Tag: enough

all of You is more than enough

Karla Lees

Yesterday was an interesting day.

No matter what I did, the timing seemed to be just slightly off. I am sure you can relate.

But I had a strong sense that everything was happening according to His timing, despite how I was feeling.

Even when I had to head to the ER with my eldest right after I finished work.

I had an unusual assurance that all would be well, despite the circumstances.

The last time we were in the ER? We look back on it now as a comedy reel. While performing a procedure on my child, one of the nurses accidentally set off her “I am being assaulted” alerts, and two huge security guards withdrawn guns swarmed into the room while loud alerts were sounding.

All while I was sitting across the hall facing the surgical room, with no visibility.

I almost had a panic attack from the adrenaline that surged with that sudden incident.

And do you know not one staff came to reassure me my child, under anaesthetic in that room, was okay?

I overheard a nurse tell another staff what had happened on the other side of the hall a few moments later, after the security men left the room, and I know it was His timing to help me calm down and breathe again.

The rest of the night, the communication was limited or non existent. Eight people treated my daughter in total, and only one was partly helpful to help us learn what was going on and what to do moving forward. In fact, we had to head back the next day to get the paperwork necessary for my child to miss school, as the doctor immediately left after the procedure without completing it, despite our obvious requests beforehand.

God knew that day I needed a physical reminder He was with me, and put it on the heart of one of my heart sisters to show up and sit with me as we waited to be discharged. He knew I needed a person in my corner so I could step into the strength He had for me in that night’s battle.

So the first thing that came to mind this time was to raise up as much prayer from my family to shift the atmosphere before we left the house.

And God showed Himself mightily as we did. We had a lovely doctor who has chosen an alternate treatment to what we were expecting, and who wants to check in with us in 48 hours to ensure it is working.

God knows what we need in each moment we face, Beloved.

All He is is more than enough for anything we could ever face.

I am learning to trust Him beyond what I dreamed possible when I first became a Christian.

It is hard to put your child on the altar when He asks it of us, when fear is rising and your mind tries to take you into all the possible nightmares that could happen in an emergency.

I have found He has been more than enough in every emergency I have faced. Losing my baby when I miscarried. Comforting a sudden widower over the loss of his wife, my husband’s sister. When the sounds flatline despite your prayers. Not knowing where next week’s grocery money was going to come from. The times my baby could hardly breathe. When I hadn’t slept for 5 nights, 6 days straight when in hospital for unknown reasons, and thought I was going to lose my mind. Hearing the word cancer spoken over family members. Holding my best friends when their marriages came crashing to rock bottom in times of crisis.

In each of these situations, God revealed Himself so powerfully I stand in awe at His timing, His provision and His Presence.

Like the Israelites in the desert, He meets all my needs.

My covering will not wear thin or fail to protect me, for He Himself cloaks and shields me.

My provision will come. For just as manna fell from heaven, so does He open His storehouses for His children.

My brokenness will be made whole, for God is in the constant restoration mindset.

He continues to make the ashes of our hurt and shards of our breaks into something more beautiful than we can see in during the transition process, because of His great love for us.

What I need to live the life He has for me, He ensures I have when I put my trust in Him.

He is the God of the constant now. He was with me in the past. He promises to be with me in the future, and on into heaven.

But He is fully here, right now, beside me, within me, guiding and reassuring me as each moment brings a new need to light.

Whether the need needs to be uprooted from deep inside to reach the new freedom He desires for me….

Whether the need lies in His comfort as the need reveals itself to be linked to loss….

Whether the need is for a physical touch, a calming of the mind, filling up my love tank, refueling my body with food, the Word or rest….

I know without doubt He is for me.

And He is more than enough in every moment I have faced, am facing and will face yet to come.

Ask Him for a deeper revelation of His love and care for you.  Pray for dreams, visions, confirmation, and watch His love in action reveal itself to you in your need.

All of You is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. You satisfy me with Your love, and all I have in You, is more than enough.

Chris Tomlin

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I AM: Free Verse Friday

Karla Lees

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My daughter,
now is the time for you to step into the fullness I have for you.

I am the God of the present, not just the past which has been and the future which has not yet arrived.

I have enough for you today….

Enough energy to get all I ask of you done.

Enough strength to face the hard times which may arise.

Enough peace to calm the waves of your emotions when the unexpected rears up.

