On The Hard Days

A couple months back we were having one of those mornings.  You know the one.  Where by 9am as we piled into the car, children had already gotten in trouble, clothes changed, tears (kids and me), and I was at my wits end.  Lucas (my husband) was working that particular Sunday morning so the kids and I were driving solo to church.  In the car on the 15 minute drive I began to really get down on myself.  I did it again.  I allowed myself to get frazzled, let little things bother me.  I'm such a bad mom.  Why can't I get this under control??  

We got into church, I dropped the kids off in their classrooms and headed into worship.  As we began to sing those words came back to me - You're such a hypocrit standing here singing as if you didn't have a tough morning.  You really need to get yourself in control.  You're no where near where you should be at this point.  Get it together!  Then suddenly a though occurred to me which I have spoken to myself many times since then:

The Enemy will say, "Look how far you have to go!  Might as well give up because you'll never get there!"  God says, "Look how far I've brought you!  Can you trust Me to complete the work I started?"

I spent the rest of worship in tears as He brought to memory truly how far I've come.  I was raised in a "broken" family and faced my fair share of difficulties as a child, but somehow came away without becoming a "statistic."  The Enemy primed me to fall into all the temptations of a young person in my situation, BUT GOD protected me and brought me through it all.  I'm not where I want to be, but God has brought me so much healing that I'm not sure my high school self would recognize me now!  

Praise God that He finished what He completes!  I am not a finished product, but a work in progress.  I still have a long way to go, but I don't go it alone!

If you're like me and have those moments where you start barrading yourself for not being better, smarter, calmer, faster, more mature, more put together . . . more . . . better . . .  STOP.  Take a moment and think back a month, a year, ten years.  Pause and notice how far God has brought you and then make a conscience (maybe even outloud) declaration that you will trust Him to complete what He started!

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  ~ Philippians 1:6

There's a Lesson In This

While so much fun seeing all of our families, this Christmas season was long and tiring.  After traveling three weekends in a row we were all so ready to be home where the kids could play with their new toys and we could all sleep in our own beds.  And then on our second day home the littlest wakes up with a stomach bug, followed by the oldest, then mommy.  :(  Not exactly how we planned to enjoy our new toys and time at home, BUT there's a lesson in this . . .

During our driving this holiday and in the days leading up to the New Year, I took some time to sit and consider what I wanted out of this new beginning.  I put in some extra prayer time and Scripture reading and while many were coming up with words for the new year, I felt like God placed this little phrase in my mind - work smarter, not harder.  You see, I'm from the mindset that in order to expect big things (and really feel like you're doing anything worthwhile), you have to work hard and put in the time.  Unfortunately, this mindset has left me strained, stressed, and overwhelmed.  Not to mention feeling like a failure in many areas of my life.  God's gentle instruction opened up a whole new idea.  Slowly He's been showing me to put Him first, follow where He leads, and do only what is needed in each area without going overboard (I often dive in head first and want a years worth of work done in about an hour, just ask my husband!).  

While my children have been sick, I've done countless loads of laundry, cleaned furniture and carpets, snuggled sick babies, and worked only in the few minutes I can each day.  And you know what?  I haven't been stressing.  In fact, I feel as though I've been more successful in my endeavors because I haven't pushed.  I haven't had time to overthink.  And I've been trusting the Lord so much more.  Trusting that He will lead me in the direction I need to be and not trying to do something beyond that.  Accepting that He has good things for me, even if they don't look like what I thought.

He has confirmed this to me in a couple ways over the last 24 hours.  First involved an incredible book I'm reading called Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington.  In my reading she talks about our God-given purpose and our need to be obedient to that purpose, knowing He can do so much more through us when we follow the plan He has.  The second was through an audio teaching by Priscilla Shirer. I have a devotional CD of hers that plays whenever I'm driving and in this particular message she talks about hearing a prize winning tomato farmer share how important pruning is to producing the largest, ripest fruit.  She goes on to talk about how sometimes we have to prune good things in order to grow better things.  It's funny because they also both point out various times in Scripture where Jesus Himself reminds the people why He came.  For example, after healing many people, the whole town came out to where Jesus was staying and attempted to keep Him there so He could continue to heal them.  This was His response:

But He said, I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."  - Luke 4:43

Both ladies pointed out that Jesus didn't just come to do the Father's Will, but that He did the Father's Will and nothing else.  It would have been good for Him to stay and heal them, but that's not what He was called to do.  Just as I am not called to work myself ragged in every area, trying to trudge my own path and force everything to work the way I want under my control.  I must work smarter, not harder.  For me, this means spending more time with the Lord, listening to His guidance, and being obedient even when I don't know how it will turn out.

