Hanging out with the great cloud

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

One of my life verses is Joshua 1:8-9, which is an admonition from the Lord to know His Word so that we do not have to worry or be discouraged, because if we know the Word, we know Him, and if we know Him, we know that He is with us wherever we go. That has always been special to me, because I love scripture so much, but the last part of verse nine, which says that He will go with me wherever I go, has become especially important to me as we approach our leave date. It is great to know that I will be with Marc, Sarah Beth, Hannah and John-John, but even better to know that the Creator of Everything is coming along for the journey. It leaves a lot of things out of my hands and off my shoulders.

I read Hebrews 12:1 this morning, and it made me think of our current situation (what doesn't? God's Word is amazing to me...always news, always fresh, always relevant), and it occurred to me that while I am certainly no Abraham or Enoch (see chapter 11), I am part of the great cloud of witnesses, and so are you. It can be so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day struggles of life, the peaks, the valleys, and let that determine how we feel about God. But the reality is this--He is at work all around us all the time. If we will open our eyes, if we will remember our past, our own lives become the great cloud of witnesses to the amazing presence of our big God. It is easy to let the drama of life hinder and entangle us, but it is something we must let go. Instead, I want to be the person who looks at all the things God has already done and know that His best, His plan, the race He has marked out for me is perfect. If I will follow it no matter where it leads, I will be blessed with peace and joy. And that is what I am experiencing now. It is not easy to leave. If you don't think I daily spend time crying over leaving my parents, you're crazy. Because I am the baby of the family (no remarks about the silver in my hair, please) and because I live close to them, I have the privilege of being both a Mama's girl and a Daddy's girl. And yes, I still call them Mama and Daddy. We are all struggling with leaving them, my aunt and uncle, our friends, our church, our home. It is not easy. But there is joy and peace to be found here, joy and peace that can only be attributed to the surpassing greatness of our God. Yes, there are some tears, but there is also a lot of laughter and fun and anticipation of what is to come. I am going halfway around the world on a mission God has just for me. C'mon...that's pretty cool!

Look around you. God is at work in every detail of your life. If you will only be aware of His constant work on your behalf, I promise you will be overwhelmed at the love He has for you. In every detail, He is molding and shaping you into the person He sees when He looks at you. When times are good, He is at work. When dark days come, He is at work. He loves you more than His own life...literally. Imagine that. You, my friend, are loved beyond measure by the God who created the universe. If that doesn't make you dance for joy (in an appropriate, Southern Baptist kind of way, of course!), then you need to take a look and find what's hindering and entangling you. I challenge you--be overwhelmed today by the love He has for you.

Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye