When God Meets Us Where We Are

There are times I don't hear God's voice. Not "I can't," but "I don't." I don't hear Him because I'm not making a point to spend time with Him and in His Word. In such times, I easily convince myself that I don't hear Him because He doesn't care. Recently I was living in such a time and something crazy happened. I want to give some real-life examples of how God really does meet us where we are.





EXAMPLE #1: 

THE WORK OF HIS CHILDREN'S HANDS

I've been reading this amazing series by Christian author Judith Pella called "The Daughters of Fortune." Two of the characters in these books start out as non-believers but eventually end up coming to Christ. It was through their individual roads to God that I became of aware of things God was trying to get my attention about. Through these works of fiction, God began to drive home Biblical truths such as His trustworthiness and His sufficiency. Things I knew I needed to hear but was too full of pride to discover by returning to Him. I remember I was the second book and I was just overcome. I was talking to mom about it and all I could say was, "How much must God love me to be willing to reach through the pages of fiction to get my attention?" Crazy.

EXAMPLE #2:

"RANDOM" ENCOUNTERS WITH STRANGERS

Last Friday, I was helping out at a Christian kids' club and I met this guy that worked at the facility. Through conversation, I learned he's a believer and a little bit of his story. It was a very moment and once we were done talking, we officially met and he left. As he was walking out the door, he said, "God's always working even when we can't see it." Once I processed what he said, my jaw nearly hit the floor. I couldn't help but yelling at him (in my head), "Why would you say that? Why that truth? WHY?!" I was absolutely stunned. Later that evening I was driving home and thinking about that whole thing and I became so sure that the only reason I was supposed to meet this person was to hear that truth: That God is working. Through my unemployment  and (until today) my lack of car. He has a plan even though I don't understand it. Crazy again.

EXAMPLE #3: 

CHRISTIAN RADIO

Also last Friday evening, I was listening to a Christian radio station as I was doing all my running around. And song after song spoke of God's love and forgiveness and His desire for restored fellowship with His children. I had to waste some time so I just sat in the van in a Wal*Mart parking lot, listening to the radio with tears pouring down my cheeks as I realized that I was meant to be listening to that station on that day. More crazy but more proof that God loves me and us too much to watch us walk away.

Maybe you read this and you think, "Why not just meet God in His Word?" Well, you know I'm all about honesty and honestly when I'm in those places where I don't seek God out I have no desire to read Scripture. Is that right? No. Does He still love me? Yeah, He does. How do I know? He's willing to use unconventional means to touch my heart.

If you're in a similar place, I don't want you to read this and justify not running to God. That's not why I wrote it. I have no excuse for refusing to invest in a relationship with Him. Especially not a "lack of desire." That makes it too much about emotions. No. If you're in a similar place, I want you to read this and realize that God. Never. Left. He's still right there with open arms and open heart. He wants to welcome you back into fellowship with Him. He wants to show you the extent of His love and forgiveness. And I am writing this as much to myself as I am to you. I'm not perfect - no one is - and I still fail. I still lean on my own strength. Sometimes the best reminders to ourselves are those we try to give to others. 

Take heart, my friends! God is there and He is ready to meet you wherever you are!

Being a Christian in Private

"What we do in our private lives is a major part of Christianity." I read that yesterday in a biography of C.S. Lewis and I found myself reading it over and over and over again. The author was talking about how Lewis lived out his faith at home just as much as he did in the public eye. This challenged me because I'm way better at looking like a "good Christian" when I'm out and about (especially at church) than when I'm home with my family.

I think the reason it's easier to put on a good face when you're around people you don't know is because of that very thing: you don't know them, they don't know you so you must present yourself in a decent light. And no one is going to think that being their normal sinner self would qualify as "decent." So we grab our mask on the way out the door and do our best to impress everyone we come into contact with.

The Mask. We try to cover everything, to make ourselves out to be better than we actually are. Besides attempting to convince others we have no struggles (like we talked about earlier this week), we like to put our best foot forward. We like the idea of people thinking we're a good, loving Christian. So we're kind, we smile, we serve. But when we go home at the end of the day...What then?