I'd love to hear if God has given you a word or phrase for this new year.  Or perhaps He's in the midst of teaching you a new lesson.  I'd love to hear that too!

Be Strong and Courageous

Y'all, it has been a month!  Haha!  After traveling three weekends in a row, we are all so thankful to be in our own home for the foreseeable future.  While seeing family and friends is wonderful, there's just something about being in your own space where I can let the kids roam and know there's nothing they can really get into!

If you've ever read one of my posts, you know that I try to be as honest and transparent as possible.  Well, here we go again!  I am, in general, a very anxious person.  I have a habit of overthinking decisions, rethinking decisions, regretting decisions, and oftentimes just being overall nervous about decisions I make.  Take for instance today.  I needed to place an order online.  It took me hours to figure out what to purchase, not to mention the taking things out of my cart to add others in only to take those out and go back to what I had before to finally taking everything and only purchasing what I originally planned on doing!  Ok, get the picture?  So here we go . . .

I work for a direct sales company and, therefore, can run my business however I so choose.  That is both very freeing and also nerve-wracking for someone like me.  I get anxious about whether I've made the right decision, if I'm planning as I should, if I'm being too salesy with friends, etc.  It was starting to really get out of control so I took a moment after the kids fell asleep to read some Scripture and pray.  Here's the verse I found myself meditating on:

Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  - Joshua 1:9

It's a pretty common verse, but as I thought about today I realized there's really two parts to it.  I am not to afraid or discouraged because God is with me.  But that requires that I be taking time to listen and obey where He leads me.  Joshua was also instructed many times to follow the Lord's commands.  He didn't have to be afraid because he knew that where he went is where God called him to be.  It didn't mean things would be easy and, if you've read their story, it wasn't, but it did mean Joshua didn't have to be anxious or afraid.

It was a strong reminder for me to put my decisions in His hands.  Ask Him how I should run my business, raise my kids, spend my time, and then take a moment to listen and see what He says.  I don't mean an audible voice (although sometimes that would be lovely), but where I feel my passions leading, where I feel peace, where I feel challenged.  God speaks to us in different ways, but if we are quiet and still enough to listen, we will hear His voice.

As my little man would say, "Be strong and courageous, God is with ME!"

May the Name of the Lord be Praised!

Boy has it been a rough couple of weeks!  For those of you who don't know, we closed on our first home at the end of March and moved in April 1.  Let me preface all of this by saying we love our home.  The space inside, the beautiful yard, quiet neighborhood, and nice neighbors.  We prayed and prayed and prayed that God would lead us to the home He has for us in the area He desired us to be and we truly believe He did just that.  Then we moved in.  Within our first 2 weeks here I had three different plumbers out here trying to figure out why everything was backing up into our downstairs toilet.  They seemed to get it all straight and the next week we found a water spot on the ceiling just below the master bathroom . . . another plumber out to fix it.  Then we could breathe . . . for about 2 days before everything started backing up into the downstairs bathroom again.  Some more plumbers, digging up the yard, problem fixed.  In the meantime my computer died and took all of my files with it (sorry I don't have the Venezuelan Lasagna recipe for you - it was good), my car battery died in a parking garage after church one Sunday, and my phone got left of the back bumper of my car to be thrown out into the street in the middle of downtown to be returned later.  Phew!  It was a chaotic time around here and I was not reacting well.

We had a speaker a couple weeks ago at church that said something that stuck with me because I realized it's how I had been thinking.  He said some of us think God has forgotten our name and lost our address.  Just after hearing this my car battery died and my phone was lost.  I joked that I thought I had left a forwarding address for God when we moved, but it must have gotten lost.  It sounds funny, but at a deeper level that is what I was struggling with.  I started questioning if we had heard God correctly.  Had I done something wrong and was being punished?  Every day seemed to bring a new set up frustrations and I was not handling it well.  Finally I decided I needed some perspective so I turned to Job.  In the first chapter Job loses his livestock, servants, and all ten of his children.  Not only that but he is told back to back to back without a break between blows.  I experienced this on a very minuscule scale and my reaction was frustration, anger, and displacing those emotions on others.  So how did Job respond?

