"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
This is one of those things that I think every single person could benefit from. Guarding against unwholesome talk is way harder than one would think- because think about how many times we may say something that is not a benefit to others or the situation. I noticed this yesterday even as the kids watched cartoons, and I heard one character call another stupid. Even something as simple as saying stupid can hurt someone dearly. In fact, stupid is a naughty word in our house for the kids, and they are quick to call Mommy on it- even if I'm talking about something completely random. We also don't say shut up to anyone, and of course, the plethora of cuss words- many of which I can be an ignorant mom and hope that my kids haven't heard some of them yet.
But unwholesome talk goes much farther and much deeper than a few cuss words or calling someone an idiot. Of course, there is gossip, which never is wholesome by nature, but is so hard to fight against because we have a seriously curious way about us that just naturally makes us want to know more! It's just wrong to share news or intimate details about other people. A good way to know whether or not something is gossip is to think about whether or not you would say that about that person if they were right there with you. Sometimes I think we toe the line when it comes to gossiping by covering it up with a "we should pray for..." You can be far more general in your conversation without giving away details that would be embarrassing to the other person.
I'm also thinking about unwholesome talk and simply sharing ideas. When I think back to those school days and brainstorming sessions... I think we were on to something. Remember those? You'd get in a group and come up with ideas to solve a problem- the catch was that everyone could share their ideas, and there was no such thing as a bad idea. Then together, you'd come up with the best idea and present that as a solution. It was a great team-building exercise, and also a problem-solving exercise. I think we can easily apply that here as well. When you're discussing a problem with someone- even your spouse (maybe especially your spouse) it's important to not belittle their ideas or thoughts. There really is no such thing as a bad idea, but there my be better ones out there. We can work harder on responding in these cases with kind words instead of harsh ones.
And I think that unwholesome talk can also apply to those words you mumble under your breath- and I know we all do that. We grumble about that driver who cuts us off, or say something unbecoming to that guy who lets his dog poo in your yard. It may not be loud enough for that person to hear, but the mere fact that you've said it is enough. I guess when I think of that, when I think of all the times I may say something to myself about another driver or person in that manner, that there is work to be done. Because if those words, and those unkind thoughts are coming out of my lips, they're obviously coming from somewhere. And if that's what I've got on the inside... well, I don't want that.
So let's be a little more on guard. Let's speak as though our children are listening at all times to call us out on our naughty words. Let's speak uplifting and positive thoughts to each other- and not the unkind ones that only cause hurt. And let's be mindful of what we let leave our lips- it's a reflection of what's on the inside, and even if only we can hear it, we need to work on eliminating those words altogether. We'll be much better because of it, and it will be yet another way to show God's love to others by speaking only words of love and care.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Away With Pride
"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble" James 4:6
"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10
I've come to discover that there are different kinds of pride. Some are kinds of pride that we should delight in. Some are kinds of pride that we should do away with. The good pride is that of a parent. When I see my child accomplish something new or tackle a difficult task, or reach a major goal in their life, I become very proud. I am proud of their efforts, of the work they've put in to accomplishing such a goal. That is a great pride to have, pride in one's children shows the children that their activities and accomplishments are worth something. And as long as we keep that pride in check and not use it as a way to belittle other parents or other children, it's okay to be proud in that manner.
The bad pride is the one that keeps God from getting closer. The pride that we have that says "I don't need any help" or "I can manage on my own." Because, the fact is, we will always need help, and we simply cannot manage on our own. We've learned this several times over, and I believe that we needed our pride to be broken. We needed to hit bottom so that we could learn to accept help and assistance and be grateful for that very thing. And I happen to have an excellent example of this.
Two years ago, we were very different people. We were struggling with Andy's time off, money was scarce, and the pantry supplies severely dwindled. We had several people ask us often if we needed anything- did we need some groceries? Did we need a few bucks for gas? And we always turned people down. Surely we could come up with what we needed on our own, and usually we managed somehow. But last year, we found something different going on. People stopped asking us if we needed help. Instead, they took it upon themselves to just help. Every once in a while a roast or fillet of fish would end up in our freezer because someone "bought too many on sale". We had one friend in particular who would just show up at our door randomly with a bag of groceries or a gallon or two of milk. I recall one day looking at our gallon of milk, and looking at the calendar and praying that the milk would hold out for two more breakfasts for the kids. Wouldn't you know it, a few hours later, the doorbell rang and there was not one, but two gallons of milk.
As time went on, we began to let down our pride. When people asked us if we wanted something or needed something, we began saying yes. We began letting people help us out, and we were blessed more times than I can count because of it. One day I just about cried as I went through Abigail's closet and realized that she had very little as far as sweaters and warm clothes for winter. Just a day or two later, a friend e-mailed, asking if we needed sweaters, because they had too many. God was so looking out for us, and He was using those around us to meet our needs.
Now let me tell you something about what this has taught us. People want to give. They want to help, and sometimes they are prompted by God to do just that. I know that Andy and I take great joy in helping out someone who needs us, and when we allow other people to do the same to us, we know that they experience that same joy. When we walk into a strange church for the first time, and we are greeted with smiles and genuine excitement that we are there that morning, it makes me want to thank that church by giving in the offering. I love walking into a church and seeing the love of God in someones eyes, that genuine love that says that they are so happy to see us, even if we never come back to that church again. It makes me want to bless that church and what they are doing with a little something in the offering basket. And I know that when I do give in that way, when I want to bless the church, that God uses that blessing to bless the church. So think about what it feels like to walk into a church, feel welcomed, and greeted, and then be told that when offering time comes around, I shouldn't give because I'm visiting that day. Right at that moment, I feel robbed. I feel like I have been told that this church does not want what I can give, and consequently, does not want my blessing, or to be blessed by God. It tells me that there is pride where there shouldn't be, and chances are good that we will not be returning to that church.
It's the exact same way with people and friends. If one of your closest friends offers their help time and time again, and you constantly turn them down, eventually, they are going to stop asking. They are going to feel like they aren't wanted, or that their help isn't good enough for you. They are going to feel robbed- and they should be, because your pride has robbed them of their opportunity to bless someone with what God has given them. It's been a long, hard journey for us to learn this. It is so, so hard to admit when you need help, and it's hard to let someone else provide for your needs that you want to provide yourself. Yet, it's a necessary thing to learn, because the giving and the recieving are important acts of love. It's just like Christmas time. My family exchanges gifts, but we don't exchange gifts just to get the stuff. We exchange names and put thought and time into the gifts we give. And when we give the gifts, we are rewarded with the joy someone has because they have recieved something wonderful- and that you can't put a price tag on.
Pride is a tough thing to let go of, but the results of doing so are really, truly worth it.
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble" James 4:6
"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10
I've come to discover that there are different kinds of pride. Some are kinds of pride that we should delight in. Some are kinds of pride that we should do away with. The good pride is that of a parent. When I see my child accomplish something new or tackle a difficult task, or reach a major goal in their life, I become very proud. I am proud of their efforts, of the work they've put in to accomplishing such a goal. That is a great pride to have, pride in one's children shows the children that their activities and accomplishments are worth something. And as long as we keep that pride in check and not use it as a way to belittle other parents or other children, it's okay to be proud in that manner.
The bad pride is the one that keeps God from getting closer. The pride that we have that says "I don't need any help" or "I can manage on my own." Because, the fact is, we will always need help, and we simply cannot manage on our own. We've learned this several times over, and I believe that we needed our pride to be broken. We needed to hit bottom so that we could learn to accept help and assistance and be grateful for that very thing. And I happen to have an excellent example of this.
Two years ago, we were very different people. We were struggling with Andy's time off, money was scarce, and the pantry supplies severely dwindled. We had several people ask us often if we needed anything- did we need some groceries? Did we need a few bucks for gas? And we always turned people down. Surely we could come up with what we needed on our own, and usually we managed somehow. But last year, we found something different going on. People stopped asking us if we needed help. Instead, they took it upon themselves to just help. Every once in a while a roast or fillet of fish would end up in our freezer because someone "bought too many on sale". We had one friend in particular who would just show up at our door randomly with a bag of groceries or a gallon or two of milk. I recall one day looking at our gallon of milk, and looking at the calendar and praying that the milk would hold out for two more breakfasts for the kids. Wouldn't you know it, a few hours later, the doorbell rang and there was not one, but two gallons of milk.
As time went on, we began to let down our pride. When people asked us if we wanted something or needed something, we began saying yes. We began letting people help us out, and we were blessed more times than I can count because of it. One day I just about cried as I went through Abigail's closet and realized that she had very little as far as sweaters and warm clothes for winter. Just a day or two later, a friend e-mailed, asking if we needed sweaters, because they had too many. God was so looking out for us, and He was using those around us to meet our needs.
