Sometimes it is easy to skip over parts of the Bible that seem rather irrelevant. Especially the Old Testament books seem to lack relevance to what we are doing today. How could the book of Malachi or Zechariah say something to me when we can hardly pronounce the name of the book?
While these parts of the Bible may at first seem to lack relevance to our day, a careful look at them reminds us that each book is just a journal of how God worked in someone's life in the past. This can bring warning or encouragement to us as we find ourselves in similar situations.
Think of the book of Zechariah. While the prophet Zechariah is now called a "minor" prophet, he was by no means a lesser prophet. His book is just a journal of how God worked in his day, and it gives us great encouragement for how God could work today. After all, God is a changeless God and how He is capable of working has not changed since the days of Zechariah.
In the days of Zechariah, some of the people had returned from captivity in Babylon. I doubt that anyone would say they were a thriving or magnificent country any more. As a matter of fact, all the previous glory that they had years before had long ago rotted, and they were a scattered people with no strong leadership. Most of their people were still in captivity in a land far away, and their children only had stories that they had heard of how God had moved in the lives of their grandparents and great grandparents. The God that their children knew was a God that had moved greatly in the past and now appeared to be silent--or was He even there any more?
Zerubbabel, who was a prince among the people, was sent back to his homeland, and while he had zeal, it had to have seemed an overwhelming project. Just imagine the project of coming back and trying to do something with land that had been largely abandoned for 70 years and having heard about the glories of the past! No doubt it seemed that whatever he was able to accomplish was "small things" compared to what had happened in the past (Zechariah 4:10). We know that it was overwhelming to try to do anything because Zechariah 4:7 calls it a "great mountain."
Nevertheless, Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the temple even with opposition, but then the work stopped. There were so many that opposed his work, and even those who had supported him stopped their work.
Sometimes this seems even more discouraging than never starting a project for God. If one attempts to do something great for God and fails, all those cynically looking on will see the foundation--with weeds. We are tempted to think that it is better to never attempt something great for God than to attempt and appear to fail. Thankfully, God doesn't see things how we do. Weeds are just temporary. Sometimes weeds are just a sign that God is getting ready to do something big. After all, God has already promised in Ephesians 3:20, that he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, but it's only according to the power that is working in us. Apparently, while those weeds were growing around the foundation of the temple and while people were heaping up criticism for a project that failed and was doubtless a waste of money, the power was building in Zerubbabel's life. What did it matter that the foundation laid there on the ground for years until Zerubbabel learned that it wasn't by "might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." 4:6.
Zerubbabel began to build again. No doubt it took a lot of work to clear away the weeds that had accumulated since he started the project years ago. No doubt there were plenty of people who remembered his first attempt and weren't willing to stake their efforts to it this time. It didn't matter any more because now Zerubbabel understood the most essential truth. All the might or power that we exert to accomplish a task--even one that we are attempting to accomplish for God--doesn't matter at all if the Spirit of God is not working among us. However, He wants to work among us! He desires to work powerfully among us, and He is able to work exceeding abundantly greater than we could even imagine but it is only according to the power that works in us. Eph 3:30 When we are completely filled with God's Spirit, His power will rest on us, and there are no limits to what He can do. As a matter of fact, we see in Acts 2 that when the Holy Spirit came on those who waited ten days for Him, a tremendous power came even with visible manifestations. In Acts 4:31, the building were they were assembled actually shook with the power that came upon them as they prayed.
God hasn't changed. He is still capable of moving in a powerful way, but it's according to the power that works in us. Seeking His face takes more than a morning prayer over a cup of coffee and an evening lay me down to sleep prayer. For the first church, it took ten days of solid prayer, shut away in a room seeking God.
There will always be naysayers. In the days of Zerubbabel, it was the older elders who criticized what Zerubbabel was doing. After all, some of them could remember the glories of the past. They could remember the beauty of Solomon's temple and the glory of it. Many of them had heard the awesome stories that their parents had told them of the magnificent structure called Solomon's temple. Not only that, there were the stories of how God magnificently filled the house of God when it was dedicated in Solomon's day.
Now, Zerubbabel was building a much smaller structure with limited resources and it definitely wasn't to be compared in beauty. Not only that, but there was no sign that God was even present like He had been in the last temple. The older ones kept talking about the glories of the past temple with the obvious implication that this was now a lesser day. God, however, disagreed. In Zechariah 4:10, we are reminded not to despise the day of small things. The temple was smaller. The number of people attending the temple was smaller. The whole nation was smaller, and the glory of it was gone, but God was beginning to work. God knew that the effort that Zerubbabel made became the temple that Christ the Messiah walked into. It was smaller and less glorious, but it was significant on God's scale of accomplishments because He doesn't dwell in temples made with hands anyway. This temple, while appearing to be lesser, was the temple where Christ would come as a young man, where he would teach on a regular basis, where he would cast out the money changers and where ultimately, the veil would be rent in two! This definitely wasn't the day of small things--it just looked like it to those looking at it from a human perspective.
I believe that God is wanting to move among us. Despise not the day of small things, but pray for a might move of God. Be filled with the Spirit that He might move among us. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as those "minor prophets" is still among us. He is only limited by the "power that worketh in us"!
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Are you easily impressed? Are you easily influenced?
"To be easily impressed, is to be easily influenced." These words caught my attention recently as I read an article in Forbes magazine about American perceptions of heroism . While the news media attempts and is largely successful at defining our heroes, how can we as dedicated Christian parents challenge those attempts in the minds of our children? After all, children will inevitably model their lives after those that they perceive as heroes, so teaching them to have a discerning mind to who is truly a hero is a crucial part of child training.
While our news media has been busy attempting to impress us with perverted notions of heroism, many of our children have been influenced to accept cowards and confused people as examples of noble and heroic lifestyles. When a culture's children can no longer identify true heroes, and when they have been influenced to confuse heroism with anything less than what it truly is, we have lost our children. Heroes that inspire to noble character and the giving of one's life for another, have been the bedrock of our culture's foundation. Jesus set the standard when he gave his life for those who not only did not deserve it, but often did not appreciate it. Long before Christ, as well as for centuries afterward, wise parents have taught children that there is no greater love nor greater hero than one who would selflessly give his life in an ultimate sacrifice or would daily offer it to those in need around him. Great heroes of the past have been those who gave all...those who weren't afraid to give their lives for those who might never be able to thank them, and for those who might never even appreciate it.
If you want to influence your children on what a true hero is, I suggest you start with a news story that barely made waves. Last week, ten people demonstrated with the sacrifice of their lives what a true hero is, and I will make sure that my children hear about them. I will probably sit down during our family quiet time together and begin with a question something like this. "Did you know that young people not much older than you are still giving their lives for something worthwhile, something noble, and something that will matter forever?" And then, I will tell the story that our news almost totally missed...
Last week, ten aid workers gave their lives for needy people, and they knew they might lose their lives before they ever left their comfortable homes, but they did it anyway. One was a successful dentist, one walked away from a surgeon's salary, another was an optometrist, while another was a young women in her early thirties who left comfort and the hopes of marriage to give her life for those who live in the darkness of poverty and repression. They gave their lives helping the friends, family, and countrymen of those who massacred them without asking a single question.
These are true heroes, and it is our responsibility as parents to set them and those like them as bench marks for our children. If we allow popular culture to influence our children into thinking that "courage" is what is displayed by Mr. Jenner or "Beauty" by the Kardashian empire, we have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Let's not miss the opportunity to influence the future by impressing our children with the truth that courage was displayed last week.
"Courage" was displayed when those who had everything, heard about a need they could fill. It was modeled for us when they heard the need, walked out of their offices, left their six figure incomes, and walked on to the streets of a country where people hated them, but where people needed them. Courage is still displayed in the lives of those who see a need, whether it is in a far off land, or is right here in front of us. It may be a mother courageously caring day after day for a special needs child. It may be an elderly person daily facing the challenges of aging and wearing a bright smile. It may be something dramatic that the world might see and recognize or it may simply be the sacrifice of daily doing what should be done whether one feels like it or not.
"Beauty" was demonstrated last week when women with beautifully manicured hands stepped off a plane and walked among the dusty and dirty houses of those who have endured decades of war simply because they happened to be born there. Beauty is still displayed by those who spend less time beautifying themselves and more time bringing beauty into the lives of others. Beauty is seen in the aging hands of grandparents and in the stretch marks of mothers. Beauty often doesn't look beautiful.
"Sacrifice" was exemplified last week when they freely left it all and gave everything they had to reach a people who could never repay them.
Sacrifice, beauty, and courage are still being displayed and it is our duty as parents to make sure our children know what it truly is. If we do our job well, they will see and recognize it in those forgotten news stories. They will appreciate it on display in the lives of those around them, and we pray they will too have the courage to live it and while not seeking to give the ultimate sacrifice, may willingly follow our example to live lives of true heroism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/world/asia/10aidworkers.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
While our news media has been busy attempting to impress us with perverted notions of heroism, many of our children have been influenced to accept cowards and confused people as examples of noble and heroic lifestyles. When a culture's children can no longer identify true heroes, and when they have been influenced to confuse heroism with anything less than what it truly is, we have lost our children. Heroes that inspire to noble character and the giving of one's life for another, have been the bedrock of our culture's foundation. Jesus set the standard when he gave his life for those who not only did not deserve it, but often did not appreciate it. Long before Christ, as well as for centuries afterward, wise parents have taught children that there is no greater love nor greater hero than one who would selflessly give his life in an ultimate sacrifice or would daily offer it to those in need around him. Great heroes of the past have been those who gave all...those who weren't afraid to give their lives for those who might never be able to thank them, and for those who might never even appreciate it.
If you want to influence your children on what a true hero is, I suggest you start with a news story that barely made waves. Last week, ten people demonstrated with the sacrifice of their lives what a true hero is, and I will make sure that my children hear about them. I will probably sit down during our family quiet time together and begin with a question something like this. "Did you know that young people not much older than you are still giving their lives for something worthwhile, something noble, and something that will matter forever?" And then, I will tell the story that our news almost totally missed...
Last week, ten aid workers gave their lives for needy people, and they knew they might lose their lives before they ever left their comfortable homes, but they did it anyway. One was a successful dentist, one walked away from a surgeon's salary, another was an optometrist, while another was a young women in her early thirties who left comfort and the hopes of marriage to give her life for those who live in the darkness of poverty and repression. They gave their lives helping the friends, family, and countrymen of those who massacred them without asking a single question.
These are true heroes, and it is our responsibility as parents to set them and those like them as bench marks for our children. If we allow popular culture to influence our children into thinking that "courage" is what is displayed by Mr. Jenner or "Beauty" by the Kardashian empire, we have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Let's not miss the opportunity to influence the future by impressing our children with the truth that courage was displayed last week.
"Courage" was displayed when those who had everything, heard about a need they could fill. It was modeled for us when they heard the need, walked out of their offices, left their six figure incomes, and walked on to the streets of a country where people hated them, but where people needed them. Courage is still displayed in the lives of those who see a need, whether it is in a far off land, or is right here in front of us. It may be a mother courageously caring day after day for a special needs child. It may be an elderly person daily facing the challenges of aging and wearing a bright smile. It may be something dramatic that the world might see and recognize or it may simply be the sacrifice of daily doing what should be done whether one feels like it or not.
