The Goose Pond

“A distracted existence leads us to no goal.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

My husband and I went to a tracking class with our puppy, General, a few days ago. We'd never been to one before so we didn't know exactly what to expect. The class teacher, Bev Stewert, emailed us and instructed us to bring some items to be used in class including a 6-foot lead (leash), some smelly treats for the puppy, and some water. We gathered these things and headed out to Nolansville where the class was being held. When we got there, we were greeted by a small group of people; some who had been there before and some who, like us, were brand new. I have to say I was pretty excited to be getting General out and about for some exercise. I was also excited at the prospect of him being able to "track" my lost keys or cell phone in the future! 

When all of the meet and greets were over, class began. I watched a few of the more advanced dogs for a while before it was our turn to let Liz, another instructor, teach General this new "game." Liz started out by placing a large stake in the ground with a flag on it. She bent down and placed a scarf with her scent on it on the ground near the stake. Then, she took my bag of smelly dog treats and placed some in a small glove she had brought with her. She put the glove in her pocket and then took some additional treats and crumbled them up and rubbed them on the bottoms of her shoes. She took very calculated and precise steps forward, about 20 yards, and placed the glove on the ground. When she did this, she made sure that General saw her do it by making a high-pitched noise to get his attention. Then, she continued to walk a bit and placed another flag indicating the end. She then did an about face and walked back the same way she had come saying to General, "I lost my glove! Can you go find it?" We were up!

I lead General up to the stake on a loose leash. I bent down as she had done and made sure he got a good whiff of the scarf (article). Then I stood and we were off. It seemed as if he already knew what to do. I said "go find it!" in a happy voice and he did. He put his little nose to the ground and began sniffing the straight line she had created with her shoes. This led him all the way to the glove where I rewarded him with the treats that Liz had placed inside. It was so much fun seeing the focus he had while looking for that glove. The funny thing is, he didn't really know what he was looking for until he got there but he was determined to play this game anyway. The dog that went after us, Fritz, had a bit more of a challenge. He didn't seem to be interested in the game like General had been. He would begin right and then become sidetracked by all of the other wonderful smells, sights, and sounds around him. One thing in particular was a large white goose that was swimming on the pond next to the field where we were tracking. He couldn't stop looking at that goose! It was almost as if the goose were intentionally making noise and flapping his wings so as to be as much of a distraction as he could! Fritz just couldn't resist looking and barking at him and never really finished tracking the item he had set out to. 

How much like Fritz can we, as Christians, be? Personally, I'd have to be upfront and admit that I am more often like Fritz then I am like General. It seems to me that I set out with good intentions and a desire to follow God and the path He has for me, and then I become distracted by life and the many situations it brings before me. I allow Satan to dangle other "smelly treats" in front of my face and I wander off the well-beaten path that I know is safe.  Sidetracks for me include my husband, my puppy, my friends, fun activities, and a variety of other things that I let get in the way of my relationship with Christ. Other things people in general struggle with are the opposite sex and the choices made in those relationships, family issues, friends and the choices they make, and things like drugs and alcohol. All of these things can cause us to become sidetracked and to lose focus on whats really important:Christ.


Now, again, these things aren't bad but they can be distractions in our lives if we let them. Even if the things we are doing we are doing for God, it can get to the point where it's not really God-focused. I heard a quote once that said, "Don't get so caught up in the work of God that you forget the God of the work." I think that's so true! I think I get so focused on the work I'm doing, or the relationship I'm perfecting, or the activity I'm participating in that I forget who I'm doing it for. Colossians 3:23 says, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." Everything we do should be as unto the Lord. He is the giver of life and thus our lives should be lived for Him. 


We need to make sure that as we wander down the many roads in our lives, that we stick to the path that God has marked for us. We need to make sure we are being purposeful in all we do and run towards the mark, the goal, that pleases God (Phil 3:14). If we do find ourselves distracted, however, and off the beaten path towards temptation, we simply need to refocus and ask for forgiveness if necessary. We can accomplish this goal everyday with continuous prayer and with daily time spent in His word. I heard a story about runners in a marathon; how they had to have extreme pinpoint focus or they could lose just by becoming distracted. They have to keep their eyes on the finish line. If they look behind them at the other racers, they could stumble, lose time, or run off the path and thus lose the race. We are like those runners. We have to have severe focus or we could stumble and fall and lose the race. God will always be there to pick us up if we do, but, if we kept our eyes ahead, how much less would He have to do so? So...let's keep going! Let's keep pressing on!

