To Be Like Christ....

This is a beautiful song that my little sister, Bethany Joy Waite, wrote while she was over in Cameroon, Africa. 
Enjoy!!!

I prayed to You Father to make me like Christ for I wanted to look like You

But right then I didn't know what I was asking for

For to be like Christ is to be broken

To be like Jesus is to be crushed

To be like God's Son is to be made a servant

To be like the Savior is to lay everything down

 ~

So, like a good carpenter You took my heart in Your hands

And started to cut, sand and carve the rough wood of my soul

Not sparing me pain so to make me beautiful

Your love looked deeper than my feelings

You cut and carved me deeply every small detail

You slowly cut away things that were so close to my heart

In all my pain I cried out to You

"Why do You cut me Lord?"

I don't understand what You are doing

I can't see why this is good

So why do You cause all of my pain?

Why do You bring such grief to my heart?

Help me to trust You God, Your hand that's hurting me

For I don't understand how this plan is perfect for me

 ~

My Master, the Potter who was my Father, yes my friend

Looked at me in loving eyes as He held me in His hands

"My dear child there's a cross before a crown

Before building up you must be torn down

I love you too much to stop doing what I know is best

Take courage for I make no mistakes

Trust Me for I know what I'm doing

Now remember the One you want to look like

For Christ was broken

Jesus was crushed

God's Son was made a servant

Your Savior laid everything down

To be like Christ is to carry a cross

To be like Jesus is to die to self

To be like God's Son is to go through the fire

To be like the Savior you will wear scars

To be made like Christ

These Rainy Days of the Soul

The rain falls outside. I hear the constant pattering against my windows, and I peer out at a world of grey dreariness. How can one day be so beautiful and sunny and then the next turn into something so gloomy? But as I sit here, I try and think deeper and wonder harder. Why? Why does God send these rainy days? I love the bright, flower days of Spring as the world blooms into a picture of true beauty and life. Bees buzz and butterflies dance as flowers share their fragrance. The sun shines and warms the earth as little tiny bugs busily go about doing bug things. Birds sing and fly together happily as dogs and cats roam about enjoying themselves. But on these rainy days, I do not hear the sweet sound of birds singing; I do not even hear the calls of the gulls down by the pier. All is silent and still except for the rain that pounds the earth. 

I suppose and think and wonder. Without these lifeless, dreary, rainy days I know that Spring would not come because the flowers need this life-giving moisture in order to bloom. They need this rain so that they can grow and find nurishment for their roots. All this rain is preparing the soil to produce life and soon I will see the results, but not right now. Indeed this is a lovely picture of our spiritual life as well. For even as time brings each new season so also we go through spiritual seasons of the soul. I love the Spring and Summers of my soul when I feel life and vitality flowing through me, and Christ seems so real and alive inside my heart. I don't understand why winter must come. I feel so dead and lifeless to spiritual things. The rainy-soul days are hard to bear, but they are actually the very days that God uses to bring about the sunny spring days of our soul. Without spiritual rain, we would have not spiritual flowers growing and sharing their sweet fragrance in our lives and others. We could not be a blessing to the world around us if we did not have these hard days of the soul. And that is quite a thought to think.  

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" (1 Corinthians 4:16-17)

Oh, let these words of truth just transform your thoughts! They speak life into my soul, especially on these rainy days. Sometimes I struggle wondering why I go through these times of spiritual deadness it seems. Have I wandered from the Lord? Have I done something wrong for me to feel so spiritually lifeless? Where is the fruit I long to see? Where are the wild roses of joy that I love to smell along the path when I walk down by the water? Where are the buttercups, daises, daffodils, and tulips of faith, hope, and love that I long to see blooming in my heart? Why must this rain persists and these clouds hang over my soul?

These days are hard to press through. But God whispers His love in my heart and tells me to press on; don't quit! The spring days are coming, but first these rainy days must come to prepare the soil of our hearts to produce life. God's love has not changed and you have not done something wrong. These rainy days are days of blessing indeed because they "produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!"

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

So I do not sit here watching the the dreariness outside or focusing my strength on listening to the raindrops pattering on my house. I do not sit outside, and let myself get soaked and miserable. No! I stay in the Shelter of God's love and hide myself in who He is for "The name of the Lord is a strong fortress, the godly run to Him and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). I content myself with who God is and what He has done for me, and I do not worry about the life I do not see blooming in my soul. I focus these soul-eyes on the Life Giver and find joy that in His good time, once the soil of my heart is prepared He will cause the flowers to bloom and I will see the sun shining and I will hear the birds singing. God works in seasons and the season of preparation is just as important to Him as the season of seeing the results of His preparation.

