I clearly remember the first time I was bullied. Some kid wanted to fight me because he heard I thought I was tough. I was only in kindergarten. I didn't even understand why he was saying the things he was saying to me. Yet all these years later, I still remember how it felt, the shock and hurt of being falsely accused.
I grew up, as most of us do, believing if I did certain things well, then good things would happen. In other words, if I worked hard, my efforts would be appreciated and I would be rewarded financially. If I treated others kindly, with respect, they would treat me that way in return. I was taught this principle at an early age, and it applied to every aspect of my life: marriage, parenting, health, friendships, etc. If I did what was right, if I had the right parameters in place, my life would reflect that in a very positive way. This early encounter in kindergarten was the first time I had an inkling that sometimes you could do everything "right" but still get attacked or put down or made to feel less regardless.
Life shows up. Stuff happens. People abuse your principles and minimize your efforts. There isn't a guaranteed outcome. Doing right doesn't insulate you or those your love from hurt and heartache and pain. Intellectually, I think we all realize life isn't fair, but somewhere inside, we still hold to that belief, even with God. If I try to follow God, then I will have a smooth road, we think. Or, If I'm generally a good person, then my life will be good.
I love that God doesn't play the "If Then" game. He simply doesn't work that way. He doesn't look at me through the lens of failure or success, or let me go because of my wrong choices. He patiently and determinedly reaches toward me, helping me find the path He marked out for me from before I was born.
When other people come along and try to tear at my spirit (and free will ensures they will), God is right there reminding me He is bigger than the wound, and knows not only how to heal it, but to make me stronger and wiser through it, and to see a depth of His love and understanding few manage to find, though it's easily available to us all.
I love that He gives me the courage to still choose to be gracious and kind, to give respect and to hold myself and my actions accountable because of who I am before Him. It doesn't matter whether anyone else sees or appreciates what I'm doing. He does. I think that's so cool!
A life lived in response to what others think or do is a life chained and broken. You will always be a slave to others opinions and passions, biases and attitudes, just as you will be a slave to your own. Emotions have the ability to control your destiny without discriminating the worthiness of what it is you feel like doing. A life that seeks out God's vision and pathway is one that is free, even in the midst of sorrow and pain, to pursue peace and growth and joy. Confidence come from that choice, a confidence that allows us to stop hiding behind some empty shell, switching our outward masks as we switch audiences. You are simply you. I am simply me. And there is beauty and power in that space.
Jeremiah the prophet sums it up beautifully: "The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be" (Jeremiah 17:9-11). God loves you. Not the pretty, shiny you, or the successful, dynamic you, or the outward image of you that you try to portray, but you. The real you. The one with the warts and the brokenness and the hurt and the fear and the times of struggle and doubt. The one that can be genuinely gracious and kind and selfless and loving. He sees it all, and He's not afraid or intimidated by your situation. He's also pretty awesome at taking out bullies (see David & Goliath in 1 Samuel 17), even when you're the bully who needs to be set free.
Live a life unchained. Dare to be you for there is only one you in this world. Ask God to guide you toward His vision for your life so you are free to boldly shine!
For Further Thought: "In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. I want you to get out there and walk--better yet, run!--on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline--not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences" (Ephesians 4:2). This week, pray through this scripture and ask God if there is anything in your life that is keeping you from running down His path for you. Not sure what your path is? Start by placing all your talents and abilities in His hands, asking Him to use them as He sees fit. Then decide to walk through the doors He opens for you. You will be in for quite an adventure!
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, January 22, 2018
Unstuck
I have been driving now for more years than I'd like to admit. I've driven on dusty back roads, wide open highways, congested busy streets and stop and go traffic. I've travelled through LA during rush hour--with all 10 lanes of traffic jam packed (not for the faint at heart), and in cities where if I didn't jump quickly into traffic, if I even slightly hesitated, I would be stuck for what seemed like forever. I've experienced road rage where, shall we say, the best sides of my character seemed to be on vacation. I've been on the receiving end of road rage, including having a gun pulled on me in traffic (ironically, I wasn't even doing anything particularly wrong when that happened). I've been hit and bumped. The road hasn't always been smooth, which my suspension can sometimes attest to. And I'm not even sharing the experiences that come with helping someone else learn to drive!
I think life can feel a lot like that road. We get out there anticipating open highways and scenic routes to abound. But it doesn't seem to go that way. We get stuck; we get hurt. We get overwhelmed by our own emotions and by the emotions of others. Our spiritual and emotional "car" breaks down and we found ourselves on the side of the road, unsure of how to move forward.
