Whose Time Is It Anyway?

But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.

Isaiah 40:31 

I like to watch birds fly.  To see such majesty as a hawk or an eagle is breathtaking.  And it reminds me of the words of Isaiah "they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired."  Such promises are encouraging and uplifting, when we read them we feel out hearts begin the ascent into the skies of joy...and then reality hits and we come crashing back into our trials and struggles.  We tend to blame God for not answering our prayers immediately and solving all our struggles without any effort on our part because, after all, He is God and we are not.

We tend to miss the important part of this passage found in the first line: "But those who WAIT for the Lord's help..."  We must learn that God works on HIS schedule, not ours, and we must learn to wait.  Now....this doesn't mean we sit back on the sofa and wait for God to decide to do something.  Far from it!  God reminds that none of our impatience will get Him to work any faster, just like continually pushing the elevator button does not bring the elevator to you any faster!  When God tells us to "Wait" and "Be Still" He expects us to focus on Him and listen for Him.

Why are we to wait and be still?  Let's think about a couple of possible reasons...could it be that we are still struggling to get past our past?  Could it be that God is putting all the pieces in place for His perfect plan for you which might include someone else gaining experience to help us?  Could it be that God wants us to slow down and realize the incredible gift He has given us in the nature which is all around us?  Could it be God is simply reminding us who is the one who is really in control of everything (time, situations, plans, details)?

As we wait on the Lord let's not be idle!  Take the time to reflect and THINK.  God is God and we are not!

Heart's Desire?

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
    and desperately wicked.
    Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the Lord, search all hearts
    and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
    according to what their actions deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10 

I was spending time with some friends before Christmas.  When it was time to leave, one of them told all of us "I hope God gives you the desires of your heart."  While that may seem like a friendly and encouraging sentiment, on the way home it struck me....if I were given the desires of my heart, that would be a very bad thing.  There would be some whose entire lineage would disappear from time.  I would be the one with the biggest paycheck instead of pinching pennies.  There would be only one law of the land....mine.  You see, my heart harbors some very dark desires that should NEVER be released.  Pandora's Box has nothing on the evil that lurks in the shadows of my heart.

Instead of seeking the desires of my own heart, it would be proper and much better on the general populace if I prayed that God would change my heart, change my desires, clear my heart of shadowy places, and help me focus on God's desire for my life.  As the Psalmist declares in Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."

Perhaps we should start 2018 praying Psalm 51:10 every day.  "Father, Create in ME a clean heart and renew a loyal spirit within me THIS DAY.  I praise You and Thank You for loving me enough to cleanse me and renew me and call me by name and using me for Your purposes."  Think about it! 

Need A Fresh Start?

For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19

Fresh Start....sounds good, doesn't it?  As we approach the new year, some will be making "Resolutions" whereby they resolve to make some changes in their lives. 

 Here's a good change to make: Let go of the past!  You cannot get a fresh start by clinging to the past.  Can any amount of worry, frustration, fussing, cussing, or banging your head against the wall going to change anything that has already happened?  No.  So what are we to do with the past? Learn from it and keep moving forward.

Want to make a fresh start? Accept that you are imperfect.  Beating ourselves up because we don't conform to a certain image will drive you mad, so stop it!  Accept that you are imperfect AND accept that everyone else is imperfect as well.  When we become accepting instead of judging we will see that fresh start.

Want to make a fresh start?  Invest yourself in others.  You see, when we invest ourselves in others then they will take part of us with them.  When we "pay it forward" it will go a LONG way and have more of an impact than we could ever imagine!

Want to make a fresh start?  Focus on the important.  Why is it that we disagree over the most idiotic things?  Ask yourself, is this important enough to impact my life a year from now or will I even remember it next week?  Save yourself a LOT of grief and aggravation by focusing on the things that are important.

I've given you just a few ways to make a fresh start in the coming year.  I will be taking several days now to rest my mind (if possible).  May God bless you and your families!

Why The Shepherds?

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
Luke 2:15-16 

Just a few observations as we approach the day we celebrate the entry of God the Son into this world.

God sent the Heavenly Host to sing the proclamation "Glory to God in the Highest" after the angel told the shepherds where to find the Messiah.  Most depictions of the Shepherds meeting at the manger show only three Shepherds. And later the THREE Wise Men came. I have some difficulty with the Heavenly Host coming to sing God's Glory for only 3 Shepherds.  However, this is why God is God and I am not.

Now, Joseph was a carpenter.  While a respectable occupation is was pretty much on the same prestige level as a Shepherd, and given the fact that Jesus was born in a barn and His first bed was a feed trough....  Consider this: Jesus' lowly birth was so WE would know that HE could identify with us and our struggles.  Had Jesus been born with a silver spoon and lots of servants, we would not be so sure He could (or would bother to) understand our struggles. And remember, Jesus was of the lineage of David.  If you remember, David was a shepherd boy well before he was anointed king of Israel.

