The Falling of Grace

Gentle and steady, settling like a blanket, white and pure, it covers and it is beauty: this grace that is falling like snow, covering a world undeserving. Air fresh and crisp, sun shining, beckoning for me to bath in its beauty. Calling me to come out from the warmth of the blanket, the security of the known to explore the unknown, to embark on an adventure with Him that is far beyond what I could ever imagine, to taste and see that He is good, in the falling of grace; He is good. 
This grace that is so freely given, is for me; for my freedom, for my joy, for me to know the grace giver. This grace calls for me to open my hand to the fullness of the Father, calls for me to surrender what I think is best to what He knows is better.
This world that you and I live in has so many things that call for our attention, if we are not guarding out hearts from all of the things that bring dissension, we will soon, without even a thought or a mention, have sold our hearts to the one who brings destruction. The lion, the deceiver, the one who desires only for my destruction, is actively seeking for the perfect moment to remind me of all the times that I have screwed up; though the accusations may be true, the grace that is there for me and you, has covered me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This grace that I speak of has covered me from now and into all of eternity. This grace is more than just something that gets me through today, it is hope, it is joy, it is peace, it is fullness in the One who saves me.
I am  saved  by grace and loved by Christ. Not a person place or thing can take that promise away from me. 
The freedom to open my hand and receive what the Giver of grace has, comes from embracing the promise that I am deeply loved by Him, cherished, wanted, passionately pursued, and a delight to Him, knowing that, as the Psalmist says, "His way is perfect" It is this grace, that calls me to live fully in Him, to take every moment as a gift that is made to enrich my life far beyond the here and now.
As the days go by I pray that I will embrace the gentle falling of of the snow, the crisp air, the shining sun and the upcoming math test, because this too is grace.

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name O Most High." ~Psalm 9:1-2

Flawed but Cherished,

Anika 

It is an Adventure

Welcome.

Welcome to this adventure I like to call "life".
Sometimes this adventure that we are all on is so busy, sometimes it becomes mundane, it stops being an adventure. Over the last few weeks this life has stopped being an adventure for me. It has become dull, overwhelming, stressful, joyless, and most importantly it has lacked the one ingredient that makes this life a real adventure: my Father.
It happened in little ways, crept up on me.
I got up late one morning; so I did not have time to stop and say 'hi' or hear what He had to say to me.
I was in a rush eating lunch one day so I did not say 'thank you'.
I was too tired to talk with Him.
The dead line for school work was more important then hearing what He had to say.
The music had a great beat, the harmony blew my mind, He was not mentioned.
The movie was a good story and I laughed, He was not glorified.
Much to my chagrin the list could go on.
Even in my wanderings He did not forget me, He whispered in the stillness of the night and it happened slowly.
It was in the sunrise. The fog coming off the lake. The song I happened upon.  It was in my nephews seeing Him work. It was in the face of my student.  It was in the little bird. The reminder that my Father, the creator of the universe wanted me, longed for me to not just go through life "doing" but "being"; being a daughter of HIS, a child of the KING.
He wants me to not just survive through the next math test, or my job, or through today and the rest of this week, no, He wants me to thrive. To thrive on HIM, Psalm 16:11 says that "In HIS presence is fullness of JOY"!
The truth that my Father wants me, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, made in His image, loved, desired, and that I am fully pleasing to Him just because I am His daughter; well let's be honest: it blows my mind!
I don't want life to be dull, stressful, or joyless; I want to have fullness of JOY!
Living life in His presence, having faith unshakable, joy unspeakable, and love unstoppable does not happen overnight. Having those things are a reflection of being in His Word, talking with Him and listening to what He has for me on a daily bases.
My prayer is that I will not loose sight of this truth in the days ahead, that I will live fully in His presence, and not forget again that I am HIS daughter fully pleasing and greatly desired.

My prayer is that as I embark on this journey  of remembering who I am in Him, you would be encouraged and challenged to also live fully in His presence.

Flawed but Cherished,

Anika