The Adventures of Darcey & Watson

     I am finding, as I am in the final month of preparing for marriage, that I have a hard time knowing when to rest and when to run. I am one of those people who will burn the candle at both ends, especially when there is something that really needs to get finished. This is sometimes a good thing, like when I have a deadline that needs to be met and not much time to complete the task at hand. Other times, if over a prolonged period of time, I will burn myself out and either get sick or be in a state of emotional and physical uselessness.

The Lord is so gracious. This past month, there were a few moments of panic and stress, but always the Lord used it to show me that even if I have plans all set, He is the One who knows the beginning and end. One quote from Ender’s Game that gave me an “aha-moment” was “The *way* we win matters”. This reminded me of something that I already knew, but had forgotten in the midst of my crazy life.

“’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts” – Zechariah 4:6

This made me stop and think. Why am I getting married to Tim? It’s all for the glory of God, and to make His name known through the whole world and to reflect His relationship with His church to everyone around. Yes, I love Tim. Yes, he is my best friend and I want to spend the rest of my life here on earth with him. But the real reason we are getting married isn’t to have a fantastic wedding. It’s not to fulfill needs that we think we have. It’s not because we have all the answers and are prepared 100% for married life. That’s ridiculous.

I’m very thankful that the Lord continues to slow me down to remind me that He’s got this under control. He brought Tim and me together and I don’t have to worry about what flowers will be in the reception, or the color of my dress. All that matters is that Christ stays the center of our relationship and we are so filled with His Spirit that He can touch hearts through our covenant of marriage to each other.

Two sinners, united as one before God, on a mission to spread His love through the nations. That is the beauty of marriage. Yeah, that’s easier said than done, but I believe God will continue to grow us in His likeness and I pray He uses us to reach those who have yet to hear His name.

Source: 28 Days and Counting

Happy Mother’s Day to the best Mommy a daughter could ever be blessed with! Not only is she my Mommy, but she is also one of my closest friends and my sister in Christ. Though we’ve been through some pretty rough times, God has protected us so much and has brought us closer to Him and each other in many ways. I’m still surprised at how alike we really are! But the older I get, the more I am happy that I’m becoming more like my Mommy because I do more things that remind me of her!

Just last night I had a longing for my Mommy that comes every time I’m sick or feeling blue. She was always there for me, and still always is. I love her more than words can describe. I miss those times we would dance to the credit songs of movies, or the times we created our own musicals as we cleaned the house or cooked together, the hundreds of times my friends would ask if we could go to my house because my mom was just so cool and fun to be around, the awesome birthday parties she would cater to our liking, the patience she granted to us even though she always had bad headaches, the values she taught us about how important family is, the warm embraces she gave to comfort me after the death of a pet, the encouragement she gave to pursue my dreams, the times she came to school with me for “bring your parent to school day” and my classmates thought she was a new student and not my mom, how she trusted the Lord to take care of me through my various mission trips overseas, how we would sing “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor while waiting for the doctor in the doctors office, how she believed me when I told her about my dad and walked through the difficulty of that situation with me, and even the times she would get frustrated at my rebellion in wearing non-matching socks everyday on purpose.

She will always be my Mommy and I’ll always be her Alleycat.

Happy Mother’s Day! I really wish I could be there in Pennsylvania with you to celebrate!

Source: I love my Mommy

    Often, I try to do things on my own. I guess it is something engrained in me that I need to be in control, and if I am unable to do something, then I’m a failure and should just quit, which leads to me becoming depressed and useless when the Lord wants to use me. When I get a project assigned to me, I used to believe that it was up to me, and me alone to see it to completion. Which made me feel even worse when I couldn’t do what I was asked.
It was last month, when I was becoming overwhelmed with everything involved with the Veil of Tears store that I was close to calling it quits. When I heard a message in prayer meeting about working together, and how we are the Body of Christ and aren’t alone. Some thing clicked in my brain and heart and I realized: I’m not in it alone! We are in a battle as believers, each with our different trials to work through. If we don’t rely on the Lord as our strength and allow others to help out when they can, the enemy will find a foothold and make you feel alone and eventually take you out of the battle. Together, we can stand strong as one Body in Christ.
This doesn’t mean that there will not be times of stress and hardship, but when those times come, I don’t have to f ace them alone. I can ask someone to pray for me, or I can delegate part of the task to those who are willing to help out, or I can stop what I’m doing and refocus my heart on the Lord because it is His work I’m doing anyways. When I take the focus off of myself, it is so much easier to relax and rely on the Lord to get the task done in His timing.
Serving at Gospel for Asia, I have learned many things about the Body of Christ that I never really noticed before. We are a family. We are not alone. We are one Body in Christ. We share the same Spirit. We are constantly looking for ways to love and serve others, to place them above ourselves. When one member is hurting, the rest hurt along with them. Reading through Ephesians is encouraging when I need to remind myself that we are in a battle, and that the Lord doesn’t leave us defenseless.
A neat scripture reference I happened upon recently calmed my heart, so I thought it would be nice to share it with you as well:

“Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever! Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas an all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.”
– Nehemiah 9:6

God created EVERYTHING and He PRESERVES it all. Why would I worry, why would I stress out when God has everything under control?

Source: Together as the Body of Christ