"Beauty" was demonstrated last week when women with beautifully manicured hands stepped off a plane and walked among the dusty and dirty houses of those who have endured decades of war simply because they happened to be born there. Beauty is still displayed by those who spend less time beautifying themselves and more time bringing beauty into the lives of others. Beauty is seen in the aging hands of grandparents and in the stretch marks of mothers. Beauty often doesn't look beautiful.
"Sacrifice" was exemplified last week when they freely left it all and gave everything they had to reach a people who could never repay them.
Sacrifice, beauty, and courage are still being displayed and it is our duty as parents to make sure our children know what it truly is. If we do our job well, they will see and recognize it in those forgotten news stories. They will appreciate it on display in the lives of those around them, and we pray they will too have the courage to live it and while not seeking to give the ultimate sacrifice, may willingly follow our example to live lives of true heroism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/world/asia/10aidworkers.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
Monday, April 13, 2015
Sometimes God gives us sugar on our Cheerios.
I was encouraged recently to see again that God cares about the smallest details of our lives, and He wants to be involved 100% if we allow Him to be involved. I had been wanting to go and see Sunshine in Davao City, Philippines for quite a while. I always said that when my children grow up, I wanted to go see them wherever they were all around the world. Not only would I get to go see many places that I had never gone, but I would also be able to eat their food, mess up their kitchen, leave all the lights in the house on, and slam the door on my way out! This was the perfect chance to do all that plus hopefully encourage Sunshine in the path that God has called her.
I knew that I could just go online and purchase a ticket, but that would cost a lot of money. I had in my mind the perfect trip, and I also had airline miles saved up that I could use. I knew that it wasn't likely that I could get all those factors together to get the ideal trip, but being a positive thinker, I decided to try. I tried for days off and on when I got the opportunity, but nothing was working out. I wanted to use my miles rather than pay cash, and I wanted to make a trip that hopefully wouldn't be so exhausting. I well remember when I flew to China and how tired I was, and I knew that not only would this trip be even longer, but my body is quite a few years older. To me, the perfect trip would allow me to leave directly from Charlotte and have a stopover in an interesting, but relatively, safe place. Now keep in mind that a stopover is different from a layover. A layover is just a short stop in an airport, but a stopover means you leave the airport and stay for a day or two, then head on to your final destination. I wanted to get a ticket where I could stopover, rest, do some sightseeing, then continue a few days later on the trip. Hopefully, that would relieve some of the exhaustion and allow the "perfect trip" for me.
Well, as I mentioned, I couldn't make it work. The out of pocket cost was too much because they add huge fees to stopovers (some stopovers are cheaper just to go ahead and buy two tickets), and they didn't have enough reward seats to use my miles. I got discouraged and decided that if I was going to go, I would just have to do it the hard way, be miserable on planes for hours on end and finally arrive totally exhausted. I picked out a ticket that seemed the best miserable option and decided to buy it. My sister-in-law, who is travelling with me got her paperwork to me and I decided to go ahead and buy the ticket realizing that my ideal trip just wasn't going to pan out. I got the ticket on the screen ready to purchase, but had to get up to take care of something in the house.
In the meantime, my little electronics-loving one year old spied that mom was away from the touch screen laptop that she had been wanting to touch. Knowing that her mother never allows her to touch her computer, she decided to touch it anyway and purposely and willfully simply clicked off my open screens. Yes, I know that sounds pretty awful for a one year old, but that is what she did. When I returned and saw what she had done, I just added it to my long lists of unfortunate happenings for the day and realized I would have to start all over on finding and booking the ticket. No doubt, I properly responded in a Dr. Dobson type way also to the little one year old who had deliberately messed up my day.
When Rick came in wondering if I had purchased the ticket, I told him what had happened ( no doubt I said it in a bright, cheerful voice), and that I was having to do it all over even though it was late in the evening. Being such a great husband, he started getting the helpful children in bed so I could finish purchasing my less than ideal trip. I, on the other hand, wasn't meditating on the fact that God could use babies that love touch screens to ultimately work His purposes.
As I started again to purchase the ticket, I realized that the internet had quit. I don't know about your service, but ours rarely goes down, but that night it did. While it was on, it was so painfully slow that I couldn't do anything. A screen would pop up, I would fill in the information and then after many minutes, the next screen might or might not show up. I got frustrated with it and decided to go to bed and just forget it.
However, those of you who know me know that I don't give up easily...After I got all the way ready for bed, I decided to try one last time to purchase the ticket so I wouldn't have to mess with it the next day, but, no, the internet was still off. (It's been so long so the internet was down that it's hard to remember when it was, but God was obviously working even though I didn't know it then.)
In the meantime, I slept off some of my frustration with babies and broken internet, and it came to my mind to try something different. It was like one of those "aha moments" when I realized that I should try another approach to get my ticket, so I walked in to my computer. This time the internet was working as I tried my new plan to get the ticket. I tried all day, repeatedly calling the airlines and trying to get them to agree with my plan and do what I wanted to do. I would say that I am pretty successful with getting people to do what I want them to do. They agreed to do what I wanted to do, but their price was way more than I wanted to pay. The last call I made to Delta connected me to a very friendly man who told me that the ticket would start at about $2,000 which was quite a bit more than the no cash ticket that I wanted to get with my miles.
Once again, I got discouraged, and decided that this might not work after all. One last time, I entered my search data, but this time, being so tired, I made a mistake when I entered my data. I put in my departing and return dates backward making my return from the Philippines before I even left, then I clicked enter. Well, computers do apparently have a brain, because it immediately brought up an error message at the top of the screen. I am sure it said something like, "Error...even dummies know that you can't come back before you ever left." But what caught my attention was right underneath the helpful error message. Right there in front of me was exactly what I had been looking for! The error message was there with all of it's bold letters, but directly underneath it was exactly what I had been looking for all this time. There was my perfect trip just sitting there in front of my eyes with the bold error message stamped across the top of the page.
At that point, my loving children all seemed to converge upon me with desperate needs, but ignoring them like all good mothers sometimes have to do, I quickly started entering my data, wondering if this would actually work. I clicked enter and probably literally held my breath as I waited for something to happen. No, the internet didn't fail, neither did my daughter quickly slide her pudgy hand in to click off my screen. There in front of me appeared my ideal trip for the grand price of $0 and a very reasonable number of miles leaving me with plenty of extra miles for my next trip around the world. Not only that, but I had just purchased an identical ticket for my sister in law who is going along to help me manage myself, for $850--an amazing deal for an around the world ticket! I could hardly believe it! It was the same trip that I had just moments before called Delta about and told it was going to be $2,000. Leaving Charlotte at a reasonable time of day, reasonable layovers that didn't require me to jog through the airports at my age, and a three day, two night stopover in Tokyo was what the screen said I had just purchased! I was so excited that I couldn't sleep that night, but it was definitely worth it!
The Bible says that God loves to give us good things. It makes me think of how sometimes my little girl will ask me for Cheerios so I pour her some. However, once in a while, just to make her smile, I will pour her a bowl of Cheerios, then put a spoon of sugar on top. That is just like God. God gives us what we need, but sometimes I think he scoops a spoon of sugar on top, then sits back and watches us smile.
I will be on my way in a few months, and the best thing about it is that I don't have to worry any more. Just like God gave me my maple syrup when I traveled a few months ago (look at my previous blog posts), I know that He has arranged this trip. I don't have to know that everything will go perfectly because I may be blogging in a few months about something that went imperfectly. However, I do know that He planned this trip, and so I can rest that He will be right beside me, only allowing what is best for me. It's comforting to know that He cares about the smallest details, and that He will be with me. (And for those who know me so well, I'm sure that is a comfort to you also, because you know I need all the help I can get. Yea, that was me that shook up the TSA by bringing a stack of magnets in my briefcase. Having great hindsight, I realize now that was not thinking too well.)
I hope this encourages you in whatever God has planned for you today. God can work through inquisitive babies. He can work through internet shortages, and He can work through error messages to give you that scoop of sugar that makes your day!
I knew that I could just go online and purchase a ticket, but that would cost a lot of money. I had in my mind the perfect trip, and I also had airline miles saved up that I could use. I knew that it wasn't likely that I could get all those factors together to get the ideal trip, but being a positive thinker, I decided to try. I tried for days off and on when I got the opportunity, but nothing was working out. I wanted to use my miles rather than pay cash, and I wanted to make a trip that hopefully wouldn't be so exhausting. I well remember when I flew to China and how tired I was, and I knew that not only would this trip be even longer, but my body is quite a few years older. To me, the perfect trip would allow me to leave directly from Charlotte and have a stopover in an interesting, but relatively, safe place. Now keep in mind that a stopover is different from a layover. A layover is just a short stop in an airport, but a stopover means you leave the airport and stay for a day or two, then head on to your final destination. I wanted to get a ticket where I could stopover, rest, do some sightseeing, then continue a few days later on the trip. Hopefully, that would relieve some of the exhaustion and allow the "perfect trip" for me.
Well, as I mentioned, I couldn't make it work. The out of pocket cost was too much because they add huge fees to stopovers (some stopovers are cheaper just to go ahead and buy two tickets), and they didn't have enough reward seats to use my miles. I got discouraged and decided that if I was going to go, I would just have to do it the hard way, be miserable on planes for hours on end and finally arrive totally exhausted. I picked out a ticket that seemed the best miserable option and decided to buy it. My sister-in-law, who is travelling with me got her paperwork to me and I decided to go ahead and buy the ticket realizing that my ideal trip just wasn't going to pan out. I got the ticket on the screen ready to purchase, but had to get up to take care of something in the house.
In the meantime, my little electronics-loving one year old spied that mom was away from the touch screen laptop that she had been wanting to touch. Knowing that her mother never allows her to touch her computer, she decided to touch it anyway and purposely and willfully simply clicked off my open screens. Yes, I know that sounds pretty awful for a one year old, but that is what she did. When I returned and saw what she had done, I just added it to my long lists of unfortunate happenings for the day and realized I would have to start all over on finding and booking the ticket. No doubt, I properly responded in a Dr. Dobson type way also to the little one year old who had deliberately messed up my day.
When Rick came in wondering if I had purchased the ticket, I told him what had happened ( no doubt I said it in a bright, cheerful voice), and that I was having to do it all over even though it was late in the evening. Being such a great husband, he started getting the helpful children in bed so I could finish purchasing my less than ideal trip. I, on the other hand, wasn't meditating on the fact that God could use babies that love touch screens to ultimately work His purposes.
As I started again to purchase the ticket, I realized that the internet had quit. I don't know about your service, but ours rarely goes down, but that night it did. While it was on, it was so painfully slow that I couldn't do anything. A screen would pop up, I would fill in the information and then after many minutes, the next screen might or might not show up. I got frustrated with it and decided to go to bed and just forget it.
However, those of you who know me know that I don't give up easily...After I got all the way ready for bed, I decided to try one last time to purchase the ticket so I wouldn't have to mess with it the next day, but, no, the internet was still off. (It's been so long so the internet was down that it's hard to remember when it was, but God was obviously working even though I didn't know it then.)