Enough food and drink for your soul as you seek My Word to fill you up.

Enough love to completely soak your spirit.

Enough grace for all you may face.

I am more than enough to cover each sin you may commit.

I am more than enough to set you free and make you whole in the areas of brokenness within you.

I am enough.

I am.

My very name confirms who I am. Ever living. Ever present, in every here and now.

Are you willing to take the leap to discover all that I am first hand?

I AM.

#FreeVerseFriday

Presence

Karla Lees

The past few days, I have felt overwhelmed physically.

A few of my sore muscles are having a hard time giving up their tension, despite prayer and the efforts of my physio & massage therapist.

Sleeping on my left side is foreign to me, I have always been a back or right side sleeper, and with my right side sore, staying asleep HSS now become an issue.

I am generally not a big whiner, but a solution finder.

I am in a situation I cannot control. nor see a quick end too.

The trail ahead seemed very steep last night.

I could only pray, “Help” before falling asleep.

This morning, as I awoke and spent time in His Word & Presence, He has reminded me I am not in this alone.

He is with me.

He is strengthening me.

He is helping me.

I was only looking at my physical symptoms, but God was looking at my whole person.

My spirit is reaching out for Him more than ever before, because I don’t want to make it through without Him.

My solution, my Hope is found in Him alone.

I am actively bringing my thoughts into alignment with His Word & promises.

I am being honest about my feelings, but not letting them run my decisions.

But how I am physically weary of being sore.

And that is the area God reminds me I need to bring into alignment with His truth.

I can keep going when I depend on His strength.

He is more than enough for me, even as I struggle.

Its okay to be real before Him, and fully rely on Him for all I need.

Maybe one of you needed to hear this this morning too.

I hope He draws close to you, and reminds you of what you need to hear from Him directly as well.

Once again, it is well with my soul.

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Because all things are possible, in, with and for our God!

beyond beyond

Karla Lees

We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

–C.S.Lewis, the Problem with Pain

Pain has become an almost constant companion to be over the past several years.  Not the occasional accidentally whacked myself on the bedside in the middle of the night, or tripped over a Barbie head on the living room floor (yes, I confess, done those!)
but the consistent cry of my joints in pain.

I am currently having some sort of arthritis like flare hitting my hands and feet right now, in particular three fingers on my left hand.

As someone who uses her hands for a living, and who loves to crochet, this has not only impacted my physical daily life & livelihood…it has tried to invade mentally, emotionally & spiritually.

Not being able to easily do things I used to take for granted, like opening ziploc bags. Leaves me mentally frustrated.

Too many of those kind of incidents, or not taking enough time to rest between tasks leaves me feeling useless and low.

Not understanding why this is happening, or why it randomly flares out of control when it does leaves my faith shaken in a storm of emotions.

That’s how I look at my pain from my point of view.

God however doesn’t look at things quite the same way, does He?

I went downstairs this afternoon to hang some laundry, and prayed as I do so. Bearing my heart to God, I bluntly told Him that I didn’t know why this was happening, but I believe He wants the best for me, and in order for me to make it through, I need to know He is with ne in my pain, right where I am at. I need Him to tangibly show me.

A sense of peace washed over me, and I knew in my spirit, He heard me, He is with me, and He is for me.

I don’t know any more than you do what tomorrow will bring.

I do know that my God is present, in my here and now.  I am not alone in my pain.  I have asked Him to heal me, and when I worship the pain tends to lessen, so I am pressing in believing for a miracle.

But the greater miracle to me?

Having God with me each moment. Every single now that I have.

For He says,

I am more than enough for what you are going through:

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

-Philippians 4:13

He is worth my trust & praise:

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.

-Psalm 28:7

Despite my pain, I will continue to give Him praise.

He has always been on my side through thick or him, and always will be.  He reminds me that my pain is important because it bothers me, and what bothers me, bothers Him.  Because He loves me so much, He even knows each hair on my head, and collects each tear I cry!

Pain may be wanting to be heard above all,  but first and foremost God hears my heart.

I need to remember to keep it in its place as a temporary part of me  and limit how it tries to affect my whole person.

I want my voice to be known heard shouting His praise, not giving undue voice to my pain.

God takes me beyond beyond, to quote Priscilla Shirer. He blesses us beyond what we can hope or imagine, for He is so big & beyond what we can even comprehend, He is beyond beyond!

