some good old fashioned soul weaning.

i'm ever-increasingly astonished at the beauty of our Lord's activity in each of our lives.
what a redeemer and restorer He truly is. I've found Him to be quite obsessed with redemption and restoration, really.

it floors me how kind it is of Him to lead each of our lives on a unique path with Himself.
no two humans will ever walk the exact same path from start to finish with this Creator. and that's just a stunningly beautiful picture of His amazing jealousy for each of us i think... He alone gets to share it ALL with each of us. daaaang...
and He's so jealous for the unique treasures and beauties He has placed within each of His beloved humans.

i especially have grown fond of His wisdom and kindness in the realm of leading each of our souls into being "weaned" unto Him alone [ psalm 131.2]. i've seen His handiwork over and over again in this realm- in my life and in the lives of the ones i love most.
He has a neato way of leading us each through various seasons...and each season seems to have it's own unique areas of further soul-weaning that happen.

WEAN 1 |wēn|
verb [ trans. ]
accustom (an infant or other young mammal) to food other than its mother's milk.
• accustom (someone) to managing without something on which they have become dependent or of which they have become excessively fond...
• ( be weaned on) be strongly influenced by (something), esp. from an early age.

without a doubt we are each creatures made to worship.
we become rather 'excessively fond', easily obsessed or addicted... sometimes without even knowing it or really facing it. and it is not hard for any one of us to meditate, either. it's just a matter of WHAT or WHO we're meditating on.
we all meditate on something[s]. we just do. it's in our very nature to worship and meditate.
and it's God's extravagant kindness to free us from the lesser gods. to free each of us from our lesser thoughts/meditations.

and the real challenge in these unique-to-each-season areas of soul-weaning is to be FULLY ALIVE.
to EMBRACE wholeheartedly each area of soul-weaning and to not try to numb it. or escape it. or deny it. or delay it.
to stubbornly grab hold of His hand and refuse to ever let go or wander off in the slightest.
to LET the Spirit bring things to the surface of our souls- in His ways, in His timing.

so whether each of us seems to be in a season of mostly ease or enjoyment; or whether our hearts feel as though they are in a sprint and loosing steam fast, being stretched and challenged...we know all we really need to know to keep us going:
He is GOOOOD.
and He is RIGHT HERE with us.
oh me oh my.
to be fully alive is His inheritance for us.
and that means being fully, utterly, completely alive in every moment of every day.

because He. is. HERE.
and without a doubt, without so much as a single doubt...He is the most deserving, satisfying, fun Person to be weaned unto :)

some visuals of my current home...

*the downtown of st. joseph, missouri-- i love trying to imagine all the hustle-bustle that once occupied all those cool buildings and brick roads...some of them as old as the early 1900's.




*pumpkin patchin with my beautiful ma.





*an amazing array of colorful chairs i found @ the pumpkin patch...unfortunately they weren't for sale.




*an evening drive in the country with ma.


gosh this gift of family/friend time...
this gift of sub teaching/working with youth again...
the brand new things God's been bringing to life in this city, in my family, in my heart...
SOOO GOOD.

a prayer.

welp it's most assuredly been getting colder out.
for as long as i can remember, there've been a couple things that energize me like no other--
1.meeting/laughing with/enjoying/learning about humans.
&
2.being outside- particularly on warm days...i heart the sun. like... a LOT.

but going along with a current thread that God has been kind enough to lead me on in the last couple years in particular...is this theme of digging in. really being stubborn about soaking up every single last bit of Life & Joy & Good that absolutely every given situation, person, environment, season, or experience has to offer.
because if i believe that God is in fact only a Truth-teller and not a liar, then it only makes sense that i grab hold of His hand & look Him in the eyes & ask daily for the strength to abide & daily believe that when He said "NEVER will I leave you. NEVER will i walk away from you." that He really meant it. that He really, really, really meant it.
and that it's a promise that applies to every moment of every day.
and when He also said He "will fulfill His purposes for me" He meant it not as the icing on some perfect cake...but as very hope in the midst of hopelessness. as the very substance of what we set our feet on in the difficulties, confusion, and, perhaps one of the toughest curve balls that life sometimes throws our way-- yes, even smack dab in the 'treachery of the mundane' & the "keep on keeping on" of longsuffering and patience.

and when we know these two things- that HE. IS. HERE. always.
and that no matter how much "His ways are far above our ways & understanding"...no matter how long we seem to be "waiting" for a promise...that He is indeed the ultimate Steward- stewarding every hour of our lives, leading us PERFECTLY into His PERFECT plans for every single one of us.

and so, even now, in regards to the various "cares" or questions that each of us may be learning to give to God...and with the couple things that energize me mucho- humans & warm outdoors...currently i find myself perhaps not surrounded by swarms of my friends living in the same city with me like i'm usually accustomed to- and they are instead scattered all over the earth right now in this season. and perhaps i am daily having to pray that God help me see just something, anything, good & pleasant about this cold, gray, sunless winter speedily approaching us, well i trust.
because there are obviously FAR bigger crises and FAR deeper needs & longings being felt by others right this very moment.
and because i know this God.
and boy oh boy is He amazingly loving AND wise.
and THAT my friends is a swell combo.

at least during this chilly time of year there's swarms & swarms of squirrels out gathering and planning and preparing to brace themselves for the coming cold season.
MAN...i love squirrels.
so there.
i've already discovered one upside to the cold...
:)