Resting In Him

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.  Open the eyes of my heart.  Help me to see how much you love me.  Let your grace flow over me like a river and descend on me with your peace.  Let me catch a dazzling glimpse of your smile as you delight over me.  Oh, Holy One, find every secret place in me and flood it with your love and mercy.  

I give you every worry and fear.  I turn them all over to you, realizing that everything pales in comparison to the love you have for me.  Let every word and action burn away, that doesn't reflect you.  I lay it all down at your feet so that I am unburdened to climb onto your lap, lay my head on your chest and feel your heart beat with love for me.

There is none like you.  None who see me and know me and yet love me so completely.  I rest in your arms as you pour out your healing balm over my wounded body and soul.  There is no lack or pain when I am with you.  You are strength and peace to my tired aching life.  The works of your hands are mighty in me, to the pulling down of strongholds.  

I find freedom and joy in the solace of your embrace.  I see things more clearly through the eyes of your grace and my sin falls away as I'm washed clean.  There is no place I'd rather be in the quiet moments when I face myself and know that I can only be whole, in you.  In you, I live and move and have my being.

From His Lap,

Labels Lie

This post is going to be a tough one for me because I'm going to expose a label that has been tattooed across my heart for a long time.  I've decided to expose it to the light and have it removed.  If you follow my blog, you know that I was raised in a Christian home by amazing parents, who taught me the love of Christ.  They lived a life of seeking Him and putting Him first in our family.

In high school, I never drank, smoked, cussed or ran around with boys.  You see, I believed what my parents taught me about living a pure life, one devoted to Christ. I married a Christian.  We started our family and attended Bible school.  I thought our family would continue on in the manner in which I was raised, a God centered family life.

And then, life happened.  We had 3 beautiful children.  Things began to go wrong, love was fought for and lost, and my husband and I divorced.  I'm not sure how it even happened, but it did.  After several years, I met my 2nd husband and we became engaged.  Shortly after our engagement, I got pregnant.  Needless to say, this is when the labeling began.

I had to tell my family about the pregnancy.  I was told by some members of my family that this child I was carrying, out of wedlock, would never be accepted or loved like my other children.  Some people told me that I disgusted them.  There were times when I would walk towards friends at church and they would turn the other way when they saw me coming. Thus, the label that became tattooed across my heart..."FAILURE"!

Some Christians are just as guilty as anyone at pinning labels on others. They think that if they've never gotten a divorce, if they've never gotten pregnant before they were married, if they've not had to start life over, they are a success and that those other people are beneath them.  Somehow, I think attaching labels to others, allows people to not to have to face their own shortcomings.  They don't even realize in the process they are giving themselves labels like "BETTER THAN" and "RIGHTEOUS".

Now, I am a grace person.  I am even part of a group called People of the Second Chance (POTSC). This is a group that believes in extending radical grace to those who have been labeled and feel like there is no grace for them.  We love on and show mercy and grace to hurting people who feel like they can never be accepted by God, the Church or just people in general.  So, you see, I am a grace person.

I try to place value and preciousness on everyone I come across; to see them as my Heavenly Father sees them.  It wasn't until recently, that I realized I haven't extended that same grace to myself.  While I have given my heart over to my Father, there is a part of it I have kept from Him; the part that is labelled "FAILURE".  That part, I have kept from Him, in the dark, in secret.  And when I try to go to that place in my heart, I can still hear the words that were spoken to me so many years ago as if it was just yesterday.  It's as if I get the tattoo redone every time I visit that place.  The colors become more vivid instead of fading with time.  Labels lie to us and tell us that we are something we are not.  And as we believe the lie, it slowly changes us into a person who we were not meant to be. Labels steal, kill and destroy.

This son that I had, 16 years ago, was no surprise to God!  God knew I would have this child from the beginning of time, just as He knew I would have my other children.  He has a plan for Him like He has a plan for each of my other children. He is an amazing child with the most tender heart and a capacity to love and be kind, like no one else that I know.  He is a gift.  He is loved by my family.  How could having this gift, make me a "FAILURE".

