Every relationship in our lives has numerous purposes and potential for teaching us about ourselves and about life in general. Do we live with the understanding and feeling of awe that every friendship that is formed during this time on the earth is intimately woven together by the very hand of God? When we do, we are more able to recognize God’s divine hand in our lives and can know that nothing happens by chance. By doing so, we can grow more in the potential that God has for every single one of us because we know our life is important. When we know our importance, it protects us from living in hopelessness and despair and reminds us that even in the boredom of some days, God is taking notice. It’s so important we live with this kind of perspective. Life is so much more fun with a sense of destiny in the “normal” things, like friendships. I love thinking about my friends and family and how, among all the billions of people on the earth, I am meant to share life with them. God wants us to be wowed by the normal every day parts of life! Our lives have destiny written all over it, and our relationships are among the most important and enjoyable things He has given us. God wants us to see His fingerprints on our every day normal lives.
The problem with you and I is that we sometimes stink at relationships. What we need to realize is that even if we have made mistakes or have regrets in relationships, nothing is a waste when it comes to living life better. It’s hard for us to see that even in our mistakes God can work something beautiful on the inside of us. That’s what God does best. He is really, really good at this! He can take any situation or relationship, even though it may never be the way it was at one time, and teach us about how to live life better. Then, there are times that He can heal the brokenness in the relationship to where it is better than what it was. Bitterness, on the other hand, tells us to give up and live in our anger and unforgiveness, when God wants to use every situation for us to become who we are supposed to become. Take advantage of what God wants to do even in life’s mistakes.
Take a minute and think about the people in your life. Begin to live every day knowing that it is no coincidence they have been brought into your life. It may just be for a season, or it may be for a lifetime. Take advantage of the gift of friendship that has been given to you, and in return, be the gift that you are meant to be to someone else. Keep the right perspective when dealing with broken relationships or mistakes and be open to the change that God wants to bring in your life so you can live life to your fullest potential. Most of all, don’t forget how important you are!! Oh, and laugh a lot.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
God's Time Line - Days of Mercy
It’s so important to understand the days we are living in. It’s kind of incredible to think that the beginning of life on the earth was just one part of God’s history. The fact that He always was is enough to overwhelm our little brains. It is simply hard to comprehend the fact that God had no beginning. Yet, in that time before the earth was created, He thought up everything that we see and know. Imagine God’s never ending time line and the beginning of humanity being somewhere on that. We are going towards something. There are other events on His time line and we don’t have to be in the dark about them. As a matter of fact, He willingly and very much desires that we share in what He is doing and WILL do in future events. He wants us to know so we are both ready and not surprised when those coming events take place.
I don’t want to write so much about future events, although I greatly encourage you to take the time to know what those events are. I want us to ponder about the time we are living in right now on the earth. When I say “right now,” I actually mean from the beginning of time, when people were first created and put on the earth. I’m talking about the chunk on God’s time line from the first human being put on the earth until now. From that time on we have lived in a time of mercy. Yes, we are indeed living in a time of mercy. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice in making a way for us to know God, every human being has been given the chance to know Him. God has given us this span of 70 or 80 years with the opportunity of actually getting to choose whether we want to spend the next years in eternity with Him.
Do we realize how incredibly short this time on the earth is? Picture God’s time line again. It has no starting place, but always was. In the middle somewhere is the day you were born. A short distance longer, the day you will die. Then, it is a NEVER ENDING time line from there on. God has many plans for every single one of us even into eternity. He has given us these short few years, a span of mercy, to be able to say yes to Him. It may be short, but our days on the earth are so precious to God. Every choice we make for Him He is writing down and taking notice. Every decision counts and matters to Him. He doesn’t forget any of them. They may not weigh much now, and people may not honor or praise you for making such choices, but in eternity the weight and value of those choices will be seen as they really are.
Many are fearful about what lies after death. You don’t have to be! Take advantage of your life on the earth, because it does matter what we do. Our lives really are being recorded! It’s so exciting to know every choice counts! And also, because of Jesus, our sin is the only thing that is not recorded or evaluated. His love covers our multitude of sins so we are able to stand in relationship with Him without shame. When we stand before God on that day, He will mention a lot of things about our lives. He will recall small things that we have forgotten, but He remembers. He will talk about the times we honored Him by helping and loving others. There is one thing He won’t mention, and that is our sin.
Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.” It’s astounding to know that in your life and in mine, God can be found. All we have to do is make room for Him. Take advantage of these years of mercy, for the best is yet to come!
I don’t want to write so much about future events, although I greatly encourage you to take the time to know what those events are. I want us to ponder about the time we are living in right now on the earth. When I say “right now,” I actually mean from the beginning of time, when people were first created and put on the earth. I’m talking about the chunk on God’s time line from the first human being put on the earth until now. From that time on we have lived in a time of mercy. Yes, we are indeed living in a time of mercy. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice in making a way for us to know God, every human being has been given the chance to know Him. God has given us this span of 70 or 80 years with the opportunity of actually getting to choose whether we want to spend the next years in eternity with Him.
Do we realize how incredibly short this time on the earth is? Picture God’s time line again. It has no starting place, but always was. In the middle somewhere is the day you were born. A short distance longer, the day you will die. Then, it is a NEVER ENDING time line from there on. God has many plans for every single one of us even into eternity. He has given us these short few years, a span of mercy, to be able to say yes to Him. It may be short, but our days on the earth are so precious to God. Every choice we make for Him He is writing down and taking notice. Every decision counts and matters to Him. He doesn’t forget any of them. They may not weigh much now, and people may not honor or praise you for making such choices, but in eternity the weight and value of those choices will be seen as they really are.
Many are fearful about what lies after death. You don’t have to be! Take advantage of your life on the earth, because it does matter what we do. Our lives really are being recorded! It’s so exciting to know every choice counts! And also, because of Jesus, our sin is the only thing that is not recorded or evaluated. His love covers our multitude of sins so we are able to stand in relationship with Him without shame. When we stand before God on that day, He will mention a lot of things about our lives. He will recall small things that we have forgotten, but He remembers. He will talk about the times we honored Him by helping and loving others. There is one thing He won’t mention, and that is our sin.
Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.” It’s astounding to know that in your life and in mine, God can be found. All we have to do is make room for Him. Take advantage of these years of mercy, for the best is yet to come!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Spirit of Adoption - Knowing the Father's Heart in Days to Come
There are so many different parts of God’s personality that gives us different pictures of how He loves us. I want to mention one that happens to be one of my most favorite parts of God. In all of history, there has never been the amount of parentless children than there are now on the earth. Because of increasing violence, wars, and the spread of AIDS, the number of orphans in the world is increasing at a frightening rate. I believe that in the days to come, God will raise up many who know Him as Father. Yes, it will be because of the many who have lost their parents, but it will also be for the ones who have parents, but have lived in abuse and neglect. The brokenness among children will so increase over time that we have to be prepared by knowing the heart of our Father for them. There will be those who are called to bring His heart to children in the most devastating situations. They will have an understanding of the Father’s heart and will not only communicate it to them, but will carry the “spirit of adoption” that is talked about in Romans 8:15. Orphanages will be started, individual adoptions will take place more than ever before, and people will hear the call to go and rescue them in the darkest of areas on the earth. They will tell them of their value, that they are wanted, and that they have a family. It will beautiful, a reflection of what God loves doing.
Even now He is looking for those who will say yes to become a spiritual mother or father. You may not ever adopt or live at an orphanage in a third world country. But you can find a kid that needs your hugs, love, and attention. They are everywhere. We don’t realize the impact we can have on a little one’s life. Then again, you might be someone that will be so privileged to go to the poorest of places in the world to live among them, feed them, clothe them, and hold them.
James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
Isaiah 40:11 “…He gathers them in His arms and holds them close to His heart…”
Isaiah 49:15 “They said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me the, the Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a mother forget the baby at her side and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.”
Even now He is looking for those who will say yes to become a spiritual mother or father. You may not ever adopt or live at an orphanage in a third world country. But you can find a kid that needs your hugs, love, and attention. They are everywhere. We don’t realize the impact we can have on a little one’s life. Then again, you might be someone that will be so privileged to go to the poorest of places in the world to live among them, feed them, clothe them, and hold them.
