Love Others

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

 

Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

 

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22.34-40

These two commandments, the ones that Jesus said all the Law and the Prophets hang on, are based on love.

But what does this love mean? And how can we love others the way God wants us to if we don't even love ourselves the way He does.

This love, this act of loving, this loving myself stuff is what I've been working on and learning about recently.

I have to be honest with you here, do a little soul baring.  I don't love myself.  I have a very low opinion of myself. 

And I don't believe I'm any different than a million other people out there who feel that they don't measure up or aren't worthy of....whatever.  How can we possibly love ourselves when this world requires us to perform to a certain standard to be acceptable, especially when its a standard that not even God expects us to live up to.

I'm in the process of learning to love myself the way God loves me.  It's really quite eye opening and freeing.  Because in seeing how He loves me, I see how He loves others and it creates in me the ability to love others too.

But first comes loving Him.  In doing that, I have found that I need to throw out every definition of love that I have learned over the years.  And trust me, there are many definitions of love out there.  In fact, each person has their own idea of what it looks like.  And you can't blame them, their idea of love comes from a deep need that they have, a need that has never been met.  This ties in with my thoughts on expectations.  There is a need; we enter into a relationship and the need becomes an expectation of the other person to meet.

But I digress....(I do that a lot)

The only definition of love that matters is God's.  And only He can reveal it to us.

I think that may be a key; understanding who God made us to be, our unique personality and gifts.  But what is the hardest thing to grasp is that God loves us in an incredible way.  He loves us perfectly and completely and there is nothing we have done or could possibly do to earn that love.

We need to stand confident in that love.  We need to believe that His love for us is true.

What does a true Christian look like?

I think before we can answer that, we need to understand just what it means to be a Christian…how did being a Christian even become possible?  And for any of this to make sense, we need to believe that there is a Creator and this is where my thoughts will start from, because I believe there is a Creator of this crazy and miraculous world; and I believe that Creator to be God.  We can talk about that another time if you’d like.

It all starts with our complete imperfectness.  We just can’t be completely perfect, doing the right thing, loving, forgiving and attaining a state of holiness.  Oh we can try and the majority of us do our best, but it’s just not enough; not enough when at the end of our time here on earth we must stand before a most Holy and Perfect God.  A God whose light shines so brightly and perfectly that we are unable to stand in His presence.

He knew this.  He created us.  He loves us.  And because of this love, He made a way for us to stand in His presence.  He sent His Son Jesus to die for us on a cross. 

Think about this….who does that?  Who sacrifices their only child for a person who curses, cheats & steals?  Who hurts others and thinks only of themselves?  Who watches these terrible things that are happening here on earth and thinks “They will never be perfect enough to join me in Heaven, so I will make a way for them to join me…because I love them so much and want them with me forever.”

It’s a documented fact that Jesus existed and that He died on a cross a completely innocent man.  That cannot be denied.

Just thinking about it…sends chills through my bones and I sit in awe of the Man who could allow that to happen to himself.  Who, while hanging there on a cross (and if you haven’t read up on what a crucifixion is actually like, you really need to), offered love and forgiveness to a man hanging next to him.    Could I offer myself like that?  I could for my children, but for someone I didn’t even know….who didn’t even exist yet?  Um, let’s be honest, none of us would.

And this man, Jesus, simply asked that, in return, we believe, repent and follow Him.

That is how we become a Christian and how our journey with Him begins.  And it is a journey.  We start with our messy selves, then He comes along side us and encourages us, changes us and we begin to see the world in a different way.  Our hearts change.  This change can take a while sometimes, because we still live in this crazy world and it affects us.  But little by little, we begin to see others the way God sees us.  As His beloved creation, needing love, patience, lots of grace and forgiveness, sometimes a little discipline to get us back on the right track (because, seriously….we make mistakes don’t we?), and a whole lot of mercy.

It doesn’t make us happy to see others in pain, it makes us happy to help others who are in need.  We become so thankful once we understand what Jesus did for us, that we want to make HIM proud and live in a way that is pleasing to HIM…not ourselves or anyone else.  We die a bit, our selfishness becomes less and we begin to think about others, not caring about our own needs but more about others.  Those words in red in our bibles become life to us, a way to live, a way to give and serve others.

It’s not about rules and making sure that everyone around you lives by these rules. Because that would make us SELF-righteous and that’s what the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were all about…rules and “look how good we are and how bad you are.” 

