Sunday, September 12, 2010

family. (and an update on my plans!)

"God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing..."
psalm 68:6

I felt like I should share this journal entry from this morning. This sums up what the Lord has been showing me that he has really ingrained on my heart...

"I am so stirred for the children who are broken and who will never know their true worth and identity. For families who are filled with pain and strife. For women who don't know what it means to be loved in tender care and faithfulness.

OH Lord my heart cries out...

to create family...
inviting the lost, confused, hurt and ravaged into the greatest love there is, into the resting place of the Lord, into his home. And even more inviting them into his FAMILY.
We are not merely visitors in His home, finding reprieve from the harsh world around us in a comfortable, warm house. We are actually invited into His family, as if we had been their since our birth.
Receiving FULL RIGHTS as sons and daughters. We are invited to partake in every aspect of family life...we get to have every privilege and benefit...

BUT only if we come...
take off our shoes, come into his dwelling, curl up into the Father's lap and RECEIVE IT.

get comfy. we get to stay.
we get to be full members of God's family, the greatest family in the history of the universe.

the most loving, caring, joyful, compassionate gracious, and strong Father is begging us to come in, to leave our muck and mire at the door, take a warm shower, curl up at his feet, receive his love and affection and stay a while...forever, in fact.

that is the cry of my heart.
inviting the overlooked, unloved, hurting, desperate, and lonely into God's family. inviting them to come dwell with the Father all their days, to come and find out who they actually are and who they were created to be! OH what comfort, healing, joy and rest there is in the Father's love!

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1


THE PLANS:
I am planning on heading back to Cape Town, South Africa in January for a year internship with All Nations! I am beyond confident that this is the next step that the Lord has asked me to take in walking into the destiny he has for me. I feel my destiny will be marked by walking hand in hand with Jesus, calling out to the broken and hurting to come and find love, healing and purpose. To see children and families raised up and empowered. I will be interning under the Vulnerable Children (VC) program (which is a program that seeks out the most vulnerable children in Masiphumelele township. VC team members help to meet their basic needs through sponsorship, and also to support, advocate, and empower these families through discipleship, job training, education, etc.)

I will be give a more thorough update on my plans soon!

I hope everyone is doing well and that your lives are filled with love, joy and purpose!

MUCH love,
whit