Ready for Christmas

Dec24

Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (HCSB)

The house is clean.  The presents are under the tree.  The groceries have been bought.  The recipes are waiting to be turned into dishes with wonderful tastes, scrumptious smells, and no calories (okay, that last one is just a Christmas wish!).  As I fix myself another cup of coffee and sit for just a minute, I can’t help but think about how You must feel as we celebrate the birth of Your only Son.  We run around shopping and cooking and shopping some more.  Checking, wrapping, and checking again to be sure we have gifts for everyone.  Are we ignoring the gift that You gave us?  We decorate the tree, decorate the table, decorate both inside and outside the house.  We cover everything, including ourselves, in items that sparkle and shine. Christmasdecorations Are we shining Your light into a dark world?  We shop for weeks, sometimes months, to find the “perfect gift”.  We give hints and wish lists and try to hide our disappointment when we open the this-is-not-at-all-what-I-wanted gift.  Meanwhile, there are people who have no idea about Your perfect gift.  We can be so overwhelmed that we forget to be overjoyed.  We may be filled with wonder at how the decorative lights brighten a dark street but forget to be filled with wonder at how You have told us to be the light that brightens a dark world.  Lord, please help me not to get so caught up in the busyness of Christmas that I forget to find rest in being with You.  Help me to not get so caught up in the abundant gifts and food that I forget that You have given me abundant life through Christ.  Help me to not get so caught up in the celebrations of Christmas that I forget to celebrate Christ.

I Want the Credit!!

Dec20

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men (HCSB)

walkingI’ve been keeping a record of the number of steps I take each day, so this morning I take my last swallow of coffee and prepare to put in my number from yesterday.  I pull up my fancy pedometer app on my phone, put in yesterday’s date, and come up with ……….zero.  According to the pedometer, I took zero steps yesterday.  None.  Nothing.  A big goose egg.  No credit for my walk around the neighborhood.  No credit for trips up and down the stairs.  All that for nothing!  It never showed up so I get no credit.  Lord, I am so disappointed.  I’m so discouraged.  All that and I get no credit!  Isn’t that how we sometimes are when we work for You, Lord?  Even though You tell us that You see our work and that You will reward us, we want rewards here!  We want recognition now!  We want people to know how hard we work!  We want them to pat us on the back and tell the world how wonderful we are, and it is really horrible when others accept the recognition that should have gone to us!  When this happens to me, my selfish thoughts start to bubble……., “Nobody knows how hard I worked.  Look at all I did for them and they don’t care!”   My feelings go from “I can’t believe this” to “It’s not fair” and on and on.  Father, I am so humbled because I think of You.  I think of what you did for us and people don’t even care.  I think of what a humble servant You were.  I think of Matthew 6:1 and how I have had times of working simply to be seen by and rewarded by people but gave no thought or honor to You.  Father, help me to be more like Matthew 5:16 and shine before others so that You may receive the glory.  Earthly recognition is nice and makes us feel good, but earthly recognition isn’t lasting and isn’t always fair.  We all need positive reinforcement, and I thank You, Lord, that to receive recognition from You is so much better than anything any person could give us.  We all like to hear other people say “atta boy”, but it will be so much better to hear You say  “well done good and faithful servant.”

Bailing Out the Boat

Dec10

Matthew 8: 23-25: 23 As He got into the[a] boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. 25 So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” (HCSB)

 

I’m going to need an extra cup of coffee this morning!  I was awakened very early this morning to the sound rain windowof a hard rain being driven against my bedroom window by a strong wind.  As I snuggled deeper into my warm bed in my dry house, I thought of the disciples in the storm at sea.  They too experienced a hard rain driven by a strong wind, but while I enjoy a warm house, they were in a boat.  I picture the disciples wet – it probably seemed that walls of water were coming from all sides.  I picture them cold – rain from storms always seems so cold.  I picture them battered – the boat was probably being tossed about on the rough waves.  I picture them gasping for air — probably every breath seemed to carry more water than oxygen.  These were men who knew about traveling on boats.  They had been taught what to do during a storm, but nothing was working. The worst thing they could imagine was happening.  I have no problem at all picturing them being terrified! I can just hear the disciples calling Jesus, voices raised, talking over one another– What is wrong with You?  Don’t You care about us at all?  We are being tossed about and covered with water to the point of near death, and what are You doing??”   But, verse 26 tells us that Jesus spoke to the storm as we would speak to an unruly child and that the storm calmed.  Jesus could rest because He was not afraid of a little thing like a storm. He knew who was really in charge.  The disciples felt that they were simply hanging on, doing all they knew to do, failing at every attempt when all they needed to do was trust the One who knew the way to calm the chaos.  So often we today feel battered by the storms of everyday life.  We feel like our little boat is being tossed around and is taking on water faster than we can bail.  We are just hanging on, doing all we know to do, nothing is working, and we are terrified.  We cannot find peace because we are so afraid of the storm.  Lord, help us to remember that the One who calmed the storm described by Matthew, Luke, and Mark can surely calm the storm in our lives.  You told us that we would have troubles and suffer, but You also told us to be courageous because You had conquered all of that (John 16:33).  Lord, I may not know why I am going through a particular storm in my life, but I know the One who can calm the storm.

