Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Messy Monday - The First Messy
“Let's start at the very beginning, a
very good place to start.......”
Ok, maybe not at the beginning but at
Chapter 3. That's Genesis Chapter 3 to be concise. To start our
journey on the messy, we need to see the start of the mess. I know we all know the story and I'm probably not
adding anything to it. But before you start to strip the layers of
mess around us and in us, we need to see where it started.
God had told Adam that he could eat
from any tree in the garden of Eden, except from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). I'm sure it was pretty
easy to do. I mean there were probably hundreds of fruit trees and
berry bushes and other edible plants. But isn't it always true that
the one thing you long for is the one thing you can't have. If you
face addictions with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, food, etc..... you
long for it. You crave it. It seems to call you. I know when I
start a diet, the sweets seem to call me.
This time though it wasn't the fruit
that called to Adam and Eve it was a serpent. He knew what they
wanted. He knew what they craved and he knew just how to tempt them.
He quickly deceived Eve. He said "Did God really say "You must not
eat from any tree in the garden?" See how he twisted the truth. He was a
good dealer. "Just one hit won`t hurt you." Just one drink and you
can stop." Isn`t that what happens when we are addicted to something
we can`t have? We allow the craving to control us and become easily
deceived. Both Adam and Eve were deceived. I know Eve always gets the full rap for
the deception.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining, she too some and ate it. (Genesis 3:6 NIV84)
This one sentence has sentenced Eve to
take the full burden of original sin for millenia. But wait where
was Adam? Where was our hero when all this was taking place? Was he at another part of the garden?
She also gave some to her husband, who was with her and he ate it. (Genesis 3:7 NIV84)
He was right beside her, probably
listening to everything the serpent was saying. He just didn`t say
anything. He allowed everything to happen. He could have stopped
Eve. He could have stopped the serpent. But alas our hero was
flawed just as we all are. We all are witness to things that
shouldn`t be. We all know people struggling, but instead of standing
between them and what they struggle against, we enable and allow. We
are silent, just as Adam was silent.
We all know the consequences of the
disobedience to God. Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden. The
serpent was cursed. Adam was told instead of a life of luxury and
leisure, that he would now have to work for a living. Eve was told
that childbirth would be painful and that her desire would be for her
husband and that he would be the ruler over her. Oh the
consequences...... We still suffer from those consequences. Nothing
in life is easy. We face trials and heartaches. We struggle and
fight to survive. We witness horrors that we should never be witness
to. Children die. Friends fight for their lives from the ravages of
cancer. We watch as lives are taken through addictions. Families
break up. Money keeps people in servitude. People suffer from
depression and can`t find hope anywhere. But there is hope.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV84)
God loved Adam and Eve and He was sad
that He had to discipline them. As parents, we know that when we
discipline our children and have them face consequences, we take no
joy from it (ok, maybe once in a while). It hurts our hearts to tell
our children that they can`t do what they want because of their
actions. It hurts to take away something they love because they didn`t heed
our warnings or advice. But in all things there is grace.
God started working things out right
there in the beginning because of sin. God knew he would have to
make a sacrifice for his children to save them from their sins. In
fact, He sacrificed some of his creation to make skins for Adam and
Eve so that they would be clothed (Gen 21). However, the promise of
the greatest sacrifice He would make is in the curse of the serpent.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Gen 3:15 NIV84)
This is the first telling of
Jesus. You see, God doesn't let bad things happen. He didn`t cause
cancer. He doesn`t plan for children to be killed. He doesn`t allow
terrorists to kill innocents. But He is there in the bad things. He
guides and supports. He gives strength and peace and healing. It
may not look the way we want it, but He does bring it. When we are
focused on Him; when we lean on Him; when we seek Him; He is with
us. He will bring good from the bad. We are not alone when we are
in Him.
It is too easy in our
society to be deceived as Eve was. To close our eyes as Adam did.
When we cease to focus on the Father and obey Him we will walk down
the path that He did not chose for us. However, if we obey Him and
focus on Him, He will give us the strength to fight temptation and
lies.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Caffeinated Randomness - My Phone
Today the worst catastrophe happened. No it wasn't a tornado, hail storm, wild fire, or attack of wild animals. It was worse than all of those. My land line went down and I had no phone. GASP!!!
I didn't know what to do. I was planning on talking with the evil twin while I cleaned bathrooms. How would the bathrooms get done? What would I do? I called my husband immediately and told him. He was as aghast and horrified as I was. (This is very sarcastic, as he was not). I called our phone company and there were no problems in the area and no reason for the phone to be out. NOOOOOOOOOO! It was something else beyond my control and the soonest they could have someone come in would be Friday after lunch (if I was lucky). I tentatively scheduled the service call and called my husband. He said he would look into when he got home. That was 5 hours of waiting.........
