I Had His Poster on My Wall...

I had his poster on my bedroom wall. I watched every game he played.  If there was a news article or picture of him, I cut it out and put it on my bulletin board.  I had his jersey with his name and number on the back and wore it while I cheered him on. I wanted to know everything about him. I even wrote him a fan letter.  (You guys, it was ’89.  Social media wasn’t a thing yet.)  At 13, I knew that the chances of meeting him face to face were slim to none. But I still hoped that somehow, I would run into him and tell him how cool I thought he was. 

Fast forward to 2010, through a string of events, I was going to be attending a fancy dinner event that was honoring this very person!  A person that I had wanted to meet live, in-person for ages!  I was a crazy mix of nervous-excited. 

At the dinner party, I scanned the room looking for the man of the hour.  My husband leaned over to me and said, “I’ll make sure you get introduced to him.” My gracious spouse knew all about this guy and thought it was hilarious that I was anxious about actually being introduced to this person and shaking his hand.

Then it happened.  This fella made his way over to our side of the room. My husband introduced himself first, then introduced me.  I could not believe this moment was happening!  My inner 13 year old was squealing with joy while my adult self was trying to come up with some words of encouragement to share with this person.

No joke, my head was spinning as I was trying to take in every single detail about the moment.  I just kind of stood there in awe.  My thoughts were racing as I tried to converse with this person all while being blown away that after YEARS of daydreaming about it, this moment was happening! I’m pretty sure there was just a bunch of babble coming out of my mouth as I noticed how this guy stood, how he tied his tie, how he had scars on his arms, and the strength of his grasp as he shook my hand. 

So why am I sharing this story with you? When a devotional challenged me to focus my thoughts on heaven recently, this event came to mind.  And I began to wonder... Will I act the same way when I meet Jesus?

Heaven just isn’t a subject I dwell on much.  I kind of feel like whatever I imagine isn’t even going to come close to what it will really be like, so why try? And is anyone else ever frustrated that it’s never mentioned in the Bible what Jesus looked like?  How tall was He? What color were His eyes? What did His laugh sound like?

But I've realized it’s good to focus our thoughts on heaven: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Phil. 3:14 (NLT) Heaven is our prize! Our great reward for running our race well.  And while my thoughts dare to dream about it, my heart longs to be with my Savior.  

Think about it...  I’ve followed Jesus for years. I bought His book : )  I read His Words and cling to them.  In fact, I have memorized them.  His name often stops me in my tracks and I am constantly on the lookout for all He is doing.

Honestly, I do long for the day I am in the presence of Jesus in heaven.  I believe one day I’ll bow at His Feet in worship, then throw my arms around Him and thank Him.  As I struggle to put together the words for how much He means to me; I will try to take it all in.  Oh for the day to finally see with my eyes His stance, to hear His laugh with my ears, to touch the His scars as I take His hands!

“No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.  And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.” Revelation 22: 3-4 (NLT) {Emphasis mine}

Friends, allow your heart and mind to dwell on heaven today.  Linger in this... One day, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and it will be more amazing than we have ever dreamed!

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

Post by: Marcy Gates

All In

I have experienced many seasons of waiting on the Lord. Waiting for God to open doors, answer prayers or provide answers. Some of these waiting seasons were short, some long, some longer. Some even came with no answers; where whatever I was waiting for didn't come to fruition.

And you know what? I can't say I'm that great at waiting. Usually when there is something I know I want, I'm not content until I have it. Ouch! That actually hurt a little bit to admit. But it's true. I have a hard time being content in seasons of waiting, when I think I know exactly what I want and I just have to have it. Can you relate? At least a little?

I feel like I've been waiting on this one particular thing for an undesirable amount of time and God keeps giving me this word... Contentment.

Then I read an Instagram post about being “all in” in the season you are in even if it's not what you want, or if you are waiting for the next thing. And it just settled right on my heart. I feel like for so many years I've always been "waiting for the next thing" or phase in life. I mean seriously, I could not wait to be an adult. Like, could not wait! I dreamed about all the ways adulthood would be perfectly awesome.  Now that I'm here, I'm like... (raises hand) "Can I get a refund?"

But seriously, all that time I spent focused on the next phase, left me feeling utterly discontent with the phase right under my nose. So it makes sense now that God keeps pointing me to contentment.

I'm reminded of a story in the Bible that talks about a young girl named Rebecca. I first learned about Rebecca while doing one of our women's Bible studies on the book, “The Blessed Woman” written by Debbie Morris. The chapter on Rebecca talks about serving while you wait. If I remember correctly the chapter was geared more toward the single gals, but when I think about being “all in” in your current season, I'm reminded of Rebecca's part in the story.

This particular story is about Abraham's servant traveling back to Abraham's homeland to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Along the way he seeks God's guidance and comes across Rebecca. (Spoiler alert: Rebecca is the ONE God has in mind!) I just want to look at this one part about Rebecca that stands out. Genesis 24:17-20 tells us that after the servant asks her for water, she gives him a drink and then offers to get water for all of his camels.

“When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.” Genesis 24:19-20 (ESV)

This stands out to me because Rebecca goes above and beyond. She doesn't just give the man a drink, she makes sure the camels are taken care of too. This required multiple trips to and from the well to get enough water for the camels. She joyfully served the people (and animals) right in front of her face.

We don't know if Rebecca was waiting for God to send her a husband or not but let's assume that was a desire in her heart. She didn't sit at home, woe is me, ignoring her responsibilities, or wishing for things to be different or better (ahem, it's just me who does this, I'm sure!) She participated in her “right now” life, and she was all in. Seeing this in Rebecca's life is an encouragement to me. I think she was all in because she was content. I think that is the secret to contentment, right? Being ALL IN in the season right in front of your nose, your real “right now” life; showing up, serving the people around you, and meeting the needs that are right there, right now. It's good to dream and plan but don't let that get in the way of being content.

God desires his children to be content in the good things He's given us, gifted to us. When we choose contentment, when we choose to be “all in” we are blessed!

“That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 3:13 (NIV)

Ladies, if you struggle with contentment, if you are in a season of waiting, or perhaps the waiting has been a long road, I am right there with you! Let's learn from Rebecca. We can choose to serve while we wait. We can choose to be content. And the first step is being ALL IN! Amen? Amen!

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni