A couple weeks ago, I had a super-great Wednesday.
(I have every Wednesday off, and have since I started up working again, because the elementary schools are out early. It's a nice week day off so I can run errands or whatever else I need to do during the week. It's nice!)
This was a Wednesday that I was home. I spent the day hanging out in the clothes I slept in (until 5:00 when I went up and got dressed so I could make dinner and go to AWANA/Small Group). I did tons of laundry (and found some missing socks along the way), cleaned up a bit, did a few things here and there. But I was *home*.
I had to get Emma early (10:45 secondary early release - kinda dumb, but means I had more time with her that day which was pretty cool), and we came back home and hung out - not necessarily together the whole time, but together in the house. Nice.
I thoroughly enjoyed that I didn't have to leave the house for any errands, just to get the trolls to and from school (with a quick trip through the bank drive through after getting Rachel from school from her early release day). Easy. I did a little project (my missing sock wall) that day, I enjoyed my newly-rearranged family room, which was finally clean of trolls' sh... cr... stu... um ... (*ahem*) belongings.
My point here? It was nice to be home and do my "real" job here. I don't want to sound ungrateful for anything, because I do truly believe that the job I have (the "other" job) was from God, and that I'm honoring Him by honoring my husband's wishes (to work at a job that helps fund the savings account). But it's so nice when I don't have to worry about that job. I didn't go in on Monday, since there wasn't tons of work, and Tuesday was MOPS, and Wednesday is always a day off. How awesome that I got those days at home this week. Awesome because God made it so for me.
Identity. I think I needed some time this week to do things here and realize that I am valuable for what I do, whether here or there or anywhere, but that my actual identity isn't *in* my job here or there or anywhere. My true identity is in Christ. Doesn't matter whether I have a clean house or do all the laundry. That stuff is nice, but it's not my identity. If I have another job, that's not it either. My identity is in Christ and that's the bottom line.
Lies. I think sometimes I get caught up in the idea (lie) that I'm not doing what I often think I *should* be doing (being a home-only-mom) because I feel like I don't get enough done here. I think that's because I'm believing lies and putting my identity in something other than Christ. Yes, I'm a homemaker, wife, mother. But my actual identity (and priority) is being a child of God, not a homemaker or wife or mother. Those things are secondary to being His child. So when I make sure my identity is in the right place, the rest follows suit. My priorities have to be right or else *I'm* not right. :)
Obedience. Whether or not I think I should or should not have a job outside my home, the fact remains that I do. The fact remains that God gave me that job at a time when it was absolutely necessary. The fact remains that I obey God by honoring and respecting my husband, who believes it wise that I continue in that job so that I am helping support our family *with* him.
Priorities. I'm first God's child; then a wife; then a mother. Then a homemaker, then a friend...the list goes on. It's so important to realize those priorities in life. Do I want my kids to remember that we had an "always clean house", or that all the laundry was always done, or that everything was always in place? No. I want them to remember that we enjoyed spending time together. There is definitely a time for chores and work, but we have to leave room for fun and teaching and learning together also. I may not be a "homeschool" mom, but I am still my kids' (first) teacher. God has told me that it's my job to teach them His ways - so I better have my priorities straight.
Bottom line: Don't believe the lies. Obey God's commands. Get your priorities straight.
Showing posts with label obedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obedience. Show all posts
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Disobedience is like smoking...
I was talking with Emma tonight at bedtime (it seems that's the best "talking" time for some reason).
We were talking about how she doesn't have to be "that" kid - the "teenager" with attitude... she can be an adolescent young woman with a heart for God and a desire to do the right thing, not just have a desire to be cool or have the newest "stuff" or the coolest clothes or whatever the "thing" may be.