James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
Isaiah 40:11 “…He gathers them in His arms and holds them close to His heart…”
Isaiah 49:15 “They said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me the, the Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a mother forget the baby at her side and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Narrow Way
It is true God calls us to live on a narrow path. Sometimes that path is very different than what we might imagine. It is often uncomfortable and even called unnecessary to the one who would see it as so. It’s a path of many sacrifices. It’s giving our lives up to find Him. God is not balanced when it comes to loving us. He gave us His entire self. His jealousy over our lives is a reflection of anything but half-hearted devotion. For there is nothing half hearted about Him. There is nothing balanced about Him. He went all the way. He loved us to the point of literally giving up His life! In the same way, we are not called to give Him only a part of our hearts, but everything. The cry in our hearts should be, “I will go where you want me to go and I will do what you want me to do no matter what that looks like. And I do it out of love, not because I have to.” That looks different for every person. For one it may be saying yes to raising children and being a full time mom or dad. For someone else it may be teaching (wink, wink). For someone else it may be literally giving their life as a martyr. Not everyone will be martyrs, but we can all be living martyrs – those that live so in love with the Lord that we would do anything for Him, even if it means giving up things that are seen as necessary and valuable. That is the narrow way. It’s not the easiest way, but it’s the only way to truly find Him. Whatever it looks like in your life, it’s an honor to give Him our very best.
To say we are called to love Him is something that easily rolls off of our tongues. But what does the path of love look like? Do you know how difficult it is to live a life where He is our only audience? Of course you do. If you don’t, I will tell you. It’s difficult! It’s hard living our life with our identity being in God alone. That means, it doesn’t matter so much what people’s opinions are of us, good or bad. Instead, it’s about what we do when no one is looking and learning to live under His values, which are quite different than what we are used to. It’s not about promoting ourselves to become the next best thing. It’s about being the lowest and most humble servant we can be and promoting others ahead of us. It’s about loving unconditionally and taking the last seat so to speak. It’s about loving our enemies and blessing those that curse us. It’s about our inward life and thoughts, not so much our outward appearance. It’s about blessing others in secret and never telling anyone. It’s realizing that God is the only one that sees every part of you, and His opinion is the only one that counts. If we can live out of that reality – that His opinion of us really is the only one that counts, do you know what kinds of things we could accomplish on the earth for His Kingdom?
That’s what He is calling us to – to have our identity so wrapped up in Him, that we aren’t afraid, we aren’t insecure, and we aren’t aware of what other people think. And, of course, we love everyone who talks about us, insults us, and does any wrong against us. Yikes! That’s a tough one! He is calling us to confidence in Him and in His heart and opinion about us. We must be growing in intimacy with Him. It is this kind of love relationship with the Lord that will guard our hearts against being offended at what does or does not happen in our lives. Staying close to the Lord in prayer will protect us from the many disappointments that will happen over our lifetime. The person who is confident in love will love well, especially the ones who treat him/her wrong. You can love your enemy when you know the One that really matters most is undeniably for you and not against you. Our identity must be rooted in Him, or we will get swayed with the opinions of others and end up wasting our lives just because we cared what someone else thought. Think about it! What a waste to let someone else have that kind of control over us! He is calling us back to the first commandment – loving Him with all of our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. It’s only when we have this as first place in our hearts that we can learn to love others well. It doesn’t work the other way around.
Living the narrow way is saying yes to having Him change us. It’s making a real choice to live by His values and not what’s popular in our culture. It is the way of love, serving others, and humility. It’s being ok with living in the background and not being the next best thing. It’s giving your life for someone else to be successful. Will it be easy? Absolutely not. Will it be worth it? I think so.
