Heart.

The Lord often puts words or short phrases at my attention.

Themes.

My God understands that so often my mind is simple and things presented to me repeatedly and often are hard to dismiss.

HEART.

Over the passed few weeks this word has come before me.


Valentines Day, The death of a dear friend’s father, Songs, Poems, Scripture


I tell you that from the shape of the candy I have eaten to the songs I have had stuck in my head- to the very core of my prayers- HEART has been present.

As I often do- I layed in bed at night tossing, turning and trying to figure out what the Lord had for me here.

Two weeks ago I decided to document how I felt my very heart could be described.
I wrote these words:

Full

Tired

Restless



My heart is full. Why?

Because Jesus is so near. He has been sweet to remind me of this so often in this current season.



My heart is tired. Why?

Change will make us weary. Life presents constant opportunity for anxiety and fear.


My heart is restless. Why?

I could not come up with an answer here…the sweetness of this unknown answer will come later.


I began to ask the Lord to teach me.

Show me, King Jesus, what you would like for me to saturate into my spirit.


I LOVE words. I love knowing what they mean. Where they came from.



Heart in medical terms has one definition (I think this can go without copying & pasting)

However- I was delighted to find these alternative definitions for heart-

-The center or innermost part

-Essential portion

-The most vital part of something



Our hearts are important. Central. Essential. Vital.



Sure- our human hearts are vital. They must work correctly so that we may continue to have breath and life.


But- oh- how much more important is our spiritual heart. Our very central and vital core of US.



To whom does your VITAL ESSENTIAL CORE belong?

I believe that many of us (guilty as charged) would say that our hands could raise here and proclaim with great confidence “JESUS CHRIST!”



I do love the Lord and desire His will for my life- no matter the cost.

I do trust that God is good and sovereign over all things- even when I just simply do not understand.

BUT (this is a huge but)

I still daily strive to please people- often forsaking striving to please Christ


I still allow my emotions to get caught up in the things of this world rather than finding satisfaction and delight in Jesus


I still am surprised when people let me down and leave me- even when my heart of hearts knows I can only rely of my God- who is near and the same yesterday today and forever.


Matthew 6:21 says clearly-
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”



If I am making the things of the world my treasure, forsaking Christ, then it would make sense for my heart to be weary and tired. Unsatisfied.

I adore music. I always have. I enjoy lyrics and have always had a fondness for songs that I connect with.

I have had a song- a phrase of a song, really- stuck in my head since January.


“Does anybody know how to hold my heart? How to hold my heart?

Because I don’t want to let go, let go, let go too soon.”

(S. Bareilles. Hold My Heart)



I identify with these words. Do you?

Who on this earth knows how to hold my heart?

People hurt us, have hurt us, will hurt us, etc.


On this earth- in our relationships- we must be so careful in who we allow ourselves to become close with and cling to-

Because truly, in an instant, they could be gone and our hearts could be battered and bruised.

Stay with me.


For a while I thought nothing of it- I have songs stuck in my head constantly.


Warning- This is ultra-corny.

I cannot help how sweet the Lord is in timing and in detail.


I was driving. I was singing. (Typical.)

“Does anybody know how to hold my heart because I do not want to let go to soon….”


Like a wave over me- in the loudest and strongest whisper-

My sweet Child- I will hold your heart with tender care. I will cradle you. I will protect you.

You may surrender fully because I fully love you. I am not going anywhere.

LET.GO.



Are you crying? I am crying. I was crying.



How could I be so blind?



This heart of mine is restless and tired because I am trying to take care of it on my own- in my own power.

Father- forgive me for not giving you my heart fully.



Y’all- I got to my apartment and had to lay myself down for the Lord was faithful to show up and I was overwhelmed.



You see- in this world our hearts are presented with much to bear but we cannot forget that we are not called to live this life on our own.

We are called to give up this life (our hearts) and ABANDON ourselves to the things of Jesus.



As many of our students and adults learned with us this weekend- to abandon our lives for a life that follows Christ is an “all or nothing” event.

