You are a beautiful treasure!  You are a precious gift!  You are greatly loved!

These are simple words, words worth repeating again, and again, and again.

It’s been 37 days since my last post.  At the beginning of 2019 I had a goal to post once a week, to make 52 posts for the year.  If these words I am writing now become published, that will give me a total of 23 posts and a 44.23% success rate of my goal.

My word for 2019 was FORTITUDE: strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.  In January, I imagined having divine resolve to take on this year and whatever it held.

As I breathe in and breathe out these passing moments of another year, another decade.  I wish I could close this chapter and leave my shortcomings behind, to not carry over the cathartic circumstances and clunky complications.

Life is just not clean cut like a calendar.  Beginnings and endings don’t have nice little boxes and lines.  Some circumstances are drawn out carrying over boundaries of all sorts and other have sharp edges that cut out quickly.

Of the 17 goals I set for myself personally at the beginning of the year, I was able to fully accomplish 3 of them.

But I kept trying.  Painful stuff happened, but I kept trying.  I fell short and made tons of mistakes, but I kept trying.  Literally tons – thousands – of mistakes, but I kept trying.  I was misunderstood and devalued, but I kept trying.  Good stuff happened, but I kept trying.  There were moments of rejoicing and breakthrough, but I kept trying.

Over the past 37 days I have been pondering and praying over letting go of my blog.  Maybe it is time to release all this PEP UP for Joy stuff and just let it be something I did for the majority of the 2010s.

Then I hear the words KEEP TRYING! 

I doubt the value of my words.  I question whether I really have something worthy of taking the time to read.  I feel as if I have much more mess than I do message.

What Message Do I Have? 

This is the message that I have, it’s not much, but it has stuck with me for years.  I have repeated it time and time again.  It is a message worth hearing repeatedly.

You are a beautiful treasure! 

You are a precious gift! 

You are greatly loved!  

I think of Acts 3:1-10 where Peter and John on their way to the temple, go through the gate called Beautiful, when they met the lame man.  Peter says, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  

What I do have I give you. 

How many times do we try to give what we do not have?  Do we wish we could give what we do not have?  How many times does it prevent us from giving what we do have?

I can not tell you, each of my beloved readers, how much I wish I could give you.  I wish I could give you words to fill your sails.  Sweetness to fill your soul.  Endurance to help you fully embrace all of the circumstances you are facing with fortitude.  The richest, most lavish joys to bring you a delight like you have never known before.

But I don’t have all of that.  I have a few words, but what I do have I freely give to you.

You are a beautiful treasure! 

You are a precious gift! 

You are greatly loved!

I do know the Lord of Lord, and the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, who can give you more than either of us can even imagine.

If you receive anything this holiday season I hope it is the Love of Jesus.  The One who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

The love Jesus has for you individually and specifically, in the midst of cathartic circumstances and clunky complications, and all of the stuff that you have been carrying across the boxes and pages of your calendar.  Love that is perfect and whole and fulfilling and can be wrapped around it ALL.

The Holy Spirit will be with you always to remind you of the truth, when the doubts and uncertainties are clouding your perspective.  God the Father, will be your guide one step, one day at a time.

You are a beautiful treasure! 

You are a precious gift! 

You are greatly loved!

I say these things repeatedly, because it is the repetition that will help it stick in our minds.  They are words worth hearing and worth reading again, and again, and again.

You have an unimaginable intrinsic value, a priceless worth, because YOU are a one of a kind masterpiece made by a God whose own heart leaps towards YOU in love.  No matter what condition you are in, no matter how successful you have been in your goals, no matter what you have been through, and no matter how you are feeling about yourself or where you are at in life.

The Lord wants us to receive His love and take it in to the depths of our souls.  He says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”  Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

Taste.  Take refuge.  Those are actions on our part.  The table is set and there is a spot with your name on it.  The door is open to us.  We don’t even have to prove ourselves worthy.  No ticket required.  Jesus has covered it all for us.

He is much more concerned if we come to Him, if we keep trying, if we are learning along the way, if we are giving what we do have, than if we accomplished our goals or increased our success rate, or were able to give all we wished we could.

Jesus wants us each to know

You are a beautiful treasure! 

You are a precious gift! 

You are greatly loved!

Live it Out

It’s easy to think of all the things, attributes, traits, and abilities that we do not have.  But we have so much more than we think we do.

You have an incredible and wholly unique set of talents, skills, abilities, experiences, passions, and purposes.  Sometimes it may not seem like what you have amounts to much.  But, to someone who has a need, what you have might amount to more than you will ever know.

The problem you help solve, the relief you offer another, the call you make, the visit you go on, the text message you send, the letter you write, the door you hold, the meal you cook…when you give of what you have it creates an opportunity for miracles to manifest in our world.  Miracles that meet needs and show love to another.

I can’t think of a better treasure than the gift of meeting needs and showing love.  So keep trying dear one.  Give of what you do have.

Pray Through It 

Beloved Lord,

Thank You for all the sweet reminders You send us of Your love and faithfulness.  Thank You for the help You give to press on and persevere.  Thank You for the hope to hold on to when we wobble and waver.   

Please remind each of my precious readers how valuable they are.  Show them in ways that are uniquely personal how great Your love is for them, like only You can.  Speak life into their hearts and renewal into their minds.   

Lord, may there be action on our part to receive, to taste, to take refuge in all of the good things that You place before us.  May we recognize with new perspective, new wisdom, and new revelation where You are working that we may give You glory and praise.  May we return Your love with hearts that leap towards You. 

In the name of Jesus who is a beautiful treasure and precious gift for all of us to behold and receive.  Amen