So, to me, a Christian looks like someone who loves others even when they are unlovable.  A Christian understands that they themselves are not perfect and would never judge another when they screw up.  Their trust in God goes beyond human understanding and they feel safe in that trust.  Safe enough to go and hold out a hand to those less fortunate, safe enough to seek out the good in the worst of people and encourage them to be better, but love them even when they fail.  A Christian forgives over and over again, because they understand how much they’ve been forgiven.  A Christian cries when they see an injustice done because it hurts their heart to see someone else hurting.  And sometimes, a Christian has to stand up to what God says is wrong and speak the truth, no matter what the consequences are, but that’s never done in malice or with condemnation.  Because with truth, a way to repentance must always be offered in love and grace.

Others may not believe the way I do, but I believe that to be their choice and I will love them no matter what.  Because Jesus loved me enough to die for me when I was not so nice a person, how could I do any less.

Great Expectations

This topic has been on my mind for over a week now and I’ve been wanting to blog about it.  Interestingly, a couple of friends have brought up the issue as well; it appears to be on more than just my mind.

Let me back-track a bit.  Many years ago, I was learning the study method used by Kay Arthur.  It’s called “Inductive Bible Study” and the method can be found here.  I no longer use this method, but at the time I found it very helpful as I was going through a growth spurt in my walk with God.  The setting was an organized, women’s bible study held at the church I was attending.  The pastor’s wife was teaching this method and the bible passage she asked us to look at was in Luke 24.1-8.  After studying the passage, we were asked to share what we had learned.  Part of the reasoning behind this method is that it allows us to personalize God’s word to our lives and where we are at that particular time.

At this particular point in my life, my expectations were out of wack.  That’s the best way I can put it.  My expectations were unrealistic and very “me” centered.  So when I read this passage, what stood out to me was that the women had come prepared and were expecting to properly anoint Jesus’ body as was the custom at that time.  But what they expected to happen, did not.  In fact, their expectations were completely blown out of the water!  Jesus had other plans for them that day and their reaction was confusion and fear.  It wasn’t until after the angels explained what had happened that they realized that their expectations were wrong.

This was a pivoting point for me in my life.  Ever since, it has made me look at my own expectations.  First, I began to look at my expectations of others and more recently, my expectations of myself.

So, just what do expectations look like?  First, it’s important to understand that expectations are borne out of a want or need.   Sometimes, these wants or needs are stated by others.  For example, a potential employer will state what he/she needs from you when you are interviewing.  These are their expectations of you as an employee.  This is a wonderful thing, because you are able to decide if you are able to meet those expectations and have the option to decline the job.  There is no disappointment on either side.

But that’s not always the case in life.  Often, others have wants and/or needs from us.  These develop into expectations; expectations that those wants/needs will be fulfilled by us.  The problem is, these wants/needs/expectations haven’t been verbalized and disappointment sets in when they aren’t met.    The person with the expectation is hurt.   I want you to also realize that we do the same thing to others….expecting them to fulfill our wants and needs without voicing them.  And then we are the ones to be disappointed.

What’s even worse is when we have expectations of ourselves that are completely unrealistic.  Often, these expectations come from society.  I remember when my son was first born,  being a mother was so much simpler.  Fast forward 26 years and the expectations of motherhood by others and even ourselves is unrealistic.  Mothers are expected to be everything to their families;  from doing the laundry to bringing in a paycheck, all while carting kids to their various (and sometimes ridiculous schedule of) after school activities.  The SuperMom phrase isn’t far off….you’d have to have superhuman powers to perform the way society expects you to.

There are unrealistic expectations to be found in the Church too.  Many of us would call it legalism, some have called it performance-based salvation.    I think the Church is where the worst case of expectation is to be found, both from others and from ourselves.  Such a burden, one not meant to be put on our shoulders.

I have learned over the years to lower my expectations of others.  Not because I don’t think they can live up to them, but because I don’t think they need to live up to them.  I’ve also come to understand that God doesn’t have all these crazy expectations of me, so why should I have those same expectations of others or even myself?

Letting go of expectations is an act of love.  Listen, God loves you.  He has no expectations of you.  He simply asks that you love Him with all your heart, soul & mind….and to love others as yourself.  So today, love God, love others and learn to love yourself.  Have no expectations from anyone.   And rest in Jesus’ yoke, it is not a burden.

