She's not heavy....she's my sister....

Okay those are not the right words...I know...the real ones are...he ain't heavy he's my brother....but I thought I could borrow the words and tweek them for what I wanted to say today.
Over the last couple of days, several of my close friends..and myself too...have made the comments that they feel weary. Thus the use of the word heavy to substitute for weary. So it might be a stretch but go with me on this okay? Even my youngest daughter has mentioned lately she feels really tired and a little out of sorts. Hmmm...another interesting phrase..."out of sorts". So we have weary and out of sorts. Well, I got to thinking about this. I am staying home tonight because I just want to "veg" out and relax cause I have been so weary and out of sorts. Well, so I am sitting here checking emails, reading up on online devotionals and inspirationals that I didn't read yesterday and today...and guess what....I read about being out of sorts!!! Hahaha....not a coincidence...cause God works in all things!!!
Let me share a little how.
I am reading an email by a friend of mine with a very troubled heart. She is asking for prayer and I have been praying for her. I am suddenly led to Isaiah 55. Yep the whole chapter...and I sit back saying WOW!!!! Not only did I feel led to pass on God's message to her...but I knew I needed to heed the reminder as well and really hold on to it. Especially Isaiah 55: 8-11, which may seem to be a familiar scripture to many of us.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Pretty cool reminder huh? Yeah, I thought so too. I know that many of us have desires we are placing before God as requests and at this time we are not seeing those desires happening. I can say that for me too. I have prayed about a number of things that at this time I am hearing the words "wait" from God. I have blogged about the waiting in an earlier blog so I won't go into detail. It can be frustrating and the wait can seem FOREVER!! But in some of those areas God has actually taught me to trust Him and I am feeling contentment right now about those prayer requests and the waiting. Anyway..after sending this scripture out to this friend, I found myself reading another encouragement from Proverbs 31 ministry...and that took me to one I get from another ministry...and that one was on being weary and out of sorts...hmmmm....smack in the middle of my forehead!!!!
So I am blogging about this and the messages I have been blessed with today!!! May the scripture above and the message below meet you in your weariness and waiting and out of sortness (don't know if that is a word...but it is today!!! LOL).
Lots of Love!!!
Lorrie


You're Not Yourself 08/26/2008
Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2 NLT) We have an expression that we use to describe someone who’s out of sorts, who’s not acting like the person we know her to be: “She’s just not herself today.” It’s a marvelous, gracious phrase, for in a very real way, no one is quite himself today. There is more to us than we have seen. I know my wife is a goddess. I know she is more beautiful than she imagines. I have seen it slip out, seen moments of her glory. Suddenly, her beauty shines through, as though a veil has been lifted. All of us have moments like this, glimpses of our true creation. They come unexpectedly and then fade again. Life for the most part keeps our glory hidden, cloaked by sin, or sorrow, or merely weariness. When I see an old woman, doubled over with arthritis, the hard years etched into her face, I want to cry, Eve, what happened? How truly wonderful it will be to see her in her youth again, the full flower of her beauty restored. When the disciples saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, they got a peek at his glory. He was radiant, beautiful, magnificent. He was Jesus, the Jesus they knew and loved—only more so. And we shall be glorious as well. Jesus called himself the Son of man to state clearly that he is what mankind was meant to be. What we see in Jesus is our personal destiny. (The Journey of Desire , 116–17)

Ping Pong anyone?

How many of you have ever played ping pong? I did growing up. Mainly in the youth room at church. Once I got to college, I found that it was a pretty fun game to play while on a date. My boyfriend at the time,(then husband..then ex-husband) and I would go play the game along with him trying to teach me how to play pool. Well, remember how you start the game tinking the ball back and forth at each other? Then pretty soon you are going a little faster and next thing ya know, someone, either you or your opponent, suddenly slams the little ping pong ball to try to win the point. Two things can happen. One, you win the point. Two, you lose the point. So what does this have to do with anything?
Well, think about it in regards to our daily lives. Most days we are tinking our way through. We tink the ping pong, then someone else tinks back..aka..life....then suddenly slam!!!! And you rush to win the point. Sometimes you win...sometimes you don't.
Well, this week I have actually felt like the ping pong ball itself. Tink....busy at work. Tink....training at work....Tink....meetings for the mission trip...Tink...picked up an extra shift at work....Tink....got sick....Tink...have meetings lined up this week to learn the sound equipment for the dinner on Saturday...Tink...have to sing at the dinner...Tink..still sick....Tink...stressing a little and not sleeping...Tink...suppose to sing Wednesday night...Tink...feel yucky......SLAM!!!!! I have had enough! Time out...okay...regroup...stay home Wednesday night and relax...the group can do fine without me...called Pr Bob, Stacy and Karen G to talk about situations...asked for help...and asked for support...prayed...ate Chicken Fried Steak for supper too!!!
So...what is my point? Sometimes we are just tinking along, working, and living, and soon we have a few more tinks back and forth with added responsibilites and activities...and we keep tinking along until we are overloaded with them and the tinks suddenly become one big slam!!! What do ya do???
Well...I prayed and I called upon people to help lift me up and give me advice....and then I defused and regrouped....thus the relaxing and the Chicken Fried Steak (ya I know it isn't a weight watchers food...but it was GOOD!).
And I sought God's Word...this is what I was reminded of in
Lamentations 3:21-26

21 This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“ Therefore I hope in Him!”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the LORD.

So this is the message I have and will continue to meditate on this week...and with God's help...I can win the next point, the game, the set and the match of Ping Pong!

God Bless!

Lorrie