Picture: By Melissa Lee, Kentucky 2008

Unchecked Baggage

“The things you want are always possible; it is just that the way to get them is not always apparent. The only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life is you, and that can be a considerable obstacle because you carry the baggage of insecurities and past experience.” 

- Les Brown

Many times I'll ready myself to sit and write, already knowing exactly what it is I'll be discussing, just to find that God has other plans. Last minute, God will say to me, "no, that is not what I want you to write about. Someone out there needs to hear this instead. Write about it." Sometimes His word to me isn't so clear. It is often more like a gentle tugging in my chest that lets me know I'm about to change my mind because I've been touched and lead in another direction with no choice but to follow and see where it leads. I find that when I listen to these callings and feelings that the results are far more positive than if I had chosen to ignore them. Today I felt such a desire to write about becoming sidetracked...and then... I was sidetracked. I was sidetracked by God telling me what it was he really wanted me to write about: unchecked baggage.


Check this out and then continue reading: http://skitguys.com/videos/item/baggage-skit/

We all have baggage that we carry around with us every where we go like luggage we haven't checked onto the plane and, sadly, we just seem to keep adding more and more to the already heavy and unbearable load. What is this baggage that we carry? Unfortunately, It can be anything. Grudges, hate, bitterness, envy, and sadness are all examples of the burdens we carry. I personally struggle with quite a few of those for a variety of reasons. I hold anger in my heart for people in my past who have wronged me and hurt me and my loved ones. I carry bitterness over situations that didn't go my way. I have sadness over plans that didn't quite work out. I hold envy for those who I consider to be the "haves" while I (albeit unrealistically) consider myself a "have not."  I struggle with carrying these unchecked bags every single day and it is wearing me down. 

One of the most personal examples I can share about the baggage I hold is the baggage of anger, resentment and bitterness. I have a figure in my past who tried to come between me and my then fiancée, Robert. I had just finished college and Robert was still there. I was working in Huntsville and he was in Chattanooga. This person, whom I will not name, tried everything she could to wreck our engagement. I don't know what her motives were, other than her claims to love Robert more than I could, and it doesn't really matter. I was so scarred and insecure, being separated from Robert, that I didn't handle things well at all. I said and did things that, to this day, I regret. However, despite the regret (which I also carry with me) I have extreme bitterness and resentment for her. I resent her trying to ruin our relationship. I am bitter that I have to have these unwanted memories of those events. I am angry that it even happened in the first place. These unchecked bags are extremely heavy in my heart. There are others, for sure, that I also struggle with daily. 

So...why don't I check them and get on with my life? There's an old hymn called, "Leave It There." In case you've never heard it, here are the lyrics to the chorus: 

"Leave it there, leave it there, take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there."

How easy is that? To take our burdens and baggage to the Lord and just leave it there? He wants us to; He says so in Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." How much relief and comfort would I receive if I could just give up my anger, bitterness, and resentment to God? I guess the question here is not how to find relief from these burdens because we know how. The question is, if it's as easy as simply giving them to God...why don't we? What holds us back? I think that also has many answers. For me personally, I sometimes believe that if I don't judge them and "punish" them, then no one will. I feel that everyone needs to know what that person did and that they need to receive some sort of public humiliation in order for me to feel better. It's funny how that never works out. Here it is almost three years since that girl tried to ruin my relationship with Robert and I'm still thinking about it. She probably has no idea I even still care. She probably has no idea that I'm even still bitter and angry. The truth of the matter is that I'm probably the only one still suffering and it's self inflicted!!!


