The Portion of my Inheritance

My pastor calls it the nasty here and now. The day in and day out drudge of everyday life. The putting one foot forth in front of the other, an intentional act of faith. Daily facing the wickedness that surrounds us and wraps gnarled fingers around our soul and pulls at us, dragging us down and holding us under. It’s the constant and continual struggle of this earth, and it can cause you to lose hope, to just lay down and give up.

But His goodness is here in the land of the living, in our everyday life, but it’s not always found in the grand explosions of life’s miracles.

It’s found in the little things, the mile markers that pave our paths and give us purpose. It’s in the overlooked and the overshadowed. Our days are filled with them but it is in our nature to rush right past, barely brushing them as we zoom by, and we miss them and that is so like us. Our attentions are focused on the unhealthy; the disappointments, the inflicted pain, the rejections, the loses, the fears, and we lose hope. But it is here, if we can stop long enough to truly see His goodness, if we can open our eyes to truth, if we can see past the nasty here and now to see His goodness. His blessings that pour out over us and drip with abundance.

For me, it’s found in . . . . .

the belly laughs caused from gumps tickling his girls.

The still quiet moments that still frame time, imprinting it’s memory deep within our hearts.

Beloved friends, sharing prayers, hopes and dreams. Walking the walk with them, holding up their hands and slipping a rock under them when needed, seeing them through.

A beautiful day spent with family. Every one of them making the journey home and we are all together again.

The Look of joy and delight on a loved ones face.

New discoveries.

It’s found in sunsets, soft falling snow and gentle breezes.

The standing on holy ground, praising our great and awesome Creator. Spending quiet moments with Him. Spilling out love for Him and Him pouring out love over us.

And the plain truth is,“The goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” is more than all the other, far outweighing all of it. It’s about perspective, how you see it and what you see.

Complaining and negativity is habitual and it blinds the heart and the eyes to His blessings.

And when we turn our eyes away from the Lord, we tune our ears to Satan’s lies. We choose to believe a liar over truth Himself. When we do that, the devils lies become our own personal truth, and we lose hope.

Where are your eyes looking? Who are you gazing at? What are you gazing at? Are you looking at the nasty here and now, or are you looking at the millions upon millions of blessings He showers over us every single day?

Let us open our eyes and look up. See the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, and hope!

I would have lost hope if I had not seen the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living.

Psalm 27:13 . . . . . .

Bright beautiful eyes, and the soft tender skin of a baby.

New baby dolls.

dancing.

Sweet treats.

Being silly.

Dressing up and tea parties.

Dancing unto the Lord with abandonment.

The quiet soft breathing of a sleeping child.

and so on . . . . . . .

It has become my weekly trek of late to make the drive to South Lake, and often times my girls make the journey along side me. This past week turned into an extra shower of blessings as my beautiful daughter shared with me her heart’s treasure, in the form of a dream.

I had just taken the Dallas 114 exit when she said to me, “Mom, have I told you about my Jesus dream?”

A hush fell over the entire truck and the air suddenly shifted. A sweet scent fell heavy upon us and I breathed it in deep. My ears immediately perked up and my eyes sprung open wide with much anticipation. “No you didn’t! Please tell me!”

I looked over at her and she sat quiet for a moment. She had a joyful expression on her face, and a soft smile formed on her lips, like she had a burning secret that she could not contain any longer.

Her, with her gentle quiet spirit, never demanding, never wanting to draw attention to herself, always placing herself in the shadows, deep in the background of her surroundings. But on this day her Lord had given her a very precious gift. He had given her the place of honor, at His right side.

She began to speak and her eyes twinkled at her own memory of it. Joy spilled out with each word, overflowing onto the hearts of us who heard her.

“He looked just like the picture I have of Him and He was wearing a plaid flannel shirt.”

I thought about the fabric of flannel, a much loved choice for me, and also for her too, I suspect. And the thought that Jesus came to her in a way that spoke of comfort and warmth that drew her in and held her close left me breathless. He left no stone unturned for this joy ride. He covered her with His goodness, knowing her hidden heart so well.

“He was in an old beat up pick up and I sat beside Him.”

And isn’t that just like our Lord: I guess we would imaging that the King of kings would most likely be seen in an upscale limousine or at least in the latest style and up to date yearly model. But not Jesus! His idea of luxury and comfort is always found in the form of humility, and she is just like her Lord in that.

As she continued on, my eyes spilled over with tears, the kind that can only come from that deep place of happiness at sharing such an intimate moment with my daughter. I was consumed in the moment and through her words I also was transported inside of that old pick up, watching them both pour out their love onto each other.

“We didn’t talk, I just kept hugging Him over and over and laying my head on Him. I was so happy!”

He took her on her very own mountain top experience. He lavished His love so deeply upon her, filling her so completely that is was now, even several days later spewing out of her.

“At some point He told me that He needed to go and I begged Him to stay longer, and He did.”

I could hear the sadness in her voice as she told this part of her dream. I can only imagine that this would be something that she would want to cling tightly to, never letting go, never wanting to give it up.

“It felt so real! And when I woke up I had this amazing, overwhelming feeling of love and peace and it stayed with me for a long time.”

Aria had been sitting in the back seat, strapped tightly to her booster seat, listening intently as her mamma spoke. Her eyes were wide as she heard her mamma recount her dream, soaking in every detail, hanging onto every word. And when it had been told, Aria spoke with such sincerity and confidence, from the complete security of a small child’s faith.

“It was real mamma! It was real!”

Yes! I tend to agree with Aria. How precious of our Lord to do this for His beloved. He always comes to His children in the unexpected, in such a personal, intimate way, touching the deepest part of us, the places where only He can reach. Always loving, always tender, always just plain perfect.

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying; “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3