Stockings 

I was going for a certain look when I bought extra large stockings that were cotton, and I was determined to put them on myself. It was a fight, and took me a long time. I would use a back scratcher to help pull them up my legs. I chose the fabric so it wouldn’t tear. Sometimes I would ask my grandma for help, and other times not. I would struggle to get them up, and then put on a cute dress or skirt and likely wear my clogs because that was easy. No tying or bending necessary. 

Today is a day of victory! We can do hard things. We can champion our way to bringing the body of Christ into harmony and unity by remembering the sacrifices we made, and the hard things we have done for beauty’s sake. Cocreating with God to live and breathe His word is paramount to surrender. We only say what He says and do what He does. We have to be willing to submit to each other in love. The God who sees has breakthrough in mind. He prunes us at our most abundant place, so we can then grow and flourish in other places. Being sent feels hard and costly, but it is worth it. If we stay too long at our neighbor’s house, they get weary. But when we are the salt and the light, we can rise like incense on the altar of His heart. He holds us close, and abides in us not as a guest, but as the owner of the house. When He dwells within us, everywhere we go is home. We have to set aside the struggle to be beautiful and just wear pants. Our beauty is on the inside, and we shine where He tells us to and as long as we shine for Him, our geographical location is unimportant. We effect culture by releasing the heaven Jesus died to place inside of us. An open heaven looks like us sharing the best parts of ourselves with others, and encountering the core lessons and the treasure within. Not to pillage and exploit, but to share in the fellowship of the saints, and to give God the glory for what He has done in each of us. He gave His blood so that we can be satisfied and cared for. If we are not finding our contentment and safety in Him, we are missing it. He is protecting us and guarding us from harm and evil. Our job is to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. His beauty is majestic and wondrous. We have the opportunity and privilege to abide. We have the tools to clothe ourselves in His righteousness, peace, and joy, and slip into the sandals of the One whose own we are not fit to tie. But He makes it easy. He is so generous with Himself, that there is always plenty and always an abundance to thrive and grow no matter the season. As we become more aware of His presence in us, through us, and around us, our stride is confident. He won the war for our hearts. As we get to work bringing in the harvest, we can walk circumspectly knowing that He has made a way. Selah