Seasons – Kraftygang

Last weekend I went on a Women’s Retreat. Annie Mae and I went. While I didn’t come back as refreshed as I had hoped, it was still nice to go and have some time with the Lord and a little time with some women. I think a retreat should be babyless but Annie Mae didn’t really like the idea of a three day FAST! ha ha! She was wonderful though! Even though she’s got some thrush and yeast rash (due to antibiotics).

I spoke at our retreat for the Communion devotion this year. It was a very well prayed for and thought out devotion. I love how God confirms things and how He works so amazingly! I had written up notes and went off my notes and just Shared as God led too but I wanted to put my notes on the blog as well. I had recorded myself here to see how it flowed but then when I got there I kinda went off my notes as well and added more scripture as he led while I was there at the retreat. Talking about my dad up at the retreat brought about a lot more emotions than what my recording is. The Theme of the retreat was Drinking from the Living Water.

Drinking from the Living Water

(Every Season)

I thought and prayed long and hard about the topic for this retreat. The word SEASONS kept coming to mind.

We all go through changes in our life. Everyone has different battles, trials, and seasons that come and go. Seasons are interesting aren’t they?

They come and so quickly pass, and some seasons in life seem to drag on. My family has been through a tough season with loosing someone so incredibly close to us (my dad). He went to be with Jesus In May of 2015. I never really thought through loosing my parents or that I would have to keep memories alive for my kids.

I’ve always known death happens, but you just don’t imagine what its going to be like to loose someone so close. Its so hard! Its a Season of grieving for our family. Such difficult emotions to process and teach our kids about.

At the same time I’m in a Season of child rearing. They grow so fast! I’ve got 6 kids, 5 boys and my girl (ages range from 15, almost 12, almost 6, 4 yr, 2 yr, and almost 9 months). I’m realizing more and more just how time goes so fast. Pretty soon one of mine will be driving and graduating. I’m sure it will come all too quickly for me!! For now, we are in a busy important season in our family.

Brian and I realized we had too much on our plate. We decided to cut back (even on some good things) so we could do a better job raising our family.

That left me feeling a bit empty until I started realizing I was exactly where God wanted me to be. I didn’t need to be leading a ministry, and we didn’t need to head up a group or volunteer for everything, and it was OK to miss out on even some of the fun things in order to focus on our marriage or our family.

God used other Godly women to point this out to me. However, they also shared too that I needed to be filled up in order to pour out to my family.

This got me thinking about how Seasons change, but God does not change. He’s ALWAYS there and always the same. We can count on God being right there ready to fill us up, but we have to drink. We have to OPEN that Bible and take some drinks like a deer panteth for the water.

Every time I would think about the theme for this retreat I would sing that song “As the deer pants for the water” and think about how God doesn’t change no matter what season I’m in. God wants us to want Him.

He wants to see us desire to know Him more and more. Am I drinking from the well of the living water? Am I keeping my soul quenched with Him? What am I thirsting for? I want Him alone to be my hearts Desire, I pray for that. I pray that for you as well. We are all at different Seasons in this life, but one thing is the same and that is JESUS, we can count on that!

How awesome we get to worship Jesus and drink from the Living Water. Jesus came shed blood, gave HIS life for us. He came to die and take our punishment of sin and death so that we might LIVE with Him. We get to celebrate that today and remember what He did for us. As we go through the different Seasons of our life, Let’s walk with Him and talk with Him and Drink up that Living Water.

As we take this communion together, I challenge you to think about Jesus and what He did for you on that cross, thank Him and ask God to help you to thirst after Him everyday!

Lord I pray, that each one of us can have a new deep desire to want more of you. Set a fire deep with in us to want more of you God.