In the meantime, I slept off some of my frustration with babies and broken internet, and it came to my mind to try something different. It was like one of those "aha moments" when I realized that I should try another approach to get my ticket, so I walked in to my computer. This time the internet was working as I tried my new plan to get the ticket. I tried all day, repeatedly calling the airlines and trying to get them to agree with my plan and do what I wanted to do. I would say that I am pretty successful with getting people to do what I want them to do. They agreed to do what I wanted to do, but their price was way more than I wanted to pay. The last call I made to Delta connected me to a very friendly man who told me that the ticket would start at about $2,000 which was quite a bit more than the no cash ticket that I wanted to get with my miles.
Once again, I got discouraged, and decided that this might not work after all. One last time, I entered my search data, but this time, being so tired, I made a mistake when I entered my data. I put in my departing and return dates backward making my return from the Philippines before I even left, then I clicked enter. Well, computers do apparently have a brain, because it immediately brought up an error message at the top of the screen. I am sure it said something like, "Error...even dummies know that you can't come back before you ever left." But what caught my attention was right underneath the helpful error message. Right there in front of me was exactly what I had been looking for! The error message was there with all of it's bold letters, but directly underneath it was exactly what I had been looking for all this time. There was my perfect trip just sitting there in front of my eyes with the bold error message stamped across the top of the page.
At that point, my loving children all seemed to converge upon me with desperate needs, but ignoring them like all good mothers sometimes have to do, I quickly started entering my data, wondering if this would actually work. I clicked enter and probably literally held my breath as I waited for something to happen. No, the internet didn't fail, neither did my daughter quickly slide her pudgy hand in to click off my screen. There in front of me appeared my ideal trip for the grand price of $0 and a very reasonable number of miles leaving me with plenty of extra miles for my next trip around the world. Not only that, but I had just purchased an identical ticket for my sister in law who is going along to help me manage myself, for $850--an amazing deal for an around the world ticket! I could hardly believe it! It was the same trip that I had just moments before called Delta about and told it was going to be $2,000. Leaving Charlotte at a reasonable time of day, reasonable layovers that didn't require me to jog through the airports at my age, and a three day, two night stopover in Tokyo was what the screen said I had just purchased! I was so excited that I couldn't sleep that night, but it was definitely worth it!
The Bible says that God loves to give us good things. It makes me think of how sometimes my little girl will ask me for Cheerios so I pour her some. However, once in a while, just to make her smile, I will pour her a bowl of Cheerios, then put a spoon of sugar on top. That is just like God. God gives us what we need, but sometimes I think he scoops a spoon of sugar on top, then sits back and watches us smile.
I will be on my way in a few months, and the best thing about it is that I don't have to worry any more. Just like God gave me my maple syrup when I traveled a few months ago (look at my previous blog posts), I know that He has arranged this trip. I don't have to know that everything will go perfectly because I may be blogging in a few months about something that went imperfectly. However, I do know that He planned this trip, and so I can rest that He will be right beside me, only allowing what is best for me. It's comforting to know that He cares about the smallest details, and that He will be with me. (And for those who know me so well, I'm sure that is a comfort to you also, because you know I need all the help I can get. Yea, that was me that shook up the TSA by bringing a stack of magnets in my briefcase. Having great hindsight, I realize now that was not thinking too well.)
I hope this encourages you in whatever God has planned for you today. God can work through inquisitive babies. He can work through internet shortages, and He can work through error messages to give you that scoop of sugar that makes your day!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
An Unpleasant Way to Prioritize my Day
It seems so ironic that in today’s world where we have a multitude of ways to save time in our lives, in reality, we are always feeling that we don’t have enough time to do the things we really want to or the things we feel we really need to do. We look with longing at generations 150 years ago and call it the ideal lifestyle. To us it seems that those who lived the “Little House on the Prairie” lifestyle had less stress and lived a more enjoyable life. I know for myself, one of my continual priorities is to simplify my life more and more so that I can have the time to do the things that I really want and need to do.
Why is it so hard for us to prioritize our time? Why is it so hard for us to grasp what really matters and embrace a lifestyle that will allow us to accomplish those things?
I believe that one big reason that we continually fail to prioritize our lives around things that really matter is that we fail to remember what the end of life is really all about. We are so consumed with the here and now that we continually forget that what we are living for has not yet appeared. Our society encourages us to live for the here and now while reality tries to get us to remember that this life is only a preparation time for what really matters--the second after we die.
The word “hell” is seen more as a curse word now than a word we hear in church. To actually speak in Biblical terms about a place called hell is not only frowned upon but brings an automatic stigma of someone who is unloving and intolerant.
That is one reason that we have problem prioritizing. We fail to remember in daily life that everything I do today will ultimately have consequences not only in my eternal future, but in the eternal futures of each one that I interact with and meet. Forcing myself to remember that one day, my life will be over and what I have accomplished in life for eternity is done and my judgement has come, is a thought that we don’t like to think about. Probably some would think of me as overly morbid, but once in a while when I take the time to evaluate my life, I purposely imagine myself as dead and in a casket. Who would come to my funeral and how would I have affected them? How big of a mark did I leave for God and did I do what He called me to do whether I see many outward results or not?
All of life is just a short preparation for eternity. It’s just a little blip on the big screen of forever. Today I must force myself to remember that some day my time will be up and what I have done will be finished and given account for. I also have to force myself to remember the unpleasant truth that many that I meet in daily life are not prepared to be in heaven for eternity. Like it or not, the Bible says that the majority of those going down the pathway of life are on the “broad way” and will one day fall into an awful place that we don’t like to think or talk about. We like to excuse it away, or make exceptions or hope for the best. That’s why we can’t prioritize. We forget the most important thing about life--that using today to get myself and others ready for eternity is the most important thing I could ever do.
There are lots of tasks that I have to do in a given day that don’t seem to directly point to preparing myself or others for eternity, but remembering that there is a hell to shun and a heaven for all of us to gain, makes me keep my tasks better aligned with how they should be. Some things just don’t matter. Other things have to be done but can be simplified so that I can get on to things matter more. Remember...the devil’s goal today is to throw as many obstacles in your path as possible to get you off track. He doesn’t care if it is time wasting activities or mundane tasks that he can get us to overemphasize. Either way he wins. But today, if I can focus my eyes on eternity and passionately live in light of it, I will prioritize those daily tasks that I must do, more easily.
Today, each person that I meet is headed either for a wonderful eternity with Christ or an awful doom without Him. Help me, God, to thoughtfully arrange my day to be as effective as you want me to be!
I believe that one big reason that we continually fail to prioritize our lives around things that really matter is that we fail to remember what the end of life is really all about. We are so consumed with the here and now that we continually forget that what we are living for has not yet appeared. Our society encourages us to live for the here and now while reality tries to get us to remember that this life is only a preparation time for what really matters--the second after we die.
The word “hell” is seen more as a curse word now than a word we hear in church. To actually speak in Biblical terms about a place called hell is not only frowned upon but brings an automatic stigma of someone who is unloving and intolerant.
That is one reason that we have problem prioritizing. We fail to remember in daily life that everything I do today will ultimately have consequences not only in my eternal future, but in the eternal futures of each one that I interact with and meet. Forcing myself to remember that one day, my life will be over and what I have accomplished in life for eternity is done and my judgement has come, is a thought that we don’t like to think about. Probably some would think of me as overly morbid, but once in a while when I take the time to evaluate my life, I purposely imagine myself as dead and in a casket. Who would come to my funeral and how would I have affected them? How big of a mark did I leave for God and did I do what He called me to do whether I see many outward results or not?
All of life is just a short preparation for eternity. It’s just a little blip on the big screen of forever. Today I must force myself to remember that some day my time will be up and what I have done will be finished and given account for. I also have to force myself to remember the unpleasant truth that many that I meet in daily life are not prepared to be in heaven for eternity. Like it or not, the Bible says that the majority of those going down the pathway of life are on the “broad way” and will one day fall into an awful place that we don’t like to think or talk about. We like to excuse it away, or make exceptions or hope for the best. That’s why we can’t prioritize. We forget the most important thing about life--that using today to get myself and others ready for eternity is the most important thing I could ever do. There are lots of tasks that I have to do in a given day that don’t seem to directly point to preparing myself or others for eternity, but remembering that there is a hell to shun and a heaven for all of us to gain, makes me keep my tasks better aligned with how they should be. Some things just don’t matter. Other things have to be done but can be simplified so that I can get on to things matter more. Remember...the devil’s goal today is to throw as many obstacles in your path as possible to get you off track. He doesn’t care if it is time wasting activities or mundane tasks that he can get us to overemphasize. Either way he wins. But today, if I can focus my eyes on eternity and passionately live in light of it, I will prioritize those daily tasks that I must do, more easily.
Today, each person that I meet is headed either for a wonderful eternity with Christ or an awful doom without Him. Help me, God, to thoughtfully arrange my day to be as effective as you want me to be!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Not if, but when you fail...
As a young person, I had a strong sense of invincibility. Significant failure was not an option for me. I was used to succeeding, and I assumed that I would continue to do so. I was pretty confident that I knew how to handle the challenges of life, and I really didn't see failure too much in the picture of my life.
I believe that Christians can live victorious lives, and that failure is not necessary. However, I also believe that failure often does occur--not because it has to, because we allow it. After I got past the shock of realizing that I had made significant mistakes--mistakes in parenting, mistakes in being the wife that I wanted to be, and mistakes in my relationships with God and others--I had to decide where I was going to go next. While Proverbs 24:16 was a great comfort to me when it says that a righteous person falls seven times, but gets up again, another story in the Bible also gave significant insight in to how God uses failure to accomplish good if we allow it.
Back in the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, we see a change in leadership. Moses has done a phenomenal job leading a huge group of grouchy, grumpy people through the wilderness. He made his own set of mistakes, but we see that he hands over leadership to a younger man named Joshua. Joshua is given the daunting task of entering the new land and conquering the people there. They were to destroy all the people living there, and Joshua knew that.
However, a very cunning group of people in the new land also knew that they were to be destroyed so they devised a plan to escape annihilation. You know the story...they came to Joshua looking as if they had traveled a long distance and asked to make a peace treaty. Apparently they were very convincing and flattering because Joshua and his leaders immediately made a treaty with them to not only leave them alone, but to defend them from other aggressive people groups.
Just a short time later, Joshua found out that in reality, the people that he had made the treaty with were his close neighbors, the Gibeonites. He had made a huge mistake right at the beginning of his leadership! The Bible says that he never once consulted God about it but just acted quickly in his own wisdom. After all, I am sure that what the Gibeonites presented to him looked quite reasonable and it only seemed right to do what they asked.
Sometimes I have made mistakes because of lack of character. Sometimes I have made big mistakes because of lack of understanding, and sometimes I made mistakes by simply failing to check in with God frequently enough. I think most of the time, I truly wanted what was best and wasn't trying to find my own way, but nevertheless, I messed up.
That is where Joshua found himself. He fully intended on doing what God had asked. If one were to ask him if he purposely disobeyed a command of God or was willfully negligent, he would have been adamant that he had not. As a matter of fact, it was sincerely in his heart to do right, but in a moment of human reasoning and failure to acknowledge God, he made one of the biggest mistakes in the history of his life.