After the Shepherds has seen Jesus, they ran through the town telling everyone.  However, Scripture doesn't say anyone else came to see Jesus because of the Shepherds.  And if the townsfolk were anything like some of the "churchfolk" I have encountered over the years, their response would most likely be something like:

 

The greatest moment in history since God spoke creation into being and God chose the Shepherds to receive the message first and to share the message first.  God often uses unusual methods to get His message across.

As we celebrate God's most incredible gift of love found in Christ Jesus our Savior, let us take a moment to thank God for using creative ways to remind us just how much He loves us! 

From my family to yours...God Bless You This Christmas!!!

Be Grateful And Thankful!

We've talked about this before, however, given that Christmas is upon us, I'd like to address it again: What are you Grateful and Thankful for this year?  

We tend to take so many things for granted every day and especially during the Christmas season.  God performs incredible miracles every day.  Don't believe me?  How about the air you breathe?  How about the face you had hot water to shower? How about the fact that all you had to do was turn the faucet on to get the hot water?  How about the clothes you have to wear?  How about the car you have to drive?  How about the food you get to enjoy?  How about the family you are part of?

Think about all the things we have to be grateful and thankful for and then thank God for them.

I Am WHAT?

Atelophobia - the fear of never being good enough

 

Believe it or not, Atelophobia is an epidemic!  I know this because this is one of the topic of quite a number of conversations I have with people.  Not to mention it's a condition I have struggled with for as long as I can remember.

 

For some reason, we many have been led to believe that they are not "good enough."  It might be that we have been told outright that we aren't good enough or it could be that we have simply been ignored, put down, discouraged by those we seek encouragement, or it could be due to our past or it might be that we are just different.  The truth of the matter is there are innumerable reasons for which we have been led to believe we aren't good enough...and the truth of the matter is that they are all LIES!

 

Let's talk a bit about the Truth:

 

You Are Good Enough For God To Call You BY NAME!                                    

 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.

O Israel, the one who formed you says, 

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine." 

- Isaiah 43:1

 

Do you honestly think that God would bother to even know our names if we weren't good enough?  Do you think He would ransom you if He didn't think you were good enough?  The fact that, not only does God know our names, He calls us by name.  He calls us to talk with us!  Would He want to talk with someone who wasn't good enough?

 

You Are Good Enough For God To Have A Plan For Your Life!

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  - Jeremiah 29:11

 

Why would the Creator of ALL even bother to create a plan for your life if you weren't good enough?  And think about this: God didn't just create a plan for us, but His plan is for good, a future, and hope!  Not only did God create a plan for your life, but He is going to make sure His plan is gets completed! "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." - Philippians 1:6  Does that sound like someone who thinks you are not good enough?

You Are Good Enough For God To Adopt You As HIS Child!

"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." - John 1:12

 

Now why would God want to adopt you if He didn't think you were deserving and good enough?  The fact of the matter is that God loves you so much that He has not only created you, breathed life into you, created a plan for you, won't stop until His plan for you is completed, and He has made a way for you to be adopted as His child!

 

Here's the point I want to make:  Atelophobia is nothing more than a load of manure the Pit Dweller is trying to sell us.  Sadly, many of us are buying what he is selling.  In THIS world, other humans might try to lead us to believe that we aren't good enough, but if you stop and think for a moment you will remember that God (the ONLY one who matters) not only thinks you are good enough, He celebrates by loving you enough to make you HIS child!

 

Think you don't deserve to be happy or to receive kindness or give of yourself to others?  Think again!  People will try to discourage us, sometimes to make themselves feel powerful, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes just because they want to.  But the opinion of another human being is worthless when God is the one who is making His plan for our lives complete.

 

Don't give in!  Don't give up!  Let God do His job and may He keep us out of His way!

 

I wish you a Happy, Blessed, and Memorable Christ Filled Christmas!  

           

Are You Struggling?

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!
    For each day he carries us in his arms.

Psalm 68:19 

 Believe it or not, my mind still functions fairly well at times.  For example, I can remember when my daughter was born and I got to hold her for the first time.  That was one of the most magical moments I pray will forever be in my mind.

I know there are some of us who struggle during this time of year.  And by "struggle" I mean mental anguish, physical agony, emotional turmoil, all spinning like a tornado within us and we slap on the mask of "I'm okay" in order to make it through the day without breaking.  Then when we reach a place where we can have some solitude, the tsunami of it all comes crashing through us and we feel broken, abandoned, and the emotional pain is excruciating. We believe that NO ONE can possibly understand what we are enduring (hiding) and we are sure that no one cares!

And we are wrong.  First, to all who struggle during the holidays...you are not alone!  There are others who are struggling as well and they, like you, wear the "I'm okay" mask so no one will see the truth.  Second, God cares and knows and understands.  When my daughter was an infant and cried, I got to hold her and sing to her and she would eventually doze back off (or pretend to sleep to stop me from singing anymore).  Guess what?  God holds us when we are hurting.  Not only that, but God caries our burdens along with us until we are ready to let go of them.

God loves us so much that He holds us like His child, because we are His child.  Take heart, the one who spoke all into creation loves you so much that you have been claimed as His child!