On Saturday the fiance and I tried out a new recipe, which is officially our new favorite breakfast of all time. We lined a muffin tin with smoked turkey and then put a little cheese in the bottom of each turkey cup, cracked an egg into each, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and Turkish chili powder, and baked at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. And it was incredible.
I topped my turkey, egg, and cheese cups with capers, and we served them with a side salad. They were completely filling without being super heavy, and they were delicious!
Learning to Flourish
Right now my church is in a series called Flourish, and I needed it badly. It’s been a big kick in the booty to recognize just how much I’m not flourishing. Don’t get me wrong, life is generally good and I’m very blessed. But God desires more than just getting by, and I’ve been doing a lot of that lately while swept up in the waves of a crazy workplace and wedding planning and moving planning and day to day life.
So I remembered how when God was healing me I started to really feel like I was flourishing. It was awesome. And now the fiancé and I are trying to encourage each other along to flourish. Back in March I said I was starting by slowing down, but I didn’t really do a good job of it because the world put up a big ol’ fight about it. Then things got so crazy I even stopped blogging (obvs) and meditating on God’s doses of hope. Not.good.loved ones.
Then we started Flourish, and by the time I opened the little booklet my church passed around I was shocked to see the first practice as solitude, and the first step toward solitude as subtracting things from our schedule and slowing down. It was exactly what I’d been trying to do but not doing! But now I had a little booklet to help me along!
I do so much better when I have booklets to guide me along, I’m not even going to lie (see this as proof).
I made a list of all my weekly commitments:
- work full time job + 2 hours overtime (if we count my skipped lunch break)
- 2 hours of daily commute
- evening job grading papers for an undergrad psychology course
- wedding planning
- physical therapy on Tuesdays
- small group on Wednesdays
- pre-marital counseling on Thursdays
- events committee at church
Plus things I want to do like quiet time, blogging, making new recipes, spending time with the fiancé, seeing friends, and daily chores like grocery shopping, dish washing, kitty litter cleaning…
It doesn’t seem like a lot. Who of us doesn’t have that much on our plates? But I was tiiiired and struggling to get 3 meals in a day or even six hours sleep at night. Not flourishing.
So I cut some things out for a time, including blogging while I finished grading ten million papers and finals, and tried to back out of some commitments like the events team I should have known better than to sign up for, and made a bunch of decisions to clear up my plate and my head.
FREEEDOM!
The fiancé makes fun of me for saying that so much, but seriously there are way too many situations in life that call for it.
Want to know the crazy part? Pretty much everything I’m trying to do now is the same stuff God taught me to do when He was healing me. Who would’ve thought?
Here are other things I’m working on (which I talked about a little in March and April when I realized I needed to get it together again and reinvest in honoring God with my everyday life):
- Health
- Finances
- Relationship
- Time Management
- Serving
- Calling
And it’s way easier than I thought when I just relax and go slow. I guess it’s how I’m getting healthier (again) and this time I’m recommitting and I’m surriously hopeful that God will bless me with re-flourishing. Oh yeah, and I’m re-seeking out Doses of Hope. I love those.
Happy Sunday,
Kim
“Hope for Those Who Seek” (Today’s Dose of Hope)
Can we celebrate again today? I’m loving this quote, this verse, and this song, and I’m excited to see the fiance showing off all of his new guitar pedals on stage at church today.
Even in tragedy, God through His Word offers hope for those who seek and believe. It starts with the promise of a better tomorrow, of life everlasting, of eternal peace. It’s called faith, and it offers hope where none existed. – Zig Ziglard
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. – Jeremiah 29:13
This is a song that I can’t get enough of right now thanks to a playlist that Steph made for the fiance and me. And yes, I’m loving that there are like 10 musicians on stage.
We lift our eyes to you, where our help comes from. Our hope is found in You, Exalted One.
Words to Live By (Today’s Dose of Hope)
The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. – Psalm 121:7, 8 NLT
It’s Not About Having it All Together
Another thing I’m learning about wisdom is it’s not about having it all together.