In Romans 12:19 God says this, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." It's so hard for us to remember that God knows everything. He sees everything and nothing happens that He didn't already know was going to happen. Why can't we just give it to Him and let Him avenge us? He is the creator of the world...I think He can handle the feelings stored in my heart that are unhealthy to say the least. I just need to let it go. I just need to leave it at the altar. I just need to realize that the picture is so much bigger than my understanding and that, thankfully, I have a God who is also bigger than my understanding who can take care of it all...and who wants to take care of it all. If nothing else, knowing that God, our loving Abba Father, wants to check those heavy bags for us and be the pilot in our lives should be comforting. I hope you'll join me in striving to just sit back and enjoy the flight. We are free to roam about as carefree as we choose...let's do it. Let's give these heavy "suitcases" to God and simply forgive and forget the things we carry.

Picture: By Kevin Slater, Germany Airport 2006

Here's to letting Him fly the plane...

All We Like Sheep...

"You're never too far down. I promise you'll be found. I'll reach into the mud, the miry clay, pursue you to the end. Like a faithful friend, nothing in this world will keep me away..." - Audio Adrenaline 

A couple of summers ago, some of my family (my mother, step-father, and 5 brothers and sisters) lived in Crete, Greece. While they were stationed there, I was a college student at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. Fortunately, because I was a student, the government paid for me to travel to visit my family there in Crete. When I found this out I was beyond excited! You know me, I love to travel! I packed my bags as soon as the semester was over and headed out on the next flight. Greece was an amazing and beautiful place! The sand on the beaches ranged in color from black to white to pink and the water was always bathwater warm and crystal clear. I couldn't believe I'd been granted a free visit! What wasn't to like? My whole trip was an experience that I'll never forget and one day, when I write a book, I intend to write about it and the lesson I learned while there. 

For now, however, I'll simply share it with you here on my blog. Many of us have heard the age old comparison of Christians to sheep. We see in Isaiah 53 where it says, "All we like sheep have gone astray..." and in John 10, Jesus talks about how He is the good shepherd and lays down His life for the flock (as He did for us on Calvary). While I was in Greece I saw this picture, the meaning of this idea that He is the shepherd and we are the flock, come to life as I had never seen before. I never knew the depth of the love the shepherd has for his flock until I experienced it first hand. I was blown away.

It happened like this: my family and I were driving down the one lane, dirt paths that are considered roads near my mom's house. As we were driving, she or one of my siblings would point out things here and there like olive tree groves, little personal house churches, and caves. Everything I saw had this old world feel to it; as if I were in a time long past and long forgotten. After a little while on the road, I noticed how slowly and carefully we were driving. My step-father is not known for driving slowly in deer-infested Leesburg, Georgia, so I was unsure as to why he was doing it here where there were clearly no deer. So, of course, I joked on him about it. My mother was quick to explain his reasons. She told me this, "there are only two things that the Greeks around here care about and that is their olive groves and their sheep. And, since I don't expect any olive trees to jump out at us, we are watching for the sheep." Now, this I could understand, not wanting to hit sheep. But seriously? Five miles an hour in an obviously deserted part of the island? Again, my mother had an answer for this: "they are everywhere! They blend in! There are little caves off the sides of the road and they sometimes wander in and hop out unexpectedly. You just never know."

Ok...got it. Watch out for suicidal sheep. I stored this obviously important information in the back of my mind for safe keeping. Over the next several days, I came to see that my mother was right. There were sheep every where in Crete! In fact, my mother lived next to a pasture where a shepherd and his flock would walk daily. It was an interesting experience to actually see a man with a stick herding a large group of sheep. I'd never seen it before; not like that. He had little lambs that would jump to a fro (yes, fro) near their mothers. It really was darling to see. My mom came outside that night and we got to talking about Greece and all the things she had experienced since living there; things about the culture and the people and their ways of doing things. Eventually, the conversation steered back towards the topic of sheep and she told me just how important they were.

