Precious Predilections

Tag: Jesus Christ

  • No Sweeter Words

    No Sweeter Words

    Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the Precious Predilections blog.  The “start” of this blog has been liberating.  Writing has allowed me to courageously share things that would otherwise become a passing thought.  In so many ways writing has become for me the unveiling of the broken and beautiful things that occurred last year.  So as we start this new year, I want to begin by sharing some of the sweetest words I’ve known.  These words remind me of the miracle of life that God has bestowed upon me.  They remind me that God knew what He was doing when He inspired my mom to name me Precious.  These words are the sweetest.  In honor of the start of a new year, I want the first blog post of the year to honor someone that I love and hold dear.

    Happy New Year 2016 replace 2015 concept on the sea beach

    No sweeter words than those spoken over me by mother 18 years ago.  She has written many poems and I have them in my possession, but this one holds a special place in my heart.  No formal, stylistic lessons on writing poems here. No soliloquies.   Just a mother inspired to encourage her daughter.  A mother inspired to share a story.  A mother moved to make indelible impressions on my heart with the stroke of her pen.

    My Child

    One minute after you were born your breath was snatched away, but by God’s grace you were saved that day. Two pounds and five ounces that’s all you weighed, on what i thought would be a faithless day.  They shaved your hair, put needles from head
    to feet.  I hung my head and cried in defeat.  God sent his angel in the form of
    my mom to comfort me and hold me and say well done.  He said shake off the blues, everything will be alright.  Don’t you know, she was born to fight?  

    You have never been mine, just a loan you see.  For from day one God had control of thee.  You were born with so many problems, but He took them away.  No open heart surgery for you He said that day.  That hole in your heart I’ll fill it with love.  You’ll float through life on the wings of a dove.

    Mom2
    My Momma – Christmas 2015

     

    I’ve watched you grow a joy to behold, God’s love has
     surrounded you as your life unfolds.  At the age of twelve He claimed you again.  Now isn’t this how my story began? Into your life came Freddie Filmore, Jr. (Chip), he worked at P.A.L.  Who knew he’d be more?  He took you into his heart, helped teach you about God, but that was just the beginning of his part.  Then came the pastor, his wife and family, and a group of people at Freedom Ministries.  

    I’ve watched you grow for eighteen years.  Your desires and needs our God has fulfilled.  Now you’re leaving home; you’ll be on your own.  I want you to know that you’ll never be alone.  You have brought me peace, so much joy to my life, but I can hear you say “that’s just the Jesus in me.” I miss you already.  I don’t want to let you go, but I know that you know that I love you so.  So hold your head high, stand tall and be strong.  And remember who you are, the daughter of Casa Lee Young. 

    Mom, It is eighteen years later and I am still growing.  Thank you for being my first teacher.  Thank you for being my present teacher.  And thank you for being my first writing inspiration.  Here’s to the moments and memories of 2016 that will move my fingers to type.  Here’s to another year of blogging.  Thank you all for your support.

  • Fat and Happy

    20150226_102724-1I imagine that there is not much we can learn from a fish, but, lately I’m finding that all of God’s creation speak; yep, even those that don’t literally have a voice.  Charlie, my betta fish, belongs to a unique breed because their belly is only the size of their tiny little eyeball.  Even with this physical constraint, betta’s will literally eat EVERY TIME they are fed.  They will actually gorge themselves to death!  Why?  Well, when betta’s are in their natural habitat, they do not know the next time they will eat and so they eat every time there is food even when their bellies are full.  This is their nature.  In some cases, if unchecked, betta’s will go “belly up” even though they are fat and happy.  Strange, right?  Not really.  Charlie, my fish, swam happily around his tank in this state until I learned that my excessive feeding was putting his life at risk!  Poor Charlie.

    Charlie reminds me of this current life and how many in our culture, including me, have a tendency to pursue life on the fast track.  That pursuit can become all consuming.  Similar to the betta fish, consumption is in our nature.  The fast track is loaded with stuff and little substance to sustain.  The pursuit of more things.  In fact, this desire for more things has a direct projection towards greed.  Greed is cancer-like.  Recklessly invading the body without regard for what is damaged in it’s path.  Cancer fights and destroys the very thing that brings life.  It would seem lofty to say that greed can destroy us.  Only lofty until greed comes face to face with your family and the destruction is seen first hand.  Sometimes the idea of greed is left to those who are wealthy.  Let’s not be so presumptuous.

    I recently read that “the preoccupation with striving, getting, and accumulating is NOT LIMITED TO UNBELIEVERS or those with six figure salaries.”  This struggle resides in all of us.  The idea that once we are “fat,” that we will then be fulfilled and even satisfied with this life.  This next bit of truth serum is brought to you by a woman who has learned that being financially fat won’t make you happy.  Cynthia Heimel, a woman who knew several movie stars before they became famous spoke of their ill placed desire in things to satisfy them and make everything ok…

    “I pity celebrities, no I really do – Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Barbara Streisand, were once perfectly pleasant human beings. But now their wrath is awful. I think when God wants to play a really rotten practical joke on you he grants you your deepest wish and then laughs merrily when you realize you want to kill yourself. You see Sly, Bruce, and Barbara wanted fame. They worked, they pushed and the morning after each of them became famous they wanted to take an overdose. Because that giant thing they were striving for, that fame thing that was going to make everything OK, that was going to make their lives bearable, that was going to provide them with personal fulfillment and happiness had happened and they were still them. The disillusionment turned them howling and insufferable.” Cynthia Heimel, “Tongue in Chic” column in The Village Voice, January 2, 1990.

