Praise Him, Praise Him

With all that’s been going on in my life lately, one would not think that my immediate response would be to praise God.  However, I really don’t see how I can do anything else.  Let me explain.

Until about 5 months ago, my life was pretty much perfect.  I had a precious baby boy, a loving and caring husband, a wonderful and supportive family, helpful encouraging friends, a comfortable home, and a perfect job as a stay at home mom.  Couldn’t get any better!

Then, we miscarried our second child.  I’ve blogged more in detail about the emotions I dealt with through the miscarriage in earlier posts.  Through it all, though, I continued to praise God, knowing that whatever happened, He was in control.

Now, we’re expecting again, and we just found out that I have some complications that can cause very serious threats to mine and the baby’s health and lives.  Of course, we were dismayed to learn that the baby and I could be in danger.  It’s scary; and it’s out of my control, which if you know me well, you know I do not like for things to be out of my control.  However, again, I have a peace that passes understanding.  The other night, I was praying and thanking God and praising Him for all He’s done in my life; and I wondered, “How can I thank Him and praise Him through all this?”  Immediately, I knew the answer… “How can I not?” 

As a Christian, I believe that God is in control.  I believe that He is a caring and merciful God who loves us more than we can even imagine.  I believe that every good and perfect gift is from Him.  If I truly believe these things, how can I not praise Him?  If I praise Him when all is right and well in my world, giving Him the credit and the glory for it, how can I turn around and curse or blame Him when all is not right in my world?  Would that same loving, caring God who gives us good and wonderful gifts turn around and give us heartache and pain just for naught?  We must remember that we live in an imperfect world and we WILL face trials.  However, we must also remember that we are not alone and that whatever happens, God is on His throne.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, faith is not believing that God will do whatever you ask.  It’s believing that He may or may not do things the way you expect, but whatever happens, He is in control and will give you the strength to face whatever lies ahead. 

So, I’m praising Him and trusting Him.  I know that things may not work out the way I want them to, but whatever happens, I’ll praise Him, praise Him!

Wonderfully Made

I love Psalm 139. It is a great passage about how well God knows us, even better than we know ourselves.  I love the whole chapter, but lately God has really been speaking to be about verse 14-15: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 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.”  These verses are often quoted or printed when referring to a fetus or even a newborn infant.  How easy it is to see and be in awe of God’s handiwork when we view an ultrasound picture…

…or look into the face of a newborn baby…

However, it becomes a little more difficult to see and appreciate God’s handiwork when we look into the mirror.  Why is it that as we get older, we tend to forget that we are God’s masterpieces, the crowning glory of all His creation (more glorious than the most beautiful sunset, beach, mountain, meadow, etc.)?  Why is it that we either forget or choose to ignore the fact that He “knit [us] together” in our mother’s womb.  He took time to create us just how He wanted us to be.  At what point to we being to look in the mirror and see the eyes that are too close together and the smile that is crooked and the hair that is just not right instead of seeing a masterpiece created by THE master artist.

I am bad about this.  I look at myself in the mirror or at pictures of myself, and I see all the things I would change.  How this approach to viewing myself must hurt my Creator!  I am making an attempt to do better – to look at myself and see myself the way God sees me – beautiful and perfect, created by Him for His glory, not my own.  I am doing this for Him, to bring glory to Him.  I am doing it for others, to take the attention off my “imperfections” so that I can see other people’s needs.  I am doing it for myself, to treat myself the way God would want me to.  And, finally, I’m doing it for my children.  I do not want them to learn from me how to critique themselves.  I want them to know that they are “FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!”

So, grab a mirror and take a look at God’s greatest creation!

Two Lessons about Faith

Lately, God has been teaching me so much about my faith.  I wanted to share a little of what He’s taught me.

First, I’ve heard it said that faith is not believing that God can do what you ask; it’s believing God will do what you ask.  I disagree with this claim.  When I found out I was pregnant with our second child in May, I immediately began praying for the health and safety of that child.  I prayed that I would have a complication-free pregnancy and delivery and that in January, we would give birth to a precious healthy baby.  I prayed for those things, and I believed they would happen.  I never once doubted God would answer those prayers.  However, a month later, we found out that our little Sweet Pea’s heart had stopped beating.  Of course, this news was devastating, but my faith never wavered.  I feel confident that if I believed that true faith was believing that God WOULD do what I asked, I would have had a crisis of belief.  My faith would have probably wavered.  However, I’m reminded of the great missionary Paul from the Bible.  He had great faith, yet he admitted that 3 times he asked God to remove his “thorn in the flesh.”  But each time, God refused; and His answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Through this experience, God has taught me a new perspective on faith.  I believe that faith is believing that God can do what you ask and that He may or may not do what you ask but that no matter what happens, He is still on His throne in control; and He will give you the grace to get through whatever happens. 

