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Unique and Wonderful

Posted in Encouragement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on November 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I love my children and would do anything for them. As the saying goes, you mess with me that’s one thing, you mess with my children, you will have to deal with Mama Bear. With that being said, they also drive me batty. My three girls are all different and as I have watched them grow they change.

This was never more evident than at Halloween. My oldest daughter, Laurel the “cautious one”, doesn’t make decisions quickly; in fact, it can take a painfully long time. She is like her mother in this sense. She dreads making the wrong decision and for her to take risks, forget it. It took her most of her freshmen year to attend a club she waited all summer to be a part of.

However, with all the caution, she surprises us by not being afraid to be her own person. Laurel saved for an entire year to by a cosplay costume for our local Shadocon convention (This is where all the Anime Japanese art lovers go).

She decided she would dress up in the costume for school. I was anxious because the staff had set strict rules in the name of modesty, can you believe it? Yeah, for the principle! This year she would probably be in the minority and she was, green wig and all. It didn’t faze her a bit.

As I watched her go into the school, I laughed. “God” I said, “You have definitely made her, her own person. She is not afraid to take a stand for what is right at school, and not afraid of what others think of her. Thank you for her.”

I love Psalms 139. I will be totally honest; it brings me to tears often, because I’m amazed at just how special I’m to Him. I’m never out of His sight; I’m created uniquely, flaws and all.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s
Womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Psalm139:13, 14  (NIV 1984)

Yes, I wish she would draw other things then Manga (God has given her talent for art and creativity). Yes, listening to songs from Japan, and Korea drive me nuts (I can’t understand the words). Yes, hard Christian rock is not my thing, but the Heavenly Father, has created her with passions, loves, talents and a personality.

That day, I also thought about her sisters. They are definitely not like Laurel. Emily loves soccer, has compassion and a sharing heart. She would rather play then work. Grace has spiritual insight that I have not seen in anyone her age. She loves My Little Pony, swimming with her daddy, snuggling with mommy, and has a hard time focusing on what she needs to do.

God created them, loves them, and gave them to me to rise up in His ways and to love them unconditionally.
I praise you Lord for they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Life would be boring if they were the same.

How about you? If you have children do you see them as a special gift from God created uniquely? Praise Him for them. Or maybe you struggle within yourself in seeing that you are the apple of your Heavenly Father’s eye. Take heart beloved of the Father, you are fearfully and wonderfully made also.

“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth
your eyes say my unformed body.”
Psalms 139:15 (NIV 1984)

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Doing What is Right

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on October 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

“They’re not coming, mommy.”  My daughter sat in the car sobbing.

“Why not, honey?” I had never seen my daughter so upset.  It was her ninth birthday and her year to have a party.

“They are not coming to my birthday party if Georgia is invited.  No one likes her and they told me to un-invite her or else they won’t come.”

“What did you tell them?” my heart ached.  How rude of her friends to put her in that position.

“I told them I couldn’t do that.  Then she would feel left out if everyone else was invited and she would be un-invited.”

“I know that it was a hard decision for you, but it was the right one.  Remember what happened to Jesus when he went to the house of the tax collector Matthew?  The religious leaders criticized Jesus for eating with those who were not liked.  Jesus told them that he came to reach out to those who needed Him and extend the love they were not receiving from them.  Matthew eventually became a disciple of Jesus.  You may be the only “Jesus” Georgia will ever see.  You are treating her just like Jesus would and your friends are acting like the Pharisees.  I am proud of you.  Keep taking that stand and if your friends don’t come because of it, it will be their lost.”

I have thought about that conversation in relation to myself and other adults.  I have caught myself saying “I don’t want her at my table because she seems weird.”  In ministry people have come up to me and said “I will go in any group you put me in but if so and so is in it place me in another group.”  Most of the time for me the issue is a personality conflict, the person rubs me the wrong way.  But God doesn’t see them any differently than He sees me.  Christ loves me, a sinner, so I am not in a place to judge their hearts.  He created them also, and just as I told my daughter, I may be “Jesus” to them.  I may show His love in ways I never thought I could.

My daughter continued to stand for what was right.  No one from her class including Georgia attended, only two friends from church.  But she had a great time with them and her parents who thanked God for her courage.