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.  Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

'Naked I came from my mother's womb,

and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.'

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

~Job 1:20-22

Rather than get angry, yell, and curse God, Job recognized God's immense power.  He didn't question why all of this happened, but trusted that God had a plan.  And he worshipped!  Later on in chapter 2 Job's own wife tells him to curse God and die (Job 2:9) and Job again refuses, choosing to trust God's plan and sovereignty. 

Reading this brought a lot of conviction.  I was not handling these situations well and certainly was not trusting God's plan.  I repented and asked God to help me react to each situation in a way that would glorify Him.  In that moment I realized how much He had already stepped in with each problem and I hadn't thanked him.  With all of the plumbing issues we only had to pay the initial plumber to come out because the company that sold us the house decided to fix all of the issues at no charge to us - that almost never happens!  They didn't have any obligation to help, but they did.  When my computer died we were able to find another one at a very reasonable price the same day.  When my car battery died my parents just happened to be in town to help and there just happened to be a guy in the parking garage with jumper cables who was willing to let us hold him up to borrow them.  And when my phone flew off into the street downtown, someone picked up it, answered it, and waited for us to come pick it up.  Every one of those situations could have turned out very differently, but God did not forget my name.  He never lost my address.  He knew exactly where I was the entire time and was working on my behalf through it all.  It was me who lost sight of Him.  My perspective and focus became too much on the problem in front of me and not the Problem-Solver.  May I remember this lesson the next time we face difficulty and trust that He is in complete control.

When The Storm Comes

Some days or seasons it feels as though the clouds have parted and the very light from heaven is beaming down on you. Everything is going great! Your relationship with God is amazing, you and your spouse are connecting on a very close, intimate level, you feel like you have your feet under you when it comes to caring for the kids, and life just couldn't get any better. It's a mountaintop season and you are loving life.

Then there are those other times. Where you know God is there, but the dark clouds have rolled in and it seems like the thunder drowns out His voice as the lightning strikes and the rain comes down so hard you have to duck your head, close your eyes, and just run for shelter. That might seem a bit dramatic, but maybe you're there right now and it is all too real. Or maybe it's somewhere in between. The last several weeks have been a stormy season for my family and I in general. My step dad was very ill over the summer (I'm talking ICU ill) and is still not out of the woods although being out of the hospital. In the last week his sister had emergency surgery for an infected finger, then his mother passed away, then...then....then.... You get the idea. It starts to feel like the rain will never end and with each bolt of lightning comes another unexpected, blinding blow. I confessed to my husband and my God the other day that I just don't know what to do. I hate seeing my loved ones suffer, but know there is little to nothing I can do to "fix" the situation. It is unreal the number of ways God has spoken encouragement to me over the last several days following this confession. I don't have a tried and true way to resolve this, but I can pass along the tidbits of encouragement He has given me and encourage you to make the same confessions if you find yourself in a similar situation. And understand, the situation itself hasn't changed, but my perspective has been adjusted. Here are just a few encouragements:

The morning after making this confession I was trying to get my 8 month old fed, changed, dressed, and happy to go to our bi-weekly Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs) meeting.  And it was just one of those mornings.  He refused to eat, had to be changed again before we got out the door, and cried in the car seat until he finally settled down . . . and we ran into traffic.  During this time God gave me the peace of mind to pray – "Lord, do something!  I can't do all of this."  And suddenly a song came on.  I don't normally have the radio on, but Jesus knew.  It started like this – "Well forgive me, forgive me if I'm wrong, but this looks like more than I can do on my own."  Boy did that get my attention.  It was my prayer!  Here's where it ended:

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

("Strong Enough" by Matthew West)

I don't have to be strong enough.  In and of myself I'm not strong enough.  BUT God is!  I can have peace knowing He is strong enough and I can rest easy in that.

The next encouragement was very simple.  As we left that meeting I got behind a mini-van whose license plate was very simply "God Wins."  What a great reminder!  Yeah, life is tough right now, but in the end I know that God wins!

Many of the troubles my family faces right now I find hard to believe will every truly change.  They are "impossible."  Things I have grown accustomed to and, if I'm completely honest, I have lost faith will ever be different.  So here's how God got me there:

We say, "I always failed there, and I always will."  Consequently, we don't ask for what we want.  Instead, we think, "it is ridiculous to ask God to do this."  If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask.  If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance.  And God will do what is absolutely impossible.  [My Utmost for His Highest}

Did you catch that?  God works in the impossible.  Too often I get bogged down in the idea that it will never change and so give up on praying for it . . . instead of going to the only One who has the ultimate power to reach down and change the impossible.  Man was that convicting to read!  So when I feel utterly helpless and out of control as I face hard situations, what am I to do?  Go to the One who is in complete control.  Don't write off prayer as "doing nothing."