God especially touched my heart with the song “You Are God Alone” by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.  There is a line in the chorus that says, “And, right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne.  You are God alone.”  I’ve heard and sung this song many, many times before; but when I heard it at the Women of Faith conference two months after a miscarried and less than a week after I found out I was pregnant again, it took on a whole new meaning.  I had to believe that with this pregnancy, God was still on His throne.  He is God alone!  I can trust Him to give me strength and grace to get through whatever comes my way.  We have no guarantees in this life.  God never told us that this life would be easy.  He promised us the exact opposite.  Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.”  I have no guarantees that this pregnancy will be successful or that this baby will survive (or that I’ll live to see tomorrow, for that matter), but I can rest in the knowledge that He is on His throne.  He is in control.  I don’t need to worry.  I don’t need to fear.  I can relax and let my “Daddy” handle it.

 

The second lesson I’ve learned through all of this is that God uses little, everyday circumstances to mold you and shape you and to prepare you for the “big” events in life.  Of course, this makes sense, but I’d never really thought about my little daily trials and frustrations as important.  However, they are like training sessions for life’s tragedies.  Let me give you an example.  When Landon was between the ages of 5 months and 9 months, he would only sleep for about 30 minutes at nap time.  This was NOT a long enough nap!  He would be cranky for the rest of the day, making for a long and frustrating day.  It did not matter what I tried, he wouldn’t sleep any longer.  There are many reasons why this may have been happening.  He was teething for much of that time.  He has a 30 minute sleep cycle and wakes up every 30 minutes; and he may not have been drowsy enough to drift back to sleep quickly after a 30 minute snooze.  I think the reason for these frustratingly short naps, though, is because God wanted to teach me a lesson about prayer and faith.  You see, every day, as I was putting Landon down for his nap, I would pray that God would help him to have a long, restorative nap.  Yet, everyday, Landon would wake up after only 30 minutes.  I know it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, and it really wasn’t.  But, it was so hard at the time because I didn’t even have time to eat lunch and take a shower.  I would scarf down my lunch and run to the shower.  Then, I dreaded turning off the water because I knew that when I did, I would hear a screaming baby…everyday!  I remember crying and ranting at God, “You created the universe!  You created this baby!  You know he needs his rest and I need a break!  You could make him sleep longer, and I’m praying and believing that You will.  BUT YOU DON’T!!!  What’s the point of praying if You’re not going to answer anyway???  How can I trust You to keep him safe and healthy like I pray for every night when I can’t even trust You with this???”  Harsh…I know.  But, God knew my heart and knew that was how I was feeling; so why not be open and honest with Him?  He can handle it.  Anyway, not long after that, I was praying that God would help me to become the woman He wanted me to be.  I pondered that for a while, what I thought that woman would be like.  I envisioned someone who was always faithfully serving her family, always helping others, a leader in the church, and someone who handled difficult or devastating situations with grace and faith that brought glory to Him.  As that last thought crossed my mind, God pierced my heart.  I felt Him saying, “How will you ever become that woman (the kind who can battle cancer with unwavering faith or the death of a loved one with hope or a major disappointment with grace and strength) when you can’t handle these little daily trials I’m sending your way?”  Wow!  These words were not accusatory or condemning.  They were whispered across my soul in a loving, authoritative, fatherly manner – like a loving father correcting his wayward child.  In that moment, I realized that my daily life was the training ground for my future.  I prayed for forgiveness and for strength to change.  I still prayed that he would nap longer, and most of the time, he didn’t.  It was still frustrating; but instead of ranting at God, I prayed that He would help me to glorify Him in the way I responded to the frustration.  I saw each “unanswered” prayer as an opportunity to increase my faith that God knows better than I do, that He sees the big picture when I don’t, and that ALL things (good or bad) work together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).  I had no idea how I would need that faith just a few months later.  When we miscarried, I did not have any bitter or angry moments.  What a transformation had occurred in my heart!  Just a few months earlier I was angry and bitter about unanswered prayers for longer naps.  Now, I was dealing with unanswered prayers for the life of my baby; and I was not angry or bitter.  As I mentioned in my first “lesson” above, I knew that God was in control and I could trust Him.

More WOW from WOF

(Words of Wisdom from Women of Faith)  :)

 

I just remembered two more “truths” from the Women of Faith conference that I thought were encouraging and profound, and I wanted to share them with you.  I know the first one was from Sandi Patty, but I’m not sure about the second one.

 

“When God closes a door, He’s not saying, ‘No’ to your dreams; He’s saying, ‘Yes’ to a dream you can’t see yet.”  Love, love, LOVE that!!!  How many times have I thought that the Lord was saying, “No” to my dreams because they weren’t really a part of His plan.  It’s so much more encouraging to realize that He’s saying, “Yes” to a dream I will have later but can’t see yet!