How about you?  Do you treat others differently because their personalities cause you to cringe?

It can be hard to love them as Christ loves them.  However, God doesn’t play favorites and neither should we.

“My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 (NIV 1984)

*reprint of an article I wrote in May 2010 for Purpose Sunday School Periodical.

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The Flowered Fork

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on August 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

“Move in the back.” My ten year old’s voice was agitated.

“No it’s my turn in the front,” answered my niece with much determination.

“Then get out so I can get in the back.”

“No!”

Listening to the tension, heightened my aggravation already present from a day full of stress.  The muscles in my neck flexed, and my eyes narrowed.  “Why the pettiness?  Who cares who sits in the front?”   I said.

I turned to lock the front door as the words continued to come.  “Why did we fight over such stupid stuff?  Like who sat behind mom or who used the flowered fork for dinner.  Oh especially that fork.  No wonder my mom was annoyed with us.”

“Mommy, we don’t have a flowered fork,” chimed in my oldest and most observant eleven year old.

A big smile formed on my face. “I wasn’t talking about us, but your Aunt Stacey and me.  Growing up our family had one fork that had etched flowers on the handle.  I used it one night and your aunt had it the next.  But every night there was an argument on whose turn it was to have the fork, similar to the fight about who gets to sit in the front.”  Looking back, what a waste of time. What selfishness, arguing over an insignificant item that in the grand scheme of things didn’t really make a difference in our lives.  “I guess we thought it made us important or special.”  I decided.  My girls looked at me then continued on with their disagreement.  All I could do was shake my head.

As an adult I laugh, but ask the question that must be asked, “Have things really changed?” I get upset over the dishwasher loaded “wrong” or the Christmas tree not decorated “right”.  Do these things really matter? Will the dishwasher loaded neatly, influence godly character.  Will the Christmas tree decorated “right” bring others to know the Savior?

The problem is it doesn’t seem to stop with the dishwashers or decorations.  I have heard of churches bickering over the color of the rug or what version of the Bible to use or the type of music to use in the worship services.  Or others complaining about how another accomplishes his/her tasks in ministry.  Should our worship or fellowship really be based on these things?  How sad if it is.

Sometimes I think God cringes at the pettiness.  We are supposed to be family, and united on the basics: Who Christ is, what He did on the Cross, and the free gift of Salvation.  He cares more about His relationship with His children then what color the carpet is, or how special we think we are because we use a flowered fork.

The Father wants our hearts, and then desires us to extend love to others.  We are special because God made us and loves us.  When people see the disunity, then they see a lack of love.  We are called to oneness and to love others, no matter what.  We are to make compromises on the small stuff but stand firm in His word and to love the sinner.

I resolved not to make a big deal over the dishwasher, even the Christmas tree that had spots crowded with ornaments.  After all, the tree is about working together as a family and having fun, and as for the dishes, they are getting clean.

What about the girl’s fight?  Well, I made the suggestion that each time we go some where they take turns sitting in the front.  I haven’t heard the bickering about it since.

How about you?  Do you yourself being petty about the little things in life, or with certain people? Ask God to give you a spirit of peace and love.  If your irritation is concerning big issues or those that are clearly right or wrong, ask God to give you wisdom to work through them with love, patience and self control.

“Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight.  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible  so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

Romans 12:16-18 (ESV)

 

 

 

*Due to being on vacation, I would like to share this  article I wrote in 2010.

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God’s Jealousy

Posted in Encouragement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on July 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

1 Corinthians states, “It (love) does not envy”.  However, I like the synonym jealous better.  The word has a stronger connotation and scripture uses it when describing God, Himself.   If love is not jealous then how can scripture tell us God is?

Sure God has a right to be jealous, for He is the One and only God.  He created everything.  But there has to be more to this jealousy thing than just that.  Take a look at this verse in Exodus.

 

“for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD,

whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”  Exodus 34:14 (ESV)

When I think of jealousy, the word “negative” comes to mind.  Someone gets jealous over another’s brand name sneakers, or career or degree.  I have a hard time believing God being jealous in this sort of way.  So if this is true, how does His jealousy and love for me fit together?

I looked at the notes for another verse Exodus 20:5 in two different versions and what I read hit hard.

