eXcellence

I love how the Lord has us all on our own journey. A pilgrimage that begins when we are born and extends until He calls us home. The Lord has a plan for what He's going to do in our lives. He's prepared us all for good works. It brings me great joy to watch my children begin their journey. From birth each has shown their unique personality. Watching that personality mature over the years is one of the biggest blessings for me as a mom! It keeps me in prayer for sure. Prayer for God's protection over them, and also for Him to use them according to His will, with the strengths and talents He's woven into each one. My oldest child, who is overflowing with passion each day upon rising (and since birth!) was in Cub Scouts one year. It was Derby race time! He and his daddy worked hard on that little block of wood to make it smooth, sleek and fast. Caleb was oozing with pride as he showed me the car and you could see victory written across his forehead. He was already thinking where he would put the trophy and practicing his smile. Did I mention this was our first time with this group? We didn't know what the track looked like, or if you got to practice beforehand. We didn't know any tricks. As the cars start racing, we see several things we could've done differently. When Caleb's is placed at the starting line, we soon realize, this may not end well. Caleb ended up placing 4th place out of 5. He is fighting back tears on the way out to the truck. On the way home he says, "Dad, I never even considered not winning!"

Poor guy, had a dose of reality! On the track of life, similar lessons are learned. Proverbs 19:2 says, "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." God has led me to that verse so many times, as I'm pretty sure I know where my passionate boy got some of his genes from. When I see something that I want to do, or needs to be done, I dive right in, regardless if I know how to swim or not! It's all or nothing. How this verse encourages me is that it's OK to have zeal, but knowledge is necessary too. Otherwise, I'm going to get off track. When I take the time to do the research or bum off someone else who LOVES to do research...take a day to pray before saying "Yes"...read the directions.... or the preface...I submit myself to God's plan and not my own.

In everything, there's balance. Extremes can always be dangerous. Recently God balanced that verse for me with Romans 12:11-12, "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Sometimes situations ignite a fire in my heart and I have a passionate opinion about it. To which I wonder if I am just OVERBOARD and need to apologize! One night I had asked the Lord to show me if I was in the wrong about a certain viewpoint about which I was passionate about. I asked the Lord to thump me on the head if I was wrong. That's when He showed me this verse. It made me smile. When wrapped in Him, our passions bring Him Glory. Paul was passionate - against the Truth and then for the Truth. God showed me to be Passionate for Him - for there is no One greater!

Proverbs 21:31 sums up Caleb's experience and speaks to me as well:
"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord."

What do you like?

The scene is classic. It has been in everyone's home. Mom prepares a splendid dinner, carefully planned and beautifully executed. Antique plates and matching saucers adorn the white linen-clothed table. The napkins are set, cutlery dispersed. All that is lacking are the people. As the family gathers and take their places, grace is said, and the food is served. As if a baseball had just crashed through the family room's window, the 4 year old cries, "Yuck, I hate this meal!!!" The whining escalates, "Mommy, I don't like this at all." The emotions continue to rise.... You can fill in the story from here.

No matter how you handle dinner time woes, we can't ignore the fact that we all definitely have our list of things we like and things we don't like. As a mom, I try to be gracious at the table and understand if someone's favorite isn't mashed potatoes. They don't have to be your favorite, but you can take a few bites without a grumpy face. I know that as their little taste buds are forming, preferences change and also you don't know if you truly love something until you've had it 5 or so times. But the fact still remains no matter... sometimes we just don't like tomatoes no matter how many times we've tried them.

That train of thought led me to thinking how the God who formed the Universe also created in me my likes and dislikes. He formed my personality, my strong will, my passion for things. When yielded to Him, our inclinations and even our distastes can be used by Him to direct our paths and even steer us from danger. Think of how in pregnancy our senses are heightened. Particularly the sense of smell and taste. If you are curious if the left overs have spoiled, just ask the mother-to-be!! In the same way, God can use our passions to show us His calling on our life. There was a time when I had an extreme dislike for how one area of our life was going. I didn't like how things were being handled and on and on the list went. Adam and I griped and griped about it for months. We didn't see anything bibically wrong, it was just our life situation and strong personal preference. So we decided that instead of continually griping about it (Mommy, I don't like this!!!) we would change that area of our life. Harmony soon  followed.... yeah! Not too long after, we watch something like a lead weight hit the area where we were, and had we stayed, we'd have been hit too. In our case, our strong inclinations and passions served to protect our family.

I think the best word here is Convictions. Follow those God-instilled convictions. It may even be over little details. Have you heard William Tyndale's story?  If he hadn't been passionately convicted to translate the Bible into English, no matter what the cost, we may still have to know Latin to read the scriptures. Tyndale gave his life for those translations, and I bet he was a passionate 4 yr old who had his moments at the dinner table!!

Voices

I was out having an enjoyable evening to myself and Adam was home in charge of the "minions". Tonight he would tuck them in bed and I would unlock the door and enter into a quiet house. I love bed time with the kids - reading together, praying and back scratching, then watching them disappear under the spread of covers. I also enjoy the rare occasion when someone ELSE gets that privilege! When I returned that evening, Adam gave me the run down on what all took place...who did what, funny highlights, etc. When he got to bedtime he stuck out his finger at me, changed his voice and face to imitate a child's and said ," And Zach made me promise that when you got home, you would give him a kiss he can FEEL!" Awww, a feelable kiss is better than a non-feelable one!