To say we are called to love Him is something that easily rolls off of our tongues. But what does the path of love look like? Do you know how difficult it is to live a life where He is our only audience? Of course you do. If you don’t, I will tell you. It’s difficult! It’s hard living our life with our identity being in God alone. That means, it doesn’t matter so much what people’s opinions are of us, good or bad. Instead, it’s about what we do when no one is looking and learning to live under His values, which are quite different than what we are used to. It’s not about promoting ourselves to become the next best thing. It’s about being the lowest and most humble servant we can be and promoting others ahead of us. It’s about loving unconditionally and taking the last seat so to speak. It’s about loving our enemies and blessing those that curse us. It’s about our inward life and thoughts, not so much our outward appearance. It’s about blessing others in secret and never telling anyone. It’s realizing that God is the only one that sees every part of you, and His opinion is the only one that counts. If we can live out of that reality – that His opinion of us really is the only one that counts, do you know what kinds of things we could accomplish on the earth for His Kingdom?
That’s what He is calling us to – to have our identity so wrapped up in Him, that we aren’t afraid, we aren’t insecure, and we aren’t aware of what other people think. And, of course, we love everyone who talks about us, insults us, and does any wrong against us. Yikes! That’s a tough one! He is calling us to confidence in Him and in His heart and opinion about us. We must be growing in intimacy with Him. It is this kind of love relationship with the Lord that will guard our hearts against being offended at what does or does not happen in our lives. Staying close to the Lord in prayer will protect us from the many disappointments that will happen over our lifetime. The person who is confident in love will love well, especially the ones who treat him/her wrong. You can love your enemy when you know the One that really matters most is undeniably for you and not against you. Our identity must be rooted in Him, or we will get swayed with the opinions of others and end up wasting our lives just because we cared what someone else thought. Think about it! What a waste to let someone else have that kind of control over us! He is calling us back to the first commandment – loving Him with all of our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. It’s only when we have this as first place in our hearts that we can learn to love others well. It doesn’t work the other way around.
Living the narrow way is saying yes to having Him change us. It’s making a real choice to live by His values and not what’s popular in our culture. It is the way of love, serving others, and humility. It’s being ok with living in the background and not being the next best thing. It’s giving your life for someone else to be successful. Will it be easy? Absolutely not. Will it be worth it? I think so.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Experiencing a Bit of Heaven on Earth - Jesus' Heart for Us
In every heart lies a great desire to love another to the point of moving their heart. When our hearts are touched by another, our emotions are stirred and we call it being “moved.” It is intimacy we long for. It is intimacy we are made for. No one should be sorry for longing for this, for our hearts are made to have such sweet moments both with God and others. We are meant to both receive and give this kind of love. Whether it is a friend, a spouse, or a family member, our hearts are made for such kind of relationships. It is inside of every single person and we can’t deny the fact that we love being loved and love giving love. We were made for this.
In the heart of God, it is the same longing that is found. Deep within His heart lies such desire for friendship and intimacy with us. It is not the angels that His heart desires, though they must be glorious. It is humans like you and I that catch His glance. Though He is high and lofty sitting on a throne, He stoops so low as to look at us, calling us by name and longing simply that we would open our hearts to Him. He wants to serve us, help us, come along side us, and love us. What kind of God is this that truly wants to be involved in our lives? He wants to hear our voice, but not out of duty. He loves when we are sincere...when we actually think about what we are telling Him, and not say a quick prayer for the sake of checking it off. For who wants to be talked to simply out of duty? He longs for sincere words from us. Just like us, He loves to be moved and He loves to be loved. And just like us, He wants someone to share His thoughts with. And just like us, He wants to be listened to and enjoyed.
Next time you talk to Him, think about what you are saying. Don’t be so quick to say the list of needs you have before hitting the sack. Yes, He wants you to ask for things. He absolutely does! But make it a goal to stop for a moment, quiet your heart, and tell Him how you feel about Him. In doing so, be ready to listen to Him as He begins to unfold His heart towards you. You will begin to experience the tenderness and compassion that He has for you. Stick with it and you will find that your heart will become more and more aware of His presence until you too are moved by His thoughts and affection towards you. It is an invitation for all of us – young, old, poor, single, married, etc. It’s an invitation to experience a bit of heaven on earth – the heart of Jesus for us.
