“You have ravished my
heart, my lovely one, my bride; I am overcome by one glance of your eyes…”
Song of Solomon 4:9
Life doesn’t always turn out to be the perfect picture we
had imagined. As little girls we dreamt of being swept away by the perfect man,
having a dreamy wedding, getting the perfect job and having perfect children. We
believed we would be perfect wives and mothers.
But the realities of life happen. Relationships fail. Strife
and confusion plague our hearts and minds. Hardships steal our joy and wreck
our peace.
We long to be loved and accepted.
The truth is, God loves us deeply and has chosen us as His.
We are accepted through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Even on our worst days.
This truth is for YOU…
With one glance of your eyes, you captured His heart.
Think of your worst moment, when your behaviors, thoughts or
words were at their lowest. Go to that dark and painful place where the enemy
continues to hurl words of shame and condemnation at you.
Allow the Lord to gently shine the warmth of His light on the
cold darkness the enemy has been using against you. Let Him show you that His
love for you did not waiver in those dark moments, and He deeply longs to be
closer to you.
Our Favorite Quotes:
We had God at ‘hello’.
Cease striving
Stop fixating on what you don’t know and start focusing on what you do know…His attributes…who He is…
Let's Chat:
- Luke 10:38-42: In what ways are you like Martha, busy spending your time in service to the Lord? In what ways are you like Mary, seeking to simply spend time being with the Lord? Which relationship is more reflective of your own relationship with Christ? Which kind of relationship would you like to pursue more with Christ?
- Zoe said she felt that God owed her something because she was such a great Christian. Do you feel that way sometimes? What, if anything, “cured” you of that misconception?
I have throughly enjoyed this study but I am a HUGE Lisa Harper fan... I love how her different perspective challenges me to look at things.
ReplyDeleteI have never had a relationship w my father- that being said the one I had when I was young was a very painful one. So when it came to or (sometimes still) comes to looking at God as a Father I have had trouble relating. Some people even call him daddy when they pray- which really used to mess me up bc idk what a "daddy" looks like. Over the years as I have matured in Christ and worked through forgiveness I have gotten a lot better- but sometimes this "thing" i struggle with rears its ugly head. What stuck out the most w me was when Lisa Harper was talking about the laundry and laying in your warm laundry asking God to show you how wonderful being intimate with him really is. It made me think when it is cold outside sometimes I put my blanket in the dryer & I wrap up in it before I go to sleep. Something about it makes me feel all "comfortable" & "safe". That reminded me of my favorite Psalm- 91 where God talks about hiding you & wrapping you up in the feathers of his wings- if a warm blanket brings me that much security & comfort how much more would being wrapped up in the arms (being intimate)of our father bring me? This study confirmed in me that God is constantly working in & through us... that he sometimes uses very little things to remind me of what a "good good father" he truly is.
Oh goodness, how I can so relate to this! And I'm totally with you - Psalm 91:4 is my favorite. His promise that he will shield, cover and protect us.
Deletethe warm blanket is such a great picture of how God wants us to feel when it comes to His comfort and security. He is intangible, so having that warm, fuzzy feeling can be difficult. you are right: He is such a good, good Father.
DeleteI have been trying to write a comment for 2 days and keep deleting it before I can hit publish because this hits me where I live.
ReplyDeleteI KNOW all the spiritual answers. My head KNOWS, LOVES, & TRUSTS God. My head gets that we are allowed into the Throne Room of the CREATOR and He not only invites us in He calls us friend (John 15:15 -- we have moved from the honored position of servants of God to the intimacy of FRIENDSHIP) My head (as much as possible) gets how amazing that is. My heart is touched by the idea of the King of kings the Lord God Almighty loving me. But doing this study and praying for a deeper more intimate relationship with God I have come to the realization, just like I have in the last 5 or 6 years have had a hard time fully connecting with friends and even my kids and grandkids (and I love and adore all my friends and my all my kids) because of sexual abuse as a child and young teen, a couple a pretty ugly rejections as a kid (probably the same for everyone), abandoned by my 1st husband (who was also my very best friend and the person I had let my protective walls down with in the past), rejection by my 2nd husband, adult kids moving away (I GET that they aren't moving AWAY from me and that I encouraged the moves because it was best for them and would never want them to stay close to me and miss out on the opportunities that moving had afforded them), all this leads to protecting my heart and instead of protecting my heart WITH God, i may be trying to protect my heart FROM God.
You cannot have deep true intimacy when you are holding back a part of you. I am so used to holding back that I don't know how to let go ... I think its time for a little visit to CR and get some help and force myself to be vulnerable (which is scary to me, I really do like people to think I have it all together) and let God in and start to let people in and FEEL deeply again. My head gets it ... my heart screams " I am scared of intimacy"
i love you so much, sister. i will be praying as you begin CR and allow people in and to feel deeply again. i can related to shutting off part of myself to letting people in because of being hurt by others. you try to let Him have it all, but you look up and realize there are closets in your heart you have "hidden". i agree: intimacy can be scary - with people and with God. maybe CR would be good for this heart too.
