Category Archives: faithfulness
Faith, Healing and Prayer
My friend Dale wrote a thought-provoking post on her blog this week. I wanted to leave a comment for her, but discovered I had too much to say about it. Her church recently hosted a guest speaker who proclaimed the necessity of faith in healing. It’s true Jesus spoke of a relationship between the two; He said several times “Your faith has healed you.” Dale’s question looks at the other side: What about those who are not healed? Is their faith less than sufficient?
Not writing; not in a coma
James Watkins said, in Writers on Writing, “Unless you’re on life-support, you can write.” He, after double-hernia surgery, completed a book project “with two ice packs down [his] pants.” Well, I’m happy for him and I appreciate his point, but … well, he’s wrong. Okay, at least not completely right.
I have been sick for the last two days. The cool thing is I actually completed more writing since becoming sick than I had in the entire two weeks previous. (Chalk up a point for the Mr. Watkins.) However, I accomplished that only because I can’t do anything else. My head pounds if I stand up. There’s nothing on tv during the day. My amazing husband has removed all distractions, otherwise known as Isabel, Zach, laundry and dishes. (Thank you, Rick!!) So, yes, I’ve gotten something done, but is it any good?
Hearing God through the static
I feel like I’ll never catch up. There is so much I want to read and learn and study. So much I want to do and teach and experience. My breath gets short forcing the familiar verse to echo in the back of my head: “Be still and know that I am God,” (Psalm 46:10).
Last week I read an article about Moses and three writers. The author told the four stories parallel with a single connection: hearing the voice of God. He asserted that Moses heard God’s voice in the burning bush because he quieted his location and himself enough to hear God. The author went on to describe these three writers who also found enough quiet to hear God: one in the woods behind his house, one in her living room before the rest of the family awoke and one in her office, sitting before her computer.
The Sun Works
Faith is currently the hot topic of my life. We talked about it at MOPS this week; I reviewed a book about faith for CCBReview last week. It even came up during a recent trip to the grocery store.
My conversations with Isabel are always surprising and enlightening. She never ceases to show me new perspectives on life, God, my behavior or society. Her eyes are so fresh and her mind so perceptive. This week was no exception.
As we drove to the grocery store she looked out her window noticed all the snow still on the ground. This is a big deal because she is just beginning to understand seasons. If there is no snow on the ground, she insists winter is over. It could be five degrees outside, but if there’s not snow, to her it is summer. Don’t even try to argue with her — she’s convinced. Instead of saying “Let’s go play in the snow”, she says “Let’s go play in the winter!” Well, seeing all the “winter” still on the ground, she asked me why some people had winter on their grass and others didn’t. I explained the sun had melted some of the snow, but some was hidden in the shade of tall trees or houses and didn’t see the sun as much. This intrigued her. “Mommy, the sun doesn’t like winter?”
“Of course, the sun likes winter. But the sun really likes the summer. Before we can have summer, we need spring. Spring comes after the sun melts all the snow and the flowers start to grow.”
She thought long and hard about this, then in a voice of near panic, she yelled from the back seat: “Mommy! The sun is not working!” Apparently, she had enough winter and wanted spring to arrive in less than five minutes. The concept of faith immediately entered stage left.
“Honey, it doesn’t happen all at once, but it will happen. I promise. It happens every year and it will happen again this year … when the time is right. You just have to trust and have faith.”
Trying to explain faith to a not-yet three-year-old is difficult. There is the comparison to wind: you can’t see it, but you know it’s there; you see its effects. The problem is she can feel wind. She can’t feel spring. She can’t feel God. What is faith? How do I explain such a huge concept to my children?
“Daddy comes home every day, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Even if you can’t see him leave work and you can’t hear his train whistle, you know he’s coming home. It’s the same with spring. You may not see the sun working and you may not hear the flowers grow, but spring will come.”
At this point she lost interest in faith preferring instead to discuss what kind of grocery cart we should use and whether or not she could get a special cookie. I assured myself the conversation would rise again and I would be more prepared when it did. We completed our shopping and drove home talking about all kinds of toddler topics, mostly her cookie which she now clutched tightly in her hands. Back home, after getting her out of the van, we walked gingerly across the ice and snow. She stopped short at the edge of the sidwalk in a small puddle of melted slush. “Mommy! It’s working! The sun is working just like you said!”
