Expose to Ephphatha

Expose.
My heart. Yours.
Just You and me dear Lord.
What is deep within?
This way. I am
Created.
Yet You refine me like silver
A constant molding never ending
You say
Choose the better way.
If only there were words to express
This work that You do ever still
It would be simpler.
Not just a torrent in heart but
Words written on a page.
Somewhat clear. Maybe concise.
A means to understand
Yet it all remains within
A dialogue and interaction
With only You. My Lord.
You know the love I profess
This devotion of mine
The all I give to You.
But there is a lack. Still.
For You require nothing less.
Oh to love You but hate man
This cry You beat upon my breast
It is my response that You subdue or eliminate
All those that from my love for You
They pull away
Yet what a strange thing You call us to be
In the presence of man, Your creation
A jealous God You are
Desiring all our love and devotion alone
But You also say we love You
by the love we give others
Don’t our fickle hearts pull us away?
To walk the line. Show me how
To do so with grace and not fall
My heart. Yours.
This is deep within
Nothing simple. Complex
Expose.

I wrote this two weeks ago during a time in which God truly began exposing my heart before myself in His light. What a journey it has been and continues to shape into…that my heart would be known to me in its fullness, from the mushy sides to the more firm, from the ghastly to the somewhat presentable, from the shallowness and to the depths. How incredibly humbling it is to me to see where I stand just in that on my own.

But there’s a far greater purpose to this, and that is though my heart may be known for what it is, may it be known in the light of God’s redemption and grace. That is the journey I continue on in.

I haven’t been able to speak nor think in the way I am used to because of the intense refining being done, because in that refining, I have been losing those very things. My words nor my thoughts are to be my own…and even still as I come to write this tonight, I struggle with depicting what God has been doing and teaching me, as it is a profound work in so many ways. I say this not to glorify myself in any way, but to fully bring praise to my God. See, it is only Him and I that truly know where my heart has laid and how it reasoned, dreamed, thought, loved…and it is only Him and I that know the fullness of which it has needed and continues to need redemption. This is the work of only my God.

What a ghastly sin it is to think I have any right to anything that is not my own. I was bought at the most precious price and still I think I am entitled to something? No, it must never be so. For how can I demand something more of a Savior who has already given me His all? That is infinite and will ever be enough, until this fleshly heart becomes unsatisfied, eating and drinking of something other than the bread and blood of life He came to give that we may never hunger nor thirst again. The fact that I am here living and breathing, able to praise my Savior should be more than enough for me. And when one looks upon all that I have been given by my God in incredible excess of that, my mouth should never cease of praising Him and it’s as if I should die on the spot because of the sheer excess! I have been given abundantly more than I could ever need or want. This excess could very well be a distraction and hindrance if I allow it to be so, but the purpose of it is that I may know my Lord ever more! The problem comes when I begin to possess these things He has given me. They become mine, in which I exercise ownership and control over. They become something in which I think I am entitled to and deserve. They become something subject to my own emotions and expectations, and when those are not catered to or met, then it is me that has been wronged. I become so blind in this plight of self ownership and entitlement of things that were never mine to begin with that I horrendously lose sight of the wrong I am doing to my Savior. In making anything I have or anything I have been given, I am no better than those who spit on Him as He walked through the crowd on His way to Calvary. In that, I am saying that the prospect of You dying and giving up Your life for my sake is pointless because I don’t need to be bought. And if I were to be bought, it would be at a much higher price than one of a simple “man.” The act of self-ownership seems rather simple and not incredibly “bad” (in the terms of the world) but what ruins it can bring to the heart and how it can lead it astray. For how can I expect to live fully for my Savior when I am living in any way for myself? There is no way to do so. It requires the complete denial of self and any self entitlement, any expectations and desires I have other than for the Lord Himself.

Another thing I so often fail to realize is that when I look at the Lord Himself, all else fades…nothing remains. If I were to look fully into His eyes and let His gaze pierce my heart, I’d be past the point of no return. There would be no question of wanting to leave or escape. If I were to allow Him to pull me aside from the crowd and put His hands on my face, I would realize how long I have been trying to escape His grip. It’s in that intimate act of Him grabbing my face that I would have to look into His eyes…and with that simple act, everything would change and nothing would remain. It’s an expose in every way. I remember growing up and even still to this day, when my dad would want me to hear him fully, he would do this very thing. He always knew when my heart was hurting or when I wasn’t able to hear or understand the truth until it was said perfectly clear in front of me with no distractions. He’d first pull me by the shoulders to get closer to him that I may not resist him any longer. Once I somewhat relented, he’d pull me closer still. I knew his gaze was ever upon me, piercing me still. It was never a gaze of anger or condemnation, but one of the purest love a father can have for his daughter. I resisted this gaze so adamantly so. I didn’t want to look into his eyes for I knew what it would bring. It would mean that I would have to leave the whole aspect of looking at myself in whatever way I was and to see myself in the way that he saw me. This is why he would put his hands on my face and bring my head up so I would have to look at him. My eyes would still avert him but he would continue to lure me in with his piercing gaze. He’d continue to soothe me until I could trust him that his gaze would not bring about something I couldn’t bear. Slowly my eyes would look him in his. And there he would always be, smiling, looking at me with the purest gaze of love I’ve seen, and speak the truth over me that needed to be said. He’d pull me out of the trap of self I was in when I was in too deep. He would speak to me and look at me until being in his arms and in his gaze was no longer an uncomfortable thing but an altogether natural one, one in which I could rest in the truth of his love for me. The love of a father for his children is incredibly unspeakable, and until just now I didn’t realize how beautiful of a picture God has given me growing up of His love for me…oh how He desires to pull my face in His hands that I may see His piercing gaze and know who I am in Him and nothing else! Unspeakably beautiful…

But as amazing as these pictures and common life experiences God speaks through to teach us things such as this, we must never take them to be the real thing. If we think that we can learn things of Christ through a common world experience without having any encounter with Him, we are incredibly wrong! There has been so much talk and thought lately about relationships and marriage. There is such an eagerness about to get engaged or be married, which I don’t believe is a bad thing in itself. The problem lies with other things pertaining to that; namely, that it hardly ever exists by itself. It comes with a plethora of other things because we are not content on waiting on God’s timing and preparation. We put ourselves in places we are not meant to be in. There are excuses made such as “we are in this place in order that God may stretch us” when it’s just a smokescreen for blindfolding oneself and walking into a trap known full well before the blindfold was chosen to be put on. We rush ahead of God and then wonder why He’s not rushing behind us in order to catch up. Our God is never early or late; He is not on our timetables. And surely He will not change Himself because we fail to be faithful. Rather, we must go through the probably painful process of being pulled back to where we should’ve been in the first place. We have to learn to walk in the correct pace again, with God as the leader and us as the followers. He leads. We follow. If that is in place, then everything changes. In that, we may then be lead into something that will stretch us; and the difference is that He led us…He led us, and we didn’t lead ourselves into it.

I was sitting for about four hours today in Solvang while my mom and her friend shopped. I sat outside watching people pass me by, and over and over again, I saw couples, either dating or married or whatever. To watch their interactions fascinated me. There’s such a variety in them that is only the result of our Creator God. But there was something greater that pulled at me. It is that it is created to be that there is male and female and that they are to be together. There’s such a beautiful union between two people in which they each come together in order to be one. We are made for these roles. It is something that I haven’t been doubting but rather questioning over the past couple of weeks. I see clearly now that the way God has created it to be is good. Granted, there aren’t a lot of good real life examples of such, but we look to creation.

In this there are two other things though. The couples I saw today in large part were married. There’s a commitment there and a union that has been made. Two parts have become one. That’s what happens as a result of marriage, and something that can only happen as a result of marriage. Without that vow and commitment, two parts cannot fully become one. I think we so often fool ourselves in “playing marriage,” and I think this definition needs to be expanded far beyond the traditional sense of living together before marriage. It’s when two people who are not married and are dating lose the individuality that God has given them because they try to become one unit before the time is right. It comes when they spend too much time together and lose sight of community. It comes when they become so in love and enamored with one another that they forget the love that Christ has first given them. Our love for others needs to look like hate in comparison to the love we have for God. It needs to look like hate in comparison to the love we have for God. I repeat this twice because it needs to be said more than once. We don’t get it, not just because it’s a hard concept to grasp, but because we aren’t willing to be taught. We aren’t willing to allow that gap to be made in learning what it means to love on those levels and in that way. If that isn’t learned before marriage, then how is it supposed to be learned during? There is such an urgency in the necessity of learning it before! We are forever bonded to Christ alone. Must we also neglect the fact that marriage is the picture of the love Christ has for the church? Marriage is so far greater than simply the love between two people given into a covenant, but it is a means in which God teaches our human hearts to understand one of the most divine mysteries. Let us not reduce it to human terms and limits. We are forever married to God.