I'll tell you what. We hang up the mask and we let the ugliness show. We treat our family as sub-humans who are there for our benefit - to make our lives better and to bend over backwards doing it. I know this is how bad it can get for me. But maybe not you. Maybe instead of a total switch-flip, it's more like the mask you wore was really only needed for half of your personality. Maybe you're really awesome at loving people and being cheerful, but you get home, take off the mask and you realize it's a whole lot harder to love the people you see all the time. I mean, how can you love and serve people whose faults are clear as day to you? They surely don't deserve it! So why do it?

I'll tell you why: because God said so. No, really, He did.

In Matthew 22, Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. He explains that number one is to love God and number two? Love others (vs.35-40) "But it says your neighbor, not your family." You're right, it does! But who is our neighbor? Another guy asked Jesus this same question in Luke 10. Jesus replied with a story about a Jew who needed help. This man was passed by by those who should have helped him. The person who ended up taking care of him was a Samaritan, an "enemy" of Jews. Jesus concludes that it's mercy that makes someone neighborly, not location (vs.29-37). It's going out of your way to meet a need. Can this be done at church or the grocery store? Definitely. Should it be done at home as well? You bet.

In the biography of C.S. Lewis I'm learning a lot about his home life once he was a grown adult. He was responsible for the welfare of his friend's mom and sister. This was the fulfillment of a promise he made to that friend when they were in World War I. Lewis promised that should his friend die, he would take care of the family. Well, he stayed true to his promise and years later the family is living in a place called The Kilns and his friend's mum is old and she just makes life miserable for everyone, especially Lewis. He so easily could have found an escape at Oxford where he taught but he didn't. He chose to spend time at home and not only that, he was constantly serving this woman. He lived out his Christianity in an amazing way.

That's the kind of Christian I want to be. I want to be someone who not only has a good relationship with God when I'm reading my Bible. I want to walk out of my room afterwards and put into practice what I read. I want to be someone who doesn't just love those I see outside of the home, but who shows a deep love for those closest to me, the people I live with.

What kind of a Christian do you want to be? Let's throw away our masks, guys. Let's not have a need for one. Let's be the same Christian at home that we are out and about. Let's love our neighbors!

The Struggle

We all have issues. Every day we deal with so much sin in our lives. Pride, anger, lust - name it, we've wrestled with it. If I asked you, "How are we supposed to handle these things," you would give me the Biblical answer: Confess them to God (I John 1:9). But if I were to ask you, "How do you handle these things," what would you say? I can't answer for you, but I can share how I would answer.

Imagine this: You and I are sitting at a cozy little cafe, enjoying good conversation and amazing coffee and we get around to talking about various struggles that are inherent to the Believer's life. You look at me and you ask me how I handle it personally but before I can answer you add, "Be honest." Well that's painful. But I decide to be honest. I look you in the eyes - I may even get a little teary - and this is my response: These days, I don't feel like I "handle" anything. These days, I feel like I allow my changing emotions to affect my responses to my circumstances. When I face disappointment I respond by escaping into whatever fancies me. It may be binge-watching TV shows or eating whatever I feel like; giving in to a choice sin to garner some temporary pleasure. I would tell you that there are days that the reality of my unstable walk with God makes me feel gross and sick inside. "Why," you ask. Because deep down I enjoy my sin and I hate that I enjoy it. Some days I hate it less. I kinda shrug because what are you gonna do? Other days I hate it a lot. It's these days that make me feel like a failure. I've been feeling like a failure a lot lately. 

I look back at my time in college and I miss the vibrant relationship I had with my Creator. I miss getting up early to spend time with Him and devoting hours on Saturday morning to reading my Bible. I miss Him being a part of every area in my life. I miss living in a consistently godly atmosphere. I compare myself to then and I feel lousy because I don't take the time I should to invest in my relationship with Him. I don't but I want to, but I still don't. Why don't I? This, my dear friend, is what is lovingly referred to as "The Struggle."

Paul talks about this in Romans 7. He writes, "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing" (vs. 19). This chapter details the struggle we Christians have with our sin nature. You see, when we accept Christ we are given a new nature, the Holy Spirit. But this new nature does not do away with the old because we still have the old nature in us. Instead, this new nature gives us options for how we live our life. We can choose to submit to the Spirit and live a life under His control or we can choose to fulfill the desires of the flesh. Both have consequences, the first bringing a full life and the latter bringing a stagnant life. 

What do I want? You bet I want a full, joyous, content life.

What do I choose? A life lived as a slave to sin. Because for some reason my brain and my heart decide that it's "more fun" to give into the old nature. 

