I loaded down my crock pot last night with some deer meat and cut up an onion this morning. My youngest 2 children joined me in the kitchen just about the time my eyes were beginning to water and found me talking to myself. I said...."I'm going to turn this on high." Blaise, my sweetie and lover of anything sweet to eat, heard me say turn this on high, but seemed to hear "KEY LIME PIE." She asked me with a puzzled face and a look of happy anticipation "Key Lime Pie, Mom?"
She is working on rhyming words and I guess "turn on high...key lime pie..."and her mind took over. I immediately had a thought. That is just like us! We so often get offended, hear what we want to hear, or even take things totally out of context. This all in turn, can ruin a day, sabotage a relationship, and cause hurt feelings...all because our perspective takes over and the real truth of what was said or done flies out the window, so to speak!
Just a few minutes later, I asked the kids to help me take the sheets off of my bed. I got a blank stare and no response. I remembered the crock pot incident.....thought to myself, help them change their perspective of what I really want them to do. I waited a minute and then said "Hey, who wants to go and destroy Mom's bed and rip everything off it it." With a simple change in wording, my linens are now in the washer, and I did not do a thing. I "helped" my helpers by changing their view and opinion of the task at hand!
My prayer as we begin this new year that we have a TRUE perspective of the power of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The devil would love for us to misunderstand what the Lord is all about, confuse lies with the truth, and even plant seeds of bitterness by twisting the words of others. Our enemy's goal is to make us think that the Lord does not care and has quit working on our behalf, making us feel all alone. If we could ever really get it into our minds and hearts how BIG God is then we would see how small our problems are and that Jesus is involved!
Check your perspective today and get it in check with the TRUTH! Make sure what you hear, see, and do is based on the TRUTH!
What a shameful disappointment it would have been for my Blaise to expect a slice of key lime pie on her plate tonight all because of a misunderstanding!!!! How often does this happen to us as believers? We can live in the TRUTH!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Christmas Vacation
My family has had the best Christmas vacation ever! However, the kids and I got off to a rocky start. We had plenty of activity to keep us busy the first few days that school was out, but our first full day at home with nothing to do was challenging to say the least. There was much more picking and pestering than holiday cheer. I felt like the Grinch by the end of the day. When my husband got home that night and started his much needed and relaxing week off from work, I met him at the door and said "You are in charge." I quickly pivoted around and marched down the hallway letting out a sigh of relief and a little, sly giggle. I spun around one time only to let the kids know that for a week their Dad would be home and would be in total control. I added in that I would not get in the middle at all or save them if they got in trouble with him.
(Moms like me tend to hand it all over to Dad or another authority figure and then step in every five minutes to protect their little ones....I am quite sure counseling would reveal that this is not at all healthy or good for our marriage, but we can work on that later.)
The true beginning of Christmas here at the Monico establishment began at that moment. Soon we were full of peace on earth, joy, and lots of hot chocolate with marshmellows. I decided to let go and LET DAD! It was like the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I am not saying that this works in all families and this will not be a lesson on submission, although I do try and practice being submissive often. The point I am trying to make here is that I was tired, frustrated, and needed help.
Let me explain the dynamics here. My husband is more firm and in control by nature. He jumps on the trampoline with the kids, takes them hunting, plays cards, and does fun stuff; however, he can say no a lot faster than me and does not start a batch of cookies at 9:30 p.m. He lives a life that is more structured than I do and seems to create more calm than chaos. We needed his fatherly touch so that we could all get along, have fun, and respect each other. Branden also has "the LOOK" down quite well and I usually end up with a laugh or a smirk at the least when I really need "the LOOK."
At the end of the following day with Dad at home, we all were gathered together in the living room by the fireplace watching a Hallmark movie together in total peace. I contemplated on the transformation. Help that day came from my husband and was such a nice relief. How nice that I could depend on him at that moment, but it does not always happen that was I must admit. He is human, works long hours, and can also be stumped at times by what we should do raising four children with very different personalities.
Why do anything else?
Is it time today to "Let Go, and Let God?"
(Moms like me tend to hand it all over to Dad or another authority figure and then step in every five minutes to protect their little ones....I am quite sure counseling would reveal that this is not at all healthy or good for our marriage, but we can work on that later.)
