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don’t doubt

don’t doubt

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about why I choose to call this blog “the path less traveled.” From the first time that I read Robert Frost’s poem, it seemed to me to be a picture of the Christian life – a life that may be less traveled – and not just the of Christian life in general, but of my life.
Long ago I decided to take the “one less traveled by”. I decided that I wanted to let Someone Else take control of my course, to let go of my plan and follow His. I chose the path that led away from Self, toward Christ. 
Every now and then the other path looks so tempting, so easy. But then I remember that this is the one I have chosen, because it is good. It is sweet. Difficult at times, yes, but everything that is worthwhile is hard at times. By God’s grace I have been saved, and I am so very grateful.

a life that is so full of Christ that it leaks His grace.

We are still waiting,waiting to see what God has in store for us.

“I wondered what God was doing with my dreams. . .
He was rescuing me from them.

“… God’s order looked like disorder to me. I struggled with the shock that came by His rule. For me the theology of God’s unshakeable sovereignty had always been easy for me to verbalize, and suddenly, I wasn’t so sure what it meant to live it.

“God’s relentless love is after my total transformation. God’s love often brings hardship, confusion, and surprises. These things aren’t sent our way just to mess with us just because God is more powerful than we are – but they are from His hand of glorious grace, because He is exercising His power for the purpose of our hearts being transformed.

“Don’t doubt God’s goodness and love next time He allows something that unpleasantly surprises you. Instead lift your hands up to Him and celebrate. . . because you are being rescued.

“You are being transformed.
You are being loved.”

http://resolved2worship.xanga.com/741613511/valentines-2011-our-love-story-part-six/

for when I become complacent

for when I become complacent

“Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

“Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

“Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

-Sir Francis Drake

I’ve read this prayer before, but it was a while ago and I had forgotten about it. The little ones and I were visiting Brian and Leah over the weekend while John was hunting, and the pastor of their church led the church in reading this together during the worship service.
I’ve been pondering it for a few days and thought I’d post it to share with you all.

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little
…
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
…

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes

I’ve found that sometimes God uses poetry to re-say things that He has said before, things that I’ve heard so many times that my ears and heart become deaf to them.
God has plans and dreams for our family that are so much bigger, broader, deeper, higher and more wondrous than we can imagine (Isaiah 55:8-9), partly because He is God – all knowing, all seeing, all present – but partly because we are at times content to dream little dreams.

So, Father, what dreams would You have us dream? Disturb us, Lord.


faithful living

faithful living

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” -Elisabeth Elliot
I found this quote on someone’s blog this morning. So good.
I’ve been pondering – what’s my job? What does this look like for me?
Job – wife. Mother.

So the quote could read like this: “Being a wife and mom is the job that has been given to me to do. 
Therefore, it is a gift. 
Therefore, it is a privilege (sometimes this is more evident than others!). 
Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. 
Therefore, being John’s wife and a mom to Emma and Ian is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. 
Here, in my days at home, I may learn God’s way. 
In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.”
pondering and applying this truth today.
amazing and full of wonder

amazing and full of wonder

My sister-in-law posted some ultrasound photos of our new little nephew or niece on facebook the other day.
As I was looking at them this morning I found myself choking up – they amaze me.
This little one already has a soul, an eternal soul. God knows his/her name and has known it since before the beginning of time. Even before it was ever spoken of, He know of Baby Smillie’s existence. Oh, these things are amazing and full of wonder.

I was thinking about the verses where God talks about knowing us before we were conceived, knitting our bones and muscles together, seeing us while we were hidden away in the safety and darkness of our mothers’ wombs.
Amazing.

O LORD, you havesearched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
   you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
   and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
   behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
   and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
   it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
   Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    M)’> lead me,
   and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say,P)’> formed my inward parts;
   you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.T)’> the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your