And so, I've decided to uncover the tattoo of that label on my heart.  I've laid it bare before the Lord.  I'm going to let the blood of Jesus wash over it and take it away.  I've heard tattoo removal is painful, so I suspect this won't be easy.  I'll have to change my way of thinking about myself.  I'll have to extend the same grace that I extend to others, to myself. I'll have to come up with a different label to tattoo there..like maybe GREAT MOTHER, or maybe, DAUGHTER OF THE KING, or maybe, just SINNER, SAVED BY GRACE.

My dear friend,  if you have tattooed any labels across your heart, that are interfering with you being the person God created you to be,  make the tough decision to remove them.  Regardless of what you have done or been, in the past, God wants to make you new and whole and clean.  The only label He has for you is "Child of God".  It's not easy to get rid of labels, but God makes a way.  The Scriptures, in Philippians, says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  These are the ways that you should be thinking about yourself.  If you have sin in your life, know that you are not your sin, repent of it and let Him make you clean and whole again.

From His Lap,

Grace and Law

This morning, as I awoke, I felt a stirring in my heart.  I understood right away, that the Lord had been speaking to me in my sleep.  I knew exactly what He was reminding me of, and it didn't leave me with the most settled feeling.  It felt more like He was showing me things that maybe, I didn't want to see and telling me things that, maybe, I didn't want to hear.  I knew that it was an exhortation and admonition from the Lord.

I focus a lot of my writing on the grace and tender mercies of God.  I do this because people tend to be so hard on themselves and on others.  The Lord wants us to see ourselves and others as He sees us.  He created us to be works in progress, ever growing and evolving in Him.  He knows we've not reached perfection, yet He loves us through all our mess.  That's why I write about His grace.

But God is not grace alone. There are 2 sides to God. He is grace and He is law. As Christians, we are to look to the Scriptures to get an understanding of how He wants us to live and to know what is sin and what is not. God's law is not to prevent us from enjoying life, but to keep us safe, keep us holy and help us remain pure and in fellowship with Him. Adherence to the Word of God does not put us in prison, contrary to what you might think.  It actually sets us free...free from conforming to the world's views of how we should act, think and live.

Our society would have us believe that we are to be tolerant and accepting of anything, "as long as no one gets hurt."  Christians are shamed and scoffed for calling sin, "sin".  While we are being chastised for being intolerant, we are one of the least tolerated groups that I am aware of.  But the Bible is clear on sin.  We can't say, "I am a Christian, but I'm only going to believe the Scriptures that make me feel good and I'm not going to espouse the Scriptures that make me or others feel uncomfortable."

Matthew 18:15-17 is very specific on how to deal with sin.  15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."  This Scripture addresses one Christian dealing with another Christian who has sinned against them. It not only shows that we are to address sin, but that we are not to be doormats when someone is sinning against us.  It shows us how we can address the sin, without attacking the person.  And just remember, if we adhere to this way of handling sin, we just might be the one who others have to confront.  There will be times when someone has to come to us and let us know that we have sinned against them!

Now, having said all that, remember...I'm a grace person.  I write about grace and mercy almost every time I sit down to write.  So don't jump on me here and say that I'm being judgmental.  These are the things that the Lord was speaking to my heart as I slept last night.  He wanted me to remind my readers of the "law" side of Him.

We are not to label people, we are to label sin!  I recently read a post by Cathy Morton, in which she asked "Do you label others before you know their truth?" This statement resonated with me, because it's exactly how I try to live my life.  I fail miserably at times, judging and labeling a person without trying to understand what their story is or where they are coming from.  But I can say that I am learning more and more, everyday, to see people and love them, as the Lord sees and loves them.

Don't ever forget about God's grace and mercy towards you!  But don't forget about His law either.  Walk out each day, spending time with Him, getting to know how He would have you live.  Be quick to repent when you know you have sinned and receive forgiveness and cleansing!  Be sure to extend that forgiveness towards those who have hurt you, as well.




From His Lap,

An Intentional Radical Life

As you walk out each day, do you live it radically, intentionally?  I don't want to look back on my life and realize that I just let it happen; that I drifted by and didn't live a purposeful, radical, worshipful life.  I want to experience radical love, radical joy and extend radical grace and forgiveness.  What a way to honor the One who created us to worship and fellowship with Him!