Again, I learn from my kids. I have asked God in my prayers similar questions. Lord, will you show me what to do here?! Lord, I pray you provide what we need right now. To me, those are like asking for a "kiss I can feel". Asking God to make an impression on my clay pot so that I know it's Him and not me. Isn't that what faith is all about? Believing what we do not see. Zach believed I would come give him a kiss. Do you think I did - YES! That very moment! So, when I ask God for strength under pressure, clarity amidst the murky, or help for the insurmountable, I'm asking in faith, as a child to my Heavenly Daddy who is always FAITHFUL. That is His name. He too will answer His child with His best in mind. My choice from there is to choose to believe it's His best for me instead of believing a lie that His's keeping something good from me. Just because life is bumpy and rocky with many twists and turns I don't understand, I don't have to. I can rest in His Sovereignty. Just as my kids have to do when they don't understand why I say "No" to certain things, or allow them to struggle with something, knowing it's for their best for them to figure out. Let James 1:2-4,12 speak to you as it did me.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

Zach still woke up that next morning and asked me if I gave him a kiss - to which I said "YES"! And I think so many times I wake up and say Lord, is this your answer? To which we both rest in the assurance given. He is FAITHFUL! Amen.

Uncovered

There's a store nearby that our family has paid our LAST visit to. Due to completely personal reasons, we have decided that instead of grumbling and complaining every time we pulled in the parking lot, we would simply shop elsewhere. The decision has been wonderful! My daughter made an insightful observation because of our experience that has spiritual application as well. She said, "_______ is just a nasty store. They try to make their stuff look nice but it's just nasty stuff in a nasty store. It's just like our bodies - we try to make them look nice, but inside we're just nasty."

I promise I didn't add anything to her comment! After I heard her say it, I ran to grab my quote book and a pen, repeating her phrase over in my head. Which is funny, because she doesn't just say things once, so she was following me,  repeating it as well! Anyway, I thought those were strong and sobering words from a 7 year old. However, I agree with her assessment. What a wretched woman I am. At the core, because of sin, my every inclination pulls towards self. Only because of God's grace and mercy through His Son Jesus Christ do I have any hope of doing or living any other way than to please myself. When I look at it that way, no wonder I mess up! No wonder I fail and stumble. And no wonder others have failed and hurt me. Thank you Lord for your grace that takes my fallible human effort and uses it by Your power for Your glory.

I see something else when I look through life using those lenses. Paul says it best in 1 Tim 1:13:
 "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst."

Who is Paul exalting in that statement? Himself or Christ? Christ! When we see Christ for who He truly is, we also see ourselves for who we truly are. When I'm in that position, the plank in my eye is obstructing my vision a whole lot more than the speck in my brothers. Now the gospel message can be shared with grace and truth, free of condemnation. It's not about me and my record, its about Him and His love and finished work on the cross. His love has covered all our sins. When I see it that way, my nose comes back down out of the loftiness that my self-righteousness can place it and meets people lovingly where they are. To finish Paul's statement in the next verse,

 "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."

I'm thankful to have a store to stand as a reminder that Jesus is the only One who covers up my nasty heart!

Truth and Twizzlers

Webster defines the word Freedom as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action...

If you've ever wallowed in wonderment of a situation, you know the relief truth brings. It's that moment when, no matter how monstrous, you can handle life now because you're dealing with facts and not just bits and pieces and streams of emotion. I remember being told as a child and now repeat as a parent that I can handle anything you've done as long as you tell me the truth. The reason this equation works is because the truth sets free. It releases captives...the lies and hidden motives at work. Truth is what we crave; it is what we earnestly seek after. Truth is sown into the fabric of being by our Creator. As a result, the enemy of our soul sets out to destroy and distort it. He tells us,"What is truth anyway? Is that really the Truth? It may be truth for them but not for you!" The only way to counter these types of lies is with the solid, unchanging, living and active Word of God. Here's what Jesus says, 

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" John 8:31-32

Jesus knew what the culture said then and now about truth and He knew we needed to know this. True freedom is found in the Truth! Any other rock we look under will only hold chains and shackles no matter how it's disguised!

I have a precious rule follower in my house. He's growing in grace, but still makes an excellent police officer. He's the kind who would to sit at the edge of the speed limit reduced sign and make sure we all slow down appropriately. Well, he's been on a kick about eating the exact serving size of candy bars, chips, etc. He'll count out or measure his chips and cereal according to the package label. He just likes knowing how much they say is 1 serving, then he can say, "I had 1 serving!" So one day, he used his own money to buy his favorite candy. He brought it home and excitedly unwrapped it. Then he turns the crinkly package over to see what the serving size says and he responds, "It stinks that the Twizzlers serving size is only 6, especially when it's a king size bag!" He's figuring up in his head how long it will take him to consume the whole favored package. Now, he was "free" to eat the whole thing, but it would've made him sick and he knew that.

Ps 16:5-6 "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

In the same way, we are "free" to run after other gods, to pursue selfish gain and ignore the Word of the Lord, just as Israel did. But I hope you're ready for similar tummy-aching consequences for those decisions! When we begin to exchange the truth of God for a lie we go outside His boundary lines and into slavery and bondage, which He never desires for us. For that is why Jesus came! He came to free us from the bonds of slavery sin causes. May our lives be testimony of the liberating power of Christ! May we be men and women of Truth.