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Familiar

December 27, 2011 By

phone conversation familiar FamiliarThere’s a level of familiarity we have with close friends and family that’s comforting, but can also backfire on us.

I’ve come to observe that my 7 year old, while almost always polite, is often much more thoughtful when speaking to her teachers and strangers than when talking to me, her own mother.

While I appreciate that she’s so comfortable with me that she can say whatever she wants, her mouth often can get her in trouble.

I’m not talking rude, but simply speaking before she thinks.

But then it made me think about how I’ve spoken to my own mother over the years.

I can’t say I’ve always given her the respect she’s deserved. As a single mom for the majority of my life, she sacrificed more than I’ll ever know…yet I often probably treated her as if I deserved it all…and more.

How often did I thank her for the everyday? How often do I now take time to call her and show my love and gratitude for who she is and all she has been to me?

The answer is: not enough. Yet she loves me anyway.

We assume that those closest to us will automatically have to forgive us of our faults, but realistically, how often can someone take the same thoughtless words and behavior over and over before they crack?

I’m thankful that we have a Lord and Savior that we can bring our burdens to, yet who will not crack under our pressures; one makes Himself familiar to us, but who knows us better than we could ever know ourselves.

You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways. ~ Psalm 139:1-3

Filed Under: Devotions, Faith, Faith in Action, Forgiveness Tagged With: , , , ,

Am I Enough?

December 12, 2011 By

I felt God asking me just now, “Am I enough”?
cone family kids cut out 300x225 Am I Enough?As I stepped out of the shower this morning, I discovered this photo in the trash. Last night I had to cut out a picture of my kids to put on an ornament for school. Granted I was the one who had done the dirty work, but when I saw the image of them cut out of our lives this morning, it was almost too much for me to bear.

That was when I immediately heard God say, “Am I enough?”

I didn’t feel like He was trying to take my children or my husband away from me for that matter, but I just felt like it was a wake-up call to realize that sometimes I put my hope and love in things other than Him.

We always say that God is enough, but do we mean it? It’s easy to get wrapped up in those we love, but if we don’t go back and draw from the One who loved us first, we will never be able to give them all the love they deserve!

Filed Under: Devotions, Faith, Love Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Feast

November 21, 2011 By

feast table The FeastMany of us will pull ourselves up to a table to feast on turkey and all the trimmings this week…and some of us more than once!

But have you ever paused to think what exactly you’re feasting on? Not necessarily on Thanksgiving, but on a regular basis?

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also ~ Matthew 6:21

Do you feast online, devouring Facebook updates and Tweets? Do you feast on the accolades you receive over your clean house? Are you feasting on the bottom line of your work spreadsheet as you present it to your boss after an 80 hour work week? Perhaps you’re feasting on your kids’ latest trophy win.

Whatever it may be these days, take time to consider where you’re feasting; that is, where you’re spending the majority of your time and energy. Because if you’re spending it anywhere other than the Father’s table, everyone else that comes in contact with you is only going to get the leftover’s of your table scraps, instead of equal portions of His plenty.

Come, all you who are thirsty,
   come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
   come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without cost.
 Why spend money on what is not bread,
   and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
   and you will delight in the richest of fare.
~ Isaiah 55:1-2

Filed Under: Busyness, Devotions, Faith Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Who are you thinking about?

November 17, 2011 By

Who are you thinking about today?

fall Family faces 300x225 Who are you thinking about?

My favorite people to think about!

We’re all busy, but don’t you ever get tired of using that as an excuse for why you don’t think about people more? I know I do.

Think about it – if you’re always running around with a to-do list in your head, it leaves little room for you to think about the people you really care about…much less hear the voice of God!

Maybe someone has even said to you, “If I was important enough to you, you’d call me!” <or these days, text, Skype, etc>

You want to assure them they are important, but really, there’s an ounce of truth to that. If you don’t have room in your life to even think about someone, you certainly won’t make time to contact them.

