A Pilgrim's heart....

I wonder what would have been protruding out of my mouth if I was one of the Pilgrims sailing on the Mayflower. What excitement there would have been in finally being able to sail to the free land in order to worship the Lord freely. But as the days passed and as people started to die on board, what did their hearts begin to look like? Then they finally arrive only to be starving due to lack of knowledge and supplies....were they so disheartened? I wonder what my own heart would have looked like at this point? Knowing myself, I would have probably been griping and asking God why He brought us this far to let us die. Then the Lord brought life....a gift of the Indians.

I look over my past life experiences and what a bouncing around of spiritual heart conditions I've had. Over and over again He's faithful to me & my family & instead of trusting Him and giving Him thanks even in the hard times, I fall into grumbling and complaining until I remember all He's done. What if when times are hard I turn to the Lord and tell Him that I'm so thankful for His refining me and can't wait to see what He does? He would probably go into shock.

A never ceasing heart of Thankfulness is what I long for. Good, bad, happy, sad....thankfulness. I'm sure the Pilgrims went through the same struggles we do in wondering what God was doing. But what we read about in History in their story should alone attest to His faithfulness...how God takes care of His children.

Thankfulness....for He's so good.

Romance....

The restaurant is lit with candles, the soft music playing in the background, and you notice the twinkle lights hanging that dimly light up the room. It's the look in his eyes as he glances at you from across the room.....his hand as it rests upon your back in leading you to your destination....it's the single rose he brings home attached with a kiss...it's the love note you find when you aren't looking....it's the soft touch in brushing your hair away from your face and you melt. It's a wave that washes over a woman's heart and it can happen in the most unsuspecting ways. What is this feeling....Romance.

What is it about romance that so intrigues and captures a woman's heart? Deep down inside we'd all admit that we love it..in fact we long for it. Who doesn't want to be swept off their feet and treated in just even the smallest of ways like she's his everything.

When I think of romance, I don't think of it in terms of my Heavenly Father. But oh how He wants to romance our hearts. Not in the same way that a husband and wife enter into romance, but in a way that captures the very essence of who we are. He wants our hearts and wants to hold us close where all we know is His love. He whispers in our hearts the words that we long to hear..."I love you so, my sweet child." He longs for us to stop taking the lead and allow Him to lead by His strong hand. He has written us the most precious love note of all time, but do we take the time to read it...to understand how important we are to Him. Have we missed His romance to us?

Romance...it can quickly capture a woman's heart....but has He captured yours, for He's the one who created it.

What gets lost...

I love the holidays....the craziness of it all, the food, the decorations, the lights, family time, spiritual time. I love it all! I'm finding it interesting as I venture out into the stores and hear the voices around me that we have skipped over what is such an important holiday......Thanksgiving. Christmas cards are out, shopping days have begun to be numbered, and the celebration has started. We are on to the next holiday before the previous has even departed. It's all delightful but I am finding myself having to make a deliberate decision to read the Pilgrim books or pull out the pilgrim decorations I have. This time was an extremely important time in American History and one in which I'm very thankful for. One in which I want to pass to my children.

Things in this life become so much about us. I slip into my selfishness and make my Christmas list of "needs"...I mean''wants" and find that I'm missing the most important Thing of all. I'm reminded every year as the holidays roll around that THIS YEAR I want to focus more on Christ in everything surrounding them. Not about my wants and even needs, but just about Him. Sharing with my children how everything is only foundational in Him. Pointing everything back to the cross of Christ.

So, as I venture into this Thanksgiving season, I dare not pass over it too quickly in our eagerness to celebrate Christmas. Because eventhough Christmas is a glorious celebration of His birth, I am overjoyed to give Him thanks because without Him, I'd be nothing.