Encourage One Another

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Over the past couple of weeks I have seen so many posts, articles, comments, etc. of moms very aggressively sharing their views on mothering.  While sharing these opinions in and of themselves is not wrong, the manner in which I have seen it is. I read verses like the one above and weep a little.  We are called to encourage one another and build each other up . . . but is that "just as in fact [we] are doing?"  When I read a post, especially one between Christian mothers, that leaves my stomach turning, not because of the advice or opinions, but because of the tone, words, and anger behind them, it hurts my heart.  I'm not the first to say all of this and I'm sure I won't be the last.  Being a mom is hard work!  We have so much to decide on - sleeping, eating, playtime, outdoor playing, screen time, music, education, even diapers for goodness sakes!  And each one of us will make those decisions.  We'll have opinions of why our choice is best and maybe are so convinced at how great our decision was that we want to share it with others.  No matter what decision we make, one thing is the same.  We want the best for our child.  We want them to feel loved, to succeed, to know the Lord, to see His work in our lives, to be healthy, to be encouraged . . . and the list goes on.

I don't know the perfect answer to all of these decisions for every mama in the world, but what I do know is this.  God gave me my son.  And He gave me to him.  I know him better than any other person on this planet.  I know my family better than any other person on this planet.  And God trusted me with them.  He gave me the ability to think and make decisions.  He taught me to trust Him and turn to Him when those decisions are hard.  He taught me to listen to Him and stand firm in obedience even when it didn't make sense to others (or even myself).  How God has led me to raise my children may not be the same as He led you, but know that it doesn't change my opinion of you and it will not change my support of you.  

Being a mama is hard, but you are doing a great job!  How do I know?  Because if you are following the Lord and calling on Him to help raise your child, you are making the best decisions (even the hard ones) and are leaning on the best Father there ever was or will be to give you wisdom.  He knows you and your child intimately, after all He formed your child in your womb (Psalm 139)!  He has plans for you and your child and His plans are good and are never thwarted (Jeremiah 29:11, Job 42:2).

My purpose in this post is to encourage mamas to remember how hard it is and rather than make those decisions harder for other mamas, encourage them.  Offer advice if it's asked for, but encourage whatever decision they make.  If you think they've made the wrong decision, pray that the Lord would lead them to a different decision, but ultimately trust that God will lead them in what is best for their child.  

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25

Nothing to Prove

This morning our pastor made a statement that really spoke to me.  He said -

"God approves of you.  You have nothing more to prove."

It seems so simple yet it is so incredibly powerful.  There is so much pressure to be "perfect" - clean house, well-behaved children, fit body, stylish wardrobe, healthy eating, ample finances, etc.  Truth is, trying to live out all of those expectations is exhausting and unrealistic.  It keeps us stressed, tense, and critical of others as we compare ourselves constantly to see if we've "met the mark."  When we realize that we are already fully approved by God, the task of "proving ourselves worthy" is complete and we experience REST - freedom from expectation.  We are able to sit back, spend time with God, learn more about how He created us (skills, gifts, and talents) and focus more on using the amazing, unique abilities He's given each of us.  And guess what!  When we work from a place of rest, out of the gifts He's given, we find JOY, PEACE, PURPOSE, and FULFILLMENT!

There's no special formula.  Nothing we have to do to get there.  We just have to realize it's already been done.  God looks at us and says, "My child, I love you and approve of you.  You will always be my child and I will always love you."  

Lord, let us rest in the knowledge that You love us and fully approve of us.  The work of being "good enough" is over because You have already fully accepted us.  Reveal to us the unique talents You've given us and help us explore them from a place of rest in a way that honors You.  Amen.

A Worthy Life

What kind of people ought you to be? – 2 Peter 3:11b

Woah!  What a question!  After reminding us that there is a time of judgment coming to the earth, Peter asks this very profound question:  What kind of people ought you to be?  Considering the many ways he could have asked this question or even just told us the answer, it strikes me as incredibly important that he chooses this phrasing.  It implies that we already know what we should be doing - that we already have the answer.  The Holy Spirit is within every believer reminding us of how to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ.  We need only to listen and heed its conviction.

Before asking this question, Peter draws our attention to a very important, yet somewhat unfortunate, fact: 

. . . for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. – 2 Peter 2:19b

(This just begs the question:  What has you mastered? I'll save that for another day.)

