The Jesus Calling book said: don’t let your striving become a new form of “works” – meaning don’t neglect simply praising Jesus for doing enough and being enough ALREADY. And it means don’t set up for yourself artificial hoops to jump like “if I only do this then God will love me” – well God DOES love you and loves us all – and we do not have to distinguish ourselves TO God because He already knows us – knew us before we were born. Psalm 139 – He’s got us…

Summer – summer is fleeting – and summer was never enough and will never be enough for me but I hope I did enough IN summer for summer enjoyment – and yet the seasons change whether we are ready or not… I am glad that I did as much summer as I did…

And I am super glad that just this weekend I finished putting all my writings together in word processing documents. It was six months that I hadn’t collated, printed, oops – well, now I have – and how exciting that I had a great coupon for forty percent off printing… the procrastinating payoff… The processing into print… The praise on paper…

I can’t believe time goes so fast… and it makes me remember that the strife of one day will barely be remembered six months later… and a new season will be upon us soon. 

I’m glad that I made my backlog of writings into PDF and print, I needed to… I know it’s very human of me, and I don’t want to consider it “works” to achieve – only to “catch up” on my processing and praise. And there is something so spiritual for me to evaluate that I did organize something the Lord gave me to do. Yes, as an expressive, I write to encourage others, but the fact that I do write encourages me too – it resets me to remember that my time with the Lord is precious and crucial. It also reminds me again and again that Jesus is Enough…  “I would rather have Jesus than silver and gold” the great classic hymn sings… 

I have said it many times that at my funeral (no rush) that all that needs to be displayed is my writing… I know the plans for today, after the day, but how could I have known this day 6 months ago, 6 years ago, 50 years ago? I am not sure that we should want to know the future… I didn’t then, but I write now to say: “God did” then and God does now. God says “I am enough for you” – true… And I write now to say that I am grateful that I have tried to stay grateful even in trials…

I enjoyed this summer but I definitely had some trials (many others have trials that are worse than ours, we shouldn’t complain half as much as we do, but we do, we are human)… and so my July and August writings, I think, are some of my strongest. I had to put real confidence in God (again). I had to lean in to the Lord’s leading. I had to faith focus and keep my mouth shut from complaining. When Jesus says “turn the other cheek”, sometimes maybe He means for you mumble to yourself only… or turn the other cheek so you don’t have as much pain when you’re being told to bite your tongue…  All in all, even if I say this summer was enough, because the Lord got me through it, it was really JESUS who was enough to get me through. It was enough, He was enough and more.. 

Enough energy. Enough empathy and enthusiasm and encouragement and even enough excitement. Enough…

I’m glad that summer days were my praise… Each bite of summer, faster and faster melted away. With each moment of life, may we praise more and more… we will never have enough praise, that’s for sure…Someday when we get to Heaven, we will know Enough of Enough… Jesus IS Enough… We will see Him face to face. 

Thanks Lord…

Really thanks is never enough thanks. My prayer is to give You more praise…

Amen