 

“If you still have air in your lungs, that means that you have not yet accomplished the purpose God has for you on this earth, which means that the best part of your life is still yet to come!”

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I am a perfectionist, an over-achiever. By nature, I have an intense drive and desire to be the best at anything I set out to do. If I see that I am not good at something, I either do not want to do it at all; or I throw myself into it, jumping in with both feet, and become (or at least try to become) the best there ever was. I'm not ok with simply being ok. Or at least, I'm not naturally that way.

Some of you may be thinking, "That sounds like a great nature to have." In some ways, it is. I am usually quite successful in my endeavors. Whatever I set my mind to, I do and do it well. Because I avoid things that I'm not good at and excel in things I am good at, I excel in most everything I do.

However, God is gradually revealing to me the flaws in my nature. He's teaching me that this personality trait that I was born with or picked up somewhere along the way can become an idol and a sin if I don't give it over to Him daily!

For one thing, I am never satisfied with my efforts. When I was in school, Craig used to tease me about this. I'd turn in a paper and call him crying, certain that I'd fail. A few days later, I would call him, astounded and excited that not only had I not failed, but I had actually earned an A! It wasn't that I was humble and didn't want to say, "I'm gonna get an A." It wasn't that the paper was that difficult to write or the professor was that difficult to please. The problem was that I was that difficult to please. Had I been grading it, I would have given myself a failing grade. (Side-note: Don't worry. I'm not that hard on anyone else. I was never that hard on my students. I'm only that hard on myself.) Another example: I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom; but one of the reasons that I do not have a desire to go back to teaching, even when my children start school, is because I'm not sure I can be the kind of mom I want to be and be the kind of teacher I want to be. As a teacher, I rarely left the school before 6:00, and I spent most of my hours at home working on creative lesson ideas, grading papers, and drafting parent letters. Even after all that (usually a 12-14 hour work day), I still was not happy with what I produced. I wasn't the "perfect teacher" that I wanted to be. Knowing this about myself, I know that there is no way I can be the "perfect teacher" and be the "perfect mom" that I want to be. I am beginning to wonder if I'll ever be able to go back to work and be the kind of employee and mom and wife and friend (and on and on) that I want to be...

Another truth that God has revealed to me about my perfectionism is that it closely favors a certain characteristic of Satan...the desire to be God. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW that I can never be perfect, but I EXPECT to be. My perfectionism is so intense that it's as if I think I can be God. Obviously, I know I can't be; and when I word it like that, I can honestly say, "I don't want that." However, my actions and my attitude toward myself and my performance very clearly send the message that "I want to be perfect, and I can be if I try hard enough. I won't be satisfied if I'm not." That's sinful!

Finally, I'm learning that the sin of pride piggybacks on the sin of perfectionism. A friend once asked me if my drive for perfection was to win the praise and approval of others. I can honestly say that no, it's not about others' approval. It's about my own. It's about living up to a standard that I set for myself. When I do manage to live up to that standard, I become quite prideful. I think, "I'm great at _______. I'm so smart. I could be successful at anything I wanted to do." Hmm...what's missing from those statements? God! My gifts and talents and any success I may achieve is only by the grace of God! My perfectionism tends to cloud my vision so that I only see my intense efforts to accomplish what I set out to do, and I do not see God's hand, guiding me through.

So, there's a little honesty for you. Let me say, quickly, that I do not think there is anything wrong with being driven and motivated. The Bible tells us that whatever we do, we should work at it with all our hearts as unto the Lord and not men. It's only sinful when it becomes all about you - what you can or can't do, when it's accompanied by self-exalting pride, or when your efforts are never enough.

Lord, thank you for creating me the way that You did and for allowing me to have the life experiences that have shaped me into the woman I am today. Help me to give my strengths to You so that You can use them more mightily than I ever imagined and to give my weaknesses to You so that You can be strong in me. Amen!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Perfectionism...the "Perfect" Sin

This weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Women of Faith conference with my mom, mother in law, and sisters in law. Not only did I enjoy some quality time with these precious "women of faith" in my life, but I also was encouraged, challenged, and inspired by some amazing speakers, singers, and actresses at the conference.

I wanted to blog about some of the insights that I gleaned this weekend.

1. In this life we will have trouble! Of course, the Bible teaches that; but as I listened to each of these godly women (and one man) share their life stories, I was astounded to hear of the struggles and trials they've experienced along the way. The first speaker we heard was Patsy Clairmont, a spunky, godly grandmother and gifted speaker and author who had been a high school drop out and runaway as a teenager and an agoraphobic as a young adult. The second speaker we heard was Andy Andrews who was a comedic, energetic, if slightly scattered, man and was also a gifted Christian speaker and writer. At the age of 19, he lost both of his parents and became homeless, living under a pier and in people's garages. We heard Sandi Patty (you know her) speak of her struggle with her weight and of a time in her life where she had such a sever anxiety attack that she was taken to the ER and discovered that she didn't feel like she was good enough or that there was enough of her to go around. We heard Brenda Warner (Kurt Warner's wife) speak of her struggles with trust as her first husband was unfaithful and left her to care for their unborn child (she was 8 months pregnant) and their blind, brain-damaged toddler. Over and over again, the message was the same - God got me through! God was my strength! His grace was sufficient for me! He can and WILL do it for you, too!