On the Greek island of Crete, there are two main ways of making a living: 1) planting and cultivating olive groves to produce olives for things like olive oil and 2) raising sheep. It seemed to me that that was obvious since there were a billion of each everywhere you looked. My mother told me that these two things were so important to the Greek farmers that, in the event of a fire, the first things they would try to save were these groves and these animals (after family of course). Houses could be rebuilt, things could be repurchased, but the sheep and the olives were their livelihood and they were first priority! That idea in and of itself was foreign to me; protecting what is essentially a job, before the house and things. That is not the case here in Greece. These animals and groves are not just a source of income but they are almost life itself; it is the way that they survive. For them, there is no getting another "job" because there really isn't anything else. Once I understood this, I was able to semi-understand the second explanation my mother gave me about why they try really hard not to hit sheep when out driving in town.

When my mother first told me this second reason, I wasn't sure how much to believe because it just seemed so impossible! She told me, in a very serious tone, that if you hit a sheep and there are witnesses, you could be in for some serious financial hardships in the future. I thought this meant you'd simply have to pay for the sheep you hit or something in that ball park. Oh no...it goes so much deeper than that! If you hit the sheep, you not only have to pay for it, you also have to pay that shepherds' best estimation on how much money he would have made off of its' meat and wool over the course of its' life. Secondly, you would have to pay the shepherds' best estimation on how many offspring that one you hit would have produced and then, again, how much he would have made off of their meat and wool in their lifetime. Can you imagine having to pay that much money for hitting a single sheep? Here in America, you'd have to prove I hit it in court before we would even pretend to determine a price tag. If you could prove I hit your sheep, you'd never be able to get more than the cost of that sheep out of me.  I was mind-boggled as I had never been in my life!

As crazy as I thought all of this sounded, I was also able to see a deeper truth in it. I learned the dire importance of the flock to the shepherd. I learned that his love for them was a thing rarely seen in this day and age. As I looked out at the shepherd and his flock walking past my mothers house, I was able to see them as I hadn't before; with comprehension. I was able to comprehend just a little bit more about the love our shepherd, Jesus Christ, has for us, His sheep. The best example of His love towards us was his death on the cross. He willingly gave Himself to die for the sins of the world.  John 10:11-15 says this:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."

 There is no greater love than that. And to take it furthur, Jesus not only mentions the sheep that are currently His (Christians), but He also expresses His desire to bring the other sheep (the unsaved), into the fold. John 10:16 says this: "and other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." He expresses His desire to love us all and to call all of us His own. He talks in Luke 15 of how, if one of us were to wander away and get lost (and we do), He would leave the flock to come and rescue us.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Picture: By Melissa Edmondson, Greece 2007

To me, this was a very powerful illustration. The love Jesus has for us is amazing and unparalleled and I got to see an earthly example of that first hand.  I love it when God uses earthly things to show me heavenly truths. It resonates like nothing else and I can only pray that I am open and available every time He wants to show me. I hope that you, too, will open yourselves to Him and be prepared for what He might have to say. If you're not saved, I pray you'll turn to Him. He is ready and waiting to take you in to the fold. Who can resist that type of love? Who would want to?

Which One Trusted God?

"There were two farmers who were experiencing a drought. Both farmers prayed for rain. The first farmer, after praying every morning, went out and tended to his fields. When the second farmer saw this, he said to the first: 'We haven’t had rain for months. What are you doing?' The first farmer said: 'I’m preparing for rain.'" 

It's January 9th, 2011 and everyone is hustling to get what they need from the grocery store. Why? Because there is a winter storm advisory in effect for many southern states including Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. I've learned over my years living in those three states as well as in Virginia, that even an inch of snow is cause to cancel school and shut down businesses. My mother, being from the northeast, usually just smirks at the "panic" that usually ensues with these winter weather advisories and continues going about her daily life as planned. The rest of the south, however, heads out to Publix or Kroger with a sense of urgency. Bread and milk seem to be on the top of everyone's shopping list; for reasons I do not nor ever will understand. After all, if I were to be unable to leave my house due to the one inch of snow, I would not want items which would soon spoil. I, to quote my good friend, Janae Burnside, would choose canned goods and bottled water. Alas, this story is not about me it is about you: the ones scurrying about like summer ants preparing their winter food supply.