The true beginning of Christmas here at the Monico establishment began at that moment. Soon we were full of peace on earth, joy, and lots of hot chocolate with marshmellows. I decided to let go and LET DAD! It was like the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I am not saying that this works in all families and this will not be a lesson on submission, although I do try and practice being submissive often. The point I am trying to make here is that I was tired, frustrated, and needed help.
Let me explain the dynamics here. My husband is more firm and in control by nature. He jumps on the trampoline with the kids, takes them hunting, plays cards, and does fun stuff; however, he can say no a lot faster than me and does not start a batch of cookies at 9:30 p.m. He lives a life that is more structured than I do and seems to create more calm than chaos. We needed his fatherly touch so that we could all get along, have fun, and respect each other. Branden also has "the LOOK" down quite well and I usually end up with a laugh or a smirk at the least when I really need "the LOOK."
At the end of the following day with Dad at home, we all were gathered together in the living room by the fireplace watching a Hallmark movie together in total peace. I contemplated on the transformation. Help that day came from my husband and was such a nice relief. How nice that I could depend on him at that moment, but it does not always happen that was I must admit. He is human, works long hours, and can also be stumped at times by what we should do raising four children with very different personalities.
The real solution is me knowing without a doubt, that no matter what the situation is...work, children, a bad report at the doctor, depression, or just a really crummy day... that I always have Jesus Christ on my side to help me. Nicole C. Mullin's words in a song titled "Come Unto Me" ask a question that causes me to wake up and remember a promise that is life altering.
"Can you fall down like a child who is helpless,
so He can pick up up and make you whole."
I must ask myself ...Why do I so often try to do it all, carry it all, control it all, manage it all, manipulate it all, when I am a child of the MOST High God who is able and willing at anytime to help? Am I just stupid, hard-headed, or used to doing it my way? We hold onto so much with a tight-fisted grip when we are tired and barely able to even hold our own heads up, much less hold onto anything else. That has just got to be what Mr. Webster meant when he defined burdened and weary!!!
Matthew 11:29 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
I must ask myself ...Why do I so often try to do it all, carry it all, control it all, manage it all, manipulate it all, when I am a child of the MOST High God who is able and willing at anytime to help? Am I just stupid, hard-headed, or used to doing it my way? We hold onto so much with a tight-fisted grip when we are tired and barely able to even hold our own heads up, much less hold onto anything else. That has just got to be what Mr. Webster meant when he defined burdened and weary!!!
Matthew 11:29 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Why do anything else?
Is it time today to "Let Go, and Let God?"
Looking down
I have spent the past two days at our deer lease. We hunted a little bit, ate delicious burgers cooked on a grill in the middle of a pasture, worked over some out-of-shape trees, and concluded the trip with a traditional arrowhead hunt. It is one of my husband's favorite hobbies and we all fall in line behind him like a family of little ducks.
Today we drove to the "top secret" location, unloaded, and all began looking down. (We search individually until someone lets out a scream to the others that they have something worthwhile in hand.) After about 10 minutes of walking and looking down very intently, my neck began to ache. I tried to ignore it. Please...I told myself. I have given birth to four children and recently fought off an attack by a rooster....I CAN deal with a bit of neck pain! I kept on walking and looking determined to impress the group with a find.
After 30 minutes, my neck felt like I was carrying a 10 pound dumbbell around. Looking down is just not normal for me. I usually walk with eyes up, head up, and this MESS of a position was driving me crazy. It occurred to me that I have been through periods in life, sometimes a day or two, maybe a week, or even a year, that I did look down a lot. Life was only making it to the next step and not anything more than that. I was miserable, trapped in bondage battling addictions living a life of total defeat!
It can even feel more natural to look down and expect the next bad thing to happen than to possible lift your head in anticipation of good news. Expecting less of yourself and others is safe. Maybe you just don't even have time to realize why you are so down and lost because life is moving too quickly from one week to the next, one meaningless activity to the next and looking up would require time that you don't have.