I called the evil twin on my cell, but it wasn't the same. I have a Blackberry Torch. I love my Blackberry. I love my QWERTY keyboard, thank you very much iPhone lovers. But you can't cradle your cell phone on your chin and shoulder the way you can a cordless phone. It fits perfectly. It becomes part of you (until you get a stiff neck). My kids even know that the phone is part of me. When they are little they run around with little fake phones cradled in their necks and gibber on the phone. There is a part of me that gets very proud at that moment, until the reality sets in and realize I probably spend too much time on the phone.
Any way.......I managed to survive the afternoon with no phone. It is a miracle to be sure. God gave me the strength to persevere through this time. I also got a lot more accomplished than I ordinarily do - 4 loads of laundry, kitchen cleaned, bathroom cleaned, administrative stuff done, etc... There were a few things I wanted to do that didn't get done, but they were out of my hands.
When my hubby came home, he immediately began to set right the wrong. He immediately realized the problem (the wiring at the junction was shorted). He went to the hardware store and found the parts he needed and within a short time (I was very patient, another gift) we had a dial tone. I was excited. It was like being given fresh air for the first time (Ok, an exaggeration, but it was exhilarating).
Now I am sure that many of you are wondering why I was so upset over the phone and so excited about it being back in commission. If you have been following the blog for a while or/and know me, you will know that my phone is my little "g" god. If you haven't, you probably think I'm crazy and wonder why you are following me and why you are even reading this blog. For those not in the know, my phone is a part of me. It is my little idol that I worship on a daily basis and keep in contact with my friends (aka my little "g" gods). I did a post regarding my relationship with the phone and friends a year ago.
We all have idols in our lives. Those things we lean on for alleged support, growth, rest, peace, etc... However, there is one thing that can truly give us those things - JESUS. He alone can support us.
Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. Job 4:4 NIV84
He alone can give us rest and peace.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NIV84
He gives us wisdom to grow and strengthen our relationship with him.
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 NIV84
God requires our attention and obedience. The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me." (Deuteronomy 5:6-8). When we cease to focus on God, we become distracted and we drift away. We become focused and obsessed with things that are not of Him, but are of the world. We learn to trust others and not Him. We strive to please others and not please Him.
As you can tell I have been struggling with this issue for a while. I am consistently working on my relationship with God. I also try to go to Him first. It's a process and I'm growing. Luckily for me and you there is grace. He is a forgiving God. He loves us just for us. He wants us and will seek us. He will find us and bring us back. I love this. When I am too hard on myself about the time I spend on the phone with friends and family, I am reminded of this. I thank God for His love and grace. It is easy to live in self condemnation. It is easy to live in self loathing and pity. It's where Satan wants us. God wants more for us, we just need to be willing to accept it.
Now if only there was a way to put him on speed dial. ;)
Do you struggle with a little "g" god? Have you accepted God's grace or do you live in self condemnation?
Come link in with the other Java Junkies and share your randomness this week.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Messy Monday's - You are not a bad mom!
Messy Mondays where I share what God has been showing me through the
messiness of life. It is my personal belief that this walk isn't
clean and crisp and straight or narrow. It's wide and twisted and
mucky and messy. It's about the ups and the downs, but through it all
God is there with us.
I am forever calling myself and the things I do being a "Bad Mom." This has been driving my "evil twin" bananas. She is forever getting annoyed with me. The last time I said it, she went on a rant. It was a rant that I needed to hear and felt that every mom needs to hear. So, I told her to blog it for me and here it is.
What has this world come to? What have mommy wars wrought? Women don't even need other people to judge them - they are doing a great job for themselves.
You are not a bad mom - you are a saved mom, a redeemed mom, a beloved by the God-most-high mom. Spread the joy!
AMEN!!!! Sister. I am linking up with a whole bunch of God most high moms at Finding Heaven today.
I am forever calling myself and the things I do being a "Bad Mom." This has been driving my "evil twin" bananas. She is forever getting annoyed with me. The last time I said it, she went on a rant. It was a rant that I needed to hear and felt that every mom needs to hear. So, I told her to blog it for me and here it is.