I am pressing in & claiming verses like the one below on the days where I need to put pain in its place:
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May He take you beyond beyond in whatever you are facing today too. All things are possible in Him!

soul custody

Karla Lees

Our souls were never designed to be in the tug of war battles we find ourselves in.

They were designed
to be pursued by One
and pursue only One.

And ever since that lie
in the Garden
where perfect oneness
had existed between man, woman & God
the enemy has continued
to speak poison to our souls

You are not worth it
God isn’t enough
no one loves you
why bother
give up
stop trying
you aren’t special

And we tie up our resources trying to soothe our souls from the effects of believing those lies:
overeating
undereating
addictions: sex, shopping, porn, alcohol, gambling, drugs

When we fail to get to the roots of what is growing in our souls, which is evident from the fruit we produce, the poison continues to mutate and grow stronger as it increases in strength.

Our souls were never meant to be soil for the enemy. We were not designed to be his playground.

We were meant for oh so much more.

God designed us to hear His voice, in response to a longing we may have difficulty putting into words, but exists regardless.

That deep down heart’s cry desire to be known.
But not just known:
Accepted.
Adored.
Appreciated.

We long to connect at the core of who we are to the One who created us with this God sized vacuum only He can fill.

When we settle for less than the best for our souls, they will go along for a while off road, but the road starts getting bumpier, muddier and further away from where we thought we should be.

Our soul cries out for sole custody in our Maker’s care.

The battle for our souls has been being wager since that lie was spoken, enticing Eve & Adam to want more than they already had.

What God had spoken of as not just good, but very good.

The same God who walked alongside them in the Garden wants to walk beside you.

Not only does He offer Himself as your escort, He offers to set you free from the lies and pain that affects your soul. He came not only to tell us He loved us, but show us just how much He does as well.

If you are showing the signs of an inner battle being waged, and are tired of fighting on your own, please know God is waiting for you to say the word.
Help.

And He will come, this Father who is longing to adopt us into His forever family, heal us, give us our freedom, and pour out His love into our battered, weary souls.

We were designed for sole custody.

Let Him be all He was meant to be for you: mind, body, spirit, soul.

Life as you know it will change, when your soul begins to become whole and find its resting place, its true home in Him.

The only holding up this custody battle is the child in question.

God has already won the ultimate battle, and the enemy knows it.

Don’t let him win.

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When how long becomes too long

Karla Lees

What do you do when your answer isn’t coming?

Because the loving God I know intimately has only the best for me…I know this deep deep within my soul. I believe His promises. I know His character never changes. He says He is for me, and He is all in, all the time.

So what do I do when after 31 years when an old adversary rears its head again, after being kept under control for the past few months?

When not only does it swiftly come back with a vengeance, but does so embarrassingly and very, very publicly?

I got mad.

So mad that the tears I wanted to cry didn’t have a chance to come out, as I am still mamma bearing over the continued bumbling over my daughter’s health situation.

I cleaned myself off as much as possible, and shifted from reaction mode into full tilt pursuit of God mode.

The enemy picked the wrong time and wrong person to piss off this time.

I prayed. Not long, or with many words, but:

“Enough, God. Shift the atmosphere around me to repel this attack, because if You are for me, this isn’t Your handiwork. I have had enough in my own strength. I need Your strength and endurance to help me through. Be my never failing hope, right here, right now.”

And I have a peace despite my stirred up emotions.

I know that I am in good hands.

I know He has plans for me to bless, prosper and lead me to a future beyond what I can imagine as I lie here now in discomfort and wearily type.

The same God I proclaimed and praised this morning at church, in the car this afternoon, and as I write this early evening….is with me.

He is more than enough for the worst the world can wrangle my way.  He continues to be there, helping me cope with the crisis, change as He calls, and cooperate with His Spirit as He lovingly leads me forward with care.

God is all in, always.

All in? As in all of Him is for me: when Jesus gave His all on the cross,
in whatever I am facing in this moment,
always, and forever.

In good times and through the bad, I am all in.

My hope is found in God.

Life, in its ups & downs, is temporary.

God is not.

I choose God to keep my focus and hope upon.

I only see things from my view point. God sees all things in all time. I can trust He is in control, even when I cannot see it.

