Quiet Reflections: Undone

From a Mother's Heart to her Daughters....






Dear girls, I want you think about a word and what it means. That word is "undone".

What does it mean to you? Your first thought?

Did you think of a hair bow and how it can become undone? A shoelace? Your hair? Typically our thoughts go to something that was completed that is suddenly back to its original state. Right?

A bank account can be like that. You deposit your check and that amount becomes "undone" as you spend the money.

You spend an hour cleaning your room and within 5 minutes of having friends over it becomes "undone".

Your gas tank works the same way, right? You fill it up and eventually it becomes "undone" again.

There are some things that cannot become "undone"....your homework? The words you say? Going against a rule? Or a moral value?

To be "undone"...is it a good thing or a bad thing? Can choices we make in life change us beyond the ability to be who we were intended to be? Can our mistakes chain us down and debilitate us? Is that what makes us "undone" or is there something else more powerful to being "undone"?

Listen to this song...

Can I encourage you to look at being "undone" in a different view? A worthy view? A spiritual view? Can I implore you to consider that the best thing we could do is to be "undone" for God? Isaiah from the Bible had an opportunity to taste heaven and to see God and when he came back to his reality on earth, look how he responded....

Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! ~ Isaiah 6:5

That small glimpse of eternity broke him to his core. He realized how selfish his life had been and he was a man of God, someone spiritually strong like our pastors. If he was shamed with his life after seeing heaven, where does that leave you and me?

OUCH.....

Dare I call you and myself to live a life "undone", focusing on the eternal over the here and now while on this earth? Can we live "undone" from the chains of our past mistakes and live for God? Can we live "ruined" by the worlds standards but "undone" for eternities standards?

Oh girls, we so need to live "undone"..."ruined". We should live as if we believe Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

Does your life demonstrate you understand the journey of Calvary and the Cross? Is He worth being "undone" for? Is He worth being "ruined" for?

 

He must increase, but I must decrease.  ~ John 3:30

Lets live this out together...for our God. I love you!

 

Quiet Reflections: From Your Heart Comes....

Letters From a Mothers Heart to her Daughters....






Hey girls, we had a situation this week in which one of you made a comment that you could not see as an inappropriate response to another person's joy. No matter how much I tried to explain the wrong, you couldn't...or wouldn't...see it. Then, literally within hours of our conversation I saw this on Pinterest:
 
Think about it. How many times do we speak without thinking? And when we do that how many times do we ask our self why we responded in that manner? I challenge you to look closely at your heart next time this happens and examine your emotions to your response.

Too often we do not want to admit we can have some raw and even ugly emotions or feelings  buried deep within our inner being. If we don't face those emotions or feelings for what they are, they will come out in one form or another.  It may be in words. It may be in a gesture. It may be evident in what we don't do or how we don't respond.

Look at Luke 6:45 as it was written:
 

"A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart."  ~ Luke 6:45 (HCSB)

If your emotions and feelings for that person who gets under your skin isn't dealt with, you most like will say or do something that will cause pain on that person.

If you cannot forgive someone or a situation where you have been hurt, your response to something related to that person or situation will most likely reveal your heart in it.

How can you hold a grudge on someone and have a good heart? How can you live with unforgiveness in your heart and live with a good heart? Good and bad cannot unite or live in harmony. You have to choose which one you want to have in your life.

Even if life has been unfair, if you have been mistreated or wrongfully accused, you have to guard your heart and your mind from the bad within it. The easiest way to do that is to match it with truth. The best truth you can find for any wrong can be found in Scripture (*). Such as...

You say: I feel worthless...
God says: You are precious and loved by Me

 You are precious and are honored in my sight, and...I love you. (Isa 43:4)

You say: Everyone is against me...
God says: I am for you!

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (Rom 8:31)

 

You say: I just want to quit...

God says: Be strong and do the work!

 Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. (1 Chron 28:20)

 



 You say: I'm nothing special...
God Says: You are a masterpiece.

