Captive to Christmas

The Holidays can be stressful.  It starts right before Thanksgiving.   There is an under toe of things to do.  The last few years I have struggled with the holidays.  It begins with gifts.  Did I get the right thing?  I don't know what to give so-and-so.  Oh NO!  I forgot about so-and-so.  Then it keeps going, work gets busy as we try to squeeze in all these things before Christmas.  Then there is baking and cooking and eating.  I look down at my waist line and shrug it off because I know there are more parties and food to come.  Then there is a little sadness.  I am sad because there are people I want to see but can't.   As I looked through my address book this year, I saw addresses for family members who have passed, and I miss the tradition of Christmas with them.  This time comes every year, but this year I was caught off guard.  As though I was just not paying attention to the time.

Some where in the middle of all this chaos, the Holy Spirit began to move.  My daughter won an award at school.  She was given the Fruit of the Spirit award for Peace.  I was so proud of her and her beautiful accomplishment.  However, I didn't really consider what God's PEACE really meant.  As I continued to stress over the Holidays and life's little struggles,  I felt like God was telling me, "I have come to set the captives free." 

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

⁸ “I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.

Isaiah 42:6-8

 

 

I was being held captive by all the Holidays of this world.  I am struggling with the things of the season that are not of God.  My internal debates about Santa, or my worries of the family get together, who will be there and who will not, are all consuming brain space, and worry.  None of those things are important, if you are focusing on what and who the celebration is really for.  Then the Holy Spirit brought back the subject of peace.

 

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

 

....Prince Of Peace, of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  WOW!  No end to the peace found in Jesus.  What a story.  God sent His only son as a baby to free the captives, to give righteousness to a sin marred world, and give us PEACE. It started with a baby.  A baby that would grow into a man that would give us freedom from sin.  He would offer the Holy Spirit to each of us who just believed.

 

You may be thinking duh, I have heard the Christmas story a million times.  I find that as my belief and Faith in Jesus grows, the more distractions and distortions try to invade my life.  After this year, I am not sure I will ever feel the same, this year there is a new level of personal connection.  A new stronger belief that Peace is possible to an extent I never quite grasped before. The peace found in the gift of Jesus.  Going forward, I will remember that I am FREE.  I no longer need to feel like a captive to the stress of the season.  Jesus came to release me of my stress and worry.  He says in Matthew: "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  My answer is NO.  I can say that by adding more Jesus to my Holidays I can add more PEACE.  Now for the hard part, let go of the control and hand it over to the Prince of Peace!

 

⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:9-14

 

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!  Merry Christmas!



THE SECRET MISSION

 

 



Lately it seems as everywhere I turn, I am reading blogs and hearing mumbles around the Christian community of exactly what is on my heart these days.  My heart is convicted that as Christians we are missing the biggest mission opportunity of our lives.  That "Secret Mission" field is our children, our homes, and the body of Christ, the church.

 

 

If you read my blog then you know the impact the Beauty From Ashes Ministry has had on me.  The Lord has used this to open my eyes to the hurting.  He took that ministry and transformed me from the self-centered worried about all that was wrong with me life, and showed me my worth in Him.  He has shown me the importance of my words, and the love that I give and the love I receive.  He has opened the doors to show me all the need and all the hurting around me, and taught me how to care about it.

 

 

In the beginning, as I first started to write this blog, I was looking to serve.  I was looking in essence for purpose.  A place to matter and a place to be needed.  I can remember my mother in law saying to me once that I had that  very place in my own home.  At the time, I really had no idea what she meant.  I thought that mattering meant I was suppose to be serving in a big way.  I thought making a difference meant that I had to be in the middle, the center of some great movement brought on by my tireless efforts to help people.  I could not have been more wrong.

 

 

 As I said, the ministry of BFA, taught me something very important.  It taught me how to apply the scripture to my life.  While it is said to be a ministry for Abused women, I firmly believe that everyone should experience this class.  It is the perfect class to apply to the broken world we live in today.  If you have never been abused, I guarantee you are among the abused every day, and you don't even know it. 

 

 

As part of the Lord's plan, he not only took me into a classroom as a facilitator for Beauty From Ashes, but he also gave me a part time job at a Christian school.  This is my second year "teaching", and  as I continue in a school setting this is what I know to be true.  I know that the students that I have had last year and this year, come to school with a wide variety of stories.  As children they already have so many things to overcome.  I have in my short time, spoken with children who have been abandoned by their mothers;  I have comforted those who have lost a parent;  I have listened to grandparents who are parenting their grandkids.  I have heard and seen so much need and hurt that it occurs to me that "the secret mission" is in our homes.

