Monday, October 28, 2013

What Matters Most

I love that God creates people with different strengths that glorify Him and help people.  I was blessed recently by one sister in Christ, Melanie Schroepfer.

Melanie came over to help me organize our family memorabilia: pictures, letters, awards, baby clothes, cards, and so on. It was a mess! And it's been that way for two decades. In between babies, moving and mental illness, I just never got around to organizing it. Which is weird since I'm super organized. My kids are 17 and almost 19 and have no baby books. Uuugh. After years of accumulation, I was overwhelmed. Each time I started to organize our memorabilia, I stopped.

Then Melanie arrived. She gave me some terrific ideas about sorting. But the ONE thing I remember most is her challenge: "Ask yourself when you look at something, 'How much do I value this?'" What do I cherish and treasure? Because you can't keep it all or you'd never find it. 

Melanie's question is the principle I'm using to sort. For example, I tossed the press releases and newspaper articles I wrote as a journalist. I don't need to keep them to remember how much I enjoyed my career. But I'm holding onto the high school essay I wrote about my father's love of flowers. 

I dreaded this project for years, but it has been so sweet to find things like the cassette tape of my interview of my Granny in 1995. Just hearing her voice again! I have poured through my children's drawings, pictures of dear friends, and family heirlooms. I'm not a keeper. I'm not particularly sentimental. But I feel like I am digging up old treasure. And I wasn't expecting the JOY of rediscovering these things.

I would not be experiencing that joy had God not prompted Melanie Schroepfer to help. It was clearly God ordained. I e-mailed to see if we could meet for lunch while she is in between jobs as a business analyst. But Melanie remembered my earlier plea for prayer about this memorabilia project and came over to get me going. She is exactly the person I needed and God knew that.

I am left thinking: How can I help someone in a similar way? Am I open to the Holy Spirit's leading in this? Lord, use me.

My other thought is simply an echo of Melanie's challenge to me: What do you value? What matters most? Whatever it is, ladies, get to it!



- Kathryn Truden

Monday, October 21, 2013

a whole lot.

{via evannicoledesigns on etsy}

i love this quote. because what it basically says is "i need jesus." i need a whole lot of jesus, and that's it. personally a little bit of coffee goes a long way as well, but i mean, jesus is God, so he can always provide coffee, right? {right.}

of course, i started writing this post yesterday, and today was one of those days when i really needed a whole LOT of jesus. as in, i wasn't going to make it through the day without a whole lot of jesus. it's kind of like that whole "don't pray for patience unless you're ready to get stuck in a lot of situations where you need a lot of patience" thing. 

don't talk about needing a whole lot of jesus unless you're prepared for a reminder that you need a whole lot of jesus.

today i wanted to change keane's name to oscar the grouch because oh.my.goodness. my normally sweet child could only be described as sour. he got upset about everything, and he's started throwing things and pitching a fit when he gets upset. i know that will go on for a long time, but ugh. just ugh.

yes, jesus had to show up big time for me. but that's the thing - he did show up. he is faithful. far too often i try to do everything myself. i put too much stock in what i can do, and wait until the very last second to lean on him. it's like he's telling me what to do to handle the situation {any situation} properly, and i put my hands over my ears and "LA LA LA, I'M NOT LISTENING!" i, in effect, tell the God of the universe, "don't worry, i've got this." 

they say if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. he holds the whole world in his hands, and sometimes i try to take my life into my own. seems kind of silly, doesn't it?

i'm so thankful that jesus gave all of himself for me, and that he's willing to give me a whole lot of himself on a daily basis, if i'm only willing to take him up on the offer.


xo,
katie

Monday, October 14, 2013

Are You Confident Of Who You Are?

While reading in Matthew 4 about the temptation of Jesus, a word jumped out at me that, in the past, I had given very little attention to...  It was the word 'if.'

In Matthew 4:3 & 6, Satan says to Jesus, "IF you are the Son of God..."  If?  What does he mean 'if'?  Of course Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God...  But Jesus had been fasting alone in the desert for 40 days and night, He was hungry and since Jesus was fully human, I think it's safe to assume He was physically weak and tired.  Was the enemy hoping that in Jesus' weakness he could cast doubt on His identity as the Son of God and trip Him up?

Thankfully Jesus had no doubts at all about His identity and purpose and the enemy wasn't able to trip Him up and cause Him to sin.  But things haven't changed much in over 2000 years and the enemy is still trying to cast doubt on who we are in Christ and either cause us to sin or steal the abundant life from us.  And sadly, I don't always stand as firmly as Jesus did.  (One clarification...  Satan is not omnipresent so I don't think he's personally working on each of us.  But Ephesians 6:12 teaches us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil.  So clearly he has some help!)

But here's the thing, we don't have to fall prey to his age old, same old tactics...  We can spend time in God's word and learn to distinguish the destroying lies of the enemy from the life giving truths of Jesus.  Here's just a few...

Is shame and guilt eating at your soul?  Romans 8:1...  In Christ there is NO condemnation!!  It is not Jesus condemning you, you are forgiven!

Do you feel hopelessly enslaved to a certain sin?  Romans 8:2...  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  In Christ, you are free!  You can know victory!

Do you struggle with feeling inadequate or not enough?  Ephesians 2:10...  You are God's workmanship... Do you really believe that God's work is inadequate or somehow lacking?  Colossians 2:10...  In Christ, you are complete!

Scripture is FULL of truths that counteract the lies of the enemy!  Stop listening to the life stealing whispers of the enemy and learn the voice of your Abba Father, through His Word!

Do you have a favorite verse that helps you shush the lies of the enemy?  If so, I would love for you to share it!  You never know, it might just be the word someone else needs to know!

In Him,
Sharla




Tuesday, October 8, 2013


‘Love Like Christ’ -- Really?!?

I just finished a book entitled “The Reason I Jump:  The Inner Voice of a Thirteen Year Old Boy with Autism” by Naoki Higshida.  Naoki learned to use a keyboard and although he cannot communicate by conventional means (language, sign language) he is able to eloquently describe what it is like to have autism.  He writes about his inability to respond to questions, problems with compulsive behaviors, memory that is non-sequential, emotions that wash over you like a tsunami.  It is a brilliantly written book, all from a person a majority of people would consider unequivocally disabled.

In one passage he writes:  “The hardest ordeal for us is the idea that we are causing grief for other people.  We can put up with our own hardships okay, but the thought that our lives are the source of other people’s unhappiness, that’s plain unbearable.”  It broke my heart to know that this child was more concerned about that ‘trouble’ he was causing others than his own suffering. 

This made me stop and think – how many people suffer in pain and we don’t even realize it.  So many people struggle with disability, poverty, insecurity, physical pain, mental pain, emotional trama – the list goes on and on.  Yet, when I encounter someone who may be rude, slow or frustrating, I am all too quick to judge or get angry.

For this reason Christ admonishes us in John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  OK, so how much of a rat-head do I feel like?  Jesus Christ (the kindest, most caring, gracious and loving person that ever lived) loves me (a mostly selfish, judgmental, shallow, sinful person).  If I am to love others as Christ loved me, well, it’s a game changer.  That other person does not have to be pleasant or kind to me, but it is up to me to love them, be gracious to them and show them mercy.

Kinda hard in a messed up world – but the one thing that will help fix the mess.