And when a new situation suddenly shows up, sooner versus later, as one always seems to?

I will remind myself again that God is my true home. My refuge.
And I am safe in His embrace through it all, always.

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Where to find hope when the world throws you for a loop?

Karla Lees

Today, I am headed with one of my kids to the hospital emerge for a minor but very necessary semi emergency surgery.

It is not my first run to the emergency room, but this time I am better prepared.

How can I stay calm when my baby is headed under an aesthetic & the scalpel?

I have a choice over how I handle  things, regardless of the situations or outcomes in every storm that picks up speed and rages with the intent to pull me under.

I will let you in on a secret.
This step isn’t easy.
The more you have vested in what the storm is threatening, the more fear will swirl about you.

Where do you find hope when the water is headed over your head?

1. Look up. Make eye contact with the Father.

2. Listen for His echoes of hope, eternally sounding for all to hear.

3. Let loose with your need. Open your mouth, and cry out for His intervention.

4. Leave it with Him.

These are the four steps to claiming the peace God has for you, and experiencing Him as your hope, no matter what.

When we reach for stability when we can’t feel the bottom, God is there to anchor us.

When our hearts feel like they will break in two, God will keep you close.

When the words fail to make it to your voice, God hears the cry deep within.

When all else fails, God never has, and never will.

How do you walk out finding hope in His Presence?

It is not easy to do, especially with the sudden shocks we can find ourselves faced with. I so get that.

I can only tell you that when loved ones have died, God was there for me.

When health caused unexpected losses in income, God provided.

When loneliness threatened to pull me under, God drew close.

When pain screams loudly for my attention, God soothes my soul.

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when is more enough?

Karla Lees

Why do we always want more?
To do more?
Be more?
Acquire more?

When does NOT desiring more,
being content with:
who we are
what we do
what we have
become enough?

My husband is brilliant in his chosen field. He cares for each client in such a way that years later, these clients or their family members eagerly greet him to tell him how much his  compassionate care meant to them in their hard times.

My husband is a registered nurse, who works in the community in clients’ homes. He sees all sorts of conditions, from minor surgeries to cancer to palliative end of life situations.

He truly is amazing at what he does, and not just because he is my husband.

He reminds me each day that where he is working is where he is meant to be, not with his words or pay cheque, but with the compliments and thanks he is always somehow surprised by.

When you are exactly where God wants you, using the gifts He has given you to the best of your ability to bless others, you have more than enough.

For many years, being in a field primarily female based, my hubby has struggled with maybe he should have become a doctor/nurse practitioner- become more than he is.

How he is is pretty amazing, right where he is at.

We all need to be reminded
that who we are,
when we walk in what we were made for,
is more than enough.

I truly believe God blesses those who use their gifts & talents wisely with more:

More of His presence.
More of His strength.
More growth.
More of Him.

This is a lesson we see many people excelling or failing at in the Bible:

Abraham’s firstborn from Hagar, Ishmael, was the result of Abraham taking his eyes off of God’s promise to come, Isaac.
The brothers have been at war ever since, because the firstborn does not know God is enough, he has the desire for more yearning within without knowing where to find it.

Noah placed his trust in God, and his family saw first hand how God was more than enough in their rescue.

David let his eyes stray where they shouldn’t have, and ended up causing a death to cover his sin. David knew God to be more than enough when he was on the run, but lost sight of it momentarily.  His firstborn from Bathsheba did not survive.

Solomon, son of David & Bathsheba, had more wives and concubines, riches and power than almost any other king on earth… and at the end of Ecclesiastes realized that life without God want worth anything.

Jesus demonstrated God to be enough to help Him every step of the way…and changed the world as a result.

Paul encountered God so powerfully, He intimately knew God to be enough no matter the circumstance.

Mother Theresa walked this out as well caring for the unloved orphans.

Many many authors have been learning this first hand…Max Lucado, Ann Voskamp to name a few.

When we become content with what we have, somehow God makes it more than enough for us.

When we accept who we are, somehow our offering, our walking out our calling and using our gifts becomes more than enough for God to use.

God’s More Than Enough
is more than enough
for me.

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reckless grace

Karla Lees

God’s reckless grace is our greatest hope.

-Timothy Keller

As a bird cannot exhaust the air in the sky nor a fish exhaust the water in the sea, neither can we exhaust the grace of God.