 

 

Life is busy.  We get wrapped up in work, paying the bills and maybe even in serving, BUT I wonder, how is our family?  As a result of this busyness how is the body?  If our home is eating fast food every night, and having half conversations, what does that mean for the combined body of the church?

 

 

I believe everything starts at home.  It is home where we should learn to love and how to love others.  It is home that should be our safe haven, a place where we can find trust and love.  It is home where we should look forward to being everyday, surrounded in the security of our loved ones.  Home should be the happiest place, because our homes should be filled with Jesus, and our hearts should long to be with him.  We need to love and encourage our families first, so then we can go out and shine a light to the body.  I am curious, do you love to be in your home?  Surrounded by your family?  Do you include Jesus in your home?

Regularly, I see that the home is not always a safe place.  The home is not always the place we learn about love.  Often the home is filled with busyness and neglect.  Sometimes the home becomes the place to vent and complain, and the appreciation and love get left out.  The love is assumed, but never expressed.  As a result, we have children looking for love, what it means, what it is, and how to show it.  We have churches filled with people who want to do good, be good, and help others, but have NO IDEA how to love.

I have said it many times, the Bible says we are to LOVE one another, but so few know how to love and show love.  We are so use to empty words and promises, that showing love means saying you are going to call, and not.  I am pretty sure that is not what God had in mind.  I am going to share with you a few things I believe are good ways to show and give love.

• Be considerate/serve of others first
• Pray for others...actually pray, really pray, don't just say you will
• Ask how other people are doing, and mean it.
• Say I love you excessively don't assume your kids know or believe you

If you want to know what God's definition of love is, see 1 Corinthians Chapter 13


It may seem silly to see that bulleted list, but think about how often you do these things?  What an amazing body we would have if we all took the time to love each other.  I challenge you to "The Secret Mission" this week.  I challenge you to put more love in your home.  I challenge you to put more love in the body.  This week, take the time to make your words a blessing, not a curse.   This week, take your words and give life; not death.

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours.

See these other great blogs:

A Holy Experience:

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/06/a-letter-to-the-north-american-church-because-it-is-time/

Chance Scoggins:

http://www.chancescoggins.com/living-so-your-life-matters#more-1936

The truth about stress

I had an epiphany tonight.  While it has been obvious that I have been stressed out lately.  I have not been able to get over my funk.   I have been sitting on feelings of crying and feeling lost, wallowing in my sad little pity party.  Only I can honestly say I have nothing to feel sorry over.  The truth is, I am struggling with the unknown.  I am struggling with change.  I am in a place where I feel I have no control.

Then I read this:

"Remember: Satan loves to make us focus on the little that’s wrong so we miss the big picture of all that’s right."

                                                                                                                                                       ~Lysa TerKeurst

 

 

I have great opportunities in front of me, and I am going to miss the fun and excitement if I don't get over it.  I realized, that my biggest problem is me.  Here I am, in the way again.   I am thinking of me and it is backward, doubtful, and critical.  When I get wrapped up thinking of me, I often find myself in a sad state.  I can see all the bad stuff.  My insecurities and mistakes find their way to the front of the line, and I am missing the picture of all that is right.  I am stuck in the land of  would've, could've, and should'ves.  I don't like that place.

 

We have been reading in the Book of Ecclesiastes in Sunday School.  So far, it can be described as a meaningless chasing of the wind.  Solomon the author of the book talks about all the things he did to find happiness, meaning, and joy in life.  In the first few chapters he describes all the things he did in search of these things, but in all his toil he found it was meaningless.  What I have discerned from this part of God's word is this; when you are doing something for your own interests and gain, the feelings of joy and happiness are fleeting.  However, when you are serving God via serving others,  when life is not about just you, then there is meaning and real joy.

 

I only mention this, because here I have been stuck in this stressed out mess, thinking only how I feel and what I have to do.  I could go on for hours with more I's and me's.  The point is, I need to think about something bigger.  I need to stop looking at just me, I need to stop chasing the wind.  If I am going to get out of my stress rut, I need to get focused on the bigger picture. 

