I was a fool

As as the people of God we have been given more precious gifts than we can count. Possibly the most precious of these gifts is the one I am learning to treasure this week. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit. He is the most dear, wonderful, and loving friend that anyone could possibly imagine. He is so much better than I can possibly express. Holy Spirit I love you. I feel like we have begun a new journey together in the last week and I meant it when I said I was a fool to think I could live without you for even a day. Please keep me close. Please keep me listening. Please keep me desiring. Please stay my treasure!

A return

Well I am committing to myself that I am going to blog at least one time a week from now on. Call it a late New Year's resolution. I like blogging. Mostly because it feeds my narcissism (I am being brutally honest there), but also because it keeps me thinking. One of my favorite quotes is, "the unexamined life is not worth living". Socrates said that. He is a man that fascinates me. He fascinates me, not because I think he had it all figured out, but because he knew he did NOT have it all figured out and he was not content in that fact. He hated that he didn't have it all figured out. he wanted to spend his days in the pursuit of a "righteous" life. Righteous to him meant a life that was lived correctly, according to wisdom and out of a deeply thoughtful place.

I am hungry for this. To live "doing things right", life of Godly wisdom, a thoughtful and gracious life, a courageous life.

Every year the Lord gives me a word for the coming season. Last year it was never to doubt His favor over me. What a year it has been! I needed that word desperately this year. It has been a rock to stand on and a compass in some major major decisions.

This year God's word is "maturity". He told me that maturity means to be fully grown, to be complete and balanced. In the natural world a plant or animal is mature when it has the capability to reproduce and bear fruit. These are the things the Lord is doing in me and in my family this year. He is teaching us wisdom. He is teaching us how to be complete and balanced, and He is promising us fruit and multiplication. We will see our labors flower and bring forth much fruit for the glory of God. All of this will come as He leads me into maturity. I believe that this thing of "doing things right" is a deep part of it all. This is the model of maturity.

So Father lead me, and don't let me slack off. Teach me maturity. To walk like Jesus did.

Amen.