The other day as I entered a new blog post, feelings of joy and accomplishment washed over me. The reason for this happines was that I had reached the "50 mark," meaning I had written over 50 blog posts! Never in my life did I ever think I'd write a blog, much less write 50 posts!
However, when I checked the date of when my blog began, my happiness was short lived. January of 2010. I did the math and realized that I had written about one blog post a week. My heart sank. My goal was to write two posts a week. The elation I felt a few minutes ago quickly turned to disappointment and frustration.
Degrading thoughts swam in my head. "I should have met my goal. Why didn't I try harder? What a failure!"
In the midst of my emotional bruising session, the Lord brought a devotion I'd written for a shower to my mind. Ironically, it was about grace! At the shower I had shared that none of us are perfect as wives, moms or friends, and that we need to give ourselves grace. I guess when I wrote that for a baby shower, I wasn't expecting it to also ring true in my life.
Instead of beating myself up, I should have been happy about the 50 posts I was able to write. That's 50 times God has helped me relate Biblical truth to daily life. And, it's a lot of seeking His Word in the process, which has been an awesome step for me.
The fact that I am even writing a blog is through the grace of God. I can honestly say that He has inspired each one. I may not have reached my goal this year, but I'm not giving up. With God's power and His grace I will keep on writing, even if it's only once a week, because God's power is made perfect in my weakness. He can still use one blog a week for His glory!
I don't know what God's timing is for me with my writing. It seems like it's going more slowly than I want, but since God set the example of giving me grace, I'm going to give myself grace, too. I'm going to celebrate 50!
Scripture: 2 Cor. 12:7-10; 2 Peter 3:18
Prayer: Lord, everything good in our lives is by Your grace. May we follow the example You set with grace - giving free and unmerited favor to a sinful humanity - and give grace to others. We want to give grace to ourselves, our family, our neighbors (everyone else!). Lord, we want to remember to give You thanks for everything good in our lives!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Step Away from the Chocolate
One day when my daughter was around five years old, she came into my office with a face full of chocolate. We both knew she had not asked for permission to eat candy.
Fully knowing the answer, I asked her, “Did you just eat a Milky Way?”
“No,” she answered, very seriously. I could see she was holding the wrapper and the uneaten portion of the candy bar in her little hands.
“Then where did you get that?” I asked as I pointed toward the candy in her hand.
Without missing a beat, she looked down incredulously at her hand and replied in a shocked voice, “How did that get there?”
Even now I am laughing as I remember this story. Her disobedience began by eating the chocolate and continued on with a lie to try and cover it up.
There’s a similar situation in Genesis 4. Cain, a farmer, presented some of his crops as a gift to God when he should have given the best of his crops. In comparison, Cain’s brother Able, a shepherd, brought the best of his firstborn lambs to offer God.
The LORD accepted Able’s gift, but He did not accept Cain’s gift. This made Cain so frustrated that he attacked his brother and killed him. When God asked Cain where Able was, Cain lied by pretending he didn’t know. What had started out with the sin of disobedience had turned into murder and lying.
My daughter was foolish to think I wouldn’t see the chocolate evidence “written” all over her face and Cain was foolish to think the Lord wouldn’t know he offered God a cheap gift, murdered his brother and then lied about it. Genesis 4:7 says, “Sin is crouching at your door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” If we don’t subdue the first sin, other sins will start to control us.
Don’t take that first bite of the Milky Way. God can see the chocolate on your face!
Scripture: Genesis 4:1-12
Prayer: Lord, after reading this passage in Genesis, we can see how one sin breeds other sins. After we fall into sin, it can easily control us and become our master. We want to say “no” to each sin and temptation in our lives. We want to be aware of sin so that we can stop it before it even begins.
Fully knowing the answer, I asked her, “Did you just eat a Milky Way?”
“No,” she answered, very seriously. I could see she was holding the wrapper and the uneaten portion of the candy bar in her little hands.
“Then where did you get that?” I asked as I pointed toward the candy in her hand.
Without missing a beat, she looked down incredulously at her hand and replied in a shocked voice, “How did that get there?”
Even now I am laughing as I remember this story. Her disobedience began by eating the chocolate and continued on with a lie to try and cover it up.
There’s a similar situation in Genesis 4. Cain, a farmer, presented some of his crops as a gift to God when he should have given the best of his crops. In comparison, Cain’s brother Able, a shepherd, brought the best of his firstborn lambs to offer God.
The LORD accepted Able’s gift, but He did not accept Cain’s gift. This made Cain so frustrated that he attacked his brother and killed him. When God asked Cain where Able was, Cain lied by pretending he didn’t know. What had started out with the sin of disobedience had turned into murder and lying.
