Intermission #1

In my last post, I told you we would be joining The Resistance.  Well, you're going to have to wait for that for a little while.

Oh, settle down.  Patience is a virtue.  Love is patient.  Love is also kind, so don't be throwing me under the 'bad blogger' bus.  :)

Tomorrow is my 11th wedding anniversary, and as I think about my wife, our marriage, and these past ten years, I have no choice but to be humbled.

God has presented me with such a wonderful gift in my wife. She's got a bunch of great qualities that any man would cherish - she's beautiful, intelligent, funny, caring, compassionate, dedicated, committed, loving, and a million other things.  She's fabulous.  But more than all that, she loves God, embraces Jesus, and nearly breaks her eardrum listening for the Holy Spirit.  She's a wonder to behold.

I, by sharp contrast, have been a real pain in the neck for her.  Seriously, I've been a great model of selfishness and ugliness for the duration of our marriage.  It's not like I meant to be a total jerk...but looking back, it just worked out that way.

In short, I don't deserve her.

But as I've had time to contemplate my marriage, my family, and my relationship with God over the past several months, I've realized that I don't deserve anything I have.  God has blessed me abundantly out of love, and I'm brought to my knees by the power and scope of it all.

In the very first post of this blog, I focused on James 4:10 - "Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up."  Listen to me on this one - it's true!  Meditate on that sentence for just a minute or two, and amazing things begin to happen.

Think about who He is; in Crazy Love, Francis Chan focused on Rev. 4 to picture God on His throne...and what it was like to be in His Throne Room.  Read that passage and dwell on it for a little while.  Humbling.

Think about the fact that this being - creator and ruler of the universe and everything in it - loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.  WHAT?!?  It's crazy!  But it's true.

Think about Jesus.  Who He is, what He did, why He did it, and that He did it for you.  After the lump leaves your throat, keep thinking.

Think about your blessings - no, REALLY think about them - and embrace the fact that God has GIVEN all of these things, and a million more, to you.

Think about the challenges in your life - especially the ones you've gotten through - and realize that God gave you those challenges to help you grow and mature and come closer to Him.

If you really think about all these things, humility comes naturally.  When you feel that humility come over you, pray.  Just let your heart run with it to God...and He will deliver.  He WILL lift you up.

Have a great weekend...I know I will, as I celebrate one of the best gifts God has ever given me.