Arms lifted towards God

The Amalekites Defeated

⁸ The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹ Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
¹⁰ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
¹⁵ Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. ¹⁶ He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

I read this today. Wow. Actually, it kind of makes me think of Lord of the Rings. :) But this is real. I just found the symbolism to be so...thought-provoking. Whenever Moses held up his hands, his side was winning. Whenever they lowered, the opposite side began to overtake him. As I read this, I was thinking of my own fight between good and evil. Both sides are so entirely present in this world. There is a constant battle going on. When my arms are lifted up, The Lord is winning, When I grow weary and let them lower, the other side slowly creeps up and starts to take over. Not only is that symbolism alive, but I loved the part where Aaron and Hur helped hold Moses arms up. This world is exhausting. This fight is exhausting. We're all fighting it- each and every one of us. We should not only keep our arms lifted, but also be willing to step in and hold someone else's arms up. That is what we're called to do.

Waters (My poem)

As I reach, I barely touch
    the surface of these cold,
        surrounding waters.

The waves continue to toss
    and turn. My body continues
        to weaken. The water threatens
            to pull me under.

But slowly, slowly, I realize
    that maybe these waters
        weren't meant to drown,
            but to cleanse.

And maybe, the process of sinking,
    has a purpose - to teach me how to
        pull myself up and let the water help me...

Float.
     

It's getting cozy around here

Lights hung
Purple swapped with red and white
Drapes closed
Little trinkets added here and there
Lamps on
Candles everywhere
Yarn tied around mason jars
Piano music playing
Slippers being worn
Blankets set out
Presents being bought
Mail nearly every day
Treats being baked
Songs being sung
Relaxing being done
Drawing closer to our Savior day by day

Normally, it's hard for me to get in the Christmas spirit. I'm one of the 'scrooges' that can't listen to Christmas music unless it's December 22nd, 23rd, 24th, or 25th.

This year, snow's not falling. This year, I'm not in my parents house. Which means, this year, I didn't really have any decorations. That is...until...my husband surprised me with a big box of old, unwanted decorations and a tree to put up.

Now, our house is cozy. Oh, so cozy.