Trust Issues

Have you ever had those moments when a wave of fear hits you and blinds you to reality and sensible thinking? When the glass is half empty and you have no idea where you can get more water? When the only word that seems to accurately describe your situation is "impossible"? Yeah...me neither. ;)

I'd like to say that my knee-jerk reaction in those moments is total faith and confidence in God, but it's not. In those moments I go cerebral and try to figure out the answer, the solution, the way out. And, certainly, God gave us a brain to use, BUT...we have more at our disposal than just our reasoning faculties. Sometimes, the answer isn't in your brain. Then what?

God gave us His written Word, He gave us the Living Word, He gave us His Spirit (Who lives in every believer to help us, show us things to come, and guide us into all Truth). That's quite an arsenal. All those things - working together with the wits He gave us - are enough to face the unknown. 

As I purposefully venture into 2014, I'm reminded of this verse:

Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make straight your paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6

I don't know all the details of what the future holds for me, but I don't venture there alone or unarmed. I have a faithful Companion Who cares for me affectionately and about me watchfully (1 Peter 5:7 AMP). No matter what my initial response to a matter is, this truth is where I choose to land: He is faithful and I trust Him. 

"...oh, for grace to trust Him more..."

Get Fresh

I think it was the first time I heard Keith Moore "make up" a song at the end of a church service that got me hooked. How did he do that? Just get up there and fly by the seat of his pants? Could anybody do that, or did I have to have some special anointing?

That was over 20 years ago. Since then I've learned that this business of "making up" songs is found in Eph. 5 and Col. 3, and any Christian can do it. Crazy, but true. The hard part was getting over myself and starting, not knowing what I was going to sing next. 

This idea of singing a "new song" to the Lord is thousands of years old. The word "new" in Psalm 98 means "fresh"...sing a fresh song to the Lord. It's a song that isn't old or stale. It's fresh from the oven and has the same appeal to God as fresh bread or fresh cookies has to us. The prepackaged stuff is OK, but the good stuff is the fresh stuff.

God delights in the fresh stuff from our hearts, not our left-overs or our canned, prepackaged songs. Those are OK; those still have value. But on a personal level, just alone with Him, we can sing a song of thanksgiving or praise or worship that no one has ever heard before... Not even our own ears!

When I first began this adventure I was nervous. I felt embarrassed because it was probably going to sound stupid. But once I realized that God was the only one who was going to hear it and He was already predisposed to like it, I wasn't as afraid of "making a mistake". Who cares if I did besides me?...and I wasn't singing to me or for my approval. I was singing to Him to express my love and thanks. 

I encourage you to give it a try. It may not sound pretty. It may not rhyme. It may only have 2 chords and 5 words. But if it comes fresh from your heart, He loves it!

Psalm 98:1

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! 

(NKJ)

Sing to God a brand-new song... (MSG)

First Responder

Genesis 37:24, 26-27 - ²⁴ Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. ²⁶ So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.

The story of the life of Joseph continues to encourage me. Here's what encouraged me today: Judah got Joseph out of the pit. Heavy revie. The Hebrew definition of Judah's name has to do with praising the Lord. So, when I read that Judah got Joseph out of the pit, I know that praising the Lord will get me out of any pit that I am in.

It's so much easier to whine and complain in the pit. It's easier to focus on the faults of other and blame them for why I'm in the pit. But none of that will get me out of the pit. Focusing on the character and Word of God - coupled with the words of my mouth - is THE way out.

Multiple times, God's way out has been "Judah first". (Judges 20; 2 Chron. 20; Acts 16) That has not always been my first response, but I'm convinced that it should be. And - with practice - will be.

Proper Margin

I recently read an article on the lack of margin people have in their lives - how they live to the edge financially, with their time, etc.  I know this dates me, but I remember having to type a paper and having to set my own margins on the typewriter. Now, my documents are automatically set for me when I use my computer. Wouldn't THAT be lovely?...to have built-in margin? But it doesn't seem to work that way in life.

For the most part, we get to choose our margin. It's a blessing to be able to do that. I love the freedom that it brings. But there are times when I compare my margin to someone else's and am left feeling inadequate. I see that some people seem to live to the edge and think that I should be doing more...that I should be falling into bed at night exhausted...that I should be giving it all away.

But, maybe what I fail to see is that the dimensions of my paper aren't as big as that other persons, that they have the proper margins for their life. If my paper is a 3"x5" and another's is 8 1/2"x11"  then there is no way we should have the same margin. So, when I judge someone by saying "They are way too busy" or "They are way too lazy" I am assuming that I know the dimensions that they are working with...and I don't.