There are many things such as marriage in which God gives us a picture in our lives to understand His divine mysteries better. The problem comes when we look to those pictures of things for all of the answers rather than to Christ alone. Though things such as marriage can teach us such incredible things about those divine mysteries, we can so easily neglect the fact that we can learn far more from the teacher. Would you learn more about the creation of the telephone and how it works from reading a book by Alexander Graham Bell or by talking to him in person, hearing his intent and creation straight from his mouth and mind? Such is true with Christ. To learn the lessons in which He desires to teach us, there is no better place to look to than to the teacher. Let us not underestimate those real life examples that He gives us, but let us surely not overestimate them either. In all things, let us look fully to our Lord.

The stretching is certainly not easy, but if we are firmly rooted, looking fully into the Lord, we will be able to do so… Today on the same bench as I watched the couples pass by, I was looking at the bushel of pansies sitting next to me when I saw a yellow caterpillar about an inch and a half long. He was crawling up the stems onto the yellow pansies when I first found him I took some pictures of him (which are to later be posted) and watched him a while. I was awed as God gave me a picture of what He’s been doing in me over this time. As the yellow caterpillar stretched himself precariously from the yellow flower to get to the purple one that laid in the distance, he had to trust that what he was clinging to would not fail him. Surely it didn’t, as his grip was steady and sure that he was able to stretch out further. He knew what he was clinging to.

And so am I in this time, similar to this yellow caterpillar. Oh how I am both being stretched and stretching myself in order that I may reach what God has for me both in this time and in the future. So often it seems precarious because there is absolutely nothing but God that can catch me if I fall, but that is the safest place to be. I know firmly what I am clinging to. I am confident that in the stretching God will catch me if when I fall. And how I praise Him that He is not dependant on my successes or my failures or anything of me that I could bring. Rather, He desires me to stretch and be stretched in order that I may know Him better and love Him more.

Such are the lofty prayers and inner workings of heart that have been occurring as of late…God is doing His work in the full in every way. Oh praise be to the One who has opened my eyes to see that He is the One and the Only! That I have no right to anything but everything is a gift given by Him! Though how piercing the light has been upon my heart, I praise Him that He is refining it into such that I love Him more…that He is pursuing me as a Father who desires me to know only His love for me…and that He is pursuing me as a Savior who desires me to know only His truth, only His way, only His presence, and only His miracles. For surely He pulls me away from the crowd to pull my face in His hands that I may see Him fully, that His commands may bring about full fruition. May His work be done in every way…

Ephphatha.

"The Art of Losing Myself"

"You above all else, my purpose remains. The art of losing myself to bring You praise. Everlasting. Your light will shine when all else fades..." From the Inside Out, Hillsong.

The art of losing myself... a strange thing to call an art, but it is one nevertheless. There's such an intricacy woven into the art of losing oneself in the presence of God. To possess nothing of his/her own but to truly and fully be His in this moment and forever. It is such a complex thing that I cannot wrap my mind about the work that God is doing within me as of late. I see the change and feel the change. I think on the outside it may appear subtle, but I know the measure to which God has been changing it because it's been solely me and Him. It's been Him getting to and refining the areas of which only He sees, knows, and understands. There's something drastic in it all.

But there is no preparation for no purpose. I know there's such a tremendous purpose in this all and I await to see what it entails...

"I am Yours wholly and completely, Dear Lord. May the art of losing myself to bring You praise remain the cry of my heart and the end to which I pursue. I have been predestined by You, called by name...'Consecrated to God.' May I be forever consecrated to You. May the purposes You have for me be fulfilled. May You be forever revealed and revered."

Emotional Creature

I was at work today sitting down at one of the computers when two flies continued to circle my head and body as they circled one another. It seemed a game of sorts, like tag between flies. However, this aspect I realized in retrospect. Both flies landed and I swiftly killed one with a clipboard and the other left. I didn't see that one again, at least, he didn't bother me anymore. It was a temporary satisfaction until the thought of the fact I perhaps killed the living fly's playmate or something saddened me and filled me with regret. I told one of the guys I work with that thought, and he replied that the flies only live for a week so it can't really be lonely. I then remembered that the flies don't have the brains we do among many other things...

I remember something my Art History professor said a couple of weeks ago quite clearly. She believes in some principles of Buddhism if not all of it, and was talking about how in her past lives, she believes she was an abuser of animals because in her present life she can't bear to see any animal even touched in a harmful way. In the midst of the fly incident, I thought of her and what her reaction would've been. When she told us that a couple of weeks ago, I empathied greatly with the aspect of not bearing to see any harm come to animals or people of any kind.

It amazes me how God created us with such emotions and thoughts that we have. The intensity of which I feel the plethora of emotions in my life has always struck me. I think because of that intensity, I parallel other creatures to have the same thinking process and emotional response I do, even things as ridiculous as flies. They certainly do not have the same functions we do in that capacity. Humans are the only creatures who can emotionally process and think in the way that we do. Jesus came to save the human race, not the race of the flies or any other animal. We are the only creatures who are able to relate and experience God in the closest fullness possible.

My best friend Elise said something really wise to me last week. God has placed things and people in our lives in order that through them we would know Him and love Him better. I think I even wrote about this in my last blog. It's such a profound thought to me that I continue to try to wrap my mind around it. God continues to open my eyes to such things it entails. And today I find myself thinking about how through our emotions and responses, I am better able to see and experience God's heart. Through the intensity of which He has created me as an emotional creature, I am able to know Him better and love Him more. That is cool.

And though the fruit flies are nothing in comparison to the creation God has done in humans, I think next time I will thinki twice about killing them simply because they are an annoyance. Though rationally I know they don't have the same intellect or heart I do, it still hits me a bit...because of who God has created me to be, I just can't simply kill a fly because I don't like it...there's a deeper sense and awareness there in me... that fly had a friend. I empathize too greatly with the principle of the thing rather than the fact of the matter. Sometimes that can be a downfall, but in all essence, it is how my Creator made me, and I will regard it as such.

Though there are times in which the intensity of emotion I feel seems too much to bear, I praise God that I may know Him better in it all...that I may draw near to His heart. He is more than adequate to carry it for me.

But here's my rational thought for the night: "Lord, I am glad I am a human, and not a fly."

That I May Know Him More...

I went to Montana de Oro this afternoon for a needed getaway to be still before my God. This has always been a place where I have run to in some way or another but also a place where every time I leave I walk away firmer in God's grip than I was when I first got there. The same was true of today.

I sat there for over an hour doing absolutely nothing but sitting in the presence of my Lord. The torrent of time that has had me in its grasp as of late seemed to slip away even if just for a bit. The odd thing is that I know I am fully where I need to be in the pace of time in this season; yet what a blessing it is to be able to be still before the One who has created me.

I've been unable to describe how I've been as of late in typical terms. But in all actuality, the answer is really as simple as this: I am firmly in my Father's grasp which is exactly where I need to be. I am one who is being refined like silver in the fire; constantly being shaped and molded. Life is never easy anymore. Every moment requires me to give more and more of myself, leading to my all. There's nothing better than that, but definitely nothing harder. I'm so incredibly thankful that through all of this He may be glorified. The things I do and what I am learning is nothing of myself; my flesh is futile. I'm also incredibly thankful that through all circumstances God brings me through, I may be able to know Him better...

Isn't that the point of this life here on Earth anyway? That I may know Him better and love Him more? Through those things my actions will be motivated to such a point in which I am glorifying Him without a conscious action; it is simply flowing as an overflow of the Spirit.

I've been learning that over this past week. I've also been in such a place when I have questioned why I am in the place I am in and if those things keep me from being in the right position with God. This includes people, ministry, school, etc. It's easy to forget and neglect the fact that these things were created and given by God in order that we may in that, know Him better as well. I recognize the fact that my God is a jealous God, desiring my love and affection...but I now realize that I do love Him through other people and the things I do. If done with a heart of praise and worship, may I glorify Him and grow to love Him more.

Because isn't that the point?

Coming to Fruition

"...You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" (John 3:10-12).

This morning I was continuing my study of John and found that this above passage struck me in a new way. Jesus is speaking to one of the head Pharisees about what it means to be born again, and still the Pharisee doesn't understand. Though he was brought up with a knowledge of the Word and the prophecies in which Jesus fulfilled, still he didn't get it or understand, or perhaps didn't readily accept it. I was convicted of the fact that we so often forget what God has said He would do or has done. The Pharisee didn't understand that prophecy had been fulfilled through Jesus and the Spirit, even though it should've been clear to him as it was right in front of his eyes.