My daughter was foolish to think I wouldn’t see the chocolate evidence “written” all over her face and Cain was foolish to think the Lord wouldn’t know he offered God a cheap gift, murdered his brother and then lied about it. Genesis 4:7 says, “Sin is crouching at your door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” If we don’t subdue the first sin, other sins will start to control us.
Don’t take that first bite of the Milky Way. God can see the chocolate on your face!
Scripture: Genesis 4:1-12
Prayer: Lord, after reading this passage in Genesis, we can see how one sin breeds other sins. After we fall into sin, it can easily control us and become our master. We want to say “no” to each sin and temptation in our lives. We want to be aware of sin so that we can stop it before it even begins.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Squashing the “What Ifs”
I guess you could say that my daughter has had issues going to school. In kindergarten, she claimed she couldn’t find her classroom and frequently asked the principal or secretary for an escort. Thankfully they were accommodating!
In first grade she would go outside and stand in line for the bus. I stood in our entryway, eagerly awaiting what would happen next. Some days at the last possible second, she would turn around and run back to the house. When she got to the door and the bus pulled away, she would say, “I have a stomach ache.”
It was so frustrating! I didn’t want to make a sick child go to school, but I didn’t want to get “played” either! Her stomach aches didn’t usually amount to anything serious, so I’d end up driving her in to school.
Now she’s in third grade and she’s been having stomach aches again. For the past month, off and on, she’ll tell me her stomach and throat hurt and that she doesn’t want to go to school. At first I still made her go, but when her complaints were consistent for a few weeks, I started to wonder if something more serious was going on.
I took her to the doctor and she tested positive for strep throat. She took a round of antibiotics, but still there wasn’t much improvement. She was missing 2-3 days of school per week. The doctors did a mono test that came back negative. The situation was baffling me.
My mind started going down roads it should never travel. The “what ifs” started to run rampant through my mind and I started letting fear take control. One evening when anxiety was especially strong, the Lord brought Psalm 56:3 to mind, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” I repeated that verse over and over in my mind to help calm the “what ifs.”
The next day I saw a friend who shared that he had applied for a job and was waiting to hear the response. The company said they’d get back to him in a week. I asked him how he was doing and he replied, “It’s a chance for me to trust God for another week.”
Boy did I feel convicted! I could be viewing my daughter’s mysterious illness as a chance to trust God for another day, another week or another month. How often does God ask us to depend on Him? Do we view those times as opportunities to trust God for another week, day, year … sometimes another minute? Will we let the “what ifs” take over or will we trust in God?
Scripture: Psalm 56
Prayer: God, You are the one who has the best plan for our lives. Please forgive us for trying to take matters into our own hands. Please take our fear and anxiety and turn it into trust. We believe that You are sovereign, which means supreme in power and authority. We believe that You have plans to prosper us and not to harm us … plans to give us a hope and a future! We want to trust in You, not dwell on the “what ifs”!
In first grade she would go outside and stand in line for the bus. I stood in our entryway, eagerly awaiting what would happen next. Some days at the last possible second, she would turn around and run back to the house. When she got to the door and the bus pulled away, she would say, “I have a stomach ache.”
It was so frustrating! I didn’t want to make a sick child go to school, but I didn’t want to get “played” either! Her stomach aches didn’t usually amount to anything serious, so I’d end up driving her in to school.
Now she’s in third grade and she’s been having stomach aches again. For the past month, off and on, she’ll tell me her stomach and throat hurt and that she doesn’t want to go to school. At first I still made her go, but when her complaints were consistent for a few weeks, I started to wonder if something more serious was going on.
I took her to the doctor and she tested positive for strep throat. She took a round of antibiotics, but still there wasn’t much improvement. She was missing 2-3 days of school per week. The doctors did a mono test that came back negative. The situation was baffling me.
My mind started going down roads it should never travel. The “what ifs” started to run rampant through my mind and I started letting fear take control. One evening when anxiety was especially strong, the Lord brought Psalm 56:3 to mind, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” I repeated that verse over and over in my mind to help calm the “what ifs.”
The next day I saw a friend who shared that he had applied for a job and was waiting to hear the response. The company said they’d get back to him in a week. I asked him how he was doing and he replied, “It’s a chance for me to trust God for another week.”
Boy did I feel convicted! I could be viewing my daughter’s mysterious illness as a chance to trust God for another day, another week or another month. How often does God ask us to depend on Him? Do we view those times as opportunities to trust God for another week, day, year … sometimes another minute? Will we let the “what ifs” take over or will we trust in God?
Scripture: Psalm 56
Prayer: God, You are the one who has the best plan for our lives. Please forgive us for trying to take matters into our own hands. Please take our fear and anxiety and turn it into trust. We believe that You are sovereign, which means supreme in power and authority. We believe that You have plans to prosper us and not to harm us … plans to give us a hope and a future! We want to trust in You, not dwell on the “what ifs”!
