The Most Important Thing...

As a single woman, I have always wanted to be married since being a
teenager at least.  My dream was to have five children, home school
them, and live a dream.  None of that has happened.  I recently marked
47 years on this earth.  A marriage COULD still happen, but not terribly
likely.  When I was in my late thirties, I plowed this ground and
reached a place of some sort of surrender and contentment.  Alas, I have
found this to be a battle which has to be fought repeatedly.  

The desire for marriage, companionship with a man and a life together, ARE
all good desires.  God makes that clear in the book of Genesis when He
said, "it is not good for a man to be alone."  God made us as women, to
seek that bond and to desire to attach ourselves to a man in a life long
relationship.  When that doesn't happen, it IS suffering.  It leaves
emptiness and loneliness.  

But,today, God showed me something.  As I listened to a young man who had
struggled with sexual sin, this thought began to form in my mind.  It's
not really important if I get married.  But, it DOES matter if I follow
Jesus and know Him.  THAT is the most important thing I need to do in
this life.  In Jesus, is all my heart ultimately longs for.  It's all IN
Him, THROUGH Him, and BECAUSE of Him.   He is the author of all truth,
beauty, goodness, love, joy and peace.  If marriage is in His plans for
my life, I CAN, with His help, experience that.  If not, may I be
reminded that in the next life, there will be no marriage, or need for
such.  For we will be a part of that great bride of Christ forever.  All
our longings will be satisfied fully in Him forever!  All tears will be
gone.

Witnessing...moments of being...

In the book, Spiritual Friendship by Wesley Hill, he quotes from a friend of his, from his heart, about loneliness...have you ever felt this way? "Call it weakness, I just need to be needed, and not needed by a friend who closes the distance with a phone call, drive or flight. I need to be needed by a companion who is there when I return from work, there when I walk in the park, there when I prepare a meal for dinner, there when I read from a book out loud, there when I go to bed, there when I wake up,there when I cry or laugh, there when I am sick.  In short, I desire a covenentnal relationship where my helper and I witness each other's 'moments of being' (Virginia Woolf's lovely expression), otherwise I dread the thought of having those moments forever unwitnessed.  Sure, God witnesses my moments of being, but this is not enough.  I need the face of God in a watchful and loving human face."  (pp. 97-98 Wesley Hill in Spiritual Friendship)  
How many times have I been somewhere, doing something, and not another soul on the earth whom I personally was acquainted with, had any knowledge of what I was doing?  I have driven thousands of miles on road trips, alone.  On one hand, I enjoy the freedom to go where I want and when, but how sweet it would be to share that with someone.  How many times have I been to an event, experienced joy and beauty in that event, and then, home alone with no one to relive it.  No one to talk about it.  No one to remember that occasion with.  Yes, God is there.  He sees.  He cares.  But, yes, He made us for relationship, to experience joy and beauty in relationships.  So, it is suffering.  Suffering that we must endure, always with the help of Jesus, as we live in a world cursed by sin.  Knowing, always, He helps us bear that load, and reminds us that, someday, all tears will be wiped away.  All sorrow and suffering gone forever.  We will be with Him.  Complete in Him.  Known as we are known.  Joy will be complete. 

Loneliness...

Yes, loneliness...something I've been facing of late...again...at times it is raw...painful...tears...I can be okay when I'm with people...but, at some point, I have to come home.  Home, where no one is.  It's dark, and lonely.  There is no one to talk to.  No one to cook with.  No one to eat dinner with.  No one to go to sleep near.  No one to wake up next to.  No one to plan your day with.  No one to share your dreams and thoughts.  No one to witness your life, see your struggles and love you anyway.  
For some, like me, this is your adult life.  You journey alone.  You wonder if this is all that there will ever be.  It may be.  My hope, though, is in that Jesus is God and Lord of all.  He, alone, knows my past, present and future.  I have to trust Him.  I have to believe that He knows who and where I am. He will not leave or forget me.  He is always there.  He holds my future in the palm of His hand and He is trustworthy.  Oh, for faith that will grow and blossom.
 

"I am...."

In the book of John, Jesus made seven "I am" statements.  He makes it clear that HE, and HE alone, is the source of life and salvation.  In John 6:35, He states that "I am the Bread of Life...".  In John 8:12, He states that "I am the Light of the world...".  John 10:9, "I am the door...", John 10:11, I am the Good Shepherd...", John 11:25, "I am the Resurrection and the Life...", John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me."   And in John 15:5, Jesus declared, "I am the vine...".  
These statements are not only beautiful, but TRUE.  Not all religious systems are equal.  Any "religion" which denies that Jesus is not God, and not the way TO God, is false.  "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (NLT)  Jesus is the only way.  To deny Him, is to deny life itself.  

Jesus Weeps...