“You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I am the LORD your God am a jealous God…”  Exodus 20:5a

  • The first likened His jealousy to a marriage.  A husband or wife expects that his or her spouse will be faithful, loyal, and love them. When I became one of His children I entered into a relationship with Him. Therefore, when I put others, or things before Him, I am saying in essence, You’re not important to me. God wants me to put Him first, like my husband wants me to put him first before anything else including our children.¹
  • The second stated that His jealousy can be renamed zealousness.  He has a zeal (*a strong interest, intense enthusiasm; fervor) for me and therefore wants the best for me.  When other things or people replace Him, it’s not in my best interest.²

To be honest these two ideas brought real conviction.  Both exhibit how much He loves me and His strong desire to be in relationship with me.

The sad part is I am not always faithful to put Him first.  When I come willing and confess my wrong and ask that He change my heart, He will restore the relationship.

I think that His zealousness (jealousy) for me is one of the mysteries concerning His character I will not understand fully until we are face to face with Him.

How about you? Does knowing that God is zealous for you cause you to think differently about your relationship with Him?  I challenge you to ask Him today to show you how zealous He is for you.  I would love to hear how He chooses to show you His love.

“So that Christ may dwell in your hears through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV)

*Webster’s dictionary definition of zealousness

¹Taken from Exodus 20:5 notes NIV 1984 Study Bible

²Taken from Exodus 20:5 notes ESV Study Bile

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Love is Kind

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on June 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Kind:  adj: sympathetic, gentle, benevolent Syn: loving, compassionate, generous

To describe God’s loving kindness was a challenge for me.   I never really sat down to think about what kindness looks like.  When my girls fight, I automatically say “Why can’t you be kind to each other?”  It seems like common sense and to a certain point it is.

I love how the Book of Ephesians describes the ultimate act of His kindness to me.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead I our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ –by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:5-9 (ESV)

 

Even when I was full of sin, He loved me.  God made a way for me to be one of His children through His Son Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

But His kindness doesn’t stop there.  Because He is my redeemer He will have compassion on me (Isaiah 54:8).  He will provide what I need and will do kind things and give blessings (Isaiah 63:7) just because He can.

My youngest daughter came home with a medal for being on the honor roll. She was so proud that she took it with her when she walked our dog.  Upon returning she was sobbing.  Somehow it came loose from the ribbon and was lost.

We retraced her steps and could not find it.  When I asked where she thought she lost the medal my daughter said the drainage ditch.  Unfortunately we had a heavy rain the day before and the ditch was full of water.

I sent her back into the house empty handed then sat on a bench and prayed, “Daddy, help me find this medal.  I know Grace is important you therefore what is important to her is important to you.  Please show me where it is.  I will not leave this golf course until I have it.”

I walked the path taken earlier, nothing.  I even went into the ditch and kicked around the high grass, still nothing.  Frustration set in, and I began wondering why God didn’t show me where the medal was. “You cared about the woman who lost the coin, and the man who lost the sheep, I know you care about this lost medal.” I decided to check the ditch again.  There on a narrow strip of grass that I had walked through five or six times and saw nothing, now presented me with the shiny medal.

I felt like the woman who found her coin.  I clutched it to my chest as the tears rolled down my cheeks.  I praised and thanked God all the way back to the house for showing His kindness to me and my daughter.

He certainly didn’t have to do that, but He did.  Why?  Because He loved me, loved my daughter and wanted to demonstrate His kindness to us.

How about you?  If you have seen His provision, or been given an unexpected blessing, or just had a good day, you have experienced His loving kindness. Praise Him and thank Him for it.

“I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted [*me] that he has granted [*me] according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.”

Isaiah 63:7 (ESV)

 

*added for emphasis 

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Love is Patient

Posted in Encouragement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on June 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

*Patience : to  Calmly tolerate; syn.: endurance, long suffering, forbearance

1 Corinthians 13:4 starts with, “love is patient”.  Growing up teachers taught me that the first item in a list is usually the most important.  Maybe the reason patience was listed first was because it’s the hardest virtue to exhibit. You can ask my family, patience is not a strength, but I have gotten better.

I looked up patience in a Bible Dictionary.  The entry said there are two types of patience, one for relationships and another for situations. I’m just going to deal with the relationship aspect.

