the fettered heart

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 
~Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 11: 18-30

It is late. The house is a mess. The kids are in bed. My husband is fading. My spirit is weary. It is overwhelming to think of where to begin. All around me I see broken people. I see the mistakes I have made in my finances, in my parenting, in my marriage. I catch a glimpse of hurt that I have unknowingly caused another and my heart wrenches within me. I think of the miles I should have run this week, the to-do list that didn't get done, the cards that weren't sent, the phone calls that went unreturned. Like a hamster in a wheel, I run feverishly as though the world is depending on me. It is in these moments that His gentle spirit reminds me of His ever abiding presence if only I would turn my eyes upon Him and behold Him in His sanctuary. And so I find myself yet again, lying broken at His feet, with the remnants of my strivings before me. It is here, in the midst of my complete inadequacy and failure, that I can clearly see that indeed He has remained steadfast, unshaken, immovable...faithful.

It is to this faithfulness that I commit this blog. I long to tell stories of His faithfulness and that is what I will do. I am so unworthy and often unaware of my desperate need for a Savior which is why I am thankful that His fidelity and unwavering love have nothing to do with what I do or fail to do (Ephesians 2: 8,9). I must simply turn my eyes away from myself, allow my strivings to cease and acknowledge that His grace truly is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

"O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above."
~Come thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson

It is my prayer that you will join me on this journey. I pray that I can encourage you and you will in turn encourage others. I pray that as we seek to be men and women of God, that our hearts would be drawn to His own. I pray that in the midst of life's chaos, distractions, frustrations and inadequacies, that we would find our hearts and our minds centered on Christ, the Giver and Sustainer of Life and that there we will find the peace our souls are desperately searching for.


"So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands." Psalm 63: 2-4


"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. " Psalm 61: 1-4


"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54: 10