Now let me tell you something about what this has taught us. People want to give. They want to help, and sometimes they are prompted by God to do just that. I know that Andy and I take great joy in helping out someone who needs us, and when we allow other people to do the same to us, we know that they experience that same joy. When we walk into a strange church for the first time, and we are greeted with smiles and genuine excitement that we are there that morning, it makes me want to thank that church by giving in the offering. I love walking into a church and seeing the love of God in someones eyes, that genuine love that says that they are so happy to see us, even if we never come back to that church again. It makes me want to bless that church and what they are doing with a little something in the offering basket. And I know that when I do give in that way, when I want to bless the church, that God uses that blessing to bless the church. So think about what it feels like to walk into a church, feel welcomed, and greeted, and then be told that when offering time comes around, I shouldn't give because I'm visiting that day. Right at that moment, I feel robbed. I feel like I have been told that this church does not want what I can give, and consequently, does not want my blessing, or to be blessed by God. It tells me that there is pride where there shouldn't be, and chances are good that we will not be returning to that church.
It's the exact same way with people and friends. If one of your closest friends offers their help time and time again, and you constantly turn them down, eventually, they are going to stop asking. They are going to feel like they aren't wanted, or that their help isn't good enough for you. They are going to feel robbed- and they should be, because your pride has robbed them of their opportunity to bless someone with what God has given them. It's been a long, hard journey for us to learn this. It is so, so hard to admit when you need help, and it's hard to let someone else provide for your needs that you want to provide yourself. Yet, it's a necessary thing to learn, because the giving and the recieving are important acts of love. It's just like Christmas time. My family exchanges gifts, but we don't exchange gifts just to get the stuff. We exchange names and put thought and time into the gifts we give. And when we give the gifts, we are rewarded with the joy someone has because they have recieved something wonderful- and that you can't put a price tag on.
Pride is a tough thing to let go of, but the results of doing so are really, truly worth it.
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Blessings
"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God," Psalm 146:5
I experienced a full blessing from God the other day and I wanted to share it. Late on Monday afternoon, we decided to head towards Appleton to take care of some paperwork for Abigail's dance school. As we were headed out of town, I noticed the van was pulling pretty hard to the left, as though a wind were blowing us from the side. I wondered to myself how it was that Andy drove the van all over the Twin Cities with this tug going on, when something started feeling really wrong. I pulled over, and decided to turn around. Well, turning around ended up not being a possibility, as I had a flat tire. And of course, I am the last person on earth rolling around without a cell-phone. I had a flat tire once in my life and did learn how to change to a spare because of it, but I couldn't find a spare.
So the kids and I started walking. We walked up the road a little to find someone who was home, so we could borrow the phone and call our mechanic. The kids thought it was an adventure! They were exploring the countryside, pointing our bugs, and we ended up at a farm with animals all over, so the kids got to explore chickens and geese and roosters. I used the phone, the mechanic came and changed the tire, and then we followed him back to the shop so he could replace it. 24 hours later I have a van with four brand new tires, as the ones we had on were old and rotten. And while the whole thing could have been stressful and annoying and really weighing on me, it really wasn't. That was such a blessing!
Because the whole time I was dealing with the van, I was thinking about the awesome timing. We knew we needed new tires, and had planned on getting new ones installed this fall. But thank God a tire didn't burst while we were away for the weekend! Thank God it didn't decide to burst while on the interstate going 72 miles an hour! And thank God we weren't in the middle of nowhere, miles away from help, and subject to the whims and expensive of a crazy mechanic who doesn't know us and could charge whatever he wanted for a new tire. It was also a blessing to have the tire go flat on a trip that really didn't need to be made, or at a bad time. Just imagine if I had been rushing home from town in time to get Zander from preschool. Or if we were on our way to Abigail's dance class. Even though the flat tire was a nuisance, thank God it happened precisely when and where it did! Our mechanic dropped everything to come help us out on the highway, and he went above and beyond when putting on the new tires as well. The whole experience could have been awful, but instead, I've just been kind of praising God because of it.
Now we have all new tires on the van, ready to roll in the winter months ahead. Thank God they didn't decide to give out in the winter! When walking the kids to school or walking to the store would have been uncomfortable and freezing cold. Instead, the kids and I did a bit of walking for two days, but we got to enjoy warm temperatures, with the added bonus of the scents of fall in the air. As we walked to and from school, leaves were falling, and it just was perfect weather for walking around.
The whole time, from the moment I pulled over to the side of the road, to the moment last night when I picked up the van and we drove to dance class, I just felt so blessed and loved. I really felt the peace of God, and felt that He was with us and watching out for us, and that His angelic mechanics held that tire on while we were away this past weekend. I feel very lucky and very blessed, and this morning I am just so thankful for His provision and His timing. Taste and see, for the Lord IS GOOD!
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God," Psalm 146:5
I experienced a full blessing from God the other day and I wanted to share it. Late on Monday afternoon, we decided to head towards Appleton to take care of some paperwork for Abigail's dance school. As we were headed out of town, I noticed the van was pulling pretty hard to the left, as though a wind were blowing us from the side. I wondered to myself how it was that Andy drove the van all over the Twin Cities with this tug going on, when something started feeling really wrong. I pulled over, and decided to turn around. Well, turning around ended up not being a possibility, as I had a flat tire. And of course, I am the last person on earth rolling around without a cell-phone. I had a flat tire once in my life and did learn how to change to a spare because of it, but I couldn't find a spare.
So the kids and I started walking. We walked up the road a little to find someone who was home, so we could borrow the phone and call our mechanic. The kids thought it was an adventure! They were exploring the countryside, pointing our bugs, and we ended up at a farm with animals all over, so the kids got to explore chickens and geese and roosters. I used the phone, the mechanic came and changed the tire, and then we followed him back to the shop so he could replace it. 24 hours later I have a van with four brand new tires, as the ones we had on were old and rotten. And while the whole thing could have been stressful and annoying and really weighing on me, it really wasn't. That was such a blessing!
Because the whole time I was dealing with the van, I was thinking about the awesome timing. We knew we needed new tires, and had planned on getting new ones installed this fall. But thank God a tire didn't burst while we were away for the weekend! Thank God it didn't decide to burst while on the interstate going 72 miles an hour! And thank God we weren't in the middle of nowhere, miles away from help, and subject to the whims and expensive of a crazy mechanic who doesn't know us and could charge whatever he wanted for a new tire. It was also a blessing to have the tire go flat on a trip that really didn't need to be made, or at a bad time. Just imagine if I had been rushing home from town in time to get Zander from preschool. Or if we were on our way to Abigail's dance class. Even though the flat tire was a nuisance, thank God it happened precisely when and where it did! Our mechanic dropped everything to come help us out on the highway, and he went above and beyond when putting on the new tires as well. The whole experience could have been awful, but instead, I've just been kind of praising God because of it.
Now we have all new tires on the van, ready to roll in the winter months ahead. Thank God they didn't decide to give out in the winter! When walking the kids to school or walking to the store would have been uncomfortable and freezing cold. Instead, the kids and I did a bit of walking for two days, but we got to enjoy warm temperatures, with the added bonus of the scents of fall in the air. As we walked to and from school, leaves were falling, and it just was perfect weather for walking around.
The whole time, from the moment I pulled over to the side of the road, to the moment last night when I picked up the van and we drove to dance class, I just felt so blessed and loved. I really felt the peace of God, and felt that He was with us and watching out for us, and that His angelic mechanics held that tire on while we were away this past weekend. I feel very lucky and very blessed, and this morning I am just so thankful for His provision and His timing. Taste and see, for the Lord IS GOOD!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Let Your Actions Speak For You
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." James 3:13
When I read this verse just now, I could literally see an accent on the word 'show'. How often do we, in the course of conversation, find ourselves talking about things we've done. Or maybe things we're going to do, or even things we want to do. And I'm not talking about the day-to-day stuff, but I'm talking about the deeds and good things we've done. Like telling someone about the big check you wrote out for that missionary. Or dropping off a grocery card at someone's house, or filling someone's tank with gas. Perhaps you spent some time volunteering and you tell everyone you come in contact with about how wonderful and rewarding it was. Why is it that we do talk about all these things? Sometimes I think we share these things maybe to inspire others. You know, when people in the same situation see us responding in such a way, maybe it would help them to think in that way. But mostly, I think we share these things, these good deeds we've done to get ourselves a little praise.
But this verse today tells us that the wise and understanding person will show by the way they live the good they have done or are doing. Maybe instead of just randomly taking someone groceries, I could call a few friends and organize a full-scale effort to stock an empty pantry. When I write out that check, whether it's big or small, I need to do so quietly and privately.
And eventually, your daily everyday actions will reflect that wisdom and understanding. When we begin to do things simply to do them instead of seeking that recognition, our hearts begin to change and soften. When we're looking for that recognition, that says that there is a bit of selfish motivation behind the action. But when you're really and truly doing something because your heart tells you its the right thing to do, the rewards are so wonderful. For you are blessing someone else with the love of God that is oozing out of your soul. When you reach out a hand to that neighbor, without even thinking about yourself, they see that. They can see Jesus' love in your eyes, and they want to know more, they want to know why you are helping them, and they want to know what it is that you've got that they don't. Our actions truly do speak louder than words.
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." James 3:17
We can strive for that pureness. We can strive to be full of God's love and we can work on our motivation for doing the good works that we do. Change is not going to happen overnight, but little by little we can fight back against that selfish and vain ambition and really open our eyes and look around us. Once we start to see all the need and the hurt around us, we'll feel that change begin. When we can look through the eyes of compassion, then we can let our actions do all the speaking for us.
