Silent Night

I have been blessed as a college student to not have too many late nights of class work or cramming. But tonight, I made the decision to stay up past midnight to work on a lengthy English paper.

In the quietness of my room with the soft glow of my two small Christmas trees, I contemplate how blessed I am. Silent Night softly plays through my headphones as I pause my typing fingers.

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright.

The lyrics catch my attention, for the truth in my current situation rings out. Rarely is my mind in such a place that I can lean back and rest in the quietness of the evening, the midnight hour. An unusual calm has settled about me, the soft glow of my trees add to the mood. Then I realized: not only is the softness of my room quite and calm, but by the grace of God through my Savior I can proclaim my soul as calm, declare my future as bright.

Christmas is just a few weeks away. Too often in the rush of daylight do I regret the quickness with which time passes, the constant rush that life seems to keep pace with. I often forget that I have the power of Christ within my humble frame. Never should I feel the need to race on to the next thing. Seeking rest in my Savior and resting in the promises of my King can make the busyness of the morning as silent and calm as the peaceful night.

What a blessing. Peace in the midst of struggle. Rest in the midst of busyness. Silence in the midst of chaos. Jesus in the midst of it all.

Thank You, Father, for this reminder.

Simple Song~ Strong Truth

"The B-I-B-L-E,
Yes, that's the Book for me,
I stand alone on the Word of God,
The B-I-B-L-E! BIBLE!"

This childhood song ran through my head yesterday, and for one of the first few times, I considered the deeper meaning of this song.
"That's the Book for me": I forsake all other books other than this one. I choose to live my life by THIS Book. I claim it as my own.
"I stand ALONE on the Word of God": even when no one else is doing it, when I am being ridiculed, mocked, even persecuted- I will remain planted on this Book. I will stand only on this Book- not my own desires, the world's philosophies, or anything else. I know I cannot be friends with the world and call myself a daughter of the King (James 4:4), So I deny aught else but this Book alone.
Amazing to think of all the times I sung these lyrics without fully understanding what I was committing to! How I love contemplating the deeper meanings of songs- I think every person should have an understanding of the lyrics they sing.

I will post later about my Memorial day weekend projects- painting, rearranging, and decorating :).

As this was supposed to be posted Memorial Day, I wanted to especially give a big thank you to all those who have fought and sacrificed for my freedom. I am blessed to live in the United States!

Until later this week- hopefully! ;)

Amber~ His beloved

My Heart

An hour ago I was going through a cacophony of emotions at such a speed that I felt everything at once; frustration, anger at self, pain, resentment, self-pity, loneliness, worthlessness, regret, desperation. Realizing once more how out of control and out of order and out of spiritual alignment my life is, I finally collapsed into tears in my darkened room. Being practical for once, I knew that simply crying wasn't going to fix things so I sought a solution- praying was too hard since I didn't exactly know what to pray and in the back of my head I already kind-of knew the answer and I didn't like it.

I reached for my iPod, earphones, and tissues and selected my Mark Schultz playlist- my go-to in difficult times. My first choice was "Father's Eyes": I played this song on repeat because the lyrics perfectly identified how I was feeling, as well as turned my heart to the solution.  Unfortunately (and amazingly) I couldn't find a video with this song, so here are the lyrics:

"Tomorrow she’ll be turning 17
But somehow now the mirror has become her enemy
Feelin' like she’ll never measure up
Feelin' like she’ll never be enough
But in her Father’s Eyes,
He is taken by her beauty
And captivated by her every time
In her Father’s eyes,
He is longing just to tell her
She’s never been more lovely in her life
If only she could see herself one time
In her Father’s eyes
He’s on the edge of giving up tonight
He’s feelin' like he’s wasted the best days of his life
Afraid he’ll never be the man he thought that he could be
When he looks inside he’s so ashamed of who he sees
But in his Father’s eyes
He is a son of glory
The image of a strong and mighty king
In his Father’s eyes, there’s more left in the story
He’s fighting hard to hold back tears of pride
If only he could see himself tonight
In his Father’s eyes.
So no matter where you are
And no matter what you’ve done
You’re not alone
You’re not alone
And no matter where you’ve been
And no matter where you’re from
Come back home
Come back home
Cause in your Father’s eyes, you’re loved with such abandon
He’s running to you now arms open wide
In your Father’s eyes, you’re safe and you’re accepted
There’s nothing you can do to change His mind
If only you could see yourself one time
If only you could see yourself one time
In your Father’s eyes."
(Copied from MetroLyrics.com)

So true and touching- by this point I am a sobbing mess and listen to "He Is" (one of my favorites!).

This is the best video I could find, so just close your eyes to the cheesy pictures and let the lyrics sink into your heart.

After all of this I sat in silence for a few minutes. Then the well-known song "Just As I Am" came to my lips- a perfect reply to God's touch on my heart:
(This is verse 3 which stood out to me the most considering my emotions earlier)
"Just as I am, tho' toss'd about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fight-ings withing and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!"



God is amazing and works through wondrous ways.

His Beloved