Calming the Drama

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2
 
This past week has been spent in a place where I could feel very out of control and very frustrated. Due to some circumstances we were placed in a precarious position and had to deal with the circumstances this week. It has been a very humbling experience. I could have let emotions run high and get the best of me. But all week I have heard the Lord tell me to "Trust Him". We say this all the time but do we really Trust God. Do we really do as the scripture tells us. To humble ourselves and be patient as we wait upon Him.

Too often, when my expectations aren’t met or I’m faced with things I can’t control, my emotions and thoughts spin out of control. Before I know it, I start talking before I even think about what I’m about to say. And all that wise instruction about being humble, gentle and patient is quickly forgotten.
What about you? Do you ever yell at your kids or let frustrations mount when plans and expectations spin out of control? Do you suffer from a little of your own  drama?

This week God gave me another “opportunity” to choose humility, gentleness and patience with my self. Yesterday as I walked out of the door I could have chosen to let the drama get the best of me and spin out of control or I could chose to Trust God and be patient and humble. By chosing to be humble and patient a few thing happened. First of all I knew God was totally in charge, not me. I could let the Lord walk ahead of me and pave the way. Upon leaving the house just up the road a car pulled down our street and the front license plate said "Trust God". I think the Lord knew I needed another remembrance to put all my trust in Him. To again be patient and humble.

Thankfully I can say, that morning, I paused and gave way to the Holy Spirit’s leading. And my desire for peace to become my new norm and to leave drama behind was successful!
So, how do we do this on an ongoing basis? How do we choose to be humble, patient and bear with our husband, children, friends, and problems in love?
If time allows, I have found it’s really good to pull away from the situation and give myself a time out. Removing myself, if even for just a moment, affords me the opportunity to humble myself before God and ask Him to help me regroup my runaway emotions and submit my thoughts to the control of the Holy Spirit. Pulling away also shows my family and friends the benefits, like patience and gentleness, that result when I don’t allow my emotions to rule over me.
If there isn’t time to physically remove myself from the situation, there is always enough time to take a deep breath and invite the Holy Spirit to bring me wisdom and self-control.
When we surrender our emotions, our actions and our reactions to God, peace can become our new norm as we choose to leave drama behind!

Dear Lord, today help me to leave behind the drama that exists and use me to be a peace maker in my home and my church and all of my surroundings. I want to learn to give myself a time out and ask the Holy Spirit to enter each situation I find myself in. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

IN THE FLOW

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

 

Have you ever been on a hike or climbed a mountain. I can remember in my younger years living in Salt Lake City and heading towards the mountains for a small leisurely hike. It would be a moderate hike my husband said. Now remember I said I was younger.

 

Well,his  definition of the word moderate and mine didn’t come from the same dictionary. Actually, not from the same planet if I’m being completely honest. Honey, honey, honey…this was no moderate hike.

I pictured a path with a gentle, winding, upward slope.

What we actually hiked was a full on upward scaling of rocks and roots. At least it seemed that way to me.

In an altitude where the air seemed so thin the inside of my lungs felt like they were sticking together and refusing my chest full breaths. Lovely. I thought I will never make this.

Up, up, up we went. And when another person passed us on their way down and cheerfully quipped, “You’re almost halfway there,” I wanted to quit. Halfway? How could we only be halfway!?!

I pushed. I pulled. I strained. I huffed and puffed. And I might have even spent a few minutes pouting. I am sure I complained to him all the way.

But eventually, we reached the top. I bent over holding my sides wondering how a girl who at that time worked out during the week could be so out of shape! Going up against the pull of gravity was hard. Really, really hard.

But coming down was a completely different experience. We navigated the same rocks and roots without feeling nearly as stressed. I enjoyed the journey. I noticed more of the beautiful surroundings and had enough breath to talk to whoever was on this journey with me all the way down the mountain.

And about halfway down the trail, it occurred to me how similar this hike was to the Christian walk.

Starting at the top, working with the pull of gravity was so much easier than starting at the bottom and working against it.