Let me tell ya--God rocks at repairs. Seriously. He has this uncanny ability to help me see what needs to be fixed and what I need to grow in my understanding of. He extends grace to me when I'm at fault, helping me to learn and grow in the process so I can stop repeating the same mistakes. Knowing He does that for me allows me to be more gracious to others, to remember that I don't know the road someone has travelled, or what they have suffered along their journey. He helps me to find peace in the crazy traffic jams of life, to reach for the good in any given situation no matter how hard.
Yes, it takes training. As much as I would've loved to simply say a quick prayer and have God show up, miraculously change my situation and help me get on the road again, that has rarely been the case. But I have learned that when I consistently invite Him into a situation, He begins to reveal so much to me, good stuff, important stuff that over time not only helps me to move forward again, but to move more effectively and joyfully. I still get stuck, but how He has taught me to handle it has made all the difference.
What do you find yourself stuck in right now? Religiosity? Heartache? Loneliness? Fear? Lack of direction? Remember that God made you. He wired you together. He intimately knows who you are, what makes you tick, what your strengths are and even your challenges. He's not there condemning you, nor does He neglect you. Proverbs 139:13-14 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." And we are reminded in Psalm 10:14, "But you do see! You take note of the trouble and grief in order to take the matter into your own hand. The helpless one commits himself to you; you have been the orphan's helper."
Tired of being stuck? Commit yourself and your life's journey to God. Make space to continually discover what that means in your life. God will show you a better path forward.
For Further Thought: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11-2). What keeps you from embracing this truth in your life? This week, pray for God to begin steering you around it.
I think life can feel a lot like that road. We get out there anticipating open highways and scenic routes to abound. But it doesn't seem to go that way. We get stuck; we get hurt. We get overwhelmed by our own emotions and by the emotions of others. Our spiritual and emotional "car" breaks down and we found ourselves on the side of the road, unsure of how to move forward.
Let me tell ya--God rocks at repairs. Seriously. He has this uncanny ability to help me see what needs to be fixed and what I need to grow in my understanding of. He extends grace to me when I'm at fault, helping me to learn and grow in the process so I can stop repeating the same mistakes. Knowing He does that for me allows me to be more gracious to others, to remember that I don't know the road someone has travelled, or what they have suffered along their journey. He helps me to find peace in the crazy traffic jams of life, to reach for the good in any given situation no matter how hard.
Yes, it takes training. As much as I would've loved to simply say a quick prayer and have God show up, miraculously change my situation and help me get on the road again, that has rarely been the case. But I have learned that when I consistently invite Him into a situation, He begins to reveal so much to me, good stuff, important stuff that over time not only helps me to move forward again, but to move more effectively and joyfully. I still get stuck, but how He has taught me to handle it has made all the difference.
What do you find yourself stuck in right now? Religiosity? Heartache? Loneliness? Fear? Lack of direction? Remember that God made you. He wired you together. He intimately knows who you are, what makes you tick, what your strengths are and even your challenges. He's not there condemning you, nor does He neglect you. Proverbs 139:13-14 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." And we are reminded in Psalm 10:14, "But you do see! You take note of the trouble and grief in order to take the matter into your own hand. The helpless one commits himself to you; you have been the orphan's helper."
Tired of being stuck? Commit yourself and your life's journey to God. Make space to continually discover what that means in your life. God will show you a better path forward.
For Further Thought: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11-2). What keeps you from embracing this truth in your life? This week, pray for God to begin steering you around it.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
An Open Highway
I was driving through the dusty backroads of New Mexico when I came across a conspicuous sign that read, "Highest Bridge in New Mexico and 2nd Highest U.S. Highway Bridge." I looked up ahead and was immediately perplexed because I saw no evidence of a large bridge of any kind. Curious, I pulled up closer and stopped so I could inspect. Just a few feet from my car, I encountered a large, deep gorge. I knew the road ahead of me must be a bridge because the muddy Rio Grande river lay well below where I stood, a faint line in the depths of a high walled canyon that soared some 650 feet above it. Yet from the top, the bridge was remarkably unassuming. There were no towers, no cables of any kind I could see. It looked like a simple bridge with cement side rails and nothing much to recommend it.
I strained to see the sides and underpinnings of the bridge, but from my view I simply couldn't; I couldn't appreciate the engineering that went into creating this vast bridge so I could easily cross from one side of the gorge to the other. You would have to be miles away, looking from a different vantage point, to truly appreciate the engineering of such a large bridge. I actually had to go online to later to find a picture of what I drove across.
I think God is a lot like that Rio Grande Gorge Bridge I saw outside of Taos that day. He is working in our lives, engineering and building to help us move forward on our journey. Yet just like that bridge, we don't always see or recognize all of the work and effort He is putting in on our behalf behind the scenes. Sometimes, it takes time and a different perspective to really understand all He has done. And sometimes, we don't get to the right vantage point until we move onto the next life.