 

What is the bigger picture you ask?  Well, for me it is my family.  That old saying "if mama ain't happy then nobody is happy," well, it is totally true!  I need to focus on how I can comfort my daughter who has totally picked up on my edgy attitude.  I need to ease her transitions, and not focus on mine.  I need to give more of myself to the people who give themselves to me.  I need to focus on what God has laid on my heart.  God has told me, I am in a season of trust.  He is asking me to trust Him for all the good things that I can not see happening because I am not able to imagine them as reality.  While good changes are coming, He is saying let me work it out.  He continues to whisper trust me, while I am stuck in my corner listening to the little wrongs.  I have taken those little wrongs and made them into mountains, that I have predetermined I can not climb.  ( At this point I will just add that fat people, can't breath in the mountains!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a battle of FAITH. The point is not to climb alone, but to include and rely on God for what I can not control nor do on my own.  I have to decide, trust God on faith alone, or listen to the condemnation in my head.  As a Christian, I try to walk by the truth of God's word.  Here is what I've got:

 

1. "There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
2. "For we were not given a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self discipline." 2Timothy 1:7
3. "Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you." 1Peter 5:7
4. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praise worthy think about such things."  Phillipians 4:8

 

Using these scriptures as truth, I need to set my mindset as follows: 

• God does not condemn me.
• Fear is not of God.
•  I must continue to tell him what matters to me, because I matter to him.
• Stop thinking negatively and start thinking about God and HIS truth, all that is good, noble, lovely, and most of all PRAISE WORTHY!

I am on a journey with God, and this season is a hard one.  Trusting and letting go of my perceived control, are not easy.   I am going to do my best to take my new adjusted mindset accept the good and just enjoy the ride.

 

This IS my mindset, now let me hear yours!

 

A journey to Baptism

I have to share this sweet story with y'all.  This past weekend my daughter was Baptized.  It was a very special moment for our family. 

It was last summer that she asked my husband and I to pray with her, so that she could take Jesus in her heart.  We prayed that simple prayer with her.  She then proceeded a year long discussion about being Baptized.  As her parents we were not sure what to do, it was our belief that she was too young to get Baptized. 

The Holy Spirit had other plans.  He continued to stir her heart.  She continued to talk about it, and she continued to ask questions and insist on being Baptized.  She attends a private Christian school, and during a chapel, she accepted the altar call.  She took that opportunity to tell the Administrator that she wanted to get Baptized.  Because I work at the school, the Administrator then asked to speak to me.  The Administrator reminded me, that Jesus said," let the Children come to me," and to consider her child like faith, and not to be a hindrance.  In the end, my husband and I decided we would move forward.

In our church, she had to attend a Children's new Christian class before she could proceed with Baptism.  My husband volunteered to be her partner in the class.  He attended every class with her.  On a side note, this was a really cool and really special thing, and I am so honored to be married to a man who is committed to his daughter this way.  They told me about the class, and they had a wonderful time.  My husband was amazed at how much she already knew.  She just amazed us.

By her lead, we let her pick the date of her Baptism.  She decided, she would wait until the weekend after her 6th birthday, that just happened to be Father's Day weekend.  Father's day has come and gone, and she is now Baptized.  She practiced her testimony all week.  She stood under the lights and in front of the congregation and exhibited 1 John 4:18:

 

           Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.

 She struggled a little reading it, but she made it through with such courage.  I imagine that Jesus and the heavens rejoiced as she made her proclamation that ,"Jesus Christ is Lord."

The love of the Lord then materialized.  I have never been in a church that "LOVES OUT" the way our church does.  The members of the body reached out to our little family.  We had so many encourage our daughter and congratulate her.  There were hugs and well wishes all day long.  The Lord poured out his love on my daughter through the Holy Spirit, and he took it a step further by giving us a real life out pouring of love.

This was a proud moment for our family.  This is a moment that I will remember forever.  I have  a deep love for my daughter, one that drives me to make decisions based on what is best for her first.  This love that I have for her, my only child, is the same type of love that God has for each of His children.

God desires each of us to know this great love.  He desires all of us to have the comfort and safety of parents who adore us.  I know that there are many who don't have this kind of family.  There are many who feel alone, scared, and wonder what love feels like.  The truth is, in the absence of a family filled with love, there is a heavenly father who longs to show you great love.  While you may wish for it to be different, I challenge you to let him show you great love through the body of His church.  He will meet your needs, when you ALLOW him in and let him be in control.