Follow up

I just had to share this with you today.  It's a devotional from "Our Daily Bread" for today (September 21, 2011).  I'm copying it here in it's entirety, so I will have it for future reference.


Remember how I talked the other day about being told not to cry by my father?  Well, guess what my Heavenly Father had to say to me today. 

"Has your heart ever been broken? What broke it? Cruelty? Failure? Unfaithfulness? Loss? Perhaps you’ve crept into the darkness to cry.

It’s good to cry. “Tears are the only cure for weeping,” said Scottish preacher George MacDonald. A little crying does one good.

Jesus wept at His friend Lazarus’ grave (John 11:35), and He weeps with us (v.33). His heart was broken as well. Our tears attract our Lord’s lovingkindness and tender care. He knows our troubled, sleepless nights. His heart aches for us when we mourn. He is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). And He uses His people to comfort one another.

But tears and our need for comfort come back all too frequently in this life. Present comfort is not the final answer. There is a future day when there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, for all these things will “have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). There in heaven God will wipe away every tear. We are so dear to our Father that He will be the one who wipes the tears away from our eyes; He loves us so deeply and personally.

Remember, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

Think of a land of no sorrow,
Think of a land of no fears,
Think of no death and no sickness,
Think of a land of no tears. —Anon.

God cares and shares in our sorrow."

So I share this with you, my friends.  Cry now, but be assured there will be a day when there will be no more tears!

I love you.  Have a blessed day!

Rejection, Acceptance, Revelation

When I was a little girl, my grandfather died.  I remember waking up one morning and finding my mother laying on the couch, crying.  Not the normal place for me to find her upon waking each morning.  I was confused and walked into the kitchen, where I found my father sitting at the table.  He was in his normal, assigned seat.  I don’t know about you all, but in my family we all had our regular place at the table.  I always sat between my mother and my brother.  I sat across the table from my other two sisters.  My big, middle sister and I always had lovely faces for each other at dinner time, usually involving food in our mouths.  But that’s a story for another time.

On this particular morning, my dad was alone at the table.  In my confusion and worry about my mother, I sat in my big brother’s chair, next to my dad.  I didn’t understand what had caused my mother to cry and it scared me.  So I sat down next to my dad and asked what was wrong.  My dad told me, simply, that my grandfather had died and that my mother was very upset about it.  I was old enough to understand death and what that meant and the tears began to flow.  Then the sobs began.  And what came next shook my very soul.

My father, the man who provided for me and protected me, told me to stop crying and get ready for school.  He promptly went back to his breakfast and his newspaper and I was left all alone in my grief.  No consolation, no hug.  Just the message that my emotion was not acceptable and that comfort would not be forthcoming from him; I was left alone to console myself.  I had been rejected.  It was the first of many rejections as I was growing up.

I walked out of the kitchen and past my grieving mother.  She was alone on that couch and I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t dare to.  I was just told that crying wasn’t okay and that crying didn’t warrant comfort.  I honestly didn’t know that to do, so I did nothing.

I can look back now and understand that my father simply didn’t know what to do with my emotions that day.  They made him very uncomfortable.  He had not been equipped to deal with them by his own parents and so when confronted with them by his own children, he did what he had been taught.

I was talking with someone the other day and remarking on how our relationship with our earthly father is often reflected onto our Heavenly Father.  And that is just so unfair.

In my particular situation, I had been taught by my earthly father, and had come to believe, that my behavior and emotions dictated whether or not I was acceptable.  If I behaved in a way that was comfortable for him, I was acceptable.  If my emotions or behavior entered any area that caused discomfort for him, I was rejected.  And because my spirit was in great need of expressing emotion, the pain of rejection ran deep.  It has skewed every relationship I have ever had; most especially my relationship with God.

And that is what is so unfair; I have assumed that my Heavenly Father would treat me the same way my earthly father did.  I have assumed that I would need to behave in a certain way and suppress my emotions in order to be accepted…and loved…by God.

But this is wrong, it is just not true.

God does not reject, He accepts.  Therefore, rejection is not of God; acceptance is.

If you have found yourself in a situation like mine, I am here to tell you that you are loved by God.  You are acceptable and beautiful to Him.  How could you not be?  You are His creation, wonderfully and perfectly made by Him.  And He loved you more than any human possibly could; He gave His only Son up to death for you.

