tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49521438911279478222024-03-05T13:35:06.485-08:00A Song of RedemptionSinging of His glorious graceSunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-50361557886299673442014-05-11T21:34:00.001-07:002014-05-11T21:34:49.692-07:00The Power of Story<b>Some days I wish we had the ability to see others in terms of their story rather than in terms of how that story has affected us personally.</b> Although there are moments where two people have their stories meet and beauty is reflected as their chapters intertwine, there are also moments where a person's story so deeply impacts another's that there is an abrupt stop...pages ripped out and thrown to the floor, and ultimately all that can be seen are the moments where the stories met causing pain, rejection, and wounds that have left a deep scar. <br />
<br />
Once a wound has been inflicted, once another's story personally impacts ours in such a negative way, <b>it becomes impossible to see their story objectively, and often compassion, grace, and understanding are just simply great ideas,</b> rather than something we are capable of extending into the story of another, as new chapters emerge, chapters labeled THE DAY I BECAME A VICTIM, chapters labeled SELFISHNESS, and THE STORY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY PAIN.<br />
<br />
For instance, I met a woman once who it didn't take me too long to fall in love with. Sure, she was rough around the edges, spent time in and out of rehab, and cheap whiskey often tainted her breath, but as I sat down over coffee and listened to her story, I saw a life impacted from a young age, a life set up for failure, addiction, heartache, pain, and ultimately wounds so deep they would leave her spending the majority of her life attempting to chase them away by numbing herself to the world around her. As she recounted her story for me, I fell in love with her chapter by chapter, there was no judgement, merely compassion, grace, mercy, and a deep sense of anger at those who wounded her so deeply. And as she shared the deep traumatic wounds, I found myself wanting to scream to God, <i>"Where were you?!!"</i> as she struggles to understand the same. My friend, my sister, longs to stop the cycle of addiction, but every time she is sober, the haunting memories come flooding back, and she would rather leave this life than have to<i> feel</i> them once again. Her story included children, and as she told me about each of them it brought joy to her eyes, that was quickly followed by deep sadness. Ultimately, her wounds, the pain inflicted upon her, and the addictions in her life, led her to the decision to abandon them. So, her children have a story too...one whose chapters read, MOM LEFT. I WAS ALONE. I WASN'T WORTH BREAKING THE ADDICTION. <i>And that is where the mixing of their stories ended,</i> and it is not for lack of effort on her part. Her children's scars are deep, valid, and just like her story, these wounds caused deep heartache.<b> Consequences are real however, and my friend wonders if grace really can exist, if mercy really is new every day, and if she is worthy of compassion. </b> All her children know is a mom who wounded them, but they don't know her in terms of the power of her life story. <i>They cannot objectively zoom out and see the beauty that remains in the ashes, and they do not understand the stories that impacted hers so long ago, the stories that caused her soul agony, just as hers caused them... </i><br />
<br />
As I drove home from my last encounter with this beautiful friend of mine, I was torn in two, for when her story met mine, there was beauty, compassion, and grace...yet, I hurt for her children, both for the agony caused in their stories, but also at the thought that they cannot see the story as I see it. This got me thinking of stories that have impacted mine in similar ways, and how I have not been able to objectively see others in terms of their story, but ultimately, could only see them in terms of their impact on me. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Some days I wish we had the ability to see others in terms of their story rather than in terms of how that story has affected us personally. This would be an incredible gift in many moments..a gift that would help us tap into grace, mercy, and compassion, the same that has been extended to us from our Heavenly Father.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>This is my prayer, will you pray this with me today? </b><br />
<i>Lord Jesus, you see each person, every moment, of every day, and your capacity for grace, compassion, and mercy are limitless, without borders, and not dependent on how we impact you. God, I long to have that kind of capacity to love and extend the same to others, selflessly, considering others as better than myself, considering them as your beloved child, worth dying for. My fear is that if I extend this kind of grace, it stamps my approval on the way their story wrote pain into mine. I fear it gives them permission to continue inflicting wounds...yet, I am reminded how often I fall short, how I continue to battle with sin in my own heart, and how patient you are...always eager to give me another gift of grace. Teach me to be like you Father, for on my own, I am incapable of loving another with your mercy, your grace, your compassion. But with you, I can do all things, and that includes loving those whose stories caused me deep wounding. Thank you Father that when I pray you bend down to listen. I love you Lord. AMEN.</i>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-88687743783428014392014-04-17T22:05:00.003-07:002014-04-17T22:08:30.685-07:00Embracing my Leaking Eyes & Gushing HeartI am an emotional human being. My whole life I was characterized as being "too sensitive", "too emotional", "too messy" and "dramatic", all of which led me to believe that emotions were a bad thing, and something to apologize for. For years, every time I felt tears well up, which was often, I felt the need to suck it up, hide, and if the tears came, despite my efforts to choke them back, <b> I felt a deep need to apologize profusely for it</b>. I always attributed my tears, my fears, my deep emotions, as being "messy", and assumed that it proved that I was not very mature in my faith. So, I waited for the day, where my faith would be so strong that I would not have these deep emotions anymore...and I waited, and I waited, and I waited....Years into this process, I figured there was no hope for me when it came to "transformation" in this arena. <br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
One day two years ago, a dear friend of mine, grabbed me by the shoulders during one of my apology sessions, and said, "<i>sister, I am sooo tired of you apologizing for the depth of your heart, for the tears that flow, and for the moments that you are emotionally vulnerable. This is one of the most beautiful parts of your character, and who you are. When I see you get emotional, and when I hear the heart of who you are, I see Jesus. I am encouraged that "feeling deeply" is part of the heart of God. Thank you for being willing to risk sharing your heart, being willing to risk vulnerability, rather than putting up an image of strength. Please don't apologize again." </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
You can imagine, when I heard that, I was stunned. I didn't know how to reconcile what my friend was saying in contrast with the beliefs that I held. <b>Could my emotions be a part of the heart of God?</b> <b>Could they be something used for His glory? What would happen if I actually embraced this part of myself?</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
So, I set off on a journey to embrace this part of myself, rather than doing all that I could to suppress it. I began to open up, to share the deep parts of my heart, to share the deep emotions that I felt, all the while, doing my best to not "suck it up" or to hide from people when I was struggling. I made some tremendous changes, pressed into this part of myself, but there were still some hiccups. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I recently heard myself speaking...as if I was outside of my body, and I heard myself say, "I apologize that I am so messy." I realized that deep down, at the core of my being, I was still believing that it was somehow sinful to allow myself to feel, and when I did, that equated to being "messy"...instead of being human! <b>Old habits die hard!</b> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Earlier this week, I was feeling discouraged, disheartened, and I was grieving a transition that I have walked through. I bravely opened up to some of my peers and shared exactly how I felt, and honestly, I didn't manage whether they thought that I was weak, dramatic, messy, or too emotional, but rather, I pressed in. Then, in typical fashion, I apologized to a friend of mine, and told her that I would get it together soon. <b>I knew that if I just spent time in His word, that I would be able to focus on obeying Christ, and that I would stop thinking selfishly, and sinfully. I apologized for my pity party</b>. I was caught off guard when she said, "<i>when are you going to stop being so hard on yourself for having feelings!!!?..Sunny, I am pretty sure that Jesus was an emotional man too...He felt deeply".</i></div>
<div>
She then reminded me of the Psalms, and how they are a book packed full of emotions, and that was somehow part of the human experience. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I read this yesterday in Hebrews 5:7-9 following that conversation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"<i>During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered, and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey.."</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<b>And the soft, gentle voice of my Savior invited me to feel</b>, reminding me that He too felt deeply. I am not comparing my road with that which He endured, but I do know that even though Jesus longed to obey the Father..He still felt deeply, He still cried, He still asked the Father to remove this cup from Him...and that doesn't make Him weak, it doesn't make Him "disobedient" or "messy"...it makes Him Jesus.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>So, I am going to continue to embrace this part of ME, and I am going to refuse to believe the lie that it is sinful, messy, or dramatic to do so. </b>I won't do this perfectly, but I am so thankful that I am making progress. I pray that you too will press in to being exactly WHO GOD MADE YOU TO BE...without apologies. And my friend, you are not "messy"...you are human! It's ok to feel..it doesn't mean that you are disobedient or lacking submission if you feel. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Amen by myself. Preaching to myself. Hope you gain something out of my ramblings.....</b></div>
Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-33733985381062385182014-01-13T13:56:00.001-08:002014-01-13T13:56:27.471-08:00Focus StatementsI am not one to set New Year's Resolutions, primarily because my list of "what needs changing" is too long and overwhelming, and thus, my resolutions end in failure. I am not one for setting anyone up for failure, and that includes myself. I am however, a very goal driven person. Goals help me to remain focused, and serve as guidelines in decision making, which prove to be very important during chaotic seasons. After years of setting goals that weren't really making a difference in my life, I realized that the idea of a New Year's resolution was not aiding my growth in any way. I ended up focusing on things that, in light of eternity, weren't really that important. God helped me to make a very important shift about two years ago, when He gave me <b>Focus Statements.</b> The past few years I have asked God to give me phrases to propel me forward in my life, in the areas that <u>He sees as important</u>, as opposed to the areas that this world holds in high esteem. I started with "<b>Nourish to Flourish</b>" and that year God helped me to nourish my soul, my marriage, my relationships, and my body. Last year, I focused on "<b>Be Presen</b>t" and "<b>With His Strength</b>." <b>"Be Present</b>" was to help me to be mindful of the current task that I was in, rather than spending time daydreaming, worrying, or planning how to do the next. It also was intended to guide me to be very careful with social media, emails, and texting, when it came to being with others...be present with them...not stuck into my phone. (I think I may have failed at the latter). "<b>With His Strength</b>", was the way I approached walking through healing, forgiveness, transition, and establishing healthy boundaries in my life. It reminded me that at every point that I felt that I didn't have the strength to keep walking forward or to keep pressing in, that "<b>With His Strength," </b>I could do all things.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This year, I feel like God has two focus statements for me; <b>Consult God</b> and <b>I am Loved </b></div>
<div>
I am an extremely relational person, and have been blessed to be surrounded by wise counsel. I have spent the past year, walking through a great deal of healing, but there is much more ahead of me. In that, I can often go to the people that God has placed in my life, to help me process through pain, give me strength to forgive, or to help guide me in important decisions in life. <i>I do this, at times, in the place of going to God.</i> This year, I want to be reminded to <b>Consult God </b>at every turn, and to allow the wise counsel He has blessed me with, to be simply the icing on the cake. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am also realizing that there are moments where I still doubt the love of God, for ME. (I realize that sounds ridiculous, but it is honest.) I know that His love is real, and I have no trouble believing in that <i><u>love for everyone around me, but I often struggle to grasp it for myself. </u></i> This year, I want to post reminders everywhere to remind me of this<b> truth</b>. For, we cannot truly love another, without understanding love ourselves. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And, as a side note...in Paul and I's marriage we have decided to focus on....</div>
<div>
<b>Explore: </b>We realize that we still have a ton to learn about each other, we want to explore each other's hearts, explore new hobbies together, explore opportunities for growth, etc...</div>
<div>
<b>Endurance: </b>In this season, with managing a blended family with 4 children, me working, and Paul in school & staying home with the kids, and also walking through some trials together, we need endurance to push through. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Romans 5:34 "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
So, there you have it! 2014 here we go!!!</div>
Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-54485766912682856182014-01-02T16:25:00.000-08:002014-01-02T16:25:11.725-08:002013: Gut-Wrenching Healing<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">A
year ago today, I sat in a familiar living room, surrounded by a roomful of
people who love me, to watch a piece of my life unfold on national television. I had no idea what doors that day would open
up, or how God would use it in my life, all that I knew was that despite people
who disagreed with my decision to do it, <b>God had asked me to agree to share my
story in the strangest of settings. </b> Two weeks prior to the “viewing day”,
in what felt like a whirlwind, I was off to Hollywood to sit down and share my
story in a cold room with a stranger, <i>knowing that what she captured would be
played for a national audience.</i> My
husband sat in an adjacent room, <b>armed with a Bible and his knees,</b> and prayed
for me, as I plunged into moments that I had not visited in 16 years, <i>but have
since realized that I had been chained to</i>. </span>The camera captured my most painful moments, and tears
streamed down the video producers face, as she interviewed me for 7 hours. The next day, I sat before a live
audience, feeling like one of the characters in The Hunger Games, as people were
being <b>entertained by my death</b>. Silently,
my soul cried out to God… “<i>Why, did you
send me here</i>?” I felt like I was having an out of body experience, and I
could not connect to what was happening, but the one reality for me was that of
<b>the anger that was present on the face of my husband.</b> <b> </b>I convinced myself that God sent me to share a message of forgiveness
to the world, but little did I know,<b><u> He actually sent me to take me to new
levels of healing.</u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">As
I watched my “debut” on television, surrounded by loved ones, it confirmed to
me, that I had in fact lived through hell.
My memories </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">weren't</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> snapshots of a movie that I had once seen, they were
part of my story, <i>a story that the God of the universe, my Healer and
Deliverer, had chose to allow, though He did not cause them.</i> As I heard my story, as told by yours truly, I
could feel a golf ball developing in my throat, as I choked back years of pain,
and my heart seemed to completely stop beating for what felt like an eternity. I
looked around the room, at a room full of faces that have gained my trust and
respect over the years, <b>and the sadness that streamed down their cheeks, was a
moment that I would revisit over and over throughout the year, it was one of
many moments that would bring tremendous healing. </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The aftermath of last January has been gut-wrenching. I was left
shell-shocked and confused as my wounds were ripped open for all the world to
see. I feel like I spent the first few months of the year in the fetal
position, begging God to remove the memories from me, and yet, <b>I cannot deny that my decision to go was
one of obedience to God. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> *It was a
decision that began, but did not complete, a journey of deeper healing in
me. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> *It was a decision that began, but
did not complete, an understanding of how loved I am by God.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> * It was a decision that began,
but did not complete, an understanding of the character of God, my Protector,
my Deliverer, the One Who Cares for Me, and the God Who Sees Me and ALWAYS
has.</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There were moments within this
painful situation that God is using to make me whole, that He is using to shape
me for His glory. I had to begin to look
beyond the painful memories to the moments that God had purposed. Here is my
attempt at recapturing these moments to sum up 2013. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MOMENT #1: </b>God
will ask us to do strange things sometimes that will require obedience and
courage that cannot be derived from those around you. He will send you to the
strangest of settings, and He knows when He sends you into a storm that the
waves will crash and cause excruciating pain, but He will send you anyways. He sees beyond the pain into the healing that
is on the horizon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MOMENT #2: </b>In our
most painful moments, God’s word is always near. As I have revisited the moment of my husband praying
and reading scripture in the adjacent room, I have been reminded that God
equips us with His word for <b>every</b> battle, that He is <b>always near</b> providing
strength in our most painful times, and that His <b>Holy Spirit intercedes on our
behalf when we are huddled on the floor, incapable of moving our lips.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MOMENT #3: </b>As I watched tears stream down
the video producers face, and the faces of my dear friends, I saw that in my
most painful memories, the moments of my past that caused me to wonder where
God was, <b>that He was present, and that my pain grieved Him deeply. </b> Jesus was a man familiar with suffering, and
His word promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, that He is near to
the broken hearted, and will bind up our wounds. <u>And I believe Him</u>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MOMENT #4: </b>As I
saw the anger on my husband’s face, <b>I saw a protector</b>. I saw that God was angry at what happened to
His child…me. I saw that He would not let the enemy have victory over me, but
that He claimed me as His own. I saw that although the world cannot understand
it, that God did protect me, and that He has used all my painful moments to
draw me closer to Himself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I<i>f you are reading this today, I want to encourage you, that
in your most painful memories, God did not abandon you. As we walk through pain, there are moments
that God will use for His glory, there are moments He can use to write our
futures, futures that are packed full of hope. Through all our pain, we come to know Him by
name. And in every broken and painful
memory, we can find healing, as we keep pressing into the One who saves, the
One who rescued us because He delights in us.
