leanIN

 

 

January is nearing the end of its existence for 2014. The pace time is keeping  somehow seems unreal to me.  This month started with sadness and goodbye, a tearing of the soul and a breaking of the heart in the ebb and flow of life’s normal pattern. Life and Death… some would say the only constant is that we can count on change.

 

I disagree…

 

There is an absolute that we can rely upon even more than we can count upon the fact that life changes.

We can trust IN the Lord.

 

In connection with my,  ‘One Word  for 2014… Lean’, I want to revisit the importance of where we lean…

 

Lean IN

 

 

The hearts which broke with the expected goodbye are starting to mend, a little; changing the new normal, adapting to an abnormal reality.

 

How is it that we can just ‘move on’ when our hearts are so involved?  

 

Sometimes we don’t.

 

How do our hearts mend when we are attached to the living, life-flowing relationships which take so much of our hope and our love with them when they go?

 

Loss is inevitable. So, do we stop loving?

 

The soul-ripping probability of loss comes with every relationship that graces our days, yet we tempt the bleeding for the beauty of healing.   Hope is bound in that chance, a hope anchored in faith.

 

Whether it is a life gone too soon or a relationship ended before it really began; a dream that has ended or a hope whose light has dimmed;  a promise that went unspoken or, perhaps, it was broken. Whether it was a word that was never spoken, or a hate-filled uttering which left you scarred.  Whether it was….(fill in the blank here)…

 

Whatever it is….. Lean IN.

 

 

The art of relational living is being INvolved, INvested, and  INtentional  IN  living.

 

Living IN  Christ, INsulates us, not from the pain but from the destructiveness that loss brings with it.

 

Lean upon the truth of His Word for the full assurance of your heart’s desires.

Trust  ( lean on) IN the LORD and do good, so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

Delight yourself also in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD (roll and repose each care of your load upon Him); trust  (lean on) also IN Him and He will bring it to pass.       ~Proverbs 34:3-5

 

INgesting the Word is a daily nutrient building component which our souls require to gain the tolerance to live IN relational and purposeful devotional living.  Relating to others is a purpose we were meant to partake IN. The void is not supposed to be filled with the materialism of our generation’s habitual passing, but with tangible memories made for recollection.

 

Lean IN

 

Trust, Feel, Hold, & Maintain the relationships in your life with a passionate embrace, starting first with your place at the Throne of Grace.  Lean IN to the power of His strength, which will protect you from the pain, not the scrapes of the flesh wounds, but, the deep wounding pain that scars. IN Him, instant healing is not only possible, it is assured.

 

Consider the consequences of holding back as opposed to leaning IN:

 

  •   When we withhold ourselves from the relationship, we are not protecting ourselves but inhibiting God’s mercy toward others.
  •   When we choose to protect ourselves for fear of failure or loss, we limit how He ministers to others through us.

 

Living within His boundaries allows us the freedom to give and not be tied to something which was never meant to be within our grasp.  This protects us from those unhealthy relationships which suck life from our living. 

 

Living IN Him, opens the door to effective fervent prayer because our hearts are fully engaged and not withholding the grace which is a gift we are meant to share.

 

We give because He first gave.

We love because He first loved.

We testify because of His Testimony.

 

 

Relational living requires us to abandon the safety net and embrace the reality of loving IN God’s sacrificial example.  When you  Lean IN, do it anticipating His faithfulness and then expect Him to fill you, not the relationship, person, or possession.  When our expectation is placed upon His fullness,  it is a little less fearful to LEAN. You will begin to see the desires of your heart fulfilled as you delight IN, dwell IN, and trust IN the promise of His faithfulness.

  

What will it take for you to Lean IN today? 

 

Please feel free to leave a comment and share your own thoughts as you have stepped out in faith and decided to Lean IN to His goodness for you.

Prayers and Blessings,

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Finding Heaven

Linking up with Jen at her SDG Party. Take a stroll at her website Finding Heaven Today for a dose of blessing!