The Joy of the G-Word

Nov19

1 Samuel 1:27 — I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. (NIV).

Proverbs 17:6 – Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers (ESV)

Today is my grandson’s birthday.  He will be nine – his last year with a single digit age.  He is closer to being a teen-ager than a toddler.  He is my height and wears the same size shoe as his mom.  I’m sitting with my coffee and my photo albums, looking back over the years, and strolling down Memory Lane.  I look at his newborn pictures and remember the night we got “the on-the-way-to-the-hospital, this-is-it” call.  My husband and I were sound asleep with the phone rang but wide-awake the second that our son spoke those magic words!  Any other time, we lived about four hours away from the hospital, but those interstate speed limits can sometimes just be suggestions — and not very realistic ones at all!  We spent the night either dozing or pacing in the hospital lobby, but when the elevator doors opened to reveal our son’s beaming face, the long night was forgotten.  I still get teary at the memory of seeing shaymicahmemy baby holding his baby for the first time.  From the moment I first saw my grandson, I called him my precious darling.  When he was two, someone told him that he was too big to be my precious darling.  His immediate reply was “I will ALWAYS be her precious darling”!!  Smart, cute, and a prophet! I think of how much I love this little boy, and it takes my breath away.  I have spent hours sitting with him and watching the same movie over and over and over again.  I have cried because his feelings were hurt.  I have been livid because he was treated unfairly.  I watch him grow and feel such pride.  I pray for him to become the man that You want him to be.  He is such a bold witness for you at this young age, and I pray that his enthusiasm for Your kingdom will mature and grow even stronger as his body does the same.  I know that somewhere there is a little girl growing up to be his wife, and I pray for her too.  I prayed for this child before he was born, and You have given me more than I even asked of You.  He truly is the crown of his grandparents.  Thank You, Lord for allowing us the blessing of this precious child.  And thank You for those sweet words that make my heart swell and bubble over with joy – “I love you, Granny”.

“The Winds, the Waves, the Dreams”

Nov13

Proverbs 16:2 – All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord evaluates the motives. (HCSB)

1 Chronicles 16:11- Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (NIV)

I am sipping my coffee this morning while listening to the wind blow and looking at my new calendar of ocean scenes. I am thinking how I would rather be starting the day listening to the waves instead of to the winds!  When we were younger, my husband and I would talk about how someday we would live at the beach; we would search the real estate listings to determine what would fit our “needs” (ocean view being number one, of course); we would take notice of certain neighborhoods and discuss the pros and cons.  It was fun to dream.  We haven’t done that in awhile.  We still love the sound of the waves, love seeing the ocean view, love the atmosphere of a beach town……so what happened to our dream of making all of this our daily lifestyle?  What happened to cause the death of our dream?  Sometimes dreams die because we “age out” of that particular dream.  We mature and realize that it is just not possible to travel between planets or become an ancient warrior or live in outer space. Sometimes our dreams die because we let them starve. Instead of feeding them with action and determination, we allow people’s words of discouragement and negative attitudes to fill us and take away our hunger. Sometimes our dreams die because it was OUR dream but not YOUR dream; our plan but not Your plan.  Psalm 94:11 says that You know all of our plans and know they are futile.  Jeremiah 29:11 says that You have plans for us, plans that are only good for us. Sometimes I’ve tried to convince You how good my plans are and how You should make them Your plans too, but Proverbs 16:2 tells me that everyone thinks their plans are great! Then verse 3 tells me to commit my plans to You. Lord, You know my dreams and plans. You know my wants and my needs, and You know there is a difference between those two things. Lord, I know that it’s okay to have dreams and that sometimes those dreams come true.  Dreaming isn’t wrong as long as our dreams are inline with Your plans. Jim Elliott said “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.”   Lord, help me to seek Your strength in everything I do, to dream my dreams but follow Your plans.