Finally, brothers and SISTERS, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
After posting that verse I am going to begin by talking about some of my pet peeves - well - that phrase is one of my pet peeves - but for lack of a better one I will use it. I get super frustrated when I am creating culinary masterpieces in the kitchen and people sneak in and grab something or just stand in the middle of the kitchen silently. I am a legally blind cook - I am wielding sharp knives - I am sloshing hot liquids about - I might main or injure you - and then I will have to be sorry and you will be indignant and then blame yourself - seriously - just go sit at the table 2 meters away and STAY THERE! It is an enter at your own risk zone - don't make me responsible for your high risk behaviors. Phew, I got that one out.
Don't leave doors half open - they must be either open or shut or else I will walk into them and get hurt. Do not throw wet things into the dirty laundry basket - hang it up to dry - that is the only laundry rule in the house - it is not hard! Do not ask me "how can you stand using the computer with that voice?" duh - I have no choice. - how can I NOT use the computer with that voice? When you are done with the toilet paper - put a new roll on - it is not a feat of mechanical genius. Yes my name can be Debbie without it being Deborah on my birth certificate - I can show my documentation to prove it - but really?
OK these are all things that we all have to one degree or another for various and sundry really good reasons - mine are the best - but you can have yours too. When people do things that annoy or irritate us we respond -react - politely - some days not so much. Sometimes we just have to fix the problem for our selves - like when a person does put new toilet paper on the roll - but it is on the wrong way - you know what I mean.
There is one thing thing that I have a harder and harder time just letting slide. This is what it is: when anyone - who patently is not - declares -"I know I am being bad mom." I hear this from many wonderful God loving women I know. I have read it on Facebook and in blogs of many God loving women I know. I am always sad and angry when I hear it. This is my true pet peeve - it goes beyond pet peeve territory - peeved is too limited to describe how I feel. I am disturbed, saddened, angry, bereft!
This is what I mean: I was a bad mom today - we just went to McDonalds for lunch. I am being a bad mom - the kids are front of the TV watching Cars 2 and eating cookies(home made ones btw). I was a bad mom today - I let the kids play on the OUI while I washed the floor and folded laundry.
What has this world come to? What have mommy wars wrought? Women don't even need other people to judge them - they are doing a great job for themselves.
When I ask some of my friends who say this - what do you mean by that - they say - well - I don't really mean it but.well.you know what I mean.? No - I do not know what you mean - in fact - I do not WANT to know what you mean - it leaves me empty hearted to think about what you mean.
When my daughter - who is now 11 - was 1 and 2 years old - I would often say things like - oh, mommy is stupid - or mommy is doing a dumb thing. My sister noticed me doing that once and called me on it. she asked why I was putting myself down. She asked what message I was sending to my child by saying such things. What sort of attitude was I fostering in her about me?
When my daughter - who is now 11 - was 1 and 2 years old - I would often say things like - oh, mommy is stupid - or mommy is doing a dumb thing. My sister noticed me doing that once and called me on it. she asked why I was putting myself down. She asked what message I was sending to my child by saying such things. What sort of attitude was I fostering in her about me?
At the time I was struggling with a lot of self esteem issues - I was feeling inadequate and insecure about my marriage and my ability to be a mom. I was also looking for a job and feeling defeated because I was 32 years old and did not start a career properly before I had a baby. Through encouragement of many loving people and by drawing me closer to Him the Lord brought me out of that and showed me that God esteem was more important than self esteem. He showed me that I was already perfect in His eyes but on this side of the veil - not yet there. He showed me all sorts of things about grace.
One of the things I learned was that I had to stop saying that I was stupid or anything remotely negative. When I said those things - I believed those things - even when I said I was only joking - there was a level at which I thought and believed these lies to be true. And in essence I was denying God's redemptive work in me.
I would love for all my Jesus following mom friends and sisters who I have not met - who are reading this - to stop saying that they are bad moms. They are denying the truth about what Jesus did on the cross by saying such nonsense. There are social workers and police officers and emergency room staff out there who can tell you what a really bad mom is. This is not meant to be a comparison - but really - think about what you are saying. First about what Jesus has done for you. Second, what effect your words are having on your children and family. Third, what effect are your words having on you?
I would love for all my Jesus following mom friends and sisters who I have not met - who are reading this - to stop saying that they are bad moms. They are denying the truth about what Jesus did on the cross by saying such nonsense. There are social workers and police officers and emergency room staff out there who can tell you what a really bad mom is. This is not meant to be a comparison - but really - think about what you are saying. First about what Jesus has done for you. Second, what effect your words are having on your children and family. Third, what effect are your words having on you?
Please please please stop saying you are a bad mom for doing things that are not bad at all. God has blessed you and entrusted you with the children you have. When you feel overcome by the burden that this can sometimes be - turn to our Perfect and Eternal Father. He has already gone ahead of us - He has already given us all we need. When you are weak - turn to Jesus - he is sitting at the right hand of God - speaking on our behalf - it is His JOY to do this. He has been human - He knows our every weakness.
