Work In Progress

Some days, I feel like that tall glorious building in the background (the Williams Tower), standing tall, basking in the glow of the sun, and feeling like I can conquer the world.  

Other days, I feel like that small building in the front - the one that is under construction.  There's no pretty glass, no finished architecture, no beautiful sight to see, just a work in progress.

Today is one of those days - a work in progress day.   

It can be frustrating to know that I'm not complete, my dreams are not yet fully realized, and my accomplishments are not as great or as many as I would like for them to be.  

But there is hope!  Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  

That is the hope that I'm holding on to today.

As Surely As The Sun Will Rise

Good morning, friends!  I always enjoy starting off the week by writing a blog post.  It's a fun way to share my thoughts and ideas on life, especially the lessons that I've learned while walking on this spiritual journey with God.

One lesson God has been showing me lately is about His faithfulness.  Have you ever wondered about God's faithfulness?  I know I do.  There are times when I am certain, but there are more probably more times that I doubt.  But thank goodness that God does not waver in His faithfulness in the way that I waver in my believing.  God is faithfull all of the time.  Even when we don't think He is going to be, or when we don't think that we deserve it, He still is faithful.

Last month at work was incredibly challenging for me.  My workload increased significantly as our group took on a new project, and I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to meet all of the deadlines for my monthly reporting.  But God was quick to remind me - just as you have met all of your deadlines in the past, you will still be able to meet all of your deadlines.  God was faithful before, and He will be faithful again.  Amen!

After four weeks of long hours and lots of overtime (and lots of prayer), I met all of my deadlines, and was even able to get things finished before their deadline!  To me, it was a miracle, and a sure sign that God is faithful to His word.   

Hillsong sings a song called You'll Come, which is about this very subject of God's faithfulness.  I blasted this song on my CD player as I was driving home from work last week, and I was overcome with emotion everytime I sang these words:  As surely as the sun will rise, you'll come to us.  As certain as the dawn appears, you'll come.  (Inspired by Hosea 6:3).

It's comforting to know that if I ever find myself again wondering about how faithful God really is, then all I have to do is look at the sun and know that as surely as the sun will rise, then surely our God is faithful. 

The Revelation

I took this photo on my first morning in Blue Ridge, Georgia.  I woke up extra early that morning so that I could have time to read my Bible and spend some quiet time alone with God.  I felt like He wanted to speak something to me, and this seemed like the perfect place.  The perfect spot for God to show up.  The perfect moment for a revelation. 

But it didn't happen that day.

That day ended up being the only day that I would wake up early to read my Bible.  I was so tired every morning from staying up late that I chose to sleep in and get as much rest as I could.  I never did build in any other quiet time.   

The vacation week passed by me in a speeding blur, and I left Blue Ridge without a revelation.  I was a little disappointed - mostly in myself for not making an effort to have more alone time with God - but I realized that if He really wanted to tell me something or reveal something to me, then He would.

Well, let me just say, God is faithful.

On the drive back, it was nearly midnight when I turned onto the freeway that would lead us to our home, and that's when it hit me:  the revelation. 

I am where I am supposed to be.

Living in Houston.

In my home.

At my job.

At my church.

With my family.

With my friends.

Where I am is where I am supposed to be.

This was not the exact revelation that I was expecting, but I can see now that this was the exact revelation that I needed to receive.  Sometimes, when I look at the big picture of my life, I start to wonder if I'm doing what's best for my life.  Am I on the right path?  Am I doing what I'm meant to be doing?  Am I fulfilling my purpose?

These questions tend to overwhelm me at times, but in that moment, in the dark of night, I received my answer.  I am on the right path.  I am in the right place.  I am where I am supposed to be.

What To Do While You Wait

If someone ever told me that fulfilling my singing/songwriting dreams would take me 31 years to accomplish, I'd laugh out loud because that would seem so ridiculous.  But truth be told, that is my reality at the moment...

I'm 31 years old, and I'm still waiting for my music dreams to come to pass.  There are times when I can the realization of those dreams so clearly, like I can reach out and touch them.  But the moment that I reach out is the moment that I realize that it's still too far away.  So there I stand.  Waiting.  Hoping.  There's something within me that does not want to give up, even after all these years. 

So, what do you do while you're waiting, you ask?  Well, a lot of times I grumble and complain that things are not happening as fast as I would like them to.  Other times, I cry my eyes out and say that I never want to sing again.