My family did not know it, but I had one of those quiet moments in my soul today on my walk. When I felt my neck ache and stretched my chin up to look at the sky and get a break, I thanked the Lord that with His grace and love, His free gift and promise of His daily presence in my life, I no longer look down very often for a long period of time. The verse from Psalm 3:3 came to mind "But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head."
If you are in need of a lift of this kind, I know the way! I have been there. I look around and see so many in pain. Often pain that is out of their own control, but caused by the actions of others, but I know that the Lord can lift them up no matter who is to blame or what has happened! Even when the world, your past choices and sin, or the enemy would like to keep you downcast and without hope, there is HOPE! It begins with a verse like this one that I remembered today. Start 2011 with reading a Psalms out loud....the power in the spoken Word blows me away. The Word is life and when we read it, we do look up and find hope. Maybe we even realize that our view has been totally out of whack for a while.
We all have a plan and purpose in Jesus Christ. I am looking up in 2011 and speaking this into my life every day from Psalm 5:3..... "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait in expectation." Look up in expectation and if anything is in the way or keeping you down, confess it and refuse to look down again!
Today we drove to the "top secret" location, unloaded, and all began looking down. (We search individually until someone lets out a scream to the others that they have something worthwhile in hand.) After about 10 minutes of walking and looking down very intently, my neck began to ache. I tried to ignore it. Please...I told myself. I have given birth to four children and recently fought off an attack by a rooster....I CAN deal with a bit of neck pain! I kept on walking and looking determined to impress the group with a find.
After 30 minutes, my neck felt like I was carrying a 10 pound dumbbell around. Looking down is just not normal for me. I usually walk with eyes up, head up, and this MESS of a position was driving me crazy. It occurred to me that I have been through periods in life, sometimes a day or two, maybe a week, or even a year, that I did look down a lot. Life was only making it to the next step and not anything more than that. I was miserable, trapped in bondage battling addictions living a life of total defeat!
It can even feel more natural to look down and expect the next bad thing to happen than to possible lift your head in anticipation of good news. Expecting less of yourself and others is safe. Maybe you just don't even have time to realize why you are so down and lost because life is moving too quickly from one week to the next, one meaningless activity to the next and looking up would require time that you don't have.
My family did not know it, but I had one of those quiet moments in my soul today on my walk. When I felt my neck ache and stretched my chin up to look at the sky and get a break, I thanked the Lord that with His grace and love, His free gift and promise of His daily presence in my life, I no longer look down very often for a long period of time. The verse from Psalm 3:3 came to mind "But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head."
If you are in need of a lift of this kind, I know the way! I have been there. I look around and see so many in pain. Often pain that is out of their own control, but caused by the actions of others, but I know that the Lord can lift them up no matter who is to blame or what has happened! Even when the world, your past choices and sin, or the enemy would like to keep you downcast and without hope, there is HOPE! It begins with a verse like this one that I remembered today. Start 2011 with reading a Psalms out loud....the power in the spoken Word blows me away. The Word is life and when we read it, we do look up and find hope. Maybe we even realize that our view has been totally out of whack for a while.
We all have a plan and purpose in Jesus Christ. I am looking up in 2011 and speaking this into my life every day from Psalm 5:3..... "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait in expectation." Look up in expectation and if anything is in the way or keeping you down, confess it and refuse to look down again!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wait at the gate
I like to run at night to calm my nerves and cancel out a few of the many calories I have managed to add up during the day. Belle, our lab, usually goes with me. We make a round or two up the road and then cross over by the lake. She loves to swim! I mean LOVES to swim. Last year when there was snow on the ground and the kids were sledding on the dam by the lake, Belle jumped into the freezing water because she LOVES to swim so much.
What amazes me about our recent runs together is that she beats me to the gate everytime that goes towards our lake, but she does not enter the gate. She stands there panting, hot and tired from running, and waits on me. As soon as I make the last corner up the road and tell her she can go on and jump in, she takes off running as fast as she can and dives into the water.
Six months ago, Belle did not wait on me. She did just what she wanted to do without a thought or care in the world. She also ruined four water hoses last summer playing her own game of tug of war, gnawed on our Ranger seat like it was a chew toy, and killed a few of our chickens! I think she is growing up. She is maturing and learning a bit of self-control. I hope so because she was about one dead chicken away from being someone else's pet.