Start today by reclaiming the ‘down time’ in your life: when you wake up, drive time…heck, even bathroom time! Don’t try to fill every minute of everyday with a task. Take time to let your mind wander and dwell on those you love – and better yet – let them know you were thinking about them!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~ Philippians 4:8

Filed Under: Busyness, Devotions, Faith, Love Tagged With: , , , , ,

Let it Go

November 16, 2011 By

hands fireplace Let it Go
Let it go.

I could really end this post right there; some of you needed to hear only that this morning.

In fact, that was what I needed to hear from God late last night as I was lying awake in bed racking my brain over a fairly insignificant issue. I was seething about some issues in our apartment complex and I was actually letting it keep me awake!

Who could I call? What would I say? How are they going to resolve the issue and keep it from happening again?

Let it go.

It was as clear as day in my head. It was like God was saying, “Excuse me, can I interrupt this nonsense so I can help you get to sleep?”

Let it go.

You’re punishing no-one but yourself. The person who has ‘wronged’ you obviously isn’t worried about it, so why should you let it ruin your day?

I let it go.

As soon as I did, a stream of consciousness washed over me and this is what I wrote in the dark on the pad next to my bed:

Let it go

Help me to forgive and forget
help me to let go and be led….
away, by you
from strife to life
from grief to joy.

For no-one is as hurt by unforgiveness as me
and no-one bears the pain of harbored bitterness but me.

You have paid the price for all my sin and shame,
so who am I to put it all back up again?

To bear the burden I no longer have to bear alone,
with you,
forgiven and free.

Filed Under: Devotions, Faith, Forgiveness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Prayer for you or me?

November 7, 2011 By

bible prayer hands Prayer for you or me? I admit, I’m not the best prayer warrior.

There. I said it. Are you surprised?

But just because I don’t consider prayer one of my spiritual gifts does not give me the license not to pray.

In fact, I would venture to say that prayer helps me as much as the person I’m praying for.

Through prayer, not only am I lifting someone else closer to the throne of God, but I am literally putting them ahead of myself. In putting my own thoughts aside in order to focus on someone else’s needs, my own heart benefits as a byproduct.

I’ve also learned that in order to fill that ever so important request, “Will you pray for me?”, I often need to stop in that moment and do so. Sometimes it is with the person, sometimes it is simply a quick talk with God once I get in the car; yet whatever the prayer is, I know that through the act of prayer, I am fulfilling the will of my Heavenly Father.

I wish we would all walk through life that way: knowing that we don’t have to compete to get ahead, but instead by helping others, we in turn truly better ourselves. It’s a win-win!

While I don’t recommend entering prayer for the sole purpose of thinking, “What can I get out of this for myself?”, I would also encourage you to open up your mind to the possibility that praying for someone else just might bless you in return!

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ~ Ephesians 6:18

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The Power of One

October 5, 2011 By

one man The Power of OneI was reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers this morning and was instantly reminded of the Power of One:

It took just one person to separate us from God through sin, yet it also took just one person to redeem us as well! Though Eve ate the forbidden fruit, forever changing the course of history, likewise Jesus erased our sin by His singular (& life-changing) act of dying on the cross.

I recently heard of a  9 year old girl who felt so compelled by the fact that children were growing up around the world without water that instead of asking for birthday presents as she was turning 9, she asked for people to contribute to building wells in Africa. She raised several hundred dollars just at her birthday party alone! Tragically, she was killed in a car crash just a few weeks later….but her legacy lives on. The story of her generosity made its way to the internet and people around the world rallied to carry on her heart for the cause. Today, over a million dollars has been raised – all because of one child’s heart.

If you’re feeling like today is just another day, take heart. You have the power to change the world! Maybe not immediately, but God has given you gifts that, if you live faithfully to those gifts day by day, you can change a life: in your family, in your community, at work, or maybe even online. You may never know the impact you have on another life, but that shouldn’t stop you from living your life in an impactful way!

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned
~ Romans 5:12

Filed Under: Christian Living, Devotions, Faith Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Sit Still

September 27, 2011 By

sit still Sit Still
I admit it. I don’t sit still very often.

*Pause for gasps of shock*

In fact, one of the only times I sit still is in church.

It’s so hard for me because I think of everything else I need to be or could be doing once I sit down away from my computer.