Take a journey with him, and in the meantime take this encouragement:

 "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."   Ephesians 3: 17b-19

 

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!

***Just a note to say I wrote this back in June.

Love through God's eyes

Love.  I can not talk about it enough.  1 Peter 4: 8 says,

" Above all, love each other deeply,

because love covers over a multitude of sins."

Love is something on my mind quite a bit these days.  I guess it is because the Holy Spirit is giving me a new understanding of love.  God realizes that I am hard headed and not naturally inclined to obedience.  It has not been enough to hear the story of Jesus over and over again.  He has began to open my eyes to identify when people are giving love unconditionally and with true sacrifice.

As a child, love is something that you just do.  I don't know that I ever really loved anything actively.  Then as an adult, I found active love.  I married my husband, I found myself doing things I would never have done before, mainly house work.  I can remember right after we were married, I had a day off, and I cleaned the bathroom.  When my darling husband came home, he took his finger across the counter top and said, "you call this clean?"  My reaction was to stop cleaning the bathroom.  It took a few years, before I began cleaning the bathroom again. 

Just like cleaning a bathroom, love is something I have struggled with.  The story of Jesus' love is about sacrifice.  Sacrifice is not a word, that is easy to use in reference to me.  However, God has a way of getting his point across.  There is a true blessing and lesson in having children.  When I became pregnant, I knew that my selfishness was going to have to take the back seat to a baby.  I can remember praying, " Lord, give me a servants heart."  The Lord in turn made me a slave to a baby!  The beauty of it, was that it did not feel like slavery.  I was doing everything out of sacrificial love for her.  I had a glimpse of the love of Jesus, internalizing the love of a parent for a child.

Giving sacrificial love to someone as loveable as my daughter was easy.  However, recognizing it and offering it to others (my hubby), has not been so easy for me.  I find that I am skeptical of the motives of others, and if I am being honest, I often think of what is best for me first.  I even sometimes struggle with missing a party or God forbid a BUNCO in the name of staying home with my family.  Writing that "out loud" makes me cringe a bit, because the truth is I dearly love my family, but I find myself wanting to "have my cake and eat it too."  I have to actively remind myself, that my presence at home matters to them.  If I miss a social event, I won't die, and more importantly, it shows my husband and daughter that I put them first.  That sometimes feels like a huge sacrifice.

The Lord is faithful and continues to show me sacrificial love, and what it really looks like.  He continues to tug on my heart that sacrificial love should come easier.  He continues to urge me: " Love never fails."

The best example of love is of course, Jesus, sacrificing his life for our sins.  However, here on earth and in my everyday life, I can easily think of a great example:  My mother in law.

I know there are some of you who are cringing at the thought.  I know that not everyone is as blessed as I am.  From the beginning of my relationship with her son, she decided she was going to like me, no matter what.  From the beginning, I included her in our life together.  I even invited her to go wedding dress shopping with me.  Through her, God has shown me a wonderful example of true sacrificial love.

She does not have to love me, but she just does.  Here are a few ways that she sacrifices on my behalf.  For those of you who don't know, I work with my mother-in-law. (Part-time, Part-time is what we call it.)  She owns a small business and just her and I work in the front office.  When I became pregnant, we changed everything for me and baby.  Now that my daughter is 6 she still works around our schedule.  She works overtime and takes care of things, so I can go and be mommy when I need to be.  As a result she doesn't get much time off.  She gives and gives of herself and her time and does not ask for much nor does she complain often.  In fact, she often gives us days off in the name of play dates.  She has sacrificed her time, so that I get to be with my daughter when she needs me.  I can be with her after school, on a field trip, or just to have a mommy daughter lunch.  I am not sure that I know anyone else, who gives of themselves the way she does for the sake of me and my little family.

Her example makes me question, the way I show my love.  Do I love sacrificially?  Do I love unconditionally?   Well, as far is my daughter is concerned yes, that is easy and quite natural.  However, I find that giving sacrificial love to other people is more difficult.  I always find myself in the cross-hairs of what I want, verses what my husband would like for me to do.  While these questions may sound silly: should I clean the house or go shopping?  should I let him have the first shower? can I take his plate to the kitchen without rolling my eyes? they make a point.