Monday, March 14, 2011
My Mentor(s)
I don’t know everything. I like to think I do, but really I don’t. This fact of life became glaringly obvious after high school. That was when I first realized that I didn’t know it all.
As I grew older, I watched other people in my life become more intelligent. For example, my parents weren’t very smart when I was in high school, but when I went to college they got a lot more intelligent.
I have to wonder … did they really get smarter, or did I finally realize that I didn’t know everything?
No matter how it happened, the need for wise people in my life became evident. I desired a mentor to guide me along life’s path. I longed for someone to take me by the hand and lead me through life. Unfortunately, finding a mentor was easier said than done for me.
I’ve tried not to take it personally, but I have never found a mentor. I prayed about finding one. I even begged God for one. Once I took a big step of faith and asked someone to be my mentor, but it didn’t work out.
Before you feel too badly for me or wonder what on earth could be so wrong with me that no one would mentor me, let me share how God provided for this need in my life.
Instead of giving me that one mentor I prayed about, God gave me multiple mentors. There may not be one specific person devoted to me; yet God has blessed me with many people who guide me and encourage me. Right now I can think of friends in my life who inspire me, teach me, share Godly wisdom with me, listen to me and give me sound advice.
In my ignorance I asked God for a mentor, but He chose to answer my request more abundantly than I could have imagined. I am so thankful that God knows me better than I know myself. He is so much smarter than I am! (Duh!)
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12; Prov. 13:20; Prov. 11:30
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that You place wise people in our lives to guide us. You know us better than we know ourselves, and we trust You to give us what we need … and who we need! Right now we want to thank You for the people in our lives who mentor us. Please continue to direct us to wise mentors who are seeking You.
As I grew older, I watched other people in my life become more intelligent. For example, my parents weren’t very smart when I was in high school, but when I went to college they got a lot more intelligent.
I have to wonder … did they really get smarter, or did I finally realize that I didn’t know everything?
No matter how it happened, the need for wise people in my life became evident. I desired a mentor to guide me along life’s path. I longed for someone to take me by the hand and lead me through life. Unfortunately, finding a mentor was easier said than done for me.
I’ve tried not to take it personally, but I have never found a mentor. I prayed about finding one. I even begged God for one. Once I took a big step of faith and asked someone to be my mentor, but it didn’t work out.
Before you feel too badly for me or wonder what on earth could be so wrong with me that no one would mentor me, let me share how God provided for this need in my life.
Instead of giving me that one mentor I prayed about, God gave me multiple mentors. There may not be one specific person devoted to me; yet God has blessed me with many people who guide me and encourage me. Right now I can think of friends in my life who inspire me, teach me, share Godly wisdom with me, listen to me and give me sound advice.
In my ignorance I asked God for a mentor, but He chose to answer my request more abundantly than I could have imagined. I am so thankful that God knows me better than I know myself. He is so much smarter than I am! (Duh!)
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12; Prov. 13:20; Prov. 11:30
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that You place wise people in our lives to guide us. You know us better than we know ourselves, and we trust You to give us what we need … and who we need! Right now we want to thank You for the people in our lives who mentor us. Please continue to direct us to wise mentors who are seeking You.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Can I Give You a Pedicure?
Have you ever had a pedicure? If you have, then you know how heavenly they feel. But have you ever thought about the person giving the pedicure? Their job is to wash dirty, sweaty, smelly, calloused, ugly feet. They soak, scrub, buff, sand and clip, transforming these filthy body parts from grimy to clean.
When Jesus lived on earth, washing a guest’s feet was a job for a household servant. Imagine how dirty feet were in Bible times. Servants must have scraped layer upon layer of dirt from the guest's feet. Even the posture of cleaning feet – bending low – displays humility.
Knowing these cultural facts makes it even more surprising to read in John 13 that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He lowered Himself to the position of a servant. What were the disciples feeling when their Lord and Teacher humbly washed their filthy feet?
When Jesus finished the Bible-time pedicure, He said, “Now that I have washed your feet, you should wash one another’s feet … I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master.”
Jesus was telling his disciples in no uncertain terms that they should serve others. We also must accept this call. Does this mean we should go from house to house with a basin of warm water and some foot scrub? While our neighbors would probably love it, I think Jesus meant that we should serve others according to their needs.
Serving others can take on many forms. You can pray, send a note, bring a meal, donate your time, go on a missions trip, give financially, watch someone’s kids, help at a homeless shelter, become a foster parent – the list could go on forever. There are so many ways to wash feet!
Whose feet does God want you to wash? How does God want you to give a pedicure to someone in need? Let’s follow Christ’s example and wash someone’s feet today.
Scripture: John 13:1-17
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for setting the example of serving others by washing Your disciple’s feet. We want to follow Your command of serving others. Please show us a need that we can meet. We want to humbly serve others. We want to wash feet.