But don’t get me wrong; I still pay attention. As a writer, I write to process. So while I may be refining a to-do list, I’m also taking sermon notes.

A couple weeks ago, as I pulled out my planner/notebook, my husband leaned over to me and said, “try to put everything away today”. So dutifully I did. But not only did I have trouble listening to our pastor, but my mind started to wander even more…and yes, I got bitter at my husband for even suggesting such a thing!

I actually found myself listening to the sermon less than if I had allowed my normal brain outflow on to paper.

Think of it this way – in order for me to make more room in my brain to receive new info, I need to pour out some things onto paper. Some of the sweetest times I’ve had with God have been after I’ve gone to a quiet spot (I prefer my closet) with a legal pad and just “emptied my brain” onto the paper. I’ve filled up sheets & sheets in one sitting! I just write whatever comes to mind: items to-do, things I want to make for dinner, people whose face pop in my head, random words, bills I have to pay…you get the idea.

Once I’ve poured everything I’ve been carrying around in my head out on to the paper, I feel like I’m finally able to let God speak to me in the silence (literal & figurative). You see, it does me no good to sit in a quiet place if there’s a lot of noise in my own head.

Everyone experiences God differently: some will go for a walk, some wake up early and pray, some experience God on their commute singing praise songs in the car. God happens to meet me where I am, and more often than not, that comes when I have old-fashioned pen and paper in hand.

Be still and know I am God ~ Psalm 46:10

What does ‘being still’ look like in your life? Where does God meet you most often?

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Pruning

September 26, 2011 By

I have a beautiful plant that a friend gave me a couple years ago.  It started out as only two branches, and while one branch thrived, the other became weak and small.  When I asked my mom how to treat the sick branch, she informed me that I must cut the longer branch and replant it because its roots were choking the smaller branch.

That terrified me!  What if I lost the entire plant?

At the time, I would rather have had one long, beautiful branch than no plant at all.  In the end, I followed her advice and now I have a beautiful, full plant that I prune often.

Essentially, what looked healthy on the outside was actually very sick under the soil.  John 15:2 extols:

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful.

“Prune” in that verse is the Greek word Kathairo, which means pure, clean, without stain, and without spot.  To kathairo is to cleanse from filth, purify, and remove defilement or imperfections.  It may seem like an oxymoron, but in order to truly grow, we must constantly prune away dead leaves and cut back overgrown branches.  We must be willing to cut out all that God reveals as impure in our life if we want to truly grow in Him.

Who are you allowing to do your gardening?  1 Corinthians 15:33 teaches us that “bad company corrupts good character”.  Do not allow just anyone to do your pruning; the only suitable gardener is God.

Filed Under: Devotions, Faith, God's Will Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Boast

September 14, 2011 By

2011 07 25 CarVisit Natchez Leipers Fball Cheer 012 300x200 Boast
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” – Gal 6:14

Has God ever sent you a friendly reminder by leading you to a certain verse in the bible?  Maybe even a helpful suggestion in the form of a tug on your heart?

The weather is finally starting to give us a glimpse of fall here in Nashville, and it takes me back to a similar night when I was single.

My roommate and I decided to take advantage of the first “chilly” Florida night we’d experienced all year. We walked to the lake at our apartment complex (or retention pond, depending on how you look at it), sat down in the grass, and turned on the flashlight as I opened the bible.  She prompted me to read the last chapter of Galatians, which brought me to a verse that I had not truly committed to memory the first time I attempted to do so…Galatians 6:14.

It is so easy to get caught up in what we’re doing for the world.  Pride comes in and captures our thoughts so quickly.  I was proud of what I had accomplished at work that day, proud of myself for running that night…even proud that I had brought my Bible on our short stroll to enjoy the weather.

However, to Christ, my good works mean nothing unless they are an example of His love to others.  We were created to do just that: good works (products of the fruit of the spirit) of and for Him.  Anything that we accomplish is a result of what He has allowed us to do. Our efforts will not increase our chances for salvation; we’ve already been given that gift through the grace of God…and it is a gift that we can all receive.

So do not boast in your own ability, but instead walk in the path Christ walked and give Him the glory for what He’s allowed you to accomplish.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Eph 2:8-10

 

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