Our God is incredibly big. All that we have seen is just a sliver of what He will do. And still we forget that. I know I do. And when the time comes that God speaks of big things and begins to fulfill them, it's like I am hesistant to believe to some degree because it either is past my level of present comprehension or it seems too good to be true. There is no reason for me not to believe that these things could come into fruition. God has never not been fully Himself in every aspect. God is always bigger than any box that I may currently try to keep Him in. I should always understand that my God will be fully Himself in every way...and that is incredible!

The things that God speaks come to fruition if we are willing to lay down ourselves and what we think best, possible, or able to do. All of those will surely be surpassed. Just as God spoke to Joshua numerous times to "be strong and courageous," so those commands came into fruition as he later commands it of his people. God is surely faithful in preparation for what He wishes to bring about and do, and His influence extends far beyond one man. The result of God speaking to Joshua influenced all the men of Israel, as he passed on what God had spoken to his men, and the result of that affected entire Kingdoms, and then onward to the entire world and all time. I'm amazed that it only took the obedience of one man to heed the words God spoke to affect an infinite amount of people and purposes. Things that seem impassable God does command, but He clears the way. Our God fights for us, and is with us wherever we go.

May we be willing to heed what He speaks to us, trusting that it will come about in full fruition. God speaks what we see and what we know.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:6-9).

"Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous." (Joshua 10:25).

Great God, Be Glorified

I don't know exactly when it started. I can't pinpoint an exact moment of the day, or even my life for that matter when this change was brought about. Yet it has been becoming in its fullness more and more today. Perhaps it was the walking under a tree swaying in the breeze as its leaves fell upon me that fully opened my eyes that there's a change...the old must fall away in order for the new to come. As God ordains the seasons of nature, the days of the year, and the moments of which He is fully in (we do it injustice by calling it a minute of time), so He ordains the present and the future.

All around me I see these two extremes of people forgetting and people remembering. I see these extremes of people fully surrendering and others frozen in their lack of faith. I see it in myself so often too. Why do we forget those things that God has boldly declared? Why do we stand frozen unwilling to facilitate the means for God to move? God is fully faithful...He has never shown Himself otherwise. What He said He would bring about, He will do!

It was roughly 3 months ago when God began healing my hearing loss. Since that day, God has moved in so many tremendous ways with it. Lately, I have been reminded of how fickle the flesh is and how it is nothing of myself that brings this about. There have been people in my life who have believed since the beginning that God is fully capable of doing this and will do so. There are others in which God has changed their heart to see what He is doing. Others include ones in which they hear but their lack of faith holds them back. And there are others who may not be capable of understanding such a thing at this time, yet God is doing His great work in them. I am greatly encouraged daily by the ones who still believe, challenging me to continue to walk in faith in prayer and petition asking God for healing in its fullness. Yet I find myself saddened tonight to see that some are beginning to or have already forgotten. We do not wait on the Lord in our own timing; it is fully His. Our Lord never leaves any prayer unanswered; instead, we fail to believe.

Lord, help our unbelief!

"Oh Great God, be glorified. Our lives laid down, Yours magnified..."

There is nothing stronger in me that desires to see God glorified to the fullest. God healing my ears is not about me in the least. It's about Him awakening our eyes and hearts to see Him for who He fully is, despite our lack of trust and our unbelief. It's about Him fulfilling what He said He would do. It's about bringing His people to see Him in His full splendor, grace, and power.

What sin is in our lives that keeps us from receiving Him in the fullest? Where are the areas in which we lack to surrender? Where do we lack faith still?

Could it be that our hunger for God becomes satisfied and we feel content to sit back? Could it be that we are not desperate enough for Him, and we feel rich with what the world has to give?

These are the questions I continue to ask of myself, and I now ask aloud.

But Oh Great God!!!

Be GLORIFIED!

That is the cry of my heart...

Song of a Messenger

I’m here to tell you of the greatest love story of all time
It surpasses human comprehension including my own
I’m here to listen to your heart and your life
That you may call me friend
I’m here to show you the greatest love I can give
To no longer keep what is not my own

Let me tell who this man named Jesus is
Let me tell you what He’s done for me
Let me tell you He is who He says He is
Let me tell you what He can do for you

Can you see the tunnel of which I am walking through
There’s a light at the end that you can’t see because darkness is all you’ve known
You think that if you’d look and open up your eyes
The magnitude of which you see would leave you blind
Take away the comfort of the life that’s been all you’ve known
Yet blindness is all you know now

Sometimes it seems easier to stumble around in the dark
There’s secrets and hurts that can be hidden, never exposed to the light
You think that if they were exposed your heart would be broken and grow cold
The pain caused by it would be greater than the knife in the dark
Empty tears rolling down a stoic face never exposed to the light
But your heart has already grown cold

I’m here to tell you now that there’s a greater hope
I can promise you it surpasses anything you know
Would you stay and listen a while, hear me sing

There’s no other name but Jesus
There’s no other love like His
There’s no other friend like Jesus
There is no one like Him
There is none like Jesus

Walk alongside me a while and hear the whispers of His name
Open up your eyes and see the light that takes away Your pain
See that the darkness is not your domain
Your heart is slippery to hold on your own, let Him carry it on
Release the life you know now, let Him heal it to the full
And turn your ears to hear Him calling you home

“There’s no other name but mine
There’s no other love like this
I’m the one that’s by your side
I’m the one of which there is no other
There is none like me”

Do you hear who this man named Jesus is
Do you hear what He’s done for you
Do you see that He is who He says He is
Do you know what He can do for you?

All other ground is sinking sand...

"On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand."

All other ground is sinking sand...it is only upon Christ on which we stand.

How true this rings to me as I sit tonight on the last official night of summer before classes start, thinking and journaling about many different things.

Over the past week, God has been opening my eyes in incredible ways to see so many of the ways He has been faithful. I have been realizing the shaping and refining He has been doing in me and in so many around me. I think that so often we get caught up with the necessary process of growing and advancing that we forget where we've been and where we've come from. It is easy to get discouraged in the midst of pursuing righteousness if we never open our eyes and see the ways in which God has been refining and shaping us. The need for reflection is key. Our pursuing righteousness should always be the goal, and in every moment we should be striving and seeking to become more like Christ, who set the model for us. Yet, at the same time, we should never become so consumed with that goal that we forget the reason why (the love of Christ) the means given (the strength of Christ) and the growth made (the grace of Christ).

I think back to where I was at this time last year, and I think about the ground I was standing on. I was standing on sinking sand, attempting to pull myself up onto the rock, but it was such a struggle to do so. The past year has been a refining of my faith in God, bringing me back to the question, "do I trust Him or not?" in every way. It has been a refining of my character and motives in which I do things. I need to do things because of the love of Christ overflowing out of me, not for any selfish gain or ulterior motives, or even simply "because I should." I have been learning what it means to be a leader and how it's really so little of what I used to think it was. Christ in humility and boldness set the example, and that is the end to which I strive. I have learned what it means in even deeper and more profound ways what it means to truly walk alongside people and love on them. It is definitely a stretching and challenging thing, but one in which I receive so much blessing from.

I have been learning, through the grace of God and grace of others, what it means to be a "woman of Christ," one with a gentle and quiet spirit, slow to speak yet endued with wisdom because she is quick to listen to her Lord. It is a role that I have seldom understood or accepted, but how I find such a beauty and peace within it, because every day and in every step I take, I fall more and more into who God has created me to be. Creation was not complete until Eve was made. The creation of man was not mentioned until it was both male and female. The role of a woman is one I have slighted tremendously, but grace be to God who has opened my eyes to the necessity of such in this world. I am an integral part of creation, just as man is. We are each endowed with our own gifts given to us by the Lord, and it is within those that I need to delight in and develop. And for the first time in my life, I can honestly say how much I love being a woman.

But more than all of these things, I have encountered God more and more with each passing day. As I come to the feet of my Savior and surrender all upon Him, I see the results of what it means to give it all up for Him. It is truly amazing, but even greater still than that, it's still nothing compared to knowing my Savior deeper, greater, and fuller than never before. I can say with full confidence and joy in my heart that He is the One...He is the One of which I desire to profess my love for, rest in His arms, praise ever more. There is none like Him. There is no other love and intimacy quite like it. And that blows my mind. I think about my relationship with John and how incredibly blessed it is as God continues to bring us closer together, man and woman, and the intimacy that grows in that relationship...it is incredible. There is really no blessing in the world like it, but it still pales in comparison to the intimacy found in the Lord. There is such a marked difference in walking by faith and not by sight...in trusting in the One whom you don't see in human manifestation but upon the opening of eyes and hearts is seen in every aspect of the world. There is an incredible thing in our God in that He is incredibly intimate yet incredibly glorious. He knows my heart fully yet He also knows the world. He is the One of whom I will always stand forever in awe of. He is the One who reaches down from Heaven touching which is weak and broken in order to heal fully. He always does and He always will. He is the One, He is my God.

