living loved

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples…strength and glory are in his sanctuary. – Psalm 96: 1-3, 6

Hello, there. Yes, it has been a while, and if you are still reading this despite my failure in keeping up with this blog, thank you.

What a few months…several months actually. I could bore you with the details, but to save you the reading space, here’s the shortened version: as usual, I filled my plate till it runneth over. And in the filling (and the spilling) something had to stay in the fridge. This (blog) stayed in the fridge for so long that I almost threw it out.

But God. As I struggled to keep things on the plate or eat as ravenously as I could, God halted life (as He often does to me) and reminded me of my purpose – Him. And as I sat (literally for almost 2 weeks, going on 3), He has sent me gentle reminders of who He is, who I am in Him, and the thoughtful words and gifts from the village around me. And in a moment of despair, weakness, second-guessing, questioning, doubting, etc., on the inside of a thoughtful Mother’s Day card from my mother-in-law (she’s the best), was Psalm 96:6, strength and glory are in his sanctuary. That tiny verse stirred the purpose inside me and for the first time in months, I knew that this needed to come out of the fridge, and I was so grateful I hadn’t thrown “it” in the trash.

The “it” isn’t the blog. The “it” isn’t even really encouraging others because honestly, I don’t know if anyone even really reads these heartfelt, spirit-led rambles. The “it” is the passion and longing God long placed within me to share with others; to be authentic with others; to put to words how I see God in everything, every. thing. The “it” is the new song placed within my spirit through every success, failure, disappointment, smile, and tear. The “it” is the strength and glory that is in his sanctuary – ALWAYS. The “it” doesn’t need me. I need “it” – I need Him. And just like a good box of baking soda in the back of the fridge, He never fails to deodorize and neutralize my stink from doubt, despair, and never-ending distraction.

I don’t know what is on your plate: nothing, too much, moldy cheese. What I do know: God is waiting. He’s on the shelf or in the fridge or maybe on the last burner, and if you know Him, He’s waiting. He doesn’t need your daily chore list that may include your daily reading of scriptures that become a chore – He just wants you. He wants to clean your plate and fill your cup with all of Him. He wants to give you a new song in all of His splendor and majesty. He invites you to his sanctuary.

I will sing a new song…and the Lord has given me many, but my subject is always the same – Him. Instead of my plate running over, my cup is instead, and I can’t wait to share.

XOXO, Loni