While reading scripture verses, the underlining factor of God’s patience, was love and mercy.  I don’t know about you but I wonder why He puts up with me.  I make the same stupid mistakes, open mouth insert foot, doubt, become fearful and…well you get the idea.  His patience with me must wear thin sometimes.  However, the Bible states that He is the God of endurance and encouragement.

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.”

Romans 15:5

Because He loves me He will not give up on me no matter what.  I want to be careful here.  It doesn’t mean He will not discipline me.  He will in order to grow me.

The question that came to my mind was, did He ever lose His patience?

In Exodus chapter thirty-two, He told Moses on the mountain “These people are so stubborn what am I going to with them. I know, wipe them out and start over with you.” (Christine’s paraphrase) But Moses who was considered God’s friend, seemed to talk Him out of it.

I decided to ask one of my pastors what he thought about this. I loved what he had to say.

 

“God is holy and just, and when His people rebelled as they did, God reacted to this.  He did not lose His patience but, reacted justly because of His holiness. Since He is sovereign and omniscient, He knew beforehand how the people would react to Moses’ absence – it did not take God by surprise.  He also knew how Moses would respond to God’s threat to destroy His people. Therefore, knowing this, we can see that God used this situation to cause Moses to intercede on behalf of the people and to impress both Moses and the people with the seriousness of rebelling against God. Due to Moses’ intercession, God “relented” (i.e., He did not change His mind but chose a course of action that was consistent with His divine will).”

When Moses went down from the mountain he told the people God’s reaction.  Most repented but 3,000 didn’t and were killed.  I believe He did this because they were unrepentant and He didn’t want them to bring down the whole nation. He loved His people enough to keep His promise but also loved them enough to hand out a punishment.

One of my daughters had sticky fingers as a child.  She wanted some books at the school book fair.  I said, no.  However, she sneeked into my purse, took a check and wrote it out for the amount due. She almost got away with it except, she wrote in pencil.

We were definitely angry. My husband decided to take drastic measures to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.  He drove her down to the local sheriffs department and talked to a deputy.  Fortunately, she got the message.  A few times after that the sticky fingers went to work again, thankfully nothing felony worthy. We handed out discipline and forgiveness and finally the behavior ended. Patience was rewarded.

Praise God, this is the same patience He has with us but on a grander scale.

How about you?  Do you fear God has lost patience with you?  Take heart, His loving patience for you means He will never give up on you.  Be honest with Him and repent of the sin and turn away from it.

If you are not part of God’s family, know He loves you, for He created you.  I would encourage you to read the  “An Invitation” and become one of His.

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Psalm 86:15 (ESV)

 

*Webster’s student Dictionary and Thesaurus

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God’s Love

Posted in Encouragement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

When it comes to the love of God I have found myself overwhelmed. The other day I was struggling to decide what to do for my quiet time so I prayed about it.  The passage that came to mind, was 1 Corinthians 13, also known as the “Love Chapter”.  I’ve studied it before as it applied to my marriage or parenting, but not in relation to God’s love.  However, the parallel between this chapter and God, made perfect sense.   What better scripture to learn about His love than the Love chapter.

As a Christian I am to be a reflection of Him and if that is true, there is a need for me to see God’s character.  That brought up some serious questions right out of the gate such as if God is patient didn’t He lose His patience with Israel?  Or If love isn’t boastful, doesn’t God boast about Himself?  Of course God is God and He has the right to do both.  But then how does that relate to me?

The first three verses seem to be common sense.  When I took a deeper look I believe I  gained a fresh perspective of who He is.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love.  I am nothing.  If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing.” 

I Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV)

 

  1. God speaks and understands all languages, for He created them.  Not only that, He listens to thousands of them all at once.  He doesn’t have to say, “You in Russia don’t talk until I hear those in England or Mexico.”  He loves me so much that He can intently listen to anyone, anywhere at anytime and all the while be listening to me as if I was the only talking to Him.
  1. He understands all mysteries and all knowledge, yet He allows us to glimpse a fraction of what He knows such as black holes, and gives us the ability to build ultrasounds to see His creation of an unborn baby.
  1. He gave up all the riches of Heaven to put on a human body and live among us as a member of a poor carpenter’s family.  Then He made the ultimate sacrifice of shedding His blood as the payment for our sins.  That is some kind of love.  Because of His love I can be free, be part of His family and live with Him forever.