Neither of those things are good to do while you're waiting for your dreams to come true.  In fact, I believe that these things may even cause you to take steps backwards, away from your dream.   

If you want to forge ahead and take positive steps toward your dreams while you're in the season of waiting, then here are three things that I've learned to do:

1. Increase your prayer time.
Prayer is simply communicating with God.  Often times, when things aren't going our way, we stop communicating with God because we think that maybe He is not listening to us or He doesn't hear us.  That couldn't be further from the truth.

Psalm 145:18 (The Message) says, "God's there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it."  When you communicate with God with a pure heart, He hears you, so keep talking to Him even while you're waiting.

2. Confess God's Word over your life.
A lot of times when we are on the path towards our dreams, we may feel discouraged and begin to think negative things about ourselves, and eventually begin to speak negative things about ourselves. 

Instead of saying those negative words, choose to say what God says about you.  Proverbs 18:21 says, "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose."  Find God's promises in the Bible, and let those be the words that come out of your mouth.  Remember, it's a choice; no one can do it for you.

3. Rejoice in the Lord.
While you are waiting, go ahead and thank God for the victory, for the fulfillment of your dreams.  There's a beautiful portrayal of this in Habakkuk 3:17-18 when he says, "Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God.  I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God." 

You see, Habakkuk could have easily complained about his situation, but instead he rejoiced in the Lord as he was waiting on victory.  Oh, this is my desire as well!  While I'm waiting, I want to sing, shout, dance and rejoice in the Lord, trusting that victory is on the way.

I have come to the conclusion in my life that even if I have to wait 31 more years before seeing my dream come to pass, then I will still wait with great expectation.  And while I'm waiting, I will continue to pray, confess God's word over my life and rejoice in Him, trusting that He is working out everything for my good.

So tell me, what do you do while you're waiting for your dreams to come true?

My Everything

"Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple."  Luke 14:33 (The Message)

Jesus Culture is one of my new favorite groups to listen to for worship music.  Their song, My Everything, describes exactly what this scripture is talking about.  If we want to be followers of Christ, then we must make Him our everything.

Desires of Your Heart

For years, I have been going to the Houston Rockets basketball games.  And for years, I've wanted to meet Clutch, the Rockets Bear.  Clutch is adorable, funny and always makes me want to smile.  I've only ever seen Clutch from far away, but it was always a desire of mine to meet him.  It wasn't anything that I ever put on my goal board or my bucket list, it was just a little something that I hoped to be able to do one day.  

Well, just last week, that desire came true.  We were at a Rockets game, and we happened to be at the right place at the right time (Thank you, God!) and we got to meet Clutch, get his autograph and take our picture with him.  I was more excited about it than anyone else in my family - even William!

That night, God reminded me that although I may have counted this desire as something small and not that important, He still knew it was a desire of my heart.  Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."  It is so awesome to know that God loves us and He longs to give us the desires of our heart when we first delight ourselves in Him.   

Have a great week!
Lori

My Blessing Has Come

Two weekends ago, we celebrated our son's 3rd birthday.  The entire week leading up to his party, I kept telling him that his birthday was coming.  When we sent out the party invites, I told him it was because his birthday was coming.  When we picked out the decorations, I told him it was because his birthday was coming.  When we baked cupcakes, I told him it was because his birthday was coming.

With every chance that I got, I wanted William to know that his birthday was coming. 

On the day of the party, William was so excited.  Even though I had been preparing him for this moment, I still wondered if he fully understood that we were all there to celebrate him and his birthday. 

Well, while William was eating his birthday cake, he turned around and quietly said to me, “My birthday has come!”  I responded back with a big smile, “Yes, buddy, that's right.  Your birthday has come.”

That was such a special moment because it helped me to see that William had recognized his blessing.

There are so many times when God blesses me with something awesome, but unlike William, I fail to see it as a blessing.  Like with this blog, for example.  God has given me the desire to create and maintain this blog.  He also gave me the courage to share two of my original songs on here.  Up until now though, I haven't recognized those things as blessings. 

Instead, I’ve been wondering about all of the other things that I still want to accomplish, such as what is my next song going to be, or will I ever have enough songs to make an album?  I've spent so much time focusing on all of the things that I have not accomplished that I've forgotten to celebrate the things that I have accomplished. 

Everything that God has allowed me to do with the blog, so far, has been an incredible blessing.  And, thanks to my three-year-old son, I am learning to say, "My blessing has come!"