I Don't Know How She Does It

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

–        Isaiah 26:3

I have suddenly found myself living at super duper torpedo speed times infinity. What about you? My days are never long enough and when I do sit down to take a breather, my overachiever perfectionist persona starts breathing down my neck telling me, “Kick it in gear, sister! You have too much to do!” I’m beginning to wonder if the author and screenplay writer of a recently released movie secretly stalked me and wrote about my life?

A few weeks ago a co-worker and I crossed paths and she paused long enough to comment that she was amazed at how calm I always seemed. Huh? Are you kidding me? I’m as frazzled as they come! Apparently what she sees and how I feel are in direct contrast with one another. I have only one explanation. Jesus.

Because I make a concerted effort to memorize Scripture, I usually have a verse or two at the forefront of my thoughts. I’m convinced that it is because I have those Holy words first, all the other thoughts I have, and there are many of them, tend to fall into just the right places. So even when it feels like I’m falling further and further behind, I’m right on schedule according to where God needs me to be for any given moment. And if it’s good enough for God, it’s more than good enough for me.

As the above verse says, when you have a steadfast mind, you will experience peace. Isn’t that what we all long for in this crazy-busy, fast-paced world? I certainly do! So go ahead, find a verse or two and begin to meditate on it and commit it to memory. Making this discipline a priority will lend itself to helping you order your responsibilities in a way that pleases our Father. Who knows, you may even find a few spare minutes too!

Second String

I admit it. I’m one of those girls who actually enjoys watching football. As I am writing this, the Sunday night football game is on in the background. This week the game has the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Indianapolis Colts. What’s interesting about this game is that the second string quarterback has sustained a mild concussion and now the third string quarterback is trying to get up to speed before the Colts offense goes back onto the field. And guess who this backup to the backup guy is on the phone with…yep, Peyton Manning, who for those of you who don’t follow the sport, is the first string quarterback who has been sidelined for most, if not all, season due to a serious injury he incurred during a preseason game.

This has got my rolling a little bit. Titus 2:3-5 talks about women of experience training younger women how to live so as to “not malign the word of God”.

So the question I have for myself and for you is…Who are you mentoring? Who are you investing in and training and teaching and modeling for? Is it the young lady who has just started a new position at your work? Is it a peer who has begun attending the small group that you attend? Is it a friend who is seeking accountability in maintaining a healthy life style?

If you are in a leadership position in your professional field, ministry, or personal interactions, you have a responsibility to reach out and help others develop their strengths.

If you are not in a leadership position, you also have a responsibility to seek out someone with whom you can learn from. Choose wisely. Find a mentor or coach who is not only good at what she does, but also has Godly character. You can learn from the best and in time, you will be called upon to share your expertise with the new gal on the block.

I am so thankful for my mentor who has invested so much time and energy to hold me accountable in my spiritual walk. I am so thankful for my co-workers who made sure that had the tools and skills to be successful in my career. I am so thankful for my mother who was a model for being a loving and devoted wife and mother.

Take the First Step

     As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
     When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
     "Yes, Lord," they replied.
     Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored.

--Matthew 8:27-30b.


Yesterday I caught myself remembering a scene that I happened upon a few years back. A friend and I had just finished jogging up a mile long, slow climb that we affectionately referred to "the hill". The only good thing about making my way to the end of the longest mile in the middle of a desert is that it was a place and time to catch my breath before I began the second half of the route.

On most days, my friend and I wouldn't see anyone else at the top of the hill and thus be unmemorable.  However, there was one day, that while we were catching our breath, two young ladies were also at the top astride their horses. The girls were trying to take their horses across a horse gate into the desert. The first girl led her ride to the break in the fence and the horse just stood there, refusing to cross. No matter how much coaxing the girl attempted, the horse wouldn't budge. After a few minutes time, the second girl took her animal over in hopes of encouraging the first. This strategy also didn't work.

My friend and I ended up leaving the scene before a resolution came to pass. We don't know if the horse ever crossed over the gate or not. I like to think that the animal eventually overcame it's hesitation, put faith in its rider and took the first step into new territory.

I've always wondered why that horse didn't simply trust its rider. Was it a new horse/rider relationship and necessary trust hadn't been established? Did something happen to spook it? Or was the animal just plain ol' stubborn with a mind of its own?

