Friday, September 21, 2012

Rise and Shine

Rise and Shine!!  Anyone but me remember mom, grandma, dad...someone who had gotten up before the chickens and had their coffee, come in to wake them up with that annoying mantra?  For me it was my Memaw.  She and my Grandaddy were up at like 5 am EVERY DAY (even Saturdays!) drinking coffee as black as night, and then in she would come....RISE AND SHINE, JULIE BUG!  Can anyone say "Fingernails down a chalkboard?!"  Covers would come up tightly over my head and I would snarl and hiss till she would go away. 

Spiritually speaking, lately I feel like I am living with the covers up over my head snarling and hissing at the world to go away.  My life has been so purposefully consumed by all of my comings and goings that I have been resisted opening up to the newness of the day.  All the while, that Voice inside is nudging, "Rise and shine, sleepy head."

Well, it's Friday morning, way too early to shine, but nevertheless, time to head back to the conference center for True Woman '12.  I was thinking a lot last night about this idea of personal revival.  Elyse Fitzpatrick and Nancy Leigh DeMoss both talked yesterday about those things which keep us from what God wants for us.  And both spoke about substitutes, idols, functional gods.  I could easily say that God is my all, but what if I asked myself, Where are my competing desires, passions, appetites? What are the things I long for more than I long for Him? What is it in my life that means more than God?  Or how about this one, What am I willing to sin to get? Yikes...that one stings a little. For me, though, it came down to What am I clinging to more than I am clinging to God?  Because lately my snarling and hissing has been all about self-protection.  I have been like a wounded animal, not willing to let anyone, especially God, tend to my wounds. For months I have been shielding my wounds afraid to let God open and dress them...afraid it would hurt too much. I have been clinging to my wounded heart more than the Savior that can heal it.  My pain has been my God.

Let me ask you, friend.  Is there something or someone that you are clinging to more than your Savior?  Is there a competing desire of your heart?  Is there a greater passion?  Is there something you are willing to sin for?  Claim it.  Deal with it.  He won't change you if He doesn't have all of you.  That is the prayer of my heart today, that I give Him all of me.  Could you pray the same?

Up for this morning is Janet Parshall, Andrea Griffith, and.....drum roll please.....MARY KASSIAN!  {crowd goes wild!}  I hope that you will live stream with us if you can.  Don't forget that I am giving away a great True Woman conference tote filled with awesome resources including three books from the leadership pre-conference!  Comment below or tweet @JewelsChohan with hashtag #TW12 to be entered to win!

1 comment:

  1. I would love to be blessed with winning this tote bag. Listening to some of the live stream..so convicting and so good at the same time. Wish i could be there.

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