DeleteSo now that you know where i'm coming from (LOL). I can answer the question: I think for me there is a level of Martha in me because I love Jesus, I do, i want to please Him, and honor Him and serve Him, and maybe because my heart has a hard time fully engaging, I try to DO for God to show myself faithful.
ReplyDeleteMy personality drives me to be like Martha. You give me a checklist and I will take great joy in crossing off each item as I complete the task. You give me something to plan or organize and I will make it happen. I am a "Martha" through and through. Honestly, I have to be intentional in making myself stop to sit at His feet. And even while I'm doing that, far too often I'm being bombarded with thoughts of things I need to be doing. Over the years I've learned to slow myself down and do things like going for a walk or even sitting in a dark room just so I can enjoy the Presence of God. And I love how God is so patient with me...He knows my struggle so He is so good about meeting me in some unusual places. I love that at any moment of any day I can simply call out to Him, even if it's only for a moment. But don't get me wrong I will dry up like a weed in the August heat if I don't take longer periods of time with Him. Little shots of water will get you through an immediate moment of thirst, but if you don't take consistent long, tall drinks of water you will become spiritually dehydrated. I know this from experience. Even though I am very much a Martha, I truly do long to have more of Mary in me. As I get older I'm realizing how much more I need Him. I long for more intimacy with Him. I find myself getting upset when I feel forced into more of a Martha role when I really want/need to be acting like Mary. But like Kim West said in her post, we're all growing...I'm growing in my intimacy with Christ because I'm learning how to stuff Martha in the closet! :)
ReplyDeleteyou are so right. we try to sip a little bit here and there and expect the thirst to be quenched. it is going to take long, tall drinks of water consistently and continually to be completely hydrated properly. why do i keep taking tiny sips? *rolls eyes at self
DeleteI think for me there are times when I get so consumed with ministry or completing that check list, that I forget WHY I'm doing what I'm doing, and who I'm doing it for. That's when I find myself doing ministry in my own power instead of His and when I become ineffective as a result. It's during those seasons that I have to stop and take a look and make necessary changes. I find that I'm much more effective in ministry and life when I add a dash of Martha and a large sprinkle of Mary. I don't always get it right, but I'm sure growing and getting better! What a great reminder from Lisa!
ReplyDeleteguilty. completely guilty. i try and start out being mary, but ministry gets kicked into another gear and i find myself donning my martha working shoes. we have to work, to be sure, but there Christ is with His sleeves rolled up right next to us. maybe it's possible to continue worshiping while working your tail off for Christ! God show us how!
DeleteWow, what a great lesson. I am a planner, an organizer and definitely a Martha no doubt. It's so easy for me to get distracted by doing all those things that I fail to remember that God wants me to just slow down and embrace His presence in the midst of everything I do. I always want to please God but sometimes I feel that in the process of trying to please him, I end up disappointing him because I'm so busy and distracted that I don't spend enough time just sitting at His feet like Mary did. I long to be more like Mary and I'm working on this part of my life. I'm thankful he still loves me as I continue to learn and grow!
ReplyDeleteme too, Tracy. i get caught up in serving and run right past His presence more often than i can count. i want to slow down and enjoy His presence. let that become the norm for once.
DeleteShannon, I can totally relate to you in this area. I am naturally a Martha. My life is planned out on my calendar. I know what I'm doing every day for the next month. I live off of a checklist of things to do and get excited when I can mark one off. (I know... I'm a big nerd.) I am very task oriented. I can definitely get caught up in serving and lose sight of why I'm doing what I do, like you said Lori. This is something I fight regularly. I'm not comfortable sitting down and "not doing". I almost feel restless and guilty if I sit down and be still. I start thinking about all of the things I need to get done or could be doing in that moment. I really have to pray through all of the distractions sometimes and force myself to be still in his presence. I need a lot more Mary in my life!!!!! Always a work in progress!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think most of us in leadership roles tend to be "Martha's" I know I am. I want everything to be perfect for the guests in my home. My southern upbringing enhances that Marthaness by wanting my guests to feel at ease and at home in my home. I have been told by many people that come to my home that they feel warm and fuzzy when the come to my home because I make a special effort for it to be special for everyone. Now with that said, being Martha completley EXHAUSTS me and I always wonder did I make enough food (i always cook as if i am cooking for an army) is everyone comfortable and by the time i get a chance to sit down and enjoy my guests it is time to say goodbye. Why do I do that to myself EVERYTIME!? My close friend say steph you gotta slow down and just be still. Frankly I really dont know what that means. Be still are you kidding me ?! I got so much running through my brain that even if i tried to be still i would have a panic attack thinking about all the stuff i need to do. I am thankful God only blessed me with two kids because if i had any more i think i would need a padded room somewhere. But God, He reminded me watching that video that He is pursuing me and I keep so busy that I zoom right past Him in a cloud of dust. He still pursues me and He still loves me even if my house is a wreck my work is stressing me out and my boys are making me go prematurely white headed HE STILL LOVES ME. He wants me to slow down and be with Him. As I type this tears stream down my face, because i have forgotten That God so LOVED the world...He so loved me that He still pursues me. I just need to take time For Him to catch me. I will be working on that be still thing....
ReplyDelete