"On Christ, the solid rock I stand...all other ground is sinking sand."

I write this tonight realizing that I am stronger than I ever have been. This isn't anything I have gained on my own; rather, it has been everything I have lost. I stand stronger than I ever have been today because I realize that my strength is nothing. God's is fully everything. Christ is the solid rock on which I stand.

And I can't even begin to speak, comprehend, or fathom what is in store for this year...I know it's a time in which I have been fully prepared and trained for, yet am still completely inadequate in. It's a time of the present yet training for the future. What the means are and how it will all play out remains to be seen.

But I know this:

God is fully in it. I trust in nothing else.

That's more than enough!

"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name."

He is the One

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9)

I was talking to Brittany the other day and she spoke of how she found her life verse, referring to a bible verse that seems to speak the theme of her life. It was really interesting she brought this up because the night before, I was reading this book of scripture and was struck by the verse above and i couldn't get it out of my head. When she said "life verse," I realized that perhaps I have found mine...

No matter where I go, what I am doing, I desire to go for the sake of knowing my Lord deeper and stronger than ever before. That is not an easy path but it is surely worth it...How amazing is it to know that His eyes follow me wherever I go, giving me strength as I seek to be fully commited to Him in every way.

In the midst of reflection and preparation over the past couple of weeks, my thoughts have been so many. I've been having such a desire to write and tell of these incredible things that God is doing...and the words are somewhat coming, but honestly, they fail miserably. I still can't do it justice and never will be able to. Yet, i can't keep silent about this God of mine!

He is the One who proclaims bold promises and fulfills them.

He is the One who hears all cries of prayer and never delays in answering them.

He is the One who has given the gift of healing and fulfills it.

He is the One who creates and shapes beauty beyond compare.

He is the One who understands the divine mystery and beauty of man and woman.

He is the One who gives and anoints us with gifts that we can love Him more through.

He is the One who gives peace as the world does not give.

He is the One to whom I can look for all things.

He is the One, the Only, my God...

The Weight of Choices

In the midst of spiritual warfare over the past couple of days, I've found myself pondering it in a different way than I have before. I am clearly seeing that the choices I make and the things I do have an effect no matter what it is. That is a given. It's been interesting over the past couple of days thinking about the choices I make out of obedience and love for God and how those choices aren't an easy road. There are many paths that I can take, but always one that is the highest that God ordains. Because I have chosen that path before, it's next to impossible to choose anything other than that. It's tasting and seeing that the Lord is good on that path though difficult. Sometimes this is seen during the time and others in hindsight. Yet in the times I have chosen the path God has ordained, I always look back and see what God has done, leaving me with no regrets of choosing such a path though it was incredibly difficult at the time And that's what I must remember in the midst of difficult paths.

Because it comes back to something incredibly simple: my choices have an effect no matter what they are. The choices out of obedience and love to God provide a richer, fuller path that I will surely see Him in, even though the battle with Satan and flesh is tough. The choices I make because of my flesh, being tired or not wanting to journey on that difficult path, Satan surely gets his foothold in me and either eats me up or makes me incredibly apathetic. In that I am distant from God because of my lack of obedience, or moreso, love and trust that He knows best regardless of how difficult the path is.

You know, so often it's easy to look at becoming a Christian as something we signed up for, like we joined a club and it should be all fun and games. And sometimes it's definitely tempting to want that. But I've been coming back to the fact that being a Christian means being just that: a follower of Christ. In that, we are to lay our lives down for His sake. It is not an easy task, but we should be reassured that He has been there in every way in our place. He's not telling us to do something He doesn't know full well what it entails. He's telling us to do the same as He did because He's been there-and even more so, He knows what obedience's results bear. I believe it is better to walk blindly in the light of our salvation rather than blindly in the darkness when who knows what could cause us to stumble.

This life does not bear easy things or situations or lessons, regardless of who you are. It's going to be difficult no matter what. But this life does bear a choice: to walk with God or not to. We can choose the light or darkness. When I come back to this in the midst of the choices I make and the impact it bears, I find that regardless, it is still better to be in the light, because it is there I have God on my side. It is better to be obedient because He has been there. It is better because in the light, there is full presence of love, and in the darkness, there is none of this at all.

As believers, we are promised trials and tribulations, and never received a promise that this life would be easy.

But we have the promise of Christ through the Father...and that should always be more than enough.

The Path We Have Chosen

In the pursuing hard after You
We find ourselves looking back at what You’ve done
Stand in awe and wonder, fully amazed
And yet unknown realities at what is to come
To walk blind by faith, trusting You in every step
Is surely the path we have chosen before You now
We do not know the means nor the way
The necessity to hold on that You will provide
For how can two hearts be quenched that are full of love
For You our Father and for each other?
We ask that we pursue righteousness in every moment
And that these fires inside will steadily burn
In the pursuing hard after You
We look and see that You have always been faithful
And know that You will always ever be so
We do not know what all will come
But we will walk blind by faith, trusting You in every step
For that is the path we have chosen before You now

Lessons from Yosemite Part 2: The End of Self

After having a couple of days to think about the hike I took last week, I'm able to see it from a fresh perspective. Praise God that He opens my eyes because I wasn't.

Going into Friday's hike I was utterly exhausted in every way: physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was not prepared for the hike by any means. I was thinking about the valley metaphor, and how in the valley there are many different trails to choose from; yet there are some we are predestined to take. God strongly leads us there, and does so for our own benefit. That's how this trail and hike was for me. I didn't choose it, but I was supposed to be there for the things God would teach me in that time.

The day was very hot and we didn't have enough water. We were all sweating profusely as our bodies tried to cool themselves down. I felt sick at the beginning and my muscles didn't take long to get tired. All of these things seemed to point to this hike not being a good idea for me personally, and yeah, my attitude reflected it too. I didn't want to be there, and I didn't want to be doing that hike. I wanted to sit in a meadow with flowers and take pretty pictures and admire this face of granite we were climbing to the top of from afar. I wanted a day of rest. I got exactly the opposite of that. As we were climbing to the top, I was talking with God telling Him, "this isn't what I bargained for." He reminded me of this quote I read from Jim Eliot a couple of weeks ago: "the will of God is more than we bargain for, but we can trust that it is always good and always perfect." How true that is. I decided to at least try to push myself, and most of all, not ruin the day for the other people with me.

We stopped for lunch and Elise and I were content to stop at that point and not climb higher. We had our fill. For a little bit, we all agreed until John wanted to go to the top. Slowly, we all agreed to go with him. About 3/4s of the way up, John shot off to the top and Kyle and Elise and I died. We were out of water and cramping up. We went back and forth between going all the way to the top or waiting for John to come back down. God provided us with water refills with the people coming down and we decided to go to the top, and finally made it.

I was exhausted upon reaching the top. I spent seemingly all of my energy just to get up there and then I knew we still had four miles downhill to get back to the car. We were just halfway done. I was dehydrated as my muscles cramped up and the thought of actually jumping off the top was rational to me. I was not fully there. I tried to drink in the spectacular sights of the valley but the thoughts of how exhausted I was kept filling my mind. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for getting down because I knew it would not be an easy task.

After about a half an hour at the top, we began to venture down. It was slippery with the dirt on all of the granite and every step needed to be taken cautiously. My knee had stiffen up while at the top and wasn't wanting to cooperate with coming down. We stopped a few times and my legs were shaking. I just wanted to get down at this point so the hike would be over. We stopped at the stream we saw on the way up and decided that we didn't have much to lose in filling up our water bottles and drinking it. God provided with that immensely.

As we got to the bottom half of the hike, it got a little easier as the end was somewhat in sight. The trail wasn't as difficult, and we were walking alongside one another which helped greatly. We finally got to the bottom and walked in the valley back to our car. Looking up at what we had climbed to the top of brought me both awe and hatred at the time. It was really cool that we all got up there together and got to share in that, but at the same time, I was hating myself for agreeing to do it. I knew I wasn't up for it. It was more than I bargained for.

Since walking on that valley floor, we went back to Kyle's house and then back to SLO and I then flew home to CO. Since, I have been flooded with memories and lessons of that hike that I couldn't obtain at the time. The sore muscles and joints reminded me of what my body went through at that time. The water I drink reminds me of the dehydration and how it was the source of life, the living water. The pictures remind me of the sweet fellowship I had on the hike, both in my sister walking alongside me and my brothers leading and pushing me. And over and over again, God uses this hike as a metaphor for so many of the things I have been learning over the past couple of months...