2. You never know what someone else is going through. As I listened to all of these stories of struggle, I was overwhelmed by the thought that we ALL have struggles. We all face storms. You never know what the person next to you is going through - whether it's a difficult life experience or a specific struggle with sin. I was reminded of a day not too long ago when I was going through a very difficult experience. I encountered a particularly rude individual, and I was particularly rude in return. As I was fuming over the encounter, I kept thinking, "If she only knew what I was going through right now!!!" Couldn't we all say that? I will definitely keep this in mind when dealing with outsiders, and I will be more diligent about truly asking and caring how my friends are doing!

3. "When we've seen God be faithful in the past, we can know and trust that He will be faithful in the future. God is our enough." - Sandi Patty

4. Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." WOW! Love that one! Commit this one to memory. Write it on your bathroom mirror. This is a verse I've read time and time again and never really noticed. I will cling to this one when I'm going through the inevitable storms of life.

5. God cares enough about us and the little details in our lives that He even knows the number of hairs on our heads when that's something we don't even consider or care about. If He's that interested in the hairs on our heads, how much more does He care about our struggles, fears, temptations, feelings of inadequacy, etc?

There's so much more that God showed me through this weekend. Some of it has escaped my memory for the time being. I should have taken notes when I got home each night, but I was busy spending time with my family. Other insights are just simple truths that are still growing into a "Word from Him" in my heart and mind. They're ones that I'll need to reflect on and pray about for a while before I know exactly what God is teaching me through them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these insights and that if you ever have the opportunity, you attend a Women of Faith conference. You'll be glad you did! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Wisdom from Women of Faith

What Goes In

You've heard the saying "What goes in must come out." The Bible even tells us that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks and that the good man brings forth good from the good in his heart. I have certainly found this to be true in my life.

The other day, our day got off to a rough start. Landon woke up earlier than he usually does and earlier than I wanted to get up! Having not had enough sleep, he was quite cranky. I had gone to bed late the night before and had definitely not had enough sleep; thus I was cranky as well.

After Landon ate breakfast, I decided a Starbucks cafe vanilla frappucino was definitely in order. So, I grabbed my breakfast to eat on the way, put Landon in the car, and took off. When I'd almost reached the end of our road, I heard something roll off the top of the car...my breakfast. Grrr... So, there went my breakfast. Already, I could tell that this was not going to be a great day.

I know nothing catastrophic had happened, but I was very frustrated and already wishing away the day. In the short drive to Starbucks, however, I made a decision that I was going to embrace the day, come what may, and make the most of it. I wasn't going to whine or complain or choose to be miserable. I was going to choose joy. I knew, however, that I did not have the strength to do that on my own.

Here's the "what goes in" lesson...as soon as I acknowledged that I could not do it on my own, God brought a verse to my mind, "The Lord is my strength and my song." Now, before you go thinking that I'm super spiritual and had that verse memorized and ready to remember in a moment of need, let me tell you where I learned that verse. Landon's Baby Faith video! I love those Baby Faith videos for him for two reasons: 1. He loves them and is mesmerized by them unlike any other video he's ever seen. 2. They teach a Bible story, quote verses, and play hymns as background music. They are very simple, basic videos - similar concept to the Baby Einstein. When I got them, I thought, "Oh, how great this will be for him (not me). It will help me teach him God's word." I never thought it would help me.

It did! Here I was - deciding to be joyful in a situation where I would need God's strength to do so - and the verse, "The Lord is my strength and my song (joy)" comes to mind. Now, mind you, I had not sat and watched that video in earnest, trying to glean wisdom from the hand puppets. Nor had I watched it repeatedly day in and day out. Nor had I chosen to bring that verse to mind. It came unbidden because it's what I had "put in." It's what I had allowed in through my senses; and, therefore, it's what came out.

I began to think, "What else am I putting in?" Are my music, television, and conversation choices filling my heart with good things? I'm usually pretty careful not to fill it with "bad" things, but are they GOOD? Am I spending more time reading Facebook status updates than I am spending in my Bible? Umm...yes. Am I choosing to talk about something that someone did to get on my nerves instead of something that honors God? Umm...yes. Am I watching television shows that embrace homosexuality and pornography and pre-marital sex as normal? Umm...yes. So, although these shows and conversations, etc. may not necessarily be "bad." The question is, are they good? I've only got so much room in my heart and mind. How do I want to fill that space? What do I want to put in? I guess a better question is - What do I want to come out?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It’s a Choice

This is a devotional that I wrote for our church.  We were asked to choose our favorite verse and write a devotional that followed a certain format.  I had a tough time choosing a verse, because I have sooo many favorite verses.  However, lately, this is the one that has kind of been my “theme verse.”  I just thought I’d share it with you guys.

