Construction Zone

For the past three weeks or so, my husband and I have been living on a dirt road. We live out in the country, but not that far! Three weeks ago the road crews started work. They scraped up the old pot-holed asphalt, scraped a little more than left. We were excited! Finally we were getting road improvements! Then we waited....
and waited....

and waited...
For almost two weeks. nothing.

Then Monday they were back! They scraped and scraped. When I left the house Monday afternoon I thought the road would be done when I got home. "What a surprise for Mark!" But no - they just scraped.

Tuesday, they scraped more then poured some stinky oily dirt and scraped some more.

Wednesday, more stinky oily dirt and more scraping. Although I know they probably have a method for what they are doing - they've built more roads than I have, I still wonder why they don't just scrape once and get it over with? By the time they finished Wednesday we had the smoothest dirt road imaginable! But still dirt - I don't know at what point we actually get asphalt back!

Although the methods seem repetitive and sometimes fruitless, I know these road construction engineers have a plan. So it is with God.

Sometimes our lives seem so torn up like my road. Sometimes it seems God starts to work and then we wait and wait...
and wait.
We feel like we're getting no where, like nothing is happening.
Then maybe God starts scraping again and again
and again.
We wonder why we have to keep going through things. After all we learned the lesson the first time through, right? But on He goes, because He knows what He's doing even when I can't see it. After all - I've never "built" a Christian before.

The main objective in front of my house is a road - a solid one that won't wash away with the first drops of rain. One that won't have a bunch of potholes after the first then cars have driven over it.

God's objective is to create us into His image. I don't konw when the road outside will be finished, but I know that it will be finished long before God teaches me all He wants me to learn - that process will take a lifetime!

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Photos credit

Time to Eat!

Ever been really HUNGRY? A few evenings ago I was really hungry. We ha d been on the road most of the day and I hadn’t eaten the normal big meals – you know the ones, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper and snack. (Ok, minus so many snacks!) :) While traveling, I like to snack. (There’s that word again!) The problem is that all these little snacks keep me from being really hungry, you know – when you feel like you could eat anything even brussel sprouts. Wait… I wouldn’t go quite that far! Unfortunately, I tend to eat this way most of the time, thus my list of “meals” above. I’ve heard it’s best to eat more, smaller meals 0 but they need to be healthy and I don’t always make the right choices, but I try!I never thought of it until recently, but I tend to be the same way with my spiritual food. I get just enough satisfaction from church and my daily Bible and devotional reading that I don’t “hunger” after God’s Word as I ought to. While a hungry person will seek whole-heartedly for something to eat, the person who has had just enough doesn’t crave the food as much. My challenge to myself and to you is that we seek to become hungrier for God and His Word. Not by starving ourselves of church and daily devotionals, but by asking God to give us a sincere hungering.

Paul scolds the Corinthians for not having a good appetite in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. He tells them that he had to feed them milk instead of meat or solid food. They were not ready to receive solid food because they were still “fleshly.” The Corinthians needed an increase in their appetite as well as maturity.

When a person is hungry enough, he will eat anything! Proverbs 27:7b (NASB) says, “A sated [full] man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.”

Matthew 6:33 says that those who seek God’s Kingdom first and all these things will be added unto you. When we seek to have all God wants for us, He will fill us up! He wants to give us all that we can handle to grow in Him.

A sated man doesn’t seek. He’s no longer hungry. He’s satisfied and not willing to search. But a starved man will eat burnt toast. He’s seeking, he’s hungry. Have you ever noticed how fragile spiritual hunger is? One little delight and we’re good for a while. We don’t stay hungry for long.

