Angela Parlin

So Much Beauty in All This Chaos

What Are You Waiting For?

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waiting king of worldMy last semester of college, I moved to North Carolina for an internship at a giant computer corporation.

I hated to leave school early, but they offered me a chance to work into my first real job, and I couldn’t pass it up. Just before I moved, my boyfriend proposed, and we decided to get married less than 6 months later. Just after college graduation. It was an exciting time, to say the least.

So I transitioned into a new job, and moved into what would become our first apartment. I learned our new city and made some new friends. And after setting up our apartment with just the basics, I laid out pieces of wedding paraphernalia on the nightstand beside my bed. It was a daily reminder of my new life to come, the life I was eagerly waiting for.

Do you remember a time when you longed for something new, just around the bend?

I studied a verse earlier this week, and it reminded me of this anticipation.

“So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:28, ESV

Read the rest of this post at PurposefulFaith.com…

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When Those Who Wander Get Lost

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Wander LostI tore through the woods behind our home barefoot, chasing two tiny dachshund puppies, on repeat.

I was a young puppy Mom, and Bailey and Bear were my sweet, scrappy baby boys. They were fearless, but only because they were also clueless. They could sniff out a door open for adventure, faster than I could grab my shoes.

Bailey and Bear were happy at home, let me tell you. Spoiled rotten actually. It wasn’t that they wanted to leave our home, but they were made for the hunt. They loved to make us happy, but they also lived to chase after squirrels and birds and other puppy dog friends.

They were prone to wander beyond the walls of our home, beyond the confines of our fenced backyard.

It stressed me out to no end. I felt like a crazy woman. But when they ran? I ran after them. Because they were my babies. And while I believed they were the most adorable dogs ever made, I also knew their brains were small. Their hunting instinct and tunnel vision overpowered their intelligence, and I wasn’t going to let them get hurt. I wasn’t going to lose them.

It reminds me of the ways I also wander, and how the Lord comes after me.

“I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.” Psalm 119:176 (NIV)

In this psalm, King David confesses to wandering off from the Lord like a lost sheep. He asks the Lord to chase after him. When he said “I have not forgotten your commands,” he recognized the Lord as His Shepherd. He was saying, I’m committed to you, Lord. I am your sheep. I have not forgotten your Word.

Still, he had strayed.

He was prone to wander, like sheep. Like my tiny puppy dogs. But more often, like me.

Here’s what amazes me about David’s confession. It’s the last verse–#176–of a long chapter filled with firm declarations of love for the Word of God.

It comes after commitment to God’s Word and the resolution to follow it.

Even then, David concluded—Lord, I’m lost again. I can’t fix this myself. I need you to come and restore me.

This is something I understand. For all my commitment to the Lord, one of my most common prayers (out of necessity) is this: Lord, Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalm 86:11)

In Romans 7:21, Paul explains this battle we face between the controlling nature of sin and our desire to stay near God. “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” But that’s not the end of Paul’s teaching. Sin is deceitful, but we hope in the One who delivers us–Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we run away, Jesus runs after us.

Even as sheep of the Good Shepherd, as those who belong to the Lord, we sometimes wander away. We all get lost sometimes.

We need the Shepherd to help us find our way back home.

What does it look like when you wander away from the Lord?

Does your mind become consumed with worry over circumstances you cannot control?

Is your heart buried in fear of the unknown?

Are you distracted and preoccupied? Have you lost your desire to worship Him?

Are you entangled in a secret sin, feeling like it’s no big deal? Or like there’s no way out?

I don’t know where your heart is today, but in some way, I’ve been there. I want to encourage you to run back to the Lord.

God seeks us in and through His Word, and He loves us enough to come after us.

Will you ask Him to seek you? Will you allow Him to reach your heart through His Word?

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. James 4:7

 


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All We Like Sheep, Dust, & Grasshoppers

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view eyes lookSometimes we need to be reminded what’s true about ourselves.

The swirl and chaos of life leave an Out of Order sign on our insides. We forget. We simply lose sight.

We lose sight of what’s real and true and important. Our eyes fill up with what’s in front of us, whatever mountain we have to climb, the challenges we face. And so we need to remember we are God’s masterpieces, and He treasures us. He made us wonderfully and with intention. He wants us to draw near to Him.

By God’s own definition, we are wanted and chosen and so very loved.

But sometimes I wonder if we don’t need to be reminded more often who God is—instead of who we are. I sat in my corner chair-with-a-view this morning, looking out at the sky and the birds and the backyard trees, realizing the freedom I find in lifting my eyes to heaven.

When I fix my eyes on Jesus, I’m free from so many thoughts of me. From so many needs. So many desires. So many distractions.

The truth is, I don’t only need a better view of myself each day—I need a better view of God. I need to fill up with who He is, not only focus on who I am.

I need to think less of me, and more of Him.

I was reading Isaiah 40. In which the prophet compares human beings to a variety of things. Some are questionable. Isaiah continues to point back to God, but nothing comes close to comparing with Him.

We are like grass that withers, like flowers that fall. But the Word of the Lord will endure forever.

We are the flock He gathers in His arms. He is the Shepherd who carries us close to His heart, who gently leads those who have young.

We are only a drop in a bucket. We are dust on the scales, like unto nothing. But He holds the dust of the earth in a basket. He weighs the mountains on His scales.

He stretches out the heavens like a tent to live in. He blows on the rulers of this world, reducing them to nothing.

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. 

And from His view? We look like grasshoppers. Grasshoppers! Now that’s humbling. Which is really the point.