When I read this verse just now, I could literally see an accent on the word 'show'. How often do we, in the course of conversation, find ourselves talking about things we've done. Or maybe things we're going to do, or even things we want to do. And I'm not talking about the day-to-day stuff, but I'm talking about the deeds and good things we've done. Like telling someone about the big check you wrote out for that missionary. Or dropping off a grocery card at someone's house, or filling someone's tank with gas. Perhaps you spent some time volunteering and you tell everyone you come in contact with about how wonderful and rewarding it was. Why is it that we do talk about all these things? Sometimes I think we share these things maybe to inspire others. You know, when people in the same situation see us responding in such a way, maybe it would help them to think in that way. But mostly, I think we share these things, these good deeds we've done to get ourselves a little praise.
But this verse today tells us that the wise and understanding person will show by the way they live the good they have done or are doing. Maybe instead of just randomly taking someone groceries, I could call a few friends and organize a full-scale effort to stock an empty pantry. When I write out that check, whether it's big or small, I need to do so quietly and privately.
And eventually, your daily everyday actions will reflect that wisdom and understanding. When we begin to do things simply to do them instead of seeking that recognition, our hearts begin to change and soften. When we're looking for that recognition, that says that there is a bit of selfish motivation behind the action. But when you're really and truly doing something because your heart tells you its the right thing to do, the rewards are so wonderful. For you are blessing someone else with the love of God that is oozing out of your soul. When you reach out a hand to that neighbor, without even thinking about yourself, they see that. They can see Jesus' love in your eyes, and they want to know more, they want to know why you are helping them, and they want to know what it is that you've got that they don't. Our actions truly do speak louder than words.
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." James 3:17
We can strive for that pureness. We can strive to be full of God's love and we can work on our motivation for doing the good works that we do. Change is not going to happen overnight, but little by little we can fight back against that selfish and vain ambition and really open our eyes and look around us. Once we start to see all the need and the hurt around us, we'll feel that change begin. When we can look through the eyes of compassion, then we can let our actions do all the speaking for us.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Losing The Need To Complain
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" Philippians 2:14-15
It seems like there is always something to complain about. Isn't there? You could be having the best day ever, and something will jump out that needs to be complained about. The thing is, we get into a mindset that we need to complain. Critics are highly regarded these days, whether they be movie critics, food critics, vacation critics, sports critics, etc. There is always a designated "expert" who has permission to complain and point out faults- they are focused on picking out the bad. I know I can go out to dinner with my family, and later on remember that one thing that bothered me, and that will keep me from going back there again for a long time. It's because we've been programmed to look for the bad, instead of focusing on looking at the good.
This is something that I think most of us really need to work on, because our children see when this behavior, and are only too easy to play along. This past weekend was an excellent example for us. We spent Saturday at a Renaissance Festival having a great time. The weather cooperated for the most part, and we all got to see and do things we wanted to see or do, the kids found the treasures they had been looking for, and the adults got to see a few things they wanted to see. At the end of the day though, we all decided we'd had enough and had a great time, but Abigail got sad because she didn't get to see the fairy that she'd been looking for. She'd had a fantastic time, but as we headed for the front gate, that one negative really weighed on her. And of course, she learned that behavior from us, from her parents, because sometimes we do the same thing. Someone asks about a vacation or a place we've been, and why is it we can always say something about how great a place was except for one or two little things.
So we need to work on that. Especially while, as a family, we are looking a time of transition while we look for the church God wants us at. There isn't going to be that one specific place that's perfect. Perfection is what we'll get someday when we all get to Heaven. There isn't going to be one specific congregation out there that completely meets our needs and wants, and will be without problems completely, and we need to be careful to not focus on the bad. We could have a wonderful church experience, but if we dwell on the one negative or the one fault, we could completely miss the body of believers that God would have us belong to. So we're making the choice to not focus on the negative. Instead, we are going to focus on the positive. You know those lists people make of pros and cons? There won't be any cons for us. We're going to focus on the pros and the positives, and we're going to will that outlook and attitude to carry over to other aspects of our life. We want to follow the directions as given here in Philippians, to not complain or argue.
By not complaining and consistently pointing out the bad, we are showing that we are different to those around us, and that's our goal. We want to show those around us that life is different and better with Jesus, and if the first step in that direction is to get rid of complaining, that's certainly a worthwhile step to take.
It seems like there is always something to complain about. Isn't there? You could be having the best day ever, and something will jump out that needs to be complained about. The thing is, we get into a mindset that we need to complain. Critics are highly regarded these days, whether they be movie critics, food critics, vacation critics, sports critics, etc. There is always a designated "expert" who has permission to complain and point out faults- they are focused on picking out the bad. I know I can go out to dinner with my family, and later on remember that one thing that bothered me, and that will keep me from going back there again for a long time. It's because we've been programmed to look for the bad, instead of focusing on looking at the good.
This is something that I think most of us really need to work on, because our children see when this behavior, and are only too easy to play along. This past weekend was an excellent example for us. We spent Saturday at a Renaissance Festival having a great time. The weather cooperated for the most part, and we all got to see and do things we wanted to see or do, the kids found the treasures they had been looking for, and the adults got to see a few things they wanted to see. At the end of the day though, we all decided we'd had enough and had a great time, but Abigail got sad because she didn't get to see the fairy that she'd been looking for. She'd had a fantastic time, but as we headed for the front gate, that one negative really weighed on her. And of course, she learned that behavior from us, from her parents, because sometimes we do the same thing. Someone asks about a vacation or a place we've been, and why is it we can always say something about how great a place was except for one or two little things.
So we need to work on that. Especially while, as a family, we are looking a time of transition while we look for the church God wants us at. There isn't going to be that one specific place that's perfect. Perfection is what we'll get someday when we all get to Heaven. There isn't going to be one specific congregation out there that completely meets our needs and wants, and will be without problems completely, and we need to be careful to not focus on the bad. We could have a wonderful church experience, but if we dwell on the one negative or the one fault, we could completely miss the body of believers that God would have us belong to. So we're making the choice to not focus on the negative. Instead, we are going to focus on the positive. You know those lists people make of pros and cons? There won't be any cons for us. We're going to focus on the pros and the positives, and we're going to will that outlook and attitude to carry over to other aspects of our life. We want to follow the directions as given here in Philippians, to not complain or argue.
By not complaining and consistently pointing out the bad, we are showing that we are different to those around us, and that's our goal. We want to show those around us that life is different and better with Jesus, and if the first step in that direction is to get rid of complaining, that's certainly a worthwhile step to take.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Rejoice!
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord- always. I love the use of the word always. With each and every day that we have and live, we should rejoice in the Lord. Some days I don't do that so much, but I've been trying to do better. Yesterday it rained here. It hasn't really rained in over a month, and while I doubt we even got an inch of rain, what we did have was so wonderful! It down poured for a while and the street was full of water, and I could just see the grass and the plants soaking up every drop they could. It was a reason to rejoice! Yet in the past month, as I've watched the grass brown up and die, and the plants shrivel up and need to be pulled out, it's been harder to find a reason to rejoice.
But then something will come to me. I will see a wasp or two and shoo them out of the house and I will be reminded that if we had a normal rainfall, the wasps would indeed be plentiful instead of just the few there are. The mosquitoes have all but vanished this year with such little rain. And even though the garden is struggling with so little water, it's still such a pleasure to spend time tending the plants and wondering at the marvels that God created.
Every day, every experience is a reason to rejoice! The fact that we get to experience these things at all is a reason to rejoice- life is worth rejoicing. Yet death is worth rejoicing as well, because while it means and end of life here as we know it, it means a beginning of an eternity of service in Heaven!
I have a fish tank- a pretty big one. Our first fish tank experience was a Christmas gift for our daughter. She loves her fish tank, but I'm the one who mostly takes care of it, and it didn't take long before I found myself wanting a bigger tank for myself. I love my fish. I love just sitting and watching the community of fish- seeing them interact and breed and eat and eventually, some of them die. As I've watched these fish, I've often wondered why on earth God would create this type of fish. They're certainly not big enough for eating or anything- what purpose would they serve? Who really knows, but I do know this, as I watch the marvel of life being played out behind those glass walls, I have another reason to rejoice. I really enjoy my fish, but as they die or get hurt or who-knows-what, I simply pull them out and flush them, and don't give them another thought.
WE have so much more and so much better with God. He doesn't just watch us flounder around here on earth. He gives us the tools we need to have a successful journey. He gives us the right companions at the right times, and while occasionally He will through an obstacle in our way, He always ensures that we have the means to overcome the obstacles. I can rejoice in knowing that my God loves me so much, and that right there is reason enough to rejoice.
Rejoice in the Lord- always. I love the use of the word always. With each and every day that we have and live, we should rejoice in the Lord. Some days I don't do that so much, but I've been trying to do better. Yesterday it rained here. It hasn't really rained in over a month, and while I doubt we even got an inch of rain, what we did have was so wonderful! It down poured for a while and the street was full of water, and I could just see the grass and the plants soaking up every drop they could. It was a reason to rejoice! Yet in the past month, as I've watched the grass brown up and die, and the plants shrivel up and need to be pulled out, it's been harder to find a reason to rejoice.