 Instead of simply ending his argument here, Peter calls us higher and deeper into our relationship with Christ.  Hope is offered.  We aren't left as slaves to our sin, circumstances, or idols.  In asking what kind of person we ought to be, he is saying that there is the possibility of being something more than what we are now.  Consider how he ends his letter:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen. – 2 Peter 3:18

We have the ability to grow in Christ!  Living a life for Christ is not living a stagnant life.  It's a life of constant change and growth as we learn more about who God is and all that He has done for us.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:5-8

As children of the Most High God, we are called to grow in relationship with Him, to live a life worthy of the calling He has given us.  This is not something we are left to figure out on our own.  Jesus promised the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would come to His followers to teach us all things and remind us of all He taught (John 14:26).  Knowing this, I ask you to consider these questions:  What steps is the Lord asking you to take in order to grow closer to Him?  Are you taking them?  What is stopping or preventing you?  If you're unsure of how to answer – ask your Father!  He wants an intimate relationship with you and will, through His Spirit, reveal to you those areas of your life that are getting in the way of that relationship. 

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. – Colossians 1:10

The God I Serve

Lord, You are the King eternal.
When I speak of my help,
it is You I can count on.

It is You who comes to my rescue,
who shakes the heavens,
who sends light in my darkest night.
You are the King eternal.

Father, You are my compassionate protector.
You move mountains to come to my aid,
it is You I cry out to.
It is You who never leaves me,
who never condemns me,
who is always full of love towards me.
You are my compassionate protector.

Jesus, You are the lover of my soul.
You stand with me in joy and sorrow,
it is You I pour my heart out to.
It is You who understands my pain,
who rejoices with me in good times,
who cries with me and comforts me at night.
You are the lover of my soul.

The Good Shepherd's Path

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:1-4

Have you ever experienced a time in your life where you felt like your relationship with God was on fire?  You took time out of each day to pray, read God's Word, talk to Him, and just spend time with Him.  Difficult things would come up, but you immediately took them to the Lord and knew that, ultimately, He was in control.  Have you ever gotten so distracted by life, deadlines, work, etc. that you lost that? 

I was there just last week.  Finishing up classes for the semester – papers to write, final exams to take – totally took my focus off the Lord.  I still took time in the morning to do my devotions, but they just felt empty.  I would come to the end of the day, exhausted, and feel like I just didn't have any more strength, energy, or time to spend with God.  So instead I read books for fun, claiming it was a stress-release.  I watched movies and tv, pointing to my work load and saying I deserved it.  Yet I would still come to the end of my day and somehow claim I didn't have any leftover time for God.  Each day I felt more and more empty.  Assignments piled up, I stayed stressed, and the work never seemed to diminish.  Somehow I made it to the end of the semester, but I was drained.  And then I attended a service on campus where God showed me what I had been attempted to do:

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. – Galatians 5:7-8

I realized that I was trying to do everything on my own.  I had been running a good race – following the Lord, leaning on Him, and then slowly started turning to my own interests, my own desires.  An image of a path came into my mind.  Instead of running on the path, however, I found myself running just to the side of it.  My feet were getting caught up in mud, my face was hit by branches, and I constantly had to dodge trees.  As I watched this scene in my mind I couldn't help but think, How silly!  Wouldn't it make so much more sense to run on that flat, straight path right there?  There are no branches to hit my face, no mud to slow me down, no trees to dodge.  In the midst of this thought the Lord very gently said, "Crystal, I've laid this path out just for you.  It's flat, straight, and firm.  You chose to step off the path and run.  When you're ready, the path is still there.  I'm not moving it.  Just step back onto it and I can help."

As I realized how easily I had stepped off the path I began to cry out to the Lord to set up guardrails, some sort of fence that would keep me from stepping so easily off the path.  Even as I prayed this God began to show me that He is the Good Shepherd.  As my Shepherd, His crook gently nudges me back to the path.  If I allow him to gently lead me with His crook, I'll never get stuck in that mud again.  I simply need to recognize the crook of my Shepherd, the sound of His voice:

"I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. – John 10:14-15

God has a path laid out for your life and as your Good Shepherd He desires to see you thrive and flourish as you walk along that path.  When we try to make choices without His input, complete tasks without leaning on His strength, and live as if we have to figure everything out on our own, we get caught up in the mud of life.  Branches hit our face and trees come up before us.  But remember that your Father is also your Good Shepherd.  We can choose to rebel and push away from the crook He sets out to guide us on the path or we can recognize that He truly is the Good Shepherd and desires only the best for us.  When we do this we will see that crook not as something keeping us from things we want, but as a comfort and blessing that protects us and keeps us on the path.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4b

The Annoying Kid Next Door

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! – 1 John 3:1a          

    
       As I wrote my last post on service and was thinking about God's mercy and the Church's response to Him I found myself sad on the Lord's behalf.  In my own experience I can remember how I've treated God at times, how I've pushed Him out of the way to make room for other things, how I've forgotten Him. 