Though we navigated the exact same path both directions, going in the flow of gravity made the journey so much better. Just as we face a crisis in our own life if we go with the flow of God He also will take us exactly where He wants us to go.  Operating in the flow of God’s power is so much better than working against the flow of God’s power.

In other words, seeking to obey God in the midst of whatever circumstance I’m facing will position me to work in the flow of God’s power. I’ll still have to navigate the realities of my situation but I won’t be doing it with my strength. I will be doing it with Gods strength.

My job is to be obedient to God. To listen for His will not my own.   To apply His word and walk according to His ways- not the world’s suggestions. Participate in His divine nature rather than wallow in my own bad attitude and insecurities. How easy it is for us to wallow in our own attitudes and insecurities. But we can be so strong in the Lord.

Then I won’t have to huff and puff and pout while trying to figure everything out. I stay in the flow. God in His way and timing, works it all out. Not me but God.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV).

So, the question of the day… will we work in or out of the flow today? Go with the flow of God’s power. This divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. Wow, when I think about that I’m so ready to let God instruct me in ALL things. . Everthing!

Proverbs 3:6

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct^[a] your   path


My prayer for all of you:
Dear Lord, help me to operate in the flow of Your power today and not against it. Your divine power has given me everything I need for a godly life. Let us work with the FLOW not against it.  I pray believing this truth today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Special Gift

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

“How are you doing?” she asked. Has anyone ever asked you this question. Maybe someone dear to you had just passed away. Maybe you or a loved one was about to have surgery. My eyes widened in surprise and pleasure as I recognized my friend who I had not heard from in a longtime on the phone. She was  a friend I dearly love, but we live long-distance and don’t stay in close touch.

I explained to her the pressures of the moment and we talked awhile catching up on old friends, kids and church. I started to wonder when we’d get to the reason for her call. Finally, there was a pause, and she explained that she needed to go back to her work day in a minute.
I was stunned. That was it?
There was no other agenda or hidden need. My friend had just carved out the time in her day to call and check on me.

My friend was a  widow whose precious husband died suddenly. She is dealing with raising children alone, running a business they used to manage as a couple and all the other curve-balls life inevitably throws our way. Yet she had made time in her day just to check in with me. I told her how grateful I was that she had been so intentional and kind.
That is when my friend explained that after her husband’s death, worship time at church was the time when the flood-gates of grief opened. She would often stand and cry throughout the service, pouring out her heart to God and receiving comfort from Him. And there was one woman who often sat by her and silently held her hand.
One woman in silence offering the ministry of her presence. What a profound gift. I had never thought of just a small sharing of my time and presence as a gift God has given us.
 “I’ve learned how much sharing time means. If I can only run by and take a cake to someone who is hurting, I do it. All of life’s busyness can be overwhelming, but I make time for people now. People are the most important thing.” This coming from my friend who had suffered grief.

I thought of how my friend reflects Jesus—of how Jesus made people more important than His to-do list. There were so many He stopped for. Countless faces in the crowds who made Him pause, just because.
The woman at the well.
Zacchaeus.
The woman with the issue of blood.
His disciples.
Mary at His feet.
The list could go on and on.
As I write, I think about the day’s to-do list. A long list. There are lines and lines of things to do that aren’t checked off yet, calling my name.. They’re all important, but how do I process my list through today’s key verse? How do I become more like Jesus, numbering my days so that I might gain a heart of wisdom?
I think I’ll start a fresh to-do list and take a lesson from the dear friend who had taken time for me. I’ll leave room at the top of my list—room for names instead of tasks. My new first line on my checklist: “Be more like Jesus. Make people the most important thing today.”

