Gentle Reminders
My Heart Overflows!
“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:1-3
It’s January 2023, and boy do I have a busy, full, wonderful, joyful, overflowing season! Wedding planning. Bible Study Administration at my church. Singing. Writing. Editing. Publishing two books. Delightful friendships. A man after God’s own heart I get to love and cherish. Three sweet, beautiful children I also get to love and cherish and point to Christ. Family–the most wonderful family, and new additions to my family. The changing of my last name…From Smith to Musgrove.
There are windows of stillness and calm the Lord is giving me to take it all in, savor the moments, laugh, give thanks, rejoice, get downright giddy. There are also moments in my flesh where I allow my heart to get bogged down by the to-do list, by the sheer greatness of everything going on in my life. And the Lord in His kindness reminds me there is no reason to fear or allow stress to weigh me down or try to build Rome in a day (which I am SO guilty of doing!!).
No. Christ is my rest. He sustains me. He crafts me into more of Him, less of me.
My cup overflows right now. What a wonderful thing! Also at times overwhelming, because as my cup overflows, many transitions seem to be happening all at once.
But God’s beautiful and hard process is ALWAYS worth it. I am right where I am supposed to be. I was reminded of that yesterday when a church member dropped by the office to pay me a visit, showing me a blanket her grandkids got her for Christmas. She reminded her grandson: “You are right where you are supposed to be, because God placed you there.”
She didn’t know she was encouraging my heart, too.
With all the goings-on, I am planted exactly where I’m supposed to be. And everything on my list is on God’s list but in His timing and in His way. He often works slower than I do. A whole lot slower.
While His “slowness” might often seem slow to me, it’s not. It never is. I’m prone to be in a hurry. Prone to miss out on the windows of grace He gives me to SLOW DOWN, TAKE A BREATH, WATCH THE SUNSET, be at peace. Sit in His presence and soak in His Word. Be still.
Even when I’m standing in one place for too long, my legs get the urge to move elsewhere. To go, go, go. I struggle with my own body hurrying from one task to the next. One place to the next. One season to the next. One conversation to the next. One thought to the next. It is part of who I am in my flesh, but in Christ, I am His daughter. By His strength, I am free from the power and penalty of sin. By His grace and expert craftsmanship, I become more of Him and less of me.
You might feel the same way. Always in a rush. Fear of missing out. Prone to anxious thoughts that steal from the joy and peace God has in store for you EVERY DAY. Weary. Burned out easily. Finding it difficult to take one precious step at a time and enjoy it because…LOOK HOW MUCH THERE IS TO DO AND SEE AND CONQUER! You might be so stuck in that mentality that it’s become part of who you are. “This is just my personality type. This is just who I am.”
Lies. It’s not who you are or who I am in Christ. We are called to be still. We are called to wait on the Lord. We are called to seek Him first. And this hurried mentality only stems from a dependence on self rather than in the sufficiency of Christ.
He is enough. He meets our needs.
Depend on God. Still work hard. Still do the uncomfortable things God is leading you to do. But watch Him do a marvelous work in you! And enjoy the work He is doing. Pray that He will create space for sitting with Him or walking with Him in awe-struck wonder. Our lives are not defined by our to-do list; our lives are defined by Christ alone. It is His grace that covers us and makes us whole. Publishing a book is great. Marrying someone you love is great. Waiting and asking God for those things is great. Your job is great. Your dreams are great.
But not as great as the death and resurrection of Jesus. Not nearly as great as God’s holiness. Our sin would prevent us from being holy were it not for the grace of God through His Son Jesus. For God is mighty and perfect. He is the LORD of Hosts. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!
How can we best serve the Lord in the season in which we are planted? In Isaiah 6, the Lord showed me the angels’ wings are significant.
-The wings covering the face represents possessing a healthy fear (reverence) of God. Because God is so holy, we can’t even look upon His face. We must recognize how great, how high above us, God is. We must revere God and understand not only Him as Creator but ourselves as His created beings. We are limited. God is not.
-The wings covering their feet represents possessing a servant’s humble heart. This involves a lot of sacrifice. A lot of surrendering our will for His will. Being willing to obey God even in the hard things. Loving others even when they are hard to love. Putting in diligent work even when you don’t feel like it. Giving praise while you do.
-The wings causing the angels to fly represents Christ’s help and healing and guidance. When we seek Him first, everything falls into place. Does that mean it’s all rainbows and butterflies? No! From the outside, circumstances may prove difficult, but Christ will continually transform our hearts to better give Him glory. For the duration of our lives here on earth, we are learning how to give God more and more glory.
So if you’ve got your hands full, lift your hands up in praise! Take each item in your hands and give God the glory for allowing you to partake in His grace. Trust His process, place your hope in Him, and behold Him as He renews your strength and causes you to fly, enveloped by His unfailing, ever-faithful, unconditional love.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31