 

Key Verses: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15a,c)

Main Idea: Serving God is a choice. It is deliberate.

Reflection: Most of us, especially those of us who live in the southern states known as the “Bible Belt,” would say that we want to serve God and that we want our households to serve God. However, that’s usually as far as it goes – we say we want to serve God. We may even go through all the right motions. We go to church; we say “grace” before our meals; we tithe and give money to other worthy causes. But are we really serving the Lord, or are we just going through the motions?

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua gives the people of Israel an ultimatum. He tells them to make a choice – whom will they serve – the one true Lord or the gods/idols of their ancestors? You are faced with that choice as well. Whom will you serve – the one true Lord or the idols of our day?

Our idols are not the same today as they were in Joshua’s time. Very few of people in our society have carved images of false gods that they actually pray to and bow down to (though some do). Most commonly, our idols are things like work, money, power, prestige, pride, social class, church involvement, even family – anything that takes a place of prominence before the Lord in our hearts and lives.

I know in my own life, I struggle to keep my priorities in order. I am a new mom, and the duties of mom and wife often take precedence over serving the Lord. I mean, let’s face it, I don’t have the time or the energy to spend hours in prayer and Bible study when I have a toddler at my feet, dishes in the sink, laundry in the washer, etc. None of us have “extra” time to allot for Bible study and prayer. So, what do we do? How do we serve the Lord when it seems like we barely have the time and energy to do what has to be done?

The answer is just what Joshua told the Israelites – we must choose.

· We must choose to spend time with God. – I once heard someone say that time spent with the Lord could never be better spent doing something else. Choose to spend time with the Lord. Get up early or stay up late. Close yourself in the office for lunch and spend that time in prayer. Choose to ride with the radio off or worship music playing so that you can pray while you drive (with your eyes open, of course J).

· We must choose to throw away our idols. – Anything that you put before God in your heart must be thrown out (or put in its rightful place). If it is something sinful like pride, repent and ask God to help you rid your life of it; then take steps to do that. If it is something good like family, ask God to help you put it in the prioritized order where it belongs – after Him; then, take steps to do just that.

· We must choose to serve God in all that we do. – 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Serve God in the office by having a good attitude when the copy machine “eats” your document or when you don’t get the account you’ve been trying to get. Serve God in the car by being patient when someone cuts you off or goes ten miles an hour under the speed limit when you are in a hurry. Serve God at home by praying for your family as you fold their clothes or cook their dinner.

So, choose for yourself this day whom you will serve; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some idols in your life?

2. Are these things that you need to throw out or re-prioritize?

3. What are some ways that you can serve the Lord in your daily activities?

Activity:

Read Joshua 24:1-15. In verses 1-13, Joshua reminds the children of Israel about all the Lord has done for them. Then, in verses 14-15, he tells them to throw away their idols and to serve the Lord. Take time as a family to list the things God has done in your lives individually and as a family. Write them down. At the bottom of the list, write our key verse for today, Joshua 24:15a,c: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Now, place this somewhere in your home where you will see it, and it can serve as a daily reminder of whom you serve and why.

More Lessons from Romans 12 & Luke 6

Our society teaches us that we should look out for number one, take care of ourselves first, not let anyone take advantage of us or get the best of us, etc; but God’s Word teaches us something very different.

 

Our pastor has been teaching a series on families for the past several weeks.  Last Sunday, he showed a clip from a news show.  The clip was footage recorded live from a baseball game.  A foul ball was headed to the stands and several fans were trying to catch it.  The person who ended up with the ball was a twelve-year-old boy named Ian.  As he walked back to his seat, he noticed that another boy about his age was upset because he didn’t get the ball.  Ian turned around, walked back down the stairs, and gave his souvenir foul ball to the other boy.  The announcers for the baseball game were shocked and kept commenting on what a “well-bred” boy he was and how unusual something like that was.  When he was interviewed, Ian said that’s just how his parents raised him.  He shrugged his shoulders and said something like, “It’s just natural.”

 

I’d love for Landon to grow up to be the kind of selfless, thoughtful child who would put another’s happiness before his own.  I left church that day asking myself, “How do we train Landon to be that way?  What do we do, what habits do we model and instill in him that will make this type of behavior natural?”  Of course, I know the “correct” answer…model selflessness, take advantage of teachable moments, blah, blah, blah…

 

That night, as I settled in for my quiet time, I opened my Bible and began reading the chapters that I had been studying for the past few days, Romans 12 & Luke 6.  I was amazed to see that these verses I’d been studying dealt with this very issue.  (Before, I’d been focusing on other verses that dealt with not judging - as seen in my previous post - and offering our bodies as living sacrifices.)