Radical love isn't easy.  It's easy to love the lovely, the popular, the accepted.  It's not so easy to love the unlovely, the angry, the rebellious, the unaccepted.  Radical love seeks out those who have been rejected and those who lives don't look like ours and extends a hand, a heart, a hug.  Scripture says "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."  This is true worship.

Radical joy isn't easy.  It's not difficult to be happy when all of our circumstances are going well and all things are just the way we like them.  Happiness is not joy.  Radical joy is knowing that God will use everything good and bad in our lives to bring us blessing.  He will not cause bad things, but he will take bad things and use them for good.  This can fill you with radical joy, when others would look at you and say, you should be sad or mad or bitter right now.   Scripture says "He will turn our mourning into dancing."  That is true worship.

Radical grace and forgiveness aren't easy.  People do heinous things that we can't even wrap our minds around.  They break our hearts and they abandon us.  God doesn't ask us to keep these people in our lives.  But He asks us to forgive them and extend His grace.  That's radical.  That's not what the world teaches.  Scriptures says "if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the alter and go.  First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift."  That is true worship.

I want to live an intentional and radical life, making everyday a sacrifice of love, joy and grace.  What a way to worship God in all I do!

I'm joining with Paula Ebert and others on Worship Wednesdays.  Hop on over to her blog and see what others are saying about worship!

From His Lap,

Grace and Mercy is Not Just For Others

I've noticed, throughout life, that when someone exhibits bad behavior, falls from grace, or hurts my feelings, I'm quick to say, "I forgive you."  I'm also the first one to step up when someone feels that they have done something they feel is very ungodly and say, "God's grace and mercy will cover you and He can make you white as snow, clean again."

Why, then, if I actually believe that, do I not extend the same grace and mercy towards myself, when I'm feeling badly about something I've done.  If I really believe that God forgives you when you ask Him to, then I should believe that for myself, as well.  I learned a very valuable lesson about this many years ago.

Brian and Stephen

Almost thirty years ago, I gave birth to my first child.  I was pregnant at the same time as my pastor's wife and we became very close.  She had her daughter, Elysa, a couple of weeks before my Brian was born.  When Brian was about a week old, my husband and I headed out to my in-laws so that they could see the baby.  It was a cold snowy day and they lived in a condo where there were very few parking spots up front.  I was wearing high heels so my husband pulled up to the door to let me and the baby out.  But I saw a parking spot just a little ways down from the front door, so I told my husband to go ahead and grab the spot before someone else got it.  He wanted me to get out at the door, so that I wouldn't fall on the ice, but I insisted that he hurry and park.  

Stephen and Brian

So he parked the car, I got out, picked up my brand new baby and promptly fell on the ice.  I had cinders in my knees and hands but even worse, my baby had a large hematoma on his head.  We immediately took him to the emergency room where he was admitted to the hospital.  I could hear the doctors talking outside the door.  One of them angrily said, "How the hell does something like this happen to a newborn baby?"  My heart sank.  Here I was, a new mom, and it was my fault that my baby was hurt.  If I had just listened to my husband and not been so bossy, this never would have happened.  For 3 days, I never left his side.  I fed him, bathed him, changed his diapers and in between, sobbed, wracked with guilt.  What if my child had brain damage? What if he didn't recover, and all because of my stupidity and stubbornness.  I knew I could never forgive myself.

Brian & I, Easter 2012

Then, my pastor's wife, my dear friend, came to visit.  I told her what happened and what a terrible mother I was.  I told her that I could never forgive myself.  I'll never forget the way that she looked at me with eyes full of love.  Very quietly, she said, "Erin, if this was me sitting in this hospital room and that was my baby, Elysa, in that crib, would you be sitting here judging me?  Would you be asking me, 'How could you do this, Kathy?'  Would you be saying, 'God will never forgive you for this, Kathy?'"  I looked at her in horror and said, "I would never say those things to you."  Her answer..."Then why would you say them to yourself?"  Wow, that was a powerful moment for me.  If I knew that God would forgive her, then I should know that He would forgive me.  If I would extend grace and mercy towards Kathy, then why wouldn't I extend it towards myself?