Now what was he going to do? He was in a dilemma--he had failed to do what God said, but he had also made a promise to the Gibeonites to defend them. Joshua did what I am painfully learning to do. He found out where he was at, and started again from there. There wasn't a lot of time for painful regrets and bemoaning the "what ifs." We don't find him wasting time living in the moments of what could have been or should have been. Rather, we find him saying, "I messed up, now let's see where we should go from here." I'm sure he was sorry that he had messed up so badly, but I think he understood the better principle of not letting failure incapacitate him. Rather, he must have understood that starting at the next best place in life gives God an opportunity to still work His plan.
Sure enough, in just a few days, his integrity was challenged. The nations surrounding the Gibeonites decided to take revenge on those that Joshua had mistakenly signed a mutual treaty of protection with. They called for Joshua to come and keep his side of the bargain. They called for Joshua to come and do exactly the opposite of what Joshua had been called by God to do. Joshua knew he had messed up, but he faced the situation with incredible bravery for one who had failed so openly. He gave all his strength to heading in the new direction in spite of the fact that it was the opposite direction of what he should have been doing--defending a group of people that he was to have killed.
The amazing thing is that God says to Joshua, "I'm with you Joshua. You are on the right track." We don't find God saying, "Now look what a mess we have" or "If you had listened to me, you wouldn't find yourself having to defend the Gibeonites." Rather, concerning those against whom Joshua and the Gibeonites were going to fight together, God says in Joshua 10:8, "Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee." God lets Joshua know in his moment of fear--in his moment when his failures were so obvious, that He was ready to start in a new direction. As a matter of fact, as the battle gets intense and Joshua is fighting for all he is worth in a battle that he should never had to have been in, God starts fighting for him. In one of the few recording such incidents, God hurls down heavy hailstones from heaven and wipes out more of the enemy than all the men of Gibeon and Joshua combined were able to conquer. Not only that, but it is the only recorded time in the Bible, that God follows an order given by a human being. Joshua orders the sun to stand still so they could finish the battle and it does! The Bible says that God "hearkened to the voice of a man."
What an amazing story of grace--grace on God's part to forgive one who so carelessly messed up the original plan when he should have known better. It's also an amazing story of bravery for one who made such a public mistake. He never excuses himself nor grovels in self pity. Rather, he valiantly starts right where he finds himself, and becomes one of the greatest heroes of the Bible.
No matter where we find ourselves in our failures, there is not a better time to start at the next best place and go from there. God is not limited by our finite understanding--he can make amazing stories out of our failures if we are only willing to get up and valiantly start again. We may feel we are headed in the opposite direction of where we should have been going, but in God's book, u turns are always allowed.
This is what I am learning--mistakes may leave marks that I will never fully recover from, but they don't have to keep me from going forward now. Looking back on the road of life, one may see my skid marks or the damage I caused in my careless collision, but hopefully future generations will see how far down the road I got after my mistake. Maybe they won't remember me for my failures but rather for the great successes that God enabled me to have as He worked with me. Start where you are today. Know you made a mistake, but never let it hold you back from trying again. Expect great things from a loving God. The God who hurled hailstones and stopped the sun in its tracks for a man who failed but tried again will still fight just as valiantly for you if you are willing to take the first steps to try again.
I believe that Christians can live victorious lives, and that failure is not necessary. However, I also believe that failure often does occur--not because it has to, because we allow it. After I got past the shock of realizing that I had made significant mistakes--mistakes in parenting, mistakes in being the wife that I wanted to be, and mistakes in my relationships with God and others--I had to decide where I was going to go next. While Proverbs 24:16 was a great comfort to me when it says that a righteous person falls seven times, but gets up again, another story in the Bible also gave significant insight in to how God uses failure to accomplish good if we allow it.
Back in the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, we see a change in leadership. Moses has done a phenomenal job leading a huge group of grouchy, grumpy people through the wilderness. He made his own set of mistakes, but we see that he hands over leadership to a younger man named Joshua. Joshua is given the daunting task of entering the new land and conquering the people there. They were to destroy all the people living there, and Joshua knew that.
However, a very cunning group of people in the new land also knew that they were to be destroyed so they devised a plan to escape annihilation. You know the story...they came to Joshua looking as if they had traveled a long distance and asked to make a peace treaty. Apparently they were very convincing and flattering because Joshua and his leaders immediately made a treaty with them to not only leave them alone, but to defend them from other aggressive people groups.
Just a short time later, Joshua found out that in reality, the people that he had made the treaty with were his close neighbors, the Gibeonites. He had made a huge mistake right at the beginning of his leadership! The Bible says that he never once consulted God about it but just acted quickly in his own wisdom. After all, I am sure that what the Gibeonites presented to him looked quite reasonable and it only seemed right to do what they asked.
Sometimes I have made mistakes because of lack of character. Sometimes I have made big mistakes because of lack of understanding, and sometimes I made mistakes by simply failing to check in with God frequently enough. I think most of the time, I truly wanted what was best and wasn't trying to find my own way, but nevertheless, I messed up.
That is where Joshua found himself. He fully intended on doing what God had asked. If one were to ask him if he purposely disobeyed a command of God or was willfully negligent, he would have been adamant that he had not. As a matter of fact, it was sincerely in his heart to do right, but in a moment of human reasoning and failure to acknowledge God, he made one of the biggest mistakes in the history of his life.
Now what was he going to do? He was in a dilemma--he had failed to do what God said, but he had also made a promise to the Gibeonites to defend them. Joshua did what I am painfully learning to do. He found out where he was at, and started again from there. There wasn't a lot of time for painful regrets and bemoaning the "what ifs." We don't find him wasting time living in the moments of what could have been or should have been. Rather, we find him saying, "I messed up, now let's see where we should go from here." I'm sure he was sorry that he had messed up so badly, but I think he understood the better principle of not letting failure incapacitate him. Rather, he must have understood that starting at the next best place in life gives God an opportunity to still work His plan.
Sure enough, in just a few days, his integrity was challenged. The nations surrounding the Gibeonites decided to take revenge on those that Joshua had mistakenly signed a mutual treaty of protection with. They called for Joshua to come and keep his side of the bargain. They called for Joshua to come and do exactly the opposite of what Joshua had been called by God to do. Joshua knew he had messed up, but he faced the situation with incredible bravery for one who had failed so openly. He gave all his strength to heading in the new direction in spite of the fact that it was the opposite direction of what he should have been doing--defending a group of people that he was to have killed.
The amazing thing is that God says to Joshua, "I'm with you Joshua. You are on the right track." We don't find God saying, "Now look what a mess we have" or "If you had listened to me, you wouldn't find yourself having to defend the Gibeonites." Rather, concerning those against whom Joshua and the Gibeonites were going to fight together, God says in Joshua 10:8, "Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee." God lets Joshua know in his moment of fear--in his moment when his failures were so obvious, that He was ready to start in a new direction. As a matter of fact, as the battle gets intense and Joshua is fighting for all he is worth in a battle that he should never had to have been in, God starts fighting for him. In one of the few recording such incidents, God hurls down heavy hailstones from heaven and wipes out more of the enemy than all the men of Gibeon and Joshua combined were able to conquer. Not only that, but it is the only recorded time in the Bible, that God follows an order given by a human being. Joshua orders the sun to stand still so they could finish the battle and it does! The Bible says that God "hearkened to the voice of a man."
What an amazing story of grace--grace on God's part to forgive one who so carelessly messed up the original plan when he should have known better. It's also an amazing story of bravery for one who made such a public mistake. He never excuses himself nor grovels in self pity. Rather, he valiantly starts right where he finds himself, and becomes one of the greatest heroes of the Bible.
No matter where we find ourselves in our failures, there is not a better time to start at the next best place and go from there. God is not limited by our finite understanding--he can make amazing stories out of our failures if we are only willing to get up and valiantly start again. We may feel we are headed in the opposite direction of where we should have been going, but in God's book, u turns are always allowed.
This is what I am learning--mistakes may leave marks that I will never fully recover from, but they don't have to keep me from going forward now. Looking back on the road of life, one may see my skid marks or the damage I caused in my careless collision, but hopefully future generations will see how far down the road I got after my mistake. Maybe they won't remember me for my failures but rather for the great successes that God enabled me to have as He worked with me. Start where you are today. Know you made a mistake, but never let it hold you back from trying again. Expect great things from a loving God. The God who hurled hailstones and stopped the sun in its tracks for a man who failed but tried again will still fight just as valiantly for you if you are willing to take the first steps to try again.
Friday, January 30, 2015
I Hate to Disappoint you... But You're Probably Going to Be Disappointed
There is an old song that was popular in its day called, “There’s no disappointment in Heaven.” The idea is that all the difficulties that we experience in this life will not be in heaven including the disappointments that we have here on earth.
As I think about the idea that there is not disappointment in heaven, I also think, however, of various places in the Bible where God appears to be disappointed. In Isaiah 5, we see where God is talking about how much he did for his vineyard. He built a fence around the vineyard, got the rocks out of the soil, planted the best vine and tended it with the best care possible and expected that it would bring forth good grapes. I think we could infer from the context, however, that when wild grapes appeared instead of good grapes, God was disappointed. Now I know that theologically speaking it is debateable whether God could ever be disappointed because he knows all things ahead of time. However, just humanly speaking, I think we could say that these verses indicate that God experienced disappointment. He did everything possible to see this vine bring forth good grapes, and in the end, it didnt’. In the end, all of his efforts appear to have been wasted with nothing to show for it.
The older I get, the more I see that life is often full of disappointments. Things we hoped would go differently, don’t. Causes or goals that we put so much effort into often bring forth less than what we had hoped for, and sometimes they bring forth just the opposite of what we hoped for. In this case in Isaiah, God got just the opposite of what he worked toward. He looked for delicious grapes that would be useful, and instead he got bitter, sour grapes that were absolutely unusable.
Sometimes we do everything possible to see our goals accomplished and our efforts rewarded only to find that it appears to have been wasted. I find it so interesting to remember the story of Adam and Eve. If we honestly look at the story, there would be no logical reason that Adam would choose to sin. After all, he had no sin around him to tempt him. He walked and talked with God in the evenings. We could say that he had the best of both friends and circumstances, yet he chose to sin in that perfect environment. God did everything that He possibly could to see that Adam walked in His ways and did right, but ultimately those efforts were not rewarded. Even in looking at the whole scheme of salvation offered to mankind, far more people reject God’s perfect offer of salvation than those who take him up on it.
Painful disappointments come into our lives and the tendency is to look inward and see what we did wrong or how we could have done better. I think that introspection is fine. I think it is good to discern the faults that we have and to work on eliminating them. I think that often disappointments do come because of mistakes and shortcomings that we have in our lives. However, I think it is also important to remember that even God in all His perfection experiences disappointment. He puts effort and the best that he can in hopes of seeing the results that he wants, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. Sometimes He gets just the opposite of what He was working toward. Because God allows man to have a will, sometimes God is disappointed.
Perhaps this is why God is careful to remind us that while man tends to look on the outside at what he can see, God always looks at the heart. He looks at the motives, and at the intentions. God looks at our efforts and what we hoped for and holds us accountable based on these. God doesn’t necessarily look at the end result and say that what we see is what we get. No, God looks far deeper. He looks at the effort we put into it. He looks at the desires and hopes that we had for success. He looks at the reasons why we did it in the first place and knows that the end doesn’t really matter. I have a quote by Mother Teresa that is hanging right beside my bed as a reminder that I need quite often.
