It is blog season is it not? Time off from work, time in the house...with kids...bored kids...who want to eat everything in sight. Time to look around the house and want to repaint, again, and redecorate, again. It probably actually saves me money to work not just for the simple fact that I am making money but it keeps me from changing things every six months or so. By the time I get home, cook dinner, clean up dishes, make lunches and help with homework I don't really care what color the walls are!! It's been nice though. I had a much needed 2 1/2 hour phone conversation with my best friend. (Don't judge me!) You know what I'm talking about. One of those times when things have been so hectic you haven't had time to catch up so you catch up. I did vacuum the entire house and straighten thoroughly in the process so I was pragmatic if nothing else!
As we were talking we touched on all kinds of things about life: love, staying married, raising kids, loving the Lord, aging, dying, decorating. Isn't it great to have that kind of connection with someone? Someone who accepts you for you - the good, the bad and the ugly. Oh, and there have been some uglies!! I have said some things to her that I wouldn't be caught dead saying to anyone else and she understands. She knows my heart as well as anyone. But Jesus, He knows my heart even better than her because He searches my heart. Sometimes I think there are things I can hide from Him or keep from Him. Sometimes I think if I don't verbalize something or bring it to His attention that He is oblivious. As if I can fool God as easily as I can fool people. But He knows me better than I know me. He knows the words before I say them, the thoughts before I have them and the actions before I do them. He knows the intents of my heart and I cannot be hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:12-13). I want my heart to be pure before Him.
Have you ever tried really hard to change the way you feel about a thing or a person? If you are bitter towards someone can you just stop? If you are angry or jealous or lustful can you just stop?
The longer I live the more I realize I can't just stop! This process of purity and sanctification is not of me! I am not capable of being any different on the inside on my own ability. I can change the outside. I can eat less, exercise more. Smile more, talk less. Be nice to the mean people in holiday traffic. (By the way, if you are wanting to test out "Love your neighbor as yourself," check out your local Target or Sams during Christmas - either will do.) This is what is so amazing about grace. Grace makes us different. God intervenes in our lives BY HIS GRACE and changes us. That is why I can say, "Jesus makes me who I am not!" I am a liar, a thief, a murderer, an adulterer, a gossip, a bitter, envious, jealous, malicious woman and if not for God I would live in those old clothes still. But, I have had a wardrobe change!
What a great idea for us as women! God has changed our wardrobe and given us new clothes! It says in Proverbs 31:25 that he clothes us with strength and dignity. It says in Galatians 3:27 that we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. New clothes! So, what do we do when we get new clothes? We throw out the old clothes because they no longer fit. They don't look good on us anymore. If I am content wearing old clothes then what need do I have for new ones? This is what confuses most of the world: new clothes one day, old clothes one day. New clothes in this setting, old clothes in that setting. Just like the church at Laodicea - lukewarm. It's as if people are wondering, "who are you anyway?"
Authenticity. Christ-likeness. This is what God calls us to when He saves us. Reflect Christ. Make His glory known. In all settings, to everyone. Why? Because we are wearing His clothes! There's no greater compliment then for someone to want your clothes! But, this is a high calling. Reflect God. Not only that, but all the time! How? Know Him. Study Him. Love Him. Do you love Him? Is He the greatest thing that has ever happened to you? Is He your abundant life and abiding joy? I could say that right now but I might feel otherwise tomorrow. Wait for it. Ask for it. See the trial through. For the testing of your faith produces perseverance and let perseverance have its perfect work that you may be complete lacking nothing (James 1:3-4). AND best of all? People will notice your new outfit!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Look at the Christmas Light
Hey all, this one is especially long - are you surprised? Anyway, I didn't feel like it had the same impact broken into two parts. Enjoy or something like that :)
Do you ever wonder WHY we celebrate Christmas? The pat answer would be, “Cause its Jesus’ birthday!” I truly hope that I don’t get treated on my birthday like Jesus does on His. Seriously, I’d be downright peeved if everyone else in my life got gifts and spent quality time together on my birthday without me! But I’m not God - thank God! Maybe God has “thicker skin” than we do. (Actually, God is Spirit and we have to be careful when attributing human folly to an infinite God who is “other than us” but that’s another blog post). Most of us, whether we admit it or not, have the attitude, “Thanks Jesus for having a birthday so we can have a few days off from work, give some gifts and get some gifts, eat alot of really good food that is bad for us and generally get worked up into a holiday frenzy! I’ll be sure to throw in some church attendance somewhere over the next few weeks, sing a few Christmas carols along with the radio and toss some loose change into the Salvation Army on my way out of Sams!” Yep, nothing like “Us-mas” - I mean Christmas. I know that none of us would really say that out loud. But our actions are talking for us - loud-ly! I’m certainly not reaching for the plank in your eye without being keenly aware of the log in my own eye..it hurts!