I just got done reading a Lysa TerKeurst devotional where she relates that the reason why we don't see more miracles is because we don't put ourselves in a position to receive them. So this got me thinking: why don't we? Is it that we're new to God and haven't established that trust yet? Is it because we've prayed for miracles in the past, but what we wanted didn't come to pass? Or is that we haven't yet fully surrended to the Almighty and are bound and determined to make it on our own, not needing the help of God?

The two blind men in the scripture above put themselves in position to receive a miracle. They chose to trust a man that they had only heard about, but never saw. They chose to get over failed attempts at healing. They chose to take a step beyond their comfort zone, beyond their sphere of control and reach out to the only One who had any kind of real control of their circumstances.

These verses in Matthew state plainly that if we believe that our Savior is able to do it, our request will be heard and acted upon. There is no reason to not trust his lead. There is no need to be gun shy of our Savior. There is no reason to limit our circumstances to what we have control over. This world will let you down, but our Savior never will.

Believe, my friend, and take the first step to a whole new experience that God has prepared in advance for you. (Ephesians 2:10)

Stuck in El Paso

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. -- Psalm 27:14

 I'm sitting on a plane in El Paso, TX. My city of departure, Phoenix. My intended city of arrival, Dallas. But here I am nonetheless. Something to do with needing a mechanic at 9pm on a Friday night and having to wait 30-45 minutes for him to get here. Did I mention that my flight was already 60 minutes late leaving The Valley of the Sun?

I suppose that I might be a little less anxious, but I'm supposed to be seeing my man this weekend. Carrying on a long distance relationship hasn't been the easiest thing in the world and circumstances like this tempt me to want to pull out my hair. On second thought that might not be the best idea considering who I'll be visiting.

You see, I've waited a VERY long time to be in a relationship such as this and now I'm being asked to wait just a little bit longer.

About ten years ago I bought a book about God's timing compared to mine, especially in reference to finding Mr. Right. In these ten years God had definitely taught me some seriously tough lessons, but vital all the same.

Lesson #1: Develop a gut belief that God is God and that He is enough. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a God-centered home; however that didn't make me immune to having my own idols. Removing those strongholds has been the most difficult and freeing process. Through study of His Word and prayer I am thoroughly convinced that He is who He says He is.

Lesson #2: Be content in all things. You may be wondering how you can be content and still desiring at the same time and I did too. I was able to rectify this dichotomy by giving myself permission to find a quiet place and simply be. Oftentimes it's tempting to fill all the empty spaces of life because that's easier than dealing with the emptiness that we feel in our hearts. But my friend, this is where our God longs to reside. Reserving time alone with no music, no books, no interruptions helps me quiet my soul enough to be content in His fulfilling love.

Lesson #3: Rejoice in all things. I still honestly struggle with this at times, but I also know that if I don't practice rejoicing even in the most difficult of situations that I'm not experiencing the abundance that God has in store for me at that very moment. God's overflowing abundance is not a destination to long for, but is something to be consumed every moment we draw breath. So even if it's for the simplest of things, show your gratitude.

I'm curious to know what lessons you've learned during your times of waiting. Go ahead a drop me a line so we can be encouraged as we learn from one another.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, You call us Your daughters and so we long to believe that the promises You have spoken to our hearts will some day be realized. Fill us with the confidence and strength that can only come from You as we remain content and grateful in our times of waiting.

Shine Brighter

In the same way, let your light shine among men that they might see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
--Matthew 5:16

Last week as I was leaving a friend's home after an evening visit my car failed to start. Not being much of a mechanic, I was confused thinking, "What in the world?". So I attempted to turn my key in the ignition once more, ok, several more times, and got nothing. Only then did it occur to me that just maybe my car battery was shot. Thankfully, my friend is married to a very nice man who, when I knocked on their door, offered to help me take care of it.

It was when he was under the hood of my car that his wife brought out a Maglite flashlight so he could see better. I recalled that I had one as well and so I dug it out and had the two lights shining side by side. The difference between the two lights shining was striking. While my torch was also a Maglite brand, it wasn't a LED like my friends. In all actuality, we didn't even need my light, theirs was sufficient.

That got me to thinking about how brightly I am shining. Am I shining a dull light that does the job adequately or am I a beacon that shines beyond the immediate surroundings revealing the finer details of what a relationship with Jesus looks like? Have you ever wondered that or am I the only one?

If I am the former rather than the latter, what is making my life dull? Is there a behavior that needs adjusting? A habit broken? A relationship nurtured? A dream dusted off?

