Category: thoughts

thoughts

quiet

alyssapebbles

Repentance and rest is your salvation

Quietness and trust is your strength

~Isaiah 30:23

I don’t know how I always forget. Forget that He is my Source and Strength. That He alone is the One I must rely on – He is my Life. It only takes ten minutes in His Presence to be reminded that I am not alone- that I am held by His mighty arms. But what if I gave Him ten hours? Ten days? Ten weeks? Ten years?

What if I gave Him my whole life? If in ten minutes He can transform something in my heart and reorient my worried being into a place of stillness and rest in Him, how much more could He do if I laid bare everything in my soul for Him to do with as He pleases, for as long as it takes?

How healed and whole could I become? How full and free?

As I re-read Ann Voskamp’s The Broken Way, I am reminded of what it means to fully surrender to His ways, even and especially in the broken and painful places, where we have been resistant to Him for so long. It feels nearly impossible sometimes; as though these things inside of us are irreparable. As though we’ve lost something we can never get back.

But He’s always inviting me to truly let go. And to trust that He really loves me, and He really is the truest thing about me and a real Person I can have an endlessly intimate and loving relationship with. That He really can redeem my past and give me hope for my future. That my future is found completely in Him, and I don’t have to worry my way into it. That worry actually hinders His good plans.

This is not just hopeful talk or a way to make us feel better about ourselves, our lives, and the world. This is real; He is real. And I am not ashamed to make my life completely about Him- to be completely dependent on His grace alone. The world will keep being the world, and life will keep throwing us under the bus. We will keep facing struggles, trials, and temptations- we should expect them and not be surprised when they come. But His love will not change, and we can learn how to abide in it every moment of our days: to allow the daily bread He gives us to be enough to sustain us.

I am not ashamed to be weak; I long only to be a vessel of His glory and goodness, and if I must remain limited in my human capacities to do so, then I accept my limitations with thanksgiving. And I praise Him all the more. He is my Father and He provides for me because of my weakness, not in spite of it, and He exchanges it for His strength.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

~2 Corinthians 12:9

thoughts

peace (on earth)

alyssapebbles

Another year has gone by, full of hopes and disappointments, successes and failures.

Sometimes the failures seem to outweigh the successes. It can be easy to become discouraged around this time of year, when the idea “Christmas cheer” feels more ironic than true. It can intensify and magnify our hurts and pains; remind us that we are not where we would like to be.

You’re not alone if you feel alone. If you feel discouraged, downtrodden, or weary. If you wonder when God is going to come through on His promises to you. If you have no idea what this next year is going to bring, and you feel tired of not knowing.

You’re not alone.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

~Matthew 11:28-30

My favorite verse. The one He never stops beckoning me to, inviting me to be still, and to know that He is God. To know it with all my heart, soul, and mind. That He is the one in control, and all I have to do is trust Him. All I have to do is lift my weary countenance to His endlessly loving Presence, and remember who He is and what He has done for me.

Remember that I did not save myself. That I never can save myself.

When we truly enter His rest, there is no more striving. There is no more fear, doubt, or shame. There is nothing but me and Him- and His perfect peace.

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)- a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “…your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.

~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest 

Let’s allow our hearts to fully enter that rest; to be fully embraced by a perfect and loving God who has the very best intentions for us. One who cannot fail us or let us down. One who will always remain the same, unchanging in His unconditional love for us. Why wouldn’t we trust such a One? Why wouldn’t surrender our lives to Him?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

~John 3:16-17

He is worthy. I am not, but I rest in the One who is. And that is my hope in this season- in every season. I only pray I can grow more and more in the knowledge of His love and goodness; that He would so fill me with Himself that I can be free from fear and doubt for the rest of my time in this world, and walk in His perfect peace.

I think Peter Pan understood this when he said:

All you need is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust!

thoughts

my reward

alyssapebbles

Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your shield,

your very great reward.

~Genesis 15:1

When discouragement, disappointment, disillusionment, and doubt abound, and the enemy prowls around like a “roaring lion,” waiting to devour me, I keep remembering my very great reward. I keep trying to walk by faith, and not by sight.

Abram could not see how the Lord would fulfill His promises to him, and yet he believed that He would. All the odds seemed against him; his wife was barren, and yet God promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars.

A woman I know whose only daughter ran away from home learned how to rejoice in her suffering, because she knows who her reward is.

