside in favor of whatever I am in the midst of dealing with.

Have you made the time to peel back the layers of life to delve into deeper discussions?

¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. [2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, NIV]

Blessings to you as you make time and space for the important conversations!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: FOOTHOLDS

If the Shoe Fits…

Ancient Boots w — Check out these boots!!!

I remember my mom taking us to the specialty shoe story because we all had wide feet and she believed in good shoes for growing feet. I am sure she had sticker shock every time she dragged us in there. The shoes had to fit us now but also be ready for us as we grew. Of course, it was anybody’s guess when the next growth spurt would happen and the hope was to be able to get several months out of the new footwear.

I always like to have a few different kinds of shoes, depending on my activity for the day. So I have my summer sandals, my zories, water shoes, walking shoes, dress up shoes, casual shoes for jeans, and rain boots. And I confess that I bought a pair of shoes because I thought they would be fun to wear in the summer with capris. Now I am embarrassed that I have listed off all those shoes; eight seems a little over the top!

Relationships can be similar to shoes. You likely have a number of them. Each relationship might have a different emphasis – one might be your walking buddy and one might be a work friend and one might be your “play” mate. Some fit in certain settings but not in every setting. And you might meet someone and hit it off immediately but after spending all day together you realize it isn’t a good fit after all. Or you find there isn’t any room to grow. Or they only like to party and you can’t do that all the time.

Chose your shoes and your relationships carefully. It is OK to be cautious on the front end and it is definitely OK to think it over if the relationship doesn’t seem to be a good fit. Others may try to warn you if it is obvious. And if that is what you hear, take heed. Every relationship takes time and energy. And not every relationship we find ourselves in is a good fit. That’s ok. In life there are many opportunities for healthy friendships but sometimes it takes time – trial and error, like trying on shoes at the shoe store.

The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray. [Proverbs 12:26 NIV]

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity. [Proverbs 17:17 NIV]

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. [Proverbs 18:24 NIV]

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses. [Proverbs 27:6 NIV]

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice. [Proverbs 27:9 NIV]

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. [John 15:12-14 NIV]

I pray the relationships you’re in help you grow and remind you that you are His treasure!

On the way,

Liz

A Time to Mend

Torocsko Fence w — The view from Torockó in Transylvania

A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 NIV

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

When I think of the word “mend” I think of sewing a button on a shirt or fixing a hole on a beloved shirt. We can also “mend fences” which can be quite literal but can also refer to restoring a relationship.

It takes two to revive a relationship. Often one party is ready sooner than the other and needs to wait patiently for the other person to be in the space for rebuilding. I think it would be rare for two people at odds to both “throw down the hatchet” simulataneously but once both parties are open to restoration, God can work a beautiful, though often different, thing.

With fences, and relationships, if issues are addressed when smaller, things can be stabilized. But if there are many unhealthy situations that go unchecked over a period of time the day will surely come when the relationship cannot stand. Of course, there are some relationships that cannot and should not be mended. That takes a bit of thinking, praying, and wise counsel.

Life is short, so let’s mend fences where we can. God can help us discern which ones to restore and which ones to let go. And if you wish to repair something, remember, the other party may not share your desire just yet nor ever. Plant the seed. Extend the hand of peace. You are only responsible for your actions and that can lead you to peace even if the relationship is not one that can be restored. Even coming together to decide that the relationship is not healthy and won’t move forward is a mending of sorts and can leave you with peace.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. [Romans 12:17-19 NIV]

On the Way,
Liz