Though 2013’s moments weren’t easy, I believe they have given me
snapshots of the continued healing that God has for me. In 2014, I pray that my heart will be
postured to receive all that God has for me, whether it be a storm, or dancing
on a mountain top, His ways are what I desire.
<b>I’m praying that this year He
strengthens me to keep singing this song of redemption that He is writing in
me.</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-64298745665619031012013-11-27T22:38:00.000-08:002013-11-27T22:38:08.509-08:00Joyfully Standing Amongst the Thorns<i>"Where you lead, I will follow..."</i><br />
<i>"Where you go, I'll go.."</i><br />
<i>"Have your way.."</i><br />
<i>"I trust you"</i><br />
<i>"You are good!"</i><br />
<br />
We love to sing songs with lyrics like these as we worship on Sundays...with hands raised and all. And, it is so easy for us when things are going our way, when life is going well, and when opens doors we were praying would open.<br />
<br />
But......what happens when God actually calls you outside of where you "thought" He was asking you to go? What happens when God beckons you to actually step out of the boat of comfort that you have worked so hard to sit in and calls you out onto waters that you are completely clueless how to sail? What happens when the journey to your destination takes a turn that you weren't expecting? What happens when life throws you a curveball, that takes the wind out of your sails? What happens when the rug you thought God had given you to stand on is pulled out from underneath you? <br />
<br />
<b>In these moments, are we still singing? Are we still praising? Are we still trusting? </b><br />
<br />
<u><b>So often in these moments, my heart goes to....</b></u><br />
<i>"what did I do wrong God?'...</i><br />
<i>"what steps do I take to get out of this?"...</i><br />
<i>"how long until you take me back to where I was headed?, into waters that I feel comfortable navigating, how long until I can stand again, how long until I can breathe without pain.."</i><br />
<br />
But, what if these struggles, are actually the "thorns" of purpose? What if these are the very things in life that God has intended to shape us? What if these "hiccups" aren't hiccups at all...but muscle builders? If we actually believe that <b>His power is made perfect in our weakness</b>, then why do we keep expecting God to put us in situations where we always feel strong? If we actually believe that <b>He works all things together for good</b>...why do we keep expecting things to always "feel good" or "be good"? ...<b>If He is the one who prospers u</b>s...then why do we expect to be prosperous in every moment? How would God ever get the glory if we humans were allowed to select our struggles, or choose to eject from them whenever it suited us? <br />
<br />
My heart has been in a place over the past several months that I have been having myself a pity party. I even brought wine, cheese, and a little violin to really celebrate. I threw on a blindfold and spent hours playing "pin the tail on the donkey," all to kill the time until God would finally "remove me from the struggle or the pain that I was sitting in"....and as I sit in His presence tonight, I am aware that I can really be a donkey...<i>(there's another word I would prefer to use, but I will spare you.</i>) I am grateful that <b>His mercies are new every morning</b>, and that it is never too late for change...so today, I am asking for God to shift my perspective. I am asking that He would allow me sit wherever He chooses, painful or not, if it means that He will be accomplishing His greater purposes in me. I am choosing to thank Him for the struggles and for being a God who doesn't simply give me what I want...but rather what I need. <br />
<br />
<b>I want to joyfully stand amongst the thorns</b>, pricking me where they may, for I believe with all of my heart, that someday they will turn to roses. For someday, I will stand in the presence of my Savior, and on that day I will have been made complete, I will have been perfected through the winds that have blown, through the thorns that have pricked me, and through the rains that have beat down on me (<i>leaving me with bad hair days</i>). <br />
<br />
<b><u>Today I'm singing a new song....</u></b><br />
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Where you lead, I will follow..." <b> </b></i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>even when it seems like its not the right path.</b>..</span><br />
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Where you go, I'll go.."...</i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>.even when it isn't where I want to go...</b></span><br />
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Have your way.."</i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b> even when it is far from the way that I would've chosen...</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>"I trust you" </i><b>ALWAYS...in ALL things.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>"You are good!" </i><b>ALWAYS...even when it doesn't feel good.</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-34962883472026634952013-06-20T23:50:00.000-07:002013-06-20T23:52:01.988-07:00The SuperWoman Escape PlanIt seems that every woman I know feels overwhelmed. Every conversation I stumble into with another woman, whether she has employment outside the home, works from home, or goes to school, the theme is that we are....<br />
<br />
<b><i>Busy. Busy. Busy.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Many of us are wishing for another hour in the day, for one less expectation to fall on our shoulders, for one less "to-do" on our list, and ultimately, our souls are <i>crying out for rest.</i> <br />
<br />
Family schedules, cleaning schedules, school schedules, work schedules, grocery shopping schedules, sports schedules, workout schedules, eating schedules, church schedules, chemo schedules... schedule a date, schedule a sitter, schedule your quiet time, schedule time with friends, ....we are nearly scheduled to death...with no end in sight as we strive to do it <i>ALL. And then, </i>Most of us like to keep quiet about the fact that we are feeling overwhelmed with it <i>ALL, </i><b>because speaking about it would mean we have to take off our cape</b>. SuperMom. SuperWife. SuperFriend. SuperWoman.<br />
<i><br /></i>
All of this can leave us feeling tired, overwhelmed, defeated, distracted, consumed, and like we are being pecked to death, which ultimately leaves us...<br />
<br />
<b><i>Looking for an escape. </i></b><br />
<br />
Some women shop. Some eat. Some Drink. Some Exercise. Some fantasize about another life. Some have affairs. T<i>hough our "escape plans" can look entirely different, what drives us to the need to escape, is often very similar. </i>We're tired.<b> I am tired.</b><br />
<br />
I found myself asking the Lord throughout the day today...how do I truly enter your rest? <br />
<br />
An old hymn was stuck in my head for most of the day, to the point where it almost annoyed me. <br />
<br />
<b>As I was.....</b><br />
<b>...Doing the dishes</b>. <i>Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.</i><br />
<b>...Grocery shopping</b>. <i> And all these things shall be added unto you. Allelu... Alleluia </i><br />
<b>...Making dinner.</b> <i>Man does not live by bread alone. But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Allelu...Alleluia</i><br />
<b>...Picking up daughter from dance. </b><i>Ask and it shall be given unto you<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">....</span></i><br />
<b>...Chatting with a friend about how overwhelmed we were...</b><i>Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Allelu...Alleluia.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I remembered that in Zephaniah 3:17 it says " For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With is love, he will calm all your fears. </i><u style="font-style: italic;">He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."</u><br />
<i><u><br /></u></i>
God had been rejoicing over me with a joyful song all day long, and once I finally realized it, <b> I experienced an overwhelming sense of peace and oddly enough, I felt rested. </b>I don't have an answer from Him on how to avoid all the "crazy". I don't have a quick fix to feeling overwhelmed. But, I am reminded that when I seek Him and His righteousness before all other "to-do's" on my list...not "if" there is time, then I end up having all that I need to get thru the day. I am reminded that when He is first....when studying His word is first in my life...that is when I am truly successful. <i>(Joshua 1:8)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your schedule, in desperate need of an escape plan, I pray that you will escape in His word. Sing a simple worship song. Stop and pray. As you do so, may you experience His peace and His rest. Maybe the next time you hear your friends talking about how busy they are, how overwhelmed and over scheduled they are, remind them to escape in Him, to seek Him first, and to find His rest.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28</b><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><i><br /></i>
<i> </i><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><br /></i></b>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-91762849179011067982013-06-12T09:52:00.006-07:002013-06-12T09:52:51.542-07:00Crossfit. The Clock. The FinishI have been doing Crossfit for about a year now, and God has truly used it as an avenue to get my attention and to grow my faith. It never gets easier. Not. One. Bit. But, I do find myself showing up anyway, as I look forward to that moment where I finish a WOD (workout of the day), and where I can see the scriptures come to life..."<i>I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me".</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