Last one, I promise.  Sometimes we face hard moments.  We pray and ask God to do something, work in the impossible and nothing happens.  The person passes away, the illness gets worse, the finances don't appear, we don't get that promotion, and the list goes on.  What then?  It's a tough question and one that many people answer by walking away from their faith.  Here's the thing.  We need to trust that God is in absolute control.  He knows our situation, sees our pain, feels our pain, and has a plan.  His plan is not always what we want to happen, but we can trust that it is good because He cannot deny Himself.  He is a good Father. 

I heard this song on the radio that tough morning and it really encouraged me (and had me crying).  As I read over the words I find myself not just enjoying it, but making it my prayer and declaration.  Perhaps you'll do the same:

Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see

I’ve tried to win this war I confess
My hands are weary I need Your rest
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight
No matter what I face, You’re by my side

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings
There’s not a day ahead You have not seen
So, in all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

You are my strength and comfort
You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher
Your plans are always good
There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

I will trust in You!
I will trust in You!
I will trust in You!

["Trust in You" by Lauren Daigle]

My Heart Breaks

I sit down to watch the news to find a special on the Syrian refugee crisis.  As I watch them pan the camera around a huge room full of cots I spot an infant climbing on one of the beds and suddenly I'm transported there.  This is my child, my reality.  Just a few months ago things got so bad I had to grab a backpack and decide which items in my home were of most importance.  What would give us a higher chance of survival?  I pack up items for my infant child and figure out how to carry all of this and leave my home.  I don't know exactly where I'm going, but all I know is anywhere is safer than here.  I pray we will find food before what we have runs out.  I hope there will be a place where we can find water along the way and maybe even a place to get out of the elements.  All I know is anywhere is safer than here.  I walk and walk for hundreds of miles carry the single bag we could hold and try to comfort my son only to find myself denied access to go any farther or get any help.  Or perhaps I do make it into a refugee camp and find myself gated into a room where I have generously been given a cot, some food, and water, but what kind of life is this for my child?  At least he's alive and, for the moment, safe, but where do we go from here?  Is this our life?  Relegated to a room full of cots?  And just like that I'm back in my living room sitting on my couch watching the news and weeping.  My son is safe and I am sitting well fed and hydrated with a roof over my head, but what of that woman's child?  What of her life?  What of her husband who looks at his family and cries inside wishing he could provide more for them?  I pray earnestly for them and can't even express the physical weight I feel at the thought of what those families are facing.

With all of this heartache I turn on social media only to find so many people saying such hateful things and expressing a desire to deny these people any peace, protection, or future.  And, yet again, my heart breaks.  This time not for the physical needs of people, but for spiritual needs.  Many of those I see fighting to keep these refugees away are Christians.  I read them and think, Have they forgotten?  What does God's Word say?  Has He ever commanded us to ignore those in need?  Quite the opposite!  Verse after verse, word after word commands us to love, show compassion, offer food, give shelter.  We are even told to pray for our enemies!  So how can we justify such hateful responses while still claiming to follow Christ's example?  (You do know Christian means "little Christ," right?)

The justification of many is they fear a terrorist will slip in through the cracks and harm us.  I understand that fear, but can I be blatantly honest with you?  If that is your thinking, the terrorists and our ultimate Enemy have already won.  You have allowed them to persuade you to turn your back on those in need (and God's Word) to fulfill the fleshly desire to protect your own at any cost.  Is it wrong to want your family safe?  Absolutely not!  But if your actions go against the Word of God, in my humble opinion, you are wrong.  Understand that everything I say I put myself in that position and wonder, could I do it?  Would I want a refugee family staying in my home?  How would I feel?  Perhaps it is the Lord's grace for me in this situation, but I would gladly take a family in, knowing this is what God calls me to do - provide shelter, food, water, protection, and love.  Would it be challenging?  Yes.  But I have chosen to trust that whatever the Lord calls me to do He has purpose for.  And He will give me the strength, provision, and protection needed to carry out His Will in my life and in my family's life.  I can only do this by placing my faith in Him alone, not on earthly securities, military power, or my own abilities. 

