 I have a routine (feel free to judge me, I'm okay with that.) I shop on Amazon and then return the things that don’t work at the Kohl's Amazon return center. While I'm there I check the clearance section, then I cross the street, drop off any donations I have at Goodwill and do a quick walk through. On my phone there is a running list of things I'm looking for at Goodwill and I wait patiently (sometimes months) for them to arrive. I also have my eye on a few things at Kohl's, waiting for them to go on sale or to make it to the clearance section when I can use some of that great Kohl's cash and coupons I have stored up. One of the items on my Kohl's list is a beautiful artificial tree. I have looked at it for over 6 months, stalking it to the point that one Kohl's attendant thought I was up to no good. After she saw my love of this tree she told me it should go on sale soon. Well, it didn’t. I continued to check on it. Then all of the sudden it was gone. I was so sad. In the meantime, I would check Goodwill to see if someone had donated one, but no luck there either. On my last Kohl's walk through, I saw it! They moved it to a new and obscure location. There it was, my tree and it was 20% off and I had an additional 20% off coupon. This was the day I had been waiting for. The tree was $199 marked down to $159 but with my extra coupon it would now be $127. I was ready to go and then…. I thought about my budget. The fact that things have been a little tight and we have some big added expenses caused my husband and I to tightening our belts on the non essentials. So, I was now in a bit of a pickle. My wants vs. my needs. Urgh! I conversed with God saying “But God you know how long I have waited for this. This is the exception, right?” I looked at a smaller tree, not exactly the one I wanted, trying to rationalize my less expensive wants over what was needed. I found myself sadly walking away. I knew I made the right choice for our situation at the time, but it wasn't fun. I did ask God for one little thing. “God, you know how much I wanted that tree and how long I have waited. Could you just give me a little God wink and honor this choice I made and make this tree appear in Goodwill when I cross the street right now?” Please hear my heart, I’m not saying our actions deserve rewards from God. It was simply the prayer of my disappointed heart at the moment. I went to Goodwill, dropped off my donations, checked the half price color tag of the day to see if anything on my list matched. I began casually strolling the aisles seeing if I could catch any deals on things we needed. By this time, I had actually forgotten the conversation I had with the Lord, just 10 minutes earlier. So when I saw MY TREE right there, I stopped and said “wait, what.. God?” I instantly remembered that little prayer of my heart, not actually expecting the Lord to even care, but there it was . There HE WAS. I looked at this tree (that wasn't even half off) and paid full price for it! Yeah, you heard me! I paid the full $8 for it. Granted, it wasn’t as healthy and leafy as the Kohl's version, which is why I'm hiding half of it behind a chair. My "Goodwill, God Wink" Tree had a few miles on it, needed to be dusted off and cleaned up, but to me this tree was a reminder that I really needed in the season I'm in. The comfort of knowing God still sees me, still cares and wants to remind me that He will handle the things in my life that are out of my control was the perfect gift. I needed a God wink and I needed it this day. Each time I look at my “Charlie Brown” tree that's missing several branches and leaves, I will remember that God is near, He hears and He really does care. If He cares about a silly tree, how much more does he care about the things that truly matter. He cares, He sees, He loves. 
0 Comments
 Today, of all days, I needed this! Sometimes the truth hurts, but I love that Jesus does not shy away from speaking to my heart so that I can be more like Him. When I opened my daily devotion and saw the verse from Matthew 12:28 which said "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest", I knew the Lord was talking to me. Anyone else? But I immediately said, "Lord there is no labor here. I am not working, but I sure to feel heavy laden, so I'm going to come to you." I want to, as the verse goes on to say, take His yoke and learn from Him. I know that as I learn more deeply to love the way Jesus loves, to serve the way Jesus does, that it is there and then that I will find rest, not for my body, I have enough of that, but rest for my soul. That's what I need. That has been my cry. As I pressed into this truth and read the devotion from June 11th "My utmost For His Highest" it all made sense. “…and I will give you rest”— that is, “I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm.” He is not saying, “I will put you to bed, hold your hand, and sing you to sleep.” But, in essence, He is saying, “I will get you out of bed— out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity.” - Oswald Chambers My soul is restless, because I have settled into being listless. I have slowly allowed being unable to do my "job" send me into a place of feeling grounded from taking on the yoke of Jesus, learning from him and then going out and doing what He does. Today is a pivot. Today is a turning point. Today is the beginning of Jesus once again getting me out of bed, out of my listlessness and the exhausted state of my soul, acting like I am half dead and calling me to recognize the life giving vital activity He has for me. Will it be easy? Probably not. Will I be tempted to crawl back under the covers of my depression? Probably so. Being depressed does not disqualify one from doing what God calls us to do. I will, however, wake up each day asking Jesus to let me learn by taking on His Yoke! That, I can do! Thank you Lord for the perfect rest that you offer as we come to you. Friends, do you need to take on His yoke and learn? Do you feel listless, tired and heavy laden? Jesus offers to all of us the remedy. The remedy is Him, one day, one moment, one breath at a time, yoked to Him. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!  