Dear Lord, I need Your help to plan my day with Your priorities. You know how task-driven we can all become. Will You teach us to put people first? Sensitize our spirit to listen to Yours and to pause for people like You would. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Shipwrecked/Make the Right Choices

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 (KJV)

I’d read the book of Acts before and honestly, it fell dull and familiar as I read again. But when I came to chapter nine, something new jumped out at me. I began to see the word “rejection,” although it was not in written form. Perhaps I saw what I was feeling that day—rejected.
I was reading at the part of the story where Saul, a murderer, had just been transformed into Paul, a disciple of Christ. Even though Paul was a changed person, many rejected him because of his past reputation and lifestyle. Have you ever felt that way. maybe alone and rejected.
Not only that, but as Paul became fully devoted to serving Christ—sacrificing his education, his life, and remaining single so he could better serve the Lord—he was falsely accused, thrown into prison more than once and shipwrecked on several occasions. Doesn’t that seem odd for a man called of God? Wouldn’t God’s favor protect him from such adversity?
I thought about the 30 years that I had suffered with arthritis.At times it was so severe I was unable to do life and ministry. I had felt rejected by God. It didn’t make sense. Here we were  serving Him in more ways than I could count. Then, without warning, strong winds came and ushered what felt like a storm into my life. This happened more than once. Clouds hung overhead and before I knew it, I felt “shipwrecked.” Have you felt shipwrecked?

 Maybe you’ve been rejected by family, friends, and co-workers. Or you’ve been falsely accused. Maybe you’re imprisoned by finances, or being blown around by the consequences of someone else’s sin?
It seems so unfair. You’ve tried to live right. You walk in obedience the best you can. You take God at His Word and trust in His promises. Shouldn’t faith like this call for smooth sailing, instead of stormy, shipwrecking seas?

If we follow Paul’s journey, we find God working through the rejection, the trials, the prison time, and the shipwrecks. Paul shared the gospel with the Pharisees through his rejection and imprisonment. People saw God’s power at work when Paul survived the storms, when the snake bite didn’t kill him, and when the jail shook—opening doors and loosing chains. Paul after his conversion started making the right choices. We must learn to make the right choices.
Paul didn’t let his circumstances wreck him with a sense of rejection. He didn’t allow self-pity and doubt to overtake him. Instead, we see in Acts 16:22-31 that after being stripped, beaten, severely flogged, thrown in the inner cell of a prison and his feet in stocks, Paul prayed and sang hymns to God. Paul made the right choice of praising the Lord and trusting in Him. The power of God came in such a way that the prison guard begged Paul to tell him, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” He replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus” (vs. 30b-31, NIV).

God kept His promise to work all things together for the good of this man who loved Him and was called according to His purposes. As Paul depended on God and trusted His faithfulness in the midst of his adversity, many witnessed God’s power and believed. This can also happen in our life as we move forward everyday, trusting and believing.
 God doesn’t waste our pain, our rejection or our “shipwrecks.” He uses them to bring about His plan—to position us so that others can see His transforming power at work in our lives and believe in the living God. We must learn to make the right choices so we can follow the Lord.

We must chose to rise from the wreckage, like Paul, so that our lives will give testimony that draws others to  Jesus. Today I will no longer sit on the sidelines of life full of self-pity. I choose to rise, pray and praise, so that God can position me to shine for His glory, and so that others will believe.

Dear Lord, forgive me for wallowing in self-pity and rejection. I trust that You see the bigger picture. I believe there is a purpose for my pain. Strengthen me to rise from my ashes so that others will see You are my help and my salvation. Let me trust only in you and nothing else.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Trusting Gods Given

What has God given you that you need to take hold of—even if it doesn't look like it from where you're standing? Freedom in finances? A healed relationship? A better marriage? A job in an unstable market? A dream He's whispered to your heart? Can you move forward in worship and trust, counting on the fact that it has been given to you already? Focusing on what lies ahead and not what's happening now?

How many times have we had God give us something in our heart that has not manifested yet. It could be any of the above. But then things around us do not go the way we want and we lose sight of what God wants. God sometimes has to take us around the barn many times to get our attention. I know for me personally that has happened many times.

As I think back over my life I wonder what God must think when I keep making the same mistakes. I leave the trust of God and venture out on my own and miseably fail. God has reasons for all he allows in our life. As the scripture says below, God has already GIVEN us all the above. We as Christ Followers just need to learn to walk it out. We need to put our TRUST totally in the Lord. Do not look backward but to move ahead.

Today let us step out in Faith and look only to Him. Let us shout For the Lord has Given us All!!!!


