Fellowship and Faithfulness

God is great. I have been wanting to join a group at church that meets on Thursdays during the day. This, unfortunately has been impossible for me since I am self employed as a home daycare provider, and I had small children at those hours. To make a long story short, God provided the opportunity for me to NOT have children on Thursdays, and I was able to join the group. I got to meet with them today and I really look forward to that fellowship time.
I also have a friend who had volunteered to lead a Bible Study, but it was going to be a real strain in her schedule to make it to the church on time because of a job she has (at a Christian book store no less!). She made the commitment, and intended on following through, but was stressed about it. As it turns out, her job will end within days of when she begins the Bible Study--no worries!
How wonderful it is when we do as the Lord expects, and He rewards us. When we submit our lives and will to God, He is faithful to us and our needs. God wants to see us happy. God wants us to live a life that is fulfilled and full. He calls us to be faithful to Him, and in turn, He is faithful to us.
Last summer when I was facing some real challenges in my life, my personal mantra became, "If I am faithful to Him, He will be faithful to me." I meant it as a prayer to God, but it also applied to my marriage and life. I said it many times a day, and applied it to many aspects of my struggle (fidelity, weight loss, finances)....you know what???? Here I am, a year later, with a faithful husband, finances in order, the self assurance that I was not unfaithful in my marriage and well....I HAD lost the weight and am doing so again (sometimes we need to rededicate ourselves!), but I know that the areas where I fell short, are the ones that didn't work out. It was MY unfaithfulness that caused it- not God's lack of dedication to me!
Set a goal, tap into the power of God and go for it. With God on your side, you cannot be defeated!

Off the Hook!

Well- I stressed out about nothing. As it happens- I won't have to speak in front of my old church (for now!). I was asked by someone, "Do you WANT to address that congregation?" NO- I didn't WANT to, but I would have if God wanted me to. Isn't that what its all about folks...being a willing servant? I'm not saying we can't be scared- many of God's most faithful followers feared the unknown...but they did it anyway. They were rewarded, and we shall be too. So Stop...Look (up) ....and Listen! See how those basic kindergarten principles come into play in our lives???
Have a glorious day and may you heed the nudgings of God!

What have I done? At the moment, I'm freaking out. I shouldn't be. I am listening to God. I just don't know if I care for what He is saying! I offered to deliver a message to a congregation. Not any congregation-the one I grew up in. Anyone who says God doesn't have a sense of humor...well they are sadly mistaken. These are the people who watched me grow up. They saw me roll the hem of my dress up to my neck during Sunday School programs. They saw me participate in Bible School and all the events of the church family. They also saw my sin. They know me. They know my family. They know I left the church...although they may not know why. How can I talk to them with any authority? I will need to seriously need to pray about this!
What will I say? How will I convince them that what I say has any merit? Will they listen? Do they CARE what I might have to share? Will my words fall on deaf ears? Can I touch lives? That is the real question. Will all that they know help or hinder the reception of what God wants me to say?
I don't know....but God does. I'd better learn to be quiet and listen, 'cause I need some answers! I'm sure He will supply them to me if I will just pay attention!
Pray for me....I think I'm going to need it!

Wit and wisdom for the day....my girlfriends staged an intervention with me the other night. No, I'm not a drug addict or an alcoholic. My addiction is holding onto resentment. They sat me down and held me accountable for my ATTITUDE. I think they know and believe that my actions are Godly, and that I am DOING the right things (for the most part), but they questioned my ATTITUDE about doing these things.
A little part of me was hurt. A large part of me was grateful. Let me back up...this is all in reference to my dealing with my husband. He and I have had a really rough 2 years (the precipitating event happened 2 years ago today, and it has been a horrible journey that has produced MUCH fruit in my spirit). Over the course of this time, I have stretched myself beyond what I believed to be possible (especially within my personality), and we have made it. In this time, I have forgiven things I wasn't sure I should have and bent in ways I'm sure I shouldn't have had to (after all, I'm old, and I haven't joined the cast of Cirque du Soleil!!!)
So now that I am 'enlightened' and we are back on track most days, I tend to believe the worst is over. My wonderful sisters in Christ however showed me that even though I'm doing what I should, I am still being resentful, and I am seeing the rotten fruit that is producing in my relationship. It is affecting me in ways I didn't see. I need to work on ME....God will work on him. I also need to allow God to work on me. (I tend to think I can do it all myself. Silly me!)
I am so blessed to have these women (aka Fat Old Moms) to be there for me, and to stand up to me, even when they are afraid I might be angry. God calls us to be bold, and bless the Lord that they were!
Since the intervention, I have handled frustrating situations with my husband with a different attitude, and Praise God, the fruit is not rotten! You get what you give...whether it be attitude or action. (ME- with an attitude? Insert hearty laughter here!) I know I won't be successful all of the time, But I am going to strive to be more aware, and do what I can to change ME.
So my challenge to you for the day is to be introspective and see HOW you react with your mind- not just your actions. Sometimes those things are very far apart. Bring them together, and toward Christ and you will reap a bountiful harvest of fruit worth eating!