This morning, I found myself in the midst of the WOD and as I pushed myself up off the floor to start my next round of box jumps, I found myself<b> desperate to see the clock.</b> I was hoping to find that I was almost through the pain, and that the<b> buzzer would soon go off, signaling my finish. </b> As I began to take a look, I heard a still, small voice inside whisper, "<i>Don't watch the clock. Don't worry about how much longer you are in the pain, just keep at it with all you got, and I will give you the strength that you need to endure". </i>God was faithful as I put in the work, to give me everything that I needed to complete the next few rounds.<br />
<i><br /></i>
Once I was finished, I stood there surprised, as usual, that I had accomplished the WOD at all, remembering that it was just a year ago where I could hardly run 200m and a box jump was just a distant goal. On the drive home,<i> I began to see that the lesson that God was teaching me this morning, had much more to do with my heart than it did with my physical body.</i> <br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>I'm a clock watcher.</b> I often wonder as I stare at the minutes passing by, "<i>How much longer do I have to sit in this pain? How much longer will it hurt? How much harder is it going to get? How many times will I fall on my face. I don't have the strength to stand up anymore. God, I don't think I can handle one more second in this storm". </i><b>I often want to race to comfort and do all that I can to speed thru the uncomfortable seasons in my life. </b> But, God has purpose in the seasons that I am uncomfortable, seasons where I am weary from jumping outside my "comfort box". Sometimes we understand the purpose, other times we never will, but what we can know is that God is always faithful to help us finish. <i>He is always faithful to strengthen our feeble arms and our weak knees.</i> <br />
<br />
So, instead of watching the second hands<i> tick tock tick tock</i>... focus on Christ. Don't worry about when it's time to finish. He will bring you there with victory. He is always faithful to do so.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-73972898836869263882013-03-27T00:31:00.001-07:002013-06-20T23:52:16.914-07:00The Question that Lingers...<br />
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had been running from a question I was afraid to ask for years. I couldn’t seem to face it, I couldn’t allow my lips to utter it, yet its unknown answer often spun in my head and left my soul in anguish. </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>My head knew the truth</i>, knew that the past had no power over me unless I chose to allow it to. </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>My head knew the truth,</i> that God had redeemed my past and delivered me from evil. </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>My head knew the truth</i>, that God is Sovereign and that extends to being sovereign over suffering. </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>His very own Son. Hung. On a Cross...on display for the whole world to see. </b> </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>My head knew the truth.</i> My heart didn’t get the memo.</span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Somehow, my suffering seemed too high of a mountain to climb. It seemed daunting and most days, impossible to ever come out the other side. Years and years of running from it left me exhausted, burnt out, spent... <i>The erosion that tears had caused left a valley on my cheek from their constant flow. </i> Long ago I installed a dam and commanded my eyes to stop gushing and a brick wall to command my heart to stop feeling. But somehow, my attempts at controlling the pain began to leak from my eyes and my heart once again, I made numerous attempts to trap the tears with sandbags, but failed, leaving me “feeling” once again.</span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>So the wrestling match began.....</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">A constant hum of my pain buzzed in the air and even daylight pierced my heart. <b>A struggle took place that was laughable...the God of the universe vs. little ol' me. Yet, He engaged and was very present as I grabbed a hold of Him. </b> </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>An idea entered the struggle.</i>...The idea of allowing God to HEAL the deepest parts of my soul. It invaded my neat and tidy space. <i> </i></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Once Pristine..Now Disheveled</i>. </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">There were papers thrown everywhere from the piles of journal entries where I begged for healing, but refused to allow it...because allowing it, meant <i>I had to peek inside the file I buried it in and admit the damage that suffering caused me. </i></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>O, Wayward Soul, Discouraged Heart, why do you constantly walk in confusion, and what is it that you actually want? And if you want it so bad, why don’t you walk thru Healing’s Gates? </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And it continues...</span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My muscles are getting stronger now from the battle that has raged. As I look down at my tired arms and legs, still wrestling, </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I</span> can distinctly see definition where there used to be flab. </i></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<i>I can see strength where there used to be fear. </i></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<i>I can see trust where there used to be paranoia. </i></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<i>Life where there used to be death</i></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<i>. ...and on the horizon I can see intimacy where there used to be distance. </i></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<b>And I no longer have words, but I don’t really need them...., for there is a WORD that lies within me that has begun to put all other words to rest. </b></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>In one last battle stance, I grab ahold and cry out . I utter the question that I have feared for far too long, the question that paralyzes me....”Why?” Why did you allow it, if you love me so?” If you saw me, why did you not rescue me? </i> </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And, instead of an answer, I found an embrace. I found peace. I found my Protector, my Healer, my Friend. <b>No answers, just peace...peace in knowing that my suffering led me straight to Him.</b> My muscles relax and where there was exhaustion, rest has finally been found. </span></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-27373157567477385812012-11-28T20:18:00.000-08:002012-11-28T20:18:24.913-08:00Bambi's feet<br />
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. Psalm <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4952143891127947822" style="color: #1155cc;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4952143891127947822" style="color: #1155cc;">18:33</a></i></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
This morning as I was spending time in God's word, my eyes stopped on this verse in a chapter of the Bible that I am very familiar with, and I couldn't seem to move on. I began to think about deer feet and ask "why" David chose to use a deer to describe his feet? I quickly saw visions of Bambi, leaping across the meadow with Thumper, and I drew a blank... My mind flashed to Bambi on the ice, spinning on his belly because his feet had skipped underneath him, and though, in Bambi's klutzy moment I truly saw myself....(<i>ask my husband about my daily run-in's wih the walls in our home)....</i>..I realized David was probably not describing this Bambi moment .....my knowledge of deer feet was limited so I decided to dig in...which made scripture come alive! Here is a brief summarized anatomy lesson....</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><u>Bambi feet</u></b></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>(Summarized from <a href="http://www.huntingnet.com/staticpages/staticpage_detail.aspx?id=48">Hunting Net</a>)</i><br />
*suited for running, whether to chase or to escape danger.</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
* enable deer to move swiftly across dense forests</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
*back legs are very small, but muscular, front legs make pivoting swiftly come with ease.</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
* <b>BUT THE HOOVES, OR FEET, MAKE IT ALL POSSIBLE.</b></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>* </b>outer hooves provide traction on slippery surfaces</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
*Inner hooves are tough and provide a soft landing on hard surfaces.</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
*Declaws: broaden the hoove's platform in necessary conditions, such as deep snow. </div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
*hooves are small but formidable weapons</div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><u>What does Bambi have to do with me/you</u>?</b></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
David is saying God gives us feet like a deer....wow! This means we have a readiness to evade danger & to move swiftly thru the dark forests of life. You see, we will hit trouble spots in this life, but God gives us feet like the deer where we can move thru it...we have traction on slippery slopes, when it feels like we are sliding out of control, we have a soft landing on the hard ground we often have to trod through, we have weapons against the enemy, and though we may be small, with the feet that He provides, we have mighty power and strength to move with ease and leap with joy. <b>Having feet like a deer means that, with Christ, we are sure-footed! We can be sure that no matter what the path ahead looks like, God will have our feet ready for the terrain. </b></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>So my friend, as you walk thru this valley, as you feel as though you are evading danger, walking thru a dark forest where you cannot see a foot in front of you, where you feel you are in knee-deep, may I suggest that you walk with Him...on the feet He provides...don't walk on your hands...in your own way...stand firmly, securely, with confidence as you walk forward and soar on the heights. Today, smile as you think of Bambi:). </i></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #262626; font-family: Times; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-7331525352665591552012-08-22T08:01:00.001-07:002012-08-22T08:02:03.970-07:00What's my calling?All too often we get hung up searching for our purpose on this planet. We walk thru season after season of unfulfillment, searching, digging, praying for a sign of what God wants us to do. Our stomachs end up in knots as we ponder if we are "hitting the mark", if we have "found success", or if we are "on the right path". We search and wonder when we will find the "favor of God", when we will find our "calling", etc. I know, because it is where I lived for years.<br />