Honestly, I’ve been feeling a little let down by all the tradition this year. I’ve done all of the things that I normally do but to no avail. Just call me Ebenezer. Or maybe call me Tired and Broke! I feel intensely, acutely aware of the fact that Christmas is less than two weeks away and I have nothing festive to say. I have prayed and pulled my hair out over what I want to learn for this Christmas (emphasis again on “I” not “Christ”). Alas, nada....naaaadaaa! Why can’t I rest in Christmas? Oxymoron? When was the last time you saw “rest” and “Christmas” in the same sentence? Let me answer that for you, “Never!” When I get to this point I have to ask myself, “What is it that you are trying to accomplish? What do you want to feel?” I guess I just don’t want to go through the motions without the e-motion to back it up. I have the tree, I’ve sung the carols, I’ve bought the presents, I have baked the cookies, (I’ve gained the weight)... but the sense of peace and joy and “cozy contentment” is illusive.
Possibly, I should make my list and check it twice in order to “keep calm and carry on!” New running tights, some black riding boots, a few candles, hot rollers, a running partner to train for a marathon with me (if you wish to purchase this gift please email), some books etc; Won’t I feel better upon opening these gifts? Won’t I feel better as I run warmly in riding boots, holding a candle while I fix my hair and read? Sure, for December 25th and not to present myself too fickle, probably on into December 26th as well. I’m not as shallow as you thought right? Humanity breeds discontentment in the worst way.
This is where I realize I can’t change me. Try as I may to put all things in order, dot all of the i’s and cross all of the t’s - makes no difference. I can go through the traditions and rituals with an unmotivated heart and I am no better than a Pharisee. I’m doing all that I should, all that the world instructs me I should do to have a “Merry Christmas”. So, what gives? Food and presents are good, vacation and time with family is good, sitting in the freezing cold as Mary with my Joseph is good...
Then it hits me, I am taking the world’s answers, the world’s methods, the world’s traditions (which are no doubt my own by now) and applying them to a much bigger problem...my sin. The world cannot fix my sin. The world cannot fix my heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9) God knew this before the foundation of the world. He knew this and so He provided Christmas and by it He gave us the first and best gift that ever has been or ever will be. He fixes our hearts! “Every GOOD and PERFECT gift comes down from the Father of lights in whom there is NO variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). This is the gift I need at Christmas, this is the gift you need at Christmas. The gift that is good, in fact perfect, and comes down from heaven and changes not! “This is the gift that keeps on givin’” (credit to Christmas Vacation). Indeed it is! Jesus gives to us past the Christmas season, past the New Year, past this life. We say these things very tongue-in-cheek but is there anything I could want or give this year that would satisfy for all eternity? And yet, the gift exists in Christmas. The day is the gift. Christmas finds its origin in Christ and we, you and I, work so hard to take Him out of it. We do everything we can to ignore the manger, to hide “the light that comes into the world.” It says in John 1:5 that the light came into the world and that the darkness could not conquer it. That literally means it could not overcome it. What that means for us is that whether we acknowledge the Light this Christmas doesn’t change the fact that it exists.
So, I implore you to cast aside the focus on the gifts that will perish anyway and focus on the Christmas Light. Every gift we receive this year will, at some point, rust, wear out, break down or simply stop working. They will be replaced with new gifts next year and the year after that but the gift of the gospel never wears out. It never varies, it never turns and it never needs to be altered or fixed. It is still as good and perfect as the day God gave it over 2000 years ago. Can you imagine? GOD gives us a GIFT. What did He choose to give? Millions of dollars? Great health? Fame? No. He gave Himself. What a gift! What a God!
Christmas is the gospel.
Jesus is God.
Believe God.
Celebrate Jesus.
Do you ever wonder WHY we celebrate Christmas? The pat answer would be, “Cause its Jesus’ birthday!” I truly hope that I don’t get treated on my birthday like Jesus does on His. Seriously, I’d be downright peeved if everyone else in my life got gifts and spent quality time together on my birthday without me! But I’m not God - thank God! Maybe God has “thicker skin” than we do. (Actually, God is Spirit and we have to be careful when attributing human folly to an infinite God who is “other than us” but that’s another blog post). Most of us, whether we admit it or not, have the attitude, “Thanks Jesus for having a birthday so we can have a few days off from work, give some gifts and get some gifts, eat alot of really good food that is bad for us and generally get worked up into a holiday frenzy! I’ll be sure to throw in some church attendance somewhere over the next few weeks, sing a few Christmas carols along with the radio and toss some loose change into the Salvation Army on my way out of Sams!” Yep, nothing like “Us-mas” - I mean Christmas. I know that none of us would really say that out loud. But our actions are talking for us - loud-ly! I’m certainly not reaching for the plank in your eye without being keenly aware of the log in my own eye..it hurts!