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough.
Give the best you've got anyway.
You see,
in the final analysis it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.
We continue to experience disappointment when we allow ourselves to think that what we do is between ourselves and others. Sometimes when things don’t happen as we hope, we despair. However, we can experience hope when we realize that all we do is really between us and God. All of our efforts and hopes and the motives that we have don’t really have to look good to others in the long run. All that they have to look good for is God. People will always misunderstand us and misjudge us, and sometimes that is our own fault. However, in the long run, God looks at our heart and knows that it was ultimately between just us and Him and any disappointment we have has to be based on what eternity will reveal-- and we may not know that for a long time if ever.
Do what you do today for God and hope for the best. If you reap disappointments, just remember that those disappointments are temporary. Disappointments are often just the tip of the iceberg that we are seeing when God sees the whole iceberg of an eternity of results that please him. In the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Got Flies...In Your Medicine?
Got flies...In your Medicine? There is an interesting verse in Ecclesiastes that talks about flies being found in medicine. “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” Ecclesaistes 10:11. What does it mean to find flies in ointment or medicine?
Sometimes we really rely on medicine. As a matter of fact, I have medicine in my house that may save a life if given within just a few minutes of an incident. Maybe some of you carry a life- saving medicine with you in case your child comes across a serious allergen or suffers a seizure. That medicine is vitally important to you because without it, you or someone you love may die.
However, if you were to open the medicine and find it had flies in it right when you needed it most, you would have to make a quick decision...use it in spite of the flies and try to work around them, or throw it away and take your chances.
If we are truly Christians--that is, we are truly Christ-like and true followers of Him--we have the medicine that those around us need to live. We possess the ability to dispense the life-giving medicine of the Gospel that we also once received. However, sometimes when people come to us for that medicine in hopes that they will be freed from their own injuries and sickness, they realize in despair that the medicine has flies in it...nasty, sticking flies are in the medicine that they hoped would solve their problems.
What are the flies that ruin the medicine? Well, I’m sure that we could sit here all day, and think of the flies that turn people away from the very thing that would help them most. After all, flies don’t necessarily lessen the medicine’s potency, they just make it less desirable.
Recently, I was in a situation where I was trying to dispense medicine to a needy person. This person had big problems in their life, and I was trying to share the medicine that so radically changed my life. I felt sure that what I had to share could also change the life of the person that had come to me. I knew that the problems that this person was experiencing could be eliminated if they were just to take the medicine. I knew that God had an answer for them if they would just trust in Him and walk in His ways.
Imagine my shock, however, when I realized that my patient wasn’t interested in the medicine. They were not interested in the medicine because when they got there to take it, they saw a bunch of floating flies in the medicine, and it turned them off. The painful thing about it was that they never were opposed to taking the medicine, they just couldn’t get past the flies floating on the top.
The flies floating on the top of the medicine of the Gospel that we have to offer to others is when we fail to line up to the stringent requirements that are required of those who dispense medicine. Especially when we have petty squabbles with others who are also prescribing medicine, it makes those flies float to the surface and turn away the patients who would have taken it.
While I was trying to convince my patient to take the medicine, I realized that it wasn’t going to happen simply because of the sorry example of others who had also tried to dispense. This Christian had a squabble with that one and had never made up. Two Christians engaged in struggles of personal power between families and careers and long forgotten sources for the conflict had become the flies floating on the surface of the medicine that I was trying to offer. My patient didn’t want anything to do with it.
The flies floating on the top of the medicine of the Gospel that we have to offer to others is when we fail to line up to the stringent requirements that are required of those who dispense medicine. Especially when we have petty squabbles with others who are also prescribing medicine, it makes those flies float to the surface and turn away the patients who would have taken it.
While I was trying to convince my patient to take the medicine, I realized that it wasn’t going to happen simply because of the sorry example of others who had also tried to dispense. This Christian had a squabble with that one and had never made up. Two Christians engaged in struggles of personal power between families and careers and long forgotten sources for the conflict had become the flies floating on the surface of the medicine that I was trying to offer. My patient didn’t want anything to do with it.
Sure, I could point out that true Christians don’t act that way. True Christians always use 100% of their effort to try to get along with those around them. True Christians can shake the hand of anyone in the church and truly mean it. True Christians can invite anyone into their home and have an enjoyable evening. Sure, there will always be personality conflicts and those we prefer not to be around too long, but true Christians don’t hold on to hurts and grievances. True Christians go to others and try to work things out instead of holding out grudges that end up lasting for years. True Christians don’t pass on slights to their children so that the younger generation carries on their own little power struggles. True Christians can look others in the eye and say, “I am sorry, and will you please forgive me?” As those that are around me know, because I have to say it fairly often... true Christians may often say, “I was wrong, and I am so sorry.” They may often have to say, “I spoke too quickly or my words were insensitive.” They also can say, “I know we have differences, but is there any way possible that we could work it out.” True Christians can sit beside anyone on a church pew and share a hymnal, work together on a project, and clap when the other person’s child does better than their own. True Christians carry no sense of competition with another person or their family. They concentrate on perfecting their own weaknesses and ignoring the weaknesses of others. True Christians are glad when someone else’s successes (or the successes of their children) are better than their own, and they sincerely congratulate them, and teach their children to do so also. In short, true Christians truly act like Jesus. When we fail to measure up to these requirements for those who dispense God’s pure medicine, we become flies in the ointment and instead of offering life, it stinks!
My prayer is that I will not only be one that can dispense God’s life giving medicine without turning people away, but that the way I live will not bring flies to the surface. I pray that when I mess up, I will have the backbone and grace to admit it and do anything possible to correct the situation. God expects a lot from those of us who want to share His life giving solutions with others. Let’s make sure that our medicine has the sweet smell of Jesus so people will be eager to take our medicine!
My prayer is that I will not only be one that can dispense God’s life giving medicine without turning people away, but that the way I live will not bring flies to the surface. I pray that when I mess up, I will have the backbone and grace to admit it and do anything possible to correct the situation. God expects a lot from those of us who want to share His life giving solutions with others. Let’s make sure that our medicine has the sweet smell of Jesus so people will be eager to take our medicine!
Friday, January 16, 2015
The Power of Influence--Actions Speak Louder than Words!
The power of influence...a mighty force that we have every day but so often fail to use! We can influence people forever by simply taking the time to invest in their lives whether it be through a kind word, a thoughtful act, or a note or email sent at just the right time.
When we think of those who have greatly influenced our lives, we often look at the great scope of what they did while failing to remember that usually it was just an accumulation of little things-- times that they expressed interest in our lives or passed on a form of affirmation or encouragement.
Two great people in my life have recently passed on and their influence has been brought sharply back into focus--G.R. French and Dr. Connie Palm. Dr. Palm was one of the greatest teachers that I ever had, but while her teaching continues to follow me, and I very frequently put into practice the things that she taught me, what has continued to impact my life even more were the words and actions that I remember to this day almost 25 years later. I remember the times that she stepped outside of her educational role as a teacher and took an interest in my personal life, the struggles I was facing, and encouraging me to become all that God wanted me to be.G.R. French on the other hand, I also remember for those great principles and life lessons that he taught us. When it comes to seeing the needs of the world around us, I know of few people who taught me more of a passion for reaching people than he did simply by his passion for people that was contagious.
However, even though these things that he passed on were a major influence in my life, what influenced me even more was the time that he took to spend with us and invest in our personal lives. He was one of the busiest people that I knew at the time, yet he took weeks to invite us into his office and talk with us, counsel us, and laugh and pray with us. Sometimes in his busy schedule we were invited to his home or to be involved in some project that he was working on. It was like as he went through life, he just naturally included those around him without even having to think about it. How many times after church was dismissed did I see him get up from his seat, begin walking around and eventually head our way and just simply ask, “How are things going?” His life showed a genuine interest in others, and because we knew this great man was genuinely interested in us, he influenced us to follow the life he was living.
Perhaps we often try to influence those around us through words and coerce them into following us when simple actions would attract far better. Not only that but perhaps remembering that people remember actions better than words and remember life lessons taught through deeds of example rather than sermons of thoughts. I remember two examples from G.R. French’s life that taught me far more by seeing him teach rather than hearing him teach.
Very often when he would be walking across campus, he would bend over and pick up some piece of litter and later dispose of it. While he walked to one of the highest offices around, he would simply live a life of humility all the way there. Another example that he taught me was how to express genuine interest in other people. So often we are interested in the lives of others, but we fail to demonstrate it because we do not know how. Rather than simply ending a conversation after a simple exchange of pleasantries and how are you doing?, he would ask a few questions. We always knew that he was busy and wasn’t likely to stay around long, but he always managed to ask a few questions that demonstrated that he was keeping up with our lives. “How are your parents doing?” “What’s new in your job or ministry now?” I remember once after we had moved away from Hobe Sound, we came back to visit and got rooms in one of the building that had long since needed to be remodeled. We had been there several days when he saw us on the campus. In his typical way, he asked a few questions about our lives, and then asked where we were staying. When we told him, he immediately said, “O, you can’t stay there! That place needs fixed up better before you should stay there.” He immediately insisted that we move all our things and children to his home for the remainder of our time there. He would not accept no for an answer, and before we knew it, we were on our way to his home for the remainder of our time there.
The power of influence...so often we think it is in sermons or lectures or lessons that we have to teach when all the while it is often in simple everyday gestures and actions that simply express an interest in the lives of others around us. It would do each one of us a lot of good to remember that people become like those they admire rather than those who simply attempt to change through speaking, and live lives that reflect that principle. Actions do speak louder than words.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
The things we make time for are the things we become.
As we get ready to go into another year, I look back and have some regrets for some of the goals I set that I did not accomplish. However, I also look with satisfaction not only the goals that I was able to accomplish, but the ones that I only made progress on.
I have found that if I set goals, I will usually make some progress toward those goals even if I do not fully complete them. The tendency at the end of the year is to look at goals as either completed or not. However, I know that if I had not set goals at all because of the excuse that I probably would not complete them, I would have done nothing toward them. Because I set goals, though, I made some progress and some progress is better than none!
Once again, I am planning my new year and setting goals. One key thought keeps coming back to my mind as I set goals and begin working on them. (I usually set my goals at the end of December and begin working on them so that I have a head start on the New Year rather than starting on the 1st.) "There is always time for the thing you do, FIRST."
I have some things that I want to accomplish in my life, and the only way that I can get them accomplished is to discipline myself to create the time to do them. For me, this involves getting up early. In order to not float with the "mediocre majority" and accomplish what I feel God wants me to do in life, I have to get up early and get started. Once I get up, I have to carefully remember that I will always have time for the things that I choose to do first. Therefore, I prioritize my day around doing those things first that I really want to get done, and leaving the other things for another time if necessary. For example, today after my quiet time, I am spending time writing and then working out, before anything or anyone else can place demands on my day. If the baby wakes up in an hour, that's okay, (but not preferred:) because I already have done the most important things that I need to do for the day.