Just a little bit of faith … So often life stresses me. I want to know exactly what God’s plan is for today and tomorrow and all the days to follow. I want to hear an audible voice assuring me that everything is going to fall perfectly into place. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. Just as Isabel is choosing to believe spring will come, I must choose to believe God is in control. That’s faith. And I have plenty of reasons to believe; more than enough evidence to support my faith. Afterall, the sun works.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Thanksgiving Challenge
I have a new laptop. I AM SO EXCITED!!! This is my combination birthday and Christmas gift. It is tiny and cute, less than five pounds. Simply adorable, complete with neon green sleeve and red poppy accent. The keys sing to me as the glistening (a.k.a. non-juice-stained or toddler finger-printed) exterior further brightens this already sunshine-y day. *sigh* I am so happy.
Thanksgiving is only a couple days away. Isn’t it wonderful to be forced to be thankful? It seems human to forget; to take things for granted. It is awful how easily we become accustomed to the blessings we’ve been given, almost instantly becoming bored with what we knew we had to have just moments before. But on Thanksgiving we are forced to remember our blessings. We are obligated to think of at least one thing we are thankful for. Once we think of one, many flow. Thanksgiving should be a monthly holiday. Truly, we should be thankful for everything every day, but if every day were Thanksgiving, we would eventually get bored with it and forget to be thankful even when the holiday demands it. So, I suggest a once-a-month holiday. Or maybe once a week. Of course, that would be a Sabbath, wouldn’t it?
When we first moved into this house, I thanked God for it every day. I was so grateful to be out of our apartment! Two years later my comments about this place are more complaints than praise. When did I stop thanking Him for this house? When did my focus change from the positive to the negative? Now instead of reveling in the space and back yard, I only see how small it is and what needs to be fixed. It is still the same house. It hasn’t changed. I am still thrilled to be out of apartments, but I’ve stopped being thankful that we are.
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23
The blessings God gives us may not always seem new to us. They may lose their luster as we quickly become accustomed to having them, but the truth is: they are new every morning. We do not deserve them any more today than we did when first we received them. They are renewed for us each day. Take a few moments this week to remember the blessings God continues to give you; the ones that no longer seem new, but are still great blessings.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for so much. Yes, I am thankful for this new laptop, but I am also thankful for my old laptop. It has been very good to me. Both were unexpected gifts. I am thankful for my children – also unexpected gifts. I am thankful for my husband, who gave them all to me! I thank God for our family, our house, our friends … even our minivan. I am thankful for each new morning, each new opportunity to praise Him. I am thankful for you, as you read my ramblings, and all the encouragement you have given me. I am thankful for the future and all that it holds. I am thankful the future holds surprises…
God’s love and faithfulness is indeed so great.
Be Careful, Little Eyes …
There is a song we used to sing as children. “Be careful, little eyes, what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love. So, be careful, little eyes, what you see.” This song speaks of personal responsibility, but I have always taken it upon myself to protect the purity of my children. I strive to keep their little eyes innocent; their little feet out of trouble; their little hearts pure. Yesterday I failed.
It was a gorgeous day, the warmest we’ve had in weeks. The sun was shining, and the kids were in a good mood. It was a perfect day for the zoo … That is, until we got there and saw the witches flying.
I have never liked Halloween. Rick and I decided, even before we had kids, we would never celebrate it as a family. It is just too evil. I love the idea of playing dress up. I even like the trick-or-treating! I love having something wonderfully fun to do and celebrate as a community. But this holiday is simply wicked. It is filled, from roots to now, with evil, despicable things. I do not want our children raised thinking that fear is funny; that evil is cute and mischief should be rewarded.
I looked at the zoo entrance and, having hyped up our spontaneous little adventure, didn’t feel I could go back now. The kids were all excited about seeing the animals! So, I prayed there would not be too many questions I was not ready to answer and bravely, yet cautiously, carted them in to see the sights.