Dirty Socks and Leftovers

Nov1

Matthew 19:6 – So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” (HCSB)

 

weddingringsI was recently with a group of women of various wedding anniversaries. One just celebrated 15; I will soon celebrate 39. Over coffee and sodas, we started discussing our ages when we walked so boldly and confidently down the aisle. Our ages varied, but we all had one thing in common – each one was so naive while thinking she was so mature. Each bride and groom had looked at each other with starry eyes and said, “I do” without a single doubt of the bright and blissful future to come. Today we just laugh at those two foolish people!  That man at whom we looked with such awe is not so awesome when we’re picking up his dirty socks. He sometimes says the wrong thing (or nothing at all). He sometimes misses our hints (even though our clues were so obvious). He sometimes has bad breath (and other body odors). There are times when that radiant bride of the wedding day isn’t such a ray of sunshine either! Ephesians 5:33 tells husbands to love their wives and wives to respect their husbands.  When we get married we fully intend to unconditionally love, respect and admire each other. I know I had great intentions of being the perfect wife, offering nothing but kind and encouraging words, perfectly prepared dinners every night, and a life of candlelit romance.  But, life sets in with all of its time devouring stresses.  Sometimes my words are less than kind and not at all encouraging. There are times when my husband just needs to count his blessings that he got dinner at all, even if it is just leftovers!  Often times the candlelight is just a sign that the electricity is out.  Why do we put up with each other when the adventurous future becomes the routine present?  The Bible is very clear that marriage is a divinely established covenant. When asked about marriage, You said “Haven’t you read the scriptures?” (Matthew 19:4)  A covenant means that one person holds up their end of the promise even when the other person falls short.  A marriage covenant is sealed with “as long as we both shall live”, not “as long as we like each other everyday.” A covenant tells us to walk away from the mix-up, not the marriage. The Bible teaches us that You, Lord, unite us together to become one flesh (Matthew 19:6).  You came up with the idea of marriage (Genesis 2:18), and Proverbs 18:22 says that a man who finds a wife finds a good thing. Lord, help me to see my marriage as a gift from You.  Help me to be a “good thing” for my husband. To paraphrase Song of Solomon 2:16, my husband is mine and I am his, dirty socks, leftovers, and all!

“Number 1……..Me………I……… Myself”

Oct26

Philippians 2:4 – Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (HCSB)

Ephesians 4:2 – with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting[a] one another in love, (HCSB)

Lord, I’m sitting here sipping my coffee and thinking of what I need to do today.  I’m trying to make this cup of coffee last as long as I possibly can because, when I finish it, I need to make a phone call to someone.  I try to talk to her on a regular basis, but there are days that I just can’t deal with her negative attitude.  She can find something wrong in any given situation.  I wish she could find happiness in something, but her only joy is in her misery.  Instead of looking on the bright side, she can find the dark corner in any sun filled room!  It is always about the woes in her life.  She is not the least bit interested in what is going on in my life, or in her neighbor’s life, or in the lives of her family members.  She is the personification of the old joke “Enough about me.  Let’s talk about you.  So…what do you think about ME?” I keep trying to point out all the positives in her life, but she always has a negative.  I can almost see You smile and shake Your head.  I guess I’m not so different from her sometimes.  I tell You what blessings I want, when I want them delivered, and who I want to be blessed.  Of course, I should always be the first one blessed!  Philippians 2 tells me to not be so absorbed in my own interests but to be aware of the interests of others.  A friend’s shirt says “J(Jesus) O(others) Y(you).  I saw a sign the other day that said “Joy = Jesus, Only You”.   Okay, Lord.  I hear You.   The children’s song says “the joy of the Lord is my strength”, and Philippians 4 tells me that I can do all things through You.  2 Timothy tells me that You have not given me a spirit of fear but of love. I need to show the love and joy of You in everything I do, even in talking on the phone. One more sip of coffee as I make that call.    telephone

Using the Master Key

Oct19

Judges 6:15 — He said to Him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” (HCSB)

2 Corinthians 9:8 – And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. (HCSB)

I am drinking my coffee this morning and thinking of a conversation I recently had with some friends.  We were talking about how I give power to my feelings of insecurity when I allow them to answer the calling You gave to me.  Why do I allow criticism and comparison to send me plummeting into the depths of self-doubt?  There are people that I have no respect for their opinion in other areas, but I allow their comments to convince me that I have no value in ministry.  Why am I so convinced that someone else can do it so much better than me? Lord, You call me to action, and I allow my self-doubt to make me like Moses in Exodus 6 and say I’m not articulate enough.  I find myself reminding You of my age, and You answer with Psalm 92:14 – “They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green,” (HCSB).  I read in Judges that Gideon’s perception of himself made him feel inadequate.  When doubt tells me that I can’t do something, please help me to remember that You tell me I can (Philippians 4:13).  When doubt tells me that I’m not good enough, please help me focus on the truth (Psalm 139:14). In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage people in their faith.  Multiple times You have sent me friends to strengthen and encourage me in my answer to Your call. I recently saw the quote “We can’t control someone’s intention when they criticize. But we can control our interpretation of their intention.”  I don’t know who originally said it, but I know that I need to turn to Your truths instead of believing the lies of negativity. unlockedLord, I know that You want me to have a confident heart so that I can accomplish what You are calling me to do.  Help me to remember that I’m not walking alone, that You will supply what I need, and that You see me as able to do anything as long as I keep my eyes on You.