Recently I read the book, "The Miracle Morning," and it gave me so much more inspiration for using this New Year wisely. I encourage you to buy the Kindle version and read it for yourself. It talks about how one chooses to be part of the "mediocre majority" or makes the choices that are painful but necessary to excel in life. One quote that I already posted on my Facebook page motivates me to accomplish those things that I really want to do. "Successful people aren't born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do. The successful people don't always like doing these things themselves; they just get on and to them." Don Marquis.
This quote really impressed me because we tend to use excuses when we see others living how we would really like to be living. "I wish I could do that or be that." In reality, in the majority of cases, we really could, we just don't want to badly enough. Those who are doing the things that we would really like to be doing almost always weren't born that way. They just simply made the hard choices to make habits that led to a lifestyle that we sit and envy and convince ourselves that we are not made to have.
This new year is an opportunity to realize the accomplishments that have only been dreams in our mind. The only way to accomplish them, however, is to go through the pain of getting there. I am finding out, however, that if I really want something, I can always make time to do it, especially if I do it first!
One last thought on accomplishing the things that you feel would please the Lord this year. Find a way to motivate yourself to keep on task. For example, I enjoy giving, but Rick normally does this for our household. He writes the checks although we talk often together about who we want to give to, and how much. Recently I decided that since I enjoy giving so much, I could use this as a motivation to accomplish the goals that I really want to see done this year. Now, I have a set amount for each day that I can personally give to the cause of my choice. If I meet my goal for the day, I get to set aside that amount, and at the end of the month, I get to write the check for the mission that I have chosen to give to that month. This way, when I'm thinking about being lazy and choosing to do less than what I have already decided it would be best for me to do, I know that someone else is going to hurt. They may not know it, but I will, and it motivates me to get myself in motion.
Don't be afraid to set goals! It's better to be moving slowly on the right track than to not even be on the right track. God can work through those who are already working! Blessings on your new year!
I have found that if I set goals, I will usually make some progress toward those goals even if I do not fully complete them. The tendency at the end of the year is to look at goals as either completed or not. However, I know that if I had not set goals at all because of the excuse that I probably would not complete them, I would have done nothing toward them. Because I set goals, though, I made some progress and some progress is better than none!
Once again, I am planning my new year and setting goals. One key thought keeps coming back to my mind as I set goals and begin working on them. (I usually set my goals at the end of December and begin working on them so that I have a head start on the New Year rather than starting on the 1st.) "There is always time for the thing you do, FIRST."
I have some things that I want to accomplish in my life, and the only way that I can get them accomplished is to discipline myself to create the time to do them. For me, this involves getting up early. In order to not float with the "mediocre majority" and accomplish what I feel God wants me to do in life, I have to get up early and get started. Once I get up, I have to carefully remember that I will always have time for the things that I choose to do first. Therefore, I prioritize my day around doing those things first that I really want to get done, and leaving the other things for another time if necessary. For example, today after my quiet time, I am spending time writing and then working out, before anything or anyone else can place demands on my day. If the baby wakes up in an hour, that's okay, (but not preferred:) because I already have done the most important things that I need to do for the day.
Recently I read the book, "The Miracle Morning," and it gave me so much more inspiration for using this New Year wisely. I encourage you to buy the Kindle version and read it for yourself. It talks about how one chooses to be part of the "mediocre majority" or makes the choices that are painful but necessary to excel in life. One quote that I already posted on my Facebook page motivates me to accomplish those things that I really want to do. "Successful people aren't born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do. The successful people don't always like doing these things themselves; they just get on and to them." Don Marquis.
This quote really impressed me because we tend to use excuses when we see others living how we would really like to be living. "I wish I could do that or be that." In reality, in the majority of cases, we really could, we just don't want to badly enough. Those who are doing the things that we would really like to be doing almost always weren't born that way. They just simply made the hard choices to make habits that led to a lifestyle that we sit and envy and convince ourselves that we are not made to have.
This new year is an opportunity to realize the accomplishments that have only been dreams in our mind. The only way to accomplish them, however, is to go through the pain of getting there. I am finding out, however, that if I really want something, I can always make time to do it, especially if I do it first!
One last thought on accomplishing the things that you feel would please the Lord this year. Find a way to motivate yourself to keep on task. For example, I enjoy giving, but Rick normally does this for our household. He writes the checks although we talk often together about who we want to give to, and how much. Recently I decided that since I enjoy giving so much, I could use this as a motivation to accomplish the goals that I really want to see done this year. Now, I have a set amount for each day that I can personally give to the cause of my choice. If I meet my goal for the day, I get to set aside that amount, and at the end of the month, I get to write the check for the mission that I have chosen to give to that month. This way, when I'm thinking about being lazy and choosing to do less than what I have already decided it would be best for me to do, I know that someone else is going to hurt. They may not know it, but I will, and it motivates me to get myself in motion.
Don't be afraid to set goals! It's better to be moving slowly on the right track than to not even be on the right track. God can work through those who are already working! Blessings on your new year!
Monday, December 29, 2014
God Cares About Me (And my Maple Syrup)
Sometimes God works in mysterious ways just to make us smile! Just as we sometimes like to give gifts to our children just to see them smile, God must also enjoy arranging the details of our lives in ways to make us smile.
Recently, I was speaking at a ladies retreat near Calgary, Alberta. After a long weekend, I really wanted to bring home a gift to my family for them having to do without me for so long! I hadn't had time to get out and shop, and as I was in the hotel the last evening, I knew my wish to go souvenir shopping the next morning was not going to happen as I had to get to the airport early.
I decided to take an early shuttle to the airport in hopes that I could find some things to take home at the little shops in the terminal. As I wondered around, I just prayed a simple prayer that God would help me find something meaningful to take home to the children. Several things caught my eye for various children, but I knew I didn't have time to do individual shopping. I needed to find a gift for the entire family.
Not long after my prayer, I spotted a large container of 100% maple syrup in a beautiful, glass
Canadian Maple leaf. I knew then that it was the perfect gift. We have a tradition of a large Christmas morning breakfast, and this would be the best gift I could find.
Because this was a duty free shop and beyond airport security, all items purchased there were allowed on the plane. I carefully packaged it and placed it in my carry on luggage and happily went on my way.
What neither I nor the helpful cashier knew was that while it was legal to take the syrup on the plane and while the cashier had dutifully stamped my receipt to show that it was a "safe" liquid to transport, when I got to Newark, there was going to be a problem...
When I got to Newark, I knew I didn't have a lot of time to spare to get to my next flight so I quickly started heading toward my next gate, but every time I headed where the signs pointed, I saw that I was going to have to leave the secure area and I didn't want to have to go through the long lines of security again. I finally asked and was told that, yes, I would have to leave the gate I was at, go out into the airport, and wait in line again in security and go through the whole thing again to get to my new gate.
I finally arrived and went through all the details of taking shoes off, taking the laptop out, removing my coat, etc when the TSA lady told me that she was going to have to search my briefcase more. I nonchalantly agreed knowing that there wasn't anything in there that was going to slow me down and keep me from getting to my gate on time.
She kept looking through my bag until she finally pulled out my carefully wrapped bottle of maple syrup. She said, "You can't take this. This is a liquid, and we don't allow liquids on the plane." I patiently (maybe) told her that I had bought it at a duty free store and had the appropriate documentation to show her. She wouldn't back down. "Oh, no," she said, "They had to put this in a special sealed bag in order for you to take it on the plane. " We went back and forth a few times with me making the point that, after all, I had already traveled across most of the U.S. with my maple syrup securely wrapped in my briefcase and no one had stopped me yet. I wasn't about to give in and leave my maple syrup to be eaten by some airport security agent!
She told me that my options were to leave the syrup or walk all the way back to United Airlines and ship it. That was bordering on the ridiculous since not only did I not want to pay to ship my maple syrup, but I did not have time to go all the way back to ship it. Finally, I just told her to keep it because I didn't have time to go back. She looked at her watch and realized that I couldn't go back and get my flight, and I pictured in my mind sadly returning home with the one gift that I wanted to bring home for Christmas day to my family.
As soon as I had resigned myself to leaving it, the agent said, "If you want to go back to ship it, I'll put you at the front of the line in security again." Well, I knew I still wouldn't have time to find my way across the big airport and make it back in time, so I told her that I didn't have time. She paused and looked at me again and said, "If you want this maple syrup, I will go with you and help you to get this maple syrup."
Now, I don't have a very high regard for TSA agents in general as most of the time, it appears they are just out to ruin my day and make things difficult. However, this short lady was making me a kind offer that I was finding hard to refuse. After all, she was offering to leave her place at the scanners, take me back through the airport and help me get my maple syrup! I said, "Ok, let's do it."
She grabbed my heavy bag and started heading through the airport. I tried to keep up with her as she took off through the areas so familiar to her. After all, I didn't want to lose track of her as she had my maple syrup, my bag, my passport, my computer AND my maple syrup!
We quickly arrived at the United counter and she went right up and began talking to the agent and asked if they could help me out. The agent wasn't in quite as generous of a mood to see me take my maple syrup and said that no, I would have to pay $25-30 to ship the syrup. That seemed absurd to me because if it had been in a special sealed bag, they would have carried it for free for me on board the plane, but because the cashier in Canada had failed to do her job and had actually lightened their load by about 3 ounces (the weight of the bag), I would have to pay this fee to put it in the cargo area of the plane. I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't be moved. I would have to pay. Finally I said one last time, "You wouldn't even let me put it in my bag if I smiled nice at you?" She didn't see the humor in my question, but she said that she would! I gave her a quick smile and stuffed it in my bag. The TSA agent was telling me that we had to hurry so I left the bag with her and started quickly trying to follow her through the crowd.
After a moment, we got to a security gate and she went toward the front just as she told me she would, but the man in charge said, "We're closed for the night here." Then my angel TSA agent turned to me and said, "We're not going to make it in time then because we have to go clear across to another gate." We started to turn around then, and I knew I might have to resign myself to missing my flight, when it looked like she had a sudden burst of inspiration. She suddenly headed toward one of those doors that I'm always afraid one of my kids will accidentally push on and open. It was the entrance to the secured area of the airport where "normal" people are never allowed. A guard was standing outside of it. She approached the man and said, "May I go through here." He said, "You're the TSA. You can do whatever you want." She didn't ask again. She barged right through the door, and I found myself deep in the bowels of the airport where people like me are never supposed to be. She said, "This is a short cut, and we'll come out right where we need to be." This time I made sure I stayed close to her because I didn't want to end up in a prison cell somewhere trying to explain how I got into that part of the airport!
Soon we opened a door, and there we were at another security gate. She approached the agent at the front, and he said the same thing as the last guy, "We just closed here." She decided that she was the TSA again and could do what she wanted so she said, "Well, we're going to do one more bag..." and she plopped my bag right down in front of him. He didn't argue so I figured that she must have had more badges on her uniform than him, so he started processing my stuff all over again. As soon as she saw that I was going to make it through the gate, she walked off, and I never saw her again. Quickly I gathered my things together, got to the gate and had about three minutes to spare before boarding.
As I sat down in the plane, I was smiling, and I felt that God was smiling too. He loves to give good gifts to His children! An added benefit was that I didn't have to worry about crashing on the last leg of that flight, as I felt pretty sure that God wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to get my maple syrup on the plane just to see it crash to the ground!