I typically stay away from controversial topics, but this particular one has broken my heart, both for the Syrian refugees and the state of Christianity in America.  I apologize if I stepped on any toes, but I felt it needed to be said.  And if you are offended, I encourage you to go to Scripture and let me know if I have said anything that does not align with God's Word. 

Finally, I want to encourage you to read a wonderful article put out by Relevant Magazine entitled "What the Bible says About How to Treat Refugees."  The article is simply a list of verses with a one sentence header for each summarizing what action that verse calls us to take.  You can find the article here.

Mommyhood

This was taken at our son's dedication.

Since my last entry on this blog I've celebrated two years of marriage to my best friend and welcomed a son into our family!  Clearly, it has been quite a while since I have felt prompted to write!  About a week ago I was folding my son's clothes as he napped in his crib and my husband did dishes downstairs when it suddenly dawned on me - this is my purpose!  Ok, not the folding clothes, but that's part of it too.  I realized how much joy I got out of doing things to take care of and encourage my family.  I love playing with my son, reading him stories, helping him learn to sit up, singing him songs, rocking him to sleep, even washing his cloth diapers and folding his clothes.  I love fixing dinner for my husband, keeping our home clean, decorating for the seasons, praying for us as a family, and making sure we have clean clothes in the drawers.  I love being a wife and a mommy!  And I've come to the realization that I need to share this joy . . . along with the struggles, challenges, good days, and bad days.

Let the whole world know what He has done.  Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises.  Tell everyone about His miracles . . . Search for the Lord and for His strength, and keep on searching. - I Chronicles 16:8-9, 11

This was my devotion the morning I really started to ask God whether I should attempt to start blogging again.  The idea had been on my mind for a couple weeks, but then I would think, "I don't write well," "when am I going to find time to do that," "what would I talk about anyway," and "what do I really have to share?"  Finally, I decided to ask God what He thought!  Haha!  (Bright idea, right?)  I prayed, explained to him all the reasons that I shouldn't even try it, and then turned to my Bible where I read the passage above.  Here's what it taught me:

1. Who cares how you write?  If you're following God's prompting He'll give you the words He wants on the page.

2. "Search for the Lord and for His strength."  Not mine.  He will give me the time and energy to write.  I don't need to stress about it.

3. Talk about "what He has done."  It's not that complicated.  Talk about what God is doing in my life, my son's life, and our family's life.  The good, the bad, the complicated.

4. What do you have to share?  "Tell everyone about His miracles."  My son is a miracle.  Every life is a miracle and everything God is doing in our lives is worth sharing. It is through sharing that we can both cry and rejoice together.  We grow together.

So here's my disclaimer.  My grammar is not great.  My mind doesn't always work in a linear fashion.  What I'm going through may not match your life at all.  But I'm going to do my best to be real, honest, and share the amazing things God is doing in our lives!  I will "sing to Him; yes, sing His praises!"

Oooo . . . tempting . . .

Over the last couple of weeks I have begun reading through the Gospel of Luke.  I really felt the desire to try looking at these stories with fresh eyes, gaining insight into stories I've heard hundreds of times before . . . you know the ones.  The ones where the skim over it quickly recounting the story paraphrased in your head without actually reading the words on the page.  In taking the time to slow down and read this Scriptures as if I've never heard them before, I have heard the Lord speaking new lessons to me. 

I'm sure many of you have read of the temptation of Jesus.  You know the story.  Jesus has just been baptized and it says the Spirit led Him into the desert to be tempted by Satan.  It shares how Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and then hear comes Satan on the scene with an attempt to entice Him into turning stones to bread, jumping off the temple so they angels would rescue Him, and bowing down to Satan with the promise that Satan would give the earth to Him.  Now try reading it anew in Luke 4:1-13. 

Here's what stood out to me as it never has before.  Satan showed up after Jesus hadn't eaten for 40 days.  Have you ever noticed that the Enemy shows up strong when we're already down or stressed?  Like when you have a huge project at work or school and then you get sick on top of it all.  Or just those times when it seems everything is happening at once.  If you're anything like me you can find yourself getting so overwhelmed that your time with the Lord diminishes, prayer life seems like a dream, and fellowship - who has time for that!?  Satan loves to come in when we're vulnerable because we tend to open ourselves up more to his ploys - his little whispers that say you can't finish in time, it's not worth it anyway, you aren't worth it, it will never turn out like you want, you better get used to it because this is life, and on and on . . .

