I've always known that!

We've all heard the saying, "God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good," right? Sometimes my sister & I even say it in jest, just because it's such a phrase that's been used more times than my hairspray. And that's a lot.

Yesterday I was overwhelmed with an un-expected blessing and it brought me yet again to tears. I say, "yet again" because I'm often brought to tears! But it's cool, I've accepted that I'm emotional and it is what it is. I don't cry over just anything though, unless you count the ridiculous spectacle I put on when we found the bunnies a new home after a mere two months of having them...but that's another post for a different day. A boring day.

I cry over things that move me. Or over things that sadden me. Or over things that overwhelm me to the point of no words. Or over things that remind me of God's goodness indeed being all the time.

So yesterday. I was blessed. And as I was thinking about God's goodness I found myself saying it aloud to Lily. "Lily, God is so good to us." Lily responded to me in typical five year old fashion something to the effect of, "Of course He is mom. I've always known that. Ever since I was a baby!"

She has always known that. She has always known that. Lily can honestly coin the phrase, "God is good all the time," and mean it with every fiber of her cute little five year old being. If only we could keep that same assurance, the same faith that causes us to say, "I've always known that."

Lily has not yet had to go through any difficulty; she has not endured any storms in life that have caused her to wonder if God is ever going to calm the winds and the waves around her. She has not yet found herself in a hopeless situation that, barring a miracle of divine intervention, would remain hopeless. Lily has not yet waged war in this battle that we like to simply call "life." So of course she says, 'yes mom, of course God is good. Of course.'

But wait. While Lily may have just turned five years old, she still has faced things in life that by her standards are difficult. She still has daily fights with her sister, whom she looks up to and adores. She still has to be left at Pre-K, alone, unsure of what the day will hold for her. She goes through best friend drama again, like I go through hairspray. She has a fashion crisis on an hourly basis. Every.single.day.and.night. I mean, c'mon, it's a hard life!

But it's perspective. Those things are difficult for Lily, to which she has previously replied, "this is the worst day ever!" While the magnitude of the difficulty between her life and our lives obviously may differ, the root frustration is still there.

Psalm 52:1 says, "the goodness of God endures continually." There's our catch phrase. But really, meditate on that for a minute. His goodness endures continually. The word "continually" is defined as: "continuing indefinitely in time without interruption." So never, ever, ever, EVER can God's goodness towards us have an interruption. And forgive me for anyone that now has Taylor Swifts song stuck in their head. She's never getting back together. Ever. We get it.

That means that God's goodness continues through every season and every stage of life we face. All the way from little Lily upset that she does not have the same high heels as Samantha does to looking my estranged father in the face and sharing forgiveness with him as he lay dying.

In the dark times. In the confusing times. In the painful times. In the dry times. In the lonely times. God's goodness continues. In the joyful times. In the abundant times. In the exciting times. God's goodness continues.

We can't know this side of Heaven what God is protecting us from. Often times, as we walk through difficulty, it's easy to think that God's goodness has obviously paused for a season. But what if, just what if, that difficulty actually is protecting you from something far worse? What if. Just what if.

So today, I'm choosing to have the attitude that Lily had yesterday, because trust me friends, her attitude changes on a daily, ahem, hourly basis. As does mine. But today, I'm saying the over-used phrase with as much gusto as I can muster up! Yep, God is good, all the time friends. Of course He is. I've always known that.

Size 4 by morning, right?

Have you ever wanted something so badly, but didn't want to do the work necessary to obtain it? That great marriage, the close friendship, your dream job, the education, or of course, the perfect figure...

We can all think of things we would immediately ask for if given three magic wishes, can't we? I can't tell you how many times I've wished God would have made me the person that can eat whatever they want, not exercise a lick, and have the exact figure they want. I suppose you can guess what one of my wishes would be for then, can't ya! It's taken me years and years to grasp the whole "looks don't determine internal health" business.

Ephesians 3:20 is a great verse. It says, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..."

We love to use that verse often when we pray, don't we? God, we know you can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think! And then we list what we need God to supersede for us. Sometimes though, I think we ignore the next part of that verse, "according to the power that works in us."

That kind of puts the ball back in our court a little. Yes, God can go way above our expectations, He has done it in my life on numerous occasions. I have a husband I would not even ask God for because I felt to un-deserving. I have two beautiful girls that call me mom, something I was not sure I'd ever have. I get to be part of a church in a role I never would have thought myself fit to fill. I live in a home I would have never imagined being a reality for me. I drive a car that exceeds my wishes. My list can go on and on...God has definitely done exceedingly and abundantly above all that I could ask or think.

So yes, God can do that. And God DOES do that. But what about that next part? That "power working in us" business. That puts a portion of the potential for abundance back in my corner. You see, we can have as much or as little of God's power as we are willing to receive. I don't know for sure, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the way we live our life on a daily basis determines the fullness to which we receive. If we live our lives on the lowest level of power possible, then I don't imagine we can expect much room for abundance. But if we live our lives to the highest power level possible, that takes the limits off God, making room for Him to throw down the "exceedingly and abundantly."