In the heart of God, it is the same longing that is found. Deep within His heart lies such desire for friendship and intimacy with us. It is not the angels that His heart desires, though they must be glorious. It is humans like you and I that catch His glance. Though He is high and lofty sitting on a throne, He stoops so low as to look at us, calling us by name and longing simply that we would open our hearts to Him. He wants to serve us, help us, come along side us, and love us. What kind of God is this that truly wants to be involved in our lives? He wants to hear our voice, but not out of duty. He loves when we are sincere...when we actually think about what we are telling Him, and not say a quick prayer for the sake of checking it off. For who wants to be talked to simply out of duty? He longs for sincere words from us. Just like us, He loves to be moved and He loves to be loved. And just like us, He wants someone to share His thoughts with. And just like us, He wants to be listened to and enjoyed.
Next time you talk to Him, think about what you are saying. Don’t be so quick to say the list of needs you have before hitting the sack. Yes, He wants you to ask for things. He absolutely does! But make it a goal to stop for a moment, quiet your heart, and tell Him how you feel about Him. In doing so, be ready to listen to Him as He begins to unfold His heart towards you. You will begin to experience the tenderness and compassion that He has for you. Stick with it and you will find that your heart will become more and more aware of His presence until you too are moved by His thoughts and affection towards you. It is an invitation for all of us – young, old, poor, single, married, etc. It’s an invitation to experience a bit of heaven on earth – the heart of Jesus for us.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
God's Parenting Skills - How He Deals With Us
I was three years old as I stood in front of my house in the tiny town of Campo, Colorodo. Wide-eyed and ready to make a run for it, I had set my mind on one thing. My grandma’s house. She lived across the street and was ready and willing at any time for me to eat her candy. My little three year old mind knew this and was ready to take action for that to occur. Before the coming of this day, I would stand in front of my window and gaze across the street dreaming of being at my grandma’s house, a place where candy had no boundaries! This particular day I was ready to go beyond the gazing and make a run for it! Who knows if I had shoes or decent clothes on. I’m sure I didn’t and I didn’t care. I crossed the street and ran into my grandma’s house who was oh so happy to see I had come. A sweet hug and smile were exchanged, and then the candy came out. I was soon a very happy little girl! Not long after, I heard a voice yelling, “Marci, Marci!” It was a voice I knew oh so well. My daddy. He was coming to get me and take me home. I’m sure he explained to me the dangers of crossing the street and not having an adult. I just wanted some candy. I went back home with my daddy and listened to what he had to say. Then, without hesitation, when his back was turned, I made my way across the street again to be with my grandma and eat her candy! As you can see, this situation became a training opportunity for my parents. From what they tell me, it took awhile for the lesson to sink in to my little mind! The above story occurred over and over again, day after day! My parents should have just given me candy and it would have solved the problem! J Ha!
I just want to write a few thoughts on what our Father is like. How does He handle all of us? What does He do when He has a “kid” like me, who is so stubborn? What are His ways in changing and disciplining us? Oh how I love the way He deals with us! I love the heart of our Father for weak and broken human beings!! There is no doubt that He is intimately involved and committed in training us to become who we are meant to be. Life is full of lessons to be learned, and often it takes several situations for us to mature to the point of having the wisdom He wants us to have. Mistakes are both necessary and beneficial if we let them be.
There are so many different theories on parenting. Some parents believe in spanking, others believe effective communication will do the trick. There are so many different strategies out there. Our Father has His own way of changing, training, and “parenting” us. And it is perfect. He is the perfect parent! I can’t go on without including one of my favorite verses, “…He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our sin.” (Psalms 103) It’s scary to think what we really deserve. Yet, God doesn’t give us what we deserve. He treats us much better than we deserve. There are so many things He overlooks and forgets concerning our lives. Because of Jesus, we can actually have peace with God (Romans 5:1). That means we can be friends with Him and our sin no longer stands in the way. He has made a way for weak and broken human beings to actually come close to God. This is incredible! I mean, this is INCREDIBLE! So, what I am saying is…God is just really super nice to us. Beyond what we even realize. He is WAY nice. I love that He is this way!
