-Full Circle-

I opened my journal a few evenings ago, and a few of the palest yellow and pink rose petals fell out, still fresh with delicate scent. I smiled for a brief moment, and then thought process happened.

"After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." --Matthew 2:9-11

oh, come Home. 
Every single moment we take a breath.
And then one night around 2,000 years ago, Christ broke into that mundane existence to give us fresh joy with each breath. "Breathing in Your grace, breathing out Your praise."

the wise-men moved from seeking to finding. 
Those of you who know me know how much I've clung to Jeremiah 29:11-13 for years. "You will seek Me, and you will find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.."
When we lose ourselves in Christ... our lives will be found. 
...with all your heart.
The wisemen hung all their hopes on a prophecy in Numbers, and they were rewarded. In this world of uncertainty, all you have to do is look. 
In the skies.
In nature.
In everyday circumstances, He reveals Himself through all things- recently I've been staring at mountains and skies and realizing His wonder and majesty.
Because wise men still seek Him. But they not only seek, they find Him as well.

We all agree that life...is a journey. But no matter what you seek, you have to know what you're looking to or for in order to find it or get there.

look & see. 
If all you're seeking is this life, that's all you'll ever find- it's as simple as that.
Are we walking by the truly narrow path toward His life?
He's right in front of us. Right in front of us. 
Can we not see how clearly He is there?
This is looking at life, at things, from God's point of view. As in 1 Corinthians 1:18... God isn't hiding, praying that people want to look... He just is there for those who do look.
The wise men... had a point of reference, I suppose, other than themselves.
As we seek the Lord Jesus... I often wonder if our glance is slightly drifting, even wavering. I want to see what I'm looking for... but I can only see it when I'm looking in the right direction. I'm reminded of the story of Peter walking on the waves.

follow Me. 
We can't just discover Jesus to walk away from Him. He impacts our very lives. Who or what are you following? Is that worth your life's journey, even for a short time?

Knowing Him isn't seeing Him only, it's chasing over Him with every fiber of our whole being.

find Me. 
"If you don't seek Him first... you're not really seeking Him at all."
finding Him is the outcome of seeking Him. 
He opens His arms: "Here I am."
In our bowing down in worship, our very life becomes an offering of worship.
That's Jesus. Compared to all else in this life, He is worth anything we will ever think we own or anything we lose. Just knowing Him is not enough.

I love James 4:8- "draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." I smile as I hear my baby voice gurgle that on our tape player as my mom and I memorized verse after verse.
Because...He will. There is no doubt.
You're not Home until you step in out of the cold.

i open my eyes and see a new glimpse of Christ once again this season. 
to the person who is lonely. 
to the person going through a tough time. 
to the person... bored and wondering. 
let us see Him. 
See Him with new and undefiled eyes. 
Thank You for coming. 
& letting us find You.