Your emotion is okay, whether it’s tears, anger or crazy joy.  Allow yourself to feel whatever emotion you may have and move through it.  It’s not until you move through the emotion that you can get to the other side of it and move beyond it.  Cry and release the pain; be angry and then forgive; laugh in your crazy joy, then rest in great peace.

And have a beautiful day, knowing you are loved with the greatest love ever known.

A Powerful Prayer

We had a lovely summer at the lake. Most of our weekends were spent in relative peace and quiet, with day long fires and sunbathing by the lake. We truly relished our weekends there and plan to do it all again next summer.

However, our retreat to the lake precluded our attending regular church services on Sunday. This wasn’t a problem for us, as we aren’t of the mind that we will be damned to hell for not attending church services in a building. What we did do was listen to Charles Stanley on Sunday mornings. He is a good teacher and I always learn something when I listen to him.

This past Sunday, he talked about “prayer with impact.”

I remember growing up in the Catholic Church and sitting in Mass watching the grownups pray. I always wondered what they were thinking or saying inside their heads. As I got older and started to go through the sacraments, I came to my first communion. I remember going up and receiving my first communion and coming back to my pew, kneeling down to pray and then wondering “what am I supposed to say?” I don’t remember ever being told how to pray. Oh, I knew how to say the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary,” but that never seemed appropriate after receiving the eucharist. It always seemed to me a rigid, monotonous prayer that really had no meaning to it. So I would often just kneel there, after communion, and let my mind wander to whatever plans I had for after church.

It wasn’t until I was an adult, wandered away from my childhood faith and then found my way back to God that I figured out prayer was a simple conversation with Him. But sometimes, people will ask me to pray for them and I just don’t know what to say or what to ask God for. And this is what Dr. Stanley was talking about on Sunday.

He stated that he often has people come up to him and ask him how they can pray for him, and he always has a specific request for them; he asks them to pray Colossians 1.9-14 for him.

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Wow.

Can you imagine having someone praying this for you?  Isn't this prayer exactly what we are all striving to be in our lives?

I have since asked two people to pray this for me. And I have started to pray it for others I know, especially when I am at a loss for words.

So, my dear friends, would you pray this for me?

Thank you so much.

I will also pray it for you.

May we all walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, with all spiritual wisdom, bearing fruit and loving others.

Know that God loves you so much…and so do I.

There is a Reason ~ Alison Krauss ~ Lyrics

Monday Musing

What is on my mind today?

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods…disasters abounding.

And the storms of life.

I live in the Northeast and our most recent pending disaster was the great Irene.

There was much hype about Irene, and for the more southern states the hype was appropriate. However, here in Maine it was for naught. Yes, we had rain and we had wind and there are some people without power, but this is nothing that we Mainers don’t normally endure during a typical winter snow storm.

With all the anticipation and preparedness that went on and then having it end up being not much of anything, it has made me think about all the other “storms” we encounter in life.

How often do we anticipate the worst? How often do we imagine what “could” happen?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have limited information and then let your mind and imagination take over? If you say no, then you are lying to yourself. We have all been there; it’s part of our human and imperfect nature.

We worry.

We worry that the life or environment we have created for ourselves or our loved ones will be threatened or possibly demolished.

Think of a hurricane warning. We are told what could possibly happen if hurricane-force wind or rain develop in our area. We begin to anticipate the worst and we begin to worry. We take every precautionary step to protect what is ours. We huddle inside our protective walls and wait for the storm to pass and pray that we make it out unscathed. All well and good when you are dealing with the forces of nature.

Never mind that history and experience has proven that the area you live in rarely deals with such forces of nature. And that the worry and extended precautions you have taken just aren’t necessary.

Yes, experience does and should play a part in how you handle situations. If you live in an area that consistently experiences hurricanes, then precautions should be undertaken. But because of previous experience, worry shouldn’t be a factor. You know what to expect and you know what to do, so you do it.

I think worry enters our lives when we don’t understand or don’t know.

Jesus specifically addressed worry in Matthew 6. In these passages, He is speaking directly about material needs. However, He ends it by saying:

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I believe He is saying here to live in the moment; take care of the moment; do not anticipate and worry about what is next.

He talks further about worry in Matthew 13:

"And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

He references “worry” as being of the world in this verse and then in the very next verse compares it to someone who hears the word and understands it.

