Lent it Begin

I didn’t grow up in a church that observed Lent in a traditional sense. But I made sure I knew about it. A large majority of my friends in school went to churches that practiced it. So I did what any friend would do to encourage another. I always made sure to give up something for Lent to encourage them to commit to their sacrifice.

One year I gave up my prized Debbie Snack after every lunch. Oh yes I did. I would still purchase it for 25 cents in the à la carte line and then would give it to someone I normally didn’t socialize with. I loved it. Turns out, it wasn’t much of a sacrifice after all.

Other years were even more bizarre. I didn’t wear jewelery one year. Seriously? I was maybe 12. But not wearing jelly bracelets or my charms seemed to be a big deal at the time.

Over the years as my faith has grown, I’ve begun to see more of the significance of Lent. Of its way of preparing your heart through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial in attempts of grasping what Christ did for us on that cross.  (I hope I didn’t miss one–let me know if I did!) Let me tell you, I cannot think of one single thing I don’t like about the idea.

I’ve been considering how I would observe Lent this year. Personally, as a family, and through Simplystriving. And I had decided reading the Bible in 90 days is enough for me. It’s taking quite a bit of time. I’m sharing with my family what I’m learning and am even blogging about it on occasion.

All day yesterday, though, I had that churning that only happens when I’m not right. When I’ve missed something.

After a healthy heart-to-heart with my Savior, I have decided. Oh, I’ll just be honest. I haven’t decided–God has shown me. I’ll be spending some time focusing on the self-denial portion of Lent this year. My method will probably be most unconventional. But one thing is certain: It will hurt.

Would you mind if I share some of it with you? I’m forcing myself to ask because I know I’m not going to want to. No one likes to air their dirty laundry over the world-wide web! I’m declaring this as step one of my self-denial.

Isn’t God amazing? He knows just what I need to get one step closer to Him. And I’m striving…Lent it begin.

How about you? Do you practice Lent? If so, how? If not, will you consider how to prepare your heart for the Holiday of Remembrance ahead? For you deserve to grasp a bit more of what Christ has done for you. I’d love it if you’d share.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

More Than Enough

I don’t think she knew what she was in for. When she entered my life as my newest friend. One who lives states away. I may never have an opportunity to meet her in person, but I’ve decided to not let that stop me. I will strive to ensure she knows the real me.

This was my first time trusting someone with knowing. Knowing my greatest fear. The one that holds me back the most. I had never told anyone before and found myself confessing to her so freely. This new friend of mine.

I clicked send before I could take back the words I spilled. The ones that have never seen the light of day –only the depths of my soul.

I fear I’m not enough.

I worry I’m not enough for my family. My friends. My King. What if I can’t meet their expectations? What if I fail miserably and let them down? What if I bruise their heart with my faults?

What if God asks me to do something and I completely blow it?

I’m confident in saying He has never ever let me down. But I’m quite sure that’s not true of me.

Then I read this:

“What does the Lord your God require of you?
He requires only that you fear the Lord your God,
and live in a way that pleases Him,
and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul.”
Deuteronomy 10:12 NLT

And I realize. He has my fear covered.

God doesn’t require I be enough. He is. And He sees my heart. My intents. My passions.

I may fail miserably at trivial things sometimes. Mistakes may often be my middle name. But I can show my reverence for God through worship. I can live the way He asks me to live. And I’m striving to love and serve Him with all of my heart and soul.

Yes, this I can do. I can be enough. For I’ve got the only things God requires of me covered.

To Him, I’m more than enough.

How about you? What are your fears? What holds you back the most? I’d be honored if you’d share.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

Close to Thee ~ Music Mondays

Click for Photo Credit

She knew pain. She had suffered. She makes my life look like a fairy tale.
And she makes me wonder. Could I gladly offer my Savior what she proposes?
I want to say yes. I’d like to think I can. But I wonder…

~~~~~~~~~~

I call her Fanny. Fanny Crosby. You might call her something else for she had over 200 pseudonyms. It seems when you have written more than 8,000 hymns, it becomes beneficial to not appear like you’ve written the entire hymnal. And her hymns deserved to be published. She didn’t feel the need to be recognized.

Once you learn her writing style, though, you’ll know it was her that wrote it. She’s one of the only hymnists who wrote solely on the intimate relationship with Christ, giving glory to God, and not on our fault-filled lives.

Her eyes were always focused on Him and not in the mirror.
You’ll know this by her hymns.

Maybe that’s why she was destined to be blind. I like to think so anyway and often feel she did, too. She is known for saying “If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been dis­tract­ed by the beau­ti­ful and in­ter­est­ing things about me.” And my very favorite “when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior”.