    Truthfully, the myth of money (or anything outside of Christ) fully satisfying us is just that – a myth. None of us are any different.  Deep disappointment awaits us all.  This world alone was not meant to satisfy us.   We were made for another world.

    So, what should we do with this deep disappointment?  We should look not to be made fat, but to become fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone.  Relationship with Jesus Christ is enough to satisfy us.  That is it.  Simple and increasingly difficult to do in this life.  As a single woman, I know that the things I desire today, such as marriage and family, will one day disappointment me in some manner.  I will at some point feel unfulfilled even in that exciting season because people were never meant to fully fulfill us.  So, I take this truth and hold on tightly to it.  Maybe that simple truth will help me to not hold so tightly to things and grasp more tightly the gift of Christ’s love.  Nothing wrong with the things we have been afforded in this life, such as cars, money, relationships; but are they consuming us?  Are our lives and schedules filled with only the pursuit of these things?  Has any particular “thing” moved from good to idolization?  We must ask ourselves if what we are consuming is killing us or bringing us life.

    Although I don’t have many things, I am full.

    “Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.”  Proverbs 16:8 (NIV)

  • Still Dripping

    Still Dripping

    passion of christ

    I loathe moments where I am dripping wet and “partially dry.”  Moments when I’ve had to run to my car in the rain without an umbrella.  Or moments when I’ve finished a fantastic work out (like Insanity) and have yet to dry.  These moments are a bit frustrating.  My body is screaming for relief because it knows and longs for the mediocrity of comfort.  Nothing less, nothing more, than dry garments.

    As Easter draws near, many around the world have given Jesus Christ the center stage once again.  Millions will gather in churches and hear accounts of the resurrection.  How Christ overcame death on a cross and rose from the dead in 3 days! This truth should be sobering and exhilarating at the same time for the one who has decided to trust in Christ.  Sobering because the death of Christ was not short and sweet, but deliberate and cruel.  Exhilarating because Christ ACTUALLY OVERCAME DEATH.  Death – the thing that grips our hearts so tightly because of our deep longing for the continued physical presence of those we love.  Death – the thing that looms in the future, but none of us can ever prepare our hearts for.  Death – the thing that also brought us life.

    I recall a Pastor communicating that biblical principles are not intuitive; in fact He said that they are just plain ‘ole backwards.  As in, you would not normally behave this way…ever!  For instance, “…love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”(Luke 6:27).  Or how about, “Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33).  The counter intuitive nature of biblical principles remind me that I am powerless to consistently obey them without Christ.  And this is where our understanding of His very natural death and its production of an opportunity for a supernatural life (Him dwelling within us) is critical.   Christ died so that we could have life – eternal life.  He also died so that we could live life that has been reconciled back to Him. (Ephesians 2:13).  But repentance (turning away from sin and trusting in Jesus) is not a one-time event and Lordship (allowing Christ to be master of your life) is not just another trendy idea.  There is a real cost and freedom that comes with salvation for the believer.

    I wonder what Christ felt like as He carried His own cross to His death.  He dripped with blood that would redeem our sins and grant us the opportunity to have a relationship with Him.  Drip. Drip. Drip.  All the way to Golgotha.  He became comfortable with being uncomfortable because reconciliation to the ones He loves (you and me) was closer than ever before.  Thinking about Christ and how He dripped blood (for me), not sweat, makes me want to live life mindful of His sacrifice.  I want to live out lent (LOL) all year long; not simply dedicate 40 days of the year to remember this unparalleled event.  In order to do this, I must continue to drip with the blood of the lamb.

    Dripping is visible.  And the evidence of a changed life must visibly drip from us just as His blood did. Fellow believers and followers of Christ –  It is visible that we love Jesus when we obey His commands.  It is visible that the power of His blood exudes from us when we are loving, extending mercy to others, praying for our enemies, and allowing interruptions in our “busy schedule” for people and problems.  Let’s be sure not to count ourselves so busy that we walk out the door forgetting Christ’s agenda because we are holding too tightly to our own.  Christ wants us to be in the business of reconciliation.

    Are you dripping?  Or are you dry?  Do people see you or do they see Christ?

    “…Son of Man, I remember Your kindness
    Son of Man, I remember Your love

    Your mercy will be remembered forever
    Your mercy will be remembered forever
    Your mercy will be remembered forever

    I still drip with the blood of the Lamb

    We are trophies of Your mercy”

    – excerpt of lyrics from Trophies of Mercy by Davy Flowers