"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

Worry does not bear fruit, it actually chokes the word.

Do a word search of “worry” and see how we are told NOT to worry. God does not want us to live this way.

Don’t worry about what is going to happen next, don’t worry about what you don’t understand; simply don’t worry!

Can you imagine the peace we would have if we simply trusted God and took Him at His word?

I had a small discussion about this with my son on Sunday. We were watching Charles Stanley who was talking about tithing. I love Charles Stanley, he teaches directly from the word and not his own opinion.

My son had questions about tithing and I did my best to help him understand and referred him to Malachi 3.10. It’s the one place where God actually tells us to test Him. It got down to the fact that we need to trust God when He says something.

That can be a hard thing. But trust is developed when we develop our relationship with God, just like we do with others in our life. Once trust is there, we don’t need to worry.

And once we stop worrying, we will stop anticipating the worst. And when we stop anticipating the worst, the storms of our lives will not seem so overwhelming.

One is the loneliest number

Two are better than one,

    Because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

    But woe to him who is alone when he falls,

    For he has no one to help him up.

Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;

    But how can one be warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

    And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ( NKJV ) 9    

Living and Giving Love

Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

The Lord tells us that the tongue "is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." (James 3.8)  People lie with it and say terrible things, things that hurt others.  Most don't do this on a regular basis; sometimes their frustrations, anger and hurt cause them to blurt things out that they may not have normally said.

And then there are others who do this on a regular basis.

I love the quote I posted above, because I believe all of us need that one person in our lives who knows us intimately, understands where we are coming from and can sift through the words that are blurted out in an emotional state.

Being a Christian does not make us perfect.  And that's okay, we aren't supposed to be perfect....yet.  That is something that God is working on, in us.  It's not something that we have control over.  There are things we need to learn along the way to heaven and if we follow His lead, we will learn them in His timing....which just happens to be perfect.

As Christians, we do have a responsibility to recognize this about ourselves and others.  We have the responsibility of being gracious (passing grace) and merciful to others.  I think the ability to be gracious and merciful comes from experience and from accepting and understanding the grace and mercy that God provided to us.

I often wonder if those whose lives have not been so easy or who have made bad choices in their lives prior to knowing God, appreciate and understand God's grace & mercy better than others who have not lived such a rough life.

Is it possible that they understand where another is coming from, because they've been there?

Because of this, can they possibly be that person referred to in my quote?  Someone who is able to sift through the words and throw out the "garbage," thereby enabling them to love someone who is unlovable?  I see the sifting of words as an act of love.

And loving is not a burden.  Although when you think a person is unlovable, it can seem that way.

Loving an unlovable person is not a duty, it is a matter of the heart.  Duties are burdens and loving someone else should not be a burden.  Jesus said....

"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11.30

Relationships are not burdens.  Loving someone else, even when they are unlovable, is not a burden.

But sometimes others are not able love you.

And that's okay

As long as you understand you are not required to make someone else love you.  Most often, there is nothing you can do about it.

Just love God first and foremost and the loving others part will come naturally...even when they don't love you back.

May the Lord bless you with an abundantly soft and loving heart.

Reaching The Goal

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Phil. 3.14

I went for a walk tonight.  I hadn't taken a good long walk in quite a while and I felt a little push to go from that still small voice.  My goal was to to walk the entire length of the camp road; almost 1.5 miles.

I was enjoying the walk and spending some quality time in conversation with God.  Before I knew it, the end of the road was in sight.  I thought to myself "well, there is the end.  I've gone far enough I can turn around."

I stopped and my next thought was "huh?"

Since when is "almost" actually reaching a goal.

Never.  "Almost" is NEVER going to get you where you want to go.

I kept walking.

I was rewarded with a beautiful chorus of birds and a little babbling brook.

But God wasn't done with me yet.

As I was walking back, I could see the sign to our local YMCA summer camp in the distance.

God said run.

YIKES!

But I did.

I knew He was testing my heart and my desire to learn to trust Him.

I made it the entire way; praying the whole time that I wouldn't have an asthma attack.

I learned a lot tonight about trusting and believing that when He asks you to do something, He will empower you to do it.

Now I am off to drink my water and enjoy my porch swing.

God bless.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."  Galations 6.9

The Lord gave me this verse recently while in the midst of a hail-storm of phone calls from worried clients.