So, if He doesn’t treat us as we deserve, how does He change us? Do you know He has a goal for you in mind? Do you know He is so excited about who you will become? And do you know that what you will become is how He sees you TODAY? When my stubbornness stopped me from obeying my daddy, He knew that I wouldn’t always have that problem of crossing the street without being cautious! He knew I would grow up one day and be able to process in my mind that a car could be coming and I might want to look both ways before crossing. My dad knew I wouldn’t always have that problem of not obeying Him in that situation. God knows the struggles and weaknesses we have now won’t always have a hold of us. He probably says things like, “Yes, (your name) is not so good at that, but you just wait…wait until you see what she/he becomes. It will blow your mind!!” That’s why it’s so important we have hearts that are set on eternity. This world is so temporary. Everything about it will fade away in time. I can’t wait for what’s next, and God can’t either! He is so excited about YOU! His heart swells with pride when He thinks about you. Yes, life on this earth is cruddy at times, especially when we realize our worst enemy is often ourselves. We don’t have the power to change us. We simply can’t be good on our own. But, this life is an itty bitty tiny part of the big picture. What lies after this 70 or 80 years on the earth will be glorious beyond what we can even think or imagine. God dreams of that day too – because you will be all that you are meant to be. He sees you today, not as a messed up individual (though you may be), but as someone who will be very useful to Him in the age to come. He has plans for all of us, more than we can think or imagine! And you will love Him with all of your heart. The things that you struggle with now will be gone in just a little while longer. We won’t just be floating on clouds and singing lullabies. So, one way God changes us is through communicating truth to our hearts of who we are through His eyes. When we know His heart towards us, we are more likely to turn to Him in dark times. If we believe the lies about God, that He is distant, mad, and disappointed, we tend to not turn to Him and stay in our shame and despair. The fear of what He thinks or feels about us is enough for us to stay away. Oh Lord, break the lies in our hearts that we might know the incredible truth you have to say about us! He really, really likes us!
Finally, I want to mention Psalms 103:13-17.
“As a Father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him…”
Ok, everyone smile really big now! Time to be happy and have hope!
I just want to write a few thoughts on what our Father is like. How does He handle all of us? What does He do when He has a “kid” like me, who is so stubborn? What are His ways in changing and disciplining us? Oh how I love the way He deals with us! I love the heart of our Father for weak and broken human beings!! There is no doubt that He is intimately involved and committed in training us to become who we are meant to be. Life is full of lessons to be learned, and often it takes several situations for us to mature to the point of having the wisdom He wants us to have. Mistakes are both necessary and beneficial if we let them be.
There are so many different theories on parenting. Some parents believe in spanking, others believe effective communication will do the trick. There are so many different strategies out there. Our Father has His own way of changing, training, and “parenting” us. And it is perfect. He is the perfect parent! I can’t go on without including one of my favorite verses, “…He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our sin.” (Psalms 103) It’s scary to think what we really deserve. Yet, God doesn’t give us what we deserve. He treats us much better than we deserve. There are so many things He overlooks and forgets concerning our lives. Because of Jesus, we can actually have peace with God (Romans 5:1). That means we can be friends with Him and our sin no longer stands in the way. He has made a way for weak and broken human beings to actually come close to God. This is incredible! I mean, this is INCREDIBLE! So, what I am saying is…God is just really super nice to us. Beyond what we even realize. He is WAY nice. I love that He is this way!
So, if He doesn’t treat us as we deserve, how does He change us? Do you know He has a goal for you in mind? Do you know He is so excited about who you will become? And do you know that what you will become is how He sees you TODAY? When my stubbornness stopped me from obeying my daddy, He knew that I wouldn’t always have that problem of crossing the street without being cautious! He knew I would grow up one day and be able to process in my mind that a car could be coming and I might want to look both ways before crossing. My dad knew I wouldn’t always have that problem of not obeying Him in that situation. God knows the struggles and weaknesses we have now won’t always have a hold of us. He probably says things like, “Yes, (your name) is not so good at that, but you just wait…wait until you see what she/he becomes. It will blow your mind!!” That’s why it’s so important we have hearts that are set on eternity. This world is so temporary. Everything about it will fade away in time. I can’t wait for what’s next, and God can’t either! He is so excited about YOU! His heart swells with pride when He thinks about you. Yes, life on this earth is cruddy at times, especially when we realize our worst enemy is often ourselves. We don’t have the power to change us. We simply can’t be good on our own. But, this life is an itty bitty tiny part of the big picture. What lies after this 70 or 80 years on the earth will be glorious beyond what we can even think or imagine. God dreams of that day too – because you will be all that you are meant to be. He sees you today, not as a messed up individual (though you may be), but as someone who will be very useful to Him in the age to come. He has plans for all of us, more than we can think or imagine! And you will love Him with all of your heart. The things that you struggle with now will be gone in just a little while longer. We won’t just be floating on clouds and singing lullabies. So, one way God changes us is through communicating truth to our hearts of who we are through His eyes. When we know His heart towards us, we are more likely to turn to Him in dark times. If we believe the lies about God, that He is distant, mad, and disappointed, we tend to not turn to Him and stay in our shame and despair. The fear of what He thinks or feels about us is enough for us to stay away. Oh Lord, break the lies in our hearts that we might know the incredible truth you have to say about us! He really, really likes us!