The day that I finally realized Belle was waiting on me at the gate and paused there until she heard my voice tell her to go, I thought of how I too am learning to pause and wait on the voice of the Holy Spirit before I run through or to the next thing in life. I can hear the voice of Jesus Christ and I do not want to get ahead of the plans He has for me. So many times in the past and it will happen again because I am human and full of my own flesh, I have not paused at all, but marched forward.
I am learning to wait! I can pray and wait confidently! Life does not have to be instant. I do not have to have an answer right now to know that the Lord is with me. How many tears I have cried, frustrations I have felt, and time I have spent mending my messes because I did not wait, but barged my way on in. A simple pause, a quiet prayer, and a little time standing silently and still will do us all a world of good!
I do trust too, just like when I tell Belle to take off and run to the refreshing water, that when the coast is clear and the road looks good up ahead, the Lord will signal me on to what is next in my life. He will not only meet me at the gate where I am standing and waiting, but take my hand, lead me through it, and show me which way to go. This verse comes to mind from John 10:27-28 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
What amazes me about our recent runs together is that she beats me to the gate everytime that goes towards our lake, but she does not enter the gate. She stands there panting, hot and tired from running, and waits on me. As soon as I make the last corner up the road and tell her she can go on and jump in, she takes off running as fast as she can and dives into the water.
Six months ago, Belle did not wait on me. She did just what she wanted to do without a thought or care in the world. She also ruined four water hoses last summer playing her own game of tug of war, gnawed on our Ranger seat like it was a chew toy, and killed a few of our chickens! I think she is growing up. She is maturing and learning a bit of self-control. I hope so because she was about one dead chicken away from being someone else's pet.
The day that I finally realized Belle was waiting on me at the gate and paused there until she heard my voice tell her to go, I thought of how I too am learning to pause and wait on the voice of the Holy Spirit before I run through or to the next thing in life. I can hear the voice of Jesus Christ and I do not want to get ahead of the plans He has for me. So many times in the past and it will happen again because I am human and full of my own flesh, I have not paused at all, but marched forward.
I am learning to wait! I can pray and wait confidently! Life does not have to be instant. I do not have to have an answer right now to know that the Lord is with me. How many tears I have cried, frustrations I have felt, and time I have spent mending my messes because I did not wait, but barged my way on in. A simple pause, a quiet prayer, and a little time standing silently and still will do us all a world of good!
I do trust too, just like when I tell Belle to take off and run to the refreshing water, that when the coast is clear and the road looks good up ahead, the Lord will signal me on to what is next in my life. He will not only meet me at the gate where I am standing and waiting, but take my hand, lead me through it, and show me which way to go. This verse comes to mind from John 10:27-28 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Falling toilet paper...
This has been on of those weeks where life just falls into place. My entire family recovered from a horrific stomach virus on Sunday with lots of rest and relaxation. Monday began and I had a new pep in my step because I finally felt normal again! I was so thankful to have my energy back. The week has continued on in that fashion...happy kids, happy husband, and I have been an even happier than usual Mom. I dropped everyone off this morning with a smile on my face. I pulled up to the campus where I would be subbing with my favorite praise music playing, in awe of all of my blessings and the goodness of the Lord! We all have those weeks where we feel like nothing can touch us!
I popped open the back hatch of my Suburban so I could grab my bag and was suddenly startled. I jumped out of the way because something from inside of it was rolling my way. A roll of toilet paper came bouncing out of the car and hit the ground right in front of me. I looked around to see if there were any spectators in the parking lot. I was embarrassed. Not many of us admit that we carry a roll of Charmin with us at all times!
I checked my surroundings to make sure nobody witnessed my blooper, stopped laughing, and tossed the roll back into my car. I then realized I was getting a vision of life from a little incident in my daily routine again. No matter how great life may be and even on the days that the JOY is overflowing, there are things in life that we try to hide. I really wanted all of the junk in my car to remain hidden, just like I do with some of the "junk" in my life. We stuff closets before company comes over with all of the usual clutter to make our homes look nice. We also stuff attitudes, sins, and feelings down pretty deep hoping they will never really surface.
