In embracing lies rest

One of my favorite poems is one of Amy Carmichael called In Acceptance Lieth Peace. I have been contemplating accepting God's will for my life and becoming content in that good, pleasing and perfect will of God (Rom 12:2) I see that the example of our Lord's "unflappable" life in the Gospels was a result of His knowing the will of God and accepting it. He wrestled with God His Father in the garden about the cup of suffering that was inevitable, since it has been planned since before the foundation of the world. But once he accepted it, he learned to embrace it. (john 18:11 "Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?") I too am learning not only to know the will of God for me, not only to accept it, not only to become content in it, but to actually embrace it as from the hands of a loving, good, sovereign Father. As a weaned child can sit in her mother's lap without wrestling in want of more, i am learning to sit in my Father's lap calmly, and be at rest. Instead of trying to figure out things that i don't or that i cannot know, i will be still and in humility accept his plan for me.

(Psalm 131)
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
My eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Another year of living in ankara, living separately from brad for much of the time, of waiting on the Lord to build the Cleft, another year of enjoying Melissa, of ministering to people here...these are all part of His plan. May it be a year of embracing and rest.