~~~~~~~~~~

Out of all the hymns I know she has written, this one challenges me the most. Maybe it’s because I know she wrote it soon after losing her only child. One she was blessed to hold only a dozen times or so.

And I wonder. Could I have penned these words to my Savior so soon after losing my son? I know my heart agreed with the other hymn she wrote “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” but this hymn?

I think I’m still striving. And I wanted to share it with you.

“Close to Thee” by Fanny Crosby

Thou my everlasting portion, more than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey, Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,
All along my pilgrim journey, Savior, let me walk with Thee.

Not for ease or worldly pleasure, nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,
Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.

Lead me through the vale of shadows, bear me over life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,
Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, I want to be close to my Savior. I want to cling to Him above all else.

But will I toil and suffer gladly? Will knowing He’s right by my side be enough?

I’m striving. For that’s the kind of relationship I want. One where I’m so happy to be His, I’m so thrilled to be on this journey with Him that my circumstances don’t matter. I’ll do it all gladly. Just to be with Him.

May I learn from Fanny. May my eyes always be on my Savior and not on the mirror…

How about you? How close do you want to be? How do you handle suffering? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

NOTE: To read more about the life of Fanny Crosby, you may click HERE.
To discover her known pseudonyms, and see a list of her most popular hymns, you may click HERE.

Am linking up with Paula at:

But a Breath

“For what great nation has a god as near to them
as the Lord our God is near to us
whenever we call on Him?“
Deuteronomy 4:7 NLT

I can travel to the other side of the world or to my neighbors twelve blocks away. I can search wide and discover what they worship. Why they regard someone/something above all else.

I can listen to their methods of reason. Their stories of proof. I can learn to understand why they believe what they do.

And I have. As much as I feel I need to, anyway.

But no matter how far I look, no matter which questions I ask, no matter what rewards I see; I cannot find anything that comes close.

As close as my God comes to me.

He’s but a breath away.

I don’t need to go anywhere to seek Him. I don’t need to wait my turn to make my voice heard. I simply need to call upon His name.

And however, whichever, whatever way I call upon Him, He’ll be there. Hearing me. Listening to me. Loving me relentlessly.

For He’s but a breath away. 

The relationship I have with Him is up to me. And if I need more of Him, if I ask Him to shower me with grace, that’s exactly what I’ll receive.

So if anyone comes to me and asks the very questions I’ve asked about what they believe, I will tell them:

There’s no one like my God.
No matter where you’re at, He’ll meet you there upon request.
Death can not contain Him.
Not one came before Him.
Love encapsulates Him.

Yes, there’s no one like my God.
For He’s but a breath away.  
Always.

May I not take Him for granted. May I hold Him in the highest regard. May praise be continually on my lips. May His glory shine upon my face.

And may I call upon Him relentlessly.
For He’s but a breath away.  

How about you? Have you called Him today?  What do you think makes our God unique? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

Linking up to WordFilledWednesdays over at Internet Cafe Devotions

For more Biblically inspired posts, visit:

On Sundays!

ThanksLiving Thursday

PSALM 100 NLT
“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and His faithfulness continues to each generation.“

I have begun every morning this week reciting Psalm 100. I must say, it has become a perfect platform for me as I have decided to make the conscious effort of choosing joy each day.

So I continue to pen my thanks. My gifts. My joys. For God is here, lavishing me with His love. And I don’t want to miss a thing!

In efforts of practicing ThanksLiving, and in attempts of sharing some of that with you, here are some things that made my Thankful list this week:

• Being able to finish my grocery shopping for the week in less than 40 minutes. Thank you, Trader Joe’s.
• Guacamole. So versatile. And right now, it’s my favorite dip.
• Celebrating Valentine’s Day with my sister and her family. So thrilled they were willing to spend their eve with us!
• Receiving Valentine’s from family.
• Hubby and I’s love story.
• Right on track with my health/weight loss journey. Should make my February goals!
• Also right on track with my reading the Bible in 90 days.
• That I’m His (Psalm 100)
• God WANTS us to hold on tight to Him. (Deut 11:22) It does not show weakness…
• Large snowflakes crystallizing in the sun. Nature’s prisms.
• My 3 year old’s Valentine to Jesus. It was a family portrait. I’m in love.
• Free learning apps on my new Kindle Fire. So thankful for the great deal we got on one!
• My husband doing our taxes. I don’t have to worry about a thing.
• God keeps His promises (Deut 7:9)
• God helps us not because we’re good, but because we’re loved (message I received in Deuteronomy)

God bestows gifts and I give thanks. I write them down and reflect on them whenever doubt starts to creep in. Because here I see how much He loves me. How He takes care of me. Affectionately.