<br />
I would begin to believe that I knew my unique calling, but at the first sign something seemed a bit "off", I would worry that I had misunderstood the voice of God, which would lead me on a downward cycle of whether I had ever heard from God. I would worry about the 'how" when it comes to finding His will. I would worry that I was wasting time in redeeming this life that He gave me for His purposes, and that somehow I was being disobedient. And the truth is, I was wasting time, I was being disobedient. I was self-absorbed, searching to fulfill MY PURPOSES, not HIS. My prayer were consumed with me, my trajectory, my calling, my training, my, my, my. OH MY! :)<br />
<br />
<b>God's will really isn't that complex, nor is He hard to find. </b> He is present, and waiting for the day where we will rest, and know that He is God....where we will step into what He called us to...obedience, taking steps in the direction of Him, serving Him, loving others, making disciples of nations, day by day. He patiently waits as we search and come up empty every single time. He patiently waits as we struggle through trying to figure out who we are. <i>He allows the toil, because it shapes our character, and he waits patiently until we realize that it's HIM we are searching for</i>. His favor is dwelling in His children, those who are born again. His will, is that we would make His name famous, and make disciples of nations. <b>WE find our purpose, when we find Him. And when we find Him, He draws us into serving others...where we find His purposes. </b><br />
<br />
<i>Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by <b>being like-minded</b>, <b>having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. </b>Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others........., have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, ..........<b>....</b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><i><b> he made himself nothing</b></i></span><br />
<i>by taking the very nature of a servant,....</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><i>. (Philippians 2:1-7 NIV)</i></span><br />
<br />
Stop wrestling. Stop searching. Rest. Instead of trying to find yourself, <b>find HIM. </b>Instead of searching for your purpose, search for His purposes. <i>Instead of trying to be "something", <b>take the form of a servant</b></i><b>.</b> That is where true fulfillment lies. <br />
<br />
<br />Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-84622022558809594002012-07-30T08:15:00.001-07:002012-07-30T08:15:08.393-07:00He is the LIGHT<i>"If you are walking in darkness without a ray of light, trust in the LORD, and rely on your God". Isaiah 50:10b</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
If you cannot see in front of you, if you cannot see what the future brings, you can't guess how your relationship issues, your work issue, your job situation, your health situation will work out, if there is not a clear way to go.....then <b>trust in the LORD and rely on your God.</b> I'm preaching to myself here. I am a planner. I like to know how a situation might work out, it makes me feel safe and helps me to determine next steps. But, sometimes, God intentionally doesn't allow us to see, doesn't give us glimpses, He allows us to be in the darkness, without a ray of light on the situation. So. We search everywhere for a flashlight, we survey the situation, we often prepare for the worst, we plan as if we know what will happen....instead of <b>Trusting in the LORD and relying on our God</b>. The fact is that we love to be in control, with the lights on at all times. We like to rely on ourselves. Sure, we pray to God, we worship Him, we sing songs about Him...but, when push comes to shove, many of us don't trust Him. It's a very subtle distrust, one that creeps in slowly and we can't see it as we are <i>stumbling around for the light switch</i>. Its silliness when the truth is that <b>God is right</b> <b>there</b>, He is our ray of light for<i> He is Sovereign and He can see the outcome of every situation, every relationship, every hardship. He's the light switch we are searching for.</i> <b>We can be sure of every step if we are planted in and relying on Him. </b><br />
<br />
I needed this gentle reminder this morning. A reminder to "<i>be still, and know that He is God</i>", a reminder that He is Sovereign, that <b>He is the LIGHT of the world. </b> I choose today to trust on the Lord and rely on my God, when there is not a ray of light on my situation....and somehow, there is such peace in that. Are you trusting in the Lord and relying on God? Or, are you frantically searching for the light switch?Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-61131128762428905952012-06-25T16:43:00.000-07:002012-06-25T16:45:20.099-07:00Dangerously DistractedAs I have been talking to people lately, I have noticed that we are all so busy managing life and the daily details of our routines that on some levels we are actually at the point of being <b>dangerously distracted</b>.<br />
<br />
We have the daily responsibilities of work, family care, taking care of the home, paying the bills, etc, and there is nothing wrong or dangerous about these responsibilities...then on top of this we are busy on facebook, email, texting, exercising, primping in mirror, pinning on imaginary boards for our imaginary lives on Pinterest, hanging with friends, going shopping, helping our friends in crisis, writing blogs, worrying about how to pay the bills, worrying about if we are raising our kids right, and on, and on , and on.
The problem becomes when <b>we are so consumed with details of life that it distracts us from being present with the people in our lives.</b> <i><b>We become too busy to cultivate or sow into relationships</b>.</i><br />
<br />
At every restaurant I go to I see people busy texting while they are with their families at dinner...too busy to enjoy them. Not only are we busy not being present with the people in our lives, but we are also too busy to spend time with God; in His word, praying, or listening for His voice. But, oh, thank goodness that many of us at least throw a quick shout out to God on our way to work, or a quick "thanks for the grub, God"...after all, <i>it's the "Christian" thing to do</i>. (sarcasm font).<br />
<br />
We are <b>DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTED</b>. In John 10:10 it says "<i>The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full</i>. <i>I wonder if we are allowing the enemy to steal our family time by keeping us distracted? I wonder if we are allowing the enemy to slowly steal our time with God by keeping us so busy managing life?</i> Truth is, we cannot blame the enemy. Though He may work to distract us, <b>we choose to allow the distractions to steal our time with God and others. </b>.<br />
<br />
Jesus came that we might have life...and have it to the full. Jesus came to show us how to live. But, without being with Him, and then being with others, we will never truly experience the full life He intended. <b> What kind of things have been keeping you dangerously distracted these days?</b>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-47131028826927355802012-06-17T22:22:00.000-07:002012-06-17T22:22:00.744-07:00We welcome you?In the past several weeks as I have led worship at <a href="http://www.lifepointnv.com">LifePoint</a>, I have found myself wrestling thru a phrase that we sing and wondering if I truly live it out. You see, it is easy for us to sing along to familiar tunes, and melodically move over the lyrics without truly meaning them. But, isn't this just a sing-a-long if we aren't truly meaning what we sing? Its not true worship then, it's <i>phony bologna</i>. <b>
I long to worship God in the way that He desires...<i>wholeheartedly</i></b>. If we are engaged in true worship, it says in John 4:23 that "..... <i>the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.". </i>
The idea I have been personally wrestling thru is this idea of "welcoming God". Several songs talk about welcoming God in our midst, welcoming him with praise, etc..and I wonder, <b>do I truly welcome Him</b>? Because, to "welcome" someone means they are "gladly or cordially received". <b>Hmmm?</b> It's easy for me to welcome God with gladness in moments or seasons where I am full of excitement because <i>things are going my way</i>, but how about the times <i>when they aren't? </i>. Do we welcome God with praise when our life seems to be falling apart and He seems silent? When we struggle with chronic pain and there is no healing in sight? When things aren't peachy with our spouse even though we have been praying for them and working on our own side of the street? When we didn't get the promotion that we thought we deserved? When we are disciplined by God? When we are walking thru the consequences of our sin? When we are broke even though we work hard, live humbly, and tithe consistently? Do we welcome Him with praise when we have zero strength left because with each new season comes another crushing blow?
<b>Is He "welcome" in your life to move according to His will?</b>.......<b>or, is He only welcome on your terms...when you "feel" like having company?