I had to come to the end of myself. This hike forced that. Of course, I did it very begrudgingly and let my flesh overtake me and fight against the surrender. But there was a point of sheer exhaustion of fighting for my limits to be held and God breaking them down that broke me. I could fight no longer.

People have commented to me before that I know myself well. My bible study leader last summer admired that as I was able to have limits for myself, such as knowing when the time for fellowship and when the time for quiet was. This is not a bad thing. However, it's not a good thing either, because sometimes I know and hold onto these limits so tightly that I don't allow God to stretch those, to make me stronger.

This summer...?

So many of my limits have been stretched. God has been refining me and moreso, training me for what is to come. How can the fullness of God be reached when there is any part of me in the equation? God has surely been answering the prayer I prayed a while back that there would be nothing of me and everything of Him. Not an easy end to come to.

Yet, what happens when the end of self is reached? I have been finding that there's something so beautiful in the surrender. God never tires of waiting for us, and that's something I have a hard time comprehending. If I were Him watching myself in this long process eventually ending in surrender, I think I'd tell myself something such as, "it's about TIME!" Thankfully God is in no part flesh like me!

I can't begin to tell of how refreshing coming to the end of myself is. God's able to move in ways I didn't allow Him to before. What He's done in this short time is incredible, and I'm able to see Him in it all. Him, whose plans are so much bigger than my own, whose strength is so much stronger than mine, whose love is so much fuller than mine...How beautiful it is to not find self but to find God in His fullness!

And everyday, I must take up the Cross and not myself. Everyday must continue to be a surrender fully to God and a casting aside of self. What better motivation do I have than tasting and seeing of the One who is infintely good?

Yeah. It's worth it.

Sovereign Lord

Beaten, broken, beyond my control
Cast aside this pursuit of self that has rotted me for long
Surrender one by one, knees then hands then face to the ground
The taste of the dirt shows that the end of self has come
What better can I find than Your hands around my life
Holding everything I’ve dropped or ceased to let go before
How beautiful is being found in You, my Sovereign Lord

Can I say the flittering of my heart is like the leaves in the wind
Moved by the Spirit’s breath and rooted to the source
The night is past and the morn has rose
Your flood of light penetrates me so
How can I keep this heart of mine from singing
Revelation come to bring you praise
Sovereign Lord, I fully find You in this place

It is You to whom I wake
It is You upon whom I wait
It is Your cross of which I take
It is Your life that I embrace
It is fully You, Sovereign Lord, in this place

Lessons from Yosemite Part 1:The Valley

There's many things that God did in my trip to Yosemite that speak clearly to many things He's been teaching me as of late. I am going to touch on them at different times; therefore, this is part one.

The voice of God speaks in so many ways...as I write I am sitting up in the mountains back home in COlistening to a stream crash down over rocks and flow. The voice of God telling me to quiet down and prepare my heart...there is much to process and pray about, which will come soon.

Yet the past couple of days I can't get out what my best friend Elise was telling me while we were up at Yosemite this weekend...

She and I along with John and Kyle went to Yosemite Friday and did a hike. I learned many things from it, but I wish to focus on this right now. Our hike was beautiful and brutal at the same time. Going into the day, I was exhausted in many different ways. The hike we ended up doing was a ~2700 ft elevation gain in 3.5 miles. I was not prepared for this in any way...physically, mentally, and emotionally. We started out looking for the trail for a while and then when we found it, began to trek up it. Switchback after switchback came and we continued to climb. The heat of the day came and it scorched us every time we were in the sun, and seemed to rub in my face that I was utterly weak. Elise and I were content to stop halfway where we had lunch, but John wanted to go to the top so we all ventured up with him. Many times I was hating myself for not saying no. We got to the top after a long while and took in the views of the valley below and the mountains parallel with our eyes. And then it was time to head back down. Pretty much all of my strength and willpower was used to get to the top. I was drained, and the prospect of heading down was daunting, especially with my knees that can't take a whole lot anymore. Through the strength of God and the encouragement of those around me, I was able to make it down without hurting myself. We walked along the valley floor looking up at what we accomplished. In hindsight, I am able to appreciate it much more than I did that day, thanks be to God. He revealed and did so much in that time...

Later on that night I was talking with Elise about what we learned that day. God poured forth wisdom through her as I saw a truth for the first time. She spoke of principles and metaphors we have heard before, but saw it in a new light.

In our realization that our spiritual lives are a constant of climbing and descending, trekking and resting, she spoke of how when we are on mountaintops, the sights are beautiful and we are on a high. We are able to see things from the perspective of God and attempt to drink in His splendor. But if we are to stay on the mountaintop for long, we will surely die from the elements. Our bodies are not able to withstand such things; we can only do so temporarily. God allows us to trek up to these mountains for what He can show us and do in those times, but we so often neglect the valley. We so often think that when we are in the valley, we are not where we are supposed be, or that we should be on the mountaintop, at least higher. But without the valley, we never understand or comprehend what the heights truly are. A mountaintop would be nothing without the valley below. There is purpose in both. As she and I walked back to the car and talked, we looked up at the summit we reached, realizing how high we had truly gone. Without the valley, we never would've been able to comprehend it as such.

The valley shows us both what we have done and where we have been, along with what we are to prepare for and where we are to go. God is with us to the heights of heights and the depths of seas and in the flatness of the valleys. We can't always climb and we can't always descend, and we can't stay on the mountaintop forever. Yet we can always walk through the valley knowing full well our God is with us...and that the valley is crucial to us. It is through those times we are able to be restored and refreshed and prepare for what is to come next. We can find God just as near to us in the valleys as on the mountaintops, even though the perspective is different. We can't neglect the importance of the valley...

In a lot of different ways I am in a valley of sorts. I'm looking around and all that I've been climbing and descending, able to comprehend and see where it is I've been. I've been climbing and descending for a while, and my body and soul needs its rest...to find rest in God alone, for He is my strength and refuge. Walking in the valley for this time will draw me ever nearer to Him...and I'm not going to neglect the importance of this valley in this time.

The Need of Lack to Understand Gain?

"But now I am going away to the one who has sent me...there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me. In just a little while I will be gone, and you won't see me anymore...Truly you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy when you see me again. It will be like a woman experiencing the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives place to joy because she has brought a new person into the world. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time, you won't need to ask me for anything. The truth is, you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will grant your request because you use my name. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy..." John 16: 5, 12-16, 20-24

I encourage all to read this entire chapter, as it fills in the gaps I didn't include here. I'm struck by many different things in this passage...

The disciples didn't seem to fully realize what they had in Jesus until He told them he was going to leave. I find myself thinking about how we are as humans and how we are exactly the same as the disciples today. We don't realize the fullness of something or someone until we have a lack of him/her/it or it is gone. Our eyes and hearts are blinded when we have things or people in our midst in the search for what is better. We forget so much to look at what we have in the present in our search for something better.

I find it interesting that over and over again, Jesus had to tell his disciples he was leaving but in that, reassure them that He was coming back and it would be better. They wanted the comfort and security of Jesus around. Jesus knew it was far better for them if He left them because they would learn to grow and receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus leaving opened up the path between mankind and the Father; without His leaving and fulfilling His mission, this would not be true.

Since reading this passage, I've been asking the question of why does one have to leave in order for those who know that person to realize what they have in him/her? Why do we have to have such lacks in order to know what we have? I wish we could open our eyes in the moments we live and experience and fully embrace what they possess...that in each moment, instead of looking for something different and better, realizing what we have and pursuing the development of that. We fail utterly at that, and it must go back to the root of mankind. The disciples struggled with it just as we do.

I look at how the disciples had to lose Jesus in order to find Him again and find Him more abundantly so, and I think perhaps this is His remedy for our flesh, His divine intervention in showing us what we truly have. We have to weep and mourn at what we have personally lost in order to gain something greater. Through the grace of Jesus, that weeping turns to joy...

We also have the power of Jesus on our side, His redemption that opened the path from us to the Father. I find myself thinking about what do I truly ask for from the Father in the name of Jesus. I realize that with some things for some reason, I have not prayed for them in specifics. Perhaps I felt it "taboo" or something to pray for these things specifically, but I must possess the confidence in my Father in Heaven that He hears whatever it is I ask for, and that I can ask for anything in His name. Anything less than that would not be exercising the gift of my salvation and His saving grace. So often I do not have because I do not ask. We are able to approach the throne in confidence that He hears us...I need to remember that not just in the things that are easier to ask for, but in all things.

So with that tonight, I find myself asking that we as believers would open our eyes to what we have in our lives at the present time. Let us be thankful for them. Let us not be satisified with mediocricy or stagnation in them, but always pursue them to make them better. Jesus is on our side. Let us go to Him, and go to the Father through Him, never hesistating to ask.

