Lessons from Mexico!!!

Hello readers!

It's been a full two weeks since we've written, and although we are sad to have been apart for so long, it was a much needed time of rest.

My family and I were able to travel abroad and spend some time in various locations of Central America. We enjoyed many wonderful types of food, music, and entertainment. I guess you could say that it was the perfect vacation! God's glory was evident and magnificent, yet in the midst of the joys we experienced, it was so like our loving Father to share a life lesson with me. Surprisingly, it wasn't in the rainforest, or in the impoverished areas that we visited. The Lord didn't send me a revelation amidst the beauty of the clear waters in Belize or as we Zip Lined through the canopy in Roatan. Instead, the Lord spoke to my heart in the airport, as we were traveling back home.

Like many of you, I am strongly connected to the social media world. My first thoughts, once we got back into the states, was to post, share and blog all of our amazing pictures, for our friends and family (and the world) to see. And that is exactly what I did. I posted, I edited, I instagramed... I did it all! I was so absent minded about the people I passed by, my husband's instructions for me to keep up with him and even my own luggage! I was in my own world, mesmerized by my own interests and as a result, the very thing that I was so attached to, was the very thing that I lost! Yes, I lost my phone in the Atlanta air port. I lost all my videos, all my pictures, all my memories! I couldn't remember where I left it, or how I could have been so irresponsible. Had I laid it down on top of my luggage? Was it left behind at the Starbucks counter? What about the bathroom...was it there?
As my heart began to sink, trying desperately to retrace my steps, feelings of hopelessness overwhelmed me and I expected my husband to be irritated at my mishap. Yet, instead, he was calm, concerning and exercised great faith. He prayed that we would find the phone. He looked, he asked, he searched. When I had given up hope, he had not. He went up and down the terminal, as if he himself had lost his own phone. I sat, hopeless, begging him to just forget about it. I felt as if it was a ridiculous search and that it was an impossible waist of time. In fact, time was running out. Why waist our last few moments, stressing out about something that was a lost cause? Yet, to my surprise, with the flight attendant calling for our line up to board the next plane, my husband came around the corner, with a grin on his face and a self confidence in his spirit and handed me my phone, saying, "See, I prayed and look what happened".

That was my lesson from the Lord: when all seems lost, when we are irresponsible, when we are hopeless, when we feel as if it is a waste of time, God continues to be faithful. My husband's example of faith, perseverance and determination humbled me; more so than the breathtaking orange sunsets, or the animals that we observed- more so, even than the wild dolphins that we swam with or the diamond stars that seemed so close in the Island sky. His faith took my breath away! How much I need to learn about trusting God, more so in the little things, not only in the big things. I can pray for a family member's cancer, I can go to God for his favor over my marriage, but how silly that I struggled to approach him on behalf of my cell phone?
Jesus said, "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks will receive, those who seek will find and those who knock, the door will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8). This is what the Lord encourages us to do, because this is what he does for his people, daily. Jesus is consistently asking us for our obedience. He is always seeking those who will choose to love and follow H
im and He is always knocking on the doors to the hearts of those who need Him.

Lord, thank you for encouraging us to never give up. Thank you for never giving up on us!

~Pearls

In and Out of Season

The curtains of summer are beginning to draw in closure, as the world makes ready for the crisp and lulling of fall beginnings. The malls have already begun to display autumn fashions and even the Sun is making it's exits a little earlier, as of recently. Yes, the world is preparing for those quiet months of gusty winds and whispered nights; of cool afternoons and the sound of crunched leaves, lingering behind each booted step. I savor the summer months, because I dread the cold, yet in my region of the world, it has been a particularly mild summer. Not at all typical of a North Carolina.
Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that the Sunflowers beside the freeway were drooping and half naked, from fallen off petals. Normally, Sunflowers bloom and last until late September. I figure, the humbling sight must be due to a lack of sunlight, as it has been cloudy as of late. I was disappointed to see how my golden beauties, usually standing proud and tall this time of year, were colorless and stooped over, instead. A part of me felt sad somehow, for one reason or another, and I began to think about how we, as Christians, can sometimes allow the unexpected cloudiness and circumstances of our lives to hinder our growth and display of Christ, amidst our surroundings.

Even in an environment where growth is suppose to be taking place, we can find ourselves feeling as if we are withering away. We can pray, yet have a sense of disconnect; we can worship, yet feel powerless between the spaces of each word we sing; we can read our Bibles and recall scripture, yet feel as if our lives are some how exempt from promises expressed in certain passages. Sometimes, in our Christian lives, there are signs of Autumn or even Winter, in what should be our spiritual Summer.

As of lately, I've felt that way in my prayer life. See, in my opinion, I am in my spiritual Summer: my Bible Study group is growing (in number as well as in confidence), my marriage is a dream (if you overlook the inclusion of the NFL, NBA and the World Cup), our new Church is sincerely feeding us the meat of scripture and my extended family is happy and successful. I feel loved, I'm busy, I'm happy... but I'm also unsatisfied. I'm unsatisfied with believing Him for answers, yet feeling as if I'm talking to the pots and pans that I am scrubbing. I feel like my prayer life is hibernating, when it's clearly Summer time!
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever experienced so much blessing in one area, yet at the same time, felt a disconnect in another? If so, it's normal. It's life.

Psalm 9: 10 states,
"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you".

To me, this scripture brings "Summer" back to my heart. There are times when our moods and experiences don't reflect our spiritual state. There are times when our circumstances overshadow what we know to be true. There are even times when Sunflowers droop, even in the middle of summer. But it doesn't change the season. Even if all the flowers died and all the leaves on the trees turned brown in July, it would still be Summer. Even if you feel far away from God, or you feel unproductive in your relationship with Him, you are still His child and His promises are still effective in your life! All He asks us to do is simply trust and seek Him! Don't loose heart. If you feel as if your prayers are disappearing, even as you are uttering them, continue to pray, anyway. If you feel as if your worship is in vain, lift your hands higher and your voice louder. If you feel as if your attempts to live a pleasing life is backfiring, don't quit-keep going! The Lord will not forsake you! He has given us His word! We must believe, and eventually, spiritual summer will come to us in that area, and then in the next one and in the next one.

Let's be faithful, in and out of season!
Trust God!

~Pearls