when i moved into amy's house, one of the first things i did as a way of celebrating [having my own bathroom] was taking a dry erase marker and writing the passage i'd been most impacted by at the time on my mirror. i wanted to be reminded of it's significance and i wanted to have it where i'd see it mulitple times a day as a way to get it embedded in my heart. it worked...for a while. my second passage that now adorns my mirror hasn't had much attention paid to it. i see it but because i'm now used to it being there i don't meditate on it when i walk in or out of the bathroom.


as i was sitting here reviewing the events of tonight and realizing the ways in which God's been speaking to this thick headed girl, it dawned on me that the verse that's still waiting for my attention perfectly fits all the encompasses my brain. if that made any sense.

For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and recieve from Him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases Him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. --1 john 3:20-23

i've been so caught up in worry about how i fall short that i've completely missed the point. heh, and it's a point i miss all too often. don't you love those lessons that are so amazing when it sinks in and yet...somehow... it goes right out the other ear and you've lost it again.

i enjoy how The Shack worded it:

"...the Truth will set you free and the Truth has a name; he's over in the woodshed right now covered in sawdust. everything is about HIM. and freedom is a process that happens inside a relationship with Him. Then all that stuff churnin' around inside will work it's way out."

i've been SO inwardly focused that i've forgotten to sink to my knees and surrender my life. it totally is a day to day process too. when Christ said "pick up your cross and follow me" he wasn't kidding. being a disciple is tough work. i can relate to the original disciples in those many moments they might as well of just went, "huh?!"

it almost feels like everyday i forget what i learned the day before. but i know the freedom of making mistakes. we're allowed. i mean i know that wasn't God's original intention but He gives us all the room to grow. so as a part of dying to oneself or "beating ourselves into submission" we should accept our short-comings and view them as building blocks. you don't want to keep stepping on the same step when you go up a flight of stairs so why revisit steps you've already climbed? looking back from time to time to remember where you've been definatly helps in the journey. but take the time to view the step you're on (in other words allow yourself to get enamored by the little things: a sun set, a lady bug, the crisp fall breeze, a cloudless sky, the smile of a loved one, etc.) as you're staying focused on where you're going.

AND this is also very important. embrace when you do trip and fall back some. it's all part of the journey. pick yourself back up, view your scraps, bruises, etc as reminders and encouragements and keep truckin'! personally i want to tople headfirst into heaved panting, "WHOA what a ride."


"mack, pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly." [God] waited a moment, allowing [His] words to settle. "and if left unresolved for very long you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place." [mack replied] "...well that's wonderful, but where exactly does that leave me?" [God's response:] "smack dab in the middle of my love."