I Have to Pay for Snacks!?! When My Journey Goes Awry

Oct12

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 — We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. (HCSB)

John 14:2 – In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. (HCSB)

airplaneRecently my husband and I flew from Richmond, Va to a conference in San Diego, Ca. What an adventure! When we got to the airport in Richmond, we happened to meet up with some friends who were taking the same trip.  We all discovered that our original airplane had problems but another plane would take us to Houston, Texas to meet our connecting plane to San Diego. The plane was small, crowded, and not even close to what we wanted.   It was also behind schedule coming into Richmond, and of course, behind schedule getting to Houston. After a mad run through the Houston airport, we discovered that we had missed our connecting flight!  The people at the airport were very nice, and one especially concerned airline employee was very excited that she had found us seats on a plane to San Francisco. The problem was that our plans were for San Diego NOT San Francisco!  The names sounded somewhat similar, but they are very different places.   After a long wait with (by now) good friends, we were able to catch a flight to San Diego, and even though the journey was not as we had planned, the place that had been prepared for us at the end of our journey was more than worth the hassle of getting there.  As I was drinking my coffee this morning and thinking about all of this, I started thinking of how our trip was like life.  We think we have it all planned out and things should run smoothly, but something comes along and throws our lives completely off schedule.  We may have been totally innocent in the chain of events that caused the disruption, but we are suffering the consequences just the same.  Our lives may not be at all what we wanted or expected. It’s not fair; it’s not right; it’s not what we planned.  We can run around trying to fix it.  We may encounter some very nice people who want to help make things better but are trying to send us where we don’t need to go.  What they tell us may sound similar to God’s words, but they have very different meanings. The only thing we can do is stay on course and hopefully have some good friends by our side!  Life is not fair; things aren’t always right; life doesn’t always go the way we planned. But, God calls us to stay on course.  He doesn’t promise it will be what WE wanted or what WE had planned. He just promises that the place that is prepared for us at the end of our journey is more than worth the hassle of getting there!   Thank You, Lord for preparing a place for me for the end of my journey. Thank You for friends to make the difficult times a little easier to bear.

What About When God Has It Wrong?

Sep29

2 Peter 1:4 – Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the devine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (NIV)

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares The Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

As I’m drinking my coffee and reading my Bible, I begin to think about Abraham and Isaac going up the mountain. We focus so much on Abraham and Isaac in that story that we forget about Sarah. Where was she when Abraham was planning the trip up the mountain?  What was she doing when Abraham was preparing everything for the journey?  Scripture tells us that Sarah was not what we would call a passive woman, and she had waited too long and been through too much to sit calmly while her baby went marching up that mountain with sticks on his back!  I know there is discussion about Isaac’s true age, but I also know age doesn’t matter to a mom — that was her baby!  Sarah had endured too many months of crushing disappointment while waiting for that baby boy.   She had danced through weeks of great joy thinking “this is it!!  She had sobbed beyond control when the proof came that she was wrong. She had perfected the plastic smile as she sat through her friend’s baby showers. She knew how to mask her longings as she listened to her friends complain about the sleepless nights with an infant, the “terrible twos”, the woes of raising a teenager, and the stresses of planning a wedding.  Then she had to paste on a smile again as those same friends celebrated the births of grandchildren while she was still waiting for a child of her own.  I sincerely believe that Sarah would have stopped Abraham from taking Isaac on the last leg of that particular journey.  She would have stopped Your plans and Your promise.  I begin to wonder how many times I have stopped Your plans in my life. How many times have I put what I thought was best ahead of what You knew was best?  2 Peter 1:4 says that You have given us great and precious promises that allow us to share in Your divine nature and escape the corruption caused by our selfish desires. Jeremiah 29:11 tells me that Your plans are always good for me. Lord, please forgive me for trying to block Your blessings in my life.  I know that my desires are selfish. I know that my plans are very shortsighted.  I know that You give me great and precious promises. Lord, I want to stand on those promises, not stand in the way of them. I want to be like Abraham with an attitude of “I don’t understand, but God said to do it so I know He will take care of it.” (Genesis 22).