February 21, 2014

How Small is Big in the Kingdom of God - Five Minute Friday


So it's been a longish week and one of the kinds of busy that there is not necessarily much to show for it - but it just feels like I was a few steps behind the whole time.  So - don't hate me... but today I put a stop to the ridiculousness of it! I stayed in my pj's until - well... until I worked out with my girlie at home this afternoon. This means I changed out of fleece coziness and into my yoga pants that feel like babies... then, after we lounged to - you know - 'recover'... I moved from one couch to the other to work on my Bible study, finishing that up just in time to look somewhat presentable for my Google Hangout... which was just before the twitter party... which is actually happening now but I had to take a little breaky, because clearly I have had a full day! 

My Girlie is napping... (yeah - she's a college student so this happens a LOT now again!) and my Honey is sneezing his face off, trying to fight off some sort of something... while I am fighting off the temptation for chocolate and MORE Olympics.  Sometimes you just have to stop the madness and take care of you, she says with a cup of something yummy in hand! 

Oh, and Tomorrow? NOTHING is on my bossy day planner... (Shhh.... No Thing!) But in case you think my life is all charmed and easy, Saturday is bossy with meetings and cleaning and taking down the Christmas Tree. Yep... I said it. I am finally taking it down, since it can no longer pass as a Valentine's Tree.  Whatev... it worked for awhile! Here goes...

Oh but - first - the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays are hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  It is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at 10pm Thursday night (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

So - here goes: Five Minute Friday - The Word Prompt is: SMALL

{GO}



Small... we want to BE it but we don't want to feel it, right?  No - we want to feel big, important, as if our days and life matter.  We want to do great(er) things and we want to live large but Jesus gave us the key to that... He told us to get small.

I have this passion for spending time at the beach. It really makes no sense as I battle fear of water and yet the water beckons me to come... to sit awhile and stare... to drink in it's vast hugeness... it is with toes digging in to warm sand, and hair blowing in the breeze... it is with sun filtering it's way through clouds to disappear into sea that I am ever so gently reminded that all of what concerns me... it's no big deal with God. I am small... He is not.  He's got this - whatever 'this' is that is weighing me down... He's already taken it on and thrown it off... He's already counted the cost and paid it in full.

I breath in the salty air like breathing in the Presence of God because to me, they are so much the same thing... a perspective that is softly shifting back to center as I remember that He commands the wind and tells the proud waves thus far and no further. He is in control and when we know that He is a good God in a good mood, we remember that He can be trusted.



In the upside down world of Kingdom of God we are told the first shall be last and the weak shall be made strong... we are told - shown, really - that if you are going to love me, I'm gonna love you better... if you are going to serve me, I will serve you more... it's not a competition to be better... it's a competition to be small.  God understands small... He came to us that way! He is always coming to us... and in His smallness, He grew up into who He was created to be.  It was not in trying to be Big and create a name for Himself... it was always about bending low, and showing the way to the One Big God.  He modeled it out... for when I am small... it makes room for Him to be bigger in my life, in my words, in my every day living this thing out... for when I try to be big and accomplish all He has set before me, I crowd out the One whom I desire to bring Glory. 

"Big" causes us to climb the wrong ladder.

No... for me and my life, you will find me underneath... lifting you up! In the Kingdom of God, the ladder of success is upside down and I am clamoring for the bottom, ya'll!



{STOP}

I love the beach... I do some of my best relaxing and thinking and praying and simply just 'being' with Him there. I live, ironically, in a desert... but I make a pilgrimage often because it is like water to my soul.  


Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "SMALL"  


Where do YOU go to be refreshed... to be reminded that you are small... and fit right in the palm of His hand?



Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On.
~Karrilee~

24 comments :

  1. I love this! Thanks for sharing your heart <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sarah Jo! (I'm mailing off your journal today, my friend!)

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Aaah is right, Terri! Don't those pictures just draw you in? LOVE the beach... then again, Prayer Mountain was pretty good too! Miss you!

      Delete
  3. I love this line" "if you're going to love me, I'm going to love you better"!!!! BTW - I took down my snow tree the day after Valentines:) I'm glad you had a refreshing day:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for that... for not letting me just hang out here to dry... thinking I am the only one who has a 'Valentine's Tree' ;) Have a blessed weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. "Big causes us to climb the wrong ladder"- so well said, Karrilee! I love the picture of the upside down kingdom!!! It is such a beautiful picture and it is exactly how I want to live. Racing you to the bottom! :) And so blessed to be on THAT ladder with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Becky - I am so happy to be fighting our way down to the bottom together, my friend! It truly is the battle of the ages... you're gonna bless me? I'm gonna bless you more! You're on!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous4:20 PM

    If you had not written anything else this one line alone would have cause the tears rolling down my cheeks... "I am small... He is not. He's got this - whatever 'this' is that is weighing me down" There are so many things, some known and even some that aren't clear that have weighed me down these last few weeks. Thanks for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh sweet Amy - I know it may not seem like it - but honestly - whatever you "This"-es (?) are - He's got them... every. single. one. of them. Love you, friend! Praying with you that He shows Himself BIG on your behalf! {{{HUGS}}}

      Delete
  6. There was much profoundness in your words. I'll be reflecting for a while on "He came to us small." And the smaller we are the bigger He can be. I just loved that whole section. Humbling to think of how sweet our King is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for stopping by Amy! Yes... there is no other name as sweet as Jesus! He's consistently pretty amazing, right? Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  7. I go to my mountains and hills. I see those thousand cattle He owns and the flowers of the fields He clothes. I feel very small there, but a deep part of something huge. A SC beach will bring me that same. I'd love to share both of them with you. (Yes, that is an invitation.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh girl... I hope you meant that... you never know if I will take you up on it! I'm gonna tuck this invitation away in my heart! Love you so!

      Delete
  8. Love this! And I love that we both wrote about the beach! :) You are so right, we want to be big and the key is straight from him-be small. That's so hard to do!! Thank you for these words, and your ever present encouragement!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marcy - YES! I love that we both wrote about the beach as well! It's not that I don't feel small in other places, but it's the place that I am most reminded that this is how it is - and how it should be! Love you friend!

      Delete
  9. I seriously JUST said this to my friend as we were driving to the Women of Faith event "we want to feel big, important, as if our days and life matter." Love, love, love "big causes us to climb the wrong ladder." Goodness, this was excellent! Thanks, Kerrilee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chandra, great minds... well - kindred spirit anyway! Did you just LOVE WOF? I went in November and was amazed! Jen Hatmaker, Chris Caine, worship with Kari Jobe... it doesn't get much better than that? Thanks so much for your sweet comment!

      Delete
  10. Anonymous7:12 PM

    The beach is my place to feel small and connect with God in this big world we live in. Thanks for the words to remind us that God should be first in our lives! Blessings, Mary!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary - isn't it just so inspiring and yet perspective-shifting at the same time? I love it! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  11. Karrilee,
    Such wisdom in your words about how our desire for Big can make us climb up the wrong ladder...what a great word picture...Yes, I only want to climb the ladder with God holding it for me :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Dolly... the Ladder of Success in the Kingdom of God is upside down! So good for us to remember when it feels as if we are climbing UP instead of down! Blessings, sweet friend!

      Delete
  12. the be small and get low call to action is what moves me...literally. Your words are like a cry to come - come and sit at His feet. Thanks for this Karrilee! btw - we took our tree down in February too..#noshame

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisha... yes! This is what moves me as well! (And yes and Amen! #noshame my friend!)
      P.S. - I read that piece you linked on "Own your Beauty" tonight... so powerful!

      Delete

Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

Blog Archive