But then something will come to me. I will see a wasp or two and shoo them out of the house and I will be reminded that if we had a normal rainfall, the wasps would indeed be plentiful instead of just the few there are. The mosquitoes have all but vanished this year with such little rain. And even though the garden is struggling with so little water, it's still such a pleasure to spend time tending the plants and wondering at the marvels that God created.
Every day, every experience is a reason to rejoice! The fact that we get to experience these things at all is a reason to rejoice- life is worth rejoicing. Yet death is worth rejoicing as well, because while it means and end of life here as we know it, it means a beginning of an eternity of service in Heaven!
I have a fish tank- a pretty big one. Our first fish tank experience was a Christmas gift for our daughter. She loves her fish tank, but I'm the one who mostly takes care of it, and it didn't take long before I found myself wanting a bigger tank for myself. I love my fish. I love just sitting and watching the community of fish- seeing them interact and breed and eat and eventually, some of them die. As I've watched these fish, I've often wondered why on earth God would create this type of fish. They're certainly not big enough for eating or anything- what purpose would they serve? Who really knows, but I do know this, as I watch the marvel of life being played out behind those glass walls, I have another reason to rejoice. I really enjoy my fish, but as they die or get hurt or who-knows-what, I simply pull them out and flush them, and don't give them another thought.
WE have so much more and so much better with God. He doesn't just watch us flounder around here on earth. He gives us the tools we need to have a successful journey. He gives us the right companions at the right times, and while occasionally He will through an obstacle in our way, He always ensures that we have the means to overcome the obstacles. I can rejoice in knowing that my God loves me so much, and that right there is reason enough to rejoice.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My Help Is Big Help!
"I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1,2
This verse will always be in my head in song form. And then after I'm done thinking of the song that I heard a lot growing up, I picture a nun, and stained glass windows and the movie The Sound of Music. Now there was a real-life situation where a family relied on God for His help. That movie was eerily accurate to how life truly was for the Von Trapp family, except that what the movie failed to convey was the family's devotion to God. They spent prayer time together as a family, and whenever a situation arose, the family frequently turned to their knees and their Lord for guidance. Eventually when they made their way to the United States, they toured with their music, and most of their music was deeply spiritual, and it meant something to them, they weren't just singing the words, they were living and breathing it.
Most of us will never face a situation as dire as Nazi occupation. Thank God for that. Thank God mightily for that, that we live in a nation where the idea of conflict on our soil is hard to fathom. Yet today is a day to remember when someone did try to attack our nation, and succeeded on some levels. During the days after the terrorist attacks, it was a major time of reflection for everyone. I remember that at that time, we weren't attending a church, and I had such an inner desire and need to simply go to church and spend time with God. And it wasn't too long after that when we did decide that it was time to take our young daughter to church each week. But even during that point in my life when God wasn't much of a presence in my mind, I wanted to turn to God first in a moment of crisis. After all, who else would I turn to?
And while today is a time of reflection and a reason to give thanks, it's also a reason to rejoice! For look at this verse! When trouble comes our way and we need help, where do we get that help? Why, our help comes from the Lord, who is mighty indeed. He is so mighty, He is the one who made the heavens and the earth. Our help just can't get much better than that! The being who created everything is the one we turn to in times of need, and he will most certainly come through for us. If he could conceive of and create the world around us, he can definitely help us through our troubles. And then we can share the solution of our troubles with those around us. When people ask "how every did you make it through?" We can smile and share the joy that we know as our Heavenly Father. We can share the love He has for us, and for those around us. The idea of being able to share His love and His help is almost enough to make me want trouble, just so that we can have more opportunities to show others what God wants to do for them too. So while we can be grateful for His Help in times of trouble, we can also be thankful for the times of trouble, because they are times of opportunity- not only can we draw closer to Him while mounting our struggles, but we'll have an incredible testimony to share later on. God loves us and wants to help us, but it is our job when all is said and done to give God the credit for the victory.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
This verse will always be in my head in song form. And then after I'm done thinking of the song that I heard a lot growing up, I picture a nun, and stained glass windows and the movie The Sound of Music. Now there was a real-life situation where a family relied on God for His help. That movie was eerily accurate to how life truly was for the Von Trapp family, except that what the movie failed to convey was the family's devotion to God. They spent prayer time together as a family, and whenever a situation arose, the family frequently turned to their knees and their Lord for guidance. Eventually when they made their way to the United States, they toured with their music, and most of their music was deeply spiritual, and it meant something to them, they weren't just singing the words, they were living and breathing it.
Most of us will never face a situation as dire as Nazi occupation. Thank God for that. Thank God mightily for that, that we live in a nation where the idea of conflict on our soil is hard to fathom. Yet today is a day to remember when someone did try to attack our nation, and succeeded on some levels. During the days after the terrorist attacks, it was a major time of reflection for everyone. I remember that at that time, we weren't attending a church, and I had such an inner desire and need to simply go to church and spend time with God. And it wasn't too long after that when we did decide that it was time to take our young daughter to church each week. But even during that point in my life when God wasn't much of a presence in my mind, I wanted to turn to God first in a moment of crisis. After all, who else would I turn to?
And while today is a time of reflection and a reason to give thanks, it's also a reason to rejoice! For look at this verse! When trouble comes our way and we need help, where do we get that help? Why, our help comes from the Lord, who is mighty indeed. He is so mighty, He is the one who made the heavens and the earth. Our help just can't get much better than that! The being who created everything is the one we turn to in times of need, and he will most certainly come through for us. If he could conceive of and create the world around us, he can definitely help us through our troubles. And then we can share the solution of our troubles with those around us. When people ask "how every did you make it through?" We can smile and share the joy that we know as our Heavenly Father. We can share the love He has for us, and for those around us. The idea of being able to share His love and His help is almost enough to make me want trouble, just so that we can have more opportunities to show others what God wants to do for them too. So while we can be grateful for His Help in times of trouble, we can also be thankful for the times of trouble, because they are times of opportunity- not only can we draw closer to Him while mounting our struggles, but we'll have an incredible testimony to share later on. God loves us and wants to help us, but it is our job when all is said and done to give God the credit for the victory.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
What He Wants
"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4
Yesterday as I was driving around running some errands, I had a rare opportunity to listen to the local Christian radio station. The song "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns came on, and as I listened to the song an overwhelming thought came to me.
"And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm"
No matter where we are, no matter what we are going through, and no matter how terrible and awful life may be for us, God wants us to praise Him. Even when we are going through the absolute darkest days of our life, God wants us to love Him unconditionally, and He wants us to praise Him. When we feel beaten and broken, God wants us to still raise our hands towards heaven and shower him with love and praise. So often when we are in a struggle, we are questioning God, asking Him why this had to happen, and we focus on ourselves and how awful we feel and how awful others around us may feel. But God wants us to take the focus off of ourselves and focus on Him. We need to stop questioning and simply praise Him and love Him, unconditionally. Because when we can do that, when we can turn our eyes to heaven in our darkest hour, we have truly given God our all, and that is what He wants.
God wants our every fiber of our being. He wants our love in every moment of every day, he wants to know that we will drop anything and everything for Him, should he ask it of us, and it's in those moments of desperation that we sometimes realize how much we truly need our God. We do need Him, and He will be with us until the end of time, He will sustain us, provide for us, and rescue us from the pit of despair. Don't you think He deserves our praise and love? Don't you think He deserves our complete adoration and submission? Job was a man who lost absolutely everything, and still professed his love for God. Job was at the bottom of the barrel with nothing else to lose except his own life, yet he still praised and adored his God. And what happened at the very end of the story of Job? God restored everything and then some. Job was blessed even more so than he was before, because he still praised God during his storm. God carried Job to the end of His days.
"The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first." Job 42:12
"After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years." Job 42:16,17
When we are suffering, when we are truly in a time of despair and grief, will we still praise our God? Will we still love our God- no matter what? God loves each and every one of us, and he wants that love in return. Can we give it to him? I know I certainly intend to try.
Yesterday as I was driving around running some errands, I had a rare opportunity to listen to the local Christian radio station. The song "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns came on, and as I listened to the song an overwhelming thought came to me.
"And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm"
No matter where we are, no matter what we are going through, and no matter how terrible and awful life may be for us, God wants us to praise Him. Even when we are going through the absolute darkest days of our life, God wants us to love Him unconditionally, and He wants us to praise Him. When we feel beaten and broken, God wants us to still raise our hands towards heaven and shower him with love and praise. So often when we are in a struggle, we are questioning God, asking Him why this had to happen, and we focus on ourselves and how awful we feel and how awful others around us may feel. But God wants us to take the focus off of ourselves and focus on Him. We need to stop questioning and simply praise Him and love Him, unconditionally. Because when we can do that, when we can turn our eyes to heaven in our darkest hour, we have truly given God our all, and that is what He wants.