In Wonder

So much wonder
carved in your coral seas
shaded by ancient trees
I consider all that your hands have made
Every newborn's eyes, every new sunrise
No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance

Let all creation sing in wonder
Every sea, every creature, every star
You opened my eyes to wonder
What a vision, what a wonder you are

Such a wonder
Ordering time and tide
Such a wonder
Bridging the great divide
I consider all that you had, all that you gave
And all that You endured
From this rebel world
What a wondrous cross you chose to bear
What a wonder you would even care

Chorus

Let every rock cry out
Let every knee bow down
You opened my heart to wonder
What love, what a wonder You are

No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance
Such a wonder...
Such a wonder...

Newsboys: "In Wonder" 2006.

The Way of the Cross

"The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for, but we must believe that whatever it involves, it is good, acceptable, and perfect." -Jim Elliot

"So many purposes come into existence when one works the will of God, that there is no excuse for laziness or wasted time. He is redeeming our lives, as well as our souls." -Jim Elliot

I've been reading The Shadow of the Almighty for some time now, and every time I read it, God speaks clearly through it, either bringing something new or confirming something else. What wisdom Jim Elliot possessed, and what an intimacy with the Lord he bore.

I've been incredibly humbled over the last two days or so. I look at my God and myself and I see how holy, just, and loving He is, and what filth I am. In some ways, I've felt like a dog with his tail in between his legs, looking up at His master waiting for the sign of love and forgiveness only He can give. The thing is, I know He's given it...however, it's been hard for me to receive it. I look at myself and see how unworthy I am and I ask God, "why? Why do you choose me? Why do you love me in this way?"

His will is so much bigger than I bargained for, as Jim Elliot says, but I know that it is good. There are so many times when I fail and fall short. I keep coming back to the fact that humility is making nothing of yourself and everything of God...and I praise God for that fact. I praise Him that through these past couple of days, He may be magnified...that I may see His sovereignty in every way.

It's not about me. It never was and never is and never will be. All the filth of me has been paid by the way of the Cross. All of my weaknesses are made perfect in His strength, given by the way of the Cross. And in all my shortcomings, His grace is magnified in the light of the Cross.

He is faithful in every way I am not. He redeems and restores things that I have dropped the responsibility of carrying. He picks up my cross for me where I have laid it down and tells me to follow Him. His path is steady though uncertain. He asks for my devotion. He asks for my love. And He asks for my belief in Him in every way-that He has redeemed me, forgiven me, and will lead me onwards, pursuing eternity and His Kingdom come from this day forward.

I get overwhelmed by His presence in my life, because He's not just some person far off in the distance to whom I can never get closer. He's the One in whose arms I rest and fall, whose voice I hear, whose love I feel, and whose strength allows me to stand and walk again. My God is not impersonal in one bit-He is altogether intimate! There is no place I can go from His presence; He is always with me.

And there are so many purposes in living in the will of God, purposes that I cannot accomplish on my own and that I know have a tremendous impact...and surely, my flesh will fail me in doing so. May I always choose to go to my God for strength, wisdom and clarity. May I always believe and walk on the way He's prepared.

It is by the way of the Cross I find myself again tonight, humbled, needing to receive what I have not earned. The way of the Cross has paid my ransom...and I must take it as such.

The Eve of Seven Years

I've kept rather quiet as of late, I know. But I would rather not be hasty with my mouth and instead let my words be few before my Lord, and also to let my words be few with others. There's such a beauty in choosing one's words carefully; in other words, being silent until/if God prompts one to speak.

And besides, God has spoken..."I am the LORD," he says, "and there is no other. I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so no one can understand what I mean. And I did not tell the people of Israel to ask me for something I did not plan to give. I, the LORD, speak only what is true and right" Isaiah 45:18-19.

I remain in such perfect peace with this promise of my God. I know He will never leave nor forsake me nor disappoint me. How great is the hope of those who wait on the Lord. He surely renews their strength.

I see so many things before my very eyes as well as promises of what is to come. With those promises, I already see things being manifested. Or perhaps hear things being manifested is a better way to describe it! And oh, I feel them too.!

There are so many times when I'm completely taken aback by my God and His power and love. There is none like it. No one nor nothing will ever compare. I know He is faithful and will remain so. I know that all the work He is doing and will do will be fulfilled. I see it in the hearts of so many around me as well as in my own. Oh how my Lord desires to make Himself known!

As for tonight, it is the eve of my seventh spiritual birthday. Tomorrow I will be seven years old in the Lord. That age comes with so much significance, I know, but I haven't been able to pinpoint it down yet. What I do know is that the time periods of seven days, seven weeks, and seven years appears more than any other quantitative time period in the Bible. The stories, references, and commands including such are countless. And you know, I rejoice in the fact that I don't completely know what the exact significance is of the seventh year just yet. That's good, because it leaves me in anticipation for what my God is going to do! I know His time is not for any of us to know, but I know this seventh year will be significant...much so.

It's been seven years of walking with Him in a life restored in unimaginable ways. It has been seven years of being able to praise my Creator and Savior...and I have eternity left to sing His praise!

It seems it’s the end of a time for a new to come

A slumber in the night to awake in the morn

Only to find that all has been restored

In what would be seven years, no less, no more

Seven years of redemption in the Lord

The Boy Born Blind-The Girl Born Deaf

I want to invite you all to share in what God is doing in my life in hopes that it will bless and challenge you as well. What is written below is a result of a lot of prayer and discernment in what to say and tell. It is my prayer that God speak to you through this.

In His grip,
Elise Bartley


The Boy born Blind
As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
But he himself insisted, "I am the man."
"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.
He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner." He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." John 9:1-33

The Girl Born Deaf
From the time I was about a week old, I have had a severe-to-profound hearing loss in both ears. It is all that I have ever known. And though it is tempting to give you an autobiography of sorts to explain my life with this disability, I don’t think that is really the point of God moving me to write this before you all. My life up to this point with a hearing loss has been one of struggles and challenges as I am not able to hear as the world does. It has been one of overcoming all obstacles placed before me with such a disability. It has been one of a stubborn nature birthed within me to do things on my own, regardless of any challenges I may encounter. It has been one of God ordaining and blessing relationships I have been able to develop because of and in spite of my hearing loss. It has been a road in which God has led me into a deeper, sweeter communion with Himself as I have learned to hear what He says, not the world. The whisper of His voice has been sweeter than all of the distorted noises of the world I’ve been able to hear through the help of hearing aids. And above all, my life has been one such as the boy born blind before Jesus healed him; a life in which God has been able to glorify Himself by displaying His strength in my weakness, my inability to hear.

Until about a year and a half ago, I had never thought of the possibility of not having a hearing loss. Sure, it was a dream I could dream but seemed impossible to come true. How could this void that I have always had be filled was a question I always had. My answer was one of fully accepting and embracing my hearing loss, seeing it as a challenge to overcome.

Until a year and a half ago.

It started out in the midst of a difficult winter quarter, both academically and spiritually. I was learning so much about what it meant to rely on God and His power alone and not on myself. It was a time of falling on my face repeatedly as I tried to live life on my own strength instead of trusting God to lead me and sustain me. So many questions riddled my mind at this time, as I was venturing into a deeper relationship with God that I never had before. Slowly my eyes began to open. And suddenly, my ears began to hurt. A lot. At first I thought it was an ear infection or something, though I hadn’t had one of those in years. Something mild that could be fixed with antibiotics didn’t seem too bad. After all, doctors had always come through for me before. But then I began to have even more difficulty hearing in the midst of it. I struggled immensely to carry out my daily activities that involved communication and comprehension. And the pain continued. I remember one night it was so bad that my roommate almost took me to the hospital to see what was wrong. During this time, I saw two different otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat doctors) and they never found anything wrong, not even signs of an ear infection. I went to an audiologist and had a hearing test performed to make sure I wasn’t losing more hearing, and that wasn’t the case either. Nothing wrong was found.

Yet I knew better. I knew myself well that there was something wrong. I couldn’t ignore the pain that I had in my ear seemingly constant, at times more severe than others. I knew the difficulty I was having in hearing. And during this time when no answers were coming as to why from medical doctors, I turned my prayers to Jesus. I asked Him for what purpose this was happening, and why no one was finding anything wrong. I asked Him why I was going through such a thing that didn’t make sense. It was such a journey of asking questions and trying to understand. Through that time I realized my dependence on doctors and people in this world for answers before I turn to Jesus. Instead of letting Him bring answers through various people, I depended on them above all else. I had made idols out of doctors and medicine, and when they weren’t able to “fix” what was wrong, I didn’t know what to do about it.

But He spoke as He always does. I hadn’t been hearing it. God had to remind me of one of the reasons why I have had this hearing loss-so I may hear Him better-through this pain and difficulty with my hearing. I began to listen. And listen. And listen more. I turned my eyes and heart to the Word of God to see what He would say through that as well. And over what would be probably the time period of a month, it all became clear.

