Who do you say that I am?

Who Am I by Casting Crowns

September 7, 2014

Dear Readers,

For several days now, the phrase "who do you say that I am" has been haunting me.  I looked up that phrase in the Bible this morning and read Mark 8:27-29:

Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, "Who do people say that I am? They told Him saying, "John the Baptist. and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets." And He continued by questioning them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ"...

Jesus is the Son of the Living God who sits at His right hand - the power side. Jesus came to earth to seek the lost. That's it in a nutshell! No debate! He's a gentleman ~ he woos but doesn't push.

I wondered who people would say I am. Would they say mean spirited? Probably so. Would they say that I need a shrink? Yeah, that too. There's a whole lot of folks out there who condemn me because of my past. 'Fraid so.  Some others might say fun, spirited, spiritual, a God-lover. They'd be right again. What I'm getting around to is that I am Miss Dottie, an imperfect lady saved by grace. I've done so many things wrong that I cringe. I've also done so many things that I am proud of and those are the kinds of things that truly define me. I want to follow in my Grandmother Maggie's footsteps and leave a legacy of faith. I want to make a difference in people's lives wrapping my arms around them for Christ. Without her example I don't know where I'd be.

Years ago when I went through trauma counseling, I had to erase old tapes and  repeat new ones over and over. Every time I thought negatively about myself, I had to mentally interrupt myself mid sentence and say, "And who does God say that I am?"

For starters, through God's very essence, I was created in love. God knew everything about me even before I was born. Psalm 139-13-16 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

God tells me that I am a unique woman who is fearfully and wonderfully made. I was created with special gifts and talents to share with the world in order to glorify Him. I am one of a kind and there will never be another Miss Dottie. In Ephesians 2:10 it says that we are God's masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for me to do. Know what this means? I am the cream of the crop, His jewel, His treasure, His beautiful butterfly, a beautiful piece of art.

Like the butterfly, I am to live, grow, change, and be set free from the chains that bound me. Better yet, I am a work in progress imperfect made perfect in the eyes of my Lord. Would I call God a liar?

This morning, the pups got me up at 5  for their breakfast and potty call. I couldn't go back to sleep so I grabbed a wonderful cup of coffee, my Bible, and read the book of Joel. Sorta fell right into the sermon that Pastor Dudley gave in church this morning. Doncha just love it when you experience Coincidences that start with a capital "C"? I love getting up early and spending the first fruits of my day breakfasting with the Lord and digesting the words of wisdom He has for me.

Every day countless Christians take out mental hammers and smash away at the warning lights God has provided for our safety, and conscience. Rather than fix the problem, we ignore it and wonder what happened when our spiritual lives sputter and stop. I was thinking about the purpose for which I was placed on the earth and realized how many times I had ignored those "yellow" lights. I know God used them for good BUT still...

Let's not ignore God's voice. You with me? Some lessons lead us straight to misery and even Hell. I don't know about you, but I want to enter the Pearly Gates and have a welcoming committee waiting for me!!

Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

Miss Dottie

Dear God, I sure do love "Son"days. To think that I get to get up and go to a church I love makes me smile from the inside out. Once the Open Range Band gets warmed up, the music fills the room and that Country Gospel Music gets me hoppin'. Bud, Will, Edwin, Robert, Keith, & Joe were on fire today!! Now that George Strait isn't touring anymore, maybe Joe will be picking that acoustical guitar every Sunday! Woo Hoo...  The band played Who Am I (once again just for moi!) and I melted. I had to put it in my blog. The words? Beautiful! Miss Kitty is always cute as a button as she talks to the little buckaroos (who by the way seem to be multiplying!!). When Pastor Rick takes the stage, I'm all ears. By the way, Pastor Rick,  I sure do like that idea of being a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just the idea of being under His umbrella makes me tingly all over. Hmmm...I guess servants are more like employees but I sure wasn't hired to represent anyone. I joined the Lord's army of my own free will and, by golly, I won't be leaving! As I was sitting out waiting for people to come to my garage sale after church, I was thinking about what Pastor Dudley said ... "If the world doesn't know that I am a Christian, I have a problem." I'm working on that this week, for sure. Father, I pray for all those who read my blogs. Grant them that extra measure of peace as they face their own dragons. As they reach out to you, I know You will grab on comforting and providing. I've been going on sheer adrenalin the past weeks ~ You must have known that I needed a day of rest 'cause no one came to the garage sale ... not one single soul. It's nice to take some time to refresh, relax, fuss over my doggies, and enjoy an ice cream sundae. Yum. Thou art God the Father ~ thou art God the Son ~ thou art God the Holy Spirit. Wow! Now, that's amazing!! Thank you for listening to me and for being who You are!!

Amen, it is so...