For [you] are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Eph 2:10)

 You say: I feel so ugly...
God says: I think you're beautiful.

The king [is] enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. (Ps 45:11)

You say: I'll never change...
God says: I am transforming you.

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Cor 3:18)

You say: My life is too hard...
God says: Let Me help you.

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. (Ps. 91:15)

You say: I can't figure things out...
God says: I will direct your steps.

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.(Prov. 3:5-6)

You Say: I feel so alone...
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut 31:6)

You say: I can't forgive myself...
God says: I forgive you.

God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. (1 John 1:9)

What we hold in our heart effects what we say, how we react or don't react, and how we feel about ourselves. Guard your heart with God's word and you will have so many less struggles than your mother had. I love you.







* You say/God says taken from Renee Swope's book "A Confident Heart"

Quiet Reflections: Generational Heritage

Letters from a Mothers Heart to her Daughters.....







Dear girls,
 
I came across this verse yesterday and immediately thought of you. so, lets go there today

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Rom 12:2 (NLT)

 You have grown up in a tough world in many ways. I think back to the world my grandparents grew up in. Grandma remembers when they got their first car, got their black and white TV and I think I was in 3rd grade when they finally got an indoor bathroom. I didn't like using an outhouse for a bathroom when I would visit, or taking a "spit bath" on the porch with a bucket of water then, but I cherish those memories now. Life was hard then. They didn't have much or buy much. Most of their food was grown in the garden or taken from the livestock they farmed.

Your grandparents had it much better. They had schools like yours. They went to movies and they had school dances. Grandma wore dresses a lot and modestly was a value in their dress code. They hung out at the local pharmacy sharing a coke or root beer float if they had a nickle or dime to pay for it. They worked on the farm and I am betting grandma would tell you she read a lot. Reality TV didn't exist, TV didn't exist for her period. Life was simple still and they earned any extras they had in life. If you ask your grandparents about their wardrobe,  I imagine they could count on their hands how many outfits they had in their chest drawer.

I grew up primarily in the 60's and 70's. Change happened. Rebellion happened. It suddenly became about one's rights and one's wants. It became about spending not saving. It was a generation who enjoyed having fun because there was an abundance of so much and limits began to fall away. Even though we were lower middle class, I never had to know what it meant to "not have enough". Mom stayed home to raise us and she made most of our clothes. Our home was simple and our cars were bought used.

I will never forget the Easter my dad came to me to tell me there wasn't enough money to get me an Easter dress for church. I always got a new dress for Easter. I  think I was 15 or 16. I said okay but I remember I was disappointed and a bit embarrassed at the thought of going to church that weekend without a new dress (remember, this was the generation where we took family pictures wearing matching outfits that grandma made). I don't remember the specifics but I remember walking into my bedroom that Easter morning and a new terry cloth dress laid on my bed. It was simple, peach in color (if my memory serves me right). But no matter how plain the dress was, I was never more excited about a gift than that one. Dad said to me "I couldn't let my girl go to church today without an Easter dress". His words hugged my heart and continue to hug my heart all these years later . I put that dress on an and felt so beautiful! It felt so soft against my skin, like a hug, like the hug of my dads words. Several people commented on that dress at church that morning which made it even more special.

I had to drive my parents station wagon to school. I had to buy my first car with my own money (at the age of 17, I bought a green Hornet for $800-rust and all!). I worked a part time job and had to have Sunday and Wednesday off for church activities. I had to double-date at 16 and the boy had to meet dad first. TV was not a nightly ritual...I had homework every night. I wrote letters to my friends, we occasionally called each other but usually it was only because we had a question to be answered-did I menmtioned we had a "party line" when I was in grade school. That is a phone line shared by four families, each with their own ring tone (you could pick up the phone and hear someone elses conversations!). Summer camp was a huge anticipation. We played outdoors, used our imagination, and sleepovers were only occasional.