She was telling me that most of the time when she starts to have a disobedient or unhealthy attitude, and I tell her she needs to change her attitude (we even have a code word that sometimes just makes her laugh), she often does the typical "huff", and then after being alone for a minute, she said she feels guilty and realizes that I was right; she needed to change her attitude. We talked some more, and I asked her to let me know after she comes to that realization - telling me how she felt, asking forgiveness if necessary - so she can practice *now* being repentant towards God and whomever else she wronged. If she practices that now, then it will be easier in a year or two when she's actually a "teenager". [Ok, Soapbox...by the way, I can't stand that word - at least how it's used now. "Oh, you have *teenagers*? I'm so sorry..." or whatever it is people say. It's really kind of unfair to the kids when they're pretty much typecast into having an attitude problem. Kids don't *have* to be that way. (stepping off soapbox now)]
Anyway, after our little talk, she said the following (it's the basic idea, I am not good at remembering actual words):
How wise our young ones are, if only we take the time to listen to them.
[Thank you God for my babies...
may I be less selfish and more open to what they have to say.]
We were talking about how she doesn't have to be "that" kid - the "teenager" with attitude... she can be an adolescent young woman with a heart for God and a desire to do the right thing, not just have a desire to be cool or have the newest "stuff" or the coolest clothes or whatever the "thing" may be.
She was telling me that most of the time when she starts to have a disobedient or unhealthy attitude, and I tell her she needs to change her attitude (we even have a code word that sometimes just makes her laugh), she often does the typical "huff", and then after being alone for a minute, she said she feels guilty and realizes that I was right; she needed to change her attitude. We talked some more, and I asked her to let me know after she comes to that realization - telling me how she felt, asking forgiveness if necessary - so she can practice *now* being repentant towards God and whomever else she wronged. If she practices that now, then it will be easier in a year or two when she's actually a "teenager". [Ok, Soapbox...by the way, I can't stand that word - at least how it's used now. "Oh, you have *teenagers*? I'm so sorry..." or whatever it is people say. It's really kind of unfair to the kids when they're pretty much typecast into having an attitude problem. Kids don't *have* to be that way. (stepping off soapbox now)]
Anyway, after our little talk, she said the following (it's the basic idea, I am not good at remembering actual words):
Disobedience is like smoking.
When you smoke, you're putting bad stuff into your lungs and they turn black, and sometimes it's hard to stop doing it. People know it's bad for them, but they just can't stop.
Disobedience is something you do and it makes your heart turn black, and you know it's wrong but it's really hard to stop, even though you know it's not right.
How wise our young ones are, if only we take the time to listen to them.
[Thank you God for my babies...
may I be less selfish and more open to what they have to say.]
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Priorities
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (New International Version)
14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
~~
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (New American Standard Bible)
14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
~~
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (New Living Translation)
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
OK. So I can't sleep again until I write these thoughts down.
I have always liked comparing versions of the bible. I'm not going to get into the argument about what version is better than another. Not the point. And frankly not an argument worth arguing about, in my honest opinion. There are more important things on which to spend my time.
Such as: If the Word is inspired by God, and if the Word is used to teach me the Truth and to convict me of what is wrong in my life, why (WHY?!) am I not reading it constantly, so I will learn more Truth and so that I may find out more things about myself that must be changed so that I will become more like Christ? Why is this not one of my main priorities in life?
Why do I not hunger and thirst for it constantly? There are times that I do. But then, LIFE happens and I get off track. Which is another topic altogether, because I (my Self) get myself off track, and the enemy also pulls me off track. So I must don my spiritual armor and fight the good fight so that I will always hunger for the Word, instead of being led off the right path to hunger for lesser things.
But if I am off track, I must come back to what I know. I must remain faithful to Christ. He is my salvation. There is nothing else. How did I come to know Christ? Through His Word. He is the Living Word. The written form of the Living Word is how He is made clear to us, through the Holy Spirit. It's late, so I hope that made sense. ?? This Scripture with which we have come to know Christ was inspired by the Creator of the universe. By the Maker of all things. By our Father. It was "God-breathed". This God-breathed scripture is what teaches us right from wrong. It is used to teach us, convict us, correct us, to train us in righteousness so that we will become equipped for 'every good work'. When we aren't the person we know we should be, do we go directly to the Word, the God-Breathed, inspired Word of God? Or do we try to fix ourselves, by our own means? Do we go to a self help book, or a friend, or a counselor? Given, these things are all helpful, but let's get our priorities straight. MY Priorities straight. The Word should be first. It should come to my mind first. I should have His words in my heart because from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. I should go to The Word because THAT is what convicts, teaches, rebukes, trains. I should be studying what God tells me in it way more than I am. Therefore, I am currently convicted by the Word, which is, I'm sure the reason that God led me to these verses tonight. He knows my priorities aren't in the right place.