God wants our every fiber of our being. He wants our love in every moment of every day, he wants to know that we will drop anything and everything for Him, should he ask it of us, and it's in those moments of desperation that we sometimes realize how much we truly need our God. We do need Him, and He will be with us until the end of time, He will sustain us, provide for us, and rescue us from the pit of despair. Don't you think He deserves our praise and love? Don't you think He deserves our complete adoration and submission? Job was a man who lost absolutely everything, and still professed his love for God. Job was at the bottom of the barrel with nothing else to lose except his own life, yet he still praised and adored his God. And what happened at the very end of the story of Job? God restored everything and then some. Job was blessed even more so than he was before, because he still praised God during his storm. God carried Job to the end of His days.
"The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first." Job 42:12
"After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years." Job 42:16,17
When we are suffering, when we are truly in a time of despair and grief, will we still praise our God? Will we still love our God- no matter what? God loves each and every one of us, and he wants that love in return. Can we give it to him? I know I certainly intend to try.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Storing Up Treasures
"And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Matthew 12:16-21
This is one of those lessons that we've been working on. In today's society and today's uncertain economy and world we often hear about the importance of saving for tomorrow. In our financial aspect we are told that we should have six months worth of incomes saved up and hiding away in a bank in case something happens with Andy's job. In our home life, we are told to have three months worth of provisions and food on hand, in case of disaster or a pandemic. And while I am all about being prepared, and we always have a well-stocked pantry, isn't that a little excessive? I mean, if you're working very hard to put things aside for a later time, who's top say that you're actually going to need what you've put away? And in the case of foodstuff, it does go bad or expire after a while, so then you're back to where you started and you have to go through the process all over again.
And in the meantime, while we're focusing on squirreling away, there's a family across town who is looking at empty pantry shelves and an empty bank account, and they wonder where their next meal is coming from. And then when there is a request to help restock the local food pantry or you hear of a family in need, you rationalize keeping most of what you have. You rationalize that this extra food on hand is important for your children's well-being should there be a power outage or a disaster or you get laid off. We keep children's clothes in tote after tote and bag after bag, just in case we might decide to have more children down the road. We keep unused electronics on hand, just in case the new one we purchases goes on the fritz.
Shame on us. We are so focused on ourselves and the "possible need" in the future, that we don't think to open our eyes and look around us and see all the need and the hurt. And yes, I mean even with the bank account. If we are truly focused on God and what he has for us, then we will know that he will provide. He will take care of us in every storm that comes along. So when we hear of that family who lost everything in a house fire, we can write out that big check and drain our savings. Isn't it worth it? The sense of security that we get from a stocked pantry, a full basement, and a padded bank account is false. It is false security. One day our dollar could be worthless, one day our basement full of stuff could flood, one day insects could completely devastate our pantry, but God will always be there. He is our sense of security, He is the need we should focus on.
Because we do need Him. We need Him more than anything. When our heart feels empty or heavy it's because we haven't been spending enough time in His presence. When I've spent time with God, whether it be in a church setting or here in the comfort of my home, when I'm away from God I miss Him. My heart almost feels sad because I'm not in an active state of worship. God is all I need, and when I focus on that, and focus on Him, He will take care of all that extra stuff. Because that's what it is- just stuff.
Monday, September 08, 2008
New Beginnings
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10
New beginnings are tough. First of all, they're tough because a new beginning means the end of something else. When I was working, I always hated both endings and beginnings. I hated quitting a job to move on to something else, because I usually always enjoyed my jobs. I also really hated that first day of work someplace new. Being the new person... I soooo hated that, each and every time. In fact, as I recall, there was even one time where I was so nervous and sick to my stomach about a new job that I called them up and told them it wasn't going to work out, and I never went to work there.
And now here we are, at another new beginning. Yesterday was our last Sunday with our church family here in town. It was bittersweet for us, we're very excited to be moving on to what God has for us, and to see where He is going to take us. But at the same time, we have friendships and connections with the people in this church that simply aren't going to be the same now that we won't be seeing them every Sunday morning. It will be so exciting for the church though... Andy and I have left a few holes in service that will need to be filled, and it will be so wonderful to see the people who may have wanted to do such things step up and fill in where needed, and that will be fantastic for the church body as a whole.
So what does that mean for us? I sure wish I knew! What we do know is that God told us it is time to move on, and yesterday it became clear to Andy and I what our goal for the future is, but in the meantime... we have some things to learn and we need to find a church to belong to for that purpose. It will be exciting to check out some churches that we've always talked about checking out, but never had the opportunity to do so. We also know that we are going to be stretched, and we keep mentioning- when people ask- that we're going to be going out of our comfort zone to see what God has for us. Yesterday it occurred to me though that I'd rather just expand my comfort zone, that idea is more palatable in my mind. We honestly don't know exactly what God wants us to do, but we've had glimmers of ideas. We have a host of talents that we can take to a body of believers, but we also need to explore some new skill sets to equip us for future service. Prayer and music are two areas that God keeps putting in my mind, and I pray that he gives me the courage and the talent to do what I may be asked to do.
The verse above today is our prayer as we move ahead. We've taken the right first step, and while we can be optimistic about finding the right church at the first one we go to, we also realize that the process of finding a church could take longer than we'd like. As we are in a time of "wandering" though, we look to God to teach us what we need to be taught, and we look to the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right path and to keep us from straying from the path that God has planned for us.
New beginnings are tough. First of all, they're tough because a new beginning means the end of something else. When I was working, I always hated both endings and beginnings. I hated quitting a job to move on to something else, because I usually always enjoyed my jobs. I also really hated that first day of work someplace new. Being the new person... I soooo hated that, each and every time. In fact, as I recall, there was even one time where I was so nervous and sick to my stomach about a new job that I called them up and told them it wasn't going to work out, and I never went to work there.
And now here we are, at another new beginning. Yesterday was our last Sunday with our church family here in town. It was bittersweet for us, we're very excited to be moving on to what God has for us, and to see where He is going to take us. But at the same time, we have friendships and connections with the people in this church that simply aren't going to be the same now that we won't be seeing them every Sunday morning. It will be so exciting for the church though... Andy and I have left a few holes in service that will need to be filled, and it will be so wonderful to see the people who may have wanted to do such things step up and fill in where needed, and that will be fantastic for the church body as a whole.
So what does that mean for us? I sure wish I knew! What we do know is that God told us it is time to move on, and yesterday it became clear to Andy and I what our goal for the future is, but in the meantime... we have some things to learn and we need to find a church to belong to for that purpose. It will be exciting to check out some churches that we've always talked about checking out, but never had the opportunity to do so. We also know that we are going to be stretched, and we keep mentioning- when people ask- that we're going to be going out of our comfort zone to see what God has for us. Yesterday it occurred to me though that I'd rather just expand my comfort zone, that idea is more palatable in my mind. We honestly don't know exactly what God wants us to do, but we've had glimmers of ideas. We have a host of talents that we can take to a body of believers, but we also need to explore some new skill sets to equip us for future service. Prayer and music are two areas that God keeps putting in my mind, and I pray that he gives me the courage and the talent to do what I may be asked to do.
The verse above today is our prayer as we move ahead. We've taken the right first step, and while we can be optimistic about finding the right church at the first one we go to, we also realize that the process of finding a church could take longer than we'd like. As we are in a time of "wandering" though, we look to God to teach us what we need to be taught, and we look to the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right path and to keep us from straying from the path that God has planned for us.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Warm Fuzzies
"Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." John 14:23
This verse gave me a nice warm feeling this morning. Read it a few times and let it really sink in what it's saying to you. It's telling me that life is actually quite simple. The first thing that Jesus says is that if anyone loves him, they will obey his teaching. What has Jesus taught us? Well, he's taught us so much through his parables and his life, but specifically, there is this:
"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
This verse gave me a nice warm feeling this morning. Read it a few times and let it really sink in what it's saying to you. It's telling me that life is actually quite simple. The first thing that Jesus says is that if anyone loves him, they will obey his teaching. What has Jesus taught us? Well, he's taught us so much through his parables and his life, but specifically, there is this:
"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." Luke 10:25-28
Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. It's all about love. If we profess to love Jesus, then we need to follow these rules- the greatest commandments given. It is true when you hear songs that say "all you need is love" or "love makes the world go 'round" or "love lift us up". Love is the key. And please note, this is not romantic love at all, this is the love that causes us to hold a door for someone, or check up on a neighbor. This is the love that drags us out of bed early on a Saturday morning to help a friend put siding on their house. And we need to look at the unlovable in our life and ask God to help us love even them. We need to ask God to love them for us, and to help us to show that love that he has for all man-kind.
The warm fuzzies I was talking about though come from the next part of the verse above. If we follow the commandments that Jesus shared with us, God will love us and God and Jesus will come to us and make their home with us. Our home will be their home. Man! Just think about that. Think about waking up every morning in the presence of God, or going to bed at night, knowing that you are going to get a great night of sleep, and that God will speak to you in your dreams. Think about having someone just walk into your home and feel a sense of peace that only comes from God. That is what we want more than anything. We want our home to be a haven for people- whether it be young people or grown adults, and whether it be an apartment or a grand estate. All of that comes full circle right back to the beginning of the verse, with love. If we love, unconditionally, eventually we will see more opportunities to share that love.
And I love that thought. I want to share these warm fuzzies with everyone I come in contact with. God is love, and to be a vessel of that love... well, what could be better than that?