Life became busy. And it has continued to grow that way. Fast forward to your generation. Somewhere it became "all about me". You have more activities, more clothes, more TV programs, more wants, more options for everything. You don't have to wait to hear from your friends-you can text them even in class). or Instgram them a picture you just took. Everything happens quickly. If you imagine it, it can be. You drive nicer cars than my parents ever would have imagined even owning when I was a kid. Homes are bigger and nicer. You can determine your destiny without your parents guidance because the state says at the age of 16 you can make your own decision. As a parent, I have been stripped of my rights to protect you and nurture you. That has made it harder on you though you don't see it that way.

To keep up with everyone is hard in your generation. It cost a lot to look good-braces, hair colors and styles, name-brand clothes. If you don't fit in than you are a "loser". Media sets the stage & tone for how you think life should look. They call it "Reality TV", I call it "make-believe". Wearing less is best, rules are dumb, and sex is for fun. BUT....

Kids from your generation are smarter, more inventive, and more successful than any other generation. You are more grown up, more independent and more daring. You have the world and its history at your fingertips in a matter of seconds, and you multi-task like no other. You thrive on excitement, self-growth and self gratification. You will make it happen, no matter the cost.

Is that bad? Yes and no. You have many generations of living under you. It is up to you to take the best from all of them and make them your best. God created us to be the best we could be but we needs to be careful in what we choose for our life. re-read the verse I posted for you...

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Rom 12:2 (NLT)

We are living in this world God created but he cautions us in becoming one with the things of the world. He cautioned us in this way several times throughout scripture.

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. ~ 1 Peter 1:13-16

 

and

 

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. ~ 2 Tim 2: 22-26

 
You can "be all that" and more in this world with God. He, God, should be a part of every goal you set. Whatever you do, wherever you go, God belongs there. If you don't like where your at in life, let God change that. My happiest, greatest joy's in life have been when I was active with God, seeking Him daily, talking to Him constantly, relying on Him to guide me.

Guard your heritage girls. It has been a confusing life for heritage. Divorce tries to take that from you. But you can embrace the values that have been set before you by the generations before you. Paul instructed Timothy in the same way. Put your name where Timothy's is and read this verse as a message from your mother's heart to you...

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent, empty speech and contradictions from the “knowledge” that falsely bears that name.  By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith ~ 1 Timothy 6:20-21 (HCSB)

I wonder what it will be like growing up for your children?


I love you.

Quiet Reflections: Holy Cow

Quiet Reflections from a mothers heart to her daughters....





Dear Daughters...as we write these letters to you I wonder about the time when you will actually read them? Where will you be in life? Still in school? College? Married with children? Most importantly, I wonder where you will be spiritually with God in your life? I thin that is why I am so compelled to write these spiritual letters, to share my love for God and what He has done in my life.

As you know, during this time of my life, we attended Saturday night church services and Joe and I would get up Sunday mornings and have our first cup of coffee with several of our favorite TV pastors. This morning we heard a sermon that I knew I had to share with you. You will find the actual sermon at the end of this letter.

I love the Old Testament. Some pieces of scripture in the OT is hard to read and understand-the killing, the wars, the practices. But this time has such rich spiritual implications for out now and that is how Jentezen Franklin married the two in this sermon Holy Cow.

Read this passage Jentezen Franklin used from Numbers 19. God instructed Moses and Aaron in the practice required to be cleansed or purified from sin. Pretty crazy, hu? Can you imagine if you had to go through this process for every wrong that you did in a day or a week? I want you to concentrate on  these verses...

² “Here is another legal requirement commanded by the Lord: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow. ³ Give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. ⁴ Eleazar will take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle.⁵ As Eleazar watches, the heifer must be burned—its hide, meat, blood, and dung. ⁶ Eleazar the priest must then take a stick of cedar, a hyssop branch, and some scarlet yarn and throw them into the fire where the heifer is burning.

Here is what you need to know about a red cow-a red heifer- related to this time. It was rare, uncommon, to find one perfectly red without any other colors or blemishes. Jewish custom was to present to God perfection and God command to His people in this OT passage that He wanted a perfect sacrifice represented in this red heifer.

