Home Alone on New Year's

There is a difference between being home alone and alone with Jesus. I have lived much of my life feeling alone, even in the midst of people around me. I have felt the most alone, however, with nobody around. Even in my early years of learning to follow the Lord, I spent more time alone than I would have liked. I was caught up in religion rather than relationship, and I spent my time trying to "do right" rather than to spend time in the presence of the Lord. In the past two years, I have spent even more time alone - since my husband abandoned me two years ago and my life has been in constant transition and transformation. But this alone has been different. This has been an alone with the Lord. I have learned that the very best place to be is in the presence of Jesus, to sit at His feet, to enjoy His company, to share His love, to feel Him in and around me. So when I make the decision to spend New Year's Eve home alone because I do not want to share the streets with drunk drivers, I can celebrate the evening with the one who created it. Tonight, I will be alone with the Lord. I will readily admit I would love to be surrounded by loved ones, but I did not have that opportunity tonight. Instead, I received the greatest invitation of all. I will spend the night in the arms of my beloved. Jesus.

When Your Heart is Broken

When your heart is broken, you stand at the crossroads. I know. I have stood there before. Too many times to count. And I have looked both ways before I crossed over. I looked to the left. I looked to the right. The Bible says not to look to the left or the right. The Bible tells us to look to Jesus, who authors and completes our faith. Most of the time my heart has been broken, I held it crushed and bruised in my hands and stumbled at the crossroads. I turned in circles and made myself dizzy. I cried out to people but broke further inside when they could not put my heart back together again. Only this last time did I take the hand of the Lord and go His way. I went to Him. I brought my broken heart to Jesus and He used my brokenness as an opportunity to take the hardness off my heart. He still has a lot of work to do. I brought Him decades of heartache. But He is my redeemer. He is my healer. He is so very gentle with my heart. He leads me forward. He will lead you, too, if you let Him. Don't stand at the crossoroads. Cross over - into His everlasting embrace.

Standing Naked Before God

"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." - Gen. 2:25

How much time do you spend preparing your body for intimate time with your man? How much time and care do you spend readying yourself to spend eternity with your God? Adam and Eve did not even know they were naked before they fell in the Garden; they were naked and clean before the Lord. When they fell, they tried to hide themselves. God doesn't want us to hide our dirt. He wants us to surrender all to Him. We don't need to get cleaned up to go to God. We need to go to God to get clean. He will take us exactly as we are. There is no greater intimacy than to spend time with Him.

He is waiting with open arms. Come as you are.