I'm being honest. But today I also want to be hopeful. I'm tired of feeling defeated. And today I'm reminded of some awesome Scriptures.

I John 1:9. If I confess my sin, my Creator is faithful and just to forgive my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

II Peter 1:3. My Creator's divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of Him who called me by His own glory and goodness.

Galatians 5:1. It is for freedom that I have been set free. I should stand firm, then, and not let myself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Romans 8:13. For if I live according to the sinful nature, I will die; but if by the Spirit I put to death the misdeeds of the body, I will live. 

Simple, powerful and beautiful truths from God's Word. I challenge myself to really believe these and act on them. And I challenge you. Let's choose Life over Death, God over Sin. Let's take time to spend with Him every day. I'm up for it. 

I only have one question: How do you handle The Struggle? Be honest.

I'm back!

It's been a while. A long while. 87 days to be exact. 

"What have you been DOING?" Working. Being lazy on the weekends. The typical. 

"So why post NOW?" I miss it. I miss writing.

"Do you have a PLAN?" In fact, I do. a general plan, anyways.

"What IS it?" You'll have to wait and see. I can tell you that involves a slight change in the feel of my posts. They'll be more diverse.

"What is the point in this post?" To let you know I'm still alive and well.

"I'm glad you're back." So am I.

Give God Time

Last Friday night found me in a place that some single ladies absolutely dread: At a wedding. And not just anyone's wedding, my brother's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding! The bride was gorgeous, the groom handsome and the family (on both sides) complete ecstatic.

"Why would someone dread being there?" you might ask. Well, here's the deal: I'm almost twenty-three and completely single. This has never bothered me over-much, but it apparently got to me on Friday. I loved seeing my brother with the woman he's head-over-heels for, but I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. He'd found his one and only...Where was mine? 

I will be the first to admit that I had my own little party going on inside my heart- a Pity Party that is. Not a great choice, but I'm not going to lie and say I was totally dandy. Anywho, long story short my wonderful Aunt got wind that I was not doing well emotionally and pried me open (like that's ever hard to do when someone's feeling sorry for themselves). I ended up telling her how I was feeling and why I was feeling that way and all sorts of stuff. Then something happened that has stuck with me. She looked at me, told me she understood completely (she didn't meet her husband until she was almost twenty-four) and then said three little words: Give. God. Time.

My first reaction was not a good one. I nodded my head but all I could think was, "He's had plenty of it." Not a right response at all and I knew it. Today - two days after the Pity Party - I'm able to think about it more clearly and accept it. 

I'm terrible at being patient and in my finite brain, the best time for my life to change is right now. But God obviously has a different plan because here I am: Single, car-less, degree-less and working a less-than-fantastic job. To "give God time" means I need to be surrendered to His speed for my life instead of constantly pushing for my own timeline.

I'm aware this Blog post isn't super deep like they usually tend to be, but it is a record of a small thing that was a huge encouragement to me. May it be so to you as well.

Why Do We Have to be Strong?

Have you ever noticed that the culture we live in insists that individuals have it all together, that they have to be able to do anything and handle everything in life? Have you ever found yourself giving in to that mentality? I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that I have and I still do. More often than not, I feel the need to prove to everyone around me that I have everything under control. And when life gets rocky, I make sure no one knows how badly I'm affected. If you've seen the movie "Frozen," it's the whole "conceal, don't feel, don't let them know" concept. And while I've known this isn't a healthy way to live, I never realized just how destructive it truly is. Not until today.

This morning during my God-time (if I haven't mentioned it before, that's my term for daily devotions, quiet time, what have you) I read 2 Corinthians 11:1-12:10. Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary. Just chillaxing on my chouch (interpretations..."Chillaxing:" Cooler than chilling, more restful than relaxing; "Chouch:" Bigger than a chair, smaller than a loveseat/couch) with the beautiful spring air wafting through my open window. I knew I was going to enjoy this passage because I always have. I mean, come on, in chapter eleven you get to see all the deadly events Paul has survived in his life and then you get blasted with the power of God's grace in chapter twelve and you can walk away feeling pretty confident in your Creator (which is a completely proper and acceptable response, mind you). So there I was, expecting a confirmation of the power of God when BOOM! I was hit with something totally awesome and a little bit life-changing. Allow me to show you...