We cannot abandon without empty hands and opened arms.



In the same way- we cannot have a heart devoted to the things of Christ unless it is a WHOLE heart.


Deuteronomy 10:12 says

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…”


I adore the way this next word of God is phrased...

Deuteronomy 30:6b says

“…love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live”


A heart that is fully committed to the things of Christ produces LIFE.



So- I ask you this day- What is keeping you from your HEART being full of the things of Christ?


I must tell you that some of the things on my list are so very dear to me.

Hard to give up.

Will be painful to distance myself from.


Yet- my sweet sweet friends- I am learning that pain in giving up things to Jesus is a sweet pain. A worthy misery.



I believe that we (many of us) have also learned together that this life is not about our comfort or happiness-

It is about our faithfulness to the gospel and the things of our Savior.



With tears in my eyes- because I know what this abandon may cost you- I challenge you to give your heart fully to Jesus.

He is worthy of our lives. Fully and completely abandoned to His will for His name sake.



I will leave you with this sweet poem that was shared in a devotion I read called “Streams in the Desert”



Dear restless heart, be still; don’t fret and worry so;
God has a thousand ways His love and help to show;
Just trust, and trust and trust, until His will you know.

Dear restless heart, be still, for peace is God’s own smile,
His love can every wrong and sorrow reconcile;
Just love, and love, and love, and calmly wait awhile.

Dear restless heart, be brave; don’t moan and sorrow so,
He hath a meaning kind in chilly winds that blow;
Just hope, and hope, and hope, until you braver grow.

Dear restless heart, repose upon His breast this hour,
His grace is strength and life, His love is bloom and flower;
Just rest, and rest, and rest, within His tender power.

Dear restless heart, be still! Don’t struggle to be free;
God’s life is in your life, from Him you may not flee;
Just pray, and pray, and pray, till you have faith to see.

by Edith Willis Linn



Trust. Love. Hope. Rest. Pray.

Our God is faithful.



Many Blessings.

Trinkets v. Treasures

God is good and sweet in His timing.

I have tried to sit down and write this particular post for the passed 4 nights and each time something stopped me.
Honestly- I was frustrated that it is Thursday and I had not had time to put into words something that I am confident the Lord specifically put on my heart.

It is Disciple Now season at the student building- a joyful. stressful and all-around busy time around our office.
Free time has been lacking…but I have so been desiring to write!

It was not until this morning while I was in Linn Park that I knew exactly why I had not had time to write-
The Lord had something else to show me. Another piece to the puzzle.
A visual to give picture to my heart.

On many Thursday mornings I have the joy of going to a park in downtown Birmingham and work with a ministry called Grace’s Kitchen.
If you spend more than 5 minutes around me on any given day you have probably heard me talk about this ministry- these people.
These members of my family.

Grace’s Kitchen is a ministry that serves a hot meal to people who are without food and shelter in the center of our city.
We pray together, read scripture together and do a little bit of singing.

Many of them have no homes at all.
Some sleep in abandoned houses on the north side of town.
Some sleep under the overpasses beside the BJCC.
Some shelter hop. Some have been blessed to have a home in the government housing.
Some use their VA check to sleep in a hotel just for one week when they can.
Some sleep under card board boxes behind the Regions building.

They are all, in some form or fashion, in desperate need.
Lacking much.

Why does this make connect to what the Lord put on my heart?

Let me get there- Prayerfully this will all come full circle!

Two weeks ago as I was driving into work the Lord put a phrase in my head-

“Earthly Trinkets versus Eternal Treasures”

Okay, Lord?

I am not trying to buy a new car. I do not buy ALL that I want at GAP.
I do not get a brownie every time I go to Zoes.
And I give to people who are in need.

This is just a money issue.

I have this down pat. I do not need to learn a lesson about trinkets versus treasures.


As the Lord often does to my stubborn heart-
I was made totally uncomfortable until I started to pray about this.

It was continually brought before me.

