It's Gonna Be Worth It All...

Every year it was the same story. The tree would be put up, glittering with ornaments and lights, waiting for presents to cover the quilted skirt beneath. Those presents never arrived before Christmas morning, so there were no strong temptations to peek...however the gifts had to be somewhere. And I didn't want to know where they were. Finding an unwrapped gift before Christmas morning was always a disappointment for me. It meant less of a surprise. Less joy in the moment.

I love Christmas morning partly because the wait has been so worth it. It's the right time to open the gifts, see what you've been given, and let others see what you've given to them. It's a time of joy and celebration.

Of course there are days before Christmas morning that I'm curious... What might he have gotten me this year? What gifts might await me on Christmas morn? I can't help but wonder with the excitement of a child awaiting the arrival of Santa's gifts!

While this example pales in comparison, I long for Jesus and heaven in much of the same way. I know the joy and celebration will be far beyond my best Christmas morning! And I know that one reason it will be that way is because it will be in God's perfect, sovereign timing. Yet more days than not, I long for Him to come back now. I long for it to be the day when all is made right with the world.

No more sadness.

No more death.

No more sin.

Just Jesus.

This song has served to encourage me in the moments when "Christmas morning" seems too far away...


I don't understand your ways
Oh but I will give you my song
Give you all of my praise
You hold on to all my pain
With it you are pulling me closer
Pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner
And up every mountain
I'm not looking for crowns
Or the water from fountains
I'm desperately seeking
Frantic believing
That the sight of your face
Is all that I'm needing
I will say to you

It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this

You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
Jesus

I know that the words to this song are true. Sometimes, the truth of how worth it this all will be just makes my heart ache even more for home. For Jesus. I pray for contentment. I long for joy.

But some days I just want my Jesus.

I want to be held in His arms and gaze into His eyes of love.

But here I am. And here is where He wants me. For now at least.

I can be content for I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

And it's gonna be worth it all....

"Worry...

...is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere." - Glenn Turner

I worry all the time. I worry about everything. I worry about what to wear, what people think of what I'm wearing, waking up on time, eating the right foods, having a nice enough place, having the "right" stuff... I worry about a lot of details that in the grand scheme of things, really don't matter.

Over the next several weeks, our church's reading program will be going through the book of Matthew. One day this week, we read Matthew 6, which is loaded with gems of wisdom from Jesus.

Verses 25 - 27 have always given me comfort in my worried state, reassuring me of the Father's love and care, while also convicting me of my sin of worrying.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Maybe that's one reason I love birds so much. They're just birds, right? Who cares, really? But God does. They are His creation, beautiful in His sight. Unique and intricately designed. And each one so different. He cares about their survival and feeds them. How much more does He care for me? How much more then, should I release my worry and fear?

Tonight, we watched this night heron and snowy egret sit at the bottom of the spillway steps, waiting for their tasty dinner to wash by their feet. And God was watching, too, knowing they need those fish to survive and providing for their needs. Just like He does for me.





Lord, grant me your peace and help me to take your yoke upon me. I all too often place myself under a yoke I was not meant to bear. Thank you for your provision for me and for the love you so graciously bestow on me. No need of mine ever passes by your watchful care. I praise you and thank you!

Sunset Bay

After dinner tonight, we decided to take advantage of the less than 100 degree weather and stop by White Rock Lake. We headed to Sunset Bay, a location we've visited a few times during the day, but never at sunset. Tonight was the night to be there as the sky was bright with oranges, pinks, yellows, and purples. The water birds were out in full force tonight, fishing and wading in the shallow bay.

We enjoyed watching the egrets, and this little snowy came close to the dock where we stood.



Psalm 50.1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

Anytime I am able to view a beautiful sunset, my heart floods with awe and amazement at my God. The beauty gives me a small glimpse into the beauty of my Love, Jesus, and it stirs within me a passion and desire for home. And although a sunset is one of the most beautiful things that my eyes behold, I know that the beauty of my Savior will far outweigh the beauty of the sky.



Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.
Then will all your people be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.

The More I Seek You

This song perfectly paints the image of my heart's emotion and desire right now:

The more I seek You, the more I find You
The more I find You, the more I love You
I want to sit at Your feet, drink from the cup in Your hand
Lean back against You and breathe, feel Your heartbeat
This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand
I melt in Your peace, it's overwhelming

Our First Anniversary

It's hard to believe, but this past weekend was our one year anniversary! How the time has flown! We decided to take a weekend trip to the hill country in Texas. I was able to get off work on Friday, so we left Friday morning and started our trek to Junction.

On the way, we stopped at Clark Gardens. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but it has been on HGTV's "Great American Gardens." Plus, our membership to the Dallas Arboretum got us in for free!

We especially loved all the fountains and water features, which included hundreds of beautiful blooming lily pads! We also saw many other beautiful flowers, fruit trees, butterflies, dragonflies, swans, and even some wild turkeys!









Once we'd seen the gardens, we continued our drive. Our destination, Junction, is a thriving metropolis of approximately 2,600 people. On their website, in the "things to do" category, the suggestions include visiting the local library and the county's historical museum. It may sound like a drag... but it was PERFECT! Honestly, any excuse to get out of the city sounds great to me, but this place was the perfect getaway!

Here is the "Deer Horn Tree" in downtown. It's appropriate, considering when you drive down Main Street at night, deer cross the road and are all over the place!



When we arrived that afternoon, we checked into our hotel and drove around town for a bit. We had dinner at A & M (American and Mexican food!). My chicken fajitas were scrumptious! That night, we drove out of town and watched the stars. I have never in my life seen so many stars in the sky! It brought to mind Psalm 8:

³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
⁴ What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
⁹ O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

It was truly breathtaking. I could have sat out there all night in awe and wonder of how great is our God and how beautiful is His creation.

The next morning, we got up early, enjoyed the free hot breakfast at the hotel, and headed out to South Llano River State Park. The park was only a short distance down the road, and if it weren't for the heat, I could have stayed there all day! The park has several bird blinds set up, where you can sit and watch the birds as they eat, drink, and play. It definitely makes the birding easier and more enjoyable! We saw SO many amazing birds, but here are some of our favorites.

Barn Swallow babies



Tufted Titmouse, black crested race



Cardinal, immature



The next two are just cardinals, but we loved watching them in the water!





Yellow-breasted Chat



The famed and sought after Painted Bunting! Most definitely the coolest bird we saw!



Black-chinned Hummingbirds






Once the weather was too warm to be outside, we drove farther west to the Sonora Caverns. We took the tour, which lasted about two hours. The sights inside were beautiful!

Helictites



Fuzzy lookin' bacon!



The Corinthian Room







The speed limits out on these roads were also the highest we'd ever seen posted...



We headed back to Junction and took a scenic drive, stopping at this overlook to enjoy the beautiful scenery.





We headed back in town, ate dinner at a quaint diner called "Isaack's," and watched a movie back in our room.

The next morning, our anniversary, we slept in and grabbed breakfast before packing up to head back to the city. Our drive took us through Dublin, TX, home of the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling company. They still make Dr. Pepper with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. It was even tastier!



I especially enjoyed the chandelier made out of Dr. Pepper cans!





When we got back to Dallas, we cleaned up and went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. After a yummy steak and sweet potato (with LOTS of brown sugar!), we came back to our apartment to enjoy our top layer from our wedding cake (which was actually still very good!) and watch the video of our wedding.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! We made some new memories and reminisced about some old ones. It's hard to believe year one is done. But I can't wait to see what year two has in store!