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I was recently reading in Psalm
109 where David literally, gut wretchingly, poured out his heart before the
Lord. He held nothing back. He came before the Lord with pure authenticity.
The word authentic means not false or copied,
genuine and real. David was real before His Lord because he knew he could be
because of the relationship he had with God. He had a strong relationship with
the Lord and a man after God's heart. He had not just one but many times
where he was vulnerable and transparent and yes purely authentic before
God. He knew coming to the Lord and baring his heart was safe to do so.
God's word tells us in Psalm 62:8
"Trust in
Him at all times; ye people,
pour out your heart before him, God is a refuge
for us."
As we fully trust in Christ and literally pour out our pain,
sorrow, burdens and brokenness onto Him, we find great comfort, safety and
refuge.
God is calling us to be authentic before Him so
we can have that greater intimacy with Him and always feel safe in His arms,
today and for all eternity.
The
past few days have been a bit difficult for me as the reality of my family
situation was made clearer. I’m sure that I’m not the only one with family
issues. However, as I lay in bed at
night, it seems like everyone else and their problems are a million miles away.
I feel so alone, desperate, and afraid. I begin to pray and hope that my broken
heart can somehow be healed. Only God Himself can put the pieces of my heart
and my family back together.
Morning
comes and of course with it, a new perspective. I sat at the kitchen table with
coffee in hand, looking out my back window. I noticed a tree that is starting
to develop buds. Spring is finally here! The tree that stood empty all year,
appearing to have no life in it at all, will soon be sprouting leaves. Birds
will build nests in its branches, people will sit under it for shade, and the
wind will rustle its leaves, making the tree look as if it is dancing.
I
thought about this tree for a long time. We are a lot like this tree. In Summer,
the tree is busy with activity, birds are perched on its branches singing,
children climbing and having fun, adults rest against its trunk, enjoying the
shade on a hot afternoon. Sometimes our life seems perfect; we are busy working
for the Lord, spending time with family and friends, doing what we are created
to do, and just basking in the sun (SON)…. Life is good.
In Autumn, the leaves
on the tree start to turn color and eventually drop to the ground, children do
not come around as often, birds don’t sing as much because they are busy
preparing for winter, and adults no longer look for a shady place to rest. Life
slows down and it appears that the tree is not only beginning to lose its
beauty, but its usefulness as well. Sometimes people can start to feel
unwanted. They wonder if God can still use them. Just as the autumn wind strips
the tree of its leaves, the harshness of life can strip us from our happiness,
leaving us feeling warn out and exposed to the elements (pain, loneliness,
fear).
In the Winter, the tree appears almost lifeless, empty, and its branches
look more twisted and aged. When trials and tribulations hit, people oftentimes
feel like the tree looks after a long, hard winter. They wonder if life will ever
get better and it they will feel happiness again. They question whether God can
use them in the midst of their hopelessness.
However, spring does come and with
it new life. Just like the little tree I see through my window, with buds
starting to form, God restores us. He carries us through our trials and
tribulations if we let Him. Our Savior can turn the most hopeless situations
into something beautiful. Although it may seem impossible at times, God is in
the miracle making business, turning the impossible into the very possible.
When
you feel as if your world is starting to fall apart, the happiness you once
felt feels more like dead leaves dropping to the ground, know that God will
carry you during the hardest times, the cold, dark winter months, and bring you
to a place of new beginnings.
Spring will come.
Hang
onto this Scripture verse… .
“Behold, I am doing a new
thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
I felt like she had just punched me in the stomach. The ache in my heart flooded through me as I forced myself to finish our conversation. I had just dropped by my close friend's house to drop off one of my children and pick up one of hers. I commented on how great she looked and she crossed her arms, looked at me intently, and pronounced, "100 sit-ups every day," in a tone that if she could make it happen, then everyone could make it happen. And by everyone, she meant me.
Why did it hurt me so much? Because I felt like she was judging me. She was a homeschooling mom of 3 children, a husband who traveled more than he was home, she assisted in the public school, volunteered at church, managed her household, prayed every day, and so on. I was homeschooling 5 children and had a visiting step-child but my husband came home every night. Yes, I was involved in all sorts of other activities just like her.
So was I just feeling sorry for myself because I didn't seem to have the same perseverance and self-discipline it took to make a 100 sit-ups happen every day? Perhaps, I felt guilt about a lot of things during those busy years, so that could have been just one more.
But it could have been about pieces of pie. I learned about the importance of 10 minute increments years ago when my husband and I took a life balance management class (when we only had 3 children). The leader encouraged us to keep track of what we did every day for a week in 10 minute increments. He gave us a cool time sheet and I thought - finally I'll be able to figure out where I am wasting time, and be able to start exercising, writing letters (pre-internet), and planting a garden before July. When you do those worksheets, you may be as surprised as I was to discover all of the things you are doing each day but didn't notice because your eyes were on the unfinished list.