These verses are talking about real hunger – craving, pursuing, seeking. Empty-belly hunger. That’s the kind of hunger God is looking for. Content in Him certainly. Content in who He is, and in the way He provides for our every need, but not satisfied. Not feeling so full that we no longer crave the knowledge and presence of God.”
~~~Lori Wick from the book Cassidy, Harvest House Publishers 2007.~~~

Thank you to Mrs. Wick for the inspiration and conclusion for this post! Many times the good fiction I read inspires me to deeper thought – hmm… that sounds like a whole other post to me!

Until then, here's to a healthy appetite!

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Image courtesy of All Posters.com.

Cotton Candy

"Feel-good feelings are like cotton candy"

HUH??!

I guess the above looks like a very random metaphor. Before you start thinking that I've totally fallen off the deep end, let me explain.

Today's society places a lot of emphasis on how we feel - in schools, relationships, and sometimes even in church. If it feels good, do it! This has become the motto.

Kids are taught in some school to have good self-esteem. While I don't think this is an entirely wrong concept, there is way too much emphasis placed on the "self" part of that phrase. They say that kids aren't supposed to fail or lose. (But isn't that what makes successes so sweet? Look at Edison and the light bulb.) Teachers aren't even supposed to use red ink - lest it damage self-esteem. I could go on, but that is another soapbox for another place and time.

If it feels good, do it! This is often applied to relationships as well - friendships as well as romantic relationships. Often the focus of relationships has been self - does this person meet MY needs? If the answer is no, than it has become time to move on because "it's all about me" right? Um, whatever happened to caring for others? To putting the needs of others above your own? Jesus, Others, You spells JOY. Lack of commitment has become an epidemic and much of it is based on the perception that "he (or she) isn't meeting MY needs."

Some churches have even fallen into the trap of feel-good feelings. They say (or convey the idea) that as long as you are on an emotional "high," than all must be well between you and God. While it isn't wrong to feel these emotions - they don't last and should not be what we constantly seek in our walk with God.

Which brings me back to cotton candy. (You were waiting for this, right? Probably the only reason you've read this far!) First, let me say that I like cotton candy. It is something I enjoy on occasion. I also enjoy good feelings, they in and of themselves, aren't wrong. But...

Cotton candy is a bunch of fluff - you put it into your mouth and POUF! it's gone. Feelings are the same way. As soon as you grab ahold of them, they disappear - they don't last. Cotton candy also isn't very substantial. You can't live on the stuff. It's about 90% air, 8% sugar and 2% dye. (Before you run to the kitchen, this isn't a recipe - merely my assessment.) You can't live off feelings either - you won't survive emotionally or spiritually. Just as your body needs nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamins, just to name a few, your spirit and soul need things like perseverence, commitment and faith.

Instead of self-esteem, we should seek self-improvement through study and hard work. Instead of trying to get what we can out of a relationship, we should seek for what we can bring to it, and not trash it when the going gets tough. Instead of seeking a spiritual experience, we should live by faith in God and His Word.

And that is better than cotton candy.

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Image sources:
First Image
Second Image

Ripples and Wildflowers

Picture with me a smooth quiet pond. There are green grass and colorful wildflowers reflected in the stillness of the water. The tree behind you houses a family of birds chirping away. You look down and see an acorn lying on the ground. You pick it up and throw it into the water. At first there is little effect, but soon the ripples start forming and outward they grow, larger and larger, disturbing the quiet water. You reach down and gather five more acorns and toss them in. This time the ripples seem to take over the entire pond. Each acorn making it’s own path until it meets with the paths of the others.

So is life. Each of us is like one of those acorns. We are each making our own path through life. The decisions that we make and the words that we speak often have effects that reach farther than we imagine. We may feel at times that no one really cares what we do, but often we don’t know who is watching and listening and learning.

The wrong choices that are made, the negative words spoken, even a sour expression may not seem to you to have much of a lasting effect, but what if everyone acted the way you do? On the other hand, a kind word, a soft smile, a thoughtful action, or even just doing our daily chores with a cheerful attitude can have farther reaching results than you would think.