Still, God is working. He is moving and building and digging and supporting in your life each and every moment of each and every day. When life goes seamlessly, He's there. When you're in over your head, he's there. When friends, family and religion fail you, He's there. He is constantly moving quietly behind the scenes to allow us to drive forward. And the more we learn to trust Him with our journey, the smoother the road goes.
For Further Thought: "He will never let me stumble, slip or fall. For he is always watching, never sleeping. Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender. He protects you day and night" (Psalm 121:3-6). --AND-- "A lazy person's way is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is an open highway" (Proverbs 15:19). When we give way to our fear, forgetting that God is on our side, and when we forget to consistently spend time with Him but get lazy in how we approach our faith, challenges will block us and emotions become more overwhelming. The challenge this week is to spend time talking with God and take a moment to remember the times He has delivered you in the past. Remember, too, that just because you can't fully see what He is doing from your current vantage point, it doesn't mean He isn't working on your behalf. Remind yourself of the blessings He has given you, and choose to faithfully reach toward Him. He will get you back on that open highway.
I strained to see the sides and underpinnings of the bridge, but from my view I simply couldn't; I couldn't appreciate the engineering that went into creating this vast bridge so I could easily cross from one side of the gorge to the other. You would have to be miles away, looking from a different vantage point, to truly appreciate the engineering of such a large bridge. I actually had to go online to later to find a picture of what I drove across.
I think God is a lot like that Rio Grande Gorge Bridge I saw outside of Taos that day. He is working in our lives, engineering and building to help us move forward on our journey. Yet just like that bridge, we don't always see or recognize all of the work and effort He is putting in on our behalf behind the scenes. Sometimes, it takes time and a different perspective to really understand all He has done. And sometimes, we don't get to the right vantage point until we move onto the next life.
Still, God is working. He is moving and building and digging and supporting in your life each and every moment of each and every day. When life goes seamlessly, He's there. When you're in over your head, he's there. When friends, family and religion fail you, He's there. He is constantly moving quietly behind the scenes to allow us to drive forward. And the more we learn to trust Him with our journey, the smoother the road goes.
For Further Thought: "He will never let me stumble, slip or fall. For he is always watching, never sleeping. Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender. He protects you day and night" (Psalm 121:3-6). --AND-- "A lazy person's way is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is an open highway" (Proverbs 15:19). When we give way to our fear, forgetting that God is on our side, and when we forget to consistently spend time with Him but get lazy in how we approach our faith, challenges will block us and emotions become more overwhelming. The challenge this week is to spend time talking with God and take a moment to remember the times He has delivered you in the past. Remember, too, that just because you can't fully see what He is doing from your current vantage point, it doesn't mean He isn't working on your behalf. Remind yourself of the blessings He has given you, and choose to faithfully reach toward Him. He will get you back on that open highway.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Finding God's Joy
Age is a funny thing. My perceptions and understandings of life, of time and of what really matters evolve and change as I evolve and change. I knew everything in my 20's. Now I feel the more I know, the less I understand (thank you Don Henley!). Yet through it all, one thing has remained constant in my life: faith.
I don't know how people do life without a walk with God. It's a hard journey with so many uphill battles, deep wounds and the carrying of many heavy weights. The constant juggling, striving and straining, or worse, the fight to insulate oneself from any of the "uncomfortableness" that is the world and its realities is exhausting and/or limiting. Even as a believer, I still have to wrestle through my fears and limitations to stay centered with my God, to stay in tune and in step with Him. As much as I experience His deep peace and contentment and joy, I don't do so perfectly. It is a constant process, a constant surrendering of my will for His, a surrendering of the need to always know. It is a worthwhile process to be sure, but a process nevertheless.
Far from feeling morose, this wrestling process has brought me deep joy. By getting downright messy with God, laying all my fears, insecurities and weaknesses before Him, I have found something miraculous: God will always pick up my burdens and carry them for me. Always. It's amazing, really. I can leave a prayer time with God where tears were shed, my deepest, darkest fears were exposed, and a scary reality has been laid out before Him, and yet walk away lighter, more joyful, more hopeful. It's not that my circumstances have necessarily changed. Often they haven't. It's that I can sense the Holy Spirit showing up, I can feel God's presence enveloping me with protection and peace, and I walk away with the confidence of knowing the Creator of the Universe is by my side actively working for me.
