Amazed.

Some days I am amazed at how incredibly blessed I am to be a part of this organization and to be a part of these kids lives. To know that when I enter the nursery, the kids will grin at me, yell for my attention, or latch onto my leg (as annoying as that may be) is pretty cool. And to have a pretty sure confidence that when I open that bright blue gate and enter the yard at the Toddler House, someone is probably going to start chanting my name and want me to hang out with them is a good self-esteem booster to say the least! :-)

Today several verses from Psalms stood out in my mind; i'm sure they were placed there as a reminder from God. The verses are from Psalm 37, and this is what they say:

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.......

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. 

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

For the Lord upholds him with His hand."

verses 4-5 & 23-24

TRUST in the Lord, FEED on His faithfulness. Wow. I forget that too often. I forget to trust, or I think that I have things under control, or doubt that God would have things in order already. In good times and bad, I need to remember to draw close to God and revel in His faithfulness - be amazed at it and reminded of it and ever conscious of it. God is faithful in the little things in life, and He can certainly handle the big things!
And then - DELGHT yourself in the Lord. Think about it. "Delight yourself in the Lord - and He will give you the desires of your heart." I think this can easily be misinterpreted. We could think that if we learn to delight in and love the Lord, we will automatically get all those things we want. However, what I understand it to really mean is that as I delight myself in the Lord, the desires of my heart should start to look less like my own ambitions or wants, and more like those of God. God's ways are perfect. I have hopes and dreams for my life, and some of them may certainly be from God Himself, but I know that God's ways are so much higher than mine. I need to trust Him lead me - not try to jump ahead and work things out on my own. He has shown me over and over in the past that His plans far outweigh what I thought was possible or even what I'd hoped for. He wants me to COMMIT my way to Him, TRUST Him to be faithful, and ALLOW Him to bring it to pass in His perfect time and way. He had plans for my life (and every person's life) before I breathed my first breath, and He has set them before me, whether I can see them yet or not. God takes great pleasure in seeing His version of our life stories come to pass - He DELIGHTS in it. 
When I fall, am discouraged, or am hurt, the Lord holds me up with His hand. He is there through the joys, He holds my hand or carries me through the trials. He does not do this because I deserve it. He does it because even though He knows every one of my faults and weaknesses, He somehow still views me as precious and looks on me with this incredible love and acceptance that I could never hope to earn. How amazing is that??

Hungry ~ Kathryn Scott

Hungry, I come to you / For I know You satisfy / I am empty, but I knowYour love does not run dry / So I wait for you / So I wait for You / I’m falling on my knees / Offering all of me / Jesus, You’re all this heart is living for.

      Broken, I run to You / For Your arms are open wide

I am weary, but I know / Your touch restores my life / So I wait for you / So I wait for You / I’m falling on my knees / Offering all of me / Jesus, You’re all this heart is living for.