Everyone wanted to talk to my boss (the Certified Financial Planner/stock broker).  He has about 200 clients and only so many hours available to speak with them all.  And each of them deserves his time and attention.

I was scheduling, taking messages, and assuring clients that he was watching the market and looking out for their best interests.

He was giving them advice and guidance and making recommendations on investments, while reassuring them that he is looking out for their best interest.

It was hectic and stressful.

But it was all good.  Because he is a good planner and advisor.  While this is certainly a for-profit business, his profits do not come at the expense of his clients.  He only advises them on what is best for their financial future and does not push anything on them.

We are doing good here.

And to receive that message from God was all the encouragement we needed.

We all are doing some good for others.  At least I hope we all are.  God calls us to serve and to serve others, not ourselves.

Don't grow weary while doing good.

God sees.

He knows your heart.

And in due season, you will understand why you did what you did and you will be blessed by it.

Musings on a Monday

A while ago, I was speaking with someone about my volunteering with a local hospice.  I talked with them about how I sit with my patients, hold their hand, read to them, take them out in the sunshine, or just wheel them around the facility so they can see more than the four walls of their room.  I've also sat with a family while their loved one passed away.

The majority of my patients were in the advanced stages of dementia, so holding conversations wasn't something we normally did.  Although I had this one patient that I loved to talk to as every once in a while I would get a smile out of him.

I haven't volunteered with hospice since going back to work full-time.  I really miss it.

The reason I was thinking about this today, is because during my conversation, this person commented that death scared them.

And what made me think about this conversation?  Because I was reading at another blog and this person was talking about death.  No, it's not as morbid as you might think; they were talking about the process of death and being ready to die...and dying gracefully.

So that made me think about my previous conversation.  And I remembered saying, in response to the comment about being afraid, that I was not afraid to die.

And I'm not.

Now, I'm not going to be all pious and holy and tell you that I welcome death so that I can be with my Lord and end all my suffering, etc etc.  Honestly, I don't think about it enough one way or the other.  But I do know that I'm not afraid to die. 

I know where I'm going.  I don't have the fear of the unknown.

And it makes me sad to think there are people out there who don't have that assurance of knowing.

I'm not going to lie to you though, I have thought about HOW I'm going to die and that unknown makes me a bit nervous.  Will it be quick or will it be a long drawn out event?

After spending time with my hospice patients who had dementia, I do know that is not the way I want to go.  After watching my dad and my mother-in-law suffer in pain from cancer, I'm thinking that would not be so pleasant either.

But do any of us have an control over our own deaths; how or when it will happen?

No.

That is entirely in God's hands.

So my musing today is about how will I die and will I have the opportunity to do it with such grace that God is honored.  Will I have the opportunity to show that one person that I am not afraid, that I know with certainty that God is with me and will be waiting for me after I breathe my last.  Will that one person then come to believe and trust and no longer fear.

I am not sure.

But I am sure that God has it all under control and until that time, I can live with great joy and peace.

Do you know for sure where you are going?

Would you like to know?

You can go here to receive that assurance.  And if you do, please let me know.  You can find my email by clicking on my profile.

Grace, peace and much love to you.

Sue

Who's in your backseat?

So yesterday, I'm driving in the car with my 13 year old (who is almost 14 and wanting to drive the car).  We had just finished her weekly tumbling class and we were heading home.  As we got into the car, I noticed a jacket in the back seat and wondered if it was hers or the friend we had given a ride to on the way to class.  Our brief conversation went as follows:

Me:  Is that your jacket in the back seat?
Her:  No, it's Jesus'.
Me:  Really?  I didn't know He was riding with us today.
Her:  That's the problem with people today, they don't know He's always with us.  They've stopped believing.
Me:  :::silence:::

What do you say to that?  Especially when it's true!

My children are very smart and wise beyond their years.  I am so grateful to God for them.

Jesus is, indeed, always with us.

Do you believe that?

The Art of Marriage

Hubby and I attended an event at our church this past weekend.  He wasn't so sure about it, but agreed to go just to make me happy.....(although that is a kind of way of saying it.)

What a weekend!

The event was a video seminar put out by Family Life called The Art of Marriage.  You can see a video trailer for it here.

All I can say is it was life changing, for both of us.  I highly encourage you to attend one of these if you can.  Our church will be hosting another one, possibly this fall.  Let me know if you are interested and I'll get the information to you.

