Discouraged, yep--Forgotten, heck no!

"I will not forget you! Behold, I have engraved

you on the palms of my hands."

~Isaiah 49:15-16

I don't even know where to start except to say, the Enemy sure has been attacking me and mine lately. It may have something to do with Wednesday night service. It's all coming back to me now. haha. Wednesday we are studying the life of Ezekiel in 2 Kings. We were in chapter 7 and my pastor stopped and asked us if God was providing for the widow and her son even if He had never sent Ezekiel. That led to the discussion of God being good in the hard times even if Christian families are starving, etc. etc. etc. Everyone sounded so down and it made mad, I admit. Sure, this life will throw struggles and hard times our way, but does that make God less? NO! We make Him less. God is still God, even through the hard times. I told everyone this and I also said, what kind of love does that mean we have if life pulls the rug out from under us and we raise our fists to heaven and shout, "You are not good!" Doesn't the scripture say to "have joy in ALL things"? My pastor said that makes us human. I agreed with him, but I said, "Doesn't a God who loves us unconditionally deserve the same love back?" I know we're human, believe me, last time I checked I was too, but I'm tired of hearing that as a scapegoat.

Sure, we're human, we make mistakes. But the God that calls us to follow Him told us what we should expect by doing so. He warned us ahead of time. In the story in Luke where Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) and he drops everything and without questioning, follows Christ, that took some deep trust and faith on his part. In another story, Jesus has someone come up and willingly say, "I will follow you." Jesus then warns him and those around what life will be like to follow Him. It's heartache, it's pain, it's suffering, it's hard, it's tiring, but in the end, through it all if you depended upon His strength to get you through and not your own, it's Joy, it's Light, it's Peace, it's a Strength you never thought could ever be yours, but is there for the taking.

Walking with Christ is hard, but the key word is with Him.

So, why do I feel like the Enemy is striking pretty hard to me and mine? Well, because I shook my fist in his face and said, "I will NOT quit." In the end, everything that I have here on this earth is just on loan to me, that includes my friends and family. My prize...my ultimate goal is not heaven (though that's a bonus), but to see the face of my God and Savior; to hold Him at last in my arms and give Him one of the best hugs I've been saving up--just for Him. To finally tell Him, "I made it. Nothing and no one stood in my way." And to hear His beautiful voice say, "Well done Daughter. Well done."

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished

the race, I have kept the faith."

~2 Timothy 4:7

I encourage those of you who read this blog, to keep on trucking. I don't know what some of you are going through, it's been a very long time since I've talked with most of you about anything deep or personal, but I just want you to know--I'm praying for you brother or sister. We are in this fight to the finish together, and I don't want to leave a man or woman behind. My walk with God is so very important to me. I'm in love with Him. He's my all in all. Draw close to Him, get a hold of His ear--cause you already have His heart. He has not forgotten you, beloved. He see's your struggle and longs to help you. After all, He's on YOUR side. :)

I hold you in my heart,

Karye <.)))><

The One who Sees me

If you stumble across this post, my prayer is that you will be encouraged--that you don't just come to realize but to know you are not alone.

I've gone from a high mountain to where it I felt the Enemy couldn't touch me, to being pulled into a low, low, valley. I've always prided myself on the fact that I don't get in that valley very often, and if I do, I'm definitely not there long enough to make it home. My home has always been on that mountain, that glorious glorious mountain that I inhabit with my Father. But recently issues within my family have started to get to me. It seems as if everyone in my family is going through something different. My sister is going through a time of "finding herself"; my brother is...well...my brother who just wants to do whatever he wants; my dad is lost and drifting in the ocean of life; and my mom just seems to permanently reside in a dark cloud of silence and sadness. Lately the only time her face lights up is when my sister is home or (recently) my dad. When they're here, I feel as if I disappear. Don't get me wrong, I love that they're here (for the most part) and I get to spend time with them. What hurts is I don't bring that smile to my mom's face, I don't light up her face like they do. I've felt alone. I cried out to God and at times I felt even He has forsaken me.

Then, I went to the Women of Joy conference. One of my favorite authors, Liz Curtis Higgs spoke and what she had to say really stuck. What I didn't know then, that I do now, is how much I would need her words. She spoke on Sarah and Abraham, but her focus was on Hagar. In this story, it seems Hagar is used and then tossed aside--but not forgotten. God visited her in the desert beside a river and spoke with her. Hagar was so touched that SOMEONE saw her, that she named Him "You are the God who sees me". It is one thing to know that God knows you and loves you. It is an entirely different thing to be suddenly aware of God's presence and personal care for you. Sarah and Abraham just referred to her in scripture as "the servant girl" and never called her by name, but God did in the desert. He knew her name; He saw her.

God brought this back to me during the past couple of weeks. He reminded me that He sees me even when I feel no one else does. It's been such a Joy and Comfort to me to know, He has His eyes on me. I haven't faded so much that I've disappeared!

And as if that wasn't enough, He reminded me on Sunday through the sermon how much He values me. My pastor spoke on Matthew 13:45-46.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!"

I am this pearl that God found and couldn't be without. He gave up everything in order to have me. He gave His Son so I could be His.

And there's no where else I'd rather be then with Him, always.
I am a pearl. And I am HIS--and He is MINE.

So for those of you out there reading this post; this is for you.
You are valued. You are seen. You are loved. You are not forgotten. There is One who sees you, who treasures you, and who will never leave you. You are more precious to Him than you know, and my prayer is you allow Him to show you how much He adores you.

He loves you beloved.

Until next time, I hold ya'll in my heart <.)))><
Karye

Rainy Days and Mondays Don't Get Me Down

So, I know it's been a while, and by that I mean months and months and months, but hey, all the cool kids are doing so why not? (And by cool kids I mean my friends....and you...I see that hand). I can't blog for very long cause I've got lots to do on my Monday. But I did want to leave you with this verse that is my absolute favorite and the reason why rainy days and Monday's can't get me down.

"For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."
~Zephaniah 3:17 (New Living Translation)

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice. To worship you, O my soul, rejoice. Take joy my King. In what you hear. May it be a sweet sweet sound, in Your ear.

I hold you in my heart, <.)))><
Karye