Reflections.

Myer fell asleep at 5:00 tonight and shows no signs of waking. Ezra passed out on the couch at 6:30, and is now sleeping soundly in his bed. Chris is working late tonight. The house is mine, the house is quiet, and I am feeling like it is no coincidence. I feel like it is all carefully orchestrated so that I can sit and be still and hear God speak this to my tired heart:

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness
and who seek the Lord:

Look to the rock
from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which
you were hewn;

look to Abraham, your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him, he was but one,
and I blessed him and made him many.

The Lord will surely comfort zion
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
He will make her deserts like Eden,
her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of singing."

isaiah 51

Passages like this cause me to feel like I'm valued, protected, and sought after.

And it is so good to be reminded of my worth. To look up at the rock from which I was cut... To know the strength of my source! The power of who I am, right now this very moment.

I can't stand another minute of actually being a strong boulder, yet acting like (and believing I am) nothing more than a dirt clod.

Doesn't it feel that way? Like we're a world full of dirt clods- crumbling under the slightest pressure and unable to bear up under the slightest weight? What has brought us to this place?

LOOK UP to the ROCK from which you were cut.

Start acting like a thing of solidarity, of substance. Stop acting like a congealed mass who is at the mercy of every storm and gust of wind!

Remember who you are.

You are the daughter of a Nation-Builder. The Rock of all Ages. The Ancient of Days. You don't need to fear what anyone thinks of you, or any threat that can be launched against you. Where are the risk takers? The stand makers? The Ones who will not be washed away?

Step into your rightful skin! Lift your chin and wear joy and gladness like a form-fitting gown... like it is tailored for you and suits you. Adorn yourself with humble authority that comes from knowing the truth. Live with squared shoulders and eyes that seek justice.

Know your worth and defend it.

We need more sure-footed women in this world. Just as the men are being called out and exhorted to lead, we women need to be called out and exhorted to dignity and strength of character. Women who refuse to alter themselves at every whim and wish of those around them... at every latest fad or magazine article or fear-mongering ploy.

If we waste our lives chasing after the things the world says we must be or have or look like, we will find ourselves at the end... bitter and empty-handed, standing in a desert that could have been a garden of life.

photo here.