Here is the first thing I want you to take from this from His sermon:

Something becomes common when it loses its values. In other words, something is more powerful and more valuable when it is rare, when it does not fit in.

When I think of you in your current life what is of more value than anything else? It's not your friends, it the the car that we get you when you turn 16, it's not the clothes you wear of the house you live in. It's your love. It's your character.

The more you value who you give your heart to, the more valuable it become to the one who commit to to eventually. Save your heart and your love for the perfect person that God has waiting for you.

The more you stand up for what you believe in and know is right in God's sight, the more you will be. It may mean you don't hang out with the "popular group". It may mean you don't fit in with the main crowd. That's okay. In the end you will have less regrets and more satisfaction with your life, even though it does not fill like it at the moment.

Determine to have your life, your heart, represent a red heifer.

Here is the second thing I want you to take from this passage from Jentezen Franklin. I have learned this the hard way and it has been a struggle for me to work though it...

Your history can destroy your destiny if you don't learn how to get cleansed from it.

Look again at verse two and verse twenty...

Here is another legal requirement commanded by the Lord: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow....But those who become defiled and do not purify themselves will be cut off from the community, for they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Since the water of purification has not been sprinkled on them, they remain defiled

In between verse 2 & 20 the priest and people were instructed how to be cleaned from impurities or in touching something dead. Dead things can bind us, way us down. A yoke of a plow weighs a cow down and confines it and keeps it from the rest of the community or the herd. Sin is like that. Our past is like that. Our hurts and pain are like that. All too often as we grow older he keep touching the dead. We keep living in the past. We do not let go of those things that caused us so much hurt, so much pain. We can't get over something we have done. We can't let go of something we no longer have. It cuts us off from others. It may even cut us out of society. It often cuts us off of God...it keeps us from Him.

So how do we learn to be cleansed from it? This is were the OT and today unite. Look at Hebrews 9:14 from the New Testament (NT):

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Do you see the connection? Even from that OT time  recorded in Numbers, people continue to fail. People continue to sin. People continued to make mistakes, to live in pain and regret. God decided to make a final sacrifice to cover all of our sins-a perfect Sacrifice, without blemish...Jesus.

We don't have to take the ashes of a burnt animal, mix them with water and bathe in them to purify yourself from your sins, from our past, from our pain. Christ did it for us. He did it for all of us, not just for His chosen people the Jews...all of us.

So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. ~ Hebrews 13:12

 

We can't miss this important point. If you go back to our passage in Numbers, The priest had to go outside the walls of the city to sacrifice the red heifer. So also was Christ sacrificed outside of the city walls. The significant here is that the sacrifice was not just for those within God chosen people. The intent was that Christ was not just for those within the walls of religion or the walls of the church. If Christ had died inside the city, it would have been for the people of the city. Christ dies outside of the city for all. God did not want His son's sacrifice to be boxed in to religion or to a particular group of people.

 

And Christ became more powerful in his death than in His life. He sent us the power of the Holy Spirit, our Counselor to walk life with us, to help us to know Him better, to know conviction, to know freedom and healing from our past, our pain, our regrets.

 

Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you. ~ John 16:7 (NLT)

 

Girls, we are called, commanded to walk away from our past, our history in the power of God's love, and God's forgiveness, and God's grace. A perfect example of how to do this is seen with King David in the OT. When he made another man's mans wife pregnant, had the husband killed and married the women, the prophet told David the child would die because of his sin. David mourned and fasted for the life of that child. He messed up and he admitted it to God but the child still died. He still had to face the consequence of the sin. But instead of living in that regret, instead of living in that past, look what the 2 Samuel 12 passage said he did...

 

¹³ Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord^[a] by doing this, your child will die.”

¹⁵ After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. ¹⁶ David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.

¹⁸ Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?”

¹⁹ When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.

 

What did he do? He changed immediately and He worshiped God. He moved on. And that is what we need to do also. Move on with God. Leave the yoke of slavery to the past and move on with God. He didn't forget the loss of his son but went in and comforted his wife and they had another son-Solomon, the wisest of all Kings ever born.