"The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army,
‘Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!'"
Joshua 6:16 (NIV)

Secret Gems

You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand." (Matthew 13:11-13, NLT)

Have you ever asked yourself what this might mean? You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. I love secrets, don't you? What secrets do you think God gives us? The word says if we ask in his name he will give us the desires of our hearts. Is not knowing the secrets a desire?

I think if we ask Jesus to help us he will show us ALL the secrets of Heaven. If we are truly believers and Christ Followers Jesus will reveal anything we ask and we truly believe in.

God never hides truth from sincere seekers. In fact, He came to earth in the person of Jesus to ensure that we'd learn His secrets and understand His ways. Our task is to open ourselves—ears, eyes, and heart—and listen intently to Him. To concentrate and apply ourselves to the process of prayerfully reading the Bible

As we go forth today let us keep asking Him to reveal what he has for us and for our families.

May you Be Blessed as you venture into this day with Jesus

What will people think?

"When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?'"
Mark 2:16 (NIV 2010)

At a function recently two choices faced me. Both concerned where to sit. Not that big of a deal, really. But it was. That day, I had to choose between where I felt most comfortable sitting, and where Jesus wanted me to sit. They weren't the same.
Normally when in this situation, I would look for a friend, or at least a friendly face. That day, except for a few family members who were surrounded by people, strangers faced me in every corner. My choice was between strangers who looked like me, and those who didn't.
It's not that they really looked like me, they just seemed like me on the surface – traditionally dressed, about my age, and talking about things I might talk about. Then there was the group outside on the back patio. I knew who they were, and they weren't like me. Their lifestyle choices were far from mine. Were they sitting outside because they didn't "fit" with the inside group? No one would have intentionally snubbed them, but they sat apart nonetheless.

Plate in hand, I stood beside the buffet table weighing my options. And I asked myself, "Where would Jesus sit?" Would He choose to sit inside with those like Him? Or would He be outside with those whose choices revealed a heart far from God? The answer was obvious; I headed for the back door.
"May I sit with you?" I asked. Smiles and nods greeted me. Immediately someone jumped to grab a chair, another introduced himself, and I was drawn into the lively conversation. The next hour flew by as we chatted and laughed about vacations, movies and community happenings.

They could have judged me for being obviously different from them, but they didn't. For that moment in time, they welcomed me into their group. As we parted ways, my mind imagined Jesus intentionally choosing to hang out with those shunned by the religious types. They welcomed His presence. In spending time with those far from God, He created quite a stir.

I can imagine a disciple or two trying to warn Jesus about the dangers of hanging out with "sinners." Perhaps they thought Him naive, or simply unwise. "What will people think?" some might have said. "Will others trust what we have to say after they see us having dinner with them?"
But Jesus didn't worry about what others thought. He didn't worry about His reputation being sullied by His choice of friends. Instead, He went out of His way to show acceptance and love to those who needed Him.
That's how I want to be. My choice of where to sit should expand beyond an hour at a reception – it should be a lifestyle of reaching out to those who need to know Jesus. Whether at church, at work,  morning, or  wherever we are at  there will be people far from God.
Each time I have a choice, the questions will be the same: Will I gravitate towards the known? Or where Jesus might go?

This reminds me of a time 20 years ago when we took a sort of unsavory character into our home. He now is walking with Christ and lives at a Ministry that ministers to others who were like him. Lonely and feeling unloved. We still talk and feel a love for one another that is uncanny. It only comes from above. Thank You Lord.

We are called to be set apart in many ways; we don't live like the world lives. But Jesus also said we are to be a light. In my experience, lighting a candle in a well-lit room doesn't make much of a difference. A candle in the dark, however, changes the scene dramatically.
So the next time we have a choice of where to sit, let's think about Jesus and go where He would choose.

Dear Lord, thank You for loving this broken and hurting world. You've asked me to do the same. Forgive me for those times I've chosen the safe route. I know those times have been based in fear, and concern for myself. Help me to be a woman who trusts You enough with her reputation that she's willing to sit where Jesus would sit. In Jesus' Name, Amen.