That's all for now folks!

Have a blessed week

Grace - Fully Loaded

I had to share a blog post from a fellow blogger with you all today.


Grace Fully-loaded

Thank you Dave for a wonderful blessing today.

Enjoy!

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

Hello.  How are you?  I hope all has gone well with you since I last posted.

A lot has gone on in my personal life since I last posted.  The reason for my break was due to some life changing news that I received.  Not to worry, no one is physically ill.  But the news I received did affect my family significantly and caused me to have a new perspective in my life.  Interestingly, God had already been working on preparing me for this news, so that when it came I could handle it without panicking. 

Since the beginning of the year, He has been drawing my eyes and heart directly to Him and away from others.  He has been teaching me to lean on Him only and not to depend on others for anything.  He has been teaching me to trust Him alone, despite what His children do, say or think of me.  And it has been quite freeing.  My spirit is much calmer and happier.  He has led me to people who consistently direct me towards Him and away from themselves (and others), who exhibit positive and encouraging behaviors, and who see the joy in serving and loving on others.

A received some testing yesterday (and a lesson) on what I’ve been learning from Him.  I was introduced to a blog post by a well known pastor.  I was forewarned that it could be controversial; that should have told me not to read it….but I did.  (Notice that I never said He had perfected me in what He’s been teaching me….::sigh::…I’m still a work in progress…)  I don’t want to get into details or name names, because I don’t want this post to be about the controversy.  I want it to be about the heart issue and what I learned.

When I started reading, it was clear to me that there was an agenda, right off the bat.  This pastor is in complete disagreement with another Christian and this post was the first of a series of posts.  As I read, I kept expecting to read something about what exactly was so wrong about this other Christian (please keep in mind that I know nothing about this other man and what the issue is), but I never did.  It was a post full of contempt and clearly meant to set people up for the posts to come.  This pastor was really priming his readers, he had a point he needed to prove.

Now, normally, I would either get right into what he was saying and read on, getting myself all wound up and jump on the bandwagon.  But that didn’t happen this time.  What happened is I became very disturbed by the way he was speaking.  And I was saddened to think he felt a full frontal attack was the way to handle what he sees as error and attempt to circle the wagons and protect his flock (and others, apparently, as this is posted on the internet).  I wasn’t in the least bit interested in reading further.  This first post wasn’t edifying in any way, so I certainly didn’t expect the rest to be.

Now, I understand that there are people out there that are easily led and misled by others who they view as an authority on a subject.  You can see it to the extreme when cults surface.  You see it to a lesser extent when a person follows a certain teacher and believes everyone else to be completely wrong.  But that’s what I see as the problem; they are following and allowing themselves to be led by a human being…in all their imperfectness.

I believe……we should all be following Jesus Christ and allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit.  I believe we should listen to people who have been Christians longer than we have; they have wisdom and insight that we may not have.  BUT, we should not listen to any one exclusively and we should always check what they are teaching against ALL of scripture, not just a verse here or there, just as the Berean’s did.  And most importantly, we should be trusting that God, the Creator of the Universe, is much bigger than any mislead, weak human being.  I wonder, do these overly critical pastors really believe that God is all powerful and able to overcome anything?  Do they really think that God needs their help to save the masses?  Do they ever recognize that it is possible that God sees all, knows all, and has it all under control?  Besides, isn’t error usually borne out in time?

Personally, I think my own little life is enough of a handful for me to manage.  I also believe that it is not a Christian’s duty in life to shout from the rooftops that he/she/they are heretics.  I believe it is our responsibility to go out and share the gospel, to serve others as Jesus served us, and be sure that our brothers and sisters are secure enough in the Truth that they are not easily misled by others.  And I believe that is done by pointing them towards Jesus, where all strength, knowledge and wisdom come from.

So what did I learn yesterday?  If someone posts something with the word “controversy” in it…don’t read it!  (Haha)

More importantly is what I learned today.  I opened up the Turning Points magazine this morning that I get every month.   It has daily devotions written by David Jeremiah.  Here’s today’s.  After reading this, be sure to read the recommended reading.  God used this to confirm for me what I was thinking yesterday; that He is God and that I can trust Him to have everything under control, that a positive and loving attitude will go further than a contemptful, self-righteous one, and that I just need to keep my eyes on Him and no one else.

