The End of All Things

"Therefore, they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
--Revelation

I always thought Revelation was a kind of a depressing book in the Bible. But then I re-read it and I realized how hopeful it was. God's heart is to be with us. Yes, He will reap judgment on those who he called and called, but who refused to listen. But he takes care of his beloved children. He wants to reveal himself to us more every day. He wants to give us all understanding of Himself.

This realization really came home to me this week. I've also have had to read Isaiah, Hosea, Daniel, and Jeremiah in the last week for classes... plus I'm trying to finish memorizing 1 Peter. So I've been inundated with God's word. And in all these different books with different authors, I saw God's heart flawlessly sewn together throughout the whole. He wants to love us and reveal himself to us! That's a major theme in any part of the Bible. He calls us, He's patient with us, we are His bride.

And Revelation reminded me that one day, there'll be no more mystery. Only awe. We'll be before this throne in the beautiful light and be utterly fulfilled with Him. No pain or longing or hardship. Just perfection... holiness..love...peace...joy...fulfillment. I love it.

Pick me up...

Things to do to bring a smile... even on a day when it doesn't seem possible:)

Play your happiest song with a fun beat. Play it LOUD.
Sit out in the sunshine. Bask in it.
Light candles. Good smelling ones.
Pick up your favorite food or dessert. Sit on the floor and eat it.
Take a bubble bath with the book you've read 8 times.
Watch a happy movie with quotes that make you laugh. Write down your favorite ones.
Bake. Chocolate cake preferably. oh yum.
Cuddle with a kitty. Their purr is the most contented sound in the world.
Cut roses and put them in your room. Let the colors cheer you up.
Wear your cutest outfit. Put on some flavored lipgloss.
Find some water: a fountain, the pool, a stream, the lake. The sound of water is soothing.
Hug someone. Hugging releases happy hormones. A nice big comfy bear hug.
Draw. Write. Sing. Play piano. Paint. Sew. Do something creative that you love. Be inspired.
Hang out with little kids. They lift your spirits.
Walk in the grass barefoot.
Cook something fabulous, and healthy.
Cuddle up in bed with blankets and a journal. Popcorn too.
If you love to drive as much as I do, just go for a drive. Windows down.
Go explore. Find a random spot with a tree or a pond.
Lie on your back and watch the clouds.
Go swing on some swings or climb on the monkey bars. Be carefree.
Go for a walk with your dog in the twilight.
Brew a cup of tea.

There's joy peaking round every corner. You just have to catch it sometimes.

The Psalms through Children's Art

I went to a lecture last night. It's a requirement for my Torrey program that I have to go to a certain amount of lectures every semester. This one was lead by Dr. Sanders. I was exhausted going into the lecture. I'd been on campus since 8 that morning. I worked from 8-10 am ( and I am not a morning person), had back-to-back glasses from 10:15-1:15, worked my second job from 1:30-4:30, then had Torrey class from 5-8 pm. So, by the time I sat down in the lecture room at 8:15, all I wanted to do was curl up in my own bed.
But then, Dr. Sanders introduced his topic.

Every night, he reads through the Bible with his 2 kids-- ages 7 and 9. They've read almost every chapter of the Bible starting with Genesis 1, all the way to the Psalms. But how do you teach your kids about the Psalms and keep them engaged? There aren't epic battles, crashing walls, floating zoos, or crazy plagues in this book. So, Dr. Sander's kids are drawing a picture every night that depicts the Psalm that's being read. Cool, huh?

This just made me think about how beautiful the Bible is and how even children can capture the emotions behind it.

9-year-old Freddy decided to give his drawings a common theme: the color orange and desert animals. In each one, Yahweh is portrayed as a mighty desert eagle, and the Psalmist is a striped armadillo. When foes surround the armadillo (a snake and coyotes), the eagles hovers above to carry him to safety. Isn't that such a true portrayal of David's heart in the psalms? God is right there to swoop in-- a mighty eagle.

Little Phoebe, who's only 7, also captured the Psalms through her art. My favorite one was her depiction of the verse that says, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" She put those words, in her faltering, child-like handwriting across the majority of the page. Just lots of blank space and that one scrawled verse. And then, in the corner, was the drawing of a small cat. Just a tiny kitty sitting there in the corner, all alone. From the marker of a 7 year old who doesn't yet know what it means to be forsaken, she captures the emotion perfectly.

Some of the drawings were so funny! For the verse "Serve me in fear", Phoebe drew a waiter serving a table saying "ahhhhh" in fear:) And my favorite: one of the Psalms said something like, "My God delivered me, He preserved me from my enemies." So Freddy drew the eagle driving the armadillo away in a mail truck (He delivered me), and then a picture of the eagle carrying the armadillo in a ziplock baggy (He preserved me). So cute:)

Anyways, all this got me thinking about the heart of children and how, no matter the age, the Bible can be understood. Yes, it's a confusing book sometimes, but we can still feel its impact on our souls. We can feel the beauty of His Word. We know at a young age that God is mighty. He can save us. He leads us beside the still waters. He favors us because we're His children. He blesses us and protects us. There's so much we can learn and know, even at a young age.

I just realized that I can't wait to get older and older and know more about God's character and His word as I keep growing up. But I also want to hold on to that child-like beauty and simplicity.