Waking up low...

This morning, when I finally opened my eyes - I was filled with this low feeling.  Nothing too specific, just weary, tired....low.

I rolled out of bed...shuffled through the halls to the living room, grabbed the iPad and shuffled back to bed.  All snuggled up, nestled between pillows opened Youversion, clicked on my reading plans...to find I had just finished the last one I was on.

I was not in the mood to search for a new one to start - but I thought I would give it a quick try.  I stumbled immediately on 'She Reads Truth: Philippians' and decided to give it a go.

It was exactly what I needed to read this morning!  Thank you God for providing the little things that end up meaning so much.

Waking up feeling low, reading the "Set Your Chains Aside" entry spoke to me so much.  It gave me the boost I needed, the ability to lean into scripture to bring me to prayer.

Paul makes no promise that they will see the fruits of their labor now – that the Gospel-sowing work they are doing in the lives of their unbelieving loved ones will be theirs to also reap. He doesn’t tell them to expect things to get easier or better or simpler. He just encourages them where they are, with a sure confidence to remember the bigger picture – to persevere. That all the good that has begun in that community is pointing to something greater – the “day of Jesus Christ”!

As I read this, I thought of the chains of fear I have allowed to hold me.  I have burried my head in the sands of fear and regret for so long, and in doing so - missed the beauty that is around me...even in the midst of trouble.  The small things that are so easy to miss - if you are not aware of your surroundings, the people, the smiles...

God has placed wonderful individuals in my life, some who are strong, some who are coming out of pasts just like mine - who need to feel what I felt this morning.  Hope.

And as fleeting as that feeling may be.  The instant that the truck pulled out in front of me, or the individual cut in front of me at the fountain, or....you get the point.

I choose hope.  I choose grace, because grace has been given to me.  I choose love.