Lord, Thank you for your Word, for its power, its divinely inspired truths. I want to be faithful to what You have taught me. I thank you for the wisdom you have given me to understand your message of Salvation. I thank you for Jesus and that I can bring my burdens to the foot of the Cross, and I thank you for taking them on yourself. Lord, give me your power to fight the fight. Remind me to put on my armor and to always be ready for the enemy's attacks. Give me your power over my Self and selfish desires. Enable me to do Your work and give me strength for each task you put before me. The more I read Your Word, the more I desire You. I wish I could more elequently state how much I desire to please You and to know You.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now what I really need to do is stop staying up so late. I need to go to bed earlier, get up earlier, read and write in the morning, or write during the day, and then stop the cycle of not being able to sleep at night for all the thoughts running around in my head.
And I'll have to check back tomorrow to see if any of this makes sense.
We'll see. And no comments allowed today on punctuation, grammar, or spelling. It's late.
14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
~~
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (New American Standard Bible)
14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
~~
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (New Living Translation)
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
OK. So I can't sleep again until I write these thoughts down.
I have always liked comparing versions of the bible. I'm not going to get into the argument about what version is better than another. Not the point. And frankly not an argument worth arguing about, in my honest opinion. There are more important things on which to spend my time.
Such as: If the Word is inspired by God, and if the Word is used to teach me the Truth and to convict me of what is wrong in my life, why (WHY?!) am I not reading it constantly, so I will learn more Truth and so that I may find out more things about myself that must be changed so that I will become more like Christ? Why is this not one of my main priorities in life?
Why do I not hunger and thirst for it constantly? There are times that I do. But then, LIFE happens and I get off track. Which is another topic altogether, because I (my Self) get myself off track, and the enemy also pulls me off track. So I must don my spiritual armor and fight the good fight so that I will always hunger for the Word, instead of being led off the right path to hunger for lesser things.
But if I am off track, I must come back to what I know. I must remain faithful to Christ. He is my salvation. There is nothing else. How did I come to know Christ? Through His Word. He is the Living Word. The written form of the Living Word is how He is made clear to us, through the Holy Spirit. It's late, so I hope that made sense. ?? This Scripture with which we have come to know Christ was inspired by the Creator of the universe. By the Maker of all things. By our Father. It was "God-breathed". This God-breathed scripture is what teaches us right from wrong. It is used to teach us, convict us, correct us, to train us in righteousness so that we will become equipped for 'every good work'. When we aren't the person we know we should be, do we go directly to the Word, the God-Breathed, inspired Word of God? Or do we try to fix ourselves, by our own means? Do we go to a self help book, or a friend, or a counselor? Given, these things are all helpful, but let's get our priorities straight. MY Priorities straight. The Word should be first. It should come to my mind first. I should have His words in my heart because from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. I should go to The Word because THAT is what convicts, teaches, rebukes, trains. I should be studying what God tells me in it way more than I am. Therefore, I am currently convicted by the Word, which is, I'm sure the reason that God led me to these verses tonight. He knows my priorities aren't in the right place.
Lord, Thank you for your Word, for its power, its divinely inspired truths. I want to be faithful to what You have taught me. I thank you for the wisdom you have given me to understand your message of Salvation. I thank you for Jesus and that I can bring my burdens to the foot of the Cross, and I thank you for taking them on yourself. Lord, give me your power to fight the fight. Remind me to put on my armor and to always be ready for the enemy's attacks. Give me your power over my Self and selfish desires. Enable me to do Your work and give me strength for each task you put before me. The more I read Your Word, the more I desire You. I wish I could more elequently state how much I desire to please You and to know You.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now what I really need to do is stop staying up so late. I need to go to bed earlier, get up earlier, read and write in the morning, or write during the day, and then stop the cycle of not being able to sleep at night for all the thoughts running around in my head.
