Have you ever had “one of those days?” I recently experienced “one.” I was mad, frustrated and annoyed with everyone around me. You could say I was tightly wound. It’s a good thing I don’t own a dog, because I probably would’ve kicked him!
It was a day where it seemed I could do nothing right. My husband and I were arguing about minor miscommunications. My kids weren’t obeying. No one liked the supper I made, and I was beating myself up over not being a good enough friend. I was starting to feel less and less valuable as the minutes ticked on.
We ended up running errands as a family that night. As many of you know, kids and errands don’t always mix well. This time it was a lethal combination. To give an example, even a store clerk had to reprimand my kids. It was not my most shining moment as a parent. By the time we arrived home at 9:30, I was mentally exhausted.
My son, however, seemed to have a bounce in his step. There’s nothing more annoying to someone in a mental pity party than to see a cheerful person. The minute we got out of the car, he ran up to me and excitedly asked, “Mom, can I tell you something?”
I blankly stared at him with the I-can’t-believe-you-would-dare-to-be-cheerful-after-what-you-pulled-at-the-store-tonight look. He watched my face for a few seconds, assessing the situation. Then he carefully said, “I’ll just tell you about it tomorrow” and turned and ran in the house. Smart kid.
The rest of the evening didn’t improve much, so I was hoping the next day would be better. Since the kids were grounded, it turned out to be a productive day around home. We baked a triple batch of banana bread, cleaned the wood floors and even played a game of “Life” together.
We also went into the Community Center so they could burn off some energy in the pool and I could work out my previous frustrations in the fitness room. As I was cruising on the elliptical machine, the song “Who I am in You” by Addison Road played on my iPod.
Oh, you’re bringing me to life
And I’m finding who I am in You
Who I am in You
Oh, You’re changing me inside,
And I’m finding who I am in You,
Who I am in You
As I listened to the song, I realized that my self-imposed inadequacies fade when God looks at me. It’s who I am in Him that really matters. I had been focusing on what I thought were my failures instead of seeing myself as God sees me. As the words to that song played, I felt God’s love wash over me and the painful memories of the previous day faded in comparison.
Scripture verse: “From everlasting to everlasting,
The Lord’s love is with those who fear Him,
And His righteousness with their children’s children.”
Psalm 103:17
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for loving me in spite of my failures and inadequacy. You love me not just today or tomorrow; Your love is from everlasting to everlasting. Even when I am frustrated with myself and those around me, Your love is always there for me. I need to focus on who I am in You and cling to that beautiful thought. Thank you for extending Your righteousness to my children and grandchildren. I am blessed by Your love for me and for my family.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Happy Birthday Me
It was my birthday yesterday. I want you to know that I’m not a birthday diva. Really, I’m not. However, if someone wants to call me to wish me happy birthday or send me a card, I’m not going to turn them away. That would be rude. After all, you only turn 29 … once!
Who am I to refuse a free Caribou birthday drink or a complimentary Pollo Fundido and fried ice cream at Mexican Village? And if my family wants to get me a pedicure for my birthday gift, I will humbly accept it as the loving gift it was intended to be. If my son wants to make my bed, who am I to refuse that once-in-a-lifetime experience? If my kids want to stand a little closer to me on my birthday or hold my hand a little more often, then you can bet I’m going to soak in all the extra attention that my birthday brings.
I can’t help it if my little friend Sawyer and my niece Stella call to sing me an adorable birthday song. When texts pop up with sweet birthday wishes and encouraging words, I have to admit I feel pretty special. When I look at my facebook wall and see all the birthday messages from friends and family, I am touched and blessed to know that so many people acknowledged my special day. I’m not a birthday diva – not at all!
I am so thankful for all the birthday wishes, gifts and free food and drink, but there is more to my birthday than that. As you can see, I love all the attention my birthday brings, but it would mean nothing without love of one person; my Lord. It’s wonderful to have the love of my family and friends, but it’s astounding to have a Savior who loves me. He shows me He loves me every day through His Word, through conversations in prayer, through nature and through people He places in my life.
Psalm 16:2 says, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.” Not even birthdays! God gives me everything good in my life.
In Psalm 16:11 David says, “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to love getting my pedicure, but eternal pleasures sound pretty good, too. I wonder what a heavenly pedicure would feel like?
Scripture passage: Psalm 16
Prayer: Lord, thank you for every good thing You’ve brought into my life. I acknowledge that You are the reason I am on this earth and I want to thank you for giving me life and for giving me the opportunity to spend eternity with You. You do fill me with joy and I give You honor for every blessing in my life. Help me to use my life to honor You. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Who am I to refuse a free Caribou birthday drink or a complimentary Pollo Fundido and fried ice cream at Mexican Village? And if my family wants to get me a pedicure for my birthday gift, I will humbly accept it as the loving gift it was intended to be. If my son wants to make my bed, who am I to refuse that once-in-a-lifetime experience? If my kids want to stand a little closer to me on my birthday or hold my hand a little more often, then you can bet I’m going to soak in all the extra attention that my birthday brings.
I can’t help it if my little friend Sawyer and my niece Stella call to sing me an adorable birthday song. When texts pop up with sweet birthday wishes and encouraging words, I have to admit I feel pretty special. When I look at my facebook wall and see all the birthday messages from friends and family, I am touched and blessed to know that so many people acknowledged my special day. I’m not a birthday diva – not at all!
