Lead me Forward...

Life is hard. I was just telling my dear friend Katie the last Saturday on our drive to Spokane that a few years ago when I was newly married, finishing up my bachelors degree and basically enjoying a pretty easy life-- I had a hard time wrapping my head around how AMAZING Heaven would be, and therefore was content to wait a while for Jesus to come take me home. Meaning it was hard for me at that point in my life for me to understand why people would say "I wish Jesus would come back today." Now- don't get me wrong. I loved the Lord and was excited for Heaven, but life was fun and easy and there was still so much I wanted to do and see. etc, etc, etc.

Fast forward about a year and I was starting to understand this sentiment. Life was getting more complicated, getting harder. My youthful rose-colored glasses were fogging up with a not so rose colored reality. And I'm not trying to say that I have a rough life, by no means is that something I would say because I have it good, I am blessed. It's just that as life changes, and we find out more of who we are as a people and as an individual I was starting to see how NOT good we are apart from a devotion to Christ. People are broken, leaders don't always have the end all, be all answers and they fall too, no really,I fall, they fall, we fall-- because we are sinners. We fail and fail and fail some more. We dig and pull and yell and throw fits and beg and plead and don't TRULY let Jesus lead our lives. Life is hard, we like to learn the hard way because we like ourselves so much.

The truth is- I've tasted and seen that HE is good. SO much better than this world- on my best day- when I'm loving life so much. BUT- I want to desire Jesus more, I want to desire Heaven more, and in the meantime- I want to stop being so darn complacent with my faith. I NEED to have a more burning desire too see broken people healed, hearts repaired and restored in Jesus Name-- Relationships made brand new. I want to see Jesus's face and tell him I don't know why he loves me, but I am so thankful. Thankful he always chose to let me try and fail and try and try and try.

Tonight I'm finding myself broken and thankful and in awe of the POWER of the Holy Spirit. I spent the last two days in scattered communication with Jesus- asking for something specific- begging for something and feeling ashamed for realizing I was at his feet only because of circumstance. I want to see JESUS. He answered my prayer. He is a God of Hope and Mercy. And He is glad to hear from my lame-self. Oh Savior! I don't deserve you but I am SO glad you love me.
Jesus- find me here. Forgive me here. Your love is SO good. Quiet my tongue, open my ears. Lead me forward to you. Thank you for showing me your power, even though I don't deserve to see it.

May your days be Merry & Bright.....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...oh wait, actually it's not really "looking" like Christmas yet, that is unless you walk into our house! :) Though the trees outside are looking more bare and less colorful, they most definitely are not holding any "white stuff" on their branches yet. Inside The Oliver household however, there is a tree housing twinkling lights, random ornaments of vibrant hues and silly shapes, cinnamon candles, my favorite nativity and snowman decor galore! We decided to embrace the holiday spirit early this year and make our home a Christmas Oasis Mid-November.
I've been asked- "why are you skipping Thanksgiving?" To which I reply- "I am most certainly not skipping Thanksgiving, I'm simply categorizing it as part of the Christmas season!" The way I see it, this time of year is the perfect opportunity to reflect on all the "gifts" in our lives, the God given moments we have collected for the last 11 months and truly, truly give gratitude and praise to our Savior for the rich blessings He continues to pour out on us. To savor and cultivate new and old relationships with loved ones and friends, to take quiet moments and be still if only to find yourself in a moment of stillness and peace. Why not start this season now-- who cares if the turkey has not yet been carved? I'm excited this year to bring on this season sooner, not as to bring the day of gift opening quicker (as if we ever could), but to have extra days to just focus on being THANKFUL and acknowledging the may blessings I pass over everyday without second thoughts. To point my daughter to Jesus and the amazing GIFT of His birth and create moments that will be treasured on into the future. I'm okay with starting these things now.

For those of you not quite ready to hang the mistletoe- I understand :) but implore you to join in the spirit of the season today! To reflect, give thanks and pull your loved ones close and be reminded of the "reason for the season." We should be so inclined to do this everyday, but we're good at forgetting....or let me rephrase that, "I'M" good at forgetting. So if you don't mind I'd like to wish you a "Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season" this November 15th

May Jesus be the Center of your Celebrating!

Kristine

Zumba leads to deep thought?

Zzzzzzzuuuumba! I just got home from my first Zumba class ever! It was a lot of fun. I forgot what it feels like to be in a room with a bunch of people (in this case- ladies) with live music and energy on all sides! Don't get me wrong! I LOVE my BeachBody workouts- INSANITY will always be my go to workout and a regular part of my workout regimine- but for at least the next month you'll be able to find me 2-3 times a week sweating it out "dance/cardio" style with some girlfriends!

Speaking of working out- I have been kind of down on myself lately for not being so "on the ball" with my workout schedule. Its funny that I can get so bent out of shape over missing workouts (that I choose to skip for no other reason most of the time than just not wanting to push "play"), but there are so many other important things in my life that I miss daily and don't think twice about. The biggest- time during the week for deepening my walk with Christ and growing closer to Him through study, reflection and conversation. Tonight I'm reminded of how good it feels to (as BeachBody would say) "Decide, Commit and Succeed." The way I feel after a good workout is ALWAYS worth the time I spent working out-- and this is only physical! If I could only apply this same approach to my spiritual life--- OH THE REWARD! Our physical bodies- only temporary here on earth. Our hearts, our Spirits BELONG to Jesus! Time spent with Him is ETERNAL- the payoff is forever! Something we can't undo by eating a Snickers bar right after :)

So what I'm trying to say is this- sometimes we need to stop and check our priorities. For me, realizing that if I first give time to the One worthy of my undivided attention, the rest will fall into place. Deciding to sit down in the quiet and be with Jesus is time NEVER wasted! So if you see me- remind me! :)

PS- For the record- it felt good to get back on the workout grind this week! Being active and committed to staying healthy and taking care of our bodies also has its rewards! :)

K