God has recently been telling me, “Give it away” and that is just what I am doing! I’ve invited some beautiful souls from my favorite Facebook community for women in the 50+ season of life, The Consilium:a Gathering of Wisdom and Grace. Enjoy the words from their hearts and, if you don’t mind, would you leave a comment to encourage them? Feel free to join us over at The Consilium – we would love to see you there!
Please Welcome Bonnie Wallace:
Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. Isaiah 54:2 (HCSB)
I am a mid-life mama who is desperate for God and what He has in this new season. The children are moving forward and there have been times when I’ve thought my best was in the past.
In this new part of my journey Jesus tells me to remember His mighty deeds and reflect on the work of His hands; the ones that bear my scars. In looking back, I can see the faithfulness of His cause for me; the one that is grounded in Son-sacrifice.
I see the years of childhood rejection and I remember receiving salvation as Jesus sealed my 11-year-old, earthen vessel. He rushed to my soul because He knew the immeasurable grace that would need to come.
I reflect on that young self who fell into a pit of despair and attempted suicide at age 16. I can picture God, with a grieving heart, reaching down from heaven and holding back death. He has been patient with me as I have learned to receive His life of joy.
I think back to the 23-year-old version of me and the struggles of being a divorced, single mother and how I received God’s manna. I recall this woman who, at 25, married again because she desperately wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. And how God fully received my longings because He understands the love of parent and Son. Six months later this young mama was divorced again because a woman who marries for less than love can only suffer – and so does her child.
When I was 28 I came to the end of myself and said, “No more me, Lord” and I received the breath of His Holy Word that said, “I will forget the shame of your youth and I will be your husband.” Within a short period of time, the Creator gave me a man like Him; a forever-husband who would save me from self. And God, in never-ending blessing, filled our quiver full with four more babes.
I remember my six-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with a serious illness, and how I received the peace that passes all understanding.
Most recently I recall the cancer that grew in my breast and how God Himself soaked my shaking soul with the knowledge that, with Jesus, cancer never wins.
I have always been on the receiving end of God. And now, the Lover of My Soul says, “It’s time.”
Time to take those remembrances and receive what He has next for my life. I am to drive those spikes deeper in the ground of Who I know Him to be: the faithful reality of
Love,
Mercy,
Grace,
Forgiveness,
Hope,
Promise.
My stakes are made from a life-time of God-provision born out of soul-need. They are a desperate cry for more Jesus and bottomless trust. They are a confident, faith-response to known love that has been proven and they are the wanting for what comes next in this journey with Him.
The One without limit, tells me to drives those pegs to unimaginable God-dreams and crazy-possibilities because He is the giver of nothing less.
And God tells me to, “Open wide.”
Because when I lengthen the cords and stretch wide my tabernacle of faith; the tent that will never be moved and whose stakes will never be pulled up, and I draw back the curtains to receive what has been prepared, I will see what no eye has seen, hear what no ear has heard, and experience what no mind can imagine.
I am in a new season and my years are expanding to new territory. I do not know the details of what lies ahead but I know Jesus’ faithfulness in my past has always been proof of His goodness in my future.
With God, the best is yet to be – He gives nothing less.
Beautiful Sparrow, God is calling you to push further into the depth of His faithfulness and to open wide the covering of His love. He wants you to pull back the curtains of established favor and receive the harvest of what has been prepared. You are a woman with a history of God-experiences and you, my friend, have been readied to be the blessing-beneficiary of the work, to Who the work belongs.
Prayer:
Jesus, I remember Your mighty deeds and the work of Your hands and that You have been the Faithful Giver in every crevice of my life. Help me enlarge the site of my tent and stretch out my curtains wide. Help me drive my stakes deep in Your faithfulness and not hold back so I can receive the mighty gifts You have prepared.
I pray you Live Like You Know …where you are going.
Strength to strength,
Bonnie
Application:
Remember God’s faithfulness in your past and make a record of His favor.
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Bonnie’s heart is set on the journey toward heaven and finding God-purpose in the seasons and struggles of life. Her passion is for women to know they are always moving from strength-to-strength until they see Jesus face-to-face. Bonnie is a cancer survivor, writer, speaker, and creator of the blog, www.LiveLikeYouKnow.com. She is a contributor for Tracie Miles’ upcoming book, Your Life Still Counts, Ministry Assistant for Proverbs 31 author and speaker, Lynn Cowelland leader for the (in)courage online community group, Nestled (in)Purpose. She is a regular contributor for The Nebraska Family Times, frequent guest blogger and an advocate for Ending Bible Poverty through The Campaign for Possible. You can connect with her through her blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Bonnie is dreaming crazy, God-possibilities for the women He loves.
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Bonnie,
You truly are a beautiful Sparrow. Now that I have read this, I will always see your faithfulness in letting God provide.
“I do not know the details of what lies ahead but I know Jesus’ faithfulness in my past has always been proof of His goodness in my future.
With God, the best is yet to be – He gives nothing less.”
Thank you for reminding me His eye is on His sparrows, always.
Debbie
Debbie, you have just filled my heart with even more thankfulness to our Savior. I am overwhelmed by God’s provisions and endless grace in our lives; how He is always giving blessing upon blessing to bring us to the ultimate blessing of being whole, with Him. Thank you for taking the time to read, Beautiful Sparrow.