<i></i></b>
I think for me, sometimes <i>it can be the latter</i>, but praise God that <b>He is a gracious, loving, and merciful God who will keep perfecting us until the day we stand before Him.</b> I want to have my heart transformed, perfected, in this arena...I want to truthfully welcome Him to move in my life <i>according to His purposes and not my own</i>. I want to sing from the top of my lungs "I welcome You with praise", and I want to truly mean it. <b>How about you? </b>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-58100896502969578632012-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:002012-04-20T10:16:24.522-07:00Living One Day at a time<i>Living One day at a time
Enjoying one moment a time
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace- Reinhold Niebuhr
</i>
This line of the serenity prayer is the hardest for me to honestly live out. I'm a dreamer, a goal-oriented future thinker, and at times...<i>a worry wart</i>. Sometimes this part of my character is really healthy and it keeps me organized, directed, focused, and helps me live with intentionality. <i>Then there are other times that my inability to live in the moment is extremely unhealthy</i>. I will walk thru a hardship, and before you know it, I have woven in my mind a huge disaster that is sure to come...<b>impending doom</b>...and I am devastated about what "might" happen in the future because of what the hardship will bring. I spend hours toiling over it, and sometimes get physically ill because of it. I was walking in one of those moments today and I heard God say, "<i>Sunny, be present with me in THIS moment..even in the pain, let's enjoy each other's company</i>." You see, because I walk with Christ, <b>I don't have to worry about tomorrow</b>..I am free from that. Because I walk with Christ, <b>I can trust</b> that no matter what I walk thru, be it a hardship or even a disaster, that I will never be abandoned, that I will be given strength for the journey, and <b>I can trust in the Sovereign Lord.</b>
<b>I'd love to encourage you, to remind you, that no matter what you are walking thru, no matter what today brings, to live one day at a time, enjoy one moment at a time, and accept hardship as a pathway to peace. We do this by clinging to Him who knows what tomorrow brings. </b>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-66226776200926304482012-04-14T08:25:00.003-07:002012-04-14T09:12:40.699-07:00My hodgepodge heartMy heart is a hodgepodge, or (confused mixture) of...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Love<br />* Exuberant Joy<br />* Passion to see God's church <span style="font-weight:bold;">advance His kingdom</span> & protect souls from the gates of hell<br />*Zeal to <span style="font-weight:bold;">see people worshipping</span> God with all that they are<br />*Passion to <span style="font-weight:bold;">encourage</span> others to embrace their God given identity and serve Him wholeheartedly<br />*Zeal to <span style="font-weight:bold;">share with others</span> the amazing things Christ has done in me, that they might see Him and exalt His name.<br />*A desire to have complete obedience to Jesus<br />*A passion for women <span style="font-weight:bold;">to understand that God DELIGHTS in them.</span><br /></span><br />But yet, there is also...<br /><br />* <span style="font-weight:bold;">Insecurity,</span> which is only a classy word for "pride"...<br />* The <span style="font-weight:bold;">SAVING face zone</span>: this is an area that keeps me at times refusing to confess sins that I believe are minor, "no biggie", or that I keep waiting for the "right time" to confess. (yet I know that being prompt with confession is true obedience)<br />* <span style="font-weight:bold;">People-pleasing rule follower </span>instead of a <span style="font-style:italic;">God -pleaser thru the acceptance of Grace</span><br /><br />The truth is that my Christ given heart, my new heart that I was given after accepting His free gift of grace, is at all times in <span style="font-weight:bold;">danger of being overrun</span> by the wretchedness that lurks around. I have to live intentionally, always with this knowledge that my heart seeks to destroy itself on occasion, and guard it thru confession, thru soaking in God's word daily, and thru being willing to make, what the world considers <span style="font-style:italic;">ridiculous choices</span>, to follow Jesus. I do these things best in relationship with OTHERS:)<br /><br />On my own, I can self-destruct at any moment...but in community...with OTHERS...people who will invest in my new heart, my God-given identity, people who will speak truth, people who will basically slap me when I am steeped in sin, people who will gracefully love me when I confess my wretchedness.<span style="font-style:italic;">.<span style="font-weight:bold;">.It is in the "doing life with others", that my new heart..the heart Christ died to give me, rises out of the hodgepodge and I truly live. <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Do you have people in your life that have permission to look into your hodgepodge heart? How do they encourage you to "<span style="font-style:italic;">truly live</span>"? </span>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-86948103701975729062012-03-27T09:04:00.004-07:002012-03-27T09:26:31.073-07:00What is that measuring tape for?It seems that no matter what conversation I am in, I constantly hear women believing the subtle lie that <span style="font-weight:bold;">we are not enough.</span> I see a striving amongst women, a striving to be better at something, do more of something, be less this, or more of that. I can understand this battle that I hear my girlfriends, my mother, my sisters in Christ & in those I mentor.....I can understand it, <span style="font-style:italic;">because I live it.</span>..nearly everyday. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We even take convictions from the Holy Spirit, and we put them in our "not enough" bucket, which in turn takes our conviction and turns it into a shame slap. </span>. <br /><br />So, <span style="font-weight:bold;">we shop</span>..after all, the right outfit will help us feel more adequate. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We gossip</span>, because if we talk about others, we won't have to think about the fact that we feel empty. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We judge others</span>, because measuring them gives us a break from slapping the measuring tape against our own thighs, hearts, breasts, thoughts..etc. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We work out,</span> because if our body looks tighter people might not see the<span style="font-style:italic;"> flab of insecurity shaking in the wind.</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">We go on fad diets, starve ourselves</span>, all so that our bodies will be closer to the image that we see on the front of Cosmo magazine. We think that all these things will help us be enough, be better, be stronger, be more beautiful....<span style="font-style:italic;">but, they never will</span>.. they will never add to, or take away from <span style="font-weight:bold;">WHO WE ARE. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">My sister, my mother, my friend....YOU ARE ENOUGH. Not because of what you do or don't do...simply because YOU ARE a daughter of the King, the Gracious Son of God, who gave His life because He found <span style="font-weight:bold;">you </span>worth dying for. <br /></span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">He drew you out of deep waters, He rescued you from your powerful enemy, from the foes that were too strong for you.,..He brought you out into a spacious place..and HE RESCUED YOU BECAUSE HE DELIGHTS IN YOU! Psalm 18:16-19</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">He delights in who you are. You are enough. Rest in that, find peace in knowing that. Allow Him to quiet you with HIs love today. </span>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-12524916947190715482011-12-02T12:00:00.000-08:002011-12-02T12:34:20.251-08:00Our son and one precious couple<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtkrCUWFpKOYPsseLEq4rAMN-m3i6bWO45S_wa8_ezTlq7EaNBpNWp8ZuCaJuEJKV4XaFwF1XyjiPAubA_Wj9tomz5MbbfomdM8J7Hsl05tKimIVSWydyPOEt0IOyFImWwvhcfCh7caw/s1600/Jaxson+Maverick.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtkrCUWFpKOYPsseLEq4rAMN-m3i6bWO45S_wa8_ezTlq7EaNBpNWp8ZuCaJuEJKV4XaFwF1XyjiPAubA_Wj9tomz5MbbfomdM8J7Hsl05tKimIVSWydyPOEt0IOyFImWwvhcfCh7caw/s200/Jaxson+Maverick.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681631791320911106" /></a><br />There was a day where I was walking in darkness...where I didn't know my worth..and I was constantly searching for a place to belong. I was constantly depressed, but would fool myself into believing that I was "happy" by using quick fixes that only brought temporary relief. But...everywhere I went..there I was..everywhere I went, there was the gnawing sense that I there was no place I would ever belong. <br /><br />Luckily, God, in His infinite goodness, has this plan to rescue His people. He often does this by using His people, and in my life, I am incredibly thankful that Pastor John Jackson & his beautiful wife Pam signed up for God's plan. I walked into the doors of Carson Valley Christian Center, now LIfePoint Church, nearly 10 years ago, searching for SOMETHING...little did I know, that I would find EVERYTHING I had ever been searching for. <br /><br />John & Pam were people who saw me as I was created to be; they saw beauty in me..not stains from my sins, they saw potential in me...not just broken pieces, they saw that God had a plan for my life, and so... they encouraged me, spoke truth to me, spoke life into me, mentored me, invited me into new life in Christ...and invited me into their own family. Pastor John became my spiritual father and God used him to change the trajectory of my life.