I think that this is where accountability with another individual can have a huge impact on how brightly I am shining. Every month I contact my discipleship coach and reflect on how the month is going. I love this relationship I have because it forces me to evaluate my behavior and thought patterns and adjust accordingly.

But I also like to hear the voices of my friends providing me feedback because they are the ones who watch me and interact with me on a more frequent basis. Their evaluation of me can be powerful too. I hope that I am just as good as mirror as some of my friends are with me.

Later on last week, a lovely friend graciously gave me a note said that she could "see Him" in my actions. It's this kind of encouragement that not only gives me a boost of confidence, but also challenges me to do the same for another. As a result my circle of friends and I will all shine brighter.

So here's my challenge to you...Evaluate yourself. Ask a trusted friend to listen to what you have to say; ask that friend to give you feedback too. Then grab a girlfriend and share with her a word or two of encouragement.

Let's shine brightly, together.

Amazing Love

Then have them make a sanctuary (holy place, set apart) for me, and I will dwell among them.
--Exodus 25:8

How amazing is God? He loves us. Of course He loves us; He made us! In fact, the sole reason why mankind was created was so that He could fellowship with us. So imagine His heartbreak when He had to banish His creation due to sin. How gut-wrenching was that? I've had friends with children describe the anguish they experience when they discipline their children. How much more so was it for God?  

But because of His amazing love for us, God found a way to reside and fellowship with His people. First, God's presence took up residence within the nomadic Tabernacle. Then He established a more premenant location within the Temple in Jerusalem. But that wasn't good enough. God had designed us to be in close, intimate relationship with him and so these temporary facilities had to be done away with. And so they were, once atonement for our sins was paid for by the death of Jesus on the cross. But the story doesn't end here. At some point in the future, we will again find ourselves, fully restored and renewed, and living in the Kingdom upon the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. 

Remember When...?

“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

--Luke 22:19b-20

I just got done reading a devotional thought out of Beth Moore’s, “Believing God Day by Day” where she proposes that the Old Testament nation of Israel’s rebellion always stemmed from their lack of remembering what God had already done for them. What’s frightening to me is that I can pick out the same behavior in my own life. When I find myself doubting God’s ability or desire to fulfill a promise (on my timetable) it’s because I have forgotten what God has already done for me in the past. And so I start looking for ways to solve the situation on my own strength. And when this happens, I experience what my students would say, an epic failure.

But Jesus gives us a way to regularly remember all that was done for us at the Communion Table. And while the sacrifice of His life for the redemption of mine is a big chunk of what I meditate on during those quiet moments in a church service, I’d like to begin remembering more than that.

For when I begin worrying about my finances, I can remember when God supplied my needs in the past.

For when I begin worrying about my health, I can remember the good news report that the doctor gave me in the past.

For when I begin worrying about a relationship, I can remember the way that forgiveness and/or compromise mended things in the past. 

For when I begin worrying about some aspect of my job, I can remember how I was given insight to resolve the issue in the past.

For when I begin worrying about not having enough time to get everything done, I can remember how He has intervened so that the priorities didn’t get sacrificed for the less significant in the past.

For when I begin worrying about (fill in the blank), I can remember (fill in the blank) in the past.

Remembering what God has already done for me the past is a powerful way to keep myself under the umbrella of His blessing and continue to trust His authority in my life.

Do You Believe?

Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

--Romans 4:20-21

There is a line in the movie “Miracle on 34^th Street” that I find myself playing repeatedly in my thoughts whenever I become discouraged or tempted to completely forsake any number of particular dreams I have. Little Suzy had finally come to believe that Kris Kringle was indeed Santa Claus and she dared to ask him for the biggest thing she could imagine, a house for her and her mother to live in; complete with a big tree in the backyard from which a swing hung. Christmas day had come and was just about over, when she finds herself sitting in the back seat of the car with her mother and Mr. Gailey, Santa’s lawyer. As they drive through a quaint subdivision, little Suzy says over and over is, “I believe, I believe; it’s silly, but I believe”, with so little enthusiasm that the movie-goer can practically feel the hope drain out of her heart. With one last gigantic sigh, Suzy looks up and out the window to see the exact house that she had asked Santa for. All of a sudden her downtrodden countenance becomes full of life!

