.In the midst.

Sometimes in the midst of trials, you feel as if your head is under water. You continue slowly sinking-deeper and deeper, into despair. You can't gulp for air, no one is there beside you to pull you from drowning in the rushing rapids of life's troubles-or so it seems.
Do you realize that Jesus is by your side, "though the wind and waves beat against your faith?"*
All that's left to do is reach out to Him, rely completely on Jesus & He will rescue you.

You know, He is so good! He never gives us more than we can handle-because He IS our strength. God knows us intimately, so doesn't that mean that He knows, better than we ourselves, the heart issues we struggle with? God more than knows, and He has promised to be our strength in trials. Although we are tested through life's circumstances, there is a point where we must come to realize that the painful places we are at-so many times they are a tool in God's hand to shape and mold our character to be like Jesus.

Quite recently, a door was closed in my life that had seemed like it was the will of God. Well, the truth was I wanted it to be His will. But I had submitted it to Him- I asked that He would specifically shut the doors if it was not from Him. And it did-yet it was still hard. I had wanted it to work out, and since it didn't, it was a direct challenge to my will. I had a decision to make- would I praise God for demonstrating so clearly His will in my life? Or would I become upset and blame Him for circumstances being completely different than I had wanted or expected? I went to pray and read the Word of God- this is what I read when I opened the Bible:

Zechariah 13:7-9 (New International Version)

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

7 "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me!"
declares the LORD Almighty.
"Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

8 In the whole land," declares the LORD,
"two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.

9 This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, 'They are my people,'
and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.' "

In this life, I tend to see through my human perspective- I can only see where I'm at right now. I can't see past it to what God is teaching me and the flesh that He is pulling out of my very being. Being made into the image of Christ is so much more intensive than we ever bargain for when we commit our lives to serve the Lord. Yet, it is so worth it.

So many times I have cried out to the Lord in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances, and many times more has He raised me up from the mire and set my feet upon a rock. He has brought restoration to very broken relationships, provision in times of need, and He has been my strength when I have all but lost hope. Truly can I say- Jehovah Jireh- My Provider- His grace IS sufficient for me.

*(Quotation: Lyrics from I Will Show You Love by Kendall Payne).

"This is no sacrifice-here's my life!"

So many times, I am surprised by the way that God comes. It is usually through seemingly simple avenues the He speaks to me. It's ironic, because most often the circumstances surrounding God's work would be completely meaningless to anyone but me. Which clearly illustrates the fact that God knows each one of us intimately-He not only grasps the complexities and variations of each individual's personality, He knows every swirl and brush stroke that comprises the very fiber of our being. He "knit" us together in our mother's womb. So many times I've read past that verse and thought-"oh how nice, God was involved in my creation-hmm cool," but if you meditate on that one word (knit), you begin to realize the immensity of the phrase. Knitting can't compare to an effortless work, such as breathing, that is controlled by our autonomous system. Knitting is an intricate art form, where the artisan must take care with each stitch and row, not to add or drop a single stitch. It's almost as if I can see God knitting me together and stopping to think about how He wants to form even one component of my being:


"Hmm, let's see here, let's look at Lysandra Elena- she will be administratively inclined, enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies, and love to gaze at my creation. She will seek Me out, though it be hard, but I will be her strength when she begins to despair. I will call her to a radically different way of life-To listen to & obey My voice, at any cost, because of the love that has been shed abroad in her heart by the work of the Holy Spirit."

And thus begins the story of how God used a girl, with all of her faults and imperfections, to glorify Himself. The title of this post is from a song entitled "No Sacrifice" by Jason Upton. What God has been searing into my heart is the truth that your level of commitment is directly correlated to your amount of sacrifice. In other words, if you are unwilling to sacrifice comfort for serving Christ, you are falling into mediocrity. I know-it stings a little, doesn't it? But at the same time, I see that specific truth at work in my own life.

How many times have I watched TV, facebooked, or just stayed in bed when I was called t0 get up, be still, and spend relaxed time with my Savior?? Too many. And through what God is calling me to now, I can see that He is so faithful. I have been praying about something that could be a very positive experience in many ways. Yet, when I honestly asked God His will, He said "No." Simple and to the point. Now, I have a choice; I can either seize this opportunity, and for me it would be sin, because I would be disobeying what God has commanded me. Or, I can sacrifice this opportunity, knowing full well that the promises God has given me will come to pass in His perfect timing, and the opportunities to come will far outweigh this present one I'm choosing to give up. I believe without a doubt that the reward for obeying, be it eternal or finite, will surpass any sorrow of heart in this present circumstance.

In closing, this is my earnest desire and intercession for you:

Colossians 1:9-14 (New King James Version)

Preeminence of Christ

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood,^[a] the forgiveness of sins.

Footnotes:

1. Colossians 1:14 NU-Text and M-Text omit through His blood.

My God richly bless you, and may you see His hand at work in your life!!

Love,

Lysandra Elena

Beginning of the Beginning

Originally,
This was my Costa Rica blog. Now, I've decided to put my thoughts up, and more specifically what God is teaching me at any given time.

Well, I've reached a significant mark. I finished another semester of college! While working part-time at that! It is amazing just how much the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion has begun to catch up with me. I've been going and going. Now I just want to get away from it all. I want to go on a retreat to the beautiful mountains of NC, with the Christmas tree fields and the birds singing, where the stars are clear, bright and shining. Where I'm reminded of my childhood home, in the country, and oh it was so beautiful. It also brings to mind when we went down into the Grand Canyon Arizona with our Jeep. On the way out, my mom turned off the lights and we just sat there, in awe of the in stars. Without the humidity, and light pollution, you could see all of the constellations. How I marvelled at God's creation. We began to worship then and there, in our little Jeep, with Hannah, Candace, Casiphia, Mami, and myself. What a wonderful memory.

I can't wait to return to Arizona (SOON!). I am hoping this summer coming up, or the next, to fly over, and maybe go on that much talked of road trip to CA with Candace. I've always wanted to go to LA, see all the sights, maybe even work on my surfing skills : ) Then again, Mi Abuelita has talked of going to Bolivia next summer, but that also depends upon the political/security situation-things have been pretty heated over there lately, it has been dangerous for U.S. Citizens. We shall see-Lord willing, everything will come together for both of these trips.

Something I realized today is just how much I have been striving. It was only when I stopped to take a breath (figuratively) that I realized how tuckered out I am. It sneaks up on you- one day, you are totally surrendered before the Lord, then little by little, life begins to steal your peace. Someone says something negative, money gets tight, problems arise, and before you know it, you don't recognize where you're at. Well, how do we fix this problem? you might ask. It's simple, I believe. Worship the Lord, Read His word, repent of carrying the burdens, worries, and sin that so easily entangles. Be quiet before the Lord-meditate upon His word and His attributes. Ask Him what it is that has been pulling you down and holding you back, then kick anything that has been stealing our affections. Take out the trash that life so easily piles inside of your heart. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins. I am going to rest in Him. It's the only way to live. Great is your faithfulness, Lord God!!

~Lysandra Elena~