It says later on in Luke 4:13 that Satan "left Him until an opportune time."  He wasn't done with Jesus.  Our Enemy is very persistent and he knows the times we are most vulnerable to his tricks.  So what do we do?  Give up?  Understand that Satan will always have the upper hand?  NO!!!  Consider your own life - when does our Enemy most gain ground in your thoughts and actions?  Take note of those times and guard yourself.  Memorize Scripture that helps in those areas where he tends to be most effective, be sure to guard your time with the Lord - He is our strength after all (Psalm 28:7), and talk to someone about it.  Accountability is a powerful thing.  The Enemy loses ground when you have someone else to encourage, support, and speak Truth into your life.  Secrets, lies, and darkness lose their power in the Light.

We have not been promised a life of constant peace, but that we will always have the Peacemaker with us.  We have not been promised that our Enemy will never try to draw us away from God or bring temptations against us, but we have been promised that the Lord will fight with and for us (check out the Psalms)  and that there is no temptation that we cannot overcome with God's help.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. - Proverbs 4:23

Tid Bits

As my life has changed much over the last several months I realize how fast-paced our society is.  We often claim we don't have time to sit over a devotion or quiet time for long and therefore miss out on what God is speaking.  In response to this I feel as though God has been leading me to change how I present these posts.  Rather than long stories or explanations that only a few truly have time to read I want to share the tid bits that God draws out of the Scriptures for me each morning as I get in a few minutes with Him before my days starts.

Today I was reading in Matthew 26 and God highlighted a few truths from this passage:

A woman came to Jesus with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on His head as e sat at the table.  But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, "Why this waste?" . . . But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  She has performed a good service for me.  ~ Matthew 26:7-8, 10

Too often we become focused on the opinions of others and it cripples our ability to serve God.  This woman did something incredible for Jesus, something He praised her for and promised that wherever the Good News would be proclaimed that her story would be told (Matt 26:13).  Praise God that her focus was upon serving Jesus and not upon the opinions of others.  For she obeyed what God called her to do regardless of what others might think.

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray Him to you?"  ~ Matthew 26:14

Judas' betrayal of Jesus was done out of selfishness and a self-focused perspective.  He was more concerned about what would be given to him than what would happen to Jesus because of his actions.  Lord, let our focus be upon You rather than upon ourselves.  For we know that You are the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).  There is nothing this world can offer that would be greater than what You give.  Help me, Jesus, to be more focused on You, Your Name, and Your Glory than upon my own.  Amen.

Jesus said to Judas, "Friend, do what you are here to do."  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.  ~  Matthew 26:50

Knowing what Judas has come to do and the pain Jesus will face because of that choice, Jesus calls him "friend."  What hope that gives us!  What love, that in spite of all the times we have hurt, denied, and turned our backs on Jesus, He calls us friend.

Then Peter began to curse, and he swore on oath, I do not know the man!"  At that moment the cock crowed.  Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."  And he went out and wept bitterly. ~ Matthew 26:74-75

How often I forget the truth of God's Word and need a reminder like Peter received.  God has spoken so much truth to us through Scripture - words of peace, strength, joy, power - that we quickly forget, especially when we are in difficult situations and need it most.  Lord, let us be accepting of the reminders of Your Truth.  Let our pride not get in the way of taking these words of power and wisdom to heart, letting them soak into us that they might effect change from the inside out.

Throne Room

 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:  “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  ~ Isaiah 6:1-3

Have you ever had the feeling that things were just not in proper priority in your life?  Maybe you find yourself on Facebook at 10pm when you know you have a paper due at midnight.  Or you find yourself organizing the silverware drawer in the kitchen when you need to be buying groceries.  We all have times where we forget what we should be doing and instead fill that time or space with unnecessary activities. 

During a worship service recently I became acutely aware that something was not right in my spiritual life.  I couldn’t quite place it, but knew it was something I needed get straight with God.  As I knelt to pray God revealed to me that my life had gotten out of order.  My priorities had been jumbled around to the point that I was spending time and placing higher importance on things other than my God who loves me. 