My pastor did a great message a couple months ago discussing how to know God’s will. He broke it down pretty simply according to exactly what God tells us in the Bible.
First:
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Then Jesus taught us the most important thing in life:
‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’
Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ – Matthew 22:36-39 (NLT)
Then Jesus gave us a new command and explained what a disciple looks like:
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. – John 13:34-35
And then days later, after His resurrection, Jesus gave us the Great Commission:
Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ – Matthew 28:18-20
All of that to say, wisdom first looks like loving God, knowing Him through Jesus, and then sharing that love with those around us.
It has other practical things to like not spending more than we make when we can help it (and I believe medical bills don’t fall in the “when we can help it” category), not hanging out with people who bring out our worst, and more.
But it doesn’t look like making perfect decisions all of the time. We should do our best, but seriously – we’re going to slip up. God knows we’re just not equipped for perfection as we currently are, and that’s why we have a Savior. That’s why we need grace.
So yes, we’re called to make disciples of all the nations. We’re called to be the light of the world like a city on a hill. But not because we have it all together in every single area. It’s because of our unshakeable faith in a God who loves us inspite of our imperfections, and the joy and freedom that comes from that and overflows out of us into love for others.
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. – Matthew 5:14-16
Big Things
I really believe that the minute we start believing God can do big things in our life is the minute we’re open to receiving them.
(Jesus) You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. – Matthew 21:22 NLT
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. – Mark 11:22-25 NLT
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! – John 14:12-14 NLT
Jesus is really clear – when we pray with belief and with surrendered hearts, and when our prayers line up with His word (Psalm 130:5), we will receive what we ask for. Even if we have to wait (Psalm 130:6). Even if we have to keep on praying.
(Jesus) And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. – Luke 11:9 NLT
Today’s Dose of Hope
(Jesus) I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. -John 14:12, 13 NLT
Today’s Dose of Hope: The Healer and How He’s Healing Me
In case you need a dose of hope today…
This one is inspired by my friend Karyn, who posted this wonderful quote on Facebook. You already know I’m a huge Beth Moore fan, and I love how she just gets right to the heart of the matter. [Thanks for sharing, Karyn!]
“God’s plan is always to heal. You’ve not been through the one thing that Jesus Christ cannot heal. He came to heal you!” – Beth Moore
This is one of my favorite prayers.
Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.- Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)
I like to pray it along with my favorite verses, Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11 to remember that even though He might carry me through hard times, He’s never going to let anything in my life work for bad.
And this is a brand new song that I’m already obsessed with called “The Hurt and the Healer” by MercyMe. You can listen to it here by clicking on “listen to ‘The Hurt and Healer’ here” in the upper right corner.
I have good news for all of you regarding healing as well. Just one week ago I saw my wonderful new general practitioner, who is a board certified family physician who also practices naturopathic medicine. She walked me through a great booklet of test results, and I was excited to see the results.
Right now we’re focusing on digestive health, and we found that my good bacteria and enzymes are at great level, and that I have no bad bacterial infections like H. Pylori. It’s awesome to know that probiotics and digestive enzyme supplements have helped so much. I still have a low level candida infection in my intestine, which has been putting up a good fight. We were surprised to find out that the infection itself is not that bad, but that my immune system is still pretty compromised, which is why I’m having trouble beating it completely.
My first thought when I heard this news was to be glad that the infection itself is almost gone. I beat it completely six months after I went into remission, but it reared its ugly head again a year ago when I had a new case of Bartonella, and I’ve been battling it ever since.
My second thought was to be surprised that my immune system is still so low. And my third thought was to be super excited about that news – not because my immune system is still struggling, but because God has been doing an AWESOME job of keeping me healthy if that’s the case.
I know there will come a day when Jesus will choose to heal me on the other side of this life. But for now, He’s doing it here on this earth and I’m incredibly grateful.
We have a plan in place for moving forward, that I’m hopeful will go well. Our first try at treatment was not so effective, as it turned out I was only killing off good bacteria since there was no bad bacteria to kill. That, combined with the fact that I tested resistant to many of the herbs in the two products I was taking, explains why I was feeling so ill. But the tests showed that I’m very sensitive to a number of other prescription medications and herbs, and we’ll be hitting the infection with a prescription while reducing inflammation with a “medical food” designed for patients with Chron’s Disease, and using two additional prescriptions to lower my stress hormones and raise my immune system.