 

Romans 12:3, 17-21

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  Do not repay evil for evil.  Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Luke 6:27-31

But I tell you who hear me: Love you enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.  If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 

As I was reading these verses, God spoke to my heart about how we can truly teach ourselves and our children to have that kind of attitude and that kind of heart.  We have to do as it says in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”  Somewhere along the way, I’d bought into the world’s idea that I should look out for myself and not let anyone take advantage of me.  I had conformed.  Now, God’s word is transforming me, renewing my mind.  If I am to teach my child what it means to be selfless.  I have to actually be selfless.  (I know, duh, right?)  But really, I can’t just tell him to do it and pretend that I am selfless.  I actually have to lay down my desires, put myself last.  I don’t have a problem doing this for my family and my friends, but Luke 6:32 says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.”  This comes right after the verses about loving your enemies.  I am supposed to be selfless and put my enemies needs and wants before my own – the rude lady at the grocery store, the person who cut me off on the drive home, the child who took my child’s toy away from him, the person who criticized me, etc.  Anytime my human nature bows up and says, “I don’t have to take that,” God’s word says, “You don’t have to, but you need to.” 

 

Wow!  What a witness we could be for Christ if all of His followers committed to do that!  It’s easy to say in theory, “I love my enemies.”  I don’t really think I have any enemies, and I work hard to have love in my heart for even the people who have hurt me.  However, it’s something totally different to willingly let someone take advantage of you, to turn the other cheek, to give someone you tunic when they’ve already taken your cloak.  I think I’m gonna need some God strength for that one!

 

Lord, help me to love my enemies, to put others’ needs and wants before my own, and to teach my son what it means to truly be selfless!  I can’t do it alone, but I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!

Judging Others

The other night, as I was reading Romans 12, God really spoke to me.  Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought.”  Later, verses nine through ten say, “Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil ; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.”

 

Today, I was reading Karen Kingsbury’s Shades of Blue.  In it, one of the characters was facing a difficult situation and was studying and trying to live out Luke 6:37 which says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged...”

 

Lately, God has been teaching me about pride and judgment.  I hesitated to write this post because I didn’t want others to judge me...because admitting my sins wounds my pride.  However, I want to be real; and one of the purposes of this blog is to record what God is teaching me so that I don’t forget.  So, here goes...I often struggle with pride and being judgmental. 

 

Surprisingly, I do not judge other people’s sins or their Christian walk or lack there of.  I have always been very compassionate and merciful when it came to sins.  I know that there are too many sins in my life for me to judge others.  I learned long ago the truth of the words in Luke 6:41 that state, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” 

 

Because I was so careful not to judge others’ sins, I never really took time to consider the verses that dealt with judging others or being prideful.  I always thought, “Well, I’m ok there.  I don’t do that.”  However, lately, God has been convicting me of the hidden sins in my heart.  (I love how God’s word is alive and active and able to convict me and speak to me through verses I’ve read probably dozens of times.)  My judgment is limited to the “non-spiritual” things.  I judge other people’s appearances – I often try to figure out if someone is confident/shy or wealthy or fashion-savvy by they way they are dressed.  I judge people’s parenting styles (though I must say, I do this much less now that I am a parent!) - I’ll see a parent doing something or a child doing something while their parent watches and I’ll think, “They are not handling that appropriately.  If I were them, I’d...” or “I’d never let my child do that.”  I judge people’s intelligence by the way they talk or their grammar on Facebook (just being honest).  All of a sudden, it was as if God hit me over the head and said, “You’re judging my children!  You’re thinking of yourself more highly than you ought!  You’re not honoring others above yourself!  You’re sinning!”

 

As a Christian, I am called to love others, and God’s word says in Romans 12:9 that love is sincere.  It’s genuine, heartfelt, earnest!  If my love is to be like that, there is no room for judgment.  I can’t love someone sincerely while I am secretly thinking I am a better dresser or a better parent or more intelligent or whatever! 

 

Lord, forgive me for my pride and my judgment.  Thank you for Your word that pierces my heart when I least expect it.  Help me to love your people sincerely and remember my place...a servant of YOU!

A quick word

This is the introduction to a book I just bought (Finding Your Purpose as a Mom):

"Regardless of who you are, whether you’ve made the choice to be a stay-at-home mom or work outside the house, whether you are married or single, whether your house is a double-wide in a desert or a mansion on a hillside…. Your home really is holy ground because it’s a place where God has chosen to live and do his work."