We all have 24 slices of pie each day. We slice those 1 hour pieces into smaller increments trying to get more out of each day. For all of our similarities, we are still unique women, each on the path God has for us. We all live differently from each other based on lifestyle, personality, situations, and relationships. Two working mothers of 3 year olds do not do everything exactly the same.
Now when I feel pressure from myself, or am asked by anyone else to be or do something, I don't answer right away. Instead, I look at my pie and see if there are any slices I am able and willing to exchange for this new activity. I will answer to God for how I spent my time and used my energies during my life. And as my grandmother would say, "To each her own."
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who
don’t see things the way you do.
And don’t jump all over them every time they do
or say something you don’t agree with
—even when it seems that they are strong
on opinions but weak in the faith department.
Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced
that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background,
might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly.
But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude
if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat?
God, after all, invited them both to the table.
Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list
or interfering with God’s welcome?
If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned,
God can handle that without your help.
Romans 14: 1-4 NLT
Dear Lord, Please forgive me for every time I have looked at someone's choices and judged them. Please forgive me for comparing myself to others and for thinking even for a moment that I know the best way something should be done. Do I even know the best way for me to do a thing? Please help me to accept other's when they slice their pie differently than me. In Jesus name, amen.
We've probably all experienced them - fickle friends or acquaintances who in one moment support you and the next thing you know turn on you. Sometimes it is even our own relatives who do it. That can be so annoying, disappointing, even devastating. Our response can range from mild irritation to irate anger. It can be very hard to trust that person again, or other people for that matter.
Our God certainly understands what it is like to have fickle friends. As Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we celebrate today as Palm Sunday, the people lining the streets showed him great honor and praise. Yet less than a week later, they were calling for him to be hung on a cross. Even his closest friends and disciples abandoned him.
Mark 11:8-10 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Mark 15:12-14 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. “Crucify him!” they shouted. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
The response of our Savior was to go willingly to the cross and to ask the Father to forgive those who sent him there, "for they know not what they do." We sin daily, and often do things that we don't even realize are not in line with God's will. Sometimes we may feel like there are things in our past for which we can't possibly be forgiven. With each wrong we commit, it is as though we ourselves hammer the nails into his flesh that crucified him, for that is the price for our sins. We continue to turn to him, and then turn against him over and over. We know that while hanging there on the cross, he forgave those who called for his death and those who hammered the nails into his hands and feet. In the same way he forgives every possible wrong thing that we do today, every time we ask in faith. Praise God for his patience and mercy to forgive us, his fickle friends!
written by Jan Andersen
Today's song is "Forgiven" by Sanctus Real
No matter what we are doing in life, no matter how far we have strayed from God, He is always looking for a way to bring us home to Himself.
One of the best things about the characters we read about throughout Scripture is that they are real people, just like you and me. Peter had a temper and denied Christ three times. He was rescued by God's grace and worked spreading the gospel message until his death. King David committed adultery and murder and yet was rescued by God's grace. We have the Psalms from him which speak to our needs and moods, and invite us to taste and see that the Lord is good. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us a picture of a forgiving and loving God who doesn't wait for us, rather, He runs out to meet us! God's grace seeks us out. If you don't know about this wonderful grace, open the pages of your Bible. Start with the gospel of John and learn who Jesus is. Read the Psalms. God's grace is always there, seeking you to return home to Him. Written by Carol Steficek Today's song is sung by Matt Redman, "Your Grace Finds Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orY_OWKTyfU
Who has not been in the woods and become aware of the babbling music coming from a brook as it bubbles over the rocks making little currents? Added to the song of birds, the buzzing of bees, and the wind blowing through the trees you have a beautiful melody to listen to. Sometimes the harmony is broken by thunder, lightening, and winds that are no longer friendly. We run for cover thinking that this is an abuse to our right to a peaceful day in the woods. Life is like this. When our stream of living seems to be without any impediments such as boulders to scale or rocks to climb, we feel happy. We think that no challenge is a good thing. Then we tend to forget that it is in the valleys and in the storms that God blesses us with new understandings and personal growth. The result is that we emerge and our life song is closer to the harmony that God planned for us from all eternity. If our personal rocks are removed, the stream of our lives would not have a melody that is as sweet as it could be.
Think of this when your life seems fraught with pebbles. Remember to listen for the song of your brook as it flows over what you think to be stumbling stones. They just might turn out to be the building blocks of your life. Thank you God for putting your stones and pebbles into the brooks of my life. Because these stones are there, I am learning more about life and Your desires for me as I live it under the shadow of Your wings. Help me to hear Your voice in the stream and to understand what You are teaching me. Amen. Written by Corinne Mustafa
Today's song is Come To The River by Rhett Walker Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLj2tZCs6Ms&feature=kp