My question to you all is this: if we prepare so eagerly, urgently, and sometimes a bit intensely, for a little bit of snow why do we not prepare as passionately for the coming of Christ?  In His word He reminds us over and over to do so. Why do we not? What gets in our way? I think that that answer can be found every where; including the radio. Have you ever heard the song, "Live Like You Were Dying?" I know most of you have. The message in that song is basically to never take life for granted. Life is short and we should never waste a moment we might not get back. It is an amazing message and it's something we should all strive for: to live like we're dying. The problem here is that most people forget that its true..we are dying. It's an inevitable part of our life. We should absolutely live like we're dying and that means preparing for that day.

When we get up in years, many of us will start preparing our last will and testament. Some of us will decide what funeral arrangements we want made. We may even go so far as to arrange a plot and headstone so that our loved ones left behind will not be faced with such decisions themselves. These things indicate that we are well aware of what is coming eventually and that we want to take care of all things related to the time of our physical death. But have we prepared our souls for that physical death? For the time when Christ comes for us? Are we ready spiritually? Mark 13:33 says for us to watch and pray because we do not know when the time is (for His return). And it's true; neither we nor even the angels know the day or hour of His coming (Matt 34:36). So...shouldn't we prepare? As if it might happen tomorrow? It seems the logical thing to do and yet many of us act as if we have eternity to worry about the condition of our hearts and lives. We do not because we don't know the time we have left. We could be called up before I finish my blog post. James 4:14 says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." 

Not only should we prepare because time is short or because we do not know the precise day or hour of Christs' coming, but we should prepare because He specifically tells us the difference between the servants who are and the servants who are not doing the work of the master while he is away. Matthew 24:44-51 tells it this way: 

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

What will you be found doing when the Master, Jesus Christ our Lord, returns? Will you be doing the work of the kingdom? Will you be working the fields and preparing it for the coming rain? Or will you be the second farmer who decided to wait for the rain before preparing his fields? I hope you choose to be the first farmer. I hope you will be the diligent servant who is rewarded when the master returns. That is my aim and my desire. This message was mostly for those of us already saved by grace. If you have not committed your life to Christ and asked for His salvation, my prayer for you is found in Isaiah, "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near." 


Today, let us prepare for rain...and snow if we must.

Picture: By Melissa Lee; Marks' Melon Patch 2009

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Hello World

"Sometimes I feel as cold as steel, and broken like I'm never gonna heal. Then I see a light, a little grace, a little faith unfurl... the empty disappears. I remember why I'm here; To surrender and believe..." - Lady Antebellum

Every time I hear this song by Lady A, I think of my life and the brevity of it. I think of all of the things I have yet to do and of all the time I've wasted not doing them. For example, I have a strong desire to roam and it consumes me! I love to travel with an ungodly passion. I love the adventure and the excitement of seeing things, people, and cultures from all over the world. In my mind I cannot discover history here at home; it is elsewhere, anywhere, but where I am and I need to go! As much as I desire to travel more in the future, however, I cannot deny that I have been blessed with the travel I've done thus far at my young age. I have been to 7 countries overseas and I have been to 23 of our 50 states. I have seen things some people only dream about including the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the London Eye, and even the fifth largest mosque in the world (the Hassan II Mosque). I have visited cultures so different and new that they both awed and terrified me at the same time. I am truly blessed.

Picture: By Melissa Lee, Morocco 2003

And yet...



Despite the song pulling at my heart strings and reminding me, "hey, life is short...use the time wisely!", I continue to want more and more. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting more and having the desire for excitement and adventure. God has provided us a beautiful world and we should accept and enjoy the view. So, this desire is not my issue. My issue is that these desires are usually selfish. Why? Because 99.9% of the time they are our desires! We hardly ever stop to remember that maybe, just maybe, God has desires for us; that He has plans for us. He absolutely does! Jeremiah 29:11 says He knows the plans he has for us, ones to prosper and not to harm, plans to give hope and a future. So why is it that, when I think of life and how it passes by so quickly, I only consider my own desires and not those of God? He lives in my heart and rules my life but do I give Him every thing? Do I surrender the desires of my life to Him? Do I sit patiently and wait for my Abba Father to bless and prosper me or do I take it into my own hands? 