My best friend tweeted about treasures and earthly pleasures.
Every song I heard was about “nothing comparing to the greatness of knowing Christ”
My sweet Nana died leaving items (trinkets) behind that she did not take along with her to Glory.

My attention was forced.
Here I am, Lord.
What do I need to learn here?

I wrote the phrase on a post it at home and the office and started to wait…

BOOM.

In the middle of the night. (Why, Lord, always a night?)
The list of Trinkets flooded my mind.
Consumed my very spirit.

No-
I do not own jewels or numerous homes-
But I thought to myself that these trinkets that the Lord placed before my heart to consider may not be ITEMS but IDEALS.

What in this world do I place in my life as more important than the things of Jesus?

What things of Christ do I forfeit so that I may achieve greatness on this earth?

What goals do I set for myself that edge me away from walking in the very will of Christ?


What TRINKETS are distracting me from the TREASURES of King Jesus?

I could not help but think of Babylon and how distracted the people of Daniel’s time were with the world in which they lived.
It was a city of great beauty- the people desired to be “without blemish, skillful, wise, worthy of standing in the King’s place” (Daniel 1:4-5)

You see- Satan wants me to trade in the treasures of Christ for the trinkets of this world.

Chasing trinkets (worldly knowledge and earthly pleasures) will only keep me from enjoying and growing in the treasures of Christ.
This is exactly the goal of the enemy.

God is faithful to provide for us encouragement and truth in His word so that we might arm ourselves up against the enemy.

I love when Paul speaks about putting on a “new self” in Colossians.

Chapter 3 verse 1 of Colossians says:

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory”


Incredible.
My “self” of sin has died and been made new in Christ Jesus.

Christ is my life. My life is hidden with Christ in God.

The former treasures of a sinful self become trinkets when compared to God’s glory and knowing Him as Savior.

So why then do I choose to chase after and lift high the trinkets of the earth over the treasures of Christ?

I know why- because seeking earthly trinkets bring about worldy glory.
Glory in this world is enticing.
To be recognized as great and worthy- to be delighted in.
It is a tempting and dangerous opportunity.

I am so guilty of finding the trinkets of this world so very tempting.
Success is something that is beautiful here. To be accomplished is exhilarating and affirming.

How does this relate to my morning in Linn Park?

I will tell you 

I stood today surrounded by the homeless and tired.

They carried all of their belongings on there backs.
EVERYTHING that they owned on their person.

Standing in the midst of the park I was blown away with the lack of physical trinkets that they had.

As I mentioned above- most of them have no place to call home or belonging to claim-
However so many of them treasure Christ as their all-in-all.

To see people with so little content because of the treasures that are stored up in Christ is astounding.


A sweet brother, that I will call Ray, has a backpack that he protects and always has at his side.
It is blue, torn and tattered.

I asked Ray if he would share with me what was inside the pack-
A flashlight. Bible. Scripture cards from Graces Kitchen. Pair of Gloves. 3 packs of PB crackers.

“All that I need” He said. All that he needs.

What few trinkets.

As I sit here typing surrounded by an office full of crap-
I must admit that I am a lover of trinkets and sick to be so.

Ray’s treasure is in Christ.
Few trinkets is not defeat.

Why in the world, brothers and sisters, would I choose the pleasures of this world over the true joy and gladness in knowing and living a life for Christ?

I am in tears thinking of what this must make us look like to a God who offers us all- and we settle for less.

King Jesus- forgive my selfish heart. I have far too much affection for the things of the world- the physical trinkets and the trinkets that are not seen but are dreamed up and longed for. I realize that all of these things are rubbish compared to You. Help me to sift through my life and recognize the invaluable. Give me the boldness to let go of the empty things realizing that they will be replaced with things that bring honor to your name and have value everlasting. You are good. Thank you for making me uncomfortable in my comfort. Amen.


What trinkets are you treasuring above Christ?


“And the things of earth will grow strangely dim- in the light of His glory and grace…”