The funny thing is that most of the time we can hide from those around us what is really going on or at least disguise it enough that they can't recognize what is up. The real truth is that most of us do a pretty good job in public of staying cool, calm, and collected; however, in the own private chambers of our hearts, in the deepest places, there is hurt, insecurities, anger, and shame.
I have learned the hard way that I can "stuff" all of the junk in my life so that people won't see it, but I can not stuff, hide, disguise, and even begin to fool the Lord. Just like the roll of toilet paper that came rolling out and refused to be hidden any longer it seems, the Lord will keep on bringing out what needs to be exposed in my life!
My favorite, Psalms 139, says "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my laying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me; Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."
The entire Psalm is worth reading. It blows me away! The Lord knows me COMPLETELY, all of the hidden thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. that I have and He still wants to be my friend! He will always be my Father. He has me hemmed in, safe and sound in His loving arms and I can not escape Him! There is nowhere I can run that He can not follow. I can't go so far that He can't get to me!
The question is: Why do we run and hide? The fake smiles we plaster on may do the job with the people we meet, but it will not work with the Living God. There is forgiveness, there is a life of JOY and openness with Him. I found it last week with the JOY that He gave me. Just about the time I thought I had figured it all out, He humbled me and reminded me that without Him, I too will fall, just like the roll of toilet paper.
I always be guilty of stuffing my closet full of junk before company arrives and loading the dirty dishes quickly before the door bell rings, but I will not hide from my God. I have given up. It does not work. JOY begins and ends with an ongoing relationship and conversation with Him, nothing hidden, nothing held back. I even am learning to welcome His involvement. The Psalm ends with "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
I popped open the back hatch of my Suburban so I could grab my bag and was suddenly startled. I jumped out of the way because something from inside of it was rolling my way. A roll of toilet paper came bouncing out of the car and hit the ground right in front of me. I looked around to see if there were any spectators in the parking lot. I was embarrassed. Not many of us admit that we carry a roll of Charmin with us at all times!
I checked my surroundings to make sure nobody witnessed my blooper, stopped laughing, and tossed the roll back into my car. I then realized I was getting a vision of life from a little incident in my daily routine again. No matter how great life may be and even on the days that the JOY is overflowing, there are things in life that we try to hide. I really wanted all of the junk in my car to remain hidden, just like I do with some of the "junk" in my life. We stuff closets before company comes over with all of the usual clutter to make our homes look nice. We also stuff attitudes, sins, and feelings down pretty deep hoping they will never really surface.
The funny thing is that most of the time we can hide from those around us what is really going on or at least disguise it enough that they can't recognize what is up. The real truth is that most of us do a pretty good job in public of staying cool, calm, and collected; however, in the own private chambers of our hearts, in the deepest places, there is hurt, insecurities, anger, and shame.
I have learned the hard way that I can "stuff" all of the junk in my life so that people won't see it, but I can not stuff, hide, disguise, and even begin to fool the Lord. Just like the roll of toilet paper that came rolling out and refused to be hidden any longer it seems, the Lord will keep on bringing out what needs to be exposed in my life!
My favorite, Psalms 139, says "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my laying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me; Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."
The entire Psalm is worth reading. It blows me away! The Lord knows me COMPLETELY, all of the hidden thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. that I have and He still wants to be my friend! He will always be my Father. He has me hemmed in, safe and sound in His loving arms and I can not escape Him! There is nowhere I can run that He can not follow. I can't go so far that He can't get to me!
The question is: Why do we run and hide? The fake smiles we plaster on may do the job with the people we meet, but it will not work with the Living God. There is forgiveness, there is a life of JOY and openness with Him. I found it last week with the JOY that He gave me. Just about the time I thought I had figured it all out, He humbled me and reminded me that without Him, I too will fall, just like the roll of toilet paper.
I always be guilty of stuffing my closet full of junk before company arrives and loading the dirty dishes quickly before the door bell rings, but I will not hide from my God. I have given up. It does not work. JOY begins and ends with an ongoing relationship and conversation with Him, nothing hidden, nothing held back. I even am learning to welcome His involvement. The Psalm ends with "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Thursday, July 29, 2010
So close...
