No matter what we try to do or who we try to be, we in and of ourselves are not enough to 'make it' in the Christian life. I keep coming back to this one simple truth - it's He who completes us. It is HE who started the good work and it is HE who will continue and finish it. The other verse that keeps coming back to me is 'He will perfect all that concerns me'. It always goes back to him, the story always goes back to HIm because He is the creator of my being, the Initiator of this love relationship with mankind. No matter how much I try, I soon stumble and become dry. I keep forgetting that all nourishment and energy and power must come from the Source. It's like Y'shua said in John 15 I think it is, "I am the vine, you are the branches". I pretty much have to cling to Him for my everything in this life, from my daily bread, to carrying out His plan and purposes in my life, to living a righteous life. It has to flow from Him, from knowing Him and from coming to Him and calling on His name.
And not only do I need Him for my everything; I need Him to BE my everything! It's called a life surrendered and it's a daily moment by moment thing.
It's like someone in a hospital on life support, they are completely dependent upon it to live and function. From a medical standpoint, they will die without it. Am I this desperate to be connected to my Source? From a spiritual standpoint, my being fails within me and I dont realize it, but Im gasping for life anew. I think its why the Psalmist David says 'Do not take your Holy Spirit from me!'. It was a cry of desperation. I am crying out for the Living God. Because I know without His presence and power in my life, I am like a dead man and I am nothing. But it is in Him, I desire to live and to move and to have my being. It must go back to this one truth - Have Your way in me; I surrender my whole being to the Living God.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
It's a simple, joyful Tuesday!
So it's a Tuesday morning, my little girl is sitting on my lap, and I have the windows open and worship playing on my laptop. I'm not sure what I want to say today except for: I'm content. I'm more content in this one week than I have been in a long time. I can see the LORD working in my life clearly and his blessings are so real to me. What has caused this change in me? I don't know but I'm sure the LORD had the biggest part in my transformation. This doesnt mean life is perfect or that I've suddenly become perfectly perfected. But I'm just loving my life again. I have a renewed hope and joy, and a renewed greater interest in the things of God. It's not that I wasnt interested previously, but that I had allowed negativity to fill my mind rather than good thoughts, but I find that I'm just so much happier when I think happy thoughts! No, I'm not saying positive thinking is everything because positive thinking alone doesn't make life different. But GOD makes all the difference and I have the greatest reason to be happy - because He gives me joy in so many ways!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Learn to embrace the ice!
All right, I won't keep you all wondering what on earth my title is all about, it's merely a very simple yet profound lesson I learned back in birthing class. The instructor had us hold ice in our hands for about 30 seconds to show us how to endure a contraction. She told us not to try to make the discomfort go away, but rather to embrace it as an okay thing that won't truly hurt us. I wish I'd remembered that one during actual labor! But even moreso, I am now realizing that this applies to life in a way.
When we are trusting in God, nothing that happens in life can truly harm us. But that doesn't mean life is a breeze. After all, we were never promised an easy life. But we were promised He'd be with us and we could ask the Father for our daily bread, everything we need to love Him and carrying out His purposes. So I've established that nothing can truly harm those in Christ Jesus.
So having this confidence, what do we do when life gets uncomfortable? When situations don't go our way, or when plans change, or when people disappoint us, or what about the little annoyances of the day? It's so easy to dread and fear things and get frustrated - to want to hurry up through this difficult season, difficult task, or even difficult persons!
This is something I struggle with almost daily, wanting to just hurry up and get done what I need to during the day, looking forward to a specific part of the day or part of the week. It's so easy for me to get frustrated when plans change. It's like I have this expectation that life should go the way I envision it in my mind. Already today, my toddler has erased my writing three times. This weekend I had a change of plans that was personally frustrating. It's easy to say to myself 'I have a right to feel frustrated and be angry'. Do I? Do I have a right to have an attitude when life doesn't go my way? Actually, I dont think I do and even if by chance I do, I dont have a right to dwell in my negative emotions. This isn't productive at all! So what DO I do then? Well, God gave me emotions but if they keep me from responding in a pure manner, then I need to change my thinking.
Mostly, I need to learn to go with the flow. I don't mean go with the flow when it comes to sin or anything. I mean to learn that life is going to throw curveballs, but that God has given me everything I need to deal with life as it comes. I have the Word of God which gives me wisdom for many circumstances. I have the Holy Spirit which produces the fruit of the spirit. I have the ability to enter in to prayer and worship. And I have the mind to choose which way to go, whether for sin or for righteousness.
How am I going to respond? With anger, dread, complaining, and selfishness? Or with compassion, determination, grace, and creativity? I can handle whatever comes my way because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I know my Father provides my daily bread, everything I need for each day. So what have I to fear, nothing. I will embrace life, I won't push it away because I'm afraid to experience that which uncomfortable. How about you?