Now please don’t mistake my comparison of Santa Claus to the Almighty, but I do think that God instills in each one of us really big hopes and dreams that He alone can execute. In today’s scripture, the apostle Paul is encouraging the Roman believers by reminding them of how big God is and how there is nothing that will prevent God from fulfilling a promise that He makes to those who call Him Father. Abraham and Sarah’s situation was laughable when put next to the promise that God had made them – but the soon to be father of many nations “strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God”.

How about you? Is there a call, purpose, dream, vision that you completely believe came from God and you have no idea how he’s going to get it done considering your present circumstances? I have several and I have my days when I look up to the sky and ask God, “Were you really serious about this because I don’t see it happening.”  The reasons for any delay are as varied as the number of hairs on your head, but that doesn’t mean that God has forgotten. He’s waiting for the perfect time to bring your dream into fruition.

In the meantime, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your hope alive and it starts with diving into His Word daily. The more you immerse yourself into what God has already done, the easier it will be for you to state, “I believe, I believe, God loves me, and I believe.”

Dear Friend, God sees you, He hears you, and He’s making something beautiful of your life! So be encouraged and remember to give Him Glory.

Decision Points

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt.

-- Hebrews 11:24-26.

I recently have begun to listen to books on CD on my drive to work as is another friend of mine. I had lent her a copy of one of my books and not so long ago she returned it along with one that she had finished listening to. The books I tend to select fall under the category of Christian Living/Self Help. The borrowed book was of the secular romance genre. Every morning as I popped that CD in the player the intensity of the content grew and yesterday morning it became down right risqué. Part of me wanted to keep listening to see if the storyline was really going where my mind had already been and back. The other part of me, knew that it really didn’t matter – I needed to turn it off. You see, I had, not 15 minutes earlier, been in my quiet time with God. To continue to listen would have completely torn down what God and I had just built up. Knowing the difference between bad, good, better, and best for this specific situation I pushed the power button to off, said a prayer asking for my mind to be cleansed of any remaining ungodly thoughts, and then tuned my radio to a Christian music station.

I tell you all of this because I recently came across a quote from none other, The Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali. “I hated every minute of the training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” And just moments after I read this quote, it reminded me of a saying that Dave Ramsey, a well respected financial guy, repeats over and over in his Financial Peace University: “Live like no one else, so that later, you can LIVE like no one else.” And then not moments after statement got processed in my brain, today’s scripture came washing over me. It’s a verse my dad had challenged me to memorize over twenty years ago and it has popped into my consciousness whenever I have a seemingly benign, but not so much, decision to make. You see, it’s not so easy to have just one misguided choice, because like a snowball, one poor decision leads to another, and before you know it, you’re right where you never intended on being.

If you are going to choose to live for God, then every decision counts. It doesn’t matter if the choice is about the media you absorb, or the food you eat, the money you spend, the words you speak. This is a hard line, I know it all too well. My days, heck, my hours, are far from perfect. I wish I could say that I lived a flawless day, just once! But I am human after all. Thank goodness for God’s grace that restores me moment by moment.

Dear Friend, you are also a recipient of God’s redeeming grace. Slow yourself down, think about your options and choose that which will allow you to experience the reward God has in store for you.

What's in a Name?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

--2 Corinthians 5:17

A few weeks ago, at the school where I teach, the fire alarm went off in the middle of passing periods. Now, for those of you who have forgotten about how school fire drills are done, they are usually scheduled about the same time (within a few days) every month and in the middle of any given class period. At least this is how it’s done on my campus. So to have the ear piercing blasts of the fire alarm begin blaring before students had reported to their assigned classroom, let us veterans of education know that this was not a drill. We managed to get all the students out of the buildings and the wait began. Thankfully, within 20 minutes we were given the all clear to re-enter the building. Later in the day, our principal sent out an email giving us some detail of what had happened. There had been a small fire in the cafeteria; no one was injured and no structural damage was done. Now the next detail I’m a little sketchy on, but somehow, a box of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos caught on fire. No joke! I think that this is absolutely hilarious!!! Don’t you? The best selling snack on our campus was really living up to its name!

But that got me thinking – am I living up to my name? In my case, I certainly hope not. A quick search of Biblical meanings of names reveals that the Hebrew meaning of Bethany is anything to be envious of. It can either mean “house of figs” or even less desirable, “house of misery”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I really do like my name. It’s not all that common, and I like to think that I’m well suited for it. My parents did well in choosing what to call me. However, I really hope that my life is anything but full of misery.

