Thoughts from an unripe guava

This summer was such a great chance to reconnect with people.  What a great privilege to spend time with ones we love--family, friends.  It just couldn't have been any better.  It reminded me again of the preciousness of community and the necessity of having people who really know us.

We are privileged to have friends who are as close as family, and family whom we consider to be the best of friends.  I was thinking the other day, that if the rest of my life were misery, it would not even be able to take away the richness of my life so far.  God has been so kind to us.

so many cousins, so much love...

The other day Ben wanted to eat a little guava from the tree.  "It's not ripe yet, buddy!  It's not going to taste yummy."  He persisted, and I thought I would show him what "not ripe" means.  So I handed him one, he bit into it, and promptly spit it out.  "It's yucky!" he declared, disgusted.  Yes, I told you that.  It reminded me again of how sometimes I think my way is pretty clever and how often I need someone to point out that, truly, "it's yucky."  And how God's wisdom is infinitely greater than mine.

I listen to myself, I listen to little comments and take them and compare my life to them, and my heart so quickly leads me astray.  I know Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."  I know it, but I forget to stop and take my thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, and I dwell on things that are not real.  

I didn't plan on becoming discontent, I just thought and imagined about what it would be like to have Hannah come home for the weekend with her friends and eat all the food :) and play with the littles.  I imagined how glorious it would be to just have my family all live in one place.  I imagined and pondered and considered, and it seemed harmless enough...and before I knew it, I wanted those things more than anything.  It is not a bad thing, but it is not the thing for me at this moment.  Like Ben and that guava.  And my discontent showed in my lack of thankfulness.  I didn't plan on my way leading to death, but it did.  It led to death of joy and vibrancy.  It killed my passion until I turned my face back towards Jesus and confessed that really, truly, all I want is him.  It is another kind of death, death to self, and I pray I am willing.

I love John 7:37&38, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

As Piper says of this verse, "It means that when you come to Jesus to drink, you don't just get a single drink, but you get a spring, a fountain, a well.  You get Jesus.  Rivers of water will flow because a River-Maker is in you.  That's the point.  You will never have to search again for a source of satisfaction for your soul.  Every river that needs to flow for the joy of your soul will flow from Jesus.  When you come to him, you get him.  And he never leaves!