Category: Abundant

Abundance

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Sometime late last year, Jenny, a dear friend of mine prayed abundance over my life. The word stirred something in me. I felt honored, but also undeserving. As a someone who has suffered from complex trauma, I have a hard time receiving compliments or any accolades for that matter. But for some reason, this word has stayed with me.

Towards the end of the year, I was introduced to a special way of praying for my friends. I would ask 52 friends to provide with a verse. I would then randomly assign each friend one week of the year to pray over them. Only a few weeks into the year and I have my prayer calendar filled through May. It’s a pretty ingenious idea.

Because I love definitions, every day of the week, I read the particular verse and study the particular word that pops out to me. This week, the verse is John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”.

In yesterday’s post, I talked about the word “thief” and how, depending on the reader, the word can take on different meanings. The same can be said for “abundantly”.

By definition, abundantly means “in large quantities; plentifully”. Not satisfied with that definition, I turned to my Tony Evans Bible Commentary and gleaned the wonderful definition: to be fulfilled in His spirit, His blessings, and His purpose in my earthly life.

When Jenny prayed the word abundance over my life, she was not praying for extravagance (in case you are curious of its meaning; lack of restraint in spending money or use of resources) as some could interpret the word abundance to mean. Specifically she was praying for the day when the cost of living wouldn’t be a burden.

God desires the same for us! Tony Evans says it best. “Jesus doesn’t want you merely to possess eternal life but also to possess the full experience of life. Following the Shepherd leads to blessing and joy and a growing experience of eternal life. It allows Him to rebuke and reverse the enemy’s attempts at blocking the blessings, purpose, and spiritual fulfillment God has for your life.”

So, yes, I/you don’t deserve to live extravagantly, but because of Jesus, we are called to live abundantly!

Redeeming Love

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My birthday has always been a day where I am allowed to be selfish. I get to do what I want to do, to eat what I want to eat, not to mention, gifts! This morning I woke up with those same selfish emotions, but they were quickly extinguished as I walked out the door heading to work.

Walking out of the house, I saw that I had missed a call from my dad. As I listened to his singing and words, an overwhelming sense of love and joy penetrated my heart. What is so extraordinary about that is that I haven’t had the picture perfect relationship with my dad. For many years, anger and resentment had gathered in my heart creating a levee-like barrier which prevented me from seeing my dad as anything but a foe. The past couple of years, this levee had been springing leaks; and this morning, as I sat in my car, the levee broke. Everything that I had not allowed myself to feel for my dad came rushing out. It was overwhelming.

In hopes of regaining my composure, I began to read the birthday wishes posted on my Facebook page; unfortunately, I again started to weep. The composure I had regained was, indeed, short-lived. The words chosen to describe me were simply overpowering. Words such as “amazing”, “wonderful”, “godly”, “role model” were being used to describe me. The thought of me, a sinful woman, being described by such affirming words was inconceivable and impossible to fully process. The tears would not stop and my flawless make-up was now, well, flawed just like me. Any other day, I would have reveled in such compliments; but today, I felt sick, nauseous and completely inept. I was reminded of how none of those words could ever be used if it were not for Jesus. It is His character that radiates and what others are describing.

So, as my head continues to throb and my stomach continues to ache from all the tears shed, I will enjoy this day, not because it is my birthday and I have an excuse to be selfish; but because I have once again been overtaken by His redeeming love for me!

100 MPH

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I am not the kind of person who is used to doing a lot at a time. I do like to keep busy, but the busyness is often kept to a manageable pace. However, manageable pace is not how I would describe this season in my life. For example, it is almost 1 a.m. and I am wide awake. My brain seems to be going at a 100 mph lately figuring what I have done and what still needs to be done.

Aside from my continuing education on patience, time management has also been added to this curriculum. Currently, I am working a part-time job, a “part-time” part-time job, taking 2 college courses, in the town’s production of Music Man and preparing to lead a Surrendering the Secret (STS) training study in a few weeks. There is hardly any time to slow down, but everything still needs to get done and everything needs to be done with intention, not haphazardly.

It seems like a lot and it may be, but how I  have chosen to look at it is the Lord is blessing me with opportunities to grow. Each individual task speaks to me in its own unique way. My jobs speak to the head household in me. The college courses are leading to the career in nursing I have always wanted. The Music Man production speaks to the theater lover in me. While finally, beginning to lead STS again draws me back to the calling on my heart. And all of these combined, are helping me grow as a successful, well-rounded,  woman.

Success and being well-rounded have always been a desire of mine.  There was a time I wished to be on a path to something greater than I could imagine for myself; and today the Lord is reminding that coveted road is a road I have been on all along. Where I have been has prepared for me this season and this current season is preparing for what is to come. Yet, I am also reminded that even though things might be going 100 mph,  I need to stop, gas up and rest often so the joy of the trip is not lost by the rush to get to the destination.

Good Enough…Is It Really?

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Why go for great when good is so easily accessible?  That question is something that so many of us struggle with. Something good comes along and we are distracted by the fact that something good is actually coming our way. We jump on it because well, come on it’s the best we can do, right? I mean, we surely couldn’t go for great without eventually proving to ourselves and to the world that we should have just stopped at good (Please note my sarcasm!). What lies we [choose to] live.

John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly, but so many of us tend to only focus on that part of the verse. We ask God, “why can I never catch break if this verse is so true?” I believe God’s response to that question is that we need to read the whole verse. The beginning of that verse says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” So, if we are promised abundant life, we are also promised that someone, a thief, is out to steal, kill and destroy it. Yes, it stinks, but it is just a part of this fallen world we live in.

God calls you to step up and be a great person, but you don’t believe you have the ability because “the thief” has stolen the confidence (in Christ) you need. God tells you that  He will fulfill the promise He made to you, but you believe that if it hasn’t happened by now, it will never happen. You move on from that promise and stop pursuing it because “the thief” had killed the little hope you had.

The word abundant means “exceeding some number or measure or rank or need”. Having life abundantly is having over and above; more than is necessary. To me, that qualifies as great…not good. So, why settle for good when great is, not only attainable, but promised to us? I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to take the chance and wait on my great to come along!