Honestly, I’ve been feeling a little let down by all the tradition this year. I’ve done all of the things that I normally do but to no avail. Just call me Ebenezer. Or maybe call me Tired and Broke! I feel intensely, acutely aware of the fact that Christmas is less than two weeks away and I have nothing festive to say. I have prayed and pulled my hair out over what I want to learn for this Christmas (emphasis again on “I” not “Christ”). Alas, nada....naaaadaaa! Why can’t I rest in Christmas? Oxymoron? When was the last time you saw “rest” and “Christmas” in the same sentence? Let me answer that for you, “Never!” When I get to this point I have to ask myself, “What is it that you are trying to accomplish? What do you want to feel?” I guess I just don’t want to go through the motions without the e-motion to back it up. I have the tree, I’ve sung the carols, I’ve bought the presents, I have baked the cookies, (I’ve gained the weight)... but the sense of peace and joy and “cozy contentment” is illusive.
Possibly, I should make my list and check it twice in order to “keep calm and carry on!” New running tights, some black riding boots, a few candles, hot rollers, a running partner to train for a marathon with me (if you wish to purchase this gift please email), some books etc; Won’t I feel better upon opening these gifts? Won’t I feel better as I run warmly in riding boots, holding a candle while I fix my hair and read? Sure, for December 25th and not to present myself too fickle, probably on into December 26th as well. I’m not as shallow as you thought right? Humanity breeds discontentment in the worst way.
This is where I realize I can’t change me. Try as I may to put all things in order, dot all of the i’s and cross all of the t’s - makes no difference. I can go through the traditions and rituals with an unmotivated heart and I am no better than a Pharisee. I’m doing all that I should, all that the world instructs me I should do to have a “Merry Christmas”. So, what gives? Food and presents are good, vacation and time with family is good, sitting in the freezing cold as Mary with my Joseph is good...
Then it hits me, I am taking the world’s answers, the world’s methods, the world’s traditions (which are no doubt my own by now) and applying them to a much bigger problem...my sin. The world cannot fix my sin. The world cannot fix my heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9) God knew this before the foundation of the world. He knew this and so He provided Christmas and by it He gave us the first and best gift that ever has been or ever will be. He fixes our hearts! “Every GOOD and PERFECT gift comes down from the Father of lights in whom there is NO variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). This is the gift I need at Christmas, this is the gift you need at Christmas. The gift that is good, in fact perfect, and comes down from heaven and changes not! “This is the gift that keeps on givin’” (credit to Christmas Vacation). Indeed it is! Jesus gives to us past the Christmas season, past the New Year, past this life. We say these things very tongue-in-cheek but is there anything I could want or give this year that would satisfy for all eternity? And yet, the gift exists in Christmas. The day is the gift. Christmas finds its origin in Christ and we, you and I, work so hard to take Him out of it. We do everything we can to ignore the manger, to hide “the light that comes into the world.” It says in John 1:5 that the light came into the world and that the darkness could not conquer it. That literally means it could not overcome it. What that means for us is that whether we acknowledge the Light this Christmas doesn’t change the fact that it exists.
So, I implore you to cast aside the focus on the gifts that will perish anyway and focus on the Christmas Light. Every gift we receive this year will, at some point, rust, wear out, break down or simply stop working. They will be replaced with new gifts next year and the year after that but the gift of the gospel never wears out. It never varies, it never turns and it never needs to be altered or fixed. It is still as good and perfect as the day God gave it over 2000 years ago. Can you imagine? GOD gives us a GIFT. What did He choose to give? Millions of dollars? Great health? Fame? No. He gave Himself. What a gift! What a God!
Christmas is the gospel.
Jesus is God.
Believe God.
Celebrate Jesus.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Woman Driver and Other Scary Things
If you are keeping up, I actually have 2 1/2 trees decorated at this point. The 1/2 tree is a flame-retardant throw back from the late 1960's. I believe it was a gift from Kraig's parents and from the looks of it, it might have been the first tree they owned! You can see straight through to the base and some of the limbs are falling off. This is affectionately known as the "Charlie Brown" tree and we have it in the den as the kids' tree. Lausyn took on the daunting task of decorating it all by herself this year so we have ALL the ornaments front and center. The perfectionist in me wants to change it but the Mom in me doesn't. This is her start at making a home. The woman in her desires to create and nurture and prepare for those around her. It is up to me to fan that flame within her and encourage the way God has made her.