Yes, there’s something to writing them down. Making physical note of the blessings God gives us each day…

How about you? What are you thankful for today? What verses do you like to reflect on each morning? What’s your favorite dip? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

We practice Thankful Thursdays over at Red Oak Lane.
Would you join us?

Love’s Presence

I can still hear him. In the black of night when the earth feels still, I hear his rich voice welcoming me. He would greet me with that special name he had just for me. And every time, it made me feel like I was his whole world. Yes, my Grandpa Al knew how to love well. He wasn’t afraid of it. He chose to proclaim it. 

Some days when the phone rings I’m taken back to that day. The day that made me change my ring tone. I remember my two-letter word of denial — the only word I could seem to push passed my lips. Yet reality strikes true no matter how you try to look around it. And sometimes your present day is something you never expected. Not yet anyway.

But I can close my eyes and invite memories to warm my soul. There I can see him with open arms ready to embrace. I can hear his contagious laughter and see his bright eyes beam with pride. And love comes rushing in to the hole he left deep inside.

For love knows no bounds.
Time can’t contain it. Death cannot penetrate it.
And even after years in-between,
love can still make its presence known.

~~~~~~~~~~

Love can creep up on you when you least expect it. It rushes in like a tidal wave the minute you see the positive test result. The second you hear a heartbeat. For love has no bounds. And sometimes you just know. That even after 22 weeks, you have loved so deep you’ll never be the same again. Its presence has been made known.

~~~~~~~~~~

I can’t recall when I learned love is a choice. That the emotions surrounding love are merely side effects to the experience. But the day you realize that is the day you begin to understand what God is asking of us. When He asks us to love with all that we have. For most of us know in this journey of love, pain can apply. Yet love holds no regrets. There is not one instance where love should have been avoided.

And we can accept the gift of mourning. We can allow the process of love to make its presence known. For in grieving we acknowledge that we are fully capable of submitting to love. And as we mourn what we think we lost, we come to realize that all we wanted was more. More time to experience love’s presence. That which cannot be lost at all.

For love has no bounds.
Even in grief it can thrive.
Our thoughts alone can keep love alive.

And when God asks me daily to love Him with all that I have, I choose to say yes.  For I have seen love in all its glory. Its presence has been made known to me. And I like what it makes me become when I submit to it whole-heartedly. 

It is God’s greatest gift.
It is God’s Greatest Commandment.
It is the greatest decision one can ever make.

Yes, Lord. I will love You. With all that I am.
I will make love’s presence known.

For God IS love.
God has no bounds.
Time can’t contain Him. Death cannot penetrate Him.

And I choose to enjoy making His presence known.

Do you? Have you chosen love? Will you join me in making God’s presence known even when it’s uncomfortable? Even when it downright hurts?

For love has no bounds. There’s no telling what we could do if we choose to abide in His greatest gift. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to keep striving to find out.

Thank you for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

I’m linking this post up with:

Love Like This

Photo Credit: Johntex

Happy Valentines Day!

I trust you have found a special way to celebrate the Greatest Commandment today — to love.
Please, share your traditions with me! I’d love to hear.