Much like the boy born blind, I am the girl born deaf.

We were both born in order that God’s glory may be shown in our lives.

That is through disability, and that is without disability. For with disability, we have the opportunity to rely on Him heavily and see His strength made perfect in our weaknesses. People are able to see what God can overcome. And it is also without disability. Through that, we see the healing power of Jesus to make our infirmities go away. We understand that there is no other who can do this besides Him. And it is through that His strength, mercy and love become incredibly tangible in our own lives and have a ripple effect to others. It is through things such as this that we understand He is the Lord, and there is no other.

I remember the night in which I was up at a church in Denver over spring break and the boy born blind was the sermon for the night, and I remember weeping as I seldom have before. “You would do this, O Lord? You have always used it, but You want to use it more? You wish to take it away? I see now that it has always been for Your glory that I have had this hearing loss, but how I will hold back Your future glory if I choose not to let You heal me…”

I saw clearly that night that He is the one who sees me. He is the one who hears me. And He is the one who wishes to heal me.

That was a turning point. God had spoken, but would I choose to trust? Would I choose to believe? Would I have faith and not fear?

Such has been the lesson over the last year through so many different things. I went from a time last summer having full faith and confidence in God on summer project to a year in which I wrestled with my faith in Him like never before. I learned what it was to fear God to some degree, but then I let that fear paralyze me. I went from these different extremes of being apathetic to so uncertain of so many things though I knew I could never forsake my faith. It was a year in which God stripped me of everything in order to build me back up again solely in Him. It was one of the hardest years I remember. In every aspect of my life and my heart God continued to ask me “do you trust Me?” The question was as simple as that, but the answer was far harder to find. There were things in my heart that God brought to light that I never knew existed before. I saw scars that I didn’t know were there and I had to let God heal them. But above all, I had to trust God in every aspect. Simply trust Him.

I have been reading through the Gospel of Matthew since January. It has been a book that has taken a long time to get through because God has spoken through every aspect of it. It is the Gospel that focuses heavily on the aspect of faith, and how faith is necessary in all things, including divine healings. While the whole book has spoken to me greatly, I wish to include the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 17:14-21.

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Over this year I finally understood what the true meaning of this passage was. Many people take the aspect of the mustard seed in relation to faith to be one referring to faith as something quantitative. However, faith is not quantitative. We either believe God or we don’t. We either trust Him or we don’t. There’s so often this middle ground that we allow ourselves to be in thinking “well, I do trust Him with some things, but these, I’m not so sure about.” That’s what I had been doing for far too long. Our faith is to be qualitative, believing God either capable of doing insignificant things or believing him to be capable of doing astounding things. There were so many areas in which I thought I trusted God because I trusted Him a little bit, but really, I didn’t trust Him at all.

This truth revolutionized my faith in making that question simple. I either trust Him or I don’t. It was a choice I had to make over and over again, and still continue to.

I write this before you now saying that I can answer that question today that I fully trust Him. In every aspect of my life He has shown Himself more than worthy of my trust. I understand that my God is for me, not against me.

Countless things have happened in the last month or so. Since the end of the school year in particular, God has been revealing Himself in ways I never would’ve expected.

Even now as I write this, I ask myself the question, “how can I even begin to describe what He’s done?” What He’s done is infinite in every aspect, and I fear that I do God injustice by trying to explain it all. In fact, I do. It is my prayer that He will enlighten your hearts as you read this and account for my lack of ability to describe it all.

As soon as I got home to Colorado from school ending, my family and I headed down to Taos, New Mexico for a family reunion on my dad’s side. We do this biannually, and it has always been a highlight for me. My dad has four brothers and sisters and with that come countless cousins and aunts and uncles for me. I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend with them every time. It is lighthearted and deep at the same time. However, this time around was so different for me. I struggled immensely with communication and comprehension in an arena I used to do so well in. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remedy the situation, and so with my family I became apathetic to communication with them. I felt isolated in my own silent bubble cast upon me by my hearing loss. With God, however, I became desperate. I cried out to Him that I was incredibly frustrated and grieved at this fact that I was “alone” because of my hearing loss. I remember writing probably a month prior to that time that no one understands me fully but God. No one understands fully what I go through but Him. How true that resonated over those few days.

I realized through that time that I had always been nonchalant about the fact that God is capable and willing to heal me of my hearing loss. I treated it as a matter of “cool, if it happens; if not, that’s cool too.” I remembered all of the accounts of healing I had been reading over the past 6 months in Matthew and how not one of them were nonchalant about it. They recognized their infirmities to the full and also recognized Jesus’ healing power in it all. They cried out to Him and came to Him earnestly, in full faith knowing that in His name and power they were healed. How much I had been lacking in this aspect. For the first time I understood what the meaning of being desperate for the Savior’s healing touch meant.

It meant understanding my full weakness and how apart from God there is no remedy. It meant surrendering my own strength and gaining His. And above all it means asking in earnest for Jesus to be my healer and open up my ears that have been stopped my entire life.

The next step in this past month’s journey came in the form of a conversation with a fellow hard-of-hearing woman at Kate’s (my boyfriend John’s sister) wedding reception. My parents had been sitting at the same table as her throughout the course of the night, and it was the orchestration of God’s hand that made it so. They engaged in conversation I know little about, as I was sitting at a different table for the night. During that time, I got the urging from God that I needed to go talk to my parents and check in with them. I proceeded to do so and they said that they had been having a wonderful conversation with the Grinstead’s friend who has cochlear implants and is also a teacher for the deaf, and asked me if I would talk with her as well. Of course I accepted. I’ve had countless conversations like this over the years, as the community of the deaf/hard-of-hearing is small and somewhat intimate. We are able to understand each other’s common struggles better than those hearing can. I was talking with her and her husband as well as my parents and she was telling me of how she lost her hearing when she was 20 years old, and got a cochlear implant at that time. A few days before the wedding, however, she got a second one. She is also a teacher of the deaf. She spoke of how the cochlear implant has changed her hearing and her life. We talked about many things, and my mom in particular brought up the fact that as a parent of a deaf child, one wants to have all the knowledge in the world in order to make the right decision for his/her child. One wanted to have the right answer. That point seemed reiterated over and over again.

As I remained silent during this time and listened, it was a new realization to me that Jesus is the right answer. He was the answer I kept looking past over and over again. Jesus is the answer.

So often in our culture, especially in America, we make idols out of doctors and take what they say to be the defining answer. We forget to ask God what His answer is. God has appointed and gifted doctors and the medical profession; however, we run the risk of making them the answer and forsaking the One who has blessed them with the knowledge to do what they do. I realized that much like when I first had the pain in my ear, I can’t look to doctors alone for the answer. I must look to Jesus, and if He chooses to bring the answer through a doctor, so be it.

But I must look to Jesus alone.

I think of the boy born blind and how when the Pharisees questioned him for the answer of who was it that caused him to see, he first says that it was the man named Jesus that did so. When asked again, he says that He must be a prophet. When he was asked last, he declares He is the Son of God. He realized that for Jesus to heal Him, He must be God. It was a process of faith I believe in the boy realizing and owning the fact that no ordinary man can do works such as the one He did. It is divine.

Jesus is the answer.

There was an awesome thunderstorm when I was home, one like no other I had seen before. The lightning flashed over the mountains in the midst of this firery sunset. I was attempting to capture pictures of lightning since I had never been able to before. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the point of the night J. I stood out there for a long while watching this storm and seeing the lightning, yet hearing no thunder. It was bizarre, because Colorado has these thunderstorms that rattle the walls of the house. I stood there watching as it began to rain and asked God, “I know it’s the time for healing. Now will You show that through Your thunder?”

The thunder came along with pouring rain and the lightning expanding over all of the visible sky. The storm lasted for 6 hours. A long storm for Colorado Springs, not one I had seen before. I sat in awe for the rest of the night seeing what had happened as I asked in faith. God desired to show Himself to me, and did so in the most amazing way…it was so personal to me because I love these lightning storms so much. I even tried to climb on the roof so I could see it better! John texted me a passage later on that night and I read it the next morning. It spoke this: “Father, bring glory to Your name.’ Then a voice spoke from Heaven, saying, ‘I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again.’ When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Then Jesus told them, “this voice was for your benefit, not mine” (John 12:28-30). I meditated over this verse throughout the day and realized that God spoke through that thunderstorm in order that I would know that He desires to show His glory and answer prayer. It was for my benefit, in order that my faith would increase.

And since that day, I am able to see God as the God of that thunderstorm…unspeakably beautiful and glorious, willing to give all good gifts.