 

I struggled with this-moving on. I even struggle with it today at times. But when I feel a need to struggle with my past, this is the verse I turn to-Philippians 3:12-14:

 

 don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

 

Press on girls. Find your destiny. Don't let anything in your past hold you back. Don't live as the common world lives but live as a rare and valuable daughter of Christ.

 

I love you.

 

Mom

 

Holy Cow

Quiet Reflections: Being Misled

Quiet Reflections from a mothers heart to her daughters....







Dear Daughter,

Today I want to talk to you about what it means to be "misled". I came across this verse and it stirred my heart to think about my own life and the times I have been "mis-led". 

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. Gal 6:7-8 (NLT)
 

I had to dig deep and look back at what it was like as a teenager and how I was mislead then. You know my memory is not good but I wanted to put myself where you are as much as possible even though we are talking about two very different time periods, right?

As a teenager your thoughts and actions are driven by your heart more than your mind. You are influenced by your friends-their habits, their approval, their beliefs. You are influenced by  the media and what the world labels as popular and accepting.

When a teenager is faced with a decision, that teenager tends to look more to what others would do in the same situation or what others will think of them verses what the outcome of that decision might be. I know. I lived that. I also know some decisions are very black and white. You steal, you go to jail. You use drugs, you get kicked out of sports. Yet you know of kids who were mislead in even those actions don't you?

How do you protect your self from being misled? I really think there is one factor that opens one up to being misled. It is a word we prefer not to address with our self but too often it does describe us. It is an ugly word. A nasty word.  A dangerous word. A painful word...

SELFISH 

A selfish person is all about them and them only. Sometimes they cannot even see this in themself. A selfish person is first concerned with their needs above the needs of others. And this leaves that person wide open to being misled. Let me show you how from Scripture:

"Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character." (I Corinthians 15:33) 
 

A selfish teenager is more concern how her friends make her look than how they influence her. A selfish teen is blind to see the difference between a friend that has a positive influence on her than a negative one that can harm her. This teen is misled.

 

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. ~ James 1:14-17 
 

A selfish teen is all about what she wants. In getting what she wants that she thinks will make her happy she gets lost in her desires and pleasures and before she knows it, it controls her thoughts and her actions. The selfish teen will break rules and hurt others to get what she wants. This teen is misled.

I know this. I lived it. I didn't see it then as well as I see it now. Selfishness doesn't stop with the teenage years but continues to grow old with the person if the person doesn't get control over it.  I am thankfully able to see it now that I am more mature (or older as you would say) but it remains a struggle.  Too often I see my own selfishness after the action of being selfish. I am still learning to stop it before it makes me react.

So how do we control this selfishness so we can avoid being misled? Again, can I take you to Scripture?

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone. ~ Titus 3:3-8 (NLT)

We avoid being misled by two key steps:

1. We see it as it is, an ugly sin and we give it to God.
2. We make God our priority in life.  

As I look on those mis-led times I have experienced when I was young like you are now and those misled times I experienced as I grew older, I could pinpoint it all to my selfishness. These misled times resulted in pain, in regret, even shame. In the misled time, in that moment, it seemed like life was good, the the action was what was best for me at that moment.


I was not holding the hand of God in those times even though I may have been actively claiming to know Him. In those selfish times I was not putting God at front and center in my thoughts or actions or by making Him my best friend. It was all about me, my wants, my desires. All the pain, regret and even shame that came from being misled thankfully has been forgiven by Christ love as we read in the Act 3 passage above. Read it again...

But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”  This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Acknowledging the selfish part of our being and making it take a back seat to everything else protects us from being misled. Eliminating our selfish being from EVERYTHING ELSE...our friends, our desires, our activities, our thoughts, our love can only happen with God front and center in your life.

 In the beginning God...~Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God. The first four words of the Bible. Words you can take and apply to every area of your life, every decision you need to make, every actions you need to take. Put these four words to action in your life. How?