You are not a bad mom - you are a saved mom, a redeemed mom, a beloved by the God-most-high mom. Spread the joy!
AMEN!!!! Sister. I am linking up with a whole bunch of God most high moms at Finding Heaven today.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Music Monday - I Love Your Amazing Love
In my prayer journal there is a section for confession. I daily lay before the Lord my transgressions. When I write these down there is a sense of letting God know that I acknowledge what I've done and what I need to work on. However, reviewing my daily entries it looks like I fall to the same sins every day - gossip, judging, anger, frustration.... Am I truly repentant or just that rebellious? Am I truly walking the walk or am I just talking a good talk.? Is the Holy Spirit truly living in me and do I reflect this?
I'm reading Francis Chan's new book the Forgotten God about the Holy Spirit. One of the things that has hit me while reading this book is that I truly am able to "grieve the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 4:30 NIV). I never really thought about this - that my actions can make the Father sad enough to grieve. I love how the Message states this (parenthesis is mine):
Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.
I'm continually working on these things, but thankfully I am not working alone. The song I have chosen this week reflects a lot of my questions about my walk and my brokenness. That what it all comes down to is not about what I do, but what He did, He does and He will do in my life. Thank you Father for your Amazing Love.
" and I will never truly know why you love me Lord. I am so Broken and so desperate still you love me lord." Kees Kraayenoord
Whisper in my ear
Tell me one more time
the words i long to hear
that i, i am forgiven
hold me in your arms
draw me next to you
safely by your side
i know i am forgiven
and i will never truly know
just why you love me lord
i am so broken and so desperate
still you love me more
lord, i love your amazing love
there's a beauty in the way
you cherish and embrace me
in all my brokeness i know
i am forgiven
and i will never truly know
just why you love me lord
i am so broken and so desperate
still you love me more
lord, i love your amazing love
and i lift my hands
in worship at your throne
and i raise my heart
so thankful lord for what you've done
Please share your praise with Shawntele at Saved by Grace.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thorn and My Best Friend
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12 :7-10 NIV)
On one of our last Bible Babes studies, we studied this scripture in regards to our personal idols and how God is made perfect when we "give up" to Him. This is a great lesson, however, this verse holds special meaning to me.
I have mentioned my "Evil Twin" before. Let me introduce her to you. She is my best friend Debbie. Debbie is an avid reader. She is married and is a mother of 2. She runs a day home. Debbie enjoys cooking. She attends a weekly morning ladies group. Debbie is legally blind and losing her sight more and more every year I have known her.
When I first met Debbie 10 years ago in Alpha, we immediately clicked. We had many common interests and the same perverse sense of humor (we both love to quote Acts 2:15). We became so close that our husbands referred to us as the "evil twins." There is not a day where we don't talk to each other.
Debbie started going blind in her early twenties. She suffered from chronic iritis, which led to glaucoma. At our meeting Debbie could see the large "E" on the sight chart. Now she can only see shadows.
Debbie has prayed over the years for complete healing. At different stages of her vision loss, she has prayed for it not to progress. God in His infinite wisdom has not answered those prayers. I know some believe that if a person is not healed it was due to lack of faith, but Debbie has never given up her faith and God's ability to heal her. She knows that He alone has the power to heal her. He just has other plans.
God is using her. Using her "weakness" to show His strength and grace. God uses her as a discussion leader in B.S.F., an organization she is passionate about. Through her disability, she has become an advocate in her church for people who suffer from ALL disabilities. She is the first person to volunteer when bringing meals are mentioned. She continues to show God's strength to others who think she is not able.
Over the course of the years, Debbie has had to "give up" most of her independence and become dependent on others. She has had to lay down her pride and her sense of identity, trusting that God has a purpose and a plan for her. I often ask myself have I surrendered to God. Is His strength and grace truly enough for me.? Do I boast of my greatness or God's greatness.
Debbie will never see my baby the next time we are together. She won't get to read to her children. She won't see her daughter's wedding dress. She won't see her son's first child. However, she will God in His infiinite glory. The God who has carried her through her "weakness." The God who's grace is enough for her. Is it yours?
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- Michelle
- Alberta, Canada
- I'm a 39 year old (oh yeah I'm telling you my age) Stay at Home mom. A former Bad Girl now reformed sinner, I'm married to my Y2K guy and raising 3 great children from God. Proudly Canadian, however, missing the West Coast, I currently live in the prairies watching the farmers fields produce as I learn how God produces the fruits in me.
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