Friday, September 05, 2008
If You Can't Say Something Nice...
"Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3
We've all heard that saying before, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." (Or something along those lines.) The thing is, it's absolutely true. I have been thinking for some time on this verse and other similar ones, because they really are true, and I have been trying to watch what I say. For the most part. The thing is, this isn't just talking about the words we say directly to another person. At least for me, it's easy to not say something hurtful directly to a person, it's just not part of my nature to be a mean person. But it's the words I may say about another person that I need to be watchful about.
Sometimes that can be easy too. At least it's easier now. A while back our small group decided to put a moratorium on gossip. We found ourselves doing quite a bit of it, and as a result, our time together didn't feel right all the time. I'll tell you though, as soon as we all decided as a group that our time together was going to refrain from gossiping, our time got sweeter. First of all, because we weren't spending more time talking about other people, we got closer to each other by sharing our hearts, and secondly, we drew closer to God, because we were doing what he wanted and we were focusing on Him and on the companionship we'd found with our group. In a group setting, it's easier to declare gossip off-limits because we have each other to be accountable to. When the conversation starts to turn a little gossipy, we have no qualms about calling each other out on it. It's when we're not in a group that I struggle with the gossip and saying negative things about other people.
Particularly when Andy and I are talking. Let me say that it's perfectly natural to have disagreements about other people, and it's also perfectly normal and fine to share those frustrations and complaints with your spouse. Andy love that at the end of the day, we have each other to share our day with. But sometimes our conversation will take a shift and we'll both find ourselves focusing on one particular person or situation and we'll be going on and on about the negative and about why we think that person or group is wrong. And we feed off of each other. That's the thing, and the big problem for us. I'll mention a complaint about someone or something, and then he'll add to it by telling me this, that, or the other thing. And then we'll continue in that fashion, and before you know it, we're full our bashing someone or something, and that really hadn't been our intent in the first place. And then sometimes we'll get so caught up in that that we aren't focusing on anything else. Prayer time goes out the window because we're so bothered and stewed up about this other situation. And let me assure you of one important thing here. The enemy sees this.
And he'll use this in any way that he can. There is nothing he wants more than to see a child of God hurt another and cause problems. And the enemy sees our frustrations with individuals and situations and he'll do everything in his power to stick that knife in deeper. That is why we need to be so careful with what we say- and even what we think. When we dwell on those negatives and lump a whole bunch of negatives together to cause a real problem (at least in our eyes) the enemy will use that to his advantage.
Instead, we need to be mindful of what we are saying and thinking. Instead of feeding off of each other as Andy and I do, maybe we need to stop our "vent sessions" altogether. We are being taught today that the occasional venting is okay, and I've certainly been known to let off steam at one time or another, but that venting will always come back to hurt someone. Instead of going on and on about a situation or a person, we need to stop and pray. We need to commit that person or thing to our prayer time, and pray for God to bless them instead of wishing them ill.
And so today I am committing the verse above right into the inner core of my being. May the Holy Spirit bring those words to mind if I even think about saying something I shouldn't. May he guard my mouth- and my mind.
keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3
We've all heard that saying before, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." (Or something along those lines.) The thing is, it's absolutely true. I have been thinking for some time on this verse and other similar ones, because they really are true, and I have been trying to watch what I say. For the most part. The thing is, this isn't just talking about the words we say directly to another person. At least for me, it's easy to not say something hurtful directly to a person, it's just not part of my nature to be a mean person. But it's the words I may say about another person that I need to be watchful about.
Sometimes that can be easy too. At least it's easier now. A while back our small group decided to put a moratorium on gossip. We found ourselves doing quite a bit of it, and as a result, our time together didn't feel right all the time. I'll tell you though, as soon as we all decided as a group that our time together was going to refrain from gossiping, our time got sweeter. First of all, because we weren't spending more time talking about other people, we got closer to each other by sharing our hearts, and secondly, we drew closer to God, because we were doing what he wanted and we were focusing on Him and on the companionship we'd found with our group. In a group setting, it's easier to declare gossip off-limits because we have each other to be accountable to. When the conversation starts to turn a little gossipy, we have no qualms about calling each other out on it. It's when we're not in a group that I struggle with the gossip and saying negative things about other people.
Particularly when Andy and I are talking. Let me say that it's perfectly natural to have disagreements about other people, and it's also perfectly normal and fine to share those frustrations and complaints with your spouse. Andy love that at the end of the day, we have each other to share our day with. But sometimes our conversation will take a shift and we'll both find ourselves focusing on one particular person or situation and we'll be going on and on about the negative and about why we think that person or group is wrong. And we feed off of each other. That's the thing, and the big problem for us. I'll mention a complaint about someone or something, and then he'll add to it by telling me this, that, or the other thing. And then we'll continue in that fashion, and before you know it, we're full our bashing someone or something, and that really hadn't been our intent in the first place. And then sometimes we'll get so caught up in that that we aren't focusing on anything else. Prayer time goes out the window because we're so bothered and stewed up about this other situation. And let me assure you of one important thing here. The enemy sees this.
And he'll use this in any way that he can. There is nothing he wants more than to see a child of God hurt another and cause problems. And the enemy sees our frustrations with individuals and situations and he'll do everything in his power to stick that knife in deeper. That is why we need to be so careful with what we say- and even what we think. When we dwell on those negatives and lump a whole bunch of negatives together to cause a real problem (at least in our eyes) the enemy will use that to his advantage.
Instead, we need to be mindful of what we are saying and thinking. Instead of feeding off of each other as Andy and I do, maybe we need to stop our "vent sessions" altogether. We are being taught today that the occasional venting is okay, and I've certainly been known to let off steam at one time or another, but that venting will always come back to hurt someone. Instead of going on and on about a situation or a person, we need to stop and pray. We need to commit that person or thing to our prayer time, and pray for God to bless them instead of wishing them ill.
And so today I am committing the verse above right into the inner core of my being. May the Holy Spirit bring those words to mind if I even think about saying something I shouldn't. May he guard my mouth- and my mind.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Sound Teaching
"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:13-14
Yesterday I posted about how God is our teacher, and that we need to go to Him to learn His Will for our lives. Today, I read this verse and it kind of went a little deeper for me, and told me a little of what to expect from The Good Teacher.
Have you ever tried to teach a child something that was so totally frustrating? I have. My daughter has had a bicycle for five years now, and she still doesn't know how to ride it. Part of the blame there is that we don't have space to ride bikes in our yard. We don't have a sidewalk to ride up and down, so in order for her to ride a bicycle, we need to make an effort to do so. She just hasn't been getting it with the training wheels, and this summer we decided to take the training wheels off and see if she could just master the thing straight up. As I would hold onto her bike for her while she so slowly pedaled away, I would easily become frustrated. Very frustrated. Almost angry, because I know how to ride a bike. I know that if she just held her head up high and pedaled faster she'd get it. Before long, she gets mad at me because I'm getting frustrated and short with what I'm trying to tell her, and the bike goes back in the garage.
Andy, on the other hand, can teach our daughter things because when he puts on that teacher hat he instantly fills with patience and love for his daughter. He uses gentle words of encouragement, but stern reprimands when he needs to. He's also much more straightforward with what he is telling her, without providing commentary or telling what he used to do. He gives her straight up instructions, laced with encouragement. Even Abigail sees the difference, and after the last debacle with the bike, she told me that she would learn how to ride a bike only with her Daddy. Lol.
We should be the exact same way with our Bible.
How many times do we read a verse and then try and interpret it ourselves? I certainly know I have done it- and I have the archives to prove it! Or we take a verse completely out of context so that we can apply it to whatever situation we are in. Sometimes too, we water down what we read. We can read right in the Bible "do not commit adultery" but we water it down and say well, obviously, I shouldn't cheat on my spouse physically, but it would be okay if I just connected emotionally with someone of the opposite sex. It's just really easy, when you're reading your Bible, to put your own spin on things. We could each write a different translation and tailor it to what we want to read, but then it wouldn't be the Word of God now would it? It would be the word of Erika or the word of Mary, and that's not something that sound even worth reading!
Instead, we need to look at the teachings in the Bible as an example. When Jesus spoke to the disciples and the crowds and gave his sermons, every single one was full of love and faith. They were true and honest, often times convicting to the people who were listening. But behind that conviction, the compassion in Jesus came out with the conviction. Jesus shared God's Word with those around Him because He loved them. He loves us, and he wants us to make the right choices. Sure, there are times where we read something in the Bible and then feel utterly convicted right there on the spot. Any time I read a verse about being lazy or slothful I want to crawl under my desk and hide. But I need to read those verses, I need to be told them. How can I change my ways if I don't know that I'm doing wrong in the first place? When we rationalize sin to those around us, we're confusing them, telling them that they really don't need Jesus in their lives each and every day. When we fall short and then we pat ourselves on the back and say "that's okay, that's why God gave us mercy" we aren't doing anyone any favors. God did not give us mercy so that we could feel better about ourselves. He gave us mercy because we are undeserving in the first place. And when we stumble and fall, we should feel bad about what we did- we should feel convicted for our wrongdoing, because unless we do, we aren't going to be willing to change.