So how do we live our life "according to the power that works in us?" I believe it's a life surrendered to God. It's a life that says, "come what may, I won't stop praising God." It's a thankful life. It's a serving life. It's a life that fully believes God's word; that His promises are "yes & amen." It's a life that strives to live in obedience to the Word of God, not caving to the ways of the world. It's a life that does not want to walk the fence line of the world & God but a life that is so clearly with Jesus that others can't help but want to know that life. It's a life that see's a need and fills it. It's a life that knows that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that works through that life! It's a life of faith.

A miracle has two parts; our part & God's part. Are there times when God just flat performs a miracle? Sure. Does God just like to blow our socks off on occasions and do stuff that we never imagined could happen to little old us? Of course! And then there are times when we have to just trust...and walk...and trust...and pray...and trust...and war...and trust...and seek...and trust...and do...and trust.

Power, power, wonder working power, in the blood of the lamb. That wonder working power resides in all those that believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What we do with that power makes all the difference. Will it make me a size 4 by morning? Nope. Not unless I use the ability God has given me, doing my part in the miracle. But I do believe that as I do my part, allowing God to teach me what He needs to teach me in that area, craving God more than food, using the power that works in me, ya, someday that wish will come true. And it will be more than I could ask or imagine. And for anyone that's ever battled weight on the level that I have, you can understand what a miracle that would be.

So for today, I'm choosing to walk in power. I'm choosing to look at every obstacle through eyes of faith. I'm choosing trust over worry. I'm choosing faith over fear. I'm choosing power over weakness. And as I do that, I'll soon see more of the "exceedingly and abundantly." Cuz that's how He rolls.

Heels are perty. And mean.

My feet hurt. I have yet to find a heeled shoe that meets both the need to be stylish and the need to be comfortable. I thought I was onto something with the most recent pair I bought; very cute, and comfortable...for like 30 minutes. Then the realization that I was squeezing my wide, sausage toed feet into something not meant for said wide, sausage toed feet, well, what can ya do. I suppose my next step is wrapping my feet in Saran Wrap in hopes of shrinking said wide, sausage toed feed.

Or I could pass on vanity and wear shoes that actually are comfortable but where's the fun in that? I enjoy wearing heels. Ok, I don't enjoy wearing heels. I enjoy the look of heels.

The moment I walk in the door and kick off my heels (aside from doing so in church, that's classy right?) is the best feeling ever! My sausages, er, my toes, just shout a big "Thank You" to me as they settle into the soft carpet. They continue to holler at me periodically for the remainder of the day. They yell things like, "hey crazy lady, thanks a lot for squishing us you big meanie. Next time we're gonna trip you."

Heels. They can be so moody.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

So this scripture is really cool. He has made everything beautiful in it's time. That tells me that not everything starts out beautiful. That trial that you may be going through is not beautiful. Yet. That negative diagnosis is not beautiful. Yet. The marriage that's in turmoil is not beautiful. Yet. The financial crises that keeps you awake at night is not beautiful. Yet.

"That's common sense," you say. "Duh Jen", you say. "We're gonna trip you," you say. Oh wait, that's the heels.

Of course, OF COURSE those things are not beautiful. OF COURSE, trials are absolutely awful. But I have to believe that God created the word "Beautiful." And I have to believe it does not look like we think it looks like. I have to believe that "beautiful" does not simply refer to an attractive person, or a lovely flower, or a wonderfully composed song. I have to believe that God see's beauty in a far greater arena. Because He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in it's time. EVERYTHING. Everything. So yes, that traumatic event you endured, it has beauty. The valley that you have found yourself walking in for far longer than you ever dreamed you would, it has beauty. The problem, the trial, the heartache, the damage...beautiful. How? How.

It's the second part of the verse: He has put eternity in our hearts. Everything we face has the potential to draw us closer to the Lord, if we allow it to. And as we draw closer to the Lord, that eternity that has been put in our hearts, grows stronger and stronger. Until all we can focus on is the glory of the Lord! Until all we can think about, is gazing on His beautiful face. Because if our hearts are drawn towards Heaven, and if our hearts are always aware that we are simply passing through, then our situation has no choice but to appear beautiful. Because it's getting us one step closer to Him.

And lastly the verse says, "no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." We can't fathom the big picture. We can't comprehend the reason behind some of the stuff we've had to endure, or are currently enduring. But how beautiful must it be to the heart of the Father, when in the natural, we can hardly muster another prayer...and yet we do. And yet we walk. And yet we run. And yet we endure. How beautiful must that be to the Lord.

So if everything is made beautiful in His time, then we trust in just exactly that. We trust in His time. It may not be a beautiful season you are walking through at the moment; in fact it may be downright ugly. But you can trust that at some point in your journey, it will be beautiful to the Lord. Otherwise the Bible would not say that. So I have to believe it.

You know the old saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Oh Jesus, as you look on us, may we shine your beauty. May we walk through adversity, with our heads held high, knowing that you have placed eternity in our hearts. And for that reason, among many many other reasons, we look to your beautiful face and we thank you that your definition of beautiful is not ours. In Jesus name, Amen.

PS. My toes are still angry. If you see me in flats for the rest of my life, you'll know they won.