Being Carried...

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Oh my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed...
Psalm 25:1-2

Lead me in Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths,
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all day.
Psalm 25:4-5

Oh, His word pours over me like a healing balm this morning. What sweet relief to surrender...to be carried in His loving arms. What blessed assurance awaits us in His embrace. What sufficient grace for every moment...every step of trusting in Him. What peace that surpasses all human understanding.

I do not have words to convey what your prayers have meant to me. Thank you for your willingness to pray for me...for my family. Last night, I was carried by your prayers. The need to focus on my family and my duties as a mother, is great. And, I confess, I was not feeling very focused on last night's speaking engagement. I prayed with Becki before we walked into the beautiful home where our meeting took place..."Lord, if this is going to be anything valuable or fruitful or even make sense...it is going to have to be all You. Pour out your grace, speak through me with Your Holy Spirit." On my own, I had nothing to give last night...never have I felt more like "nothing" in my life than before I walked in to share with these beautiful ladies. Physically, I felt weak and exhausted...congested, nauseous, head-achy.

I'm sure they would be shocked to hear that because anyone there would never have known that's how I felt. When I walked into the house and opened my mouth to speak...I was lifted up and carried. With every word, my physical countenance grew stronger, my spirit was encouraged. The Holy Spirit ministered not only to the ladies present, but to my weary soul...my heavy heart. Joy and peace flowed through me. I even ate with vigor the lovely treats the lady of the house shared when I was finished with my presentation. I wish I had the presence of mind to take pictures of her adorable pistachio ice cream cake with hand-made chocolate shamrocks...or her lovely table-setting...or the matching green punch I savored. I felt strengthened and loved in the presence of these amazing, faithful women who love Jesus. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing to behold...and a humbling gift to be part of. If any of them are reading this today...they will never know how much they blessed me last night. These ladies are an excellent example of the body of Christ in action. They are the hands and feet of Jesus. And it was a great honor and blessing to meet them.

When I got into the car to leave, I was immediately congested, filled with nausea, and my headache returned. I knew the entire evening was a God-thing. I had been carried. For that time, I was allowed to float above the circumstances on a cloud of peace. As my own weakness flooded me, I knew that I had walked through the evening in His strength. He equipped me for the task at hand. He poured out the measure of grace I needed to accomplish it. And, even more...He gets all the glory.

Thank you...thank you for your prayers and your words of encouragement. Please continue to pray. We will be prayerfully focused on the needs of our family right now...so please understand if I am sporadic with my posts or less diligent in my commenting. I cherish the relationships I have found through this blog. And I have come to love and appreciate so many of you. As you pray for us, I do want to share that we are not facing anything life-threatening. There are just some changes and adaptations that we will have to work through as a family and as parents right now. It's part of parenting...part of life. We are praying for the Lord's wisdom, peace, and grace. The good news is that, as always, we are being carried by our loving Father...who is more than able.