My desire, for each and every day, is to follow the sound teaching straight up in the Word of God. Every word. When I don't, when I have a day where I maybe did something I shouldn't have, then I need to fall to my knees in humility in front of my God and beg for His forgiveness, and seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help me to resist the next time. My heart has been filled with the love of Jesus, and I need the Holy Spirit's help to keep that love pure and untainted, because all it takes is once for the enemy to try and squeeze in and find a way to crack into my heart. I need to be on guard, and I need the Holy Spirit to help me with that task, because you know that it's the Holy Spirit who's sitting there on your shoulder telling you not to do something. And I need the Holy Spirit to keep me from watering down what I read in the Bible and to read it just as it is- as a Bible full of wisdom meant just for me. Each and every word applies to me and my life, and I need to cling to that.
Yesterday I posted about how God is our teacher, and that we need to go to Him to learn His Will for our lives. Today, I read this verse and it kind of went a little deeper for me, and told me a little of what to expect from The Good Teacher.
Have you ever tried to teach a child something that was so totally frustrating? I have. My daughter has had a bicycle for five years now, and she still doesn't know how to ride it. Part of the blame there is that we don't have space to ride bikes in our yard. We don't have a sidewalk to ride up and down, so in order for her to ride a bicycle, we need to make an effort to do so. She just hasn't been getting it with the training wheels, and this summer we decided to take the training wheels off and see if she could just master the thing straight up. As I would hold onto her bike for her while she so slowly pedaled away, I would easily become frustrated. Very frustrated. Almost angry, because I know how to ride a bike. I know that if she just held her head up high and pedaled faster she'd get it. Before long, she gets mad at me because I'm getting frustrated and short with what I'm trying to tell her, and the bike goes back in the garage.
Andy, on the other hand, can teach our daughter things because when he puts on that teacher hat he instantly fills with patience and love for his daughter. He uses gentle words of encouragement, but stern reprimands when he needs to. He's also much more straightforward with what he is telling her, without providing commentary or telling what he used to do. He gives her straight up instructions, laced with encouragement. Even Abigail sees the difference, and after the last debacle with the bike, she told me that she would learn how to ride a bike only with her Daddy. Lol.
We should be the exact same way with our Bible.
How many times do we read a verse and then try and interpret it ourselves? I certainly know I have done it- and I have the archives to prove it! Or we take a verse completely out of context so that we can apply it to whatever situation we are in. Sometimes too, we water down what we read. We can read right in the Bible "do not commit adultery" but we water it down and say well, obviously, I shouldn't cheat on my spouse physically, but it would be okay if I just connected emotionally with someone of the opposite sex. It's just really easy, when you're reading your Bible, to put your own spin on things. We could each write a different translation and tailor it to what we want to read, but then it wouldn't be the Word of God now would it? It would be the word of Erika or the word of Mary, and that's not something that sound even worth reading!
Instead, we need to look at the teachings in the Bible as an example. When Jesus spoke to the disciples and the crowds and gave his sermons, every single one was full of love and faith. They were true and honest, often times convicting to the people who were listening. But behind that conviction, the compassion in Jesus came out with the conviction. Jesus shared God's Word with those around Him because He loved them. He loves us, and he wants us to make the right choices. Sure, there are times where we read something in the Bible and then feel utterly convicted right there on the spot. Any time I read a verse about being lazy or slothful I want to crawl under my desk and hide. But I need to read those verses, I need to be told them. How can I change my ways if I don't know that I'm doing wrong in the first place? When we rationalize sin to those around us, we're confusing them, telling them that they really don't need Jesus in their lives each and every day. When we fall short and then we pat ourselves on the back and say "that's okay, that's why God gave us mercy" we aren't doing anyone any favors. God did not give us mercy so that we could feel better about ourselves. He gave us mercy because we are undeserving in the first place. And when we stumble and fall, we should feel bad about what we did- we should feel convicted for our wrongdoing, because unless we do, we aren't going to be willing to change.
My desire, for each and every day, is to follow the sound teaching straight up in the Word of God. Every word. When I don't, when I have a day where I maybe did something I shouldn't have, then I need to fall to my knees in humility in front of my God and beg for His forgiveness, and seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help me to resist the next time. My heart has been filled with the love of Jesus, and I need the Holy Spirit's help to keep that love pure and untainted, because all it takes is once for the enemy to try and squeeze in and find a way to crack into my heart. I need to be on guard, and I need the Holy Spirit to help me with that task, because you know that it's the Holy Spirit who's sitting there on your shoulder telling you not to do something. And I need the Holy Spirit to keep me from watering down what I read in the Bible and to read it just as it is- as a Bible full of wisdom meant just for me. Each and every word applies to me and my life, and I need to cling to that.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Teacher
"This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17
What a powerful verse to kick off this morning with!
So many times in life we are in a point of...wandering... I know I've mentioned many times here that Andy and I have been feeling that sense of needing to be open to God's desires for us. I know we all ask at more than one junction in life "what is God's Will for me?" And then we pray, and we read the Bible maybe a little, and we just wait. We continue on with life from day to day, certain that any day now, a voice is going to appear in our head and tell us what the next step should be. Or perhaps we're waiting for writing to appear in the sky, or even for someone to come up to us and say "Hey, I have a message for you from God." And while God can certainly use any of those means should he wish, the truth is, most often, when we're waiting for God to tell us something, He already has been, and we just haven't been hearing it.
God is our teacher. He will teach us how he chooses to talk with us, but first we have to go to him. Just like Peter in the boat a few days back, we have to make the choice that we want to hear God's voice in our lives. Once we are open to His voice and His will for us, it becomes much easier to hear what God is telling us. I decided that this year I was going to get closer to God, and along the way, I decided I wanted to hear His voice clear in my life. I thought I was waiting for that voice in my head. I wasn't hearing that voice, yet right here in the verse above it says God will direct us in the way we are to go. And you know what? He does.
For us, anyways, He's been using the people and situations around us to show us that it was time for a change. But we just weren't seeing it. We thought that the discomfort we were feeling and seeing was more like our "cross to bear" than a sign from God that it was time to change. Of course, in retrospect it's really a duh moment, because we can clearly see right where it all started, and we've been ignoring God for some time. Then this past weekend we were at a conference where we basically heard eight sermons in a row all telling us the same thing (even though, in reality, they were eight different sermons). That we hadn't been listening very well and that it was time for us to make that big change. Yikes! Talk about getting hit in the head! In this case, we heard God's Voice loud and clear through the men of God and the words that God gave them to speak to us.
God also gave us His Word to speak to us through. The precious Bible, I'll tell you, I can't count the number of times I've stumbled upon a verse that went straight through into my heart. That's God talking to me, sure enough.
What a powerful verse to kick off this morning with!
So many times in life we are in a point of...wandering... I know I've mentioned many times here that Andy and I have been feeling that sense of needing to be open to God's desires for us. I know we all ask at more than one junction in life "what is God's Will for me?" And then we pray, and we read the Bible maybe a little, and we just wait. We continue on with life from day to day, certain that any day now, a voice is going to appear in our head and tell us what the next step should be. Or perhaps we're waiting for writing to appear in the sky, or even for someone to come up to us and say "Hey, I have a message for you from God." And while God can certainly use any of those means should he wish, the truth is, most often, when we're waiting for God to tell us something, He already has been, and we just haven't been hearing it.
God is our teacher. He will teach us how he chooses to talk with us, but first we have to go to him. Just like Peter in the boat a few days back, we have to make the choice that we want to hear God's voice in our lives. Once we are open to His voice and His will for us, it becomes much easier to hear what God is telling us. I decided that this year I was going to get closer to God, and along the way, I decided I wanted to hear His voice clear in my life. I thought I was waiting for that voice in my head. I wasn't hearing that voice, yet right here in the verse above it says God will direct us in the way we are to go. And you know what? He does.
For us, anyways, He's been using the people and situations around us to show us that it was time for a change. But we just weren't seeing it. We thought that the discomfort we were feeling and seeing was more like our "cross to bear" than a sign from God that it was time to change. Of course, in retrospect it's really a duh moment, because we can clearly see right where it all started, and we've been ignoring God for some time. Then this past weekend we were at a conference where we basically heard eight sermons in a row all telling us the same thing (even though, in reality, they were eight different sermons). That we hadn't been listening very well and that it was time for us to make that big change. Yikes! Talk about getting hit in the head! In this case, we heard God's Voice loud and clear through the men of God and the words that God gave them to speak to us.
God also gave us His Word to speak to us through. The precious Bible, I'll tell you, I can't count the number of times I've stumbled upon a verse that went straight through into my heart. That's God talking to me, sure enough.
" 15 Elisha said, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so. 16 "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
17 "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."
18 Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times." 1 Kings 13:15-19
This is one of the passages that spoke to me, because we see a man, a king here, not following God's directions fully. In verse eighteen, Elisha tells the king to shoot all his arrows into the ground. Silly as it was, the king decided to take his own way and only shoot three of his arrows into the ground. Had the king followed through on God's plans for him, he would have completely defeated the army before him. Instead, he followed his own ideas of what should be done, and instead, he faces an uncertain future, as he'll defeat the army three times, but not have the ultimate victory.