When you wake up in the morning, begin your day with God by simple prayer, the reading of a devotional or piece of scripture. When God is your first priority, selfishness can't live or breath in your actions or relationships. 

When you have a decision to make, ask yourself what God would want you to do? How would God react to it? Will it bring honor to Him? Can you take this action with God by your side? Anything that honors Him will bring good for you. 

Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. ~ Proverbs 2:32 (NLT) 

Make God your best friend. Imagine hanging with Him, working with Him, partying with Him. If your concerned about whether your friends are good for you or not, ask yourself if they would allow God to hang with you also? Would you and your friends "talk like that" or "act like" that if God was there? If there is a new job or event to go to, can God go to? If there is someone for you to love, will they also love Him?

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. ~ Psalm 25:14 (NLT)

Keep in mind you could also be misled in the good things. Doesn't make sense does it? How does that work? You could sign up to do something good but if that isn't where God wants you then it isn't good for you. You need to look at the motive of being involved with the good thing.  here are some examples...

When you hang with that popular person do they help you as a person or do they compromise your relationship with your best friend God? 

 

Should you fall in love with that really great guy even though he doesn't believe in God?  

 

Are you taking the job for the money even though it will put you in situations that you couldn't take God to?  

 

Are you involved in a church ministry because of how it makes you look or because of what God can do through you? 

I would love to save you from being mis-led in life. If I could protect you from everything wrong or painful I would. The only protection in life we have from being misled can only come from God. Your mother has learned some life lessons the hard way and they have grown me as a person but I would never wish the negative effects that have resulted from being misled on you-EVER! 

My daughters, you can have many friends, but I implore you to have a best friend, that one person that will never do you wrong, that will never reject you and will always listen and guide you in the good times and the bad times. God wants to be your Best Friend. Embrace the best friendship that only He can give you. Develop it now, while here on earth and imagine the reunion you will experience when you meet Him face-to-face one day.  

Your mother regrets all the years she lived selfishly and did not have her Best Friend front and center in her life. I can only imagine how much better it would have been. You don't have to regret wasted time from being misled. You don't have to wait or imagine what that relationship may have produced in and through you. 

Find your Best Friend!! 

I love you,  

Mom

Quiet Reflections: Spiders in the Shower

Quiet Reflections from a Mothers Heart to her Daughters...






Dear Daughters,

This morning there was a spider in my shower. He did not belong there. I don't like spiders. We was too big to wash down the drain and the hot water seemed to have no effect on him. There wasn't a shoe for my to smash with with in the bathroom so I did the next best thing and took my toothbrush holder and put it over him until I finished my shower and could get my weapon-a shoe-to alleviate his presence from my shower.

During the whole shower I keep looking at that upside down container making sure it didn't tip or moved. Washing my face was a challenge. I allowed the fear of that hairy little spider paralyze me from something that could have been so enjoyable and relaxing. As I think on it now that was so stupid!! My bare foot alone could have stomped that unwanted guest out of existence-I was so much bigger then he was. GRIEF.

Life is like that. Too often we allow the "unwanted" to enter our life and paralyze us from what God has in store for us. The unwanted, like that spider, can be a rough time or a sin that God never intended for us to live with but we allowed it in. It comes from satan with the sole purpose to keep you from God. We allow it in by not keeping our house (body, mind and spirit) protected. We allow it in by choosing to be in places where we cannot honor God. We allow it in by not facing up to it and covering it up like I did that spider in the shower.

Anything not of God can represent that spider. It can paralyze you from reaching your full potential in life or from having the best that God has in store for you.  When I was fresh out of high school my life became my life and I lived it for me. For 10 years my selfishness yielded plenty of regrets...regrets I still have to live with today. Though God's grace and forgiveness and relieved me of the responsibility of carrying those regrets it doesn't free me of their consequences-most of which I will not fully comprehend until I come face-to-face with Christ.

