When He has smitten, He is willing to bind.

I am reading through the book of Hosea and found this treasure earlier today:

Hosea 6:1

King James Version

''Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.''

(emphasis mine.)

Hosea 6:1

English Standard Version

“Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up."

The expectation they have of his favor: ''He who has torn us to pieces will heal us; he who has injured us will bind us up,'' as a skillful surgeon uses tender hands to bind up a broken bone or a bleeding wound. This is an acknowledgement of both God's power and his mercy on our behalf; he both can and will heal us. Indeed, he has torn so that he may heal. Some commentators think this points especially to the return of the Jews from Babylon. The favor they expect is described in several aspects.

•  from The New Matthey Henry Commentary

Ponder that, treasure... You and Him together. :)

what seems like trouble.

Life is hard. No matter who you are; the grass is always greener.
I suppose we should water our own more often, shouldn't we?

It's hard when you have to put flowers on a baby's grave. It's hard when your
friends get up and leave from the lunch table as soon as you sit down. It's hard
when your friend moves away and you don't know the next time you will see them.
It's tough to say goodbye. It's tough to go through surgeries, a time of crisis. It's hard
to grow up... to be a kid. To be a new visitor. For a marriage to be ''hopeless''.
When your singleness seems to never go away, that title.
It's extremely tough to feel lonely. To miss someone with an ache.
When your family/friends doesn't believe in our Best Friend.
When you don't want to be in the place you are.

BUT these are light troubles!

''For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.''
~2 COR. 4:17

Don't ya hate it that what you are studying most stabs you in the gut spiritually?
I am ultimately grateful that it does, though. Simply put, if the Word of God didn't slap
me in the face and revive me I would get bored.

Light and momentary troubles.
We all have one or some... Some ''seem'' bigger than others.
They are all putting our puzzle together. For we see only a glimpse.
I ultimately like it better that way. It just seems real lousy sometimes.
I love looking back on my glimpses when I have been brought to my Gilgal already.
Not when I'm still wandering! By His plan, though, His better plan... This is
the way it is. He will walk before you and with you through the fire.

And we will find him here.

Even when it hurts//Even when it's hard//Even when it all just falls apart.

It is still fitting to praise Him.

''Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!''

~Psalm 147:1

I mean ladies, it is more fitting to praise Him than it is to put on our favorite outfit! :)

He will bring life to these dry bones.

''Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!'' ~Ezekiel 37:4

I think sometimes in the midst of the desert we have the most pivotal and precious moments with

the LORD. When we thirst Him and He provides. When we pour out our heart before Him like water and He answers.

I will sing joyfully. We all shall. Find HIM in your momentary burdens, beloved. Be with Him even if you don't want to be. We will be home soon. Bless the Lord, O my soul...

No weapon formed against me shall remain//I will rejoice//I will declare//God is my victory//And He is here//

The end of me is not the enemy.

I love this song. Seriously. It is a soul refresher like none other.

{Another great resource is ''The End is the Beginning.'' by my friends, Cloverton!}

Be blessed, treasure. You are more than this. You are amazing.

In Abba,

Emilee

{More shall come on momentary troubles later... just on another website. :) }

Mission VS. Country

You see, people think that because I love Africa I have a love for missions. I suppose this can be true. The thing is is that they are not my projects. They aren't my missions to get accomplished. They are my friends. They are people I will come ALONGSIDE IN the mission. I don't just have a love for missions… I love the country. The people. I just can't go and be accomplished- I love Uganda like any pastor would feel called to a congregation- not just the preaching itself. Just loving anyone and everyone. I will help them. I will love them and do whatever Christ calls me to. They are real people; not just statistics. They have no food for real; you are NOT starving. They are real… and we'd better act like it. They exist. I have met them. They NEED Jesus. Just like we all do.

TSFRL: Take Two.

Today I realized something very important out of my entry last night.
About when I said ''Will this happen? Probably not.''

GOD DOES. He knows. He knows exactly what my life is going to look like. He knows what I'm going to wear tomorrow for crying out loud! {and I don't.}

I can ask all I want. I can cast my desires on Him all I want. In fact, He delights in it... that I would bring something so big to me to Him. So, let's not be afraid in the ask.
Let us come before God, humbly seeking His face, with open minds to what HE would say.

We can't lay our lives out for ourselves. It isn't ours to have; It's His. This is something that our culture sometimes highlights, but it is simply not true. Yes, it is ours in the sense of living, but not in the way of planning everything we  will live. Make sense? I can ''make plans,'' and even if I had things definite, how fun would that be??  You see my past I know; the present I am living; and I don't want to live my future in my present.

Our plans can not compare to His will. He knows the best for us even if we kick and scream to get to that place... Then, we get there and we realize we love His will. It's kinda fun to tell you the truth! Even though it IS NOT easy. {analogy from Katie Davis' book Kisses from Katie.}

My future will remain a mystery... and if I dare say, I am looking forward to attending it.
Join me.

In Him,
Emilee

The Swiss Family Robinson Life.

I have always been significantly attracted to Swiss Family Robinson.
The thought of living in a treehouse... living off the land... depending on God for EVERY need...
has always drawn me in, but at the time I just thought I liked the tv series.

The fact that I thought Ernest in this series was extremely handsome might have also had something to do with it :)

Also, a series I started reading in Mississippi {from the Collierville Public Library.} had a guy with a passion for that ''Swiss Family Robinson life.''

While we were living in Mississppi we found this series at our library at the time, Collierville Public Library, {BEST LIBRARY E.V.E.R.} and rented them one set at a time. So, I would make a ritual of watching it on evenings that we didn't have other things to tend to. I sat in our big victorian home and didn't even know that this good feeling while watching this would lead to something more.  {Mind you, this is a tool He used. I don't know when the idea first came about, only He does.}
You see, nothing is coincidence. I wasn't attracted to this for some reason...  and if that reason was
just for one trip to Africa... that makes me anxious and uneasy, but so be it. If it was because I was going to end up living a Swiss Family Robinson life, so be it. I can't see the big picture of that ''something more.''

That's the thing-- I don't know. What do I want: To keep going to Uganda until I turn 18. Write books in the meantime. Meet Katie Davis. Meet Beth Moore and her daughter, Melissa. Meet... {it could go on and on!!} Then, live in Uganda for a year or less at New Hope. Go to college at my dream college. Fall madly in love with a Christ-like man that will take me to Uganda or maybe even move me there permanently; That will adopt kids from Africa with me. Whether in the States of in Africa: live a missionary life. Live in a cozy home with goats, horses, and golf carts. Speaking at Revolve along the way. 

Will this happen? Probably not. You see, when I lived in Mississppi all I could think about was Iowa, Iowa, Iowa. Then, we moved to another part of Iowa and I was miserable. Then, against my dream we moved to Kansas. I can't IMAGINE not having this. This beautiful Kansas filled with awesome people; Awesome people I didn't think I would become friends with, but did anyway. Also, when I first moved to Kansas all I could think about was Kenya, Kenya, Kenya. Then, He took me to Uganda. :)

So, for those of you that wonder what I will do: I don't know. I can't make plans... I just have to be where He has called me. Whether I like it at first or not. His plans for me will be accomplished-- it just might take closer to 70 years to fulfill like in Jeremiah. I will live this life. This crazy, insane, overwhelming, his Presence-filled, revelation-filled, joyous, awesome life. Emilee's... not someone else's.

I suppose, I will just keep leaving Eden, but running home just the same. Writing what I write all along the way. {See what I did there?? :)}

Goodnight ladies and gents.
In Abba,
Emilee Kaye