Lord, if I ever begin to sound like a clanging cymbal, please correct me!  Help me to see others as you see them.  Make me more like Jesus.

Dusty Shoes

Day 12

Changing your focus will soon result in a change in you.

In today’s devotion, Dr Jeremiah said (and I’m going to quote a large passage today): “Too many Christians are like batteries that never get used. They stay fully charged all the time; they’re in church and bible studies several times a week; they listen to Christian music; they read the latest Christian bestsellers. The problem is, their batteries never get drained in service to others. They never dispense any of that power they’re storing up.” He said this after relating how a battery in a cordless phone can fail after time if it’s not drained periodically and then fully recharged, like the manufacturer suggests.

I really liked this analogy. And it made me think about how we can be so fully charged and ready to go, but waste all that energy and power that was meant to be used in service to others.

And isn’t that what Jesus wants of us? To serve others?

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.  Matt. 20.28

I think, by nature, we humans are very self-centered. We look out for ourselves first. It’s a matter of survival sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think everyone is self-centered in a negative way and there are many people out there that are very “others” centered.

But as Christians, should we be more “others” centered? If Jesus is our example, the One we strive to be like, then I think the answer is yes.

I have been working on changing my focus lately. I have been choosing to seek out the positive in everything and everyone around me. I have made the decision that people can think what they want of me, but I don’t have to own their opinions. All that matters is what God thinks of me. My focus has become God centered. And lately, because of what God is teaching me in our private time and through this book, I’m looking at others differently. As Dr. Jeremiah said in today’s devotion, when our focus changes, we change.

As I am typing this up, I am listening to my itunes music. As I was typing that last paragraph, Jim Croce came over my speakers singing:

Which way are you going?
Which side will you be on?
Will you stand and watch
While all the seeds of hate are sewn?

I do have to ask myself, which way am I going? Whose side am I on? My own or God’s?

Life sign: The needs of others are as important as my own.

Verse: do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Phil 2.4

Action: What steps can I take to change my focus from self to others? Who around me needs a blessing from my hands?

Dusty Shoes

Day 11

"The Lord can use a stammering tongue better than a silent one."

Today's devotional tied in nicely with yesterday's.  The question of the day is:  "Why are we silent when it comes to sharing the Gospel?"

Good question.

Why is it that we are silent?

Perhaps it's for the reason I mentioned yesterday, the need to be politically correct.  Or perhaps it's because we are afraid to trip over our tongue.  Maybe we aren't very confident in speaking; maybe we are so new to Christ that we are afraid to misrepresent the Gospel.

That is a legitimate fear, but it's one that can easily be overcome.  Dr. Jeremiah shared some ways to overcome this particular fear and obstacle in today's devotional.

First, ask God to specifically fill you with His Holy Spirit.   (See Ephesians 5.18-19)

I think this is a good thing to ask for every day.  The Spirit will give us the words to say and the strength to share them.

Second, develop a burden.  (See 2Cor. 5.14)

The good Dr. suggested that we see the words "For Whom Christ died" on the forehead of everyone we see...every single day.  This morning, I asked God to help me see His creation through His eyes, to help me love them the way He loves them.  (I'm thinking again of that Brandon Heath song, "Give me your eyes.")  When we see people the way God does, we begin to shed the pre-conceived notions we have of others.  Negative labels disappear in light of this.

Finally, to gain confidence in sharing God's word, we should memorize verses.  (See Psalm 119.42)

One of the first verses I memorized is:  Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119.165.  I'm not suggesting that you should memorize that particular one, but it stood out to me for reasons at the time and has stuck with me.  I have used this verse in the past when talking with others.  Since I don't have the best memory in the world, I will write up verses I want to memorize and post them around my computer to read and re-read.

For those who might be new in the faith, Dr. Jeremiah suggested the following verses to memorize:  John 3.16; Romans 3.23, 6.23, 5.8, and 10.9-10, 13; Ephesians 2.8-9; and Acts. 16.31.  (You will have to go read them for yourselves!)

Hiding God's word in your heart this way will help you to be bold in sharing God's word; and don't fear, the Holy Spirit will bring it to your remembrance just when you need it!

Life Sign:  The most important thing I can say is "Jesus loves you."

Verse:  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1.9

Action:  What keeps me from witnessing to others?  What practical steps can I take to overcome these obstacles.