Exhausted

…he pursued… exhausted
Judges 8:12, 15

Gideon and his men pursued their enemies led by Zeba and Zalmunna and though Gideon requested bread from towns along the way, he and his men received none. They pursued, exhausted, yet they were triumphant and displayed that at times we will accomplish what we must only in a state of fatigue.

We like to be well-rested and fed and at the top of our game, but this is not the only condition in which meaningful victories will be won. History is made by weary people who perceive their goals as more important than their performance and keep going, at least for a time, until the opportunities have yielded their potential.

Paul knew the experience of exhaustion in accomplishment.
2 Corinthians 4:8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

He knew what it was to come to the end of his resources and yet continue pursuing, continue fighting. He knew what it cost to win.

February can bring many people into this state of depletion. It is a time to find appropriate rest and enjoyment, but it is also a time to continue the fight for faith and hope and joy, commodities too precious to neglect.

May we continue to pursue, though perhaps exhausted and anticipate victory granted by God.

Engaged

After dating for a little better than five months, Tina and I are happy to announce our engagement. We have not set an exact date yet but are aiming for the end of June or the beginning of July. It is an amazing thing for the two of us, both widows, to experience the kind of work that God does. It is He who says, “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13

It is good to have his word as our guide.

1Timothy 5:14
I counsel younger widows to marry…

Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone…

1Corinthians 7:2
Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

1Corinthians 7:39
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.

We are grateful for His guidance and His provision and are happy for the encouragement of so many. Thanks to everyone who has increased our joy by sharing it.

"unlovableness"

Thank-you for getting this. That is my point. "unovableness" is a lie of the Devil planted early on in a child’s life and may become so familiar that it is difficult to imagine ever living without it. We may even come to embrace it, using it as a self-pitying crutch to reject the love of God. We may in fact use it to refuse to live under his loving constraint and guidance and grace. God does love you and me. We are lovable. We are loved. You must choose to either accept His love or reject it and be responsible for that choice. There is no excuse in saying, "I am unlovable". That doesn’t even exist.