Finally, I want to mention Psalms 103:13-17.
“As a Father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him…”
Ok, everyone smile really big now! Time to be happy and have hope!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A New Perspective on Life: Knowing Our Importance and Trusting God's Timing
I had a dream last night that made a big impact on me. I’ve been thinking about it all day. I saw my life. Not as it is, but instead as a round checker piece being played on a checker board. I wasn’t the only piece on the board, but there were several others. Actually, I was surrounded by checker pieces. I was one of many. I saw the actual hand of God reach down and begin to move and shuffle certain pieces around me. I knew the one red checker piece I was looking at symbolized my life and the others around me were relationships I have in my life now. I couldn’t tell you who they were right off hand, I just knew that what I was looking at was a picture of how God had moved people into my life. It was the people in and around my life. There was divine purpose involved in every move of His hand. The sense I had was that each piece was in the exact and perfect place for God’s purpose to unfold. In that moment as I looked at my life being displayed on this checker board, God began to show me several different things.
First of all, I realized that this thing I call “my life” is a very small part of a huge plan. It wasn’t that my life was any less important, I just saw it from a different perspective. It was as if I thought I was the only checker piece on the board and I was shocked to see that there were others, lots of others involved. It is good for us to realize that our lives aren’t only about ourselves. This keeps us from living in self-pity and helps us to have the perspective that life is about others, not just our personal wants and needs. What we tend to forget is how important our life really is to others. We get caught up in the things we need and want, or wish we had, when God has placed us right in the middle of His perfect plan. That plan is not about us getting everything we think we need. A large part of it is how our life fits into others around us. The role we play in other’s lives is huge. We tend to forget this. Selfishness often sneaks into my own heart and stops me from being everything God desires me to be in the lives of those around me. Just like you, I play lots of roles in my life. A daughter, sister, friend, coworker, teacher, and aunt are a few of them. Each role is different than the other and we help fulfill someone else’s life in each one. If we choose the way of self-pity, we tend to isolate ourselves and the relationships we are meant to fulfill are left on the back burner. We so easily get consumed in our own lives that we forget we are made for community. We aren’t made to live life alone, but walking with the other relationships that God has divinely put in our lives. When things aren’t going our way, sometimes God’s answer is not to pick up our checker piece and move it. Sometimes we need to stay right where we are at. It’s not about what we need, but we have to realize where God has placed us has a much bigger purpose than ourselves. If we can get our eyes off of ourselves and begin to see the need in others around us, to be a blessing to them and stop living in self-pity, we will indeed begin to see our lives as God wants us to
Ok, this next one really gets the best of me. It is God’s timing verses our timing. Sometimes my impatience gets the best of me. There are things in all of our hearts we want to happen. We all have dreams we want to take place in our lives. Waiting for those things to happen probably produces more character in us than if they were to happen in our timing. Waiting does incredible things on the inside of us!! It is NOT fun! Sometimes we wonder why God hasn’t moved us on to the next stage of our lives when there is a purpose in the waiting. It’s especially hard when He has put things inside of us that are from Him that we want to do in our lifetime. We often want to rush it. What a reminder to trust His leadership and timing in our lives. To know that His hand is the One that is making the moves can bring such a peace inside of us. We can trust Him….we can trust Him with our entire lives! When His response is simply to wait, or if He says “not yet,” we know it is for our benefit. Even in the waiting, we are being formed and prepared for what God wants to do next in our life. He is always doing something in us! Knowing He is good is enough for us to trust His decisions in our lives. May we not get offended at what we do or don’t have in our lives. He is good and knows what is best! Sometimes this is all we have to cling to when we don’t understand the situations that are taking place in our lives. And really, that’s all we need to know. His love for us is enough.