I am so thankful for all the birthday wishes, gifts and free food and drink, but there is more to my birthday than that. As you can see, I love all the attention my birthday brings, but it would mean nothing without love of one person; my Lord. It’s wonderful to have the love of my family and friends, but it’s astounding to have a Savior who loves me. He shows me He loves me every day through His Word, through conversations in prayer, through nature and through people He places in my life.
Psalm 16:2 says, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.” Not even birthdays! God gives me everything good in my life.
In Psalm 16:11 David says, “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to love getting my pedicure, but eternal pleasures sound pretty good, too. I wonder what a heavenly pedicure would feel like?
Scripture passage: Psalm 16
Prayer: Lord, thank you for every good thing You’ve brought into my life. I acknowledge that You are the reason I am on this earth and I want to thank you for giving me life and for giving me the opportunity to spend eternity with You. You do fill me with joy and I give You honor for every blessing in my life. Help me to use my life to honor You. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
It's Sooooooo Easy!
One of my high school teachers used to say a phrase that still echoes in my head today. After he’d finish teaching his lesson, he’d add the statement, “It’s sooooooo easy” using his patronizing voice. The tiny word “so” was never as long as when his low voice would drag it out. That phrase always made me feel like I was in idiot if I didn’t catch on to what he was teaching that day.
I was reminded of this phrase the other day when I was reading in 1 John. I came across one simple verse that epitomizes the Christian life. “And this is His (God’s) command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us (1 John 3:23).” You can see why I fell in love with that verse! In that one verse, we have the essence of what it means to be a Christian. I thought to myself, “It’s sooooo easy!” Even though living the Christian life isn’t always easy, God made it easy for us to understand what being a Christian is all about.
The first part of that verse says that we become a child of Christ by believing in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. John 6:40 tells us that “Anyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.” Believing in Jesus is not always easy or simple for some people. There are many reasons that people use for not believing in Jesus. However, to those who do choose to believe in Him and are willing to trust and serve Him, He has promised eternal life.
The second part of the verse says to love one another as He commanded us. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we show we are true disciples of Christ. After we accept Christ, we are instructed to love one another. Notice that there are no stipulations to this verse. (I kind of wish there were!) What about the co-worker who has it out for us? What about the Christian friend who has hurt us? What about that family member who works on our last nerve? What about people who have done despicable things? Are we really supposed to love them?
The end of this verse makes it clear that we are called to love everyone. Sometimes it’s not soooooo easy to love certain people. It’s easy for me to love people in my life who are kind to me. It’s a lot harder to love people who are difficult.
God set the ultimate example of love by sending His only Son to die for a sinful world. That sinful world includes you and me. We have done nothing to deserve God’s love, yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Loving others can mean different things for different people. Some people love others by helping those in need. Some people show love by participating in a missions trip. Some people show love by choosing to forgive someone who’s hurt them. Other people show love by reaching out to people in their community. There are many ways to show God's love.
No matter how God wants you to show love, the important thing is that you are doing it. It’s not always soooooo easy to show love. Take God for example. I’m sure it wasn’t sooooo easy for Him to give up His Son and watch Him suffer, but He did it out of love. After God’s ultimate sacrifice, all He asks of us is that we believe in Jesus and love others. That doesn’t seem like much to ask!
Scripture reading: I John 3
Prayer: Lord, I believe in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. I want to obey Your command by loving others. Please show me how to love others around me and in other parts of the world. Thank you for Your sacrifice of love for us when You sent Your Son to die on the cross for my sins.
I was reminded of this phrase the other day when I was reading in 1 John. I came across one simple verse that epitomizes the Christian life. “And this is His (God’s) command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us (1 John 3:23).” You can see why I fell in love with that verse! In that one verse, we have the essence of what it means to be a Christian. I thought to myself, “It’s sooooo easy!” Even though living the Christian life isn’t always easy, God made it easy for us to understand what being a Christian is all about.
The first part of that verse says that we become a child of Christ by believing in the name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. John 6:40 tells us that “Anyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.” Believing in Jesus is not always easy or simple for some people. There are many reasons that people use for not believing in Jesus. However, to those who do choose to believe in Him and are willing to trust and serve Him, He has promised eternal life.
The second part of the verse says to love one another as He commanded us. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we show we are true disciples of Christ. After we accept Christ, we are instructed to love one another. Notice that there are no stipulations to this verse. (I kind of wish there were!) What about the co-worker who has it out for us? What about the Christian friend who has hurt us? What about that family member who works on our last nerve? What about people who have done despicable things? Are we really supposed to love them?
The end of this verse makes it clear that we are called to love everyone. Sometimes it’s not soooooo easy to love certain people. It’s easy for me to love people in my life who are kind to me. It’s a lot harder to love people who are difficult.
God set the ultimate example of love by sending His only Son to die for a sinful world. That sinful world includes you and me. We have done nothing to deserve God’s love, yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Loving others can mean different things for different people. Some people love others by helping those in need. Some people show love by participating in a missions trip. Some people show love by choosing to forgive someone who’s hurt them. Other people show love by reaching out to people in their community. There are many ways to show God's love.
No matter how God wants you to show love, the important thing is that you are doing it. It’s not always soooooo easy to show love. Take God for example. I’m sure it wasn’t sooooo easy for Him to give up His Son and watch Him suffer, but He did it out of love. After God’s ultimate sacrifice, all He asks of us is that we believe in Jesus and love others. That doesn’t seem like much to ask!
Scripture reading: I John 3
Prayer: Lord, I believe in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. I want to obey Your command by loving others. Please show me how to love others around me and in other parts of the world. Thank you for Your sacrifice of love for us when You sent Your Son to die on the cross for my sins.
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