A process of faith growing happened throughout that week. Many things happened, but I will not speak of them here and now, for there is more to be said…

The last Friday night I was home I went to this college service called the Mill at New Life that I have been to many times before. John was with me that night as well. The Mill is awesome-a great group of people with a great pastor and great worship-or so I was told about the worship part anyways. Honestly, I didn’t like the musical worship part much at all. It was incredibly heavy on the bass and muddled the voices of the vocalists, making it all this one big jumbled noise that I couldn’t decipher anything out of. I usually sat through it and listened, perhaps tried to sing if I could understand it. Usually it was me in silence.

Until that night.

I had been realizing that I listen on my own strength and efforts. It tires me greatly because of it. From lip reading to trying to decipher auditory information, it is a strenuous effort. I am exhausted at the end of each day.

And that night I decided to ask to hear through Jesus’ ears and not my own. His ears are perfect and mine are not. I decided to surrender my own efforts of listening and allow Jesus to make the sound clear to me.

It came slowly at first, when it seemed like the music sounded a bit different. I actually heard a strain or two. I continued to pray. I continued to receive. I received the gift of my ears being opened for a bit of time during the worship in which I heard some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. I heard every little piece of it, every note from every instrument intertwined with one another making this beautiful composition. I couldn’t move as I was captured by the sound of it and the fact that my ears were unstopped; I could hear clearly. It was through the ears of Jesus that this was possible.

And I began to experience the fact that He desired to make His ears perfect in my own. It was unspeakable.

It was that night that I realized all He had spoken in the past had already begun.

His desire and willingness to heal me was being manifested and would continue to be.

Amazing grace.

How sweet the sound.

How incredibly sweet the sound.

Since that night, the journey continues. My ears have been opened at other times as well, such as when I called upon the elders of the church to pray with me in faith that I will be healed. God continues to teach me incredibly much about Himself and my life with Him. Jesus is showing me His heart and character, and it is through that, not His ability to heal, that He desires to heal me.

He loves me that much.

I have been learning to declare and praise Him in the fact that He is my healer and in Him I am fully healed because I have asked. I have also learned that I must continue to persist in prayer until I see His will manifested here.

I have been learning to have a resolve in trusting Him above all things. When I get scared or begin to doubt with this as well as any aspect of my life, it is because I am taking my eyes off of Him.

His perfect light and perfect love casts out all fear.

And one might ask, “what does all of this mean? How is this to be shown?” I don’t have a definite answer for that. What I continue to believe is who God is, what He’s done, and what He’s spoken through His Word. With that, I believe He has clearly spoken that He is willing to heal me of my hearing loss. And I firmly believe that He will.

It could be in different ways, but I expect nothing less than the greatness of God to be manifested in this.

Yet above all, there is an even greater purpose. God has also been asking me what will be my heart’s response in every circumstance, with or without healing. Will I still praise Him, even if I am afflicted with this hearing loss for the rest of my life? What is my heart towards Him? God cares about our hearts infinitely more than anything else, and if I were to neglect that, I would be missing out on so much…

And through all of this, I find my heart’s response to be one of, “Yes Lord, I will praise You no matter what.” See, I have fallen into a deeper love with my Savior like never before. I am learning so much, and that is sufficient for me. With healing or without healing, still I will praise Him.

I could never fully explain all that has happened in this process. My words will always be inadequate for such things.

I sit still often thinking about how I have gotten to this point. Over and over again, I come back to the fact that it is not me at all. Much like the boy born blind, I did not choose God, but God chose me in order that His glory may be shown.

And I believe the main reason I am writing this is so that God may also ask you:

“What is your heart’s response?”

I Give it All

From the depths of my heart
From the eyes that were blind
From a love grown hard
From a life only mine

I give it all away

To a love deeply alluring
To sights my eyes now behold
To a heart fervently beating
To a life only Yours

I give it all to You

Can I stand and sing my praise
To You give my heart away
I want all of You my Lord
And I’ll give all it takes
To run to the ends of the earth
Declare Your name for all it’s worth
I want all for You my Lord
And I’ll give all it’ll birth
Lay my life down at Your feet
I’ll sacrifice all of me
I want all for You my Lord
And I’ll it give all it needs

I give it all away

These ears made perfect in Your hands
Upon which the rock I will stand
As I hear like I’ve never heard before
Let the cry ring out across the land
This voice made perfect in Your cry
Upon which I breathe the breath of life
As I sing like I’ve never sung before
And reveals Your brilliant, perfect life
This heart made perfect in Your love
Upon which I set my sights above
As I worship like I’ve never worshipped before
And it’s all for You, all for You my Lord

I give it all to You

Prelude

I have very little to say tonight except the prelude is now. The beginning is here. The sun has appeared over darkness and is bringing all to light. And in that warmth, in that glow, there's a love indescribable as I am head over heels for my Savior, my all...oh how He is worthy of all my praise!

A Web of Truths

My mind has been a jumble of so many things the past couple of days. It has seemed like a lack of clarity but I now understand that it's a web that is crazily intertwined of all the things I have been learning as of late. The thing is, there is no way I can untangle this web on my own. I find myself going along this web and seeing all of these different things I have learned piece by piece and honestly, don't know where I have been learning these things. It's weird in a sense because I feel that I haven't been seeking out specific things necessarily, but have moreso been an open mind and heart for God to speak into.

I find my head filled with knowledge that would usually scare me out of my mind and my heart filled with a faith and trust that has never been there before. Over the past couple of days I have been asking the question, where did it come from? There's really only two answers to that question: of me or of God. I know it's not of me. It's like I was telling Elise the other day that I could never put myself here. No amount of seeking and climbing and striving could get me to this point of faith and trust that I am at. I am completely and utterly inadequate. It's as if God has put me and anchored me to this rock that He is, not allowing me to move. He truly is the rock on which I stand, because without Him, I would not be standing at all.

There's this anointing and preparation that God is doing that truly transcends all words. I am not yet to speak of what this preparation He is doing is. I'm amazed at what happens when we truly read the Word of God and understand its truths, God's character, and the promises made. There is a special anointing that happens when believers do that. Unfortunately, it is rare. We skim over truths that perhaps make us uncomfortable and try to form a God that serves us best, by picking and choosing which things to believe and interpreting things incorrectly. The Bible is not meant to be this way. When I opened my eyes for the first time at the book as a whole, I saw that it is a big picture with all these beautiful details. We must see it as that though, that it is completely whole; nothing may be added or taken away from it.

I find this anointing happening upon me because of choosing to believe these truths and also because of circumstances God has specifially placed me in during my life in order that He may be glorified. I see some of the things that are to happen now and I do see God protecting my heart and mind a bit in this. If I were to know, I would probably distinegrate at the knowledge of that power in those things. I have an understanding, but it is limited. I have this excitement, but it is curbed. I have this extreme fear and uncomfortableness, but it is resting in Jesus. Again, it is solely Him.

And I have been sitting here over the past couple days wondering why I am in a position such as this. It's like I understand to a point, but I don't either. Right now my world is so utterly silent and lonely as He folds me into the intracacies of His love and His plan for redemption of the sin of unbelief. It's a reality I am facing in the fact that no one, not one, fully understands. No one that I know has ever been in a position similar to the one I am in. I praise God for the people in my life that so willingly and lovingly listen and pray for me. It is indeed strange however to speak of these things and them not having much to say in response. I find myself isolated in so many aspects right now, and that is strange.

I also find myself being completely stripped of everything I am and all strength I have. I find more and more each day that I am living purely on His strength and not my own. Some days are better than others. Some days I am completely filled with energy and joy in His presence and other days I am drained by this uphill journey He has me on. I never have realized before now how much I have truly relied on myself. Elise was telling me that this book she is reading about Humility by Andrew Murray speaks that humility is not making little of yourself, it's making nothing of yourself. That's pretty intense. Again, I would never put myself here, but God is...

I find myself only able to surrender to all that He is and all that He has. I rest firmly in the fact that He has covered me with His love and presence. I know I have more and more to surrender that continues to come.

I am so utterly inadequate, but all I am able to say to what God is speaking to me of what is to come and what it is I am to do is "okay." I accept this, and will do so wholeheartedly. I am learning what it is to truly lay my life down at the cross in order that He may be glorified. I can't be selfish, this life is not my own. But in all of this, He is the giver of good gifts, and I know greater gifts and blessings are to come. I just can't fully wrap my mind around those yet.

And I leave here tonight admitting that it's not me at all. I don't come here and write this in order to glorify myself and the anointing that God is doing. For some reasons God has placed me in this position and all that I have really done is be willing to respond. He has done the rest. He always will.

It is only our unbelief and lack of surrender that holds us back from what He has. Let us be compelled by our love for Him that these things would change.

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:6-19