There is nothing we cannot overcome, nothing we cannot do, if we keep our eyes fixed on our great Reward. I want to have a faith like Abram’s. A faith that can trust and believe, even, and especially, when my eyes can’t see.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

~Romans 8:37

Lately His words have been residing and dwelling within me in a new and profound way- guiding my every thought and action and transforming my heart. He is giving me a deeper understanding of the resurrection and what He has done for us; His work is finished. There is nothing left for me to do but worship Him with my life, and run the race with perseverance. I pray that I don’t become distracted by the cares of life, but trust Him completely as a provider for my every need. That way I can go through anything, because I know that He is my reward at the end of the race.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the JOY set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

~Hebrews 12:1-3

I am one so prone to discouragement, fear, and doubt. I am anxious, worried, and distrustful by nature. I am over-controlling and selfish.

Yet when I read His words, and the story of His faithfulness to His people, I am given courage. I am given hope, and a reason to keep faithfully running this race. I am humbled and reminded that this story has nothing to do with me and my insecurities, and everything to do with Him. That I must claim His promises as my own, no matter how uncomfortable or unworthy I feel doing so, because this is the only way to “work out my salvation.” Until I claim Him as my reward, there will be no victory in my life, and I will continue to live in my own cycle of sin and misery.

We cannot run this race on our own. We must completely depend on Him as our strength, and our refuge. There is no going back to who we once were, because we are new creations in Him, and we now have greater responsibilities as His servants. There is Kingdom work to be done every moment, every day, and we must remain on guard, taking up the armor of our faith and the sword of His word. This world, and our very hearts, are a battlefield- this earth is not the end, it is not our home. If we keep our eyes on the reward, we will neither fear this world nor become too comfortable here, because we know our true home is in eternity with our Maker.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

~Psalm 23

thoughts

dearly beloved

alyssapebbles

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

~2 Corinthians 5:14

I am overwhelmed and overcome by His love. It’s as though I was dead and He has raised me back to life. His Word is taking on a new shape and weight in my life- it’s becoming real and it’s making me feel alive.

He is waiting for us. He is waiting for us to say yes to Him and embrace the love He has for us- that is what compels us. His love is what leads us. There is no other way forward, no other way into the Kingdom. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. As He tangibly reminds me of His love these days, I pray to be kept in it.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love.~John 15: 9-10

He is showing me what it means to remain in Him. When I search for answers outside of Him, I come up short, because my life is only found in Him. This truth is taking on a new dimension in my life. He is teaching me what it means to be ruled by the Spirit instead of the flesh; to be led by Him instead of myself. If I go forward in my own strength or am led by my own desires, I am not remaining in Him. I have to learn this through trial and error, heartbreak and pain. Unless we fall, we won’t know the incredible depths that His love can reach.

He is lifting me out of the depths and setting me back on my feet.

He lifted me out out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

~Psalm 40:2

I pray that as I go forward, whatever may come, I may remain in Him. Whether He showers me with blessings or takes away everything that I know, I will trust Him. My allegiance is with Him, because He loves me. He loved me when I was not worthy, and I never will be worthy- but He will love me anyway. He is the good Shepherd and I am His sheep; I know His voice and I respond only to Him.

This outrageous love compels me. There is more than enough to go around. He will transform us with His love if we will let Him, until there is nothing we can do but pour it out. I want to live always overflowing.

thoughts

living faith

alyssapebbles

As God brings me into yet another new season of my life with Him (or rather a continuation of what He began in me 5 months ago), I am humbled.

I am in awe of how real and true He really is.

I am in awe of how when we actually trust Him and obey what He is calling us to do, He changes something inside of us, and gives us a strength we never knew we had access to.

A simple and yet impossibly difficult choice to give Him something I so deeply loved and desired has led me to a new place of freedom and hope in Him. He has given me a peace that surpasses understanding and a renewed assurance of His good plan for my life. He has drawn close in sweet intimacy as I have let go of my own will and decided to choose His.

I am free.

I feel a greater purpose, a greater urgency to know Him and to have others know Him. I feel His Spirit pulsating through me and leading me into deeper waters; taking me to places that I haven’t known and are unfamiliar to me- places I wouldn’t have dared to go before now. But He has done something in me to make me more willing, created an even deeper longing and hunger for truth and righteousness in me. Maybe He does this when we finally let go of ourselves. And maybe this is exactly what we’ve always wanted, and we just weren’t able to see it until we decided to trust Him.

