Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Takin' my own advice....

Very often when my children, friends, mentees (is that even a word?) and others tell me they are stressed out, I ask about the commitments they have made.  When my children were in grade school, I felt that if my children were involved (church, sports, school, social activities) I needed to volunteer or be involved.  You can see where this is going.  I was totally stressed out by running around trying to be super-woman (e.g. - tutoring, class-momming, cub scout coordinating, teaching, craft doing, mentoring, meal making, et cetera) -  you get the picture.  God let me know that a need doesn't constitute a call and life needs margins to be lived well.  It's been said before and more often than not when God was speaking to me it was the lips of my husband and friends that were moving.  Consequently, I often advised others regarding that lesson I had learned.

Over the past several months I've gone through a period of time when I over-committed my time - in a big way.  After I emerged from the harried malaise, I looked back and realized that I did exactly what I have done at various points in my life.  I have a very bad habit of over committing.  But why is this a bad thing?  Well, having an over scheduled life prevents me from taking the time to have that extra cup of coffee with a struggling friend, sitting with my kids and catching up, being available for someone in need.  Most importantly, it prevents me from keeping in touch with the Holy Spirit.  When I am so consumed with my to-do list, my focus shifts from listening and looking for God to concentrating on 'what's next.'

Each of us has a tendency toward behaviors that keep us from God.  Whether it is being overly-committed or overly-lazy, both distract us from seeking God throughout the day.  Our lives are His but when we are too lazy to look for Him or too distracted to pay attention, we are no longer the salt and light Jesus asks us to be.  It's an ongoing process and as disciples of Christ a process we must continually work through.

Takin' my own advice - Cynthia

   

Monday, June 16, 2014

Simplicity

Sometimes the simple things are the ones that
get neglected.  Last week I traveled with Steve 
to Washington, D.C. He was at a conference, 
and I got to hang out with my daughter. We 
walked down the Capital Mall and discovered 
the Butterfly Garden. The plants are so lovely 
there, and one lotus flower we loved was almost 
hidden behind the huge green leaves.

Life becomes so busy. We forget to sit and talk to friends, family. We bypass beauty. Prayer and meditation suffer. Older people and people who are sick may travel more slowly and our fast pace leaves them behind. These things may be very dear to us, yet they get smothered by everyday needs and activities.

I guess I’m suggesting we take time to smell the roses, or in my case, the lotus blossom (no Zen references here, just a lovely flower made by our heavenly father). And summertime is such a great time for reflection and rejuvenation. There is much peace in nature, in listening to others, in listening to God. Of course peace is a fruit of the spirit, along with love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22).

I need more of these qualities, because I need more of God – and I often find fellowship with Him in the simple moments. Peace to you all – I miss you! Barbara

Monday, June 9, 2014

amid the crazy

{found via pinterest}

for most people summer is a crazy time. this summer that statement could not possibly be more true for our family. no, we're not at the place in our family where summer means the kids are home when they're normally at school and our whole world gets entirely upended in that sense. however, this summer means buying a house, [hopefully] selling a house, and oh, right, having a baby in 11 weeks.

we closed on the new house today, our current house should be on the market within the next 10 days, and 11 weeks from tomorrow our daughter is scheduled to arrive. oh, and did i mention that the new house needs a bit of work?

okay, so every summer - every season for that matter - has its fair share of crazy. i'm sure your life includes its own. but what's the point?

the point is this: God is still God amid the crazy. God is still in control. he still holds the world together with his own two hands.

it's really easy to get caught up in the urgent, but unimportant things that smack us in the face everyday. it's really easy to put God on the back burner and let other things edge him out. but he still sits on the throne. he still reigns.

in this world we don't get any constants. everything changes all the time. even if we do things the same way everyday, we still grow and we still change just by virtue of the fact that we are finite beings in this life. if nothing else we get older.

but God is unchangeable and unshakable.
he is the great I AM.
he is the only constant.

may we not get so carried away by the craziness in our own lives that we forget who he is.
even amid the crazy.

xo,
katie

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Power?!? Yeah Baby!!!

Our human nature often draws us to power.  Other words to describe this status include forceful, important, influential, dominant, authority and the list goes on.  In the popular culture of the USA, the idea of power drives politics, advertising and pro-sports just to name a few.

As a Christian, I would argue that God is the ultimate power.  Yet, often I don't live this way.  Has culture influenced me adversely?  I think so.  Too often I rely upon my own skills and abilities to get through my day.  Too often I judge my own importance rather than the work of God in me.  Too often I discount myself as a servant of God because I am not dominant or authoritative in some area of life. I am a stay at home parent with a bunch of kids, dogs and cats - not a position of power to say the least.

However, even when I am not aware of my own entrapment in the mire of this culture in which I live, God reminds me that it is not about me, it has never been about me.  My life is the story of God and his work in and through me.  Because that is truth, I can live in peace knowing I am important to God.  And that's the key -- my worth does not lie in the values of the culture -- my worth lies in my value to God.

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12 that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  How good is it to serve a God that gives us his grace and has no expectation that we live up to the standards of our culture?  It is very good!

Living in the sufficiency of HIS grace - Cynthia