I have been amazed the past few days at the massive rain clouds that have lined up in the horizon around here seeming to shout out promises of rain. We have laid on our backs and identified more shapes in the sky than you can even imagine. We spotted Santa a few days ago lingering in the form of a distant cloud, and even formulated an animal parade that began with a bear and ended with an elephant.
Two nights ago I was outside jumping on the trampoline with the kids. My husband poked his head out of the back door and insisted that we clear the trampoline and come on in. He spotted lightening right over our lake on the front side of our property. We jumped off, ran in, and bragged to each other that we had successfully escaped the big downpour! The clouds we watched for over an hour grew bigger, darker, and looked heavier by the minute. They looked as full as the big bucket of water that dumps out at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. If you have not been there, when the huge bucket begins to rain down cold water on all willing participants standing underneath it, there is no stopping the flow or escaping it until it is empty!
The next morning I asked my Dad for a weather report, including an estimated rainfall reading, because I literally did not hear a thing. As usual, he gave me a quick and witty response by saying "We missed it. The rain went right up the Trinity River and skipped over us. We did not get a drop!"
This whole issue with the rain missing us echoed a thought pattern that has been running through my head. I have had times in my life when the Lord lined up everything and had me ready for my next big adventure in life. An adventure full of purpose and passion that was created just for me. Much like the rain clouds moving on by without doing a thing, I too have moved on by and I let it my dreams die or even forgotten them altogether!
Do anyone know what I mean here? Am I the only one who has let fear, past mistakes, present circumstances, or even a negative word from someone else put my plans on hold when I knew deep within my spirit that God was saying "Let's do this thing!" Whatever your deepest dreams or plans may be, I believe that if we are a new creation in Christ, He places within us a desire that is bigger than anything we can ever accomplish on our own. At some point in our life, and I am grateful that it can happen more than once, everything lines up in our favor and it is our turn to step out in faith and make a something extraordinary out of our ordinary lives with the Lord's help!
Our purposes in life are obviously all very different. Maybe your passion is like mine, and you want to write that story down on paper that has been in your heart for so long and share it with others. Possibly going back to school or enrolling in college for the first time is what takes the top slot on your list of goals. Maybe it is starting a new business, beginning a ministry, or finally following through with an exercise plan to get in the best shape of your life. We are never to old or too young to dream big and begin working on our purpose.
Whatever it is in the way of your greatest dream or dreams, move it! Do not let everything line up, hear the drum roll begin, your name announced, and then let the moment pass by. It would be a waste to let your greatest purpose pass you by because we are all meant to be a blessing to others. What a tragedy that would be to not use your God-given gifts to do something meaningful in this life. When and only when God is involved, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. We may not reach the ends of the earth with our seemingly small dream, but better to start reaching those in our own little corner than to do nothing at all. When we missed the rain last week, it was out of our control, but dreaming big in life when the Lord draws out an idea in our hearts and minds is truly ours for the taking! Don't miss it.
Two nights ago I was outside jumping on the trampoline with the kids. My husband poked his head out of the back door and insisted that we clear the trampoline and come on in. He spotted lightening right over our lake on the front side of our property. We jumped off, ran in, and bragged to each other that we had successfully escaped the big downpour! The clouds we watched for over an hour grew bigger, darker, and looked heavier by the minute. They looked as full as the big bucket of water that dumps out at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. If you have not been there, when the huge bucket begins to rain down cold water on all willing participants standing underneath it, there is no stopping the flow or escaping it until it is empty!
The next morning I asked my Dad for a weather report, including an estimated rainfall reading, because I literally did not hear a thing. As usual, he gave me a quick and witty response by saying "We missed it. The rain went right up the Trinity River and skipped over us. We did not get a drop!"
This whole issue with the rain missing us echoed a thought pattern that has been running through my head. I have had times in my life when the Lord lined up everything and had me ready for my next big adventure in life. An adventure full of purpose and passion that was created just for me. Much like the rain clouds moving on by without doing a thing, I too have moved on by and I let it my dreams die or even forgotten them altogether!