It hasn't been enough for us to do some of what God wants from us. It's interesting that as God has placed desires and ideas in our hearts, the desires and ideas have literally been impossible for the place that we are in. Yet, they are ideas and desires for the future that God has placed in our hearts. And until we find the place where we can fulfill what God has planned for us, we are no better than the king who couldn't follow directions.
Anytime God speaks to us, we have a choice to make. Do we follow his directions and what he is telling us? Or do we try to make our own path? Do we follow part of the way and then make up our own rules as we go? The Lord, our God will teach us what is best for us. I need to put my faith and trust in that and follow God's plan straight through. It may make me a little nervous, (okay, maybe a lot nervous), but I trust in God, that he is directing us in the right direction and he will not let us down. He has plans for us, and I can't wait to be doing what he wants us to do.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Stars and Schools
"God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars." Genesis 1:16
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place," Psalm 8:3
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." Psalm 147:4
Today is the first day of school for both my babies. I'm not totally content with this. :-) Summer flew by so fast, and there were so many things left un-done. Would you believe we didn't even go to the park this summer? Where did it go! I was really enjoying my children, they were getting along, and we were just having a nice summer together. *Sigh*.
Last night though, as I tucked my children into bed, they both got some extra snuggle time. As I cuddled them and kissed their foreheads, they were also getting some mighty prayers. Some prayers for a fantastic school year, for loving friends and caring teachers, and for boldness and faith in their God to see them through any troubles that may come along.
This past weekend, Andy and I spent a good deal of time with God. We were at a conference where we really just spent time worshipping and praising and drawing closer to God- and to each other! During one of the worship times (or more than one) there was a song that we sang that just totally struck a chord with me. The lines go "See the way He holds the stars in His hands. See the way He holds my heart." It was one of those "ding, ding, ding" moments, because I thought about the stars in the sky. God cares about the stars, he knows them each by name, yet they are not people. How much more does he know us? How much more does he know me? And, more importantly this morning, how much more does he know my children.
I struggled a little this year with the idea of homeschooling. Every once in a while I get the idea that, I too, could home school my children, and then I would get the benefit of spending more time with my children, I would know what they were learning, and I would know who they were socializing with. Over the years I've done my research, I know what the laws are in this state, how many hours need to be spent on education, I know where to get curriculum, etc, etc.
Except that's not where God wants my children.
Please know that this is not meant to knock anyone who home schools in any way. Every person is different, every situation is different. Not everyone is as blessed to live in a place of great education. We've often talked that if we moved somewhere where there weren't good schools that homeschooling would be a no-brainer. But this decision, this choice to send my children into the school system, relates specifically to us, and how God has dealt with me on that issue.
For me, and with God and I, this issue of homeschooling versus public schooling came right down to trust. And faith. With the incidences of school violence escalating, sending my children to school every day can really bring out some irrational fears! Every time I hear sirens while Abigail is at school I stop what I'm doing to see where those sirens are headed. Every. Single. Time. I love my children, more than anything, but for me, I needed to place every scrap of trust I could muster into my Heavenly Father to know that He would be looking over them while they are at school. God's got my back, and I cling to that all day long until my children are safe at home with me in the afternoon. I pray all day long for Abigail. I pray often that she has nice friends, and that in return, she is a nice friend back. I pray that the love of Jesus fills her heart and exudes all over the other children in her classroom.
Because that is why she is in school. She is in school to shine for Jesus. It would be oh, so, so easy to keep her home and keep that precious little heart to myself, but then how would she share that love for Jesus that she has in her heart? Children are so precious, and so open to hearing about other experiences, and what other people do. I see how often Abigail comes home and suggests wearing her hair like so-and-so, or getting a T-shirt like so-and-so, children are sponges! And as the children in Abigail's class see her being kind to everyone, sharing and smiling, they want to know why she is so happy all the time. And she talks about the fun she has in Sunday School class, and often shares achievements like the success of her Christmas play last year with her class. My children cannot shine their little light if I keep them in the box of home. I will not keep them under a bushel, no matter how I rationalize it. And trust me, I've rationalized it plenty. But the fact is, this is an unsaved world and God can, and will, use even the children to bring more people to Him.
I trust in that. And even this morning, as I really struggled walking my son to preschool, I prayed heartily to God to protect my son, and protect his little heart while he is at school. There were definitely several times this morning where it occurred to me that we could simply turn around and walk back home- it's only preschool after all, not a necessity. But my son asked to go to preschool. It was completely his idea, and I have to think that God placed that desire in his heart to go to preschool and to ask me if he could go. I do miss him already, and I'm looking forward to picking him up two hours from now. But God has great plans for my precious son. He has great plans for my precious daughter, and I need to remember that. Because more than anything, the enemy would love to thwart God's plans by convincing me that my kids would be better off at home with me. And I will not listen to that.
For my children are valuable to me, and even more valuable to My God. He loves them even more than I love them, and he will keep them safe and secure and He will use them in a mighty way. I trust Him in that, and I have complete faith that He will see them safely home each and every day.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place," Psalm 8:3
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." Psalm 147:4
Today is the first day of school for both my babies. I'm not totally content with this. :-) Summer flew by so fast, and there were so many things left un-done. Would you believe we didn't even go to the park this summer? Where did it go! I was really enjoying my children, they were getting along, and we were just having a nice summer together. *Sigh*.
Last night though, as I tucked my children into bed, they both got some extra snuggle time. As I cuddled them and kissed their foreheads, they were also getting some mighty prayers. Some prayers for a fantastic school year, for loving friends and caring teachers, and for boldness and faith in their God to see them through any troubles that may come along.
This past weekend, Andy and I spent a good deal of time with God. We were at a conference where we really just spent time worshipping and praising and drawing closer to God- and to each other! During one of the worship times (or more than one) there was a song that we sang that just totally struck a chord with me. The lines go "See the way He holds the stars in His hands. See the way He holds my heart." It was one of those "ding, ding, ding" moments, because I thought about the stars in the sky. God cares about the stars, he knows them each by name, yet they are not people. How much more does he know us? How much more does he know me? And, more importantly this morning, how much more does he know my children.
I struggled a little this year with the idea of homeschooling. Every once in a while I get the idea that, I too, could home school my children, and then I would get the benefit of spending more time with my children, I would know what they were learning, and I would know who they were socializing with. Over the years I've done my research, I know what the laws are in this state, how many hours need to be spent on education, I know where to get curriculum, etc, etc.
Except that's not where God wants my children.
Please know that this is not meant to knock anyone who home schools in any way. Every person is different, every situation is different. Not everyone is as blessed to live in a place of great education. We've often talked that if we moved somewhere where there weren't good schools that homeschooling would be a no-brainer. But this decision, this choice to send my children into the school system, relates specifically to us, and how God has dealt with me on that issue.
For me, and with God and I, this issue of homeschooling versus public schooling came right down to trust. And faith. With the incidences of school violence escalating, sending my children to school every day can really bring out some irrational fears! Every time I hear sirens while Abigail is at school I stop what I'm doing to see where those sirens are headed. Every. Single. Time. I love my children, more than anything, but for me, I needed to place every scrap of trust I could muster into my Heavenly Father to know that He would be looking over them while they are at school. God's got my back, and I cling to that all day long until my children are safe at home with me in the afternoon. I pray all day long for Abigail. I pray often that she has nice friends, and that in return, she is a nice friend back. I pray that the love of Jesus fills her heart and exudes all over the other children in her classroom.
Because that is why she is in school. She is in school to shine for Jesus. It would be oh, so, so easy to keep her home and keep that precious little heart to myself, but then how would she share that love for Jesus that she has in her heart? Children are so precious, and so open to hearing about other experiences, and what other people do. I see how often Abigail comes home and suggests wearing her hair like so-and-so, or getting a T-shirt like so-and-so, children are sponges! And as the children in Abigail's class see her being kind to everyone, sharing and smiling, they want to know why she is so happy all the time. And she talks about the fun she has in Sunday School class, and often shares achievements like the success of her Christmas play last year with her class. My children cannot shine their little light if I keep them in the box of home. I will not keep them under a bushel, no matter how I rationalize it. And trust me, I've rationalized it plenty. But the fact is, this is an unsaved world and God can, and will, use even the children to bring more people to Him.
I trust in that. And even this morning, as I really struggled walking my son to preschool, I prayed heartily to God to protect my son, and protect his little heart while he is at school. There were definitely several times this morning where it occurred to me that we could simply turn around and walk back home- it's only preschool after all, not a necessity. But my son asked to go to preschool. It was completely his idea, and I have to think that God placed that desire in his heart to go to preschool and to ask me if he could go. I do miss him already, and I'm looking forward to picking him up two hours from now. But God has great plans for my precious son. He has great plans for my precious daughter, and I need to remember that. Because more than anything, the enemy would love to thwart God's plans by convincing me that my kids would be better off at home with me. And I will not listen to that.
For my children are valuable to me, and even more valuable to My God. He loves them even more than I love them, and he will keep them safe and secure and He will use them in a mighty way. I trust Him in that, and I have complete faith that He will see them safely home each and every day.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31
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