Bonnie, absolutely beautiful. Earlier this morning, I read: “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.” (Ps.77:11-12, NTL)So grateful you remembered all that He has done in your life & you shared it, telling of His deeds to us all. Thank you for the reminder, “With God, the best is yet to be – He gives nothing less.” And to that I can only add, “Amen!”
Joanne that is the exact verse I was thinking of. Even memories of God’s hand are perpetuated by His presence in our lives. Remembering is just another proof of His faithfulness and work in bringing us toward Himself and the goal of glory. Thank you for taking precious time to encourage this mid-life mama. Strength-to-strength, Bonnie
Mercy! I’m witness to his live and his plans in your life! Thank you for the encouragement Bonnie! For his glory is on display with your life!
Love this love!
Summer, you bring tears to my eyes as I watch Jesus bring Himself out of the trials and show His tent of covering. I pray you are always able to receive what He has for you and your life. You are so loved and you love so well. Strength to strength, my friend, Bonnie
I love that visual of “let your tent curtains be stretched out.” It gives me, a picture of open air-i-ness, freshness and clean breezes flowing. And how can the pegs of our faith go deep without the pounding and iron against iron?
You are a breath of the Spirit Bonnie and you point all your gifts and glory to Jesus. Appreciate you more than I can express.
Rhonda, thank you for that visual – I totally agree as I think of breathing Jesus in; receiving Him and His best and how the trials just give us more of Him – the perfect example of faith and trust. Your encouragement fuels my passion for women to experience God in every circumstance and know, without a doubt, He is doing a good work. Love you so! Strength to strength, Bonnie
There are so many beautiful layers to this story and I am amazed and in awe of your resilience and your ability to bounce back and walk forward even in the midst of hard times. You inspire many and you will continue to have a wonderful ministry because ‘you chose’ to trust the one who would complete your story.
Sharon, we are women who strengthen each other in our stories. As we remember our struggles we see how beautiful God’s purposes are for us and that our lives are really His love story toward us. Thank you for sweet words that feed my soul. YOU encourage me and so many others – thank you so very much, Bonnie
Lord, help me to open wide.
Beautiful, Bonnie. There is such life in your words here. You have blessed me, my sister. Thank you
Lyli, I pray you will know how much your encouragement fills my heart and helps me to drive my pegs even deeper. Blessings, Beautiful Sparrow, Bonnie
Beautiful testimony… I have been recounting too… a long long list of God’s faithfulness through many sorrows… and I feel I am standing in a doorway that has been opened… waiting and ready to follow where He leads. I am taking that scripture verse and your words here and pondering them with the Lord. Blessings and grace~
Ro, Diane and I were just talking about how we have felt that God has been preparing our lives for the purpose of His power – how we have felt it coming and anticipated it and how Jesus, opens the door wide with a whoosh of “release and receive” at the same time. I am blessed to be on this same journey with you. Thank You Jesus for Your Beautiful Sparrow, Ro. Strength to strength, Bonnie
Bonnie, the scripture you opened with, gripped me. Wow. And then you followed it through with your words and I felt God’s presence, encouraging me onward. Thank you.
Tammy, I have just thanked the Lord for strength in numbers and how He encourages us onward through our words. Thank you for yours, Beautiful Sparrow. With prayers and thanksgiving, Bonnie
Bonnie,
Your continuing journey, moving from strength to strength with Jesus…so radiates the light and love and faithfulness of the Lord.
You are a beautiful daughter of the Lord and my sister in Christ and I look forward to meeting you one day, either in this life or just beyond the veil.
Thank you so sharing with us.
Glenda, I am praying it is here, my friend! Oh, how wonderful it will be when all of us are together and we “know fully, even as I am fully known.” My heart can barely grasp it! I have asked God for indescribable blessings for you, Bonnie
Bonnie – before I got online this morning, I was reading a devotional based on Psalm 138:8 – “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.”
Then I read your beautiful posting which helped me to see how the only way any of us can widen our tents, is to see how God’s faithfulness through all the steps of our lives up to this point, have opened us to his grace and pounded into our souls his unending faithfulness.
There is a rhythm in the choreography that each of us has been asked to dance with Him. The steps are not always lovely and there are trips and spills yet with his leading we are being transformed in ways that only He can design. He is always readying us for the next steps that will require a wider dance floor.
Your words reflect this in heartfelt and inspiring ways! Thank you!
Lynn,
Please let me take this time to thank you for the beautiful words you continually pour into others. Whether I am reading them as they are written for someone else, or for me, I am encouraged to keep driving my pegs deep in the things of God. You, my friend, inspire me and give my heart a clear picture of wisdom meeting grace. So grateful for you and the love you give us all. Strength to strength, Bonnie
Thank you Bonnie. I needed to read this today as I have been focusing my life right now on being enveloped in His plan and direction for me. To embrace each challenging step as His loving direction. When doors close, frustration rises, fear sets in I throw myself at His feet, feeling His presence and His strong right Hand upon my head assuring me quietly and gently. Oh, such love. I am so humbled by His love for me!! Thank you for the reminders. You are such a gift. Thank you for walking into my office. xoxo Shelley