Do anyone know what I mean here? Am I the only one who has let fear, past mistakes, present circumstances, or even a negative word from someone else put my plans on hold when I knew deep within my spirit that God was saying "Let's do this thing!" Whatever your deepest dreams or plans may be, I believe that if we are a new creation in Christ, He places within us a desire that is bigger than anything we can ever accomplish on our own. At some point in our life, and I am grateful that it can happen more than once, everything lines up in our favor and it is our turn to step out in faith and make a something extraordinary out of our ordinary lives with the Lord's help!
Our purposes in life are obviously all very different. Maybe your passion is like mine, and you want to write that story down on paper that has been in your heart for so long and share it with others. Possibly going back to school or enrolling in college for the first time is what takes the top slot on your list of goals. Maybe it is starting a new business, beginning a ministry, or finally following through with an exercise plan to get in the best shape of your life. We are never to old or too young to dream big and begin working on our purpose.
Whatever it is in the way of your greatest dream or dreams, move it! Do not let everything line up, hear the drum roll begin, your name announced, and then let the moment pass by. It would be a waste to let your greatest purpose pass you by because we are all meant to be a blessing to others. What a tragedy that would be to not use your God-given gifts to do something meaningful in this life. When and only when God is involved, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. We may not reach the ends of the earth with our seemingly small dream, but better to start reaching those in our own little corner than to do nothing at all. When we missed the rain last week, it was out of our control, but dreaming big in life when the Lord draws out an idea in our hearts and minds is truly ours for the taking! Don't miss it.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A glance in the right way!
I don't think I would have ever taken this on alone, but along with a group of ready and willing women, I have been studying the book of James. It is full of convicting information to say the least, with no fluff! I just knew the first few weeks that I was going to end up needed a counselor on a full-time basis. At first I felt like an onion that was being peeled back and exposed layer by layer. You see, much of James talks about our "talk." He focuses a great deal on what comes out of our mouths!!! The real source of our "talk" is deep within our hearts. That little ticker that pumps our blood also seems to be the keeper of out deepest feelings and what travels to the brain to form our thoughts. Thoughts often come out in the form of our "talk" or our actions. This chain reaction is all a lot to think about!!!
Speaking of onions and layers, I left Banner last week chopping an onion to go in our taco meat and Brazos chopping one for his hot sauce. When I came back into the kitchen to check on their progress, I saw that they had added accessories. You might be thinking aprons, but guess again. They had on sunglasses. We keep a pile sunglasses in a junk drawer in the kitchen. You can find a pair of old scratched up Dora ones, several XTO safety glasses, and some of my old ones from random dollar stores and Target specials.
When I stopped smiling and laughing out loud at the cute culinary team in my kitchen, I asked them why on earth they had on glasses. They both let me know quickly how painful it was to peel and cut up onions. They had seen me stand at the island in the kitchen crying, but they never had experienced the burn themselves... until now... They thought the glasses might shield them from the pain of the onion. Oh, my children! I thought to myself...yeah, that was me back in June when I began peeling back some of the layers of my heart in the James study. Painful, but necessary to get to where I need to be!
I discovered an amazing, yet simple truth in James this week. James 4:8 says "Come near to God and he will come near to you." This is not a game of hide and seek like I often witness during the heat of the summer in my home when the fun moves inside. The kids love to hide in my closet and it is so full of junk that I worry I may loose them for good. This verse is different than that game because the Lord is not hiding and this life is not a game. If we come near to God, he will come near to us. It is as simple as that! The Lord does not hide. He came to seek and save.
It dawned on me today that the Lord is ready and waiting for us to make the slightest motion in His direction. We don't even have to make a leap, take a big step, or move really at all. We only have to look up in our present situation, whatever it may be, and acknowledge Jesus Christ. It only takes a glance His way for life to begin changing. He has been waiting all along for us to need Him and give up the fight by admitting we do need help. The minute we glance in His direction and say we need Him, He is by our side, ready to help us with anything and everything we need!
How amazing and sweet it is to me that we don't have to do anything more than look His way. In this world, I often feel like everything we do there is a prerequisite or an expectation. The Lord simply asks us to come near! I needed that truth this week. I sometimes find myself living a life based on feelings... feeling this and that, up and down, here and there. My feelings all were settled when I got this new truth! He is near and all it takes is a glance in the direction of the Lord to get back on track.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)