One day, Jesus spoke these words, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"  How Jesus longed to love His chosen people!  How He longed to gather them close to Him.  How He wanted them to receive Him as their Messiah.  No matter what Jesus said, they chose not to believe.  They would not.  
The picture presented here of Jesus is so beautiful.  Protective.  Passionate.  Loving.  
It struck me.  That is what I've done to Jesus.  Over and over, He has called to me.  Called me to come to Him.  Come to Him and lay down my burdens, cares, sins and worries.  Called me to lay down ALL that separates me from Him.  
But, I'm afraid!  I'm afraid of losing something that I THINK I want or need.  He sees the whole picture, from start to finish. He created me.  He made me.  He knows every hair on my head.  He wants ONLY good for me.  He wants ONLY the very best.  He knows that when He is glorified, and I'm resting in Him, I can experience the "fullness of joy" that He has promised.  (Psalms 16:11) 

PLANNED PARENTHOOD: THE CONSEQUENCES OF DECADES.

One of the reasons Planned Parenthood exists? So that men and women will be free to divorce sexuality from procreation. God created sexuality so that both aspects are tightly woven together. Marriage is the one place where this can occur. Two people, a man and a woman, committed to each other for life, is the only place where this act belongs. In this place of relative safety, sexuality and the likelihood of children can coexist beautifully. The sinfulness of the human heart doesn't like that perceived restriction, however. So, people look for ways to circumvent that difficulty. After all, the world says...have sex...anytime, with whoever you want, as many people as you want. You should be able to do it. It's your right! If, a baby is conceived, that's okay. You're not ready for it. Just kill it. But, they don't call it "killing." It's "termination of products of conception." Or some other silly terminology. The idea of "free love" and "free sex" from the sixties has certainly damaged the very fabric of our society. According to the website childtrends.org, "The proportion of births to unmarried women has increased greatly in recent decades, rising from five percent in 1960 to 32 percent in 1995. After some stability in the mid-1990s, there was a gradual rise from 1997 through 2008, from 32 to 41 percent. The rate appears to have stabilized again, and was at 41 percent in 2013. The long-term trend toward non-marital births may be attributed, in part, to an increase in cohabiting unions and in births within such relationships. Data for 2013 show an increase among all age groups over 19 years in the share of births that were to unmarried women." So, what are some of the consequences of this "new morality?" Again, information from childtrends.org tell us that "Children born to unmarried mothers are more likely to grow up in a single-parent household, experience instable living arrangements, live in poverty, and have socio-emotional problems. As these children reach adolescence, they are more likely to have low educational attainment, engage in sex at a younger age, and have a birth outside of marriage. As young adults, children born outside of marriage are more likely to be idle (neither in school nor employed), have lower occupational status and income, and have more troubled marriages and more divorces than those born to married parents.
The blog, Heart of wisdom states, "In 1962, the Court examined a simple twenty-two word prayer, first used to negate prayer in schools:
“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country."
This simple prayer, said by children, acknowledged God. Americans’ indifference allowed the removal of prayer from our schools. This is but one of the steps toward complete destruction of America’s original Judeo-Christian educational system. This value-free environment has resulted in chaos." (Heart of Wisdom.com)
David Barton gives us the breakdown of the consequences of this monumental change in our public schools in a series of charts also found on the Heart of Wisdom blog.
By looking at these charts, the consequences of taking religious prayer out of our schools has had a devastating effect on our nation. The charts cover these areas: SAT Scores, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancies to unwed girls, birth rates for unwed girls, pre-marital sex rates, single parent households, cohabiting couples and last but not least, divorce rates. As you might have guessed, all have been trending in the wrong direction. It is clear. The removal of God and moral training has wreaked havoc on the United States of America. The welfare roles have swelled due to this. This is a huge burden to taxpayers and those who would live moral lives. The consequences of this to the children is inexcusable.
Just today, on a thread on Facebook, a very sadly, misguided woman suggested that " We wouldn't have any unplanned pregnancies if parents would simply teach their teenage daughters to perform oral sex to satisfy their boyfriends." Folks, this is the lunacy that your children may be hearing. The world is no friend to those who would live righteously.
Besides the devastating effects that the promiscuity of our society has brought upon us spiritually and emotionally, there can be very real physical effects as well. According to the website, everydayhealth.com, here are some of the physical consequences to promiscuity. "Having a large number of sexual partners has been linked to poor sexual health and decreased longevity. Why? The more sexual partners you have, the greater your risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening conditions like prostate cancer, cervical cancer, and oral cancer."
Additional unintended consequences were the rise in alcohol and drug use and increase of violent crime. Removal of the teaching of virtue and moral competence has cost us Billions.
So, what do we do? Very simply put; return to virtue and morality. Return to the founding principles that our nation was built upon. Return to the natural laws which are clearly seen every day in nature. Throw off the politically correct nonsense which we have fed three generations and return to the laws of nature and natures God.

Happy Independence Day!

From Saturday, July 4, 2015...This morning, think about the thousands of men who bravely fought for our Independence. They were willing to give their lives without ever seeing the results of their sacrifice. The "Rebels" were amazing. They went out to battle for a life of freedom against the greatest military on earth at that time. How can we do any less? How long will we tolerate those who would take our freedom from us? Educate yourself. Find a group of freedom lovers to be a part of. Learn the amazing story of America! Tell that story to someone else. Happy Independence Day! Refuse to let their sacrifice be in vain!