No one person is more worthy than the next to receive grace, mercy and forgiveness.  We all make mistakes, we all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God.  But if we believe in the power of forgiveness for others, then we must believe it for ourselves.

Dear One, if you are struggling with sins of the past or you are involved in destructive behavior and you think there is no turning back, no redemption or forgiveness for you, you are wrong.  We serve a God who is compassionate and full of mercy.  All He wants is for us to say we are sorry and turn from our bad behavior, whatever that may be.  He is faithful to forgive and to walk us through whatever consequences we have brought about through our shortcomings!

And just to let you know, my Brian was fine.  He recovered quickly and the doctors said that I was a wonderful mother and that they were impressed with the way I cared for him.  We still tease him when he does something silly, telling him it's from that bump on his head all those years ago!

From His Lap!

The Balm of Gilead is For You

"There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.  There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.  Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work is in vain.  But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again"  This well known "negro spiritual" refers to the healing power that comes from a God who will wash away every sin, stain, hurt and pain that we carry.  Do you ever struggle with feeling as though you are not capable of carrying the burden that life has placed on you?  Do you feel alone with your cares and worries?

There is One who yearns for you to let Him carry those things.  He wants us to lean into Him and let His grace and mercy bear what we cannot bear.  There is joy to be found even in the times when we can't see or feel it.  You can choose to walk alone in despair or resentment and anger, but there is another option available to you.  God waits for you to ask Him to pour His balm over you; His healing, soothing balm.

What if He is just waiting for you to ask?  What if there is joy waiting for you in the midst of pain and suffering? Get somewhere where you can be alone with Him and just listen...listen to your heart, because that's where He'll speak to you.  Imagine holding your pain up to Him and His sweet balm covering it in grace and mercy.  Then let Him minister His love to you.  Let Him hold you and fill you with peace and joy.

I don't know why I'm writing this today.  I know it's for someone but I don't know who. The Lord put these words on my heart and I knew I had to write them.  If you're reading this and you know someone who is struggling with something that seems beyond their ability to cope, please share this post with them.  There is One who will see them through place and bring them out on the other side!  He sees us as valuable and precious and He is waiting for us to reach to Him, to come to Him!

From His lap,

The Breath of Grace

I didn't write much last month.  Earlier, in the spring, I felt in my heart that a change was coming in my life.  I didn't know what it was, but I knew it was coming.  I've been anxious and uncertain, but things have begun to be clearer...coming into focus slowly.  We always want to get ahead of the Lord, don't we. I begged Him to tell me what was coming,
                                                    but it wasn't time for me to know yet.

So, the Lord had impressed upon my heart to stay mostly quiet for these weeks and remain in His grace. I've been tucked away there, reveling in His presence. It's been so sweet and I've been covered in peace during a time when I could have been at odds with myself, with others and with Him.  He is so faithful to minister to us and pour out on us exactly what we need.

Here is what I have found to be true in my life. When I feel fear or dread or anger or disappointment or hurt or uncertainty...any of those very real, very raw human emotions...I can take in a breath of Yahweh.  Say it out loud, "Yahweh".  It sounds like a breath.  You can say His name and draw Him in with your very breath.  And where He is, fear cannot stay.  Where He is, hurt, anger, disappointment cannot stay.  So this past month, I have been asking Him to fill me with His grace and chase away my uncertainty. 

He will reveal to me, in His time, what this new direction in my life will be.  I have some idea and my anxiety has turned into excitement.  He will not lead me into something without giving me the grace to carry it out.  I seek His guidance and direction every day so that I do not get ahead of Him or make costly mistakes that slow my path.

Dear Heart, if you are awaiting change and struggling with impatience or uncertainty and dread...just breathe.  Breathe in all that He has for you to wait and walk out this journey with Him.

I am linking with Joan at Reflections of His Grace and Beck from Beck Far From Home.  Take a visit over there to see how the Lord is inspiring others today!

From His lap,

Sometimes a Girl's Just Got to Get Away!

Sometimes, a girl's just got to get away...with other girls...sisters...soul sisters.  And that's just what I did this week.  Wives and moms are designed to pour themselves into the ones they love.  It's a gift from God.  He puts in us, parts of Him, that He wants us to share with others.  It's a blessing being able to impart His gifts of love, kindess, compassion, teaching and so much more!  The grace of Him flows through us and as it leaves us to bless others, we long for more to give.