I can’t explain His ways, or why He moves the way He does, but I know that the longings He has put in my heart are meant to be fulfilled in Him alone. I know that He is my ultimate satisfaction, my heart’s deepest desire and strongest need. I know that He is bringing me into deeper dependence on Him every hour of every day, and that I cannot spend any time apart from Him anymore. The stakes are too high; living for myself is no longer enough.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

~Matthew 6:13-14

I want to go through the narrow gate- to walk the only path that leads to life. This past year has been a pruning process, but the growth has been unmistakable. I can only move forward with Him, as He will continue to prune me until everything in my life is conformed to His will- every thought, feeling, desire, and action. He is patient with us, and will allow us to go our own way at times to show us that is not the way we really want to go. I now see that His way is the only way.

In my pursuit of holiness, I will not forget His grace and kindness. I will not forget how much He loves me, because without love nothing else matters. He is Love Himself- a consuming fire that will never leave us where we are in His reckless pursuit of our souls. His love is what enables me to walk on the path; I cannot do it on my own. His love is what keeps me.

I am so grateful to learn these things now; to learn what it really means to let Him into every part of my life. He is saving me from so much unnecessary pain down the road, and developing me into a person He can actually use here and now, in the relationships that I have and the communities that I am a part of. He is doing all of this work in me so His light can shine through me and give others Hope. This work that can only be done when we lay down our lives before Him and let Him have His way, no matter what it costs us- and eventually it will cost us everything. We cannot have Him while we are still holding onto ourselves.

For now, I am content to continue giving Him the little things every day; the little rebellious parts of my heart that are still clinging to the world and to myself. I know that every little sacrifice to Him makes Him glad, and every time I posture my heart back to Him I am more free.

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

~Psalm 59:16

thoughts

art of the heart

alyssapebbles

For so long I told myself I wasn’t creative. I looked at others around me and how gifted and talented they were, and believed I could never measure up. As a result, I haven’t cultivated the giftings and talents that God has placed in me as much as I should have- always keeping them at bay, lest they come out and betray me in some way.

Yet when I was a child I was extremely artistic, good at writing, and musically gifted. I had no thoughts of how my creativity compared to others. I simply did the things I loved and enjoyed them. It wasn’t about the output; it was about the process. I was so enraptured and captivated by what I was doing that the final product had no bearing.

God has given us a creative spirit, because He is a Creator. We are made in His image, and therefore we are made to create. Creativity is a form of worship; as we offer into the world the giftings He has put into us, we honor Him and edify others. We don’t create to win the approval of men- we create out of the abundance of life and energy that He has given us.

I’m in a season of my life where God is calling me out further into my creativity. He wants me take risks and pursue those endeavors which for so long I have stayed away from out of fear. Fear that what I create won’t be good enough- that it won’t be perfect, and therefore not worth pursuing.

Fear stifles creativity; it severs our playfulness and imagination, and makes us small-minded. It tells us nothing is good enough, so nothing is born. Perfectionism will always fight against creativity, and we must not allow it to have any space in our hearts.

Our work is a reflection of who we are- creativity is the expression of our souls. It is the most extreme form of vulnerability, to put our creations out into the world for anyone to see. It requires great risk. We must be willing to surrender our pride and fear, and allow the inevitable times of failure and disappointment to come, knowing that failure pushes forward and helps us get better.

In the last year, I have been more and more drawn to the arts- the honest expressions of those souls who are longing for something more, who create beautiful things that speak of eternity, whether it is paintings, musical compositions, or inspiring pieces of writing. Perhaps it’s because I’ve moved to such a creative place, or simply that my own soul is longing for those same things- to break free of the confines that and limitations that I’ve unwittingly set for myself. What I know is that this longing to create is universal, that something in each one of us is stirred to express ourselves through our creativity.

Art is the fruit of a meaningful existence.

 

thoughts

growing pains

alyssapebbles

Our lives should never be stagnant when we follow Jesus. We must always remain in a state of growth and development as He refines us to become more and more like Him. However, growth can be painful, sometimes even excruciating.

Growth means letting go of old habits and developing new ones. It requires constant openness to God and what He’d like to do in our lives and in our hearts. We must look squarely at our own destructive ways and intentionally replace them with life-giving ways, at the Father’s prodding.

He lets us see ourselves as we are so we will be motivated to change. He allows us to see the the extent of our brokenness and helplessness without Him. We have to get to this point in our faith in order to move into the greater things He has for us. He can’t use a self-deluded person to do His work; He can only use those who know their own weakness and humbly submit to Him for strength and guidance. The ones who know their own capacity for sin and realize their need for a Savior. Then He can do the real work in us as we put off our old selves and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). If we’re not open to His correction and tough love, we will not reach the heights He wants to take us to, but remain stuck in our own stubbornness and self-destructive ways.

