But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made
the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like
trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. Jeremiah
17.7-8
I’m right
smack dab in the middle of fundraising so I can travel the world and share the
love of Jesus with women from all different walks of life and empower them with
the gospel.
It has been
one of the hardest and most rewarding seasons of my life!
I have never
felt more like I’m on a rollercoaster ride than now (and that’s saying
something since we had four teenagers!). One day I’m UP because I have had a
friend I haven’t seen in a long time commit to partnering with me and the next
I’m DOWN in the dumps because another friend who I’ve poured my life into has
opted out. One minute, I’ve experienced God throwing open wide the doors and
the next minute it seems like they’re all closed.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m
just going AROUND and AROUND– trying to set up appointments and rescheduling
cancelations. UP and DOWN, AROUND and AROUND, never knowing what might happen
next. I’ve seen huge answers to prayer and then experienced the silence of God.
I have wrestled with disappointment and been amazed by His works! It’s exciting
and yet completely terrifying!
But in the
middle of it all, I can feel God deepening my faith like never before. I
can feel my roots growing deep into the water, finding life and love and joy!
I’m discovering He is ALL I need. I find my heart rejoicing in the middle of my
struggle. Words like fortitude, tenaciousness and strength have become my
prayer as I ask God to do His work in me. I feel Him preparing me for what is
to come. Chiseling me into His masterpiece. I’m realizing I need
Him like I need air to breathe. I’m learning what it means to place my
complete trust in God and I want Him to be my hope and confidence! He is who I
look to, He is who I depend on and He is where I put my hope – a hope that,
Paul says in Romans, DOESN’T DISAPPOINT! (Romans 5.5 NLT)
I want to be
this tree, Jeremiah speaks of . . . to be planted by the river of LIFE, so my
roots will grow down deep into the water. I long to be healthy and fruit
producing regardless of my rollercoaster journey.
This is what I
want!
So when someone
sees my life, they don’t say, “Wow, look at Kristi.” They say, “Wow, look at
her God and what He can do with a life!”
May it be so.
Spilling His Grace,