You know, the world has a lot of ideas and opinions about what we should be as women, as wives, as mothers but only our designer knows what we are and how we do it best. The world tries desperately to rob us of the roles that best suit us, the roles that will make us most content. Instead, the world tries to tell us that we should be like men, that we can be like men and in fact, we can be better than men. How discouraging! I don't want to be a man! I don't want the role of provider and protector! I don't want to get up when things go "bump" in the night. I don't want the responsibility of putting food on the table or keeping the lights on. I want to kiss the boo-boos and make the cookies and plan the birthday parties! I want to pick them up from school and read them bedtime stories and teach them God's word...from my living room! The world is a hard place and definitely no friend of grace. The world is not kind to women. As soon as you get a day over 19 or a few pounds over 110, off you go! It's impossible to keep up!
Thank God the more I study His word about my role as a women I realize this is FOR me, not against me! It lifts me up and crowns me with strength, wisdom, grace and beauty. It exhorts the differences and honors the softer side of me. It encourages me in every aspect of life! We shrink back from all that God has created us to be and as God said to Eve, "Your desire will be for your husband." This does not mean sexually. It means that she will desire his authority. She will try to usurp his leadership. GUILTY! How many times do we boot men, not just our husbands, but men in general out of the driver's seat? Then, when we are tired and don't want to drive anymore we can't find a man around who WANTS to drive, why? Because they don't remember how!! Our society is filled with passive men and dominate women and it is broken! I know because I lived it for years! (I know none of you can believe that if you know me!) Let me clarify. Kraig has never been my doormat, praise God, that is one of the things I love about him, he has my respect! But if I thought he wasn't getting things done fast enough then I would definitely walk around him even if I couldn't walk over him! Does that make sense? Can I get an, "Amen?"
You know when we start to get it right? When we realize that men being men and women being women doesn't conflict. When we aren't threatened every time a man tries to lead! Let's let men do what God has called them to do and go a step farther and praise them for it! Let's be content to be women...to have the door opened for us, to have him pursue us, to have him make the final decision for once. You will be amazed at what takes place in your passive, procrastinator of a man! He will start to listen when you have a request, he will step in to shelter you when things are tough and he will thank God for the woman He has created you to be! A wise woman indeed!
As for Lausyn, I am the one mother and wife that the Lord has given her to watch day in and day out. I write this for her. I write this for all of the women who struggle to be daily what God wants us to be to the world, to our families, co-workers, friends, spouses, children and churches. It isn't always easy but it is so rewarding...carry on Sister, carry on!
You know, the world has a lot of ideas and opinions about what we should be as women, as wives, as mothers but only our designer knows what we are and how we do it best. The world tries desperately to rob us of the roles that best suit us, the roles that will make us most content. Instead, the world tries to tell us that we should be like men, that we can be like men and in fact, we can be better than men. How discouraging! I don't want to be a man! I don't want the role of provider and protector! I don't want to get up when things go "bump" in the night. I don't want the responsibility of putting food on the table or keeping the lights on. I want to kiss the boo-boos and make the cookies and plan the birthday parties! I want to pick them up from school and read them bedtime stories and teach them God's word...from my living room! The world is a hard place and definitely no friend of grace. The world is not kind to women. As soon as you get a day over 19 or a few pounds over 110, off you go! It's impossible to keep up!
Thank God the more I study His word about my role as a women I realize this is FOR me, not against me! It lifts me up and crowns me with strength, wisdom, grace and beauty. It exhorts the differences and honors the softer side of me. It encourages me in every aspect of life! We shrink back from all that God has created us to be and as God said to Eve, "Your desire will be for your husband." This does not mean sexually. It means that she will desire his authority. She will try to usurp his leadership. GUILTY! How many times do we boot men, not just our husbands, but men in general out of the driver's seat? Then, when we are tired and don't want to drive anymore we can't find a man around who WANTS to drive, why? Because they don't remember how!! Our society is filled with passive men and dominate women and it is broken! I know because I lived it for years! (I know none of you can believe that if you know me!) Let me clarify. Kraig has never been my doormat, praise God, that is one of the things I love about him, he has my respect! But if I thought he wasn't getting things done fast enough then I would definitely walk around him even if I couldn't walk over him! Does that make sense? Can I get an, "Amen?"
You know when we start to get it right? When we realize that men being men and women being women doesn't conflict. When we aren't threatened every time a man tries to lead! Let's let men do what God has called them to do and go a step farther and praise them for it! Let's be content to be women...to have the door opened for us, to have him pursue us, to have him make the final decision for once. You will be amazed at what takes place in your passive, procrastinator of a man! He will start to listen when you have a request, he will step in to shelter you when things are tough and he will thank God for the woman He has created you to be! A wise woman indeed!
As for Lausyn, I am the one mother and wife that the Lord has given her to watch day in and day out. I write this for her. I write this for all of the women who struggle to be daily what God wants us to be to the world, to our families, co-workers, friends, spouses, children and churches. It isn't always easy but it is so rewarding...carry on Sister, carry on!
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