In verse thirty of chapter eleven, Paul writes, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weaknesses." I share this verse first, because I want to pin down a couple of definitions so that I don't muddle up my main point. 

Definition number one: Boast. This means "to glory in, with or without reason."

Definition number two: Weakness. This refers to a "want of strength" either "of the body" or "of the soul." Basically, an inability to produce results.
So Paul's saying if he's going to glory in anything, it's going to be the fact that he literally has no strength of his own. Make sense? Good. Now on to the big stuff.

In verses six through eight of chapter twelve, Paul talks about the thorn in his flesh that was given him to keep him from becoming conceited. That in itself is a pretty crazy side-street worth traveling. God allowed this "thorn" to remain where it was so Paul would be forced to rely on God's strength rather than his own. God works in painful ways sometimes, but always for our good, yes? Moving on, we come to the passage that just really blew me out of the water (actually it was all of this combined, but I'll tie it up later on). Here it is, verses 9-11:

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (NIV; emphasis mine)

Dude! Paul never tried to gloss over his weaknesses. He prayed for God to take it away and when God didn't, he submitted himself to the working of God's powerful grace in his life. This was extremely challenging and encouraging for me all at the same time.

You see, the last couple of weeks I've become painfully aware of a sudden drive within to control everything - well, concerning myself. Who I am, what I do - that I possibly can. Where did this come from, why do I have this need? I don't know. I mean, I've always been a little bit of a control freak, but never on this scale. It felt - feels - a little like in "Cinderalla" when the mouse, poor little Gus, is trying to carry all the corn he possibly can. His arms are full to capacity and yet, he sees one more piece lying on the ground and decides to try to pick it up. The corn goes everywhere. That's kinda how it feels when I'm trying to get everything under control. I think I can pin down just one more thing and then something that was going fine just goes kapoot and I'm left with a big mess. 

After this happened time and again, I finally just got so frustrated and I cried. A lot. The smallest "failure" and I would bawl for ten minutes. It was pretty awful. And then I finally, after about two weeks of nothing, decided to get back into the swing of regular God-time. That was last Saturday. Today I read these passages and it just blew me away. 

Over the last couple of years, I've developed the nasty habit of trying to handle everything on my own. I don't like asking for help for even a simple task that would be easier with two people. I prefer to just figure it out myself, even if it means messing up. When it comes to "big" things in life, I especially just like to figure it out myself before talking to anybody about it. And when it comes to my daily weaknesses, the areas of my life in which I fail, the things I know I can't change on my own...Those I'd rather not ever talk about. To anyone. Including my Creator. But after reading what Paul says, I realize that it's not a sin to fail. It's normal to make mistakes, it's normal for there to be areas of struggle. The "mistake" is thinking we have to be strong, that we can handle all of it on our own.

I don't know what you struggle with, what your "weaknesses" are. But I know mine painfully well. I know that it's difficult for me to be single when I want to be married. I know it's frustrating for me to fail when I expect so much more of myself. I know that when I'm emotional, I like to eat. And I've always allowed these things to control my life and define who I am. And I've always tried my best to keep them under wraps. Maybe you've let something control and define you. Maybe it's a recurring temptation. Maybe it's a habit. And maybe you've been trying desperately to cover it up, to pretend it's not there. Because if you don't let it show, no one will know you feel out of your depth. 

Can I challenge all of us to be willing to be honest about our weaknesses and our struggles? I had a really good friend this past week tell me that we have to be honest with each other, because if we're not, we wouldn't know how to pray for or encourage one another. Neither I nor my friend are saying you need to get up in front of your church and declare that you have an issue. What we're saying is find a trusted, godly friend who can point you to Scripture and who's willing to pray with and for you. Who's willing to keep you accountable. That's definitely a scary idea, I know, but it is so worth it. 

If you're not quite ready for that, at least be honest with yourself before God. Ask Him to help you identify and admit your areas of weakness. Ask Him for His grace to be enough and to work powerfully in your life. Then ask Him for the courage to open up to someone He's placed in your life. They have weaknesses, too, you know; we all do. Let us encourage one another, eh?

Here's the thing, what all of this boils down to. Being open and honest about our weaknesses makes a way for God's grace and power to shine through in our life. It provides an opportunity for us to say, "I can't handle this, but I have a God who can. He's the source of my strength, because I am only weak on my own."