    
        I think sometimes we forget what it means to have relationship with Christ.  We forget who He is in our lives.  Consider this:  you're at a big, fancy event and see this person that you really admire.  They're rich, world famous, powerful, influential.  You see them surrounded by a huge crowd and although you wish you could say hello you know there's no way you would get close enough to say anything, and even if you did, would they even notice you?  As you're standing in the corner contemplating this, that person sees you from a distance, calls out your name, and runs towards you!  They give you a giant hug, tell you how they've been waiting to meet you, and ask if you have any time coming up that you could hang out.  How do you respond?  Most of us would clear our calendars for as long as we could to hang out with that person!  I mean if this famous person wants to hang out with us, what could possibly get in the way of that, right?

     
       Now, imagine that person is Christ.  How do you respond?  It's sad to say many of us would respond completely different.  We'd pull out our calendars, hum and hull about some appointment we have, and end up asking if they could e-mail us later to find a date.  It's sad, but we think of Jesus more as the annoying kid next door that our mom makes us play with than this awesome, amazing God of the universe who desires to spend time with us. We spend time with Him because we feel like we're supposed to - after all, isn't it the "Christian thing to do?"   We pray and read our Bibles because we don't want to hurt God's feelings or because "mom said."  In truth, if you simply looked at the fact that we are but a vapor on this earth and He is the everlasting God, we should be so honored and amazed that He should want relationship with us, that He should even know our name, that we would clear our calendars for the rest of our lives to make room for whatever He wants to do!

        
    Are you treating Him as the amazing, merciful, and compassionate God that He is or has He become that annoying kid next door in your life?

Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” – John 14:21

(Beautiful picture courtesy of my friend, Jessica Sepúlveda.  Thanks, Jess!)

More Than Meets the Eye

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her:  "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."  ~ Genesis 16:13

Have you ever felt unappreciated?  Like no one really cared how you were doing as long as you got your work done or did what they needed from you?  As I was reading the story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar in Genesis 16, I was struck by how much we often have in common with Hagar.  I had never really paid that much attention to her before and, turns out, that was the point.  You see, Hagar was a servant in Abram's house.  In this passage she was given by her mistress to her master to be his wife.  It says nothing about Hagar choosing this or even being excited at the idea.  She had no choice in the matter. 

Hagar, throughout her life, up to the point of her encounter with God, was seen first as someone who could run errands and get things done, then as the carrier of the heir to Abram's house.  In either case it was not her that was seen, but what she could accomplish.  I would imagine she began to feel invisible, unseen, forgotten.  It says Sarai began to treat her so harshly that Hagar ran away. 

It was at this point when Hagar found herself alone in the desert that an angel of the Lord came to her.  He says:

Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going? ~ Genesis 16:8a

Notice that the angel uses her name.  Earlier in verses 2 and 3, Sarai only calls her "maidservant."  She doesn't use her name.  But this angel of the Lord comes, calls her by name, and asks about her, not the task she's supposed to be working on or the child she carries.  He was interested in her.  I would imagine that is something Hagar had never experienced before, or at least not very often.  She had gotten used to being invisible, but God said she was more than that.  She desired to be noticed and God came down to tell her she was not forgotten. 

Your Father has not forgotten you.  He sees you.  He knows what you face.  He knows you feel invisible sometimes, but He wants you to know that He sees you, He loves you, and He wants the very best for you.

This story portrays a lot of Sarai's less desirable qualities of wanting to be in control, but I believe Sarai was just as broken as Hagar.  Here she was, the wife of a prominent man of God and she couldn't provide the one thing her society said a wife should – an heir.  The first time she is mentioned in scripture her barrenness is made known:

Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.  ~ Genesis 11:30

I believe she must have felt unworthy, humiliated, like a failure.  I would imagine she saw herself as "less than" because she couldn't complete the one thing she was called to do.  But our God is an awesome God and He saw Sarai just as He saw Hagar and just He sees us. 

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.  ~ Genesis 17:15

Literally translated, Sarah means princess.  She saw herself as a failure, but god saw her as His princess.  He saw nations coming from her when she began to doubt her ability to provide just one child.  God sees more in you than you can ever see in yourself.  Men, think of Gideon (mighty man of God while hiding in a winepress), Peter (a fisherman who later was a great apostle), Paul (a persecutor of the Church who later penned most of the New Testament). 

There is more in you than what you see in the mirror.  Our Father sees you and loves you as His dear child.  Never believe that you are forgotten, because your Father in heaven sees you and calls you His own.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ~ Matthew 10:29-31