Ellie and Zach didn’t seem to notice what was crawling under my skin. They jumped with excitement over the sheep and cows. Zach clapped happily when we saw the monkeys. Isabel proudly marched to show she wasn’t afraid of the mountain lions’ roars. Meanwhile, I cringed at every “decoration”. We passed an old school bus filled with severed body parts and covered with fake blood. Skulls and witches, ghosts and tombstones were everywhere. The peaceful covered bridge was now filled with evil monsters and glow-in-the-dark eyeballs.
As we boarded the train, Ellie asked me, “Mama, where is our stroller?”
“It’s over there. See all the giant spiders?”
I was mortified. I, the mother who won’t allow her children to watch most Disney movies, was now pointing out the appalling sights at the “Zoo Boo”. I berated myself the rest of the day. I still am to this moment. How could I do that? How could I work so hard to keep them innocent and pure, protected and sheltered, to sacrifice it all for a look at a couple cows??
Rather than to continue beating myself up over this, I am choosing to learn from it. There are two things I want to share with you.
“For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.” – Psalm 84:11 (NET)
My biggest problem with this experience was that it cannot be undone. I am an extremely visual person. Things that I see stick in my brain and my memory for years and years. I can’t get them out! My fear was that I had permanently damaged my children. They had seen these things, consciously or not, and those images would then haunt their dreams and thoughts. I had failed to protect them.
This may all be true, but my conclusions did not consider God’s presence and sovereignty. Yes, it is my job to protect these children, but I am not perfect, so I cannot do a perfect job. Furthermore, these children belong to God first and foremost. While it is incomprehensible to me, the truth is He loves them even more than I do. And He IS perfect and perfectly capable of protecting them. Our God is sovereign! Whatever mistakes I make are already under His control.
Trusting God and His sovereignty is just the first step. Step two is taking seriously my responsibility. I failed to accurately weigh my choice. I decided that seeing the animals was more important than protecting my children from all the other things they would see. I chose to surrender to what my children, ages one and two, wanted instead of appropriately standing up for what I, their mother, knew was best for them.
“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (NAS)
“Oh, it’s just a few decorations. It’s not that big of a deal.” God tells us to flee from “every form of evil”. The second I hesitated should have given me reason to run. I need to stop rationalizing things that may be less than righteous. I must examine things more carefully; cling to what is good and flee from all that has even a hint of evil.
This application is not only appropriate in regards to our children. It is necessary for us as well. You and I need to be careful with our little eyes; our little feet; our little hands. Let me encourage you to focus on what is true; to walk with those who are righteous; to busy your hands with the work of the Lord. May He be lifted high in His perfect sovereignty.
Get started and keep moving!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I’m not a naturally neat person. I truly have to work at keeping our home clean and organized. Even with the work, I am inconsistently successful. While reading yet another book to help me with this battle, I encountered an interesting thought.
“Wanting to do things perfectly, or at least very well, is good. Sometimes. When the desire for perfection becomes a requirement, that’s extremism. And that can be a significant hindrance …” *
The author was speaking specifically about getting and staying organized, but I see possibilities for a much broader application. Being obsessed about perfection can hinder us in life and ministry. It can dampen our fellowship with others and with Christ.
There are two specific points I want to make here. First, perfectionism can prevent us from getting started. Secondly, it can prevent us from moving on.
Growing up, my siblings and I were taught a kind of “all or nothing” attitude. This came as direct application of the verse I shared with you last time (1 Corinthians 10:31). After all, everything we do is to be to the glory of God, so we must give 110% to everything. I love the encouragement and discipline received from my mother’s example! In ministry I do not dare give less than my all. Going only half-way is not good enough. You’ve got to persevere. You’ve got to finish strong. You’ve got to give your very best because God is so worthy.
The flipside of this instruction is the problem; it is the defeatist attitude of not even trying if you know you can’t do it perfectly. “If we’re going to be late, we might as well not go at all!” It is this thinking that holds us back from helping, from volunteering, from getting involved in ministry. There has to be someone else who can do it better than I, so why bother? Thinking like this is an extreme hindrance not only to us, but also to the body of Christ. We are not giving and they are not receiving. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Perhaps God is asking you to do something, but you feel less than qualified. You don’t think you have the time or skills to do it perfectly. Well, I’ve got news for you – no one else will do it perfectly either. We are imperfect people! If God is telling you to do it, then you are the perfect person for the job. He doesn’t make mistakes and He chose you. Be brave. Step out of your shelter of perfectionism and obey His calling. You will be rewarded.
