No, it's not just you - the picture is blurry, but I thought 'What an appropriate picture to illustrate the week - i.e. it was a blur'. And with much encouragement from my husband (he brought home Annie's Bunny Grahams and Dunkin' Donuts Coffee - what a wonderful man!), I turned in my first Seminary level paper...sigh...now to clean the house.
... and yet, I'll find a few moments tonight to say hello to the blog world. Mainly to solicit your thoughts on balancing life. This has been a really busy semester for John and I. And though I have always considered myself very organized and on top of things, I'm hearing a few 'plates' hit the floor occasionally. Which is frustrating to me and my peculiarities. My situations and plans have yet again shown me my need for a Saviour. Someone to save me from obsessing over calendars and commitments. And also, in the midst of all the 'good' things - why am I doing it? Where is Christ? Let my eyes be lifted to Him in the midst of my small trial and find contentment in the place He has put me.
One of the things that has filled up my calendar this semester is my Intro to Biblical Counseling Class. This class has been so eye opening of the world views that find their way into our churches and counseling discussions. I think about the desperate situations that people find themselves in and my heart is warmed to know that the Gospel meets every need - we have a Messiah. And I have been convicted of all the ways we can fabricate our own messiah apart from Christ. Left to ourselves we can reason and diagnose, but there can be no permanent healing or joy and peace until Christ is enough. It has caused me to meditate on Isaiah 53 - one of my favorite passages. Take a moment to read it and meditate on our Messiah in the midst of our busy schedules.
Isaiah 53 Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