And I'll have to check back tomorrow to see if any of this makes sense.
We'll see. And no comments allowed today on punctuation, grammar, or spelling. It's late.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Rambling
Wow. It's been a while. And I'm not even sure why I'm writing tonight except for the fact that I feel like writing. I really should be heading to bed. However, it seems like every time I go to bed (especially when I try to go to bed early) I can't sleep for all the thoughts bouncing around inside my head. It wouldn't seem like there would be all that much room in there with all the voices, but apparently there's enough to share.
I enjoy writing. It works better for me than talking, since I can get my thoughts out on "paper", see them, and then retype them to sound better. It's like an "inner monologue" that I can read and edit instead of saying stupid stuff. (To anyone who really knows me...you know the drill. You understand that it's way better that I write it instead of trying to get my thoughts to come out of my mouth correctly. See? This is where I need God soooo desperately when talking to people. Or talking at all.) So, ordinarily I type stuff on the computer, save it for another time, re-read it another day, edit it, maybe post it someday on a blog, not expecting anyone to read it or even care. So tonight, instead, I'm just going to put my thoughts out here.
Cut to the chase. God has been telling me for some time that I am a coward. Not that I realized it, and He didn't come right out and say it, but in subtle ways over the past month or two, I have gotten that message. I was thinking the other day that I live in a pretty sheltered bubble. I have friends from church, mainly, that I am in contact with most. Other than that, it's the occasional smile at a person in the grocery store (usually I ignore people, not purposely, it's just because I'm in my own little world and sticking to my list), or a wave at a new neighbor, since it's not warm enough outside for people to be venturing out much.
So I realized the other day that I rarely talk to people that don't have Jesus in their life, and if I ever do talk to moms in the girls' school classes, or anyone else, it's small talk and you don't ever get down to deep subjects like salvation. So why is that? Why is it, that something that important in life (and beyond!) is so unimportant to me - or seemingly so?
Since I'm sure I'm not the only one that God has talked to about this subject, I'm going to go ahead and speak (ok, write) as if you are part of this whole thing too. So...I ask again... Why is it, that something that important in life (and beyond!) is so unimportant to US - or seemingly so?
Well, I guess it's because we're cowards and don't want to come out and ask someone if they know the Lord or ask them if they realize that their "faith" is counterfeit, or that they're brainwashed and following a cult? OK. That's harsh, I know it can be nicer or more subtle than that. But does it have to be? I'm just saying. Jesus wasn't always super nice, he was sowing seeds in some crazy places and was ridiculed - and He told us that the same thing would happen to us. IF we are actually doing His work. Are we? Seriously, why is it that we don't come right out and talk about something so important? I guess it's because we don't want to rock the boat. "I don't want to judge them." "I don't want to seem like I'm pushing my religion on them." " I don't want to be judgmental, but..." "I don't want to offend anyone." I'm not making those up. If you haven't thought one of those recently, either you're seasoned at evangelism or you're lying to yourself, or maybe you also live in your own little bubble.
OK. Here's the deal. Again, if you know me at all, you know that I do not believe in coincidences. God is in control and whatever happens to us is filtered through His hands and He has allowed things to happen in our lives for certain reasons. If I say that I believe this about "coincidence", then I am contradicting myself if I do not take every opportunity He gives me.
If I am sitting in McDonald's talking to a mom from school while our kids are playing on the playground thingy, and if I don't show Jesus to her, somehow, then I have wasted that opportunity. [Keep in mind here that I still feel like a coward as I write this. I have no idea what I would have said to that mom, I just know that I needed to say something, and God would have given me the words, if I'd let Him have the chance.] How many wasted opportunities have we all experienced? How many of those opportunities can we NOT waste tomorrow?