Lastly, I hope you know how incredibly important your life is. Some may feel alone, others surrounded by others, yet with a sense of emptiness. God wants to remind us of His purpose for us, that we aren’t meant to live life feeling like we are a gerbil on a wheel. Before time began, so much thought was put into your life. And you are one of those checker pieces that God has strategically placed in the position you are in. It’s not easy sometimes, but trust that your life is bigger than the things you see. You are not only needed, but so important and valuable to this journey we call life.
First of all, I realized that this thing I call “my life” is a very small part of a huge plan. It wasn’t that my life was any less important, I just saw it from a different perspective. It was as if I thought I was the only checker piece on the board and I was shocked to see that there were others, lots of others involved. It is good for us to realize that our lives aren’t only about ourselves. This keeps us from living in self-pity and helps us to have the perspective that life is about others, not just our personal wants and needs. What we tend to forget is how important our life really is to others. We get caught up in the things we need and want, or wish we had, when God has placed us right in the middle of His perfect plan. That plan is not about us getting everything we think we need. A large part of it is how our life fits into others around us. The role we play in other’s lives is huge. We tend to forget this. Selfishness often sneaks into my own heart and stops me from being everything God desires me to be in the lives of those around me. Just like you, I play lots of roles in my life. A daughter, sister, friend, coworker, teacher, and aunt are a few of them. Each role is different than the other and we help fulfill someone else’s life in each one. If we choose the way of self-pity, we tend to isolate ourselves and the relationships we are meant to fulfill are left on the back burner. We so easily get consumed in our own lives that we forget we are made for community. We aren’t made to live life alone, but walking with the other relationships that God has divinely put in our lives. When things aren’t going our way, sometimes God’s answer is not to pick up our checker piece and move it. Sometimes we need to stay right where we are at. It’s not about what we need, but we have to realize where God has placed us has a much bigger purpose than ourselves. If we can get our eyes off of ourselves and begin to see the need in others around us, to be a blessing to them and stop living in self-pity, we will indeed begin to see our lives as God wants us to
Ok, this next one really gets the best of me. It is God’s timing verses our timing. Sometimes my impatience gets the best of me. There are things in all of our hearts we want to happen. We all have dreams we want to take place in our lives. Waiting for those things to happen probably produces more character in us than if they were to happen in our timing. Waiting does incredible things on the inside of us!! It is NOT fun! Sometimes we wonder why God hasn’t moved us on to the next stage of our lives when there is a purpose in the waiting. It’s especially hard when He has put things inside of us that are from Him that we want to do in our lifetime. We often want to rush it. What a reminder to trust His leadership and timing in our lives. To know that His hand is the One that is making the moves can bring such a peace inside of us. We can trust Him….we can trust Him with our entire lives! When His response is simply to wait, or if He says “not yet,” we know it is for our benefit. Even in the waiting, we are being formed and prepared for what God wants to do next in our life. He is always doing something in us! Knowing He is good is enough for us to trust His decisions in our lives. May we not get offended at what we do or don’t have in our lives. He is good and knows what is best! Sometimes this is all we have to cling to when we don’t understand the situations that are taking place in our lives. And really, that’s all we need to know. His love for us is enough.
Lastly, I hope you know how incredibly important your life is. Some may feel alone, others surrounded by others, yet with a sense of emptiness. God wants to remind us of His purpose for us, that we aren’t meant to live life feeling like we are a gerbil on a wheel. Before time began, so much thought was put into your life. And you are one of those checker pieces that God has strategically placed in the position you are in. It’s not easy sometimes, but trust that your life is bigger than the things you see. You are not only needed, but so important and valuable to this journey we call life.
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