God gave me a breath-taking and humbling image of what I had been doing with Him in my life:

I was standing at the entrance to a glorious throne room.  The ceilings towered above me in an amazing stone arch.  There were magnificent stone columns running along the side of this long, narrow room.  At the end of the room I saw a throne.  It was regal and incredibly ornate.  I knew immediately it belonged to someone of great importance.  As I walked towards this throne, however, I found it filled strange items.  It held my school work, my papers, my job, my finances, my relationships, my hopes, my dreams, my future, and many other things from my life piled up.  As I glanced around this room I saw a man standing near one of the columns silently waiting.  Immediately I understood this was meant to be His throne and here it was filled with all of my things.

You see, this throne room represented the throne of my life.  I had placed my hopes, dreams, and worries on the throne, in a place of honor.  I was so focused on these items that I hadn’t even realized I was slowly pushing God out of the center of my life.  My God could have come along and thrown these items out of the way so He could once again take His place on the throne of my life, but that is not the God I serve.  Instead He was waiting patiently for me to recognize what I had done.  Once I did, He was waiting to help me lift each item out of the throne.

It’s not easy to place God in the center of your life.  We are raised with the idea that we need to accomplish so much on our own.  Our society teaches us we must be driven to succeed and sometimes it might seem silly to place the will of another over your own, but a life centered around Christ is a life blessed.  I challenge you to examine the priorities of your life.  Each morning when you wake up, what do you think about accomplishing?  On those busy, crazy days, what’s the first thing you take off your to-do list?  What’s that one thing that no matter how busy you are is never taken off the list?

I don’t claim that it’s easy to place God’s Will over your own, just that when you do His great purpose is accomplished in your life.  Consider Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He prayed:

“Abba, Father,” He said, “everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.”  ~ Mark 14:36

Jesus asked that God would spare Him this death on a cross, but even in the face of this He prayed that God’s Will would be done.  He knew His Father had a plan and a purpose.  It may be hard to be obedient sometimes, especially if God is asking you to do something where you can’t see the good coming from it, but remember that your Father loves you and has a hope and a future for you (Jeremiah 29:11).  He will never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6), but will walk with you through everything He calls you into.  Place Christ on the throne of your life and be prepared to see Him move in incredible ways!

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  ~ Galatians 2:20

Praying with Giants

 This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.  Today I will give carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  ~ I Samuel 17:46

As I mentioned in my last post, I got the opportunity to go to New York City in October and work with the New York School of Urban Ministry.  Once again I wanted to share with you a story of something that occurred on our trip that touched my heart. 

A couple days into our trip we got to lead a service at the Bowery Mission.   I could go on and on about this night, but for time’s sake I’ll just tell you one story.  One of the guys from our group gave an awesome message about David and Goliath.  He shared that we all have a Goliath in our life – something that seems too big for us to conquer on our own.  It could be an addiction, financial, a relationship, or many other things.  He proceeded to tell this room filled with homeless individuals that each person there was a champion.  It was incredible to imagine what the people there had faced and what they must be thinking when they were told they were champions.  This man from our group when on to share that  when David stepped up in faith to fight Goliath it says that he told Goliath, “The Lord will hand you over to me!”  He pointed out that it was God who delivered Goliath to David as soon as David stepped out in faith and the victory was not dependent on David’s strength.  At the altar call he invited anyone up to receive prayer and support for the giant in their life. 

Although I wasn’t assigned to do altar mission, I happened to notice one more person come forward than people we had serving.  After a split second of considering it, I stepped forward to pray with this man.  I want you to get an image in your mind of what this looked like.  I’m just over five feet tall and this gentleman was well over six feet.  On my tip toes I didn’t even reach his shoulders!  I came forward, took his hands, and asked what he would like me to pray for.  He proceeded to tell me that he had been a heroine addict for over twenty-two years and he knew he needed to stop.  Standing on my tip toes so he might be able to hear me, God allowed me to pray for this man.  As I shared with my team afterwards, I can’t even tell you what I said.  Words just started flowing from my mouth so that I could just sit back and listen to what was going on.  It was such an amazing experience.  During this time one of the professors that came with us stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder to pray for me as I was praying for this man.  As I told him later, not only was he offering me spiritual support, but his hand was also holding me steady as I stood on tip toes to pray!  It may seem like a minor detail, but it showed me that God was even working in the little details.

I want to conclude my show and tell time with the reminder that I did not do any of this on my own.  God provided every part of this trip from the finances to the organizations we served with to the encounters I had with people.  He gave me the strength and courage to do all that He asked of me.  When you step forward in faith, obeying the Lord, He will provide all you need.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  ~ Isaiah 40:31