I want healthy margins for my life. I certainly don't want my life to be ALL margin...I want my life be filled with the pursuit of God's plan for me. And I certainly don't want my life to have NO margin...I don't want to burn the candle at both ends. I've found (using my Bible as an example) that it's in the margins that God speaks to me, where He can make notes, where He can write the rhema of the logos for me, personally.

I think different seasons of life demand different margin. If I try to apply a set margin to the entirety of my life, I will end up in error. I'll end up too busy or too lazy. I need to allow a shift in my margins with the changes in my life. AND I need to allow God to set the margins for me. If He says "Scale back" or if He says "Go for it", I need to be ready and willing to make the adjustment. I can't live in fear of what others may think or of how they will judge my margin. Nor, should I be quick to judge another's use or lack of it. Instead, I'm going to allow God to set my margins AND to fill up all the other space with what He has for me.

Seed Time

Well, that was "fun". I didn't plant much, again, this year: green beans, pumpkins, and sunflowers. (Maybe next year I'll get brave and plant peas!) It didn't take very long, but it was still work. It's more than dropping a seed down.

That whole "parable of the sower" thing...so true. It really does matter what kind of soil you sow into. For maximum results you need proper soil conditions...depth, nutrients, tilled well, not rocky. I can't say that I really know what I'm doing, but I'm applying the limited knowledge that I do have ☺.

There's something about "seed time" that is exciting...hopeful. Even though it's work, it's satisfying work. "Harvest" is the whole point of seed time. What a waste of time it would be to just plant, but plant we must if we want harvest. But to get to harvest... Faith and Patience...watering and weeding. Not so exciting.

Even though my seeds can't be seen, I know where I've planted them; it was very intentional. I had to spend time breaking up the fallow ground, clear rocks away and uproot weeds. Now I can point to those areas and declare: Green Beans! Pumpkins! Sunflowers! They ARE there, even though they can't be seen. Soon my "faith" will become "sight".

I was challenged today, as I was preparing the soil and planting, to be more intentional about the "seeds" I plant...seeds of faith for my life, my husband, my kids, my church, provision, health, relationships. Do I really expect a harvest, or am I just planting for planting's sake? Even after the planting is done will I tend those seeds? Keep them watered? Keep out the weeds and critters? Even the watering and the weeding can be an act of faith...not fun, but - ultimately - fruitful.

Looking forward to harvest...

"T" Party

I've been thinking about having a "T" party for young women and teenage girls. I've never been to a tea party, nor had a tea party, so I don't know what is customary. BUT, this is what I would "serve" at my "T" party:

Maturi-T:

Eph. 4:14-16 - So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.     ¹⁵Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).     ¹⁶For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.

Integri-T:

Titus 2:6-8 - Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, ⁷ in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, ⁸ sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Humili-T:

1 Peter 5:4-6 - Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
      “ God resists the proud,
      But gives grace to the humble.”

6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Puri-T:

1 Tim. 4:12 - Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

I'm sure there are other "T's" that I could serve, but just these 4 could serve as fuel and refreshment for a lifetime!

"I Just Don't Have the Patience."

WARNING: SMARMY SARCASM CONTAINED THROUGHOUT

While listening to Carol Barnier speak this past weekend at the Kalamazoo Homeschool Expo, I LOL-ed at a very common (and frequent) scenario that a majority of homeschooling moms encounter. I know I have experience it. It is this...

When people find out that I homeschool, the most common reaction sounds something like: "Oh, I could never to that! I just don't have...... (wait for it)........(you know what's coming next because you've either heard it or said it yourself)......the PATIENCE!" Yes. Exactly. That is the very reason I DO homeschool, because I'm LOADED with patience! In fact, I have SO MUCH of it that I didn't know what else to do with it. Homeschooling seemed the answer to my pesky superfluous patience problem.

I, personally, have nothing against people that don't homeschool. (For now, we still seem to have the right in this country to parent our children as we choose.) But if a lack of patience is a legitimate excuse to NOT do something, then nothing would get done...

"I just don't have the patience..."

• ...to change my baby's diaper
• ...to go to the grocery store
• ...to do the laundry
• ...to go to work
• ...to discipline my children
• ...to fill up the gas tank
• ...to mow the lawn
• ...to take a shower...wash my hair...put on deodorant...brush my teeth...

 If you don't WANT to do it, that's one thing. But at least be honest about it. People farm out all kinds of work they don't want to take the time to do, but they don't normally play the patience card.

I've found this excuse quite insufficient especially when it comes out of the mouth of a Christian. So Galatians 5:22 holds no power? This passage says that the believer DOES have patience and can actually GROW in it. Shocking.

But, perhaps Paul was misguided when he wrote that...