Christmas morning came and went, and as I poured that maple syrup, not only was it delicious, but it had a story to tell--a story of how God can use the most unlikely of people and circumstances to work out good in our lives. Now, whenever I see the beautiful glass leaf, I can remember God's faithfulness and love toward me. God truly cares for us and sometimes goes the extra mile just to let us know!
Recently, I was speaking at a ladies retreat near Calgary, Alberta. After a long weekend, I really wanted to bring home a gift to my family for them having to do without me for so long! I hadn't had time to get out and shop, and as I was in the hotel the last evening, I knew my wish to go souvenir shopping the next morning was not going to happen as I had to get to the airport early.
I decided to take an early shuttle to the airport in hopes that I could find some things to take home at the little shops in the terminal. As I wondered around, I just prayed a simple prayer that God would help me find something meaningful to take home to the children. Several things caught my eye for various children, but I knew I didn't have time to do individual shopping. I needed to find a gift for the entire family.
Not long after my prayer, I spotted a large container of 100% maple syrup in a beautiful, glass
Because this was a duty free shop and beyond airport security, all items purchased there were allowed on the plane. I carefully packaged it and placed it in my carry on luggage and happily went on my way.
What neither I nor the helpful cashier knew was that while it was legal to take the syrup on the plane and while the cashier had dutifully stamped my receipt to show that it was a "safe" liquid to transport, when I got to Newark, there was going to be a problem...
When I got to Newark, I knew I didn't have a lot of time to spare to get to my next flight so I quickly started heading toward my next gate, but every time I headed where the signs pointed, I saw that I was going to have to leave the secure area and I didn't want to have to go through the long lines of security again. I finally asked and was told that, yes, I would have to leave the gate I was at, go out into the airport, and wait in line again in security and go through the whole thing again to get to my new gate.
I finally arrived and went through all the details of taking shoes off, taking the laptop out, removing my coat, etc when the TSA lady told me that she was going to have to search my briefcase more. I nonchalantly agreed knowing that there wasn't anything in there that was going to slow me down and keep me from getting to my gate on time.
She kept looking through my bag until she finally pulled out my carefully wrapped bottle of maple syrup. She said, "You can't take this. This is a liquid, and we don't allow liquids on the plane." I patiently (maybe) told her that I had bought it at a duty free store and had the appropriate documentation to show her. She wouldn't back down. "Oh, no," she said, "They had to put this in a special sealed bag in order for you to take it on the plane. " We went back and forth a few times with me making the point that, after all, I had already traveled across most of the U.S. with my maple syrup securely wrapped in my briefcase and no one had stopped me yet. I wasn't about to give in and leave my maple syrup to be eaten by some airport security agent!
She told me that my options were to leave the syrup or walk all the way back to United Airlines and ship it. That was bordering on the ridiculous since not only did I not want to pay to ship my maple syrup, but I did not have time to go all the way back to ship it. Finally, I just told her to keep it because I didn't have time to go back. She looked at her watch and realized that I couldn't go back and get my flight, and I pictured in my mind sadly returning home with the one gift that I wanted to bring home for Christmas day to my family.
As soon as I had resigned myself to leaving it, the agent said, "If you want to go back to ship it, I'll put you at the front of the line in security again." Well, I knew I still wouldn't have time to find my way across the big airport and make it back in time, so I told her that I didn't have time. She paused and looked at me again and said, "If you want this maple syrup, I will go with you and help you to get this maple syrup."
Now, I don't have a very high regard for TSA agents in general as most of the time, it appears they are just out to ruin my day and make things difficult. However, this short lady was making me a kind offer that I was finding hard to refuse. After all, she was offering to leave her place at the scanners, take me back through the airport and help me get my maple syrup! I said, "Ok, let's do it."
She grabbed my heavy bag and started heading through the airport. I tried to keep up with her as she took off through the areas so familiar to her. After all, I didn't want to lose track of her as she had my maple syrup, my bag, my passport, my computer AND my maple syrup!
We quickly arrived at the United counter and she went right up and began talking to the agent and asked if they could help me out. The agent wasn't in quite as generous of a mood to see me take my maple syrup and said that no, I would have to pay $25-30 to ship the syrup. That seemed absurd to me because if it had been in a special sealed bag, they would have carried it for free for me on board the plane, but because the cashier in Canada had failed to do her job and had actually lightened their load by about 3 ounces (the weight of the bag), I would have to pay this fee to put it in the cargo area of the plane. I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't be moved. I would have to pay. Finally I said one last time, "You wouldn't even let me put it in my bag if I smiled nice at you?" She didn't see the humor in my question, but she said that she would! I gave her a quick smile and stuffed it in my bag. The TSA agent was telling me that we had to hurry so I left the bag with her and started quickly trying to follow her through the crowd.
After a moment, we got to a security gate and she went toward the front just as she told me she would, but the man in charge said, "We're closed for the night here." Then my angel TSA agent turned to me and said, "We're not going to make it in time then because we have to go clear across to another gate." We started to turn around then, and I knew I might have to resign myself to missing my flight, when it looked like she had a sudden burst of inspiration. She suddenly headed toward one of those doors that I'm always afraid one of my kids will accidentally push on and open. It was the entrance to the secured area of the airport where "normal" people are never allowed. A guard was standing outside of it. She approached the man and said, "May I go through here." He said, "You're the TSA. You can do whatever you want." She didn't ask again. She barged right through the door, and I found myself deep in the bowels of the airport where people like me are never supposed to be. She said, "This is a short cut, and we'll come out right where we need to be." This time I made sure I stayed close to her because I didn't want to end up in a prison cell somewhere trying to explain how I got into that part of the airport!
Soon we opened a door, and there we were at another security gate. She approached the agent at the front, and he said the same thing as the last guy, "We just closed here." She decided that she was the TSA again and could do what she wanted so she said, "Well, we're going to do one more bag..." and she plopped my bag right down in front of him. He didn't argue so I figured that she must have had more badges on her uniform than him, so he started processing my stuff all over again. As soon as she saw that I was going to make it through the gate, she walked off, and I never saw her again. Quickly I gathered my things together, got to the gate and had about three minutes to spare before boarding.
As I sat down in the plane, I was smiling, and I felt that God was smiling too. He loves to give good gifts to His children! An added benefit was that I didn't have to worry about crashing on the last leg of that flight, as I felt pretty sure that God wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to get my maple syrup on the plane just to see it crash to the ground!
Christmas morning came and went, and as I poured that maple syrup, not only was it delicious, but it had a story to tell--a story of how God can use the most unlikely of people and circumstances to work out good in our lives. Now, whenever I see the beautiful glass leaf, I can remember God's faithfulness and love toward me. God truly cares for us and sometimes goes the extra mile just to let us know!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Putting God first by planning ahead
This morning as I was working, my four year old came in singing the little song, "Seek ye first." I love to hear her sing and the words got me to thinking about how we can really make God first in our lives. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you..."
It's easy to say that we want to put God first, but in everyday practice, it's easier to see Him slip to second or even third place. Putting God first requires thoughtful planning ahead. If I want to put Him first each day, I have to start the evening before by getting to bed on time so that I can get up and spend time with Him.
Sometimes we make excuses about how we didn't have time for prayer or Bible reading in the morning, but the truth is that we always have time for the thing we do FIRST! Of course, I know from much experience that there will always be unexpected things that come up that can legitimately distract us, but as a regular pattern, seeking God first in the morning requires that we plan for that the night before.
If I want to seek God first in any area of my life, it always requires planning ahead. For me to put God first on Wednesday evenings when our church has Bible study, requires my planning on Wednesday morning so that the meal will be ready on time in the evening and things run smoothly so that we get there on time (and hopefully with a smile on my face and in my heart). If I want to honor God on Sundays, I have to plan ahead on Saturday so that clothing is ready, food is prepared and everything is set to go.
It looks a little suspicious when we can get to most events and get there on time, but when it is time to spend time with God whether it is our own personal devotions or in corporate worship, we always have excuses for why we couldn't do it or why we couldn't get there on time. The fact of the matter is that those events we get to on time were a priority, and those that we don't get to on time or not at all were just not prioritized. Often we salve our conscience by searching for some half -way legitimate sounding excuse, but if we were really to be honest, our hearts would tell us that we just hadn't made it a priority. If we were even more honest, our hearts might even tell us why we didn't make it a priority!
It sounds like a lot of work at first glance, but for me it is a way of conveying my love to God. I show God that I love Him by getting to bed on time so that we can have our visit in the morning. It shows Him that I value what He values by arranging my schedule so that I can put His things first. After all, when one falls in love with another, they don't mind arranging their schedule and planning their day around an appointment with the one that they love! Why should we offer anything less to the One that we are supposed to love with all our heart?
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God" is more than just words we have grown accustomed to saying and not applying in everyday life. It's a way of daily expressing our love to Christ by letting Him know that He is worth planning our day around. Somehow I think it expresses our true love for Him far more than just words that don't add up to actions. If we truly want to seek Him first, we have to let all other priorities fall in line behind the priority of actively seeking Him.
It's easy to say that we want to put God first, but in everyday practice, it's easier to see Him slip to second or even third place. Putting God first requires thoughtful planning ahead. If I want to put Him first each day, I have to start the evening before by getting to bed on time so that I can get up and spend time with Him.
Sometimes we make excuses about how we didn't have time for prayer or Bible reading in the morning, but the truth is that we always have time for the thing we do FIRST! Of course, I know from much experience that there will always be unexpected things that come up that can legitimately distract us, but as a regular pattern, seeking God first in the morning requires that we plan for that the night before.
If I want to seek God first in any area of my life, it always requires planning ahead. For me to put God first on Wednesday evenings when our church has Bible study, requires my planning on Wednesday morning so that the meal will be ready on time in the evening and things run smoothly so that we get there on time (and hopefully with a smile on my face and in my heart). If I want to honor God on Sundays, I have to plan ahead on Saturday so that clothing is ready, food is prepared and everything is set to go.
It looks a little suspicious when we can get to most events and get there on time, but when it is time to spend time with God whether it is our own personal devotions or in corporate worship, we always have excuses for why we couldn't do it or why we couldn't get there on time. The fact of the matter is that those events we get to on time were a priority, and those that we don't get to on time or not at all were just not prioritized. Often we salve our conscience by searching for some half -way legitimate sounding excuse, but if we were really to be honest, our hearts would tell us that we just hadn't made it a priority. If we were even more honest, our hearts might even tell us why we didn't make it a priority!
It sounds like a lot of work at first glance, but for me it is a way of conveying my love to God. I show God that I love Him by getting to bed on time so that we can have our visit in the morning. It shows Him that I value what He values by arranging my schedule so that I can put His things first. After all, when one falls in love with another, they don't mind arranging their schedule and planning their day around an appointment with the one that they love! Why should we offer anything less to the One that we are supposed to love with all our heart?
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God" is more than just words we have grown accustomed to saying and not applying in everyday life. It's a way of daily expressing our love to Christ by letting Him know that He is worth planning our day around. Somehow I think it expresses our true love for Him far more than just words that don't add up to actions. If we truly want to seek Him first, we have to let all other priorities fall in line behind the priority of actively seeking Him.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Make Ahead Egg Muffin Sandwiches
Looking for an easy way to make breakfast ahead of time? Look no longer! These sandwiches are easy to make and heat up.
