Funny You Should Mention It

For the past few months...twelve, actually...it seems that every time I go to church, our pastor speaks specifically about the things that have been on my mind and heart that week.  Is it any wonder, then, that I furiously scrawled Romans 12:12 in my journal this morning?

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

How are these three things connected, and why would they be immediately followed with a command to "contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality" (Romans 12:13)?  Here's what I think...

We celebrate our hope because it is what brings about change and growth.  It motivates us to pursue greater things.  We rely on God through hardship because hope is a process.  We hope for things and in spite of things.  It gets messy as we endure time and obstacles, and there is a fine line between being the persistent widow and knowing when to accept God's "no."  This is why we have to pray.  God wants us to present to him the desires of our hearts so that he can fulfill them or refine them.  Every good thing comes from the Lord (1 Timothy 4:4), and his character is revealed to us as we seek him (Jeremiah 29:12-13).  Through constant prayer and searching God's word, we are able to discern the good desires from the expectations that do not line up with his will.  God knows this is not an easy pursuit, so he commands the community of believers to encourage and challenge one another.  By serving each other, we purposefully use our time of waiting.  And who knows?  We just might find that God has used us to turn someone else's hope into a reality!

. . .

And now, a complete change of topic.  Rachel, this is for you.  Sadly, I already had a picture...please scroll quickly and pay no attention to the hair!

I have danced for thirteen years!

I have danced with ribbons, and with boys, and with myself.
I have danced fast and slow and on and off the beat.
And I'll be darned if my feet don't find a boogie when the music plays...or even when it doesn't!