Considering a little bit further, Bethany is the name of the town in which Lazarus lived along with his sisters, Mary and Martha. The story of Lazarus’ resurrection is encouraging when it comes to thinking about living up to one’s name and the above scripture verse reaffirms that the old meaning of my name certainly doesn’t have to define who I am. I am who I am because of Christ alone. And so are you. We are promised that if we firmly believe in the saving grace of Christ that the old way of living no longer has a hold on our identities. Within the Old and New Testaments, people were given new names once they became servants of God: Abram to Abraham, Sarai, to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter.

While is wouldn’t be very convenient to legally change my name to something a little more uplifting, I can certainly visit with my Heavenly Father about who He wants me to be and then be committed to that identity.

And so I encourage you. If you haven’t had a little chat with God lately about the woman that he wants you to become, make it a priority to set aside some time within the next seven days. Ask Him what character qualities he wants to resurrect in you and then sit and be quiet and listen for that still small voice.

Let me know how it goes – I’d love to hear from you!

ABC's of Worship

My Bible study group has started to read Linda Dillow's "Satisfy My Thirsty Soul". In it she offers a creative way to worship God using the alphabet. Here's what I came up with. What adjectives describing God can you add?

A - Awesome, Adored, Almighty, Abba, All in All
B - Beloved, Beautiful
C - Caring, Creator, Calmer
D - Delightful
E - Everlasting, Eternal
F - Father, Forgiver, Faithful, Friend
G - God, Giver, Good, Generous, Gracious
H - Healer, Helper, Holy
I - Immortal
J - Jesus' father, Judge, Just
K - Kindhearted
L - Lord, Lover, Lovely, Light
M - Maker, Majestic
N - New
O - Open, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent
P - Patient, Peaceful, Provider, Present
Q - Quiet
R - Redeemer, Restorer, Relevant, Returning
S - Savior
T - Truth
U - Unfathomable
V - Victorious
W - the Way, Wise, Worthy
X - eXcellent, eXuberant (ok - I cheated on these..)
Y - Yahweh
Z - Zestful

So the next time you're trying to be quiet before God, or unloading the dishwasher, out on your morning or evening run/walk, putting the kids to bed, or on your drive to work, try it out and see what you can come up with. God will love the attention and you'll be blessed!

Whirlpool Buddies

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:12

Growing up my family had an above ground pool. One of the fun things that my friends and I would like to do is walk around the edge and try to get the water flowing in a circle. It didn’t take too long before the water seemed to be able to sweep us away with its current and we could take turns floating enjoying the free ride. Once we got bored moving in one direction, it would take all of our might to turn around and fight the force of the water and make it begin flowing in the opposite direction.

It seems that this principle isn’t unique to the pool games of kids, but a life or death strategy used as birds fly long distances. They take turns leading the flock so as to create a more aerodynamic formation. As the lead bird’s strength wears down, it drops to the back to conserve energy and another bird moves up to the front.

Both cyclists and NASCAR drivers use the same idea while drafting. Working together as a team proves to be more efficient than going alone.

The above scripture encourages us to build trusting relationships so that we are not overpowered, but lead powerful and effective lives. I believe that this is key in all areas of our spiritual journeys but most valuable in our prayer lives.

About 18 months ago, I was dealing with a particular issue that I could no longer carry the load on my own strength. While I could say that I enlisted the help of two friends, it was more like they just took over the reigns and began to diligently lift my needs up to our Father. As I reflect on the experience it reminds me of the times my childhood friends and I created whirlpools in the backyard. Together we would approach the throne of grace, but it was their efforts that carried me along when the reality of my situation seemed more than I could handle. When circumstances calmed down, I would join them again in prayer asking for a resolution. I am convinced that because my friends’ belief in prayer and their refusal to give up even when it sometimes interfered with their own struggles did I eventually come to a place of peace.

Are you dealing with an issue on your own? This is not the way God intended. He wants us to submit not just to His authority, but become vulnerable to a few individuals so that when the realities of this life are too great, we have the comfort of knowing we do not persist in our struggles alone.

No one likes to admit that they need help. It can be scary, intimidating, embarrassing, or shameful to make such a confession. But keeping our needs in the dark is not going to allow you to experience the peace that God desires for your life. Trust that God will guide you to one or two others who will love you regardless of what you are going through. Refuse to walk alone – instead, grab a few friends and go play in the Living Water!