Growing Daily

Shalom dear daughters of the King of Kings! It's the last day of autumn today, and you can definitely feel it weather-wise here where we are! It's been an amazing couple of weeks since Passover and Unleavened Bread; definitely a month of growth for a lot of people, I think, including myself.

We've made a small amount of progress in the Motivation and Encouragement section, mainly in the Modesty department. We'll start working on the others soon, Lord willing! Thank you all for your encouragement and support!

And now for the most exciting part - Shavuot is right around the corner! The Omer counting period has been so encouraging this year. Then again, it's encouraging every year, but for me it just seems as if every year just gets better and more insightful!

More miracles and blessings can be added to the list as we speak - Israel's Independence Day and Jerusalem Day! We celebrated 74 years of statehood and 55 years since Jerusalem was won back into Jewish hands and re-established the united capital of the State of Israel after nearly 2,000 years of exile!

It's been a big month and a half in lots of ways, a month of growing, celebration and a little pain, too. But the goodness of God is so far beyond anything that could be bad, and He usually uses the things that look bad to bring out something more beautiful than we could ever imagine (and imagining how anything can be good at the moment can be a bit of a challenge, can't it?).

But we have so much to rejoice about! Most importantly (and most exciting) is that Yeshua is coming VERY soon - and then the world will be restored back to perfection! We're so blessed to be living in this time, to be able to see His Kingdom coming! Israel has been established against all odds and is still standing by God's grace and faithfulness for over 70 years! It is blooming and budding and growing! Jerusalem has been the capital for more than a Jubilee!

Once you start counting the blessings and the things to be excited about, it's hard to stop. When you're going through a hard time it's encouraging to go back and see that God has always been faithful and to know that He will always be faithful even when we make mistakes. And that even if something looks bad He promises that He will work everything for our good. Looking at Israel, we can see how He kept His promises even after 2,000 years, even though we weren't always faithful and we aren't always perfect or even fully committed He is faithful and will make everything beautiful in it's time. He always keeps His promises. Always. And maybe it is in that moment, when He is faithful and we aren't, that our relationship grows with Him. We always expect to be paid according to what we deserve, and sometimes in that moment of mercy and kindness we are inspired to serve better, to love more, and become more determined to live better alongside Him.

We're getting ready for an 80'th birthday in our family. As we look for photos, stories, etc., we can really see God's faithfulness and love in this person's life. Life wasn't always easy, and people weren't nice and often didn't play fair. Accidents happened, injuries meant new plans had to be made, moving and leaving every thing you had and knew at over 70 years of age for something you didn't know - but now, 80 years later, this person is still smiling. He laughs and shows us through living and stories how God was faithful through it all, and how there is always a blessing, always hope, and only good to look back on. And how strong he is in God, even if he often stood outside the mainstream circle.

The Omer counting has also been so inspiring, hasn't it? It really helps to remind us to count every day as a blessing. And to just focus on today - and live it to the full. To not worry about tomorrow, but to count today and make it count. To work at brining the Kingdom in your life and in your work today. To dream and to work on the bigger picture one puzzle piece at the time. It would be quite chaotic and horribly confusing if you start building a puzzle with all the pieces at once. I'm speaking to myself here!

We read a quote one night after counting the Omer, and I thought I'd share it here, because it is pretty encouraging (at least, it was to me):

''The world around you is in shambles - and you are probably no exception. The chasm between what you should be and what you actually are is so vast, you cannot see yourself changing anything. That's His job. Your job is to think good thoughts. Your job is to do good deeds. God will make a bridge from your thought to your deeds and together they will become the most powerful instrument of change in the world.'' Lubavitcher Rebbe

Have a blessed week, girls. You are precious to the Lord.

Proverbs 23:7

''For as he thinks within himself, so he is.''

Proverbs 4:23

''Guard your heart diligently, for from it flow the springs of life.''

Psalm 33:5

''The earth if full of the love of ADONAI.''

Psalm 36:6-11

''Your love, ADONAI, is in the heavens, Your faithfulness up to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgements are like the great deep. You preserve man and beast, ADONAI. How precious is Your love, O God! The children of men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill from the abundance of Your House. You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life - in Your light we see light. Continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your justice to the upright in heart.''