I want to leave you with a quote from a commentary on this passage:

"It is understandable that Paul would consider this thorn a hindrance to wider or more effective ministry and that he would repeatedly petition God for its removal. But he learned from this experience the lesson that pervades this letter: divine power is best displayed against the backdrop of human weaknesses so that God alone is praised. Rather than removing the problem, God gave him grace in it. This grace is sufficient." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament)

Child of the World or Child of God: Part 2

I realize that I left everyone hanging after the last post. Have you been biting your nails, wondering how my "Media Fast" went? Probably not. But I'm finally ready and able to share some of what I learned.
I learned that choosing to be a child of God takes a lot of energy. Choosing to be His child rather than the world's means being willing to set aside the things you "love" so much because you realize they make it difficult to be His. I learned that choosing to be God's child is the hardest choice to make and that you have to make it every. single. day. 

I had some great encouragement during my Fast from a dear friend. I had written her a letter in which I poured out my heart about the fact that even though I was taking a break from "the world," it didn't seem to have any affect on my relationship with God. She wrote back and said that she understood being distracted and that we have to make our time with God a priority. She explained that it can get hard because of life's everyday demands, such as work and sleep, but that we just have to do it. Now my friend and I would be the first two to tell you that we're not perfect. Often, we choose to make sleep or down-time more important than God's Word, but  you know what? God's still working on us.

So, in conclusion (yeah, this was a short post. Longer ones to follow, I'm sure!), my Media Fast went well, even if it didn't go as I planned. I discovered that I didn't need to be tied to my computer every waking minute but that I could spend time with my family and enjoy them. I discovered how to work out conflicts through talking instead of just running away to my room. I also discovered that having a thriving relationship with God isn't just about the "dos and don'ts." That cutting something out doesn't automatically make everything great. It takes a lot of effort, making the daily choice of whose child you'll be.

What will it be today: A child of the world or a child of God?

Child of the World or Child of God: Part 1

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. Alright, it's not that big or at least, not for other people. For me, however, it is a big deal. I have decided to take a month-long hiatus from the world of media. Specifically from movies, TV shows, Facebook and Pinterest. One of the prominent reasons for this "fast" is that I have come to the realization that these are the things in which I have invested my energy, time and heart. And these are the things that are least worth my time, energy and heart. I am not writing this post just to let all of you know this. I wanted to share my heart behind the choice.

The other night I was really frustrated about a lot of different things and as I was wading through all of this, a question came to my mind: "Who am I really?" And I pondered this for a few moments and became quite unsure as to the answer. This led me to what I describe as a "fork in my mental road" where I felt I needed to choose whether I was going to be a child of God or a child of the world. 

First, I attempted to justify choosing the world by reminding myself that I'm already a born-again believer, I cannot lose my salvation. Therefore, even if I invest all of myself in the world, I will still spend eternity in heaven after I die. As you can imagine, there was absolutely no peace in my heart about that option. So then I forced myself to dig down deep into my heart to see who I really wanted to be. The answer? A child of God.

"Now how do I do that?" I immediately asked myself. I began to look at how I tend to spend my time and realized that yes, I know that daily time with God is a good thing and church is a good thing. Yet, I honestly don't know what it looks like to be living this out in every area of my life. I became aware of some great qualities that God has given me that I have used in a way that is less than glorifying to Him. For instance, I love big. But instead of investing this love in people, I've invested in things. I don't think that's something God wants for me. 

All of this pondering led me to the conclusion that I needed to step away from the things that have consumed my love and figure out how to apply Scripture to my life, how to have a thriving relationship with my Creator, and how to truly love those around me. This is the main purpose for my media hiatus: To grow in my walk with God; to develop in my Journey a little. 

I'm aware that people "take time off Facebook" regularly so what I'm doing is not uncommon, which is why it probably is not a big deal to you. I'm not sharing all of this to impress, I'm sharing this for a different selfish reason: I greatly desire your prayers on my behalf this next month. Pray that God will use this time for His glory and my good. That I would be open to His working and allow Him to grow me. That I would develop a sincere love for Him as well as for those around me. That He would break the hold that this world seems to have on my heart. Would you pray for me?

At the end of this month, I hope to have a few insights to share with my readers concerning the things that God might teach me. In the meantime, I look forward to this mini adventure and what may come of it. Have a great month, y'all! I'll write when I get to the other end of this stretch of road.