There it was, a purple and white teapot, staring back at me on the dining room table, with a scripture: Walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. It had been there for at least one month. We put it out right after Christmas. The design was simple: all white porcelain, elegant and not too big, but not too small. The handle was large enough for an oversized grip, and the spout looked like a scene from Alice in Wonderland. The top of the teapot was tiny, enough for one bag to fit flat. Facing me were the words in cursive, lightly surrounded by purple lilacs. I grabbed the handle to turn the spout to the left to see if the scripture was only on one side. Wrong. "Walk by faith," it read again. I said it to myself silently, but it was as if the words were yelling at me.
One of the goals I listed on my "Want List" this year was to hear from God for myself. I read a ton of devotionals and listen to motivational messages, constantly feeding myself with the Good News, but the truth is, they are messages from others and not God's Word directly spoken to me. Of course, we are supposed to surround ourselves with Believers and study the Scriptures, but now, when I read the Bible, I want my own revelation. So here's the rebirth of this blog.
When my husband and I sat down - we are celebrating nine months married tuhday, by the way - he said, "We already know how this goes. We take the first step, and then God meets and matches us." He is absolutely right. I didn't even glance at the teapot because it was still staring at me. But I opened my journal and raised two Scriptures I'd written down a little earlier for him to see and read: Isaiah 65:24 and Proverbs 10:28.
The first one reads, Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.
And if this wasn't the additional revelation I needed, all ears are clogged. Michael (the husband) and I are believing for some pretty lofty things in 2025. The kicker is that even though we hosted a #oneword party and found matching Bible verses to go with our focus word of the year, and on yesterday, we went to a Vision Board Party, and shared even more Bible with friends adding voice to declare what we are believing for. According to Isaiah, God heard us before we even prayed about it or wrote it down. I mean, man has us writing a gratitude log and keeping tabs on everything we do, but God already knows our next steps! That's enough to shout on, or better yet, STAND on!
The second verse I showed him read, The hope of the righteous will be gladness. I looked at so many translations of this one just for a deeper understanding, but I think I've got it, or at least what God is revealing to me. I have to step my hope game up. Now that I think about it, it pointed me right back to the teapot. Ha! Walk by faith. It's a command. It's not a wish, not a petition, not a suggestion. God is telling us what to do. And then, in Proverbs, when He talks about hope, it means that the outcome of what I'm believing, speaking, seeking, wishing, writing down, and praying for is a joy! And the joy of the Lord is my strength!
This season has been a little tight financially. We were both just thinking, "I thought we did this broke thing already." LOL But it's really a reminder to refocus and fall back on the main thing. 👀Here's my secret: I opened my Etsy shop, launched my YouTube channel, and I'm working on my website. We are starting a family, so we need moolah! Here's what's NOT a secret. The Lord knows what I have need of because He supplies all of them; and He even gives me the desires of my heart - when I delight in Him. So, I'm not worried about tough times or tight times because I know in whom I believe. I trust what He told me. And just because I can't throw away the plastic forks right now like I used to, I'm going to wash them and be grateful knowing how to be content in any and everything!
That's it, folks. Be encouraged. Head over to the shop and see what's new: lingolinesbynjcb.etsy.com
Head back next week (or tomorrow) for a new blog post! Thanks for reading along and joining in on this journey of love and marriage, Our Story. God is doing a new thing and I am so glad I get to share it with all of you.
-Nelann-
#notjustaclassroomblog
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