God is our incomparable Creator. His understanding is so far beyond ours. He even calls each of the stars by name.  He’s never exhausted, never weary. He is power and might. He’s the everlasting God, the amazing Creator of the ends of the earth.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.

Our lives tangle up in chaos, often. We stumble. We fight. We exhaust ourselves. We hope. We hurt. We pray. We seek help. We work hard. We lay low. We escape the chaos when given the chance.

But through it all, our Creator is near. He always loves. Always sees. He’s always just. Always right. Always giving. Always true. Always worth following. Always on the throne. Always worthy and awesome and incomparable. His beauty remains.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth…

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

(verses 28-29)

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.

Because sometimes, we just need to be reminded of what’s real and true and important.

*See this post also at Angela Nazworth’s site, for her series on Sight.

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What Are You Running After? {RaRaLinkup}

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what are you running afterI call myself a runner, but I always feel the need to qualify the statement.

I’m not built like a runner. I’m not a fast runner. My mileage wouldn’t impress you.

But I get out there, onto the trail several times a week. And other than the last few months of four pregnancies plus a couple injuries which sidelined me for a time, I’ve been a runner as long as I can remember.

When I run, I’m usually smiling. It’s a strange habit, but I smile in part because running is my alone time. I walk out the front door, ready to move, and it’s like a big, deep breath. Plus a lot of panting, but still.

I smile because the finish line is always on the horizon, and I’m a hoper and a dreamer. I smile, because I need the opportunity to think my own thoughts for a bit. Thoughts about something other than school and the next meal and a million little tasks to do around the house.

Give me some fresh, quiet air under a big blue sky and the opportunity to think my own thoughts–and it feels like being home. Not so much like being in my home, but at home with myself. 🙂

Last week, out on the trail, one of my thoughts morphed into a pressing question:

What are you running after anyway?

I sensed it wasn’t meant physically, and it wasn’t actually coming from my own thoughts.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24

I’d read this verse recently. Run in such a way that you may obtain the prize. To be honest, this is a little uncomfortable for me. I’m not one to go after the prize. It seems like everyone I know is competitive, and I’m certain it reveals something broken inside me, but it’s still the truth.

Yet this instruction tells us to run for it. GO AFTER IT. Run like you’re trying to win the prize.

Paul isn’t talking about running though. He’s speaking about our lives. We’re all in the race. We’re all runners, and we don’t need to apologize for whatever level we haven’t arrived at yet.

The course we run is the Christian life. But we’re not running to win the prize of salvation, since salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by our own works. What, then, is the prize we’re running to win?

What are we running after anyway?

Jesus.

We’re running after Jesus, friends.

And I know it’s easy to say He’s the One we’re running after, but sometimes we’re pursuing so many other things.

Sometimes we’re running after everything else, hoping something will fill our souls and fix our lives and make us feel better. Those things do make us feel better at times, but it’s temporary. It’s all just a Band-Aid, and it wears off.

In the middle of raising kids to know Jesus and writing words I hope will point people to Him, I sometimes find myself in a distant place, disconnected even. And since I find myself there, I wonder if you do too.

So what are YOU running after today, my friend?

Is Jesus the prize you’re seeking?

Are you pursuing His nearness?

Do you desire to simply know Him more? Is this enough for you?

He really is the Life we so desperately long for. Let’s run to win more of Jesus!

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

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Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. John  17:3

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Kelly Balarie (22)

Welcome to the #RaRaLinkup once again, friends! I’m so glad you’re here. Linkup your encouraging post below, and remember to leave a comment for at least the person before you. Spread the love! xoxo

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The Way to Handle Life

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pray life tears emotions JesusIt doesn’t take much for me to shed tears.

Years ago, I took one of those 20-question quizzes, which used to populate our email inboxes. Before Facebook took over, we replied to all and read our friends’ answers one by one as they replied to ours. Remember that?

This quiz included questions about your favorite fruit, your most embarrassing moment, and how many days a week you cry. Random.

Guess what I learned?

Most people don’t shed tears every day.

Or at least that group of my friends didn’t. After I sent out my answers, some of them wondered if I was depressed. But I didn’t have anything to hide—I’ve just always been an easy cry.

I’ve been studying the book of Hebrews, where we see Jesus as superior to angels and prophets and the law that came through Moses. He’s our High Priest who gives us continual access to God’s Presence.

But we also see Jesus living out of his humanity, displaying strong emotion.

We see Him crying and praying fervently about what was to come.

We see Him struggle and still obey God, even through suffering.

We see Him fully dependent on God His Father day after day.

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7

It’s the emotion here that stops me—fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him.

This points to His time in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked His Abba, Father to take this cup from Him. He was asking God to not let Him die in such agony–with the sins of the world heaped upon Him.

He didn’t want His Father to turn away from Him.

And He was heard because of His reverent submission. This last part of the verse is important.

Jesus asked for a different way, but He submitted to the Father’s will.

Yet not what I will, but what you will. Mark 14:36b

Is this the attitude you carry into your prayers?

It’s often not where my heart is, when I come to God with a need. I’m thinking, MY will, Lord, just say yes! I’m assuming I can see far enough ahead to know my way will work out best. I’m sure I know what I need.

But often, God shows me that what I need more than anything is to walk with Him and depend on Him.

What I need most is to lay my requests at His feet and say, Not what I will, but what you will.

Jesus endured His life on earth with regular time away from everyone else, praying to His Father–even though there were endless people to help and things to do.

Our lives, also, are meant to be handled with prayer.

May we follow Christ’s example to actively trust in God and depend on our Father through prayer. May we pray as an offering, sometimes including tears. Every day if needed.

Read this post also at PurposefulFaith.com!

 

 

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