But at the end of the day, the month, the year, if we don't get re-fueled, filled back up, then what is left to give?  We have our times of prayer and study that feed our spirits but our souls get hungry too!  That's what girlfriends, soul sisters, are for!  This time we went to a ranch where we could participate in lots of activities or do absolutely nothing.  We could ride horses or sit around the fire.  We ate like queens and were waited on by a wonderful ranch hand who seemed to know just what we needed.

If you give of yourself to your family, your church, your career, make sure that you give to yourself too.  God will always be faithful to impart to you, just what you need.  He knows your heart and He loves to fill up the emptied out parts with Himself!  Take some precious time to get filled up with laughter, joy, fellowship and sisterhood!  I highly recommend it.  You will be a better wife and mom when you are filled to overflowing with lots to share!



My friend & jewelry designer, Rebecca



Soul sisters, Felice & Dana



Yes, we got to shoot skeet & now have big bruises on our shoulders!



Kathleen has a hat for every occasion!

  

Beautiful Millie - interior designer

Somehow our earplugs became noseplugs!



Soul sisters, each and every one!

  

Nellie was a great aim!



We got to ride as much as we wanted to.  I can say that today, my "sit upon" is truly sore!



Doesn't Nellie look the part?



Yes, we really rode off into the sunset!  It was so beautiful.  It was God's grace filling us again!



It was time to wind down around the campfire with laughs and talk about the day.



We watched the sunset in a blaze of glory over the valley.



These boots were made for more than dancing!

A little log cabin in the woods, saw a rabbit hopping by...

We were plum tuckered out.  It was a great feeling.

And so our time had come to an end.  But God's grace and beauty had rained down on us and filled us full...ready to be poured out again on those in our lives.  He took a group of women with different backgrounds, gifts and talents, and wove us together in a beautiful tapestry!  I'm so thankful that God gives us soul sisters who we can be completely ourselves and vulnerable with...ladies who will lift us up in prayer, hold our hands for support, cry with us, laugh with us and know when we are getting close to empty.  Share with us what you do with your friends to replenish your soul and be a vessel full of blessings and grace for the giving!

If you want to see what other sisters are thankful for, stop over at Reflections of Grace and read of God's grace!

If you'd like to read stories of God's faithfulness to others, stop over at I Live in an Antbed!


From His lap,




Forgive and Forget...What??

My husband and I lay quietly last night talking about forgiveness.  There are so many hurts, so many wrongs that people suffer every day.  Wounds are made deep in souls.  I wondered aloud, "Do you think forgiving eases the wound?  Can we expect people to recover faster because forgiveness has been granted and received?"  I was wrestling with the concepts of forgiving and forgetting.

People say so glibly, "Forgive and forget."  First of all, that is not Scriptural.  We are repeatedly admonished to forgive offenses, but I haven't found any Scripture that says when we forgive, the offense will be wiped from our memory.  Secondly, being human, we don't forget like that.  Our brains and our hearts are wired to remember.  If I hear someone tell a person, "It's been enough time, just get over it" I want to ask if they heal so quickly themselves, from a hurt.

When I think of an actual physical injury, I think first, of the blood. You bleed and sometimes you even need stitches to help hold your wound together.  Then you form a scab, and sometimes that scab gets knocked off and you bleed again and another scab has to form. Slowly, the scab dries and a scar is left.  Scars are a beautiful reminder that you were injured and are now healed.  But the process doesn't happen over night.

I think emotional hurts and injuries heal in much the same manner.  After the initial emotional pain and bleeding, we can move quickly to God's presence and let Him place His healing salve on the wound, the sweet balm of Him, easing the pain and bleeding.  During this time, ask Him to help you forgive the one who hurt you.  Ask Him to give you grace to extend.  And then, you must be about the business of healing, forming that scab and the eventual scar that shows you were mended.  If you tell someone that you have forgiven them and then you keep bringing it up and beating them over the head with it, it will just make the healing process longer.

You won't forget but you will place your heart in God's hands and trust in Him to make it whole again.   So, I asked my husband, "Can we expect people recover faster because forgiveness has been granted and received?"  I believe we can.  It allows us to get the healing process started and keeps our eyes focused on the One who give us strength and grace to forgive.