-Charles Spurgeon
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His grace is enough.

You’ve heard the catchy song and sung it at church. Read the bible verses talking about grace, yet still entertained the thought that those verses don’t really apply to you, as God didn’t know what you just did that was so unforgivable.

Grace isn’t about you.

It’s about the giver.

In one long lasting love story,God recklessly laid His heart, and life, out in plain sight for the world to see just how much He loved, loves each & everyone EVER.

The ultimate debt was paid in full. For you. For me. For us all.

Whether you believe it, or accept it, or not.

God knew who would accept His grace covered love. Who would struggle with it. Who would come running to it out of breath with desire. Those who will believe they aren’t good enough to accept it. Those who would refuse it, coz only this life matters, right?

And He offered Himself anyway.

Reckless.

To those of you who think you’re too far gone for His grace…you are believing a lie.

His grace is inexhaustible.
Unending.
Eternally extended.
Forever intended, for you, for me.

No matter what would be what you would think I would say now, but I won’t.

One part of grace does depend on you.

Receiving it when it is offered.

If you had been locked in a life sentence prison cell, for many months, years..and a lawyer came by to tell you that you have been able to open the jail cell all this time by saying a word…would you not take the leap and try it?

Or is the fear of the unknown too much for you after settling for less for so long?

The outside of that cell leads to a love beyond what you can imagine.

A grace that paid the whole price for your faults, once and for all.

A hope that will outlast any other ever in history.

Its time to jump on on and bathe in the grace awaiting you.

woman enough

Karla Lees

Beth Moore said something years ago that she recently felt she needed to address on her blog.

She said something in the heat of the moment that didn’t make sense when she went back to look at it, and decided to take it back out and publicly clarify the issue.

I am glad she did.

Here is the excerpt from her post (link to the full article at the end of my post):

You’re woman enough even if some other girl did take your man.

You’re woman enough even if you’ve been ditched by a man for nobody but himself.

You’re woman enough even if you’ve been thrown out and rejected.

Overlooked.

Unloved.

Unnoticed.

You’re woman enough even if you’ve never had a man.

You’re woman enough even if you’ve never put on a stitch of make-up or darkened the door of a nail salon.

You’re woman enough even if you couldn’t care less about what purse you pick up.

If you’ve lost both breasts to cancer and don’t have a hair on your head, you’re still 100% woman enough.

None of those things make you a woman. Your Creator makes you a woman.

It’s not just men who can make us feel like we don’t measure up. It’s other women. We’ve got enough voices in this world telling us that we’re not enough. God forbid that we who are called to serve women echo the charge. Let’s watch our mouths out there. I’m talking to myself first.

Hopscotch through the Scriptures and you’ll watch God get a hold of one woman after another who didn’t seem to be woman-enough in her world.

As it turned out…
Hagar was woman enough. (Genesis 16)
Sarai was woman enough. (Genesis 17:15-19)
Rahab was woman enough. (Joshua 2)
Ruth was woman enough. (Ruth 1-4)
Naomi was woman enough. (Ruth 1-4)
Hannah was woman enough. (1 Samuel 1)
Elizabeth was woman enough. (Luke 1:5-25)
Anna was woman enough. (Luke 2:36-38)
The Samaritan woman was woman enough.(John 4)

For crying out loud, Jesus even saw to it that the sinful woman in Luke 7 was woman enough.  We’d assume Mary was woman enough from the start because she was handpicked by God but I’m asking you whether or not you think you’re woman enough. God handpicked you, too.

This is what makes a woman enough. And a man enough.

So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27 ESV)

We are worthy of mutual honor and esteem because God granted such graces to humankind when He fashioned us in the palm of His hands.

You, and I, are woman enough.
If you are a man reading this, you are man enough.

God made us, which is where our value is to lie, not in what is done to or by us.

God chose us, knowing we were flawed, would be abandoned, would fail and would have deep pain.

He picks us, proud to add us to His family.

He restores us, pleased to help us become whole.

He loves us, delighted when we say yes to becoming His.

God is what makes us woman or man enough.

Its not anything we do on our own, but everything to do with God once He is in our lives.

Are you woman enough, man enough to admit that He is more than enough for you?
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Excerpt from Beth Moore’s post at:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LPMblog/~3/XG13TvzyD-E/womanpainugh.html