As we enter a new year (geez, they seem to fly by more quickly!), there's 2 things I'd like to briefly encourage you with. First, your prayers matter to God. They truly do! In Revelation we are painted a scene of heaven. God is on His throne and Jesus stands before Him, worthy and able to free us. Yet what always touches me deeply is the description of God's throne room, for before God at all times is a fragrant incense, described in Rev. 5:8 as the prayers of God's holy people. Do you realize that because of Jesus, both you and I are considered holy? That our prayers go before the Father's throne? It's not just the Mother Theresa's of the world that He listens to. It's us. It's you. God listens intently to you. Make the time to pray and lay your heart out before Him regularly. You will experience a difference over time because He loves you deeply.
That leads to the very important second point--you are valuable and precious in God's sight. He truly loves you! Is He very aware of your flaws, your failings, your doubts? Yes. But He loves you anyway, and He loves you too much to leave you stuck and unfulfilled. There are too many scriptures to even list that testify to us again and again how valuable we are to our Creator, but I'll give you one: "... I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19). When you're feeling fearful, inadequate, weak, unworthy, or over your head this year, remember that God has overcome the world, and His perfect love drives out fear (John 16:33; 1 John 4:18). Walk in the confidence of knowing you deeply matter, and give that love in abundance back to God and to others. Your life will be richer for it.
For Further Thought: Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29-30, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely, lightly." Make 2018 the year you decide to keep company with Jesus. Think through what that might look like on a day-to-day, week-to-week and month-to-month basis. Add that unforced rhythm to your life so you, too, can experience greater freedom and lightness of heart. Happy 2018!
OUR NEXT DENTED FENDER CLASS BEGINS JANUARY 17TH AT CROSSROADS MASON. THIS CLASS IS FILLING UP QUICKLY! RESERVE YOUR SPOT BY REGISTERING HERE: https://thedentedfender.weebly.com/classes--events.html
I don't know how people do life without a walk with God. It's a hard journey with so many uphill battles, deep wounds and the carrying of many heavy weights. The constant juggling, striving and straining, or worse, the fight to insulate oneself from any of the "uncomfortableness" that is the world and its realities is exhausting and/or limiting. Even as a believer, I still have to wrestle through my fears and limitations to stay centered with my God, to stay in tune and in step with Him. As much as I experience His deep peace and contentment and joy, I don't do so perfectly. It is a constant process, a constant surrendering of my will for His, a surrendering of the need to always know. It is a worthwhile process to be sure, but a process nevertheless.
Far from feeling morose, this wrestling process has brought me deep joy. By getting downright messy with God, laying all my fears, insecurities and weaknesses before Him, I have found something miraculous: God will always pick up my burdens and carry them for me. Always. It's amazing, really. I can leave a prayer time with God where tears were shed, my deepest, darkest fears were exposed, and a scary reality has been laid out before Him, and yet walk away lighter, more joyful, more hopeful. It's not that my circumstances have necessarily changed. Often they haven't. It's that I can sense the Holy Spirit showing up, I can feel God's presence enveloping me with protection and peace, and I walk away with the confidence of knowing the Creator of the Universe is by my side actively working for me.
As we enter a new year (geez, they seem to fly by more quickly!), there's 2 things I'd like to briefly encourage you with. First, your prayers matter to God. They truly do! In Revelation we are painted a scene of heaven. God is on His throne and Jesus stands before Him, worthy and able to free us. Yet what always touches me deeply is the description of God's throne room, for before God at all times is a fragrant incense, described in Rev. 5:8 as the prayers of God's holy people. Do you realize that because of Jesus, both you and I are considered holy? That our prayers go before the Father's throne? It's not just the Mother Theresa's of the world that He listens to. It's us. It's you. God listens intently to you. Make the time to pray and lay your heart out before Him regularly. You will experience a difference over time because He loves you deeply.
That leads to the very important second point--you are valuable and precious in God's sight. He truly loves you! Is He very aware of your flaws, your failings, your doubts? Yes. But He loves you anyway, and He loves you too much to leave you stuck and unfulfilled. There are too many scriptures to even list that testify to us again and again how valuable we are to our Creator, but I'll give you one: "... I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19). When you're feeling fearful, inadequate, weak, unworthy, or over your head this year, remember that God has overcome the world, and His perfect love drives out fear (John 16:33; 1 John 4:18). Walk in the confidence of knowing you deeply matter, and give that love in abundance back to God and to others. Your life will be richer for it.
For Further Thought: Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29-30, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely, lightly." Make 2018 the year you decide to keep company with Jesus. Think through what that might look like on a day-to-day, week-to-week and month-to-month basis. Add that unforced rhythm to your life so you, too, can experience greater freedom and lightness of heart. Happy 2018!
OUR NEXT DENTED FENDER CLASS BEGINS JANUARY 17TH AT CROSSROADS MASON. THIS CLASS IS FILLING UP QUICKLY! RESERVE YOUR SPOT BY REGISTERING HERE: https://thedentedfender.weebly.com/classes--events.html
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