I don't want that for you. Be smart. Be realistic about what satan puts into your life. Choose to be on God's side of life and watch Him blow you away with His protection and interventions...watch Him stomp satan right out of your life!!

And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus! ~ Rom 16:19-20 (Message)

There is a simple action that can keep you from experiencing those spiders in your showers. That simple act? Keeping your focus on God. Seeking Him daily through His Word, talking to Him constantly, growing your love for Him and becoming desperately dependent on Him.

Your momma has done this. It is living this way that I have found I have less spiders in my shower. And when those unwanted guest show up, I know I can count on God to stomp them out of my life. Instead of fear for these spiders, I learn from their presence and I grow stronger when I allow God to be in control of my life-all of it.

So what did I do with that spider in my shower? It met the back side of a summer sandal as soon as I had dried off. Next time I won't wait so long to take action. I encourage you to do the same!!

Love Out Loud girls!

I love you!!

Mom

Quiet Reflections: Chain Reaction

Quiet Reflections from a Mothers Heart to her Daughters.....


Dear Daughter,


God has really laid on my heart the need to leave you His truths. I tried to live them out but I am afraid the failures of our life have created a blockage for you to see them. This verse motivated me to write these blogs just for you...
 
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Col 1:23 (NLT)


I want God's truths I found in my relationship with Him to be a chain reaction in your life.

You have seen the TV commericals, heard the stories where one act of kindness causes a chain reaction of kindness, right? A driver let's you in their lane on the busy highway, you allow another driver that close parking space you came upon first, that person holds the door open for an elderly couple, that couple pays the extra money the single mother at the registered is in need of....and the chain reaction continues... 

 

Chain Reactions. They can be positive like I wrote above, they can also go the wrong way. Paul and Silas set a chain reaction that models living a life with a servants attitude, loving other unconditionally (Diakono's Living). Acts 16 reads how these two men were push to the limits but in their reaction of being chained they choose to respond in a way that is not typical. I want you to learn from this reaction and encourage you to incorporate this response into your life when times get tough. I have and it works!

A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. (verses 22-24)

Paul and Silas were chained to their situation. Their feet were in wooden stocks. They were beat up and in pain. It looked hopeless for them. Death seemed more likely than freedom.

Our bad times can feel like this. Our pain can put us into stocks...chains...and keep us from moving forward with our life. Many people live in chains of alcoholism, depression, abuse, shame, fear, pain. I have lived in chains of unforgiveness and regrets for decisions that have hurt those I love the most. It's debilitating.


Is there something that chains you-, that prevents you from moving on?


People don't have to live chained to these things. You don't have to. I don't have to.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!   (verses 25-26) 

Instead of a pity party, Paul and Silas step out in faith and others followed...

The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”....He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God (Verses 29-30, 34)


A chain reaction. Once person steps forward, another follows, then another. Love handed out unexpectedly from one person to another and passed on yet to another. One family member believing in God, living that faith, passing it on to another family member and yet another and another...

The other day on the way to work I was in line at the drive through getting my favorite peppermint mocha. When I went to pay the cashier stated the car in front of me had paid for my order. WOW. I have done this before for others but never been the recipient of such an act of kindness. I decided to pay it forward so I paid for the order of the car behind me. A chain reaction was started!

I encourage you to do this when you can...offer an act of kindness to someone. It doesn't have to involve money, an considerate action or a thoughtful word can cause the same kind of reaction.

 

And when the going gets tough, turn your reaction into praise and worship for how God is going to use that situation for something better in your life. I want to be that person, like Paul and Silas, who steps out and does the unpredictable and openly praises and worships the One who is above anything that chains me.

God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land ~ Ps 68:6 (NLT)
 

Praise and worship, as displayed by Paul in Silas, is a key act for breaking those unwanted chains. Coupled with acts of servanthood-doing for others, a positive chain reaction can happen from person-to-person, generation-to-generation.

Love out Loud girls. And when life hands you some tough times, give them back to God by praising Him instead of crying in your pain. And I am always here to walk with you in the good times and the bad times.



I love you.

Mom