<br /><br />This beautiful couple has been a blessing to my life, to my husband & I's marriage, and they have helped us in parenting our children. I share this today, because it gives me great joy to announce that our son who will be born in the next few days, will carry their name, to honor them, and to remind us what God has done for us. We pray that he will be a mighty warrior for God, a man after God's own heart, and a man who will sign up for God's plan to redeem this broken world. <br /><br />Welcome little Jaxson Maverick Cain (or J-Mav as our new pastor & friend Pastor Bill McCready lovingly refers to him) He was born at 10:55am, December 2nd. He is 8lbs 3oz, 20inches long (mommy guessed this to the oz!!)...and he has lots of red hair! He is going to be a mighty warrior for Christ!Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-22688619855016793842011-03-15T23:04:00.001-07:002011-03-15T23:30:00.058-07:00The temptation to PROVEOk, Ok...I admit it, every now and then I get caught up trying to <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">prove</span> myself</span> worthy of "you name it"...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I end up trying to prove myself when I think the world is out to get me...<br />I end up trying to prove myself when I feel that someone thinks that I am not capable of something.<br />I end up trying to prove that I belong when I feel like an outsider....<br />I end up trying to prove that I have it all together (when it's obvious that I don't :))</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The problem is that often I am trying to prove myself, or work myself into a situation or an end goal of a place or outcome that God doesn't want for me.</span> Basically, in a nutshell...I end up in a battle with my flesh, a battle of my will, and in these times I am trying to get control of a situation without seeking God. <br /><br />I stumbled into one of these moments today and was met with grace, and came home with a deep sense of freedom. I have been trying to prove myself in an area that is so obviously not God's plan for my life, I have been trying to earn approval & acceptance that I already have because I belong to Christ. <span style="font-weight:bold;">I have been so focused on proving myself in this one area that I have been missing what is is that God DOES have for me in this season of life.</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Let me tell you proving & striving are so overrated:)</span> <br /><br />I am so thankful for moments with Jesus like today...moments where he gently whispers, "<span style="font-style:italic;">Hey little one, this would be a lot easier if you would surrender. I really just want you to be ....YOU... and to be MINE. You may be fragile, but you have this GREAT TREASURE that no one can take from you...and you don't have to prove yourself to earn it...or to keep it. It's yours, because you belong to me!</span>" 2 Corinthians 4:7<br /><br />Then, I finally<span style="font-style:italic;"> surrender...</span><br />And I suddenly feel freedom...& peace<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ever have moments of trying to prove yourself? What does that look like in your life? </span>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-78651555612859450492011-03-09T18:46:00.000-08:002011-03-09T18:56:58.424-08:00Choose Praise<span style="font-style:italic;">"This is my prayer in the desert, when all that's within me feels dry"</span><br /><br />My heart has been singing Hillsong's, Desert Song, for about a month now. I have been in a season where all <span style="font-style:italic;">feels</span> dry, where it seems that God has been silent..yet I see Him moving all around me. In seasons like these, I am so often tempted to believe that I have been abandoned, that I have done something wrong to make God want to remove His presence from me, and then I can be tempted to withdraw from prayer <span style="font-style:italic;">with an attitud</span>e that says, "He's not listening anyways." <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Howeve</span>r, I have a choice to make. I can either listen to my feelings, and give into them, or I can press into these growing pains, press into God's heart despite these feelings, and choose to trust completely in God's word that says that HE WILL NEVER ABANDON OR FORSAKE ME. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PRAISE</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">It is a choice. </span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">an act of my will lining up with God's will, and a strong weapon against the enemy who seeks to divide us from Christ</span>. I am CHOOSING PRAISE today over sitting in my "feelings". After all, my feelings don't get me anywhere but depressed and wandering..but PRAISE gets me to focus on the truth and keeps my feet firmly planted. <br /><br />W<span style="font-weight:bold;">hat are you choosing today? What do you need to choose? </span>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-73013177947546482022011-02-03T23:11:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:31:50.951-08:00Power resting on the weak<span style="font-style:italic;">But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9</span><br /><br />Why do I strive to be <span style="font-weight:bold;">STRONG</span>?<br />Why do I constantly battle against the fact that I have <span style="font-style:italic;">weakness</span>. (many)?<br /><br />His power is made perfect in our weakness, in our admitting that <span style="font-weight:bold;">we don't actually have it all together.</span> We end up boasting in our strengths and denying that we have weakness. Just take one day and read twitter & facebook updates...how often do we see people boasting in weakness? Instead, we live in a world where we image manage the heck out of everything; "a<span style="font-style:italic;">ll is great, I'm growing so much, I love my job, being married is so wonderful, I love being a mom, on and on</span>". <span style="font-weight:bold;">I'm not suggesting that these posts that we share are "lies"...but it's not the whole truth, is it?</span> You don't see posts very often like, <span style="font-style:italic;">"I feel like giving up, Where is God?, I feel insecure today, marriage is so difficult, parenting is torture some days..".</span>..<span style="font-weight:bold;">I am also not advocating that we get hung up sharing all these type posts either. i </span>am simply saying that our culture (and me too) spends so much time boasting, tweeting, face-booking about our strengths..and we don't really boast in our weakness.<br /><br />Yet, <span style="font-style:italic;">His grace is sufficient for us, and His power made perfect in our weaknes</span>s. MADE PERFECT in WEAKNESS. My weakness is actually beautiful when given to God because then His power can rest upon me. BEAUTIFUL. Now, I'm not going to do this perfectly, but I am convinced that as I seek to focus on my <a href="http://sunnycain.blogspot.com/2011/01/nourish-oneword-2011.html">ONE WORD for 2011</a>, that one way I can NOURISH my soul is by being ok with saying.."I feel weak today". I am also convinced that as I lean more & more into God's power that is living and breathing in me...my gaze will shift off of me (my weakness's) and onto the beautiful feet of Jesus. <span style="font-weight:bold;">How are you doing today? Resting in God's promises? Or..you feeling pretty weak? How can I pray for you? </span>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-4477338835470885562011-01-19T23:41:00.000-08:002011-01-20T00:04:00.219-08:00It's about Who You AREI heard something in the quiet place tonight that I have on my heart to share with you...<em>"It's not about how you look, what you wear, what you say, what you'll do next, it's not about what you eat, how often you work out, how much protein you have, or where you work..it's not about who you know, how many "followers" you have, or how many times a day you pray...<strong>it's about who you are...MINE</strong>!"</em><br /><br />You belong to Jesus. He created you on purpose and He doesn't just <em>love</em> you..HE <em>likes</em> you. That sounds backwards..but once when I took my 3 year old to her pediatrician and we were discussing the difficulties of toddlerhood..he said something that stuck with me, "We have to love our children...but we don't always have to like them..."..still makes me smile to this day. The truth is that although I don't always have "likeable" behavior...God always loves me..and HE LIKES Me too:) (and He likes you too!)<br /><br />I bring my Father joy as I smile. He likes the dimples in my cheeks, and the freckles that dance across my face. He likes the way that I feel deeply and how I passionately love people. My zeal doesn't burn Him out...it delights Him. He likes that I have a heart for justice and a willingness to speak truth (even though I am terrified to do it). He likes my crooked smile, my wild hair, and He loves how often I come to Him. <br /><br /><em>But you know what?...</em>He can't stand when I see a false me standing in the mirror, fighting with my reflection, <strong>trying to kick the "me" out</strong>. He detests the fact that I sometimes feel the need to lie, to name-drop, to people please, all to "prove" my right to exist, or to belong to something. <em>You see..I do...I BELONG TO JESUS (so do you!)</em><br /><br />He hates that I condemen myself every time I stumble..as I put my boxing gloves on and begin a match with myself that lasts for days, as I work hard <strong>to kick the "me" out. </strong> He hates this because He came to set me free...not to condemn me. (He came to set you free too!)<br /><br />He LOVES ME. He created me uniquely. He formed me, set me apart for His purposes, clothed me in beauty, compassion, love, grace & forgiveness.He covered me in His blood and purchased me with His own life. He has poured His anointing on me.. He likes the wife I am, the mother I am, the sister & friend I am...