Today was a busy, dirty day that left me with much time to think. I sat on a mower all day and it felt good. As my daughter cried and blubbered about having to DO stuff, I kept thinking what a blessing it is to be able to work. What a blessing to have a body that is capable of lifting, and stretching and walking and straining. At the end of the day, my sore muscles and filthy arms means I accomplished something. I'll feel the sunburn and be reminded that I was able to spend time within God's creation and reflect on the awesomeness and intricacies of life and the continuation of it.....
Even those pesky mosquitoes have a place in the whole chain of existence. They are annoying, but they are a food source for many different types of other animals and insects. Can you think of a 'mosquito' in your life? Someone who annoys you, and buzzes in your ear and bites you on occasion...sometimes making you bleed? I have a few of those people in my scope of aquaintances. What GOOD do they bring to my life? How do they make ME a better person? First of all, when I see the things they do to annoy, it helps me see those same qualities within myself and makes me want to NOT do that to others. They provide an example of how I DON'T want to be. They also provide a service somehow. Despite their annoyances, when I look really hard, I realize they contribute something with their time or talent that enhances the human race. (Sometimes I have to look REALLY hard!)
They have their place. God has a purpose for them too. In our humanness, sometimes we overlook the good, and tend to focus on the bad. Sometimes it is hard to NOT see the bad when that is all we're shown, but we need to look beyond that to the bigger picture- the gigantic puzzle that God has put together. Their piece is just as important as ours, because without it, the puzzle is not complete.
Anyway- I need to go now and get the dirt of the day off of me and revel in my sore muscles and sunburned shoulders and scratch my mosquito bites!
Blessings to you all this day!

Is your house clean? As my 10 year old daughter and I have battled over her room this week, we have had this typical back and forth....
"Lily- is your room clean?"
"YES MOM!!! Of course it is."
But when I inspect, I see the clutter in the corners and under the bed and on the dresser. She doesn't see that. She sees that it is MUCH better than it was when I started nagging her. She sees that there is actually a path from the door to the closet that one can walk without tripping. She sees CLEAN.
How often do we think our lives are clean? How often do we say to ourselves, "I am a good person. I helped at the soup kitchen this week and with that prayer group. I pray every day and read my Bible. I serve others and the Lord. I teach my children good values. I have my priorities in order. I am a good steward of our family finances. I tithe."
How would GOD view our lives if He walked into our 'room of thinking'? Is our thought life pure? God expects THAT of us too- much as I expect Lily to clean all the corners of her room. Even if we don't say it, do we think, "Oh- that lady with the tattoos must be on welfare. Look at her dirty little kids. I wonder if she's an alcoholic." Do we think of other men when our husbands irritate us? Do we covet our neighbor's home or vehicle, wishing we had what they have? Those are all sins you know. I also know we sometimes forget that those things count (like the socks hanging out of the drawer).
The key is to be held accountable. The more times I go to Lily and point out the things that are unacceptable in the cleanliness of her room, the more accustomed she will become to knowing and realizing those things. If Grandma tells her, and her Dad tells her and her friends tell her, she will know, and it will become second nature to clean the corners too.
So it is with our Christian walk, and our Christian responsibility to others. We need to be open to the advice of fellow Christians. We need to hear their words on what is acceptable and not acceptable. We too need to help our brothers and sisters in Christ realize their errant ways. We need to approach this in a Christ-like manner- but we need to be bold and help them see. The more often they see, the less likely they are to stray. The less likely they are to know the unacceptable. This, my friends, is LOVE. Love them enough....love them enough to help them.
In light of all of this information, the bottom line is this....IT IS IMPORTANT TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH CHRISTIANS. As recievers, we need to know that the advice and information that is coming in is Christ -like and from God.
I keep going back to a line I've heard a million times, but never really understood the full impact of until recently.....What you put IN is what will come OUT. As my walk strengthens, and I strive to live more as Christ would have me do, I find it less acceptable to put IN things that I don't want to come out. I try to fill myself with Godly music, literature and relationships. I try to avoid more secular influences, much as a recovering alcoholic tries to avoid the bar, or a fat girl avoids the Dairy Queen.
In my defense, if you continue to hear a curse word from me from time to time, remember, I put a lot of BAD in there for a long time, and some of it still leaks out on occasion! Praise God----I'm working on it!