The point is, I struggle with the every day minor things that need to be done to care and show love for my family.  I struggle making the bed, unloading the dishwasher, and putting up the ironing board.  They feel like terrible meaningless chores.  I never consider how my husband feels about them, or what would make him happy.  He is a bed maker, and I am not, but is it sacrificing to much to take 4 minutes to make it?  These small things show him that he matters to me.  I admit, I have not been very good about making the little things a priority.  It is all the little things that add together to become the things that show love.

Think back to your childhood, who and what were the things that meant the most to you?  If I look back at my childhood, I immediately think of my grandmother.  I loved her dearly.  Why?  I loved her because she always made my favorite snack.  She took the time to teach me silly songs.  She took pride in keeping the small details of the things I liked; always having what I wanted when I needed it.  She kept a record of all my good stuff; she did not keep a record of my wrongs. 

I Corinthians 13: 5-7
⁵ Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. ⁶ Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.

It occurs to me that in order to see love through God's eyes, you have to love sacrificially.  Scripture tells us, that to follow Jesus is to die to this life and walk in a new life with him.  Love does cover a multitude of sin, because true sacrificial love puts me last and others first.  My experience with personal sin, usually starts with a selfish or self serving desire.  So I ask, how do you love?  Do you love in the small details of everyday life?  Do you always trust, always hope, and always endure?  or do you keep a record of wrong?  This week I challenge you:
                         
                           " Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."


This week, take a look at love through God's eyes.  This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!

Trust Me

When I was a teenager I had this poster, and I loved it.  The toad says, "  Trust me, I swear I am a prince, just one kiss!"  The  poster continued with all of the stereotypical, pick up lines until, the text just faded away.  This poster hung in my room until I left for college.

When I think about trust now, this poster automatically came to my mind.  It was like even as a young girl I was weary of, "too good to be true."  I was skeptical of almost everything.  I grew up in a house where it was common practice to be "realistic", and being realistic meant that you can't expect the natural outcome to always be in your favor, or good for that matter.  The house was divided: the glass was half empty on one side; and half full on the other.

As I examine my ability to trust, it is directly correlated to my ability to have faith.  "Trust me," is something that has been echoing in the back of my mind.  I hear God's voice telling me, "trust me, trust me."  It is almost and everyday occurrence right now.  It is like all of the sudden God has revealed to me that I need to trust him completely, NOT half way.

CONFESSION:  I have trust issues.  My husband would say,"UM, HELLO, you are just figuring that out?"  He would say from the time he met me, I had to ask an opinion of anyone else, instead of just listen to him.  This of course comes from the same husband who in cahoots with his father, fooled me into believing that the chubby weather man was really the Spurs Coyote mascot.  After that, how could I have trouble believing him???

As far as the real world is considered, I believe that the world is filled with lies.  The ruler of this world wants us to walk around thinking that the class is half empty.  The thought is so flippant, we don't see the deep repercussions it actually has on our ability to trust and have faith in something unseen.  It is one of the many tiny twists Satan uses to separate us from God.

You see the premise of Christianity is that Jesus came and died on the cross to save us of our sins.  The fact is, we did nothing, and we continue to do nothing to deserve God's love and sacrifice.  Now put it into reality, you are asking me to believe that I have done nothing to earn or deserve this wildly extravagant sacrifice, but it is mine out of love alone.  Is the class half empty?  or half full?  TRUST ME, he says.

Here I am today, and I find myself listening to that voice.  I am choosing to trust.  In that act of obedience something incredible is happening.  " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  This verse has come to life in me, in a new way, all because I decided to listen to that voice saying: TRUST ME.

I have prayed many things in my life.  I can see the answers of my prayers unfolding before my eyes.  The answers are things that I can say, have nothing to do with my ability, but rest solely on the sovereignty and faithfulness of God's love.  I have prayed for years saying: "Lord, I want to serve you, take my life and make it yours."  The Lord has given me opportunities to serve.

I did not imagine that where I would serve would be so far out of my comfort zone.  Beauty From Ashes ministry has blessed me, but the original thought of serving in it was outright fear.  God said, "Trust me.  Please sit in this room and listen to real life horror stories about how people were abused and destroyed emotionally and physically, and I will show you what to do."  Then the Lord said, "I will be with you."  I remember thinking, this is what I prayed for, a place to serve.  God has answered my prayer, I need to see where God takes this.