<strong>He Likes Me</strong>...<strong>He loves me </strong>(getting cheesy..but so true)..<strong>and He WANTS SOME MORE OF ME!</strong><br /><br />He wants me to take my boxing gloves off, put my mascara wand down, & unplug my flat-iron....He wants me to stop trying to "change" the "me" he created and he will put on white gloves to handle me gently, with extreme care as one would handle a treasured, priceless, piece of art, as He does His "transforming" work IN Me. <strong>He doesn't want to take the "me" out...He wants to press me into the REAL ME..the identity He gave me,...the one that marks me as a daughter made in her Father's image.</strong><br /><br /><em><strong>How does God feel about you? You ever asked Him? Have you ever sat in His lap and truly listened for the answer? It's uncomfortable...but I encourage you..I challenge you..I plead with you to do so..RIGHT NOW:) Share what He lays on your heart below:)</strong></em>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-54742246245899822192011-01-18T21:23:00.001-08:002011-01-18T21:59:11.830-08:00ONE WORD Pulse checkI am late on my weekly posting of my <a href="http://www.gritandglory.com/2011/01/01/look/">OneWord for 2011</a>. (<a href="http://sunnycain.blogspot.com/2011/01/nourish-oneword-2011.html">Nourish</a>)....as I have been crazy busy with my friends wedding (beautiful, heart-warming, encouraging...and YEAH GARDNERS)...but here it goes!<br /><br />At first look at the review of my past week, I truly thought I had mostly failed on my ONE WORD goal..as my health is suffering because of my lack of nourishing my body thru healthy choices ( LIKE RESTING)...but when I read this scripture, I was reminded of some "WINS" I had. Check it! <br /><br /><br /><strong> PROVERBS 3:7-8</strong><br /><em>7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; <br /> fear the LORD and shun evil. <br />8 This will bring health to your body <br /> and <strong>nourishment</strong> to your bones. </em> <br /><br /><strong>Don't be a wise*$#</strong> got it (ok, most days), fear the Lord..and SHUN, or DELIBERATELY TURN from evil...THIS will bring nourishment:) HAllelujah, I had small glimpses of success this week. This week...I had to <strong>make DELIBERATE CHOICES</strong>...<br /><br />...to speak with kindness when I was being spoken to with harshness<br />...to love someone who I felt didn't "deserve" it..because <strong>JESUS said to</strong><br />...to shut 2 conversations down where gossip had begun..<br />...to forgive someone close to me without an "apology" or a change of their actions.<br /><br />All of these cases, I had to <strong>DELIBERATELY TURN</strong> from, or shun, the desires of my flesh, the evilness that my feet can so easily been ensnared by. These seemingly small victories, were incredibly difficult, character-building moments for me, where I had to cling to Christ, and follow Him...<em>even if it cost me</em> my pride, my so-called "rights", and where I laid myself down in obedience...God's word said these moments brought health to my body, and nourishment to my bones. <br /><br />So, in the midst of several failures of "nourishing"..I had a few wins. <em>I am thankful Lord that you have given me the ability to obey..because your goodness, your anointing lives in me. Without you, I would be old-brittle bones, and probably miserable. Thanks be to you Jesus! </em> <strong>HAVE ANY WINS THIS WEEK?</strong>...tell me about it?Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-23791873158304818112011-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:002011-01-04T07:50:41.418-08:00Nourish - #OneWord 2011My twitter pal, Alece over at <a href="http://www.gritandglory.com">gritandglory.com </a>, has challenged readers this year to focus on just <a href="http://www.gritandglory.com/2011/01/01/look/">One Word</a>, just ONE WORD for the year 2011. Rather than setting a list of resolutions that I will more than likely forget about in one month, just a list of "failures", or "dropped balls" to swim in....I figured I could handle <strong>One Word</strong>. I prayed about this for about a month and God led me to the word <strong>NOURISH</strong>. He said, <em>"Sunny, you need to nourish to flourish</em>". <br /><br />Nourish, by definition, means to provide with food, or other substances <strong>necessary</strong> for life & <em>growth, to foster development, to promote, & to help keep alive..maintain. </em> <strong>I want to GROW THIS YEAR. </strong><br /><br /><strong>I want to take time to <strong>NOURISH</strong> </strong><br />* <strong>my soul</strong> through practicing God's presence,reading His word, & BEING STILL <br />* <strong>my Marriage</strong> by spending quality time with my husband; taking time to DATE each other..and by focusing on how I can be a better helper<br />* <strong>my relationship with my kids</strong> by BEing WITH them..not just near them spaced out on a computer screen, talking on the phone, or cleaning the house. I want to practice giving NOURISHMENT to their souls by using God's word for teaching moments. <br />* <strong>my body</strong> thru healthy food choices, sleeping habits, & exercise<br />* <strong>my financial future</strong> by honoring God (not just tithing..but GIVING), spending LESS, and following our family budget.<br /><br />I believe if I let the Lord lead me in this endeavor, that I <em>will flourish, grow, and be transformed this year</em>. I am going to post the word, <strong>NOURISH</strong>, everywhere I can think of...and I am going to pray 2011 will be a year of <strong>NOURISHMENT.</strong> <br /><br />Every Thursday I figured I would blog about how God is using my One Word focus of 2011 to transform me. It will provide me with accountability to keep the "word" (<strong>NOURISH), </strong>and the WORD of God in front of me. I hope you will join me in this endeavor. It's not too late for you to think of ONEWORD for 2011! What word will you pick?Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-71612649386639311902010-12-22T13:34:00.001-08:002010-12-22T13:49:51.029-08:00ChristmasThe Christmas season is always full of chaos. Everything competes with our attention, everything seems to demand our focus. The details of our days can seem overwhelming, the tasks can seem daunting. We end up in this hustle and bustle and all of this competes for our attention...our attention that should be focused on the Christ Child. The beautiful story of redemption that we have in Him. <br /><br />The first Christmas season was about Peace coming to earth...<em>yet here in this world the current Christmas season is chaos.</em><br /><br />The first Christmas season was about love thru the BEST GIFT OF ALL, JESUS CHRIST in flesh...<em>yet here in the world, the current Christmas season is about extravagantly giving "things", things that make us go broke...to PROVE that we love others? HUH?</em><br /><br />The first Christmas season was the beginning of a beautiful redemption story...where you and I are both characters who have been <strong>made RIGHT</strong>. <em>Yet today, we see it as the year end....and next month becomes about us setting goals to BE BETTER or MORE RIGHT in the next year. </em><br /><br />Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly...that we would have <strong>OVERWHELMING VICTORY</strong>...not chaos and defeat. I encourage you today to sit down with your Bible, ask God for peace, and move forward giving gifts of Life...telling the story to others of JESUS CHRIST...EMMANUEL.<br /><br /><strong>Trusting in the sovereignty of God, let us march forward this Christmas season, purposefully proclaiming the truth of Emmanuel. Let us eliminate all distractions, so we can focus on the ONE thing that matters. JESUS.</strong>Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952143891127947822.post-19890891715060251522010-12-10T00:41:00.001-08:002010-12-10T00:53:33.626-08:00GraceI became a mother 4 years ago today. It's crazy stuff....crazy..that a goofball like me has been entrusted with a child from Father God. Being a mother has taught me many things, it has shaped me in brand new ways, and has been an incredible journey that I am so excited to continue on. It's amazing how none of the books I read, or people I talked to really prepared me for mommydom...but, the gentle voice of Jesus, has guided me thru the past four years and transformed me into the perfect mom for my daughter Gracey. I am not proclaiming that I am PERFECT..but I am the RIGHT one to raise Gracey. God knew what He was doing...fo sho!<br /><br />Gracey takes awhile to warm up to people, she has to observe them for a season first.<br />Gracey won't take no for an answer (oy vey!)<br />Gracey feels deeply, and is genuinely wrecked by her sin when she stumbles<br />She is super funny, but gets nervous when people laugh at her<br />She is a song-writer.<br />She has FAITH in Jesus.<br />Gracey is a Prophet<br />Gracey has the gift of intercession and is already walking in this gifting<br />Gracey is a SNUGGLE BUG , a Night OWL, and a late riser<br />She is a sleep-walker<br />She loves dressing up...but doesn't mind getting dirty<br />Gracey Loves DEEPLY<br />Gracey already shows a passion for God's word and a thirst for HIm<br />She responds to words of affirmation<br />She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL inside and out<br />She is my daughter.<br /><br />I'm the perfect MAMA for her...because she is a mini me....all the things that God has taught me, all the lessons I have learned throughout my life, the character building moments, the sins I've struggled with, and the way I've been misunderstood....all these lead to the ability to teach Gracey, to understand her, and to know how to pray for her. I love Being HER MOMMY. Happy Birthday to my precious little girl!Sunny Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931543731715746450noreply@blogger.com0