how the light gets in

Tag: Job 42:5

• CHRISTMAS – Day 25

  Posted at 2:09 pm by How the Light Gets In, on December 25, 2019

  Merry Christmas

  You did it. WE did it! Hooray for us! 24 days of reading God’s word. 24 days of devoting a little time to learning God’s voice. I’m so proud of you and me!

  Take a moment to scroll all the way back to Day One. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and jot down the websites, books, Instagram accounts, Music, Photography, Email subscriptions, Apps, Artists, Podcasts, Places, People, Recipes.

  Then, take note of what struck you most – was it the beauty, the pain, the encouragement, the community?

  Finally, we should list all the scripture from the posts. The Bible still blows my mind with all those words written so long ago and somehow still very alive and so powerful.

  You know what ALLLLL this tells me?

  GOD

  WILL

  STOP

  AT

  NOTHING.

  God will stop at nothing to get YOUR attention.

  These 24 days have just been a glimpse of how relentless God is trying to grab your attention.

  Christmas gives us the sweetest example of this. Immanuel is God with us.

  Jesus IS God with us.

  But wait, the story doesn’t end here. There’s Good News! Jesus wasn’t just born, end of story. Jesus lived a life full of friendship and story telling and healing and teaching and loving. There’s more to learn. Jesus didn’t just live for you and me. He also died for you and me.

  Today we celebrate His birth but there’s so much more.

  And hey, if you’re reading this you’re alive too which means God’s not done with you. Your story with Him might just be beginning. Or maybe you go way back. Either way, keep walking with Jesus. Read His Word. Learn His voice. Look for Him.

  Remember how we started this journey with Gods word as a “lamp for our feet”? Today let’s celebrate because the light is here. Jesus – God with us – is here “to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:79)

  Thank you for being with me this Advent. You have made it so special for me.

  One last song Reckless Love

  Posted in DECEMBER 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged 1 John 1:5, 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 5:14, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 5:6, 100 Days to Brave, 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, 2 Kings 20, Acts 2:28, Advent, Ann Voskamp, Annie F Downs, Christmas, Church of the Nativity, Colossians 1:9-10, Cory Asbury, Elevation Worship, Ephesians 5:13, Exodus 33:14, Genesis 28:15, Hooray, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 40:3-5, Isaiah 43:18-19, Jenna Mace Photography, Jesus, Jesus Calling, Job 42:5, John 11:38, Joshua 1:9, Journal, Luke 1:3-4, Luke 1:79, Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 28:66, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 27:14, Romans 15:13, Romans 15:4-5, Wonder, Zephaniah 3:17

• Hyperalgesia

  Posted at 11:39 pm by How the Light Gets In, on November 12, 2017

  Someone asked me what the worst part of Joseph’s illness was this past year.  In the early days of Joseph being sick, he developed “hyperalgesia.”  Essentially, Joseph’s brain had swollen enough to put his senses in overdrive.  This turned out to be a pretty tough side-effect for all of us.  Think about it… the tv was always too loud.  Our dinner conversations would send him into a fit, covering his ears.  Sunlight was too bright.  He was always freezing or burning up.  But the worst? The worst was his hyper-sense of touch.  All I wanted to do was snuggle with him.  But, just putting my hand on his cheek would make him flinch.  When you’re the type that just wants to hug everything better, hyperalgesia is your #1 enemy.

  And one day I read this from 2 Kings 20.  Hezekiah is facing some tough crap when he says to God, “Remember Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.”  And, it goes on to say that Hezekiah “wept bitterly.”  See, this is where I would want to hug Hezekiah.  I love that the scriptures tell of real interactions like this with real feelings.  And here is God’s response…

  “I have heard your prayers.   I have seen your tears.  I will heal you.”

  More than once, I doubted the promise of these words.  I doubted God heard me at all.  I wept bitterly like Hezekiah.  I said out loud, “Hey, I’m good. No more testing please!  I know I can’t handle this anymore!!!”

  But this verse holds promise.  The promise of being seen.  You are seen.  You are heard.  Maybe it doesn’t feel that way.  Maybe you feel like you’re the only one.  So say it.  Say it to God.  You know enough about me to know I have said these words to God a) out loud & angry b) kneeling in tears c) in the car, talking like a looney bird d) with friends surrounding me in prayer e) while eating a lot of chocolate f)all of the above AT THE SAME TIME.

  The living word is a reflection of our living God.  Read it and then look around you to see Him.  Because you will.  And then, you will read this verse from Job 42:5 and know it to be true in your very soul.

  “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” 

  Hard things in life can make you flinch at the idea of church, religion, God.  My ears have been hearing about a God I can not describe with physical adjectives like height and weight and hair color.  But I have seen Him.  I have seen God.  And I just want to hug Him.

  Posted in NOVEMBER 2017 | 2 Comments | Tagged 2 Kings 20, brain swelling, Hezekiah, How the Light Gets In, hyperalgesia, I have seen your tears, Job 42:5