Month: March 2018

Once a Year

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Tomorrow we celebrate Easter. The tomb is rolled away, Christ is Risen!! And everyone finds a church. Because you can’t miss Easter in the South…It’s the hottest show in town.

If we aren’t careful, we can make a mockery of Easter. When Christ actually rose from the dead, it was a scandal. The disciples didn’t believe the women who said the tomb was empty. Many hid for fear of being arrested.  The government tried to cover it up for goodness sake. Some to this day still deny it. I don’t say this to diminish Easter, I say this in hopes of adding some sense of reverence to this day.

It is not just a day to put on pastel dresses and show up to church for the first time in a year. (Although my sky blue sheath is ready for tomorrow.) If Easter is the only time you go to church, I am so glad you do!!! But I hope you ask yourself why you are going.

Tomorrow is His day. But so are all the others. If we don’t make an effort to worship Him the other 364 days,  maybe we should be asking why we bother to show up on this one.

With Love,

Natalie

 

 

 

Delighting in the Undelightful

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This blog is called “the delighted heart” based on Psalm 37:4. (My very first post explains why.)  I want to be transparent with y’all, sharing what the Lord is teaching me through His Word and Holy Spirit in real time, not just what He has taught me in the past.

The past few weeks, I went through an intense time of enemy attacks, the likes of which I hadn’t experienced before.  I found myself going back time and again to 2 Corinthians 12. If you haven’t read it you should. The apostle Paul is so transparent, talking openly about a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan that has been tormenting him. I have read this chapter so many times throughout my life, but as I was reading it this last time something jumped out at me… Look at 2 Corinthians 12:10:

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Did you catch that? Paul delights. I think we could say that Paul possessed a delighted heart while going through some major trials. He even delighted in those difficult circumstances. Woa.

The very last thing I want to be is weak or go through difficulties. But for Christ’s sake I can. Because that is when His power shines through us. When we are weak, He is strong. Shouldn’t that be our greatest delight? To glorify Him and exalt Him whatever the cost, even if while we are weak?

The past couple of months have not been all rainbows and sugar cookies for me but guess what… my heart is ABSOLUTELY still delighted in Him. Possibly, even more so than before, because I saw first-hand that His grace is sufficient for me. That, my friends, is delightful.

With love,

Natalie