To Be Free.

 

Have you ever been an abyss of transgression? You are so low, at the bottom of the pit that there is no way you are coming up. You are broken, and the only person that can help you is Jesus. So you fall on your knees in an act of prostration to cry out to the ONE you turned your back on. The ONE you rebuked. The ONE you thought you did not need. The ONE who “…laid down His life for (you).” (1^st John 3:16) The ONE they call Redeemer. The ONE they call Messiah. The ONE they call Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, and before the Lord you humble yourself to ask for help. Then all of a sudden your giant doesn’t look so big. You realize that this bottomless chasm that you are in has a rope to climb out, and this rope is Jesus.

 

So the merciful and gracious Lord defeats your Goliath. You realize that you are weak and He is strong. You realize that He can do anything. You realize that you too can do anything when you hold hands with Jesus.

 

Time goes by and you forget. You forget that it was only because of God’s strength that your giant fell. You forget that you did NOTHING and He did EVERYTHING. You stop relying on the LORD. You stop falling at the CROSS. You stop because you think you can. Your pride gets the best of you.

 

“God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions; it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:4-5) He wants you to be FREE. Free to sing. Free to dance. Free to clap. Free to love and be loved in return. So why do we wait to be broken to accept this freedom? This freedom was given to us when Jesus died on the cross. This freedom we receive when we accept His Grace.

 

I confess that I am guilty of just this. Not fully accepting His Grace in my life. Not coming to the Lord with a humble heart everyday. Not giving him the daily routines of my life, and only coming to him with the BIG stuff. Oh my Pride, leave me be.

 

What would it look like to like a humble life? If I lived every waking moment for God’s glory and not my own, what would my life look life? Would I be still? Would I have peace? All I know is that I want to be FREE.  There is a burning desire in my soul to get to know the Lord. This is what I hear him saying to me:

 

“Come Lisa, come and know me. Let me show you who I AM.”

-GOD

 

Yes, God talks. He may not use a burning bush or a mighty storm, but He is talking and for once I am still.  Still enough to listen and hear His soft words. I finally realize why my friends in the wards are so peaceful. I believe it is because they truly know they cannot do it alone. They truly live a humble life. They are an inspiration to me, because when I listen to some of their stories my heart breaks yet many still have hope. They say that their life is in the Lord’s hands and come what may.  Their humbleness is a huge reminder for me.

 

“…Train yourself to be godly.” (1^st Timothy 4:7)

 

I cannot get so busy that I forget that these small things in my life are detrimental without the Lord.  So I am asking you to pray.  Pray that I can train myself to be godly by investing time in the word and reflecting.   Pray that I go to God with not just the big things but with the SMALL things.  Pray that the Creator of the Universe, the Star Breather, and the Lord my God will guide me always.  

 

I feel like God wanted me here in Uganda so he could remind me how much I need him!