This post originally appeared on the Deliberate Women site September 26th, 2014. I am excited to share it with you now, here and continue the conversation. I am so thankful that I, as high maintenance as I can be, am never too much for God. It seems like a no brainier statement, but the reality is that there have been times when I have thought that the junk I have is too much for Him and because it's too much for Him how on earth could anyone in my church or my circle of friends handle the truth. I often share about the disaster that I was because I know that God has done a mighty work and I love what He is molding me into. Yes, still flawed, but a work in progress and a new creation through the power of Christ Jesus! It took a lot to get me there, but one of the biggest assets I had while being molded was an amazing ministry called Celebrate Recovery, a Christ centered recovery program that started over 20 years ago at Saddleback Church in California. Now, in over 20,000 churches world-wide, Celebrate Recovery addresses that we have hurts, hang-ups and habits and that alone life is hard, but in community and with accountability rooted in the foundation of Jesus Christ, we have healing, recovery and fellowship. When I thought that what I was going through was too much, that the world would judge me and even now when I struggle, I know that I have a place that is safe, free from judgement and quick fixes. A place that will walk alongside me in my struggle, not trying to fix me, but allowing God through the power of the Holy Spirit to speak, reveal and heal each hurt, habit or hang-up that I am going through. The lie that what I am going through is too much for the church seems to be a device of Satan to keep me (and you) from reaching out, to keep us in isolation. I don't know about you, but that seems like the worse place to be in the midst of a struggle. So sisters and brothers, let's remember that we are not alone. There is a place and there are people that are safe that can totally handle the crud that we carry. That same crud that God will turn to victory when we surrender to His will. I pray that God would reveal those people and places to each of us so that we will feel safe confessing our sins, growing together and watching God do amazing things with our stories as He uses them for His glory! Here is a song that I wrote for the Movie, Home Run, "You Are Not Alone" Remember that there are people that will walk along side you. You are not too much, You are not Alone! Blessings, Mia Koehne
Please welcome guest blogger, Melanie Moscicki, as she shares a post that originally appeared on her site "From Faith, With Love"
God the Potter… I’m nearing the end of wrapping up my Mending Your Soul class, though I am well aware the real work is just beginning in me. It’s been a long emotional journey, but is not without the reward of comfort and endurance that can only come from Him. For someone who has spent countless years fighting to stand strong WITHOUT God, laying all the brokeness and shortcoming out at His feet has been mortifying, humbling, and healing all in the same breath. May the words of my heart give hope to those still trapped in the prison that is your past. The Potter ~A Poem by Melanie Moscicki Mending the Soul 2014 Another year, a million tears, so many times she’s tried To fix the broken little girl, she buried deep inside. He says to her, “Come follow me, I’ll make you new again” but the walls she built are far too strong to ever let Him in. She hears the sounds of laughter, of joy she’s never known Could it be? A girl like SHE should live on LOVE-alone? So many scars from trusting cracks from being dropped, cast aside as nothing but an empty, broken pot. But He says He’s a potter… The best there ever was, and He says I’m HIS daughter… and His work has just begun. Isaiah 64:8 says “Yet you LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand.” I pray that each of us can grasp this truth in the depths of our soul. We are not finished friend, we are each works in progress by the creator of ALL that IS and that ever WAS, the God of miracles, the God of redemption, the God that makes ALL THINGS new. ~ From Faith, With Love, Melanie ***Physical, sexual, verbal, spiritual, or neglectful- abuse deadens the emotions, slays the self-worth, cripples the mind, even destroys the body. Mending The Soul is a Biblically grounded and psychologically informed first-of-its-kind comprehensive approach to understanding and treating every form of abuse. You can find out more about the program and where to get plugged in HERE. Video about Mending The Soul
 We are called to listen, love, and obey. I am fully aware that we may not always see the fruit of our love and the fruit of our obedience, but what I marvel at today is how God sometimes allows us little glimpses of the seeds we plant and the investments we make in others lives as we live out Jesus.
Today was such a day for me. I decided to run into the Fry's store near the high school where I was making my after school pick-ups. I normally don't go there, mostly because I like my local Frys, the one by my house where I know how to find everything, but today I did. After grabbing a few thing and loading my car, I was approached by a man selling his jewelry. He asked if I wanted to buy any. I looked at him with a big smile and said "I know you!" Confused, he asked me how. I shared with him how some time ago, I met him in a different parking lot and he was asking for some money so he could purchase some inventory to sell. Since I typically don't hand out large amounts of cash to strangers, I offered to meet him at the shop and buy the perfume for him as an investment into his business (an investment into his life). Suddenly he remembered our fleeting encounter. He was able to then share with me what that meant to him and how important that investment was, because what I did not remember was the fact that at the time he was homeless, struggling to make ends meat. That little investment in his life was pivotal when he needed it most. Today, he is no longer homeless, but thriving, working, creating art in jewelry and still smiling BIG. I was reminded today that sometimes we are called to pour into other's lives simply because God says so, even when it is inconvenient and others think we are crazy. Sometimes, like today, we get to see a bit of the fruit of our obedience, but most of the time we don't. But still, we obey, love and pour into other's SO THAT they can turn and pour into someone else. I feel blessed to have gotten the opportunity to see that Aaron is doing well. If you ever see him, make sure to say "hi" and grab a bracelet. Love you in the Lord, Mia |
The BlogA collection of writings from a life based on the truth that about midnight anything can happen. 
AuthorAs an imperfect servant of the Lord, I often feel I am fumbling my way through life, looking upward for guidance and outward to love. So, I write about it, to break up the noise in my head. Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|
RSS Feed