I'd have to say that I usually take things into my own hands. I do this to my own detriment most of the time. For example, I pre-pay for a trip and then my car breaks down or I buy new clothes and a bill I had forgotten is due. I understand that these are worst case scenarios but it happens nonetheless does it not? And again, I am not saying that pre-paying for a trip or buying new clothes are bad things. The point is simply to make sure that God is in it all. Personally, I find it easier to ask and pray to God about the disasters that have already happened and much more difficult to ask Him about the things that are yet to come. When we are broken and on our knees, of course we have the tendency to look up at God and ask, "why?" rather than intentionally going to our knees and asking, "May I?" or "should I?" Why can we not ask the One who already knows our future to tell us which path we should take and which joys and adventures are just right for us and which ones may lead to some unforeseen devastation?


I cannot answer those questions for you but I can tell you what I often tell myself. I am selfish. I am sometimes faithless. I fear that God will say "no" and I am not willing to hear it. I am a pauper wanting to live as a queen; outside my means. I tell myself these things when I begin to feel guilty. However, though these statements are sometimes true, albeit a little harsh, they are all nothing more than excuses. Excuses that I tell myself and God when I am apologizing later. Oh, but to be able to foresee the pain and frustration that can come from this lack of focus and meditation on God's plan! But we cannot unless we seek Him and seek Him daily! We need to humble ourselves before Him and plead that He would be as He promises in Psalm 119:105: a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Until we do this, diligently devour His word, we cannot hope to find the way He planned and the joys of a real and true contentment of life.


I hope you will continue on with me in my attempt to do just that: diligently devour His word. As I leave you, this is my prayer and it comes from Psalm 90: 12: "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." Here's to growing in wisdom!

Where Do I Start?

"...The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." - Mark Twain

It is with encouragement from the ever wise Mr. Clemens that I will begin this new adventure in my life known as a blog. Blogs are incredibly popular these days and I have to admit that I am excited about getting started. I feel as if it can go one of two ways: 1) absolutely no one will read it and I will be venting into cyberspace on my own or 2) some will read it and maybe get a little bit of insight on what to do or, more probably, not to do in their own lives. I pray it will be the latter but, quite honestly, I vent to myself either way. You are welcome to tag along.

I must start out by being honest and admitting that I am probably not the greatest role model when it comes to how one should or should not live the Christian life. However, I firmly believe that I am one of many examples on how people usually do live the Christian life. This is a sad but true fact of life; one I am attempting to remedy in my own being. I find it difficult to go day to day without stumbling in some fashion and thus discover myself giving up quite often. I go through times of self-doubt, brief depression, and even times of raw guilt at not seemingly being competent enough to accomplish the tasks and way of life I know God has laid out for me. I struggle with the sense that maybe I am just not feeling enough, I'm not emotional enough. I see some people around me raising hands in worship, others with tears rolling down their faces (whether for joy or sadness I know not), and still others falling to the altar on bended knee before the invitation is even given. What am I missing here? Is my heart so like a stone that it simply isn't possible for the message they must have heard to penetrate? I often feel that this is the case; that I'm too cold-hearted to be melted by such spiritual thanksgiving and meditation. 

I am embarrassed to acknowledge this darkness I sometimes feel. I know in the end, however, that it might be this candor that assists someone else when they too seem to fall into despair. For the lessons I have learned through these trying times in my life have been for my benefit...and now for yours. Take comfort in knowing that no one is alone in these trials. Others are suffering right along side you. Also, never make the mistake of believing that one persons' trial is more or less significant than anyone else's. God gives me only what I can handle and that may or may not be a difficulty for you. One thing we can take comfort in is that God promised He'd never forsake us...ever (Hebrews 13:5b). With that in mind, I persevere in the bad times and thrive in the good.

I leave you with this: my blog will be as honest an account as I can muster. It will tell of things I've either personally experienced or of things shared with me by others. I cannot say it will always be happy and I cannot say it will always be neat and packaged. It will be what it will be: my life and my heart.

Photo: By Melissa Lee, Jekyll Island 2010