God showed me that after the 12 week class and sometimes sooner, he can take the mountains that some women are carrying and HE CAN MOVE THEM.  I have seen a few seasons of this class and with each class and each precious woman, I see God showing me amazing things.  I not only see the changes and hope in the eyes if the those women, but he works in me too.  I see that I can trust him.  He is faithful and he NEVER FAILS.  I find that God is showing me this scripture nearly everyday:

"..... so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
                                                                                                                           Ephesians 3:17-19

God is moving in my life.  He is filling me to HIS MEASURE, not my own.  He is changing things all around me.   I will be teaching pre-school in the fall.  Another place, I feel He has called me to serve.  I will be in a Christian school teaching about Jesus.  A couple of years ago the thought of being in a classroom full of four years olds would have scared me to death.  Today,  I hear God saying, "Trust Me."  I am not afraid, but truly excited. 

I am not sure where this road is going, but I continue to hear trust me.  There are other areas of my life that are churning with change, but in the moments that I feel fear creeping in, there is also now a new reaction.  The new reaction is the decision to just trust God. 

I loved that old toad poster, but going forward, I think I am going to trust.  Don't get me wrong, I am not going to trust that toad.  I am going to confidently trust my Father in heaven who has time and time again shown me in life and scripture that He is completely trustworthy.  Even if I have to remind myself every now and then; or every few seconds!

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!

Not Good At Anything

There was a time in my life where I was just sure I was going to try out for American Idol.  Don't misunderstand me, I can NOT sing.  I was intrigued by the fascination of the try out, and well, I really just like to sing loud to annoy my husband and family.  It began with a: "mimimimi...uh-hem,  The sun will come out tomorrow, betch your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there will be sun!"  The immediate response from my family was, "Oh no not again, she wants to be the next American Idol."

After a while, I decided that Idol was not my thing, I was going to be the Last Comic Standing.  I got jokes!  Really, I could tell you a few stories based on my crazy family that would make you laugh.   Then my husband and in-laws decided that I could not do that either.  "Your timing it just off, Miranda,"  or so they would jokingly say.

I moved on, I decided I wanted to be a speaker on the Women of Faith Tour.  The only problem was that I didn't have a tragic life, or a theology degree, so I settled that I had no qualifications for such a position.

God has a funny way of changing my perspective.  As I look at the things I have wanted to do in my life, the common denominator is that they were all about me.  I wanted fame and success, because something I did.  I wanted to be on stage because of something I said.

I have learned something, that has changed my life.  The way to find what I am really good at, the way to find real happiness in my life has been in obedience to God.  You see,  I believe God gives everyone gifts.  The key is that when you are given a gift, it is to GLORIFY GOD, not yourself.  The major flaw in all my life "plans" so far have been that they were to glorify me.

Fast forward to today.  I am staring down a new path. I am now a facilitator for Beauty from Ashes.  That means I lead a group for the ministry, and the reality is, I just ask God to give me everything.  I do nothing, and HE accomplishes everything.  I pray, I ask for his guidance.  He shows up every time and gives me and the ladies everything we each need to accomplish HIS GOALS.  It is like what Hebrews 2:10 says:  "God is the One who made all things, and all things are for HIS glory."  All I have to do is be faithful and obedient.

My next great adventure starts in the fall, Preschool teacher!  Yes, you read that right.  I am going to be in a room full of four year olds next year. Never in a million years, would I have imagined this is where God wanted me, but here I stand ready to serve God.   I feel a calling to be with those kiddos.  I feel as though God is trusting me with planting the seeds of His love.  He has shown me great love.  While I am sure there will be days that  I will wonder what I have gotten into; I know that based on his word, He will equip me for what lies ahead.

For years, I always wondered how I would know what my calling is?  How do I know what I am good at?  It has taken me awhile, but I have discovered that finding what I am good at has nothing to do with me, it has to do with serving God and serving others.  I have said many times over many blogs, that the Bibles says we are called to love one another.  It is interesting, how much I have loved worrying about me, and what I need and what I am gong to do.  The minute I stopped and focused on what God wanted and what God has called all of us to do and be, the good just happened.

This week, I would encourage you to look past yourself and love out.  Offer your time to someone other than yourself, and maybe you will stumble across the same thing I did.  I found that I am no good at anything, when I am not including and glorifying God.

 

Philippians 1

9 This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;  10 that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good;

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!