Can't wait to read more!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Call, a Question, and an Answer

A Call

God has been speaking to me – challenging me, encouraging me, and convicting me – about the kind of wife and mother He wants me to be.  Everyday, I’m learning something new about my role as a Christian wife and mother, and I’m so excited about what God is teaching me.  For a while now, I’ve felt a desire to share these words of encouragement and challenge with other moms.  It’s hard to explain exactly how I’ve been feeling, but it’s as if I had a craving (for lack of a better word) to share what God is teaching me and to minister to other moms.  Don’t get me wrong, I do NOT think that I know so much that I can teach other moms how to be godly.  I just want to share with them what God is doing in my heart, and I hope it encourages them or challenges them the way it has me.

 

Also, for a while, I’ve been wanting to be a part of a prayer group for moms where we pray together for our children, our families, and our roles as mothers.  I pray for my family everyday, but I would love to be able to pray with and for other moms who understand what I’m going through.  I know it seems silly; but when I’m praying for help dealing with temper tantrums, I want others praying for me who know exactly how difficult it can be to respond to tantrums in a godly manner.

 

Finally, I’ve been feeling another “craving” in my soul.  I’m longing for ministry!  In the past, I’ve been very involved in our church.  Of course, in the last year, God has given me a different type of ministry assignment.  Since having Landon and being a stay at home mom, I’ve been focusing on ministering to him.  Now that he’s a little older and now that I have a year of motherhood under my belt and feel as though I might be able to take on another responsibility, my spirit is longing to minister to others.

 

A Question

I’ve been having these feelings for a while now, and I didn’t really know what to make of them.  I wasn’t sure if it was just my human nature wanting some adult conversation or some “mom-to-mom” interaction or if God might be calling me to start a prayer & devotional time for moms.  Because of that uncertainty, I haven’t acted on it.  However, every time God would teach me something new, I would think, “Oh, this would be great to share with my other mommy friends!”

 

Today, I had a life group leaders meeting at church (for a couples group Craig and I lead).  While I was there, listening to a quick run-through of a Bible study on stewardship, I felt that familiar tug again.  I had trouble focusing on the scriptures we were reading because I kept thinking about what moms might be interested in participating in a mom group and what day of the week we could do it and how I would get childcare for the kids and the kinds of things we might share and do during our time together.  On the way home from the meeting, I finally decided to take the matter before the Lord...not sure why I waited so long.

 

I prayed something like this, “Lord, I feel very excited about this possibility; and I think it is something I would really enjoy.  I also think that the moms involved (myself included) would really benefit from it.  However, I do not want to do it unless it is YOU calling me to do it.  Even if I did it with good intentions and we saw positive results, I know that anything I choose to do that is not Your will takes me away from the things You have called me to do.  Also, I know that if You call me, You will empower me – giving me the time to prepare, the words to say, the women to invite, etc.  I do not want to take on more than I can handle.  I have a tendency to do that, and when I do, I end up just doing many things.  I would rather do few things well - with Your power - than do many things in my own power.  I know that You want me to know Your will; so I ask You to reveal it to me.  Remove all my human desires so that I can clearly know Your will, not mine.”

 

An Answer

Before I get to God’s answer, I have to say that I am not very good at just being quiet and listening for God.  I usually try to go over the pros & cons or try to think of verses that might deal with what I’m praying about or I just keep praying without shutting up and listening.  So, I had to force myself to shut down my thoughts and just clear my mind and be still before the Lord.  When I did, His answer was quick and clear. (It doesn’t always happen this way for me, but today it did.)

 

God clearly showed me that He had, indeed, been laying this on my heart, calling me to answer.  He brought to mind something I studied in our Experiencing God study we did with our life group.  In that study, we learned that there are some things that only God can do.  If I were wanting to start this group for selfish reasons (such as pride or so I could have some adult time or so others would see me doing it or something like that), it would be sinful; but my human/sinful nature is not capable of wanting to minister to others or share God’s word with others or pray for my family and others’ families.  Nor is that something Satan would want me to do.  That is God’s spirit in me, leading me in His way.

 

Immediately, I said a prayer of thanks to the Lord for His quick, clear reply and for His personal involvement in my life.  (Isn’t it wonderful that the God of the universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is intimately involved in the details of our little lives?!?!) 

 

In Conclusion

I knew I wanted to add this to the blog so that I would not forget how God called me and answered me today.  Also, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to report soon about a new mommy devotion & prayer group.  Check back...if it’s been a while and you haven’t seen anything about it, ask me about it.  Hold me accountable.

 

Has God called or answered you lately, I’d love for you to share a comment below! :)

 

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Psalm 101:2

“I will be CAREFUL to lead a BLAMELESS life – when will you come to me?  I will walk in my house with a blameless heart.” – Psalm 101:2 (emphasis mine)

 

How often am I really CAREFUL to be BLAMELESS? 

 

It seems that, most of the time, I am careLESS.  I go through my day caring for and loving my family, taking care of the housework, preparing meals, trying to stay in touch with friends, etc.  In doing so, I am rarely careful about the way I do things.  I do not carefully weigh my tone of voice when I ask my husband to take out the trash.  I carelessly utter idle words when I get spaghetti sauce on my shirt.  I don’t carefully consider my topics of conversation when I talk to my girl friends.  I do not carefully judge my attitude when someone is rude at the grocery store.

