It is so easy to withdrawal from this adventure called life and tuck yourself away safely in the confines of comfort and routine never venturing outside the box of your false sense of security. That is not where God intends us to anchor down. We were not placed on this earth to be robotic and conforming but to be adventurous and enlightened; to embrace the many little hidden blessings he rains down on us each and everyday. Many of these blessings are not found in the safety zone of our comfort but when we step out into the unknown fields. The more out of control we are the more in control God becomes and we find ourselves in a place of insecure security.

My word for 2017 is BOLD when I first received this word from God I was extremely intimidated. It sounds like such a overwhelming word for a meek and mild soul like me. So often I have question whether God has me confused with another Tracy; one with much more confidence, strength and endurance. How was I going to build myself up to fulfill this word which would require me to overcome so many insecurities and fears.

I decided to retreat to my quiet place armed with a blank canvas and array of paints and ask God to reveal to me what it was he wanted me to know about this word Bold and how He was going to apply this to my life. The message that flowed through the strokes of the paint brush revealed an entirely different perspective to this overwhelming word BOLD!

Believe in my
Overwhelming
Love and
Delight in you
and Boldness will be the result

Wow when you put it like that the word becomes so much less intimidating and more empowering! If I only would grasp the overwhelming love of my father then how could I be anything less than bold. He also gave me this scripture as a visual of this love and delight:

Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God in your midst , the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”

The visual of the almighty God, King of Kings singing and dancing over me definitely makes me feel so less intimidated by my fleshly weaknesses and fears and infuses a power that cannot be denied. If the King of Kings delights in me to the point of singing and dancing over me how could I reflect anything less than the light that is shining down on me! There is no darkness that this earth can produce that can overcome or dim the light of God as it beams down from heaven and shines on those who earnestly seek Him.

In the most intimidating circumstances, I carry a strength a marking that cannot be erased, dimmed, snuffed out! Even though in the flesh I may still have those feelings of intimidation and fear they are but fiery darts from an enemy who carries no weight. They are false illusions intended to distract me from the overwhelming truth of the power I have dwelling in me.

God also revealed three things he wanted to share with me. Key word being share, not teach or show but share with me. They are adventure, intimacy and beauty.

I am making a conscious effort to walk within the boundaries of a love God is trying to reveal to me; but in life and the many twist and turns it brings, it is often hard to believe in his overwhelming love and delight in me and therefore be bold and not retreat. I am grateful that God never gives up on us and His love is eternal and fierce it pierces through the darkest places in our life and reveals the adventure and beauty contained within and therefore changes our perspective and draws us closer to greater intimacy with Christ.

“On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:3

Do you find yourself in a dark season of life? In a rut of the same old routine? Does there seem to be no hope, no way out, no light at the end of your long tunnel? Draw closer to the only one who can illuminate your path and infuse your soul with hope. Jesus. Believe in his Overwhelming Love and Delight in you and step boldly forward to the next adventure filled with beauty and intimacy with Christ.

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Spent the morning weeding and pruning the flower bed. Made me stop and think about how a flower can appear to be dead and no longer vibrant; however when you prune back the dead branches the flower then regains its vibrancy and sometimes even blooms more vibrant than before. This is what God does in our lives if we allow him. He prunes away the dead weight of sin therefore allowing us to bloom to our full potential. As I survey my flower bed I remember the plants I rescued from the throw away bins last year that are now some of my healthiest; fullest; most colorful plants. Really glad I did not shrug them off as hopeless. So excited to think that is how God sees us. With a little pruning our lives like the flowers can bloom. God sees beyond the weeds and dead branches in our lives never giving up on the true beauty he knows we have the potential to achieve. So grateful God doesn’t leave us in the throw away bin!