Come......

Have you ever been invited to a party that you just couldn't wait to attend? Maybe all your friends were going to be there or last year's party was a blast, not to mention the incredible food and festivities. 

This year, whether you are invited to this kind of party or not, remember that Jesus has invited you to a feast, a party of unimaginable splendor. Laughter. Reunions. Feasting. It will all be there, including someone who has been dying to meet you face to face.

Jesus.

He's been waiting for you. Forever.

It won't matter that you're not perfect. It won't matter what you've done. It won't matter. Nothing will matter because He's taken care of it.  

Come.

See his smile. See his arms stretched out wide for you. He's waiting. 

Come.

Shhhhh...... it's okay. My arms are big enough for you, strong enough to hold you.

Come. 

Rest in my arms. Rest, my little one. My love. My child. Daddy's here.  

The Power of a Seed

Have you ever seen the look of excitement in a child's face when she talks about the imaginary and magical world she lives in? Whether talking about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy magically leaving money under pillows, or imaginary worlds with princesses, superheroes, or aliens, kids live in a world full of possibilities.

Today I read Mark 4:1-20 about the sower and the seeds. It's amazing to me that a small seed can lead to faith, but that's how it happens. Whether you have faith in the Tooth Fairy or a belief in anything else in your life, it always starts with a seed.

Sometimes God wants to plant a seed of hope in us. It might be a hope for our future or a hope about His character, or a hope in the impossible. Whatever it is, we have the task of believing what God has told us. (How do we know if He has truly told us something? That's a harder one. Listening is hard, but fortunately God has given us His Word to make things a whole lot clearer and mature believers who can also help us discern if what we are hearing is correct.) Believing what God has told us is not believing other things. It is not believing what our circumstances seem like to us. It is not believing what others might think. It is not believing God is like anyone else, including our fathers or mothers or friends who have let us down. It is choosing to believe God.

When God tells us something and we don't believe him, we choose to allow "thorns" to choke the seed. So my question to you is: What seed has God planted in you? 

If nothing comes to mind pray, "Lord please show me what seed you have planted in me?" What comes to mind?

Isaiah 43:19 says:

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

The wondrous thing about seeds is that when they are allowed to grow, they grow. And, pretty soon that seed of faith is a full-blown belief.