Living Untethered: Relinquishing Control to God

My mentor suggested a strategy for dealing with fear that is completely different than what I had been doing. At times I have been afraid of fear. Yeah, I know that sounds ridiculous. I had learned that fear is not from God and as one of his kids I have authority, in Jesus’ name, to command the spirit of fear out of my presence and out of my life. But this new way of dealing with fear felt uncomfortable, and a little treacherous at first. She suggested that next time Fear comes knocking at my door, I sit with God and invite Fear to make his case against me in God’s presence. She suggested that I ask Fear what he has to say to me and then ask God what his take is on the matter. Could I trust God with this exercise?  I learned much during that interview with Fear. I learned that I am more afraid than I realized. I was sort of living in denial and just announcing truths from my head that had not truly settled in my heart because I had not truly given myself (or Holy Spirit for that ...

The leaves are changing colour and dropping off the trees and shrubs. If you look closely at the base of each leaf you will find a new bud forming. These new buds are the reason the leaves are changing colour. As these new buds grow, they choke off the flow of nutrients to the leaves causing the leaves to die in a blaze of glory and fall from the trees to lie lifeless under the soon coming snow. The buds that will open after winter, may cause death now but they also bring a glimpse of hope of the new life to come. I always go through a time of grief when the days get shorter, the air loses its warmth and the leaves start to change colour. Summer is my favourite season. Sun. Warm. Life. Blossoms. But we are promised in God’s Word that we will always have the changing of seasons. We cannot remain in our favourite season forever. Life is no different, is it? Seasons. Wonderful, glorious seasons of joy and peace. The harsh not-so-fun seasons that take us out at the knees. Seasons of te...

Its been an incredible journey of miraculous provision for my husband and me. For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know about it. This past month has been all about transitioning from the condo we had been renting to our own home across town. It feels surreal to be living in a home that I own. This place is a gift from God. Because he knows us better than we know ourselves, we asked him to give us what he thought we needed to have a place where we could rest and replenish and find shalom. God surpassed our imaginations. We have a lovely corner in the yard that is like a secluded camping spot, complete with fire pit. We have a sunroom on the east and south side of the house where the sun pours in and I can bask in its warmth. We have not one but two fireplaces, one gas burning and one wood burning. We have an ensuite. We have room for our kids and grandkids to come home. We have all we need and more.  The other day a sweet woman from our church was asking about our ...

  “ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ”                                                             ( Romans 5:6 , NLT) “ He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time . ” ( 1 Timothy 2:6 , NLT) “ And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him. ” ( Titus 1:3 , NLT) I like the way it is written in The Message: “ Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been s...

“Living Untethered: A Journey of Relinquishing Control to God” seemed like a great title for my blog. There have been many situations in which it has been relatively easy to do this. In the last few weeks, not so much. I have been tested just a little deeper.  God finally sold our house and we were able to begin the adventure of seeking a suitable nest for my husband and me. I was going to add this part of our story to my post I called “At Just the Right Time” (which will be posted in the near future) but then I thought perhaps it deserved its own spotlight. After a day of touring homes, we just knew that this one was the one God had been preparing for us. And maybe that was one reason our house did not sell until now. This house wasn’t even officially on the market when we viewed it. The sign was on the lawn, but no details and no pictures had yet been posted. After our tour, we put in an offer and the seller accepted it without a hiccough. We are so excited, it is difficult t...

Have you ever known what God wants you to do but you just do not want to do it? Of course, you have! That is a rhetorical question. Have you ever thought about Jesus going through that same struggle? We know the scriptures say that Jesus was tempted in all the same ways we have been or will be. “ Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. ” ( Hebrews 2:18 , NLT) “ This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ” ( Hebrews 4:15 , NLT) Do we actually believe this? I’m quite sure many of us have said, “Well, Jesus was God, it was easy for him to obey.” As soon as we say this, we are in effect saying that we don’t believe Jesus was fully human, like us. It’s a sort of excuse for our poor behaviour. If you read the gospels (first 4 books of the New Testament) you will very quickly notice that Jesus often says, “I do only that which my Father tells me t...

“ Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord . And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” ” ( Mark 12:29–31 , NLT)   Every time I see an old threshing machine (a story for another day), I am reminded of the miraculous healing God brought to my heart many years ago. That launched me onto a path of glorious discovery of God’s ever-present love. I can look back at troublesome times and see his hand at work, his presence right there with me, tenderly encouraging me to keep going. The love in his eyes and in his voice overwhelms me. The command to love the Lord your God with  all your heart, etc. is not some demand from a selfish tyrant God. It is a command to open our eyes, look around us and become aware of all the ways he...