If you are struggling to let go of a suffered wrong, dear one, I would encourage you to entrust your heart to Him who heals all wounds and makes all things new.  Release the one who offended; turn them over to God so that He can begin a work in them as well.

Share with us how you have learned to forgive and deal with the memories.

From His lap,

 

Grace Enough For Today

If you've been following along with my blog, you know that the Lord has been speaking to my heart over the past several months about staying close to Him, pressing in, hiding in the cleft of His love. Today as I was spending time with Him, I had a thought flash through me that caught me completely off guard and made me realize the importance of spending time with Him daily.

This is what I heard in my spirit.  "I will give you grace sufficient to get through the day." Do you hear what I heard? "I will give you grace sufficient to get through the day."  I caught myself smiling.  "Oh, God," I thought, "you are a jealous God.  You want me to come back tomorrow and the next day and the next.  You want me to spend time with you each day, fellowshipping with you, getting enough grace, sufficient for that day."  You see, dear one, we were created solely to have fellowship with Him and that's all He wants from us.  From the very beginning, He wanted to walk with Adam in the cool of the evening, through the garden, every day!

He will give us the grace to get through today and then He wants us to come back tomorrow and spend more  precious time with Him.  If He gave us all the grace we needed in one fell swoop, we would have no need of more grace and we wouldn't return to our First Love!  My pastor talks about how we take showers and baths and get all shiny and clean, but by the next day, we need another shower.  This must be what he means!  We need to return to the One who makes us clean, makes us holy, gives us grace every day.

I thought about how five of my six children are grown and off doing their own thing.  How I long for the days when they come to visit me. How I get so excited when they show up at my door or when my phone rings and their name shows up on the caller ID.  Is that how my heavenly Father feels when I show up at His throne and ask to get in His lap?

What a precious thing He showed me.  He let me know that He loves me so much that He wants me to spend time with Him every day.  He wants to give me what I need each day, to make it through whatever comes my way and He wants to bless me with His presence and His grace.  I know of no other king who will do that for his people.

I can promise you this; if you make time for Him each day, your life will grow sweeter and you will begin to notice Him all around you as you walk throughout your day.  And when the tough times come, you will feel His strength and His guidance, because you have spent time with Him soaking up His glory and His grace!

From His Lap,

Compelling Love

There is an age old debate about "works vs. grace" that I have never understood.  It seems like the two camps espouse views that are completely exclusive of the other.  On the one hand, there are those who feel that they must perform good works in order to receive redemption, approval and acceptance from God.  Then, on the other end of the spectrum are the folks who believe that all they need is grace, atonement, forgiveness of their sins to be held in a place of honor by the Church and their heavenly Father.

I say that it is because of grace, that we do good works.  When we have a burning desire to be in His presence and soak up His love, then we are going to long to do good works, to share that wonderful love with others.  The more I press into Him and draw closer to Him, the more I want people to experience the God who I know.  This makes it natural to do good works.

But I believe this...God does not love me any more or any less, if I do good works, or I if I don't. The Bible says His grace is sufficient and it is.  He will still love me and save me, even if I don't do anything for the Kingdom.  But, oh, how sad and selfish that would be.  How can I spend sweet time with Him, receive His blessings and not share?  How can I look around at a hurting world and not offer up the answer.  You have heard the saying "Always preach the Gospel...sometimes use words."  We can preach the Gospel with our hands and our feet, by acts of service.  His love compels us to do so.

It's easy to get hung up running around "doing works" but never actually draw closer to Him. The result is that we get burned out and begin to resent serving others.  The greater thing would be to spend time on our knees with Him, which in turn, will make us hungry to do His work.  Spending time in prayer, in praise and worship, on His lap, makes us hungry for more of Him.  And the more we have of Him, the more we want to share Him.  You don't have to exhaust yourself running here and there, trying to meet every need that you see.  Spend time with Him.  Just ask Him to reveal to you, people around you, who need a touch from Him, and then go serve them!  I guarantee, you will begin to see places and people all around you who could use a hand up and God will work through you to bless them!

From His lap,