For example, think of the beautiful wildflowers along the road. Some people want to stop and pick them. So what’s wrong with that? Well, what if everyone that drove by did the same thing, soon there would not be any to enjoy and none to spread their seeds and bring forth more flowers. However, think of a bare patch of ground along a busy highway. Instead of taking something, what if each person planted a seed? Think of the loveliness that would be created! What if everyone made the choices that you make? The things that we do may seem small, but what if everyone was doing it?

Sometimes it seems that as Christians, we don’t seem to be making much of an impact on the world. But as we do what we can to honor and serve God, someone is watching us. Maybe we can make a difference in that one persons life, who will, in turn, make a difference for someone else, and so the ripples form. As we make choices each day to serve God and help others and to not live selfishly, our actions progress onward. We won’t know until we reach eternity, the effect that our lives have had on others.

So what kind of ripples are you making today? Even if you never leave your house, your actions matter to someone. Go make some ripples! Go plant some seeds!

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Images Courtesy of:
www.nsf.gov
www.brazoscyclists.org

Overcoming the Overwhelming: Part 2

Fear is a very real part of life. A certain amount of fear is necessary to actually live! If we weren't "afraid" of being in a car accident, drivers would not be cautious and there would be a lot more accidents than there already are. Some fears however, are detrimental to our lives as Christians. Elizabeth Elliott compares fear to another strong human emotion: "People who have themselves experienced both grief and fear know how alike those two things are ... they are equally disabling, distracting, and destructive."(1.) Disabling, in that fear can prevent you from experiencing new things or enjoying the fullness of God's will. Distracting in that fear will take your focus off God and His Word as well as your responsibilities in life. Destructive in that your peace is destroyed and you are unable to accomplish what God has called you to do.

I'm sure you have seen this at work in someone else's life, if not even in your own. I faced debilitating fear when I went through panic attacks and the surrounding stress. It is important for me to point out that not all fear is caused by a lack of faith or spiritual weakness. Sometimes fears or depression is brought on by a physical condition, whether in our bodies or a short-circuit in our brain. If you face continued fears, you may need to speak to a health professional. He or she can tell you whether or not you need to seek further help. The important thing to remember is that you are not a "bad" Christian or un-Christian because you have a problem. This problem is not always caused by a lack of trust or faith in God.

Even Paul fought a battle. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Paul speaks of his "thorn in the flesh." We don't know what this thorn was it could have been physical or mental or spiritual. Paul asked repeatedly for this thorn to be removed (v.8) Jesus's answer to him is a promise to us as well in whatever situation we face: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." We like Paul, can take heart that God will use our weakness for His Own glory and through our weakness God gives us strength. (vv. 9-10) "All things work together for good." Romans 8:28

God's anecdote to fear is love.

• 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but ... of love...”
• Romans 8:39 Nothing can separate us from God's love. "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature [insert fear], shall be able to separate us from the love of God"
• 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment" This is the key verse for me. As I spend more time with God, His love fills my being. As I am filled with His love, there is less and less room for fear. I picture the love squeezing out fear, or just kicking it out the door!
  

Like I said above, not all fears are harmful. The Bible states a necessary "fear" - the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is not an overwhelming scared feeling, but rather a feeling of awe and respect for our Creator. When we have a healthy fear of the Lord, our irrational fears have to step aside.

Here are a few facts about the fear of the Lord:

• It is the beginning of Wisdom (Ps 111:10 and Prov. 9:10)
• Is clean (Ps.19:9)
• Prolongs Days (Prov. 10:27)
• Is strong confidence, a place of refuge (Prov. 14:26)
• Is a fountain of life (Prov. 14:27)
• To depart from evil (Prov. 16:6)

How wonderful to know that when life seems dark, we can trust in the Lord and run to Him in our time of need. His love is there to comfort us and cast out our bad fears, and when we fear Him, we have a strong confidence, a refuge, and life.
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(1.) Twelve Baskets of Crumbs, Elizabeth Elliott, 1976.