Lost In the Prairies.....Found by God

Last weekend I read the second chapter of the Fresh Brewed Life.  In this chapter, Nicole Johnson encourages the reader to journal.  I've never journaled before or even kept a diary, as I was:  always afraid of what to enter into it; what would happen if someone got a hold of it and read it; and really did I want to keep that commitment.  Since starting this blog I have shared some of my life with you and considered that enough.  I never realized though how cathartic journalling can be and I've only just started. 

1.  Your journal should inspire you to pick it up; "it should beg you to be written in";

2.  Have a pen that you use exclusively to write with.  The pen should be comfortable.  In fact, she encourages you to use pen and not pencil as you may be tempted to erase what you've written.  

3.  Take time to write in it daily.  It may be as quick as 5 minutes or an hour.  

4.  Find a place that will encourage you to journal - a quite corner, a hammock or even a tent under the table.  

Since I'm not sure a lot of times where to start, I've been using some of the directed journalling questions from the Fresh Brewed Life to steer me on.   The question that shook me while I journaled late last week was :  Imagine yourself completely surrendering to God.  How different would your life look?  In the spirit of being Ephphatha, I'm going to share my journal that day. 

Imagine completely surrendering to God.  How would that look?

Wow, what would that look like?  I don't even know.  It would mean that D1Q1 statement I AM NOT MY OWN would come to complete fruition.  My family life, hopefully, would be better.  I hope I would be a calmer, happier more forgiving person, not judging.  I hop my family would ALL become true worshipers of Jesus.  Not that we would be perfect like the Flanders', but more authentic and honest.  Open to His leading and guiding. 

I would hope my outside would reflect my inside and that my inside would reflect God's love and newness and cleaning in my life.  I remember walking into Cheri's house on Monday all sparkling organized bleachy smelling.  I thought WOW is this clean.  I want to personally be like this.  I want to have people look at me and say - WOW, she is a reflection of God.  Right now I feel like a reflection of my laundry room - messy, trashy, disorganized, dirty, a little mold here and there.  I'm sure I reflect this.  I'm not perfect, but I am a possibility as the children's song states.  I think of Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already obtained all this or already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Jesus took hold for me.  Every morning, just by praying and my daily studies, am I pressing forward toward complete surrender.  Will I get there?  I'm sure I will.  When?  I don't know, only God knows.  But, I'm not alone.  He's walking with me.  Sometimes at my side, sometimes carrying me.  But no matter where, always there.