I don’t know about you, but the above gives me chills.

How do you see His love? Are you awed by it?   Do you want to reflect the same kind of love?

I would encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 13 for yourself. Ask Him to show you something new about Himself and give you a new perspective of His love.

As I share what God is showing me, I would also love to hear what He is showing you about His love whether it be from your own Bible study or how He has been working in your life.

 

1 Corinthians 13, Psalm 139

 

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Mistake, Love and Forgiveness

Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We all make mistakes. Sorry, but that’s the truth.

If you are anything like me, some mistakes wreak havoc with my emotions and my relationship with God. They can even zap my energy to get things done. I found myself in this exact situation recently.

My motives were great at first, however the choice led to guilt and questions like  “I am so unworthy to talk to Him, and read His word how can I call myself a Christian or even go to my local place of worship?” Let me say this before I continue, we are not worthy but have been made worthy when we have accepted Christ as our Savior.

I am a recovering “Perfectionist”.  By the way there is only One perfect and that is Christ. With that said, when the mess up is big in my eyes, perfectionism attacks with power. Instead of focusing on what can I learn from the mistake, I beat myself up sometimes until I’m sick.

Enter the two “safe” people in my life, my husband and my mentor/accountability/prayer partner.

Mike is a wonderful man who I am grateful God gave to me. As I confessed to him my mistake, he talked without condemnation and best of all, showed me the positives that could come out of it.

JoAnn is wonderful, godly woman. As I poured my heart out to her she also listened while I sobbed. She gave this input; “Christine, you must get back into the Word. The only way to find relief and release from the guilt, which by the way is not of God but Satan himself, is to allow God to battle for you through His Word. Read verses that talk about His love for you. It will be amazing what you will learn.”

So I did. I talked to Mike about what I had been learning through my Bible reading and a book I was reading. Surprise appeared on his face.

“You still feel guilt over this?”

“Yes.” I cried.

“Honey I’ve got just the verse for you that I have memorized. By the way, guilt is not of God.”

Hmmm, where did I here that before? Here is what he shared with me:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on  to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet
to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.   I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12-14 *

I realized how easily I forget His promises that He has given me. Promises like:

Romans 8:1  – There is no condemnation for those of us who have accepted Christ
Deuteronomy 7:7-9 –  He doesn’t love me because I’m important or perfect but because I am His
Psalm Psalms 66:20 –  He will not hold back His love from me
Psalm 17:8  – I am the apple of His eye
Psalm 94:12-19 –  He won’t reject me but uses the mistakes to teach me
Zephaniah 3:17  – He is with me, mighty to save me, delights in me, quiets me with His love and rejoices over me.

But one of the neatest things is His love is all encompassing:

Psalm 36:5  It reaches to the heavens (it’s above me)

Psalms 23:6 – His love follows me (It’s behind me)

Psalms 26:3 – His love is before me (it’s in front of me)

Psalms 139 –He knows me and hems me in

Ephesians 3:17b-19 His love is wide, long, deep and high

Now close your eyes and picture yourself.  Place a red heart where these verses say God’s love is.  We as His children are totally surrounded by His love.

I wish I could say that the guilt is totally gone. It’s not, but it has diminished, as I have called out to God. I’m better then I was 5 days ago and better than yesterday. The worse thing I can do is runaway from the Father. During these times I should be running toward Him.

I have been forgiven by God.

Let me say this, fear can come into play with some of our mistakes. This can be a good thing for it becomes a warning flag that we are heading in the wrong direction and change is needed. But take heart forgiveness is waiting with open arms. Brokeness admits the wrong , leaves it as God’s feet and allows  Him to restore  and help us move on.

How about you today? Do you have a hard time fighting the guilt or embarrassment over your mistakes ?

Don’t run from your Heavenly Father.  Read His Word, leave your mistakes with Him and allow Him to restore you.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:1

*Please note all verses quoted and listed are from the NIV 1984 version of the Bible.

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The Phantom of the Church

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2013| 2 Comments »

One of my favorite musicals is the Phantom of the Opera. A man wears a mask because of his disfigured face, and falls in love with a young singer that he tutors. His thinking is that since he “gave her” the voice to sing, she would love him all the more. By the end of it you feel sorry for him. Here is a man who will never experience love because he tries to intimidate someone into loving him instead of being honest about who he really is.