So there we have it...more ramblings. It's how I roll. Bottom line: I need to quit making excuses for not sharing the Gospel. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! I need to tell people about it and not worry about what people think of me. I can post my blogs or whatever online, and not worry what other people think of me. I can sing praises to the Lord and not be ashamed for showing emotion, for being exuberant, for being excited about Jesus. I can be a witness, in line at the grocery store, or online on a message board. I don't care if someone doesn't agree with me. It's my opinion, right?
Well, actually, it's the Truth. Jesus.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me."
John 14:6
So there you have it.
I enjoy writing. It works better for me than talking, since I can get my thoughts out on "paper", see them, and then retype them to sound better. It's like an "inner monologue" that I can read and edit instead of saying stupid stuff. (To anyone who really knows me...you know the drill. You understand that it's way better that I write it instead of trying to get my thoughts to come out of my mouth correctly. See? This is where I need God soooo desperately when talking to people. Or talking at all.) So, ordinarily I type stuff on the computer, save it for another time, re-read it another day, edit it, maybe post it someday on a blog, not expecting anyone to read it or even care. So tonight, instead, I'm just going to put my thoughts out here.
Cut to the chase. God has been telling me for some time that I am a coward. Not that I realized it, and He didn't come right out and say it, but in subtle ways over the past month or two, I have gotten that message. I was thinking the other day that I live in a pretty sheltered bubble. I have friends from church, mainly, that I am in contact with most. Other than that, it's the occasional smile at a person in the grocery store (usually I ignore people, not purposely, it's just because I'm in my own little world and sticking to my list), or a wave at a new neighbor, since it's not warm enough outside for people to be venturing out much.
So I realized the other day that I rarely talk to people that don't have Jesus in their life, and if I ever do talk to moms in the girls' school classes, or anyone else, it's small talk and you don't ever get down to deep subjects like salvation. So why is that? Why is it, that something that important in life (and beyond!) is so unimportant to me - or seemingly so?
Since I'm sure I'm not the only one that God has talked to about this subject, I'm going to go ahead and speak (ok, write) as if you are part of this whole thing too. So...I ask again... Why is it, that something that important in life (and beyond!) is so unimportant to US - or seemingly so?
Well, I guess it's because we're cowards and don't want to come out and ask someone if they know the Lord or ask them if they realize that their "faith" is counterfeit, or that they're brainwashed and following a cult? OK. That's harsh, I know it can be nicer or more subtle than that. But does it have to be? I'm just saying. Jesus wasn't always super nice, he was sowing seeds in some crazy places and was ridiculed - and He told us that the same thing would happen to us. IF we are actually doing His work. Are we? Seriously, why is it that we don't come right out and talk about something so important? I guess it's because we don't want to rock the boat. "I don't want to judge them." "I don't want to seem like I'm pushing my religion on them." " I don't want to be judgmental, but..." "I don't want to offend anyone." I'm not making those up. If you haven't thought one of those recently, either you're seasoned at evangelism or you're lying to yourself, or maybe you also live in your own little bubble.
OK. Here's the deal. Again, if you know me at all, you know that I do not believe in coincidences. God is in control and whatever happens to us is filtered through His hands and He has allowed things to happen in our lives for certain reasons. If I say that I believe this about "coincidence", then I am contradicting myself if I do not take every opportunity He gives me.
If I am sitting in McDonald's talking to a mom from school while our kids are playing on the playground thingy, and if I don't show Jesus to her, somehow, then I have wasted that opportunity. [Keep in mind here that I still feel like a coward as I write this. I have no idea what I would have said to that mom, I just know that I needed to say something, and God would have given me the words, if I'd let Him have the chance.] How many wasted opportunities have we all experienced? How many of those opportunities can we NOT waste tomorrow?
So there we have it...more ramblings. It's how I roll. Bottom line: I need to quit making excuses for not sharing the Gospel. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! I need to tell people about it and not worry about what people think of me. I can post my blogs or whatever online, and not worry what other people think of me. I can sing praises to the Lord and not be ashamed for showing emotion, for being exuberant, for being excited about Jesus. I can be a witness, in line at the grocery store, or online on a message board. I don't care if someone doesn't agree with me. It's my opinion, right?
Well, actually, it's the Truth. Jesus.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me."
John 14:6
So there you have it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)