I’d also love it if you’d join me over at My Freshly Brewed Life today.

~~~~~~~~~~

I started reading My Freshly Brewed Life long before I started blogging myself. Barbie’s blog has always been an encouragement to me.

Shortly after I started blogging, I mentioned Barbie in This Post. I’m so glad I finally got brave enough to contact her and let her know I did so for it began a friendship I value greatly.

Barbie is a tremendous, encouraging friend
who has a selfless heart fueled by His glory.

It humbles me to have Simplystriving featured on her blog this month. She’s selfless like that. And today I have the privilege of sharing a post with her readers which I’ll admit, I’m a tad nervous about.

Friends, it would mean the world to me if you’d join me over there today.

I’m sharing about love.
Jealous love.

Here’s a sneak peek:

The full moon hangs heavy on the horizon. It burns amber, gleaming through the thin clouds trying to conceal its beauty. My breath escapes me as I wind around the lake, its reflection setting the water’s surface ablaze. I’m completely captivated as I realize

The very God that hung this moon
Whose hand spun it into orbit
is jealous for me.

Click on the button below to read more:

So, will you join me? Would you even be willing to let me know you did?

You’d make my Valentine’s Day. As I would certainly feel loved. 

Thanks for sharing your time with me us.

Simply striving,

Nikki

You Can Have Me

I met her the first day of December, 2011. Just a few weeks after I started blogging. She had stopped by and commented on the post “Exhilarating Exhaustion.” I’m so glad she did, for she has fast become a good friend.

A constant encourager.

~ That’s Lisa ~

About a month ago, I started praying more for Lisa and her family. You see, her husband is being deployed soon, leaving their family behind. I’ve been asking God how I can help when I’m states away. A few days after I started praying, Lisa contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to do a guest post on her blog,
The Army Chap’s Wife.

Well, writing one post out of her many is the least I can do.
In fact, that’s what I’m doing today.
One would think this helps her out, but truthfully, it doesn’t.
I’m too new at this blogging thing.
This is just another example of how my selfless friend Lisa encourages me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Will you stop by The Army Chap’s Wife today?

• I’d like to share with you how I celebrate Valentine’s Day.
• I reveal a tradition I’ve done for years that I’ve never told anyone about.
• And I share my Valentine’s Song for 2012.

Here’s a sneak peek:

My pen starts flowing in steady, smooth streaks. It isn’t until I’m finished that I realize I’ve held my breath, waiting for this masterpiece to be done. And there it is. Four simple words that don’t mean much on their own, but seem to mean everything in this valentine…

Will you join me? Simply click on the button below and see my post:
You Can Have Me ~ Music Mondays.

I would LOVE it if you left a comment over at Lisa’s to let me know you joined me there today.

And will you also join me in praying for Lisa, her husband, children, and all the nitty-gritty details that go with deployment?

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me us.

Simply striving,

Nikki

My Offering

“All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved
came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord.
They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle,
for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments.
Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing.
They brought to the Lord their offerings...”
Exodus 35: 21-22 NLT

Friends, this was how the Tabernacle was built. Those who felt God’s calling gave their most prized possessions. Those who felt moved by the message from the Lord offered their time, talents, money, prized fabrics, heirlooms, their rainy day funds — whatever they had, they gave to God.

I imagine some gave little. I imagine some gave a lot. I imagine some gave everything they had.

If even one of those people would have held back, they wouldn’t have had enough to complete the enormous task at hand.

~~~~~~~~~~

When I read these verses this last week, I felt a pang of guilt.

Because I have thought:
What do I have to give?
I have nothing of worth to offer.
There are others far more capable.

~~~~~~~~~~

And I wonder…what’s stopping me? Why do I not follow my feeling of being moved? For God has touched me. He has stirred my heart numerous times. Isn’t that enough?

Because it’s not me — It’s Him.
I don’t have to be enough — He is.
I don’t have to do it all — He will.

I don’t have to know all the details. I simply have to be willing. Willing to be used by Him. Willing to have Him do great things through me. With whatever talents He’s blessed me with.

Yes. This I can do. I can be moved. I can be stirred. And I can react. I can offer all that I have. For Him.

Take it, Lord. Take all of it. Here You go.
I may not have much,
but You’ve done greater things with far less.

And I can’t wait to see You make something beautiful out of what I have to give.

How about you? What will you offer Him this week? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

Linking up to my friend Barbie for:

as well as:

The Fine Print ~ 5 Minute Friday

When I saw the theme for this week’s 5 Minute Friday challenge, I knew I had to take part. Not because I have something magnificent or eye-opening to share. But because when I saw the word, I cringed. It clearly struck an emotional chord.

This week’s topic:
TRUST

So here is what comes to mind when I allow my fingers to fly across the keyboard for five minutes. Thank you for your grace as no editing or backtracking is allowed.

GO:

Why is it so hard to trust in this world of guarantees? Knowledge is grasped more than ever before and yet we still cannot believe what we see or hear. Doubt prevails when we see lines of fine print. When someone of authority offers a “Believe me” statement, our first thought is “Why should we?”

I look at my preschool boy. Full of innocence with a luster for life and I worry. I fear for his heart being hurt. For his faith being shaken. For when trust will become an issue. Yes, I worry. And yet, I have to ask myself “Why should we?”

For knowledge can be grasped more than ever before. In front of me is a book filled with all the answers. It’s available to me in any translation I fancy and has been around long enough to prove its authenticity.

In this I can trust.
With this I can teach.

In Him I can rely.
and for my boy I can lead the way.

For this world is filled with worthless guarantees. But I can trust in the knowledge grasped from reading life’s manual.

After all, I’ve read it and know how it ends. I know where the goal is and what the reward will be.

The rest of this life is nothing more than fine print.

STOP.

It wouldn’t be fair to the challenge to try to explain further. I’m going to trust you understand my heart!

How about you? Do you find yourself having trust issues? Do you worry? How do you filter through your knowledge? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me. And feel free to click on the 5 Minute Friday button to read more interpretations on the topic of trust!

Simply striving,

Nikki