I’ll keep you all posted as I continue to share how I’m putting hope in action. I’m excited for these first few steps, and I’m amazed that God will just keep showing us what to do even if we get it wrong the first couple of tries (like I’m prone to do) without ever letting go of our hands.
For I hold you by your right hand—
I, the LORD your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”- Isaiah 41:13 (NLT)
I hope that all of you are filled with hope for healing – physical, emotional, financial, relational, or whatever kind you need – and that we will be full of the promises that God’s plan is always to heal and that He never lets us go. I don’t know what step Jesus is leading you to make, but in my case He’s showing me more than a few. I’ll need lots of prayers for wisdom and discipline, but I can’t wait to see where they lead.
Today’s Dose of Hope: Wisdom
My One Word for 2012 is “wisdom,” and I think God gave me that word because He knew just how bad I would need it. So far this year I’d been so busy that I didn’t have time or energy to really focus on what that One Word would mean for this year. But now that I’m putting hope into action by slowing down, I’m also able to seek wisdom from God in each of the areas I realized I’m off track in. And like always, He’s guiding me.
I love this verse, and I love that God straight up tells us through James that we can ask Him for wisdom whenever we want, and He’ll give it to us without thinking any less of us. In other words, we can hope in God for an answer to our problems.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. – James 1:5 (NIV)
I like to ask God for wisdom about just about any issue I’m facing, and in my case I “hear” best when I read the Bible, watch podcasts of my favorite teachers (like Joyce Meyer and Greg Laurie), take notes in church (yes, I’m the geek with the bright pink notebook in one hand and my iPhone Bible app in the other), and read books by my favorite Christian authors. Sometimes He speaks to my soul and I know exactly what He’s saying, but most times He takes a collection of all of the above over a period of time and connects the dots until it finally all clicks in an “a ha!” moment.
The first thing God showed me this month when I decided to slow down and seek His wisdom is that I need to get back on the right path and stop “going around the same mountains,” as Joyce Meyer likes to put it in her teaching (you already know I love her work!). Of course, she’s referencing what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness when they got so hopeless that they spent decades going around the same mountain but never really advancing in life. (See Moses’ paraphrase in Deuteronomy 1:6)
I think that phrase also calls to light how I’ve let some little issues in life become way too big. In other words, I’ve made my mountains out of molehills. I called them “ruts” last week in my first post about putting hope into action. Beth Moore calls them “pits” in Get Out of that Pit, and Gordon MacDonald calls them “sinkholes” in Ordering Your Private World. Mountains, molehills, ruts, sinkholes, wilderness… it’s all basically the same thing: not where you want to be stuck.
I wrote last week that the main issues I’m feeling in a rut with are:
Health
Finances
Relationship
Time Management
Serving
Calling
It’s not that any of these areas are particularly bad. It’s just that I’m not necessarily investing in these areas the way I should be, and I know that in a lot of ways I’m going around and around in circles and not advancing and growing the way I should be.
I’m already pretty excited, because in several of these cases I know what the right path is. I know what I need to to do to take care of myself and be healthier since Jesus literally walked me step by step into a healthier lifestyle just a few years ago. I also know what I need to do to tackle the last bit of medical debt on my plate and move forward financially, even though the thought of it has been mentally and emotionally exhausting after all these years. And I’m already seeing how He’s asking me to invest in my relationship and in my “community,” so I’m pretty excited to see how God holds my hand through these things and helps me put my hope in Him into action (which ironically, depends a whole lot on me continuing to stay still and focused on Him instead of trying to do everything myself).
Here’s another verse I found about wisdom this week in a devotional. I have a feeling this whole “wisdom” word is going to play a big part in how I see this year’s doses of hope come to fruition in my life.
Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord;
those who obey his orders have good understanding.
He should be praised forever. – Psalm 111:10 (NCV)
