Month: January 2018

I had never wanted to return to San Antonio.  But God led me there, and I was working through a Bible study guide called Keys to Freedom by Nancy Alcorn.  It was tough, working through the pain I had in my marriage when I lived in San Antonio–and the additional pain of finding out years later the other things that were in play while I was there. Things that made me never want to return.

In between working through the pain, I visited places I remembered.  Each brought back good memories and a confirmation of my kid’s stability during that time.  God was bringing great healing, and it was wonderful.  I kept thinking of one building, though–a museum or something–that I wanted to find, but with no G’s on my phone and no access to internet, I didn’t know where to begin to find it.

I was gaining freedom, but was also having a hard time.  Back at the place I was staying, I worked through the workbook. One of the questions had me stop and pray to God, asking Him to show me a mental picture of what He thinks of me now.

I immediately saw diamonds in my mind’s eye.  Strangely cut diamonds, but sparkly and pretty.  I wept in gratitude.

The next day I went on a long hike along the riverwalk.  I kept going–and ended up following the San Antonio river all the way to the zoo!  It was around 4.5 miles from where I’d parked.  I decided to take a kiddie train ride for a while to let my lunch digest and get off my feet before walking back.  The train went around a corner–and there was the building I’d seen!  It was called the Witte Museum.  I had a lot of good memories return and decided to visit it to take pictures after the train ride.  More walking…

Once I got there, I went in and wandered in the store.  And in a case under glass was a heart shaped rock with sparkly crystals, strangely arranged.  I knew as soon as I saw it that God had given me a gift.

 

God delights in us.  He loves to uncover things through pieces–if I hadn’t walked that far, I would never have taken the train.  If I hadn’t taken the train, I would never have seen the building.  If I hadn’t gone in the building, I never would have found the gift He had for me.

Walking back to my car was difficult, but joyous.  I left the museum publicly crying tears of joy.  What a God.  He knows.  He sees.  He cares!

Psalm 149:4  For the Lord takes delight in His people.

 

 

The new year just snuck up and arrived!  It has made it even more tangible that I am going to serve the Lord in Bujumbura, Burundi in August.  What an adventure awaits!

God has been giving me closure on the last adventures in my life.  I spent some time in San Antonio, Texas over the holidays, releasing the things that overshadowed it and remembering all the good times that I had living there.  Tears and joy.  Ending with joy!

My 50th birthday was a good one, where I learned about jubilee–in the old testament, this tradition (commandment, really) happened every 50 years–and as one website put it, it was a year of liberty, restitution and simple living.  Click here  to learn more about the year of jubilee.

I too feel like this year is in many ways my jubilee.  Thank you, Lord!

God is teaching me about liberty:  releasing all to Him.  Wrong thinking, my possessions, my children, my past.  It brings the great gift of freedom.

God is teaching me about restitution: This is what He does.  As I release all that I feel I own or have some right to, He replaces it with great gifts of love and peace.

God is teaching me about simple living: obeying Him in the next thing.  Letting go of all that encumbers.  Embracing God’s gifts of joy and beauty.

So, as I head into another semester of school before I leave for Burundi, I am filled with anticipation of what He has in store for each day.

I choose to embrace each day as His gift to me.