 

Sometimes, I’m actually careful to be “okay” rather than blameless.  I am careful to say “crap” instead of a less desirable four-letter word.  I am careful to read a few verses before I fall asleep each night rather than being careful to set aside time to spend with the Lord so that He can mold me into what He wants me to be.

 

God wants me to be CAREFUL to be BLAMELESS! 

 

Lord, help me to be more diligent in my efforts to be like You.  I want to be careful.  I want to be blameless.  I know that you see my heart and hear my thoughts.  I know that my child is watching me and learning from me.  Help me to CAREFULLY consider my attitude, my thoughts, my topics of conversation, my tone of voice, my choice of words, my facial expressions, and my actions throughout my day.  I know I cannot do it without Your help, but I know that “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:13)

The Inspiration

Why I Started This Blog:

God told me to! - What better inspiration can one have than to be inspired by the Lord?  The primary reason for my starting this blog is that God has laid it on my heart.  I’ve been putting it off for a while now for “excellent” reasons...such as: I’m too busy, I barely keep up with the blog I already have, What if people don’t like what I have to say, etc.  However, God wouldn’t let me off the hook.  Every time I took time to spend with Him and actually paused long enough to hear Him (which, I’ll admit was not as often as I should have), I felt Him calling me to do this.

 

“Spiritual Markers” are important for our own spiritual walk! – The first part of Deuteronomy 4:9 says that we should “Be careful, and watch [ourselves] so that [we] do not forget the things [our] eyes have seen or let them slip from [our] hearts as long as [we] live.”  God knew that the Israelites would turn from Him and rebel against Him (and thus miss out on His blessings) if they did not take time to remember all that He had done for them.  If you’ve read the scriptures, you know that this is exactly what happened time and time again.  In order to truly experience hope and the peace that passes understanding as well as showers of blessings, we need to remember all that God has already done.  This blog is my way of recording what God is teaching me so that I can go back to it in the future and remember what God has brought me through, what He’s taught me, and what He’s done in me, through me, and for me!

 

“Spiritual Markers” are important for our children and the future of our world! – The second part of Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  If we do not tell our children about what an awesome God we serve - about what we’ve seen Him do in our lives and in others’ - who will???  What hope do we have of leading our children to a relationship with the Lord if we cannot tell them about what a difference He’s made in our own lives.  Not only are we their first and most influential role models, but we are their God-given teachers & examples.  God placed us in the position as their parents because He trusted us to teach them about Him and to model for them what it means to follow Him.  We are to be HIM to THEM!

 

So why blog?  Why not just keep a private notebook/journal?

It’s a way to reach others! – I know I have often been encouraged, challenged, convicted, and inspired by what God is teaching others; and I hope this blog will do the same.  I’m not promising any theological prowess here...I’m just journaling what God is teaching me – what I’m going through and learning.  I hope that maybe someone out there will be going through the same thing and will benefit from reading this blog.  I also hope that people will leave comments expounding upon what I’ve posted – maybe something God brought to their mind as they were reading or something they learned when they were going through a similar experience or something they’ve read or heard that applies to the post. 

 

 It’s a way of holding myself accountable! - I’ve kept a spiritual journal off and on throughout my Christian walk.  I have a little notebook I keep by my bed with my Bible.  In it, I write verses I’m memorizing, prayer requests, prayers, lessons God is teaching me, etc.  However, I am not always good at keeping up with it.  So,  I hope to do better with this blog.  My prayer is that visitors and followers of this blog will visit often, and that if they ever find that it’s been a while since my last post, I hope they’ll ask me what God is teaching me lately.

 

It’s a way of motivating myself! – Since starting my first blog in January, I’ve discovered that I love to blog.  I’m a social person; and as a stay at home mom, blogging is a great way for me to share my experiences with family and friends (when it’s convenient for me) and get comments and responses to those experiences.  It’s also a great outlet for me to express my thoughts, feelings, concerns, etc when the only conversations I have all day are dominated by baby babble...which I love, by the way! :) 

 

It’s quicker! - I type faster than I write; so, I’m hoping I’ll be more motivated to type a quick post than I have been to write a journal entry.

 

What should you expect from this blog?

As I mentioned before, this is not going to be a platform for theological study or debate or for sermons or anything like that.  This is simply where I will record what God is saying to me.  It may be a verse that has been especially meaningful or helpful to me lately.  It may be a realization that God has laid on my heart or a lesson that He’s taught me through His word or through my experiences lately.  It may be musings on the Sunday sermon or lists of answered prayers.  Who knows??  It will just be a hodgepodge of spiritual stuff from my heart – a record of “HIS Word to Me.”