As I remain in my Shelter---the Shelter of God's love and compassion for me---I busy myself doing so many things. Just as I busy myself today cleaning, washing the dishes, finishing some crafts I started, reading, writing notes of encouragement; so my soul also busies itself with "indoor" pursuits. Clinging to a verse of Scripture, feeling the pain of hoping in the Lord (kind of like the pain of doing those awful flutter kicks when I am exercising), waiting and learning to add a little joy more and more each new day, going through and cleaning my heart before the Lord (and never try to do any heart cleaning without the help of the Holy Spirit because it is quite impossible if we try it without Him), forgiving others and putting aside all bitterness, confessing sin and putting on the joyous garments of thanksgiving, and dreaming and planning for those warm, spring-soul days that are right around the corner. What comforts me most on these rainy days is knowing that seasons come and go and Spring will certainly come just as God causes the sun to rise. Spring cannot stay away forever and in God's perfect time He will bring the spring that you long for and your soul will indeed blossom. But do not try and escape these rainy days of preparation because you need them. I need them. God has chosen them to bring about a beautiful work of life in our hearts. So let us embrace them as gifts from our Good Giver, and let us absolutely not fix our eyes on them and stay at the window staring. No, let us get dressed with the clothes of thanksgiving and be about the work of the Lord for their is plenty of "indoor"work for us to do. And the nice thing is that we can send lovely encouragement to others just from the inside our Shelter. And encouraging others is perhaps the most encouraging thing that we can ever do for oursleves.

So hold fast to these verses from 2 Corinthians and remember that Spring is coming! These little thoughts help me and I hope they help you too...these little pictures of God's amazing work. And remember that God truly is faithful to complete in us the good work which He has started (Philippians 1:6).

#5 Open-Hearted Love

The clouds are gathering outside as I sit by my bedroom window at work. The wind has picked up and the water out in the bay has turned to a dark-grey color as it churns back and forth. I know the sun is shining, but I cannot see it as before. The cool air keeps me inside where it is warm and where I can escape from the biting wind. This kind of weather is beautiful in its own sort of way, but I do not think that I would actually label it as beautiful in my mind. These kind of grey, windy days display power and fierce strength; they make me think of the storms that I go through in my heart. God is the maker of these days, and His power far exceeds them. God is also the one who gives these kind of days for His own reasons that I do not know. 

 

#4 Open-Handed Trust

Brisk, cool air meets me as I swiftly make my way out to the Station's front gate to lock up for the night. I stop. My gaze turns toward the heavens. Small teeny-tiny dots of light shine down amidst the veil of darkness that cloaks the world around me. These rulers of the night faithfully carry out their God given purpose without faltering. As I gaze up with wide open-eyed wonder, a new miracle begins to take place in my life. This grace inspired and enabling open-eyed wonder---which has blossomed in my soul with the joy of thanksgiving to the Lord---has also given me courage and power to live in open-handed trust. For how can I not trust the one who loves me and is the Giver of all good gifts---and all His gifts are good? In 1 John 4:18, John notes that perfect love drives out fear.

#3 Open-Eyed Wonder

 A new day dawning. Renewed life and strength bursting forth with purpose. The gift of each new breath to sustain for a time. Sights seen day after day, seen fresh and new with open eyes. The sound of gulls exuberant and filled with life, along with the far off toll of a buoy twirling in the wind and current. A mind racing to count and capture daily blessings so uncommonly common; so unique in their constancy day after day.

This is my new day! My gift of life from God! I meet this gift with open eyes and I am left amazed. Open-eyed wonder washes over me as the sun bathes me with its golden beams, as the wind's gusts send chills down my spine, and as the fresh scent of a new day fills my lungs. Sights and sounds met with open eyes and ears. And in openness thanksgiving is born! Thanksgiving explodes! Thanksgiving opens the eyes wider to see more wonder---to see the beauty of God.

#2 When Life is a Gift ~ And the Giver Is Good

The breeze is gently wisping around outside as the sun sinks low. I just enjoyed a few moments of peace as I watched the blue-rippling water and the lovely shades of color splash across the sky as the sun sets outside the Coast Guard Station. I recited the beautiful words of 1 John 3 that remain a timeless testimony to my heart of God's great love for me. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God....We know love by this that He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:1,16). I truly cannot measure God's love for it has no limits. So I set my heart on the lovely pursuit of knowing God's love; a joy that can only be met in openness. Open eyes will see a world touched by grace and sustained by a patient and kind Creator who is all-powerful and glorious in splendor and yet so generous in love to those who think such little thoughts of His existence. Open hands are ready to receive the gifts of love and grace that the Lord alone bestows. Open hands know that in love God gives and takes away because God's gifts are but for a time, and they are to be enjoyed in their time with thanksgiving. Open hearts quietly wait and eagerly look to the Father to meet all needs and to lavish true love without limits. Open hearts do not try and hide, they do not try and disguise who they are or what they've done, but instead they trust that God's word is true and that His love is real.

#1 God Will Make A Way...

 

As I sit here in my sun-bathed kitchen, I am quite content. My tummy is full from a nice breakfast of fried eggs and chocolate chip pancakes; and now here I sit contemplating so many scattered thoughts with my cup of coffee close at hand. Mornings are just lovely that dawn with the sun shining and sparkling, causing everything else to dance in its light. My little plants love to sit and soak in the sun beams because this isn't such a common joy up here in Eastport during the winter/spring months.

Oh, I have been trying to think recently just how to put into words all that the Lord is impressing and teaching my heart over the past few weeks and months. I suppose it is kind of like trying to catch bubbles with your hands or attempting to capture the scent of freshly washed laundry that is about to be thrown into the dryer or even trying to understand any mystery that befuddles us in this life. These lessons from the Lord are downright allusive! But I am set on capturing them the best I can because I do not want to lose them amidst life's constant flow and change.