The Dung Gate

I enjoyed our service today. Nehemiah is always a fun book to glean lots of stuff from. It is famous for the rebuilding of the wall, but they couldn't just have walls. They needed gates as well to let people, goods, stuff in and out. Just like our lives, we have a wall of protection with gates to let people, situations, sin, stuff, in and out. One of their gates, the Dung gate, was exactly that, to dump the refuse, not having sophisticated sewer systems, people would go, dump and burn. Often, I need to take inventory and dump my refuse at the Dung gate where it belongs, and allow clean, pure, healthy, worthy stuff in my gates. Only then, I can continue my walk in a lighter manner, without carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, where it does not belong. When I get all weighted down it's time to go to the dump and spiritually leave all the excess stuff at the feet of the cross. I am so thankful that I am able to do that through Jesus Christ.

Close Encounter of the Fire Kind.

As Christa was driving home last night, she past our next door neighbor house and saw flames. Immediately she stopped her car and knocked at their door, then pounded when they didn't respond quickly. They opened the door, confused by being waken up by her, and Christa calmly said "Your house is on fire", and proceeded to call 911. As the firemen arrived 4 minutes later and put out the flames, they told our neighbors that 3 to 4 more minutes they would have lost their house as the fire would have quickly spread through the roof.

Our neighbors were so thankful to Christa that this morning they brought her See's candies, Starbucks and Jamba Juice gift cards. A few things had to work together to make this miracle possible. Christa was supposed to be home earlier but was delayed as the movie run longer than expected. She had to turn her car around to park across the street forcing her to go to the neighbors to maneuver, thus seeing the fire. Had she found a spot on our side of the street she might have missed it. The neighbors said that she saved their house and possibly their lives. Not to mention that if the whole house caught on fire, we were right next to them... and we don't need any more fires in our lives. I believe providence was evident, and God's hand was there helping all of us.

Challenging Questions

As I continue to learn about wisdom these closing questions in my study were challenging.

~ Are you becoming a woman of excellence?
~ Are you pursuing specific skills in order to increase productivity and enrich those about you?
~ Do you ponder in order to gain insight into God and His wisdom so that you are a treasury?
~ Is your speech wise so that you are able to invite, petition, counsel, reprove and instruct others with maximum effectiveness?
~ Finally, do you fear the Lord? Do you have a stand-alone inner core of strenght and self-possession based on reverence for God?

Wow! If you answered yes to all these, you are my hero! I am still trying to ingest all these meaning, let alone doing all of it. However, I am moving toward it, and that consoles me: knowing that perfection will come the day I stand before Him one day. Meantime, the best I can do is continue moving, and pray that I won't stand still.

Thank You Lord!

Nothing gives me more joy than to see the Lord answering a prayer and (Him) waiting patiently until I realize it WAS indeed an answer to my prayer.

I would say for the last few months, maybe two or three, I have been waking up at 4:00 am EVERY morning. This has happened to me in the past, and I know better than to fight it. It is the time the Lord wakes me up to pray for certain things that are going on in my mind. I have a tendency to run faster than He wants me to, and that makes me restless inside, full of anxiety and worry about the future.

So, at 4:00 am He has my full attention, and in bed, with my eyes closed, I pour out my heart to Him. If you were to see me, I look fast asleep. There were a couple of issues going on in me that were draining my joy. As I prayed for weeks and walked sleep deprived for a while, I am seeing as clear as water, His hand on the situation. Any body else would be rejoicing, and I am, but it isn't easy being me because I begin to wonder about the next step to the equation instead of rejoicing in this victory a little longer.

Those who knew me years ago would have a hard time believing that I have become so...impatient? or lacking trust? or faithless? in what He can do. I used to rest in his arms and not have a care in the world. He is teaching me to renew my rest and trust and faith in all things. I want to go back to a childlike faith, where my walk is like a new daily experience of wonder and anticipation. I want to feel His love again, not just know it in my mind.

It all happens for a reason, and this earth is what He uses to train us. Life is one trial after another with some reprieve in between. He had taken me places that had I known before I would visit, I might resisted and turned around. But He knew when and how to take me there. And it wasn't always in a gentle way, but it was the way I would listen. And I am glad we went there together. I am glad I wake up at 4:00 am. to chat with my Daddy, and I am glad He loves me enough to tell me my faults and help me overcome them.

I am seeing the fruits of my prayers before my eyes this very day, and I rejoice in that. Thank you Lord, because I matter to you so much. And forgive my unbelief, I am still a work in progress until the day you take me home.