This summer has been an incredibly growing time for me. And it has not always felt like growth- most times it has felt like retroactive steps; I’m overcome by familiar darknesses that I have faced in the past, and I wonder why they are coming up again. Why I haven’t moved past these things. I start to wonder if I’m just unbearably weak and incapable, a victim of my own mind and fears. I wonder if it will always be this way, if I will always be defeated by these things. That’s the way the enemy would like me to think. He tries to get us stuck in an endless loop of self-pity and fear- a victim mentality. If we remain self-absorbed and wallow in our own helplessness, we will forget to turn to the One who can actually help us.

But by turning to Him and facing these battles again (internal battles of fear, anxiety, purpose, identity, worth…etc.) I am strengthened. He has to bring me back to these places to remind me of my human nature and my absolute need to depend on Him. To remind me that without His love I cannot conquer, that without His thoughts I am hopeless. To remind me how empty I am without Him. These same issues (in different forms and brought about by different circumstances) come up again and again because I keep going back to the old ways of self-sufficiency and illusory control, returning to the place of believing that my life is my own. And that indeed is a fruitless and stagnant place to be.

Even when our circumstances are frustrating and painful, and perhaps especially during these times, we must cling to Him. The sweetest times of growth can be in the biggest times of spiritual and emotional draught. These are the times when we remember that we have a Hope so much greater than what we can see; what is evident in the world around us. And we can remember that the trials we are facing are going to produce something incredible in us.

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

~1 Peter 1:6

thoughts

let go

alyssapebbles

I wrote about fear and surrendering in the winter of 2016, and once again it becomes relevant to me (and any of us trying to walk the path of Life).

on fear and surrendering

I’ve come to that small place again where fear is the one driving my choices. Where I’m trying to do everything on my own. Where I’m spinning in circles because I simply won’t let go of control. And everything is all about ME.

And all the while He is right here, waiting for me to take His hand. But in order to do that I have to let go of all the things I’m holding.

We’re not in control, in this life. We simply get to participate in it. The sooner we learn that and are able to let go of what we think is ours and embrace what He has for us, trusting that He is for us, the sooner we can live freely and joyfully.

I’m tired, because I’m carrying the weight of the world. It’s a burden He never intended for me to carry.

I recently got to see Frozen on Broadway in New York City, and the scene where Elsa sings “Let It Go” stuck with me; the whole sentiment behind it. I read that they ended up orienting the whole storyline around that song when the songwriters produced it, because the theme was so powerful. It resonates with so many.

Perhaps the need for control will be one the biggest battles we face for the rest of our lives- the need to control every aspect of our lives and have things go the way we see fit. And perhaps Jesus will keep begging us to lay down our own storylines and step into His. Because maybe His story is so much bigger and better than we ever dreamed was possible. Maybe His is the story we always wanted to be a part of, and we didn’t even know it.

 

thoughts

delight

alyssapebbles

Delight in the Lord

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

~Psalm 37:4

We become so bogged down by our “burdens” at times, we forget that the Father actually intends for us to have peace, joy, and life. There are indeed times for suffering and waiting patiently on Him, but there are also times when that suffering is self-inflicted and unnecessary. We keep ourselves from Him in the name of religion and asceticism, thinking that we are somehow honoring Him in our grumbling.

I love how He reminds us to delight in Him- how it’s actually a delight to be with Him and spend time with Him; to get to know Him as a friend and companion on this crazy journey of life. We find joy in the relationship with Him- it’s as simple as that. He is a relief from the chaos and madness of our lives. It’s like being with your best friend, who loves you despite all your ridiculousness and faults. He’s warm and caring, friendly and personable. He has a sense of humor, and He allows us to see ourselves clearly in a gentle and loving way, without any fear, shame, or embarrassment- just as a good friend does. He’s a fresh breath of air in a suffocating world. And He wants us to rejoice– He wants us to be so filled with joy we are overflowing; to laugh, to sing, to dance, and to play in this world that He has created for us! Creativity flows from a joyful heart, so He must have been joyful when He created the world, therefore we must be joyful. And joy only comes when we relax and let down our guards; the walls and defense mechanisms that keep us tightly wound.