Ingredients:
English muffins
Eggs
Sliced Cheese
Meat if desired
Salt and Pepper
Jumbo Muffin pans--normal cupcake pans do not work as they end up too small
Procedure
Toast muffins in the broiler.
Spray jumbo muffin pans with spray oil
Place one egg in each muffin holder and gently prick with a fork to allow the yolk to spread a little.
Salt and pepper eggs
Bake at 375 until eggs are set.
Place eggs on toasted english muffins and top with a slice of cheese.
Wrap with aluminum foil if reheating in the oven. (large quantities)
Wrap with plastic wrap if reheating individually in the microwave.
Place them back in the muffin bag they came in, label, and freeze.
Place them back in the muffin bag they came in, label, and freeze.
If reheating in the oven, I like to turn the oven on the lowest setting of about 170 degrees a while before I'm ready to serve. Then, whenever I get around to it, they are ready. If I get distracted, they just keep warm rather than burning:)
Tips for making large batches.
Start with toasting all the muffins and set aside in proper pairs.
Start your first batch of eggs baking.
While eggs are baking, tear off appropriate-sized aluminum foil sheets and place in a line on counter.
Go ahead and place english muffins in the center of each aluminum foil sheet.
Place cheese slices on muffins.
When eggs are finished, place on muffins and start the next batch. If you have a couple of pans, you can easily make a large batch of these. Wrap them in the foil, place them back in the muffin bag they came in, label them and relax for breakfast!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Living a Significant Life
I've been to a several funerals in the last few years, but one funeral gave me a lot to think about. Generally, when I go to a funeral, grief is evident everywhere while treasured memories of the deceased are shared among family and friends.
At this funeral, however, the one feeling that I carried with me as I left the church was that it appeared that
almost no one was sorry or sad. I saw very few tears and really, the whole occasion just seemed to be an effort at how quickly everyone could get done with the event and go home.
I knew the deceased, and I knew that he was not "bad" in the sense that everyone was left with bad or abusive memories. Rather, although he was quite successful in many business areas of life, he had apparently not been a significant person in the lives of those around him. While he had left an inheritance of money and possessions, he had apparently not left a lifetime of relationship memories. Somehow he had failed to be significant in the lives of those around him while still being successful in the business world.
He had long since retired so very few if any of his business associates attended his funeral. Rather, it was his close family and friends, and of those who attended, it seemed to be apparent that his life had not centered around them.
I don't like to cause people grief, but I do want people to be sad at my funeral. I want them to feel they have suffered a great loss. I want them to be joyful because I have gone to heaven, but I want to be such a significant person in many people's lives that there is great sorrow when I'm gone. I want to be a friend and a mother or a daughter or sister that is missed, because it is a tragedy--even a wasted life--if at the end of life, no one is sorry or there is no loss felt. What is a life for if when it is done, no one cares if you are gone?
Being significant comes from everyday choices--choices to be involved in the lives of others rather than spend time on myself. It comes from giving up what I want to do to be with others and do what they want to do. It comes from spending less time, energy and money on things, and more on people. It comes from the example of Jesus who gave up his whole life to invest in the lives of others and brought significance to the world through his life. I pray that God will help me live my life so that many will feel they have lost someone very significant when I'm gone!
At this funeral, however, the one feeling that I carried with me as I left the church was that it appeared that
I knew the deceased, and I knew that he was not "bad" in the sense that everyone was left with bad or abusive memories. Rather, although he was quite successful in many business areas of life, he had apparently not been a significant person in the lives of those around him. While he had left an inheritance of money and possessions, he had apparently not left a lifetime of relationship memories. Somehow he had failed to be significant in the lives of those around him while still being successful in the business world.
He had long since retired so very few if any of his business associates attended his funeral. Rather, it was his close family and friends, and of those who attended, it seemed to be apparent that his life had not centered around them.
I don't like to cause people grief, but I do want people to be sad at my funeral. I want them to feel they have suffered a great loss. I want them to be joyful because I have gone to heaven, but I want to be such a significant person in many people's lives that there is great sorrow when I'm gone. I want to be a friend and a mother or a daughter or sister that is missed, because it is a tragedy--even a wasted life--if at the end of life, no one is sorry or there is no loss felt. What is a life for if when it is done, no one cares if you are gone?
Being significant comes from everyday choices--choices to be involved in the lives of others rather than spend time on myself. It comes from giving up what I want to do to be with others and do what they want to do. It comes from spending less time, energy and money on things, and more on people. It comes from the example of Jesus who gave up his whole life to invest in the lives of others and brought significance to the world through his life. I pray that God will help me live my life so that many will feel they have lost someone very significant when I'm gone!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
If you are looking for a fun recipe for a picnic or camp out or even a church event, try this homemade ice cream in a bag.
Place ice cream mix in a sandwich sized ziploc bag. Then place filled bag into a larger quart sized bag and surround with ice and3/4 Cup salt. Seal both bags securely and shake for about 5 minutes. Your ice cream will solidify as you shake it. Enjoy!
Ice Cream Mix
Combine and mix well
1 Cup Whole Milk
2-3 Tbls Evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 Cup sugar
Strawberries or other fruit
Serves one
For making large quantities, use this recipe. Serves 80
4 Gallon Whole Milk
4 cans evaporated milk
1 1/4 Cup vanilla
16 Cups sugar
Fruit of your choice
Plenty of salt for the ice
Monday, June 9, 2014
Remember the Bad Days--they won't last forever
This past week, I was visited by a stomach virus, and as I lay in bed, I had a few thoughts that I decided I would share especially with young mothers. Now considering that these thoughts came to me during my fight with a stomach bug, one might think that they wouldn't be unusually profound, but hopefully they will bring
some encouragement to someone today.
Recently, I read Deuteronomy chapter 8 in my devotions, and a particular truth stood out to me. Moses is giving advice and warnings to the people of Israel in chapters 6 through 8. He is also reminding them of their great journey through the wilderness and all the great things that God did for them as well as all the difficult things that He brought them through. He reminded them of the miracles that God performed for them in providing food and water and protection for them. He also reminded them of the dangers they faced as well as the difficulties they encountered. Then he encouraged them to never forget God as they continue their lives. One might even say it was family story night as they recalled their lives together.
As I lay in bed in bed trying to sleep away the sickness, my husband came in and took the baby monitor so I couldn't hear the baby when she woke up, and my older children got the younger ones dressed and took them to the park. I was able to recover fairly quickly as I had uninterrupted recovery time in my quiet room. As I lay there, I remembered that it wasn't always this way.
My mind went back to the long, often discouraging days of young motherhood. If I were to look back and find my darkest days in life, many of them would be found in those early days of motherhood. Although I have many wonderful and cherished memories of when my first children were young, I also remember the difficult days. I remember days when I struggled for weeks and months on end with an condition that took years to get properly diagnosed. During those days, I had little help. I lived far from my mother. Rick had a job that kept him away from home. On those days when I really struggled with my health, the baby still needed cared for and naps were often just not a possibility. I know from experience that little, energetic children don't slow down just because mom needs to! They don't make their own meals when mom's having a rough day, and they still need drinks every three and a half minutes it seems...
Yes, I remember those days when I enjoyed that season of life and the little ones that God graciously gave me, but the actual working out of those days in my life were often difficult and dark days because I often was weary and not feeling well.
God encourages us to remember those days as well as the good times. Why? I think He wants us to thank Him for the grace and strength that He gave during those times, but He also wants us to remember those around us who are currently going through the same challenges.
This morning, I want to encourage those of my friends who struggle--perhaps with very little help or encouragement. Things will get better. Those little ones who needed a drink every three and a half minutes will lightly tap on your door with a cold drink. The ones who couldn't fathom why you didn't want to go to the park will bless you with extra care as you recover.
This past Mother's Day, my children bought me a garden fountain which I thoroughly enjoy. It is situated outside our bedroom door where I can hear its noise as I go to sleep at night. It more than makes up for all the sleepless nights I endured, and all the naps I missed during those darker days. It's not worth it because of the beauty of the fountain, but because of their love that it reminds me of every time I see it.
If you are having a rough day, be encouraged that dark days don't last forever. In order to appreciate the light at the end of the dark tunnel, one has to be in the dark for a while. If you can always see a little ray of light while you are going through a dark tunnel, you can't appreciate the light. But if you walk in the dark for days and days trusting that someday the light will reappear, you know the joy of seeing just that one tiny spot of light. Hopefully this little post today will be a tiny ray of light for your day!
Recently, I read Deuteronomy chapter 8 in my devotions, and a particular truth stood out to me. Moses is giving advice and warnings to the people of Israel in chapters 6 through 8. He is also reminding them of their great journey through the wilderness and all the great things that God did for them as well as all the difficult things that He brought them through. He reminded them of the miracles that God performed for them in providing food and water and protection for them. He also reminded them of the dangers they faced as well as the difficulties they encountered. Then he encouraged them to never forget God as they continue their lives. One might even say it was family story night as they recalled their lives together.
As I lay in bed in bed trying to sleep away the sickness, my husband came in and took the baby monitor so I couldn't hear the baby when she woke up, and my older children got the younger ones dressed and took them to the park. I was able to recover fairly quickly as I had uninterrupted recovery time in my quiet room. As I lay there, I remembered that it wasn't always this way.
My mind went back to the long, often discouraging days of young motherhood. If I were to look back and find my darkest days in life, many of them would be found in those early days of motherhood. Although I have many wonderful and cherished memories of when my first children were young, I also remember the difficult days. I remember days when I struggled for weeks and months on end with an condition that took years to get properly diagnosed. During those days, I had little help. I lived far from my mother. Rick had a job that kept him away from home. On those days when I really struggled with my health, the baby still needed cared for and naps were often just not a possibility. I know from experience that little, energetic children don't slow down just because mom needs to! They don't make their own meals when mom's having a rough day, and they still need drinks every three and a half minutes it seems...
Yes, I remember those days when I enjoyed that season of life and the little ones that God graciously gave me, but the actual working out of those days in my life were often difficult and dark days because I often was weary and not feeling well.
God encourages us to remember those days as well as the good times. Why? I think He wants us to thank Him for the grace and strength that He gave during those times, but He also wants us to remember those around us who are currently going through the same challenges.
This morning, I want to encourage those of my friends who struggle--perhaps with very little help or encouragement. Things will get better. Those little ones who needed a drink every three and a half minutes will lightly tap on your door with a cold drink. The ones who couldn't fathom why you didn't want to go to the park will bless you with extra care as you recover.
This past Mother's Day, my children bought me a garden fountain which I thoroughly enjoy. It is situated outside our bedroom door where I can hear its noise as I go to sleep at night. It more than makes up for all the sleepless nights I endured, and all the naps I missed during those darker days. It's not worth it because of the beauty of the fountain, but because of their love that it reminds me of every time I see it.
If you are having a rough day, be encouraged that dark days don't last forever. In order to appreciate the light at the end of the dark tunnel, one has to be in the dark for a while. If you can always see a little ray of light while you are going through a dark tunnel, you can't appreciate the light. But if you walk in the dark for days and days trusting that someday the light will reappear, you know the joy of seeing just that one tiny spot of light. Hopefully this little post today will be a tiny ray of light for your day!
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