A New Way to See

“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” Joshua 3:3-4

I always thought that the main, and perhaps only, reason for there to be so much space between the ark of the covenant and the people of Israel was because God wanted them to avoid a situation like Uzzah's. But it occurred to me after reading the last part of this passage;

"Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

Maybe the reason God didn't want the people so close is because He knows that being too close can impair your vision. Like myopia. How can you see something when it is so close? Perhaps its about giving God the space to lead us.

There's some yummy food for thought.

Ina

Writing to Save My Mind

I am a writer. I knew this, but tonight I discovered that me without writing can be a dangerous thing. See, I have an overactive imagination. So overactive in fact that in the time it takes a normal person to have one thought I have already created a whole scenario and contrived the appropriate emotions to accompany it. I don't even always understand how far the scenario goes or how deep the emotions run until I am smashed back to reality by someone else's complete obliviousness. I have developed a habit of writing myself into people's lives.

I want to be clear, I'm not delusional (well not completely) I understand the difference between fantasy and reality, but what I learned tonight is that I have a little resentment towards reality. I mean it's always there! Staring you in the face reminding you of all the things you have to do; every bill, every bad habit, every mistake, every willful sin. Reality is your mother. It wakes you up from peaceful sleep and forces you to learn; it disciplines you, and makes you eat your vegetables. But dreaming/fantasy is like the super cool older sibling whose home from college. Everything they do, say, or think is so extremely cool that you don't bother asking about all the things that don't quite add up. "Hey sis how come, if you have all this excellent relationship advice, you've never had a healthy relationship?" "Hey bro how come you're failing all your classes and sprouting 'words of wisdom' on life and how to live it?" Kind of get where I'm going with this? Sure fantasy is fun, but who's gonna win in life following the faulty advice of such a fickle friend?

Again for clarity's sake, I am not saying that dreaming or fantasy is bad. What is bad however, is abandoning reality for either. I must learn to allow my reality to hold me accountable so that I can achieve and surpass my dreams. Cause let's face it, having what you dreamed is cool, but having more than you dreamed is even better!

So now my fellow imagineers, let's pray to find the balance in living a dream, together. Let us pray that God grants us just enough dreaming to keep us sane, and just enough reality to keep us grounded.

Here's to a sound mind,

Ina

Dear Ina...and Girls Just Like Her

Dear Ina,

Please don't do what you always do; find a boy to bury your passion in. That passion, the desire to pursue and create are not the problem. The problem is the way you're used to using them.

There is a season upon you. A season of great faith and blessing. You are going to learn the process of dreams to reality. It will be wonderful, it will be healing, it will be work, but don't let your fear of the challenges cause you to hide in the warm comfort of a crush.

Sacrifice the comfort of old habits for the promise of uncomfortable brilliance. Shine bright my love, hold nothing back, fear NOTHING but Christ. Do not apologize for believing.The ability to believe in the impossible is not a weakness, it is a strength, and a wonderful asset to a divinely led life.

You are on assignment here, and your God has provided, and will provide, every tool, weapon, and escape mechanism that you will need to complete it. No need to try and fashion your own. Man made shields won't work on this field. Accept your destiny of greatness. Do not settle for an invisible ideal, but trust God to provide a tangible blessing. One that will exceed every expectation.

Love and courage...