By the way, not every change that comes our way need be a difficult challenge to get all huffed about. You know the old saying 'when life throws lemons, make lemonade'? Well, sometimes life's 'lemons' aren't really that sour. It's our attitude that makes it sour. But really, we can make a lot of seemingly frustrating changes into something fun. It just takes a little creativity and a love of life. If the children are a bother, just take a break and enjoy them! They won't be little forever. If a friend calls with a problem while you're working on something, then take a break and minister love to that person! If you found out you gotta work harder or longer, do it to the best of your ability because you were the one picked for the job and you're good at it! I'm sure there are many examples I'm forgetting or that just don't apply to my personal experience, but you know what they are in your life. And what about the mundane things like cooking and cleaning and going to work and such? Why can't we have fun in these things too? It takes a bit of creavity to switch up the pace a little, but we were made with the ability to be creative because we have a creative God. Learn to look at life differently. After all, we have a faithful God. The sun comes up every morning and the sun sets every evening. Life really isn't all that bad when we know there is a God who is good and sovereign in everything. Embrace all of life, be faithful to God and to the tasks He's called you to, and dont forget to enjoy the blessings He gives you!
P.S. Speaking of putting this principle into practice, my words may not flow as well as they could, my toddler keeps interrupting. But that's life and I love it! :)
When we are trusting in God, nothing that happens in life can truly harm us. But that doesn't mean life is a breeze. After all, we were never promised an easy life. But we were promised He'd be with us and we could ask the Father for our daily bread, everything we need to love Him and carrying out His purposes. So I've established that nothing can truly harm those in Christ Jesus.
So having this confidence, what do we do when life gets uncomfortable? When situations don't go our way, or when plans change, or when people disappoint us, or what about the little annoyances of the day? It's so easy to dread and fear things and get frustrated - to want to hurry up through this difficult season, difficult task, or even difficult persons!
This is something I struggle with almost daily, wanting to just hurry up and get done what I need to during the day, looking forward to a specific part of the day or part of the week. It's so easy for me to get frustrated when plans change. It's like I have this expectation that life should go the way I envision it in my mind. Already today, my toddler has erased my writing three times. This weekend I had a change of plans that was personally frustrating. It's easy to say to myself 'I have a right to feel frustrated and be angry'. Do I? Do I have a right to have an attitude when life doesn't go my way? Actually, I dont think I do and even if by chance I do, I dont have a right to dwell in my negative emotions. This isn't productive at all! So what DO I do then? Well, God gave me emotions but if they keep me from responding in a pure manner, then I need to change my thinking.
Mostly, I need to learn to go with the flow. I don't mean go with the flow when it comes to sin or anything. I mean to learn that life is going to throw curveballs, but that God has given me everything I need to deal with life as it comes. I have the Word of God which gives me wisdom for many circumstances. I have the Holy Spirit which produces the fruit of the spirit. I have the ability to enter in to prayer and worship. And I have the mind to choose which way to go, whether for sin or for righteousness.
How am I going to respond? With anger, dread, complaining, and selfishness? Or with compassion, determination, grace, and creativity? I can handle whatever comes my way because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I know my Father provides my daily bread, everything I need for each day. So what have I to fear, nothing. I will embrace life, I won't push it away because I'm afraid to experience that which uncomfortable. How about you?
By the way, not every change that comes our way need be a difficult challenge to get all huffed about. You know the old saying 'when life throws lemons, make lemonade'? Well, sometimes life's 'lemons' aren't really that sour. It's our attitude that makes it sour. But really, we can make a lot of seemingly frustrating changes into something fun. It just takes a little creativity and a love of life. If the children are a bother, just take a break and enjoy them! They won't be little forever. If a friend calls with a problem while you're working on something, then take a break and minister love to that person! If you found out you gotta work harder or longer, do it to the best of your ability because you were the one picked for the job and you're good at it! I'm sure there are many examples I'm forgetting or that just don't apply to my personal experience, but you know what they are in your life. And what about the mundane things like cooking and cleaning and going to work and such? Why can't we have fun in these things too? It takes a bit of creavity to switch up the pace a little, but we were made with the ability to be creative because we have a creative God. Learn to look at life differently. After all, we have a faithful God. The sun comes up every morning and the sun sets every evening. Life really isn't all that bad when we know there is a God who is good and sovereign in everything. Embrace all of life, be faithful to God and to the tasks He's called you to, and dont forget to enjoy the blessings He gives you!
P.S. Speaking of putting this principle into practice, my words may not flow as well as they could, my toddler keeps interrupting. But that's life and I love it! :)
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