Once we get started on something, we encounter another hindrance. We dove in and now want everything to be perfect and perfectly completed. We become trapped by our perfectionism and refuse to move onto the next thing.
Last week my mother-in-law and I painted my kitchen. It is a beautiful red called “rapture”. I love it! The problem with this color is defining lines. Our house is old and the walls are not smooth like you find in a new construction. This makes creating a straight edge with paint nearly impossible. And the contrast between this vibrant red and my stark white cabinets and trim makes every bump and curve noticeable. Mom and I struggled for hours trying to get those lines perfect. At the end of the second day, we forced ourselves to quit. We made a rule not to nit-pick anymore. The lines still are not straight, and they are still driving me a little crazy, but if I were to continue working on them, all of my other responsibilities would be neglected. The laundry would not be done; the shopping would not be finished – probably not even started. Rick and the kids would be fending for themselves for food, baths and survival. On top of all that, I would be ready for a straight-jacket. My family and my sanity needed me to settle for imperfection in order to move on to more important tasks.
Sometimes we need to just let go in order to grow. You have done all you can do, so let it be. Move on. It may be a relationship worked to death or a ministry detail that truly is good enough. It may not be perfect, but it is as good as it needs to be for now. Perhaps you can return to it another time or remember lessons for the next opportunity. In a couple weeks I may go back and work on those lines some more, but I’m not going to let them hold me back from doing what is verifiably more important.
What about you? How is perfectionism hindering you from glorifying God? Think about the opportunities in your life. Perhaps there is a ministry or relationship you need to dive into. Maybe you need to let go of something and move toward a new task or service. I encourage you to seek God on this. Ask Him where you might be stuck and how you can get out. Imagine serving Him unencumbered by our own expectations … Let’s get started and keep moving!
* Quoted from Organizing Magic: 40 Days to a Well-Orderd Home and Life by Sandra Felton, Revell, c. 2006
It is the gift of God.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~ Ephesians 2:8-10 (NAS)
If you’ve been a Christian for long, or even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard the ticket analogy of salvation. Salvation is like a winning lottery ticket that you find in your front yard. You receive it freely, but you still have to cash it in. This implies that we have some part in our salvation. We have to do something in order to receive the rewards. In this analogy “cashing it in” would be faith. We must have faith in Jesus Christ and His ability to save us. When we acknowledge that only He can save us, that is faith. That acknowledgement and faith is our part of salvation. Makes sense – right?
In an attempt to be more diligent in my memorization, I put Ephesians 2:8-10 up in my kitchen this week. I look at it when I am feeding the kids or cleaning up afterwards. I read it while I eat. It is a wonderful presence and reminder of my new goal. It may have been the constant reading or it, or simply noticing the punctuation … God used this to teach me something new.
We have absolutely nothing to do with our salvation.
I proclaim just as loudly as the next Baptist that salvation is a free gift. There is nothing we can do to earn our ticket to Heaven. But then when really tested on this, we hem and haw over the technicalities. Well, you do have to believe. You have to ask Jesus to be your Savior. You have to confess your sins and ask forgiveness. But other than that … well, and then you really should live a pure life. You need to look like a Christian, not just talk like one. But salvation is free!
I am not a legalist. Really. I firmly do believe that salvation is completely without merit. It is by mercy and grace alone that we may be called heirs of Christ. I just have difficulty defending this sometimes. Until now.
Look between the dashes. It says: “and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Whenever reading this verse, I thought this phrase referred to the grace. Read the whole verse again. This refers to the FAITH.
Yes, our salvation is by grace – obviously given by God – through faith, which is also given by God. How cool is that! We don’t even have to cash in our tickets. God gives us the faith we need and He requires. It is all a work of God! And the apostle goes on to tell us just that in the next verse: “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus …” God has created us. He gave His Son for us. Through grace He gives us salvation which we may accept through faith – which He also gives us. But there is still more: He created us to do good works. Even those good works have already been prepared BY HIM for us to do.
All this is just more fuel for His glory. May our praise to Him echo like thunder throughout all eternity!