It made me think about us as Christians. Many times we wear masks so others will not see the real us. We wear them to cover pain, insecurities and flaws. We fear that if others see who we really are we won’t be accepted.

God created us for a relationship with Himself. But He also knew we would need others. It bothers me when people say to me they don’t want to tell others of their prayer needs. They fear people will think of them as Christians without faith, or they don’t want to ask for help because it is a sign of weakness.

I have learned that is exactly what the body of Christ is for. Verses like, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am with them.” Or “Bear one another’s burdens” come to mind.

At one time my family was going through a dark time. My husband’s mother was dying and I became a temporary single mother of three children ages 9, 8, and 3. This was because he would leave the house at 6 in the morning for work and not get home until 10 at night from the hospital. I was so tired I couldn’t even work the microwave. One Sunday in our Sunday school I broke down crying and asked for prayer that God would give me strength to make it through the day. What I received was four days of dinners. Those dinners gave relief from the stress and renewed energy for the days ahead. I had to remove the mask of the “good Christian” who could handle anything, and show my true struggles, which in turn released the burden emotionally as well as physically.

The church was meant to come together not only to worship God, but also to help each other. Of course there was a risk of being vulnerable. There always is. However, if I wasn’t transparent two things would have happened. First, people would not know the real me and the ways they could intercede on my behalf. Secondly, not only would I have cheated myself out seeing God’s provision, I would have hindered others from receiving the blessing that comes from serving.

The Phantom in the musical chose to hide and to become feared instead of loved. But I wonder, if he had taken the risk of removing his mask and being vulnerable, people would perhaps have become more compassionate and loving. He may have even been freed from his prison of loneliness.

As Christians God asks us to remove the masks and live in the freedom of allowing other to see who we are and to risking the exposure of our flaws so that He may work in our lives through those around us.

Do you risk coming out from behind your masks and show others who you really are and the struggles you face? When fellowshipping with other believers, do they feel comfortable sharing themselves with you?

Who knows by taking that risk we may help others take their masks off also.

 

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2 (NIV 1984)

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Do Something – Live Sent

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 5, 2013| 3 Comments »

Have you noticed the news lately? There seems to be no end to the troubled teens, high crime rates, teen pregnancy, school dropouts, poverty and a lack of morality in this country not to mention the world.

Over the past few years I have cried out to God much like the prophet Habakkuk, “Why aren’t you doing anything about this? Why are you allowing those of us who truly follow you suffer the consequences of those who don’t? (Not to say that we are perfect)

The pastor of my church just finished a series entitled “Live Sent”. He challenged us to prayer walk our neighborhoods asking God to show us how we could reach our neighbors. He had the audacity to tell me I needed to do more, by getting out of my house and meet new people and share God’s love.

He was nuts. He was right. I needed to come out of my hiding places (the walls of my home and out from the written word) and become “Jesus” to those around me. And dare I say it, move outward from my neighborhood into the community. I wasn’t to be a Bible thumper but show love and build relationships. One neighbor, ended up in the Bible Study group I had been in three weeks later.

A month and a half ago I was called by someone at my daughter’s middle school and asked if I would like to become a mentor. I went to the training session just to see what it was all about. I walked out saying “It’s not my thing.” Why should I give a half an hour a week to some one who probably was not there on their own accord and rebellious to the core?

God gently reminded me that even a middle school student needed His love. I felt ashamed especially when I looked at my own daughters. They aren’t perfect or have the perfect parents. What they do have are parents who try to live as an example of Christ. If I can give another middle school student a little hope and godly love, it would be worth it. That is what it’s all about, being available to what God has for me. I can’t wait to meet the middle school student I am going to mentor.

What about you? Will you live sent and do something with the pain, hurt or need you see around you? Maybe He is waiting for you to say “yes, I will go.” Maybe it will be the local pregnancy center as a counselor, or Big Brothers Big Sisters, or feed the homeless. It could simply be getting to know your neighbors next door.

WARNING: Don’t ask unless you are willing to get out of your comfort zone, because He will answer.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
John 20:21 (NIV 1984)

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