When Jesus lived on earth, washing a guest’s feet was a job for a household servant. Imagine how dirty feet were in Bible times. Servants must have scraped layer upon layer of dirt from the guest's feet. Even the posture of cleaning feet – bending low – displays humility.
Knowing these cultural facts makes it even more surprising to read in John 13 that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He lowered Himself to the position of a servant. What were the disciples feeling when their Lord and Teacher humbly washed their filthy feet?
When Jesus finished the Bible-time pedicure, He said, “Now that I have washed your feet, you should wash one another’s feet … I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master.”
Jesus was telling his disciples in no uncertain terms that they should serve others. We also must accept this call. Does this mean we should go from house to house with a basin of warm water and some foot scrub? While our neighbors would probably love it, I think Jesus meant that we should serve others according to their needs.
Serving others can take on many forms. You can pray, send a note, bring a meal, donate your time, go on a missions trip, give financially, watch someone’s kids, help at a homeless shelter, become a foster parent – the list could go on forever. There are so many ways to wash feet!
Whose feet does God want you to wash? How does God want you to give a pedicure to someone in need? Let’s follow Christ’s example and wash someone’s feet today.
Scripture: John 13:1-17
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for setting the example of serving others by washing Your disciple’s feet. We want to follow Your command of serving others. Please show us a need that we can meet. We want to humbly serve others. We want to wash feet.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Emotional Connection
This weekend I get to attend a women’s retreat with a friend who is the keynote speaker. To help her prepare for the week, I am praying for her and for the women attending the retreat. There are about 30 women planning to attend. Thirty women! That’s a lot of estrogen in one place!
As I pray for each woman, I can’t help but consider their individual lives. I don’t know anything about them – their backgrounds, their hurts, their current situations, their needs, their joys, their struggles – I don’t know, but God knows.
When 30 women get together, there are bound to be a wide variety of thoughts, feeling and emotions. Today as I read in the book of John, I was encouraged to read that Jesus experienced powerful emotions during His time on earth.
John chapter 11 recounts the story of Lazarus’ death and the grief that his sisters Mary & Martha experienced. When Jesus saw Mary weeping in sadness over the death of her brother, the Bible says that Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” A few verses later it says that Jesus wept.
Isn’t it amazing that we serve a God who understands our emotions? His own Son walked on this earth and experienced the same feelings we do. He saw His friends in pain and wept. He loved them so much that it hurt Him to watch them suffer.
Some of the women coming to the retreat this weekend have undoubtedly experienced pain and heartache. Some of them are probably dealing with tough situations in life even now. Thankfully, Jesus not only knows the intricate emotions each woman will bring to the retreat; He has experienced similar emotions Himself.
Verse 38 says, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.” He then raised Lazarus from the dead. This story is a great testimony of Jesus’ deep love for us. The pain and suffering Mary and Martha endured touched Him in a powerful way and He walked along side of them, feeling their pain as His own. He wants to do the same for us today.
Scripture: John 11:1-44
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to earth. As we read the story about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we see the tenderness Jesus felt for Mary and Martha. Thank you that this same tenderness is available to us as we experience difficult times in our lives. Thank you for being a God who cares about us in such a personal way.
As I pray for each woman, I can’t help but consider their individual lives. I don’t know anything about them – their backgrounds, their hurts, their current situations, their needs, their joys, their struggles – I don’t know, but God knows.
When 30 women get together, there are bound to be a wide variety of thoughts, feeling and emotions. Today as I read in the book of John, I was encouraged to read that Jesus experienced powerful emotions during His time on earth.
John chapter 11 recounts the story of Lazarus’ death and the grief that his sisters Mary & Martha experienced. When Jesus saw Mary weeping in sadness over the death of her brother, the Bible says that Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” A few verses later it says that Jesus wept.
Isn’t it amazing that we serve a God who understands our emotions? His own Son walked on this earth and experienced the same feelings we do. He saw His friends in pain and wept. He loved them so much that it hurt Him to watch them suffer.
Some of the women coming to the retreat this weekend have undoubtedly experienced pain and heartache. Some of them are probably dealing with tough situations in life even now. Thankfully, Jesus not only knows the intricate emotions each woman will bring to the retreat; He has experienced similar emotions Himself.
Verse 38 says, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.” He then raised Lazarus from the dead. This story is a great testimony of Jesus’ deep love for us. The pain and suffering Mary and Martha endured touched Him in a powerful way and He walked along side of them, feeling their pain as His own. He wants to do the same for us today.
Scripture: John 11:1-44
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to earth. As we read the story about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we see the tenderness Jesus felt for Mary and Martha. Thank you that this same tenderness is available to us as we experience difficult times in our lives. Thank you for being a God who cares about us in such a personal way.
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