Why do we act as though He is cold and distant, instead of near and close? We go about our lives as though He’s disinterested or disapproving, as though we constantly have to prove ourselves to Him and those around us. Of course we are drained and exhausted; of course our joy is gone- living in constant striving kills the soul. Yet that feels so much more natural to us than resting in His love and friendship. We can’t believe He could even possibly like us the way we are, let alone enjoy us. We tell ourselves we can have joy once we’ve earned it- we can have the good life when we deserve it. We don’t accept the gift of His Spirit right here and now, because we don’t feel we are ready to walk with Him; we are not qualified yet. We must prove ourselves righteous before we are “holy” enough to live the life He wants for us.

But this is the reverse of how it works with God. It actually starts with Him.

If we live our lives in constant anticipation of the day when we are finally good enough, we never will be. We have to recognize that day is here, the time is now. There is no prerequisite to being with Him; we can go to Him at any time, in any place, and He welcomes us with open arms. That is always the first step to growth and change. We have to stop trying to circumnavigate this key piece of our transformation- without Him we are hopeless. But once we do turn back to Him, in an instant everything changes and He gives us everything we need to move forward.

He’s as close to us as our very breath, as palpable as the warm embrace of someone you love. He’s real, He’s here, all around us and in us. He’s not far. And His heart for us is good.

It’s so easy to lose sight of who He is, and once we forget, we can no longer experience peace. We can’t be fully free and joyful until we know and are convinced of His realness, His goodness, His absolutely unconditional love for us.

IMG_8499.JPG.jpeg

When all seems lost, I’m found in Him. When I’m broken and afraid, He lifts me up and replaces my crippling fear with His perfect love. He doesn’t require anything of me other than my entire being, surrendered to Him, which is the easiest thing in the world when I love Him the most. But it’s the hardest thing when other things of the world have my attention and hope. He keeps on pursuing me, regardless of if I pursue Him or not. He keeps reaching into my heart, digging around and excavating until He finds something responsive to His touch, something true and pure. And He grows that in me until it so fills me until there is no more room for the old impurities. They have no place in my heart anymore, once He has so filled me.

He’s not shy and He’s not restrained. He’ll do anything to get to me- He’s a jealous God who won’t stand for anything or anyone other than Him vying for my attention and heart.

When we find this place of joy in Him, nothing can stop us- His purposes cannot be constrained. We are no longer self-conscious or limited by our own assessment of ourselves and our capabilities. He surpasses our expectations and those things we never thought we could do, desires of our hearts we never thought we could have, now become possible. When we believe He really is who He says He is, nothing is impossible.

Following God is not a chore or a burden; it is the most life-giving pursuit one can ever give himself to. I am overwhelmed when I remember (when He reminds me) of the privilege of this call on our lives- how it demands all of us but it is the most fulfilling life we could ever dream of. With great privilege comes great responsibility, but there’s no greater motivation than a loving and giving Father who brings us to our very best. A Father who delights in us and is pleased with us, so that we may find endless pleasure and satisfaction in Him.

Nothing makes my heart happier than Him, and nothing ever will. It’s what I was made for, and I’m not ashamed to delight in Him.

 

thoughts

covered

alyssapebbles

When I live in the tension of being a flawed human, I am always relieved to remember His abounding grace. I am relieved to remember I am not the sum of my mistakes, but rather a culmination of the new works He is doing in me.

I know my own capacity for sin and selfishness.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature…For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

~Romans 7:15-23

I can torment myself with the ways I fall short. I can fall into a pit of despair over the ways I fail Him, others, and myself. I can sink deeper and deeper into the lamentation of my own humanity.

But there is another way- He offers something new.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

~Isaiah 43:19

Somehow, someway, He restores all things to Himself. Somehow His relentless grace covers all that we are and all that we do, so that we become less and less like the deadness inside of us and more like Life. His power is so far-reaching that even the things we have done that the enemy hoped to destroy us with can actually transform us into who we were created to be. When I’m in the trenches of guilt and condemnation, I can remember this: that it’s not the end.

Our consciences are effective tools that God has given us to help avoid making decisions that He knows will bring harm to ourselves or others. He implanted us with his Spirit to guide us in the ways that are righteous and holy, and we can walk in these ways the more we listen to His voice. We will stumble and fall, but that is no longer the point. It’s not a journey about us anymore- it’s not our story. Our own strengths and weaknesses are not determinate of our success on this path; they are opportunities for God to come close and be our strength, to remind us that He is building something bigger and using our failures to display His majesty. When we acknowledge that we are weak in our flesh, He can finally show up and prove Himself strong. And others will see that and realize it is not us, but Him. Our shortcomings allow us and others to give Him all the glory.

I am convicted by my follies, but the pain of my mistakes allows His grace to come in. I receive it and go forward in renewed hope in the One who will never fail me.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 3:12-14