No one untouched...

Pharaoh refused to submit to God even after nine displays of His deity.  Pharaoh considered himself a god.  Nine times, God Almighty had shown His supremacy over gods of Egypt.  Now, He would bring the final and ultimate plague and people would die….the oldest of every family.

Imagine the devastation.  Imagine how every single family was affected.  Imagine the chaos and disturbance of authority.  No family would escape, no one would be untouched by this devastation.

“ Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.” (Exodus 12:30 NIV)


Pharaoh must not have been the oldest.  He lived.  But he lost his first born. Perhaps his parents, his wife, grandparents, uncles, staff, friends.  Death in every house.

Think how your sudden absence might affect others.  What if suddenly you were gone?   Lots of people would be sad, and other people would find their lives upside down.

We sang a song in high school choir, “No man is an island, No man stands alone”.  We are individuals responsible for our own actions and behavior.  Yet, our choices and behavior don’t just affect us personally.  We don’t reside on an island all by ourselves.

Pharaoh chose to reject the authority of God and an entire nation was affected.  No one was untouched.  Death in every house.

I purpose to make my choices prayerfully.  I purpose to consider how my choices affect others.  I do not want to be responsible for heartbreak of any kind in another life.

Lord help.

Tell it like it was....

I get very nostalgic during certain times of the year.  I feel it coming on now.  Holiday times with their events and deadlines are beginning to press in.  As I prepare for the seasons ahead I can’t help but remember the seasons past.  (Makes me think of that old song “The Way We Were” and “Every Picture Tells A Story Don’t It?”)

 I recall the way we all were.  I see photos that bring back a rush of emotional memories of times past and remember how it was.  

When the Israelite people followed Moses across the parted Red Sea, God instructed them to do certain things that would bring back those memories.  God intended for them to tell it like it was.  He wanted each rising generation to have opportunity to be curious about their heritage.  He wanted each individual  to be taught about what had happened and how it had come about.  

 “…when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them….”(Exodus 12:27 NIV)

We all have a story.  Every life, however young or old, is being written.  The part that has been written can’t be changed but it can be told.  We can learn from it and others can learn.

I purpose to use every opportunity to tell it like it was before He changed me.  And I purpose to live out the story of my life in a way that honors my Father.  He knows it beginning to end.

Give me a hand....

The Israelite people had walked miles and miles.  Every time the cloud moved, they packed up and followed it.  Water was scarce and God provided. They craved meat to eat and God provided.   Day after day, mile after mile, Moses led them.  He listened to the complaints, and there were plenty.   He was the go-to guy for every problem, doing his best to work out the conflicts between them all.

How exhausting.  Poor old Moses, and Moses was indeed OLD.  After all that stuff with Pharaoh, walking all that way in the opposite direction of Egypt, listening to problems and trying to work things out, ole’ Mose must have been worn to a frazzle.

I know the feeling.  Oh, I realize I am no Moses by any stretch of the imagination, but I can relate.

And I have experienced God’s blessing when He has placed alongside me, my own Aarons and Hurs.  I have valued those who have been there to give me a hand when I needed more than the two I have.

“ When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” (Exodus 17:12 NIV)

God knows when we need a support group.  I suppose He also knows when we place too much trust in that support group, and too little on Him.

I purpose to look first to my Father for provision and empowerment.  I know that He alone knows what support I need far better than I know for myself.

He is God.  I am not.

This is a test.....

I am not a good test taker.  I have a pitiful memory and if the information is not personally interesting to me, I can’t recall it.  The only way I do well on a test is to go over and over and over it.  Over and over again.

When I am learning the lyrics to a song I intend to sing, I have to practice for weeks, and I have to get rid of the cheat notes.  If I have the lyrics written down, I’ll keep looking at them, depending on my reading skills instead of my memory!

I hate tests.  But they come.

 “I'm going to test them to see if they'll live according to my Teaching or not.” (Exodus 16:4 The Message)

God knows if I will fail or pass.  He has promised that He will not allow what I can not bear up under.  “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13 The Message)

I still hate tests.

But they reveal to me my weaknesses.  They force me to surrender my stubborn self-will.  They show me that I am not as independent as I might think.

My Father continues to allow me to be tested.  His purpose is to build me up, not tear me down.

Did I say that I hate tests…..?

Singing my heart out...

It’s so easy to praise God in times of victory.  When I have come thru a struggle, I can sing my heart out, even if tears of joy flow down my face, I can sing.

When the Red Sea swallowed the pursuing enemy, the Israelites stood on the far bank watching.  It was a time of relief.  It seemed like a close call, but they were safe.  God had miraculously delivered them by separating the waters so they could keep moving away from Pharaoh’s army.  Though that army chased after them, God didn’t hold back the water for them and they all perished as the returning waters piled upon them.

I bet there was shouts of joy.  Certainly, there they must have been celebrating as they sang their hearts out praising God.  “..then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD…. The LORD is my strength and my defense…Who among the gods is like you, LORD?” (Exodus 15:1,2,11 NIV)

Praise can be given in many ways.  Since music was God’s creation, how fitting that we use it to praise Him.  It wasn’t a song of thanks, though surely they were thankful, thanking God is not the same as praising Him.

As the season of thankfulness approaches, I purpose to not stop with just thanking God even though I do appreciate what He has done for me and in me.

I purpose to sing my heart out in praise.

Get on with it....

Moses told them,  "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14 NIV)

Moses said the right thing.  He looked and sounded brave and trusting.  His words said that He had faith that God was in charge.  The people Moses led heard encouraging positive words from his mouth.  But Moses own heart must have struggled with fear and doubt too.

"Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand…”(Exodus 14:16 NIV)

In prayer time with God, Moses was honest. He found himself also paralyzed.  He cried out to God.  Maybe he even whined.  Moses told the people to be still, and God told Moses to get them moving.

A time of difficulty is a dilemma for me. Often, I have been prone to act even when unsure about what to do.  At other times, I am prone to excuse myself from taking action by saying I was ’praying about it’.  I’ve said that I don’t want to ‘get ahead of God’ but I think maybe I’ve stayed ‘behind God’ so long that He ran off and left me!!

There is a time to be still and wait for God to fight my battle.  There is also a time to get up and move on.

I purpose to depend on Him to provide discernment and wisdom to know the difference.

An impossible situation....

The Israelites had seen ten supernatural events.  Ten times God had spoken thru Moses about what He was going to do if Pharaoh did not obey God’s directions.  Ten times it had happened exactly as Pharaoh had been warned.  The Israelite people had been spared.  God had made it plain that He was protecting the people He had chosen.  Yet when these same people found themselves in a difficult situation, they had no confidence in the God that brought them to where they stood.

“The Israelites were terrified. They cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Why did you bring us to the desert to die? Weren't there any graves in Egypt? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:10-11 NIrV)

I too have asked God why.  “Why did you have me come to this place only to face this?”  I am ashamed to say that even after all the times I have experienced God’s working in my life, like the Israelites, I fly into an emotional tailspin when I find myself in situations that are unpleasant and threatening.

The frightened Israelites not only didn’t remember all the miraculous activities they had witnessed, they didn’t accurately remember what they thought or said.

“We told you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians.' It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die here in the desert!" (Exodus 14:12 NIrV)

Fear is an awful enemy.  It colors everything.  When we do not turn our eyes, our minds, our hearts, and our wills toward God, fear can consume.

I purpose that in those times, rather than give in to fear and despair, I will remember my Father’s instructions to my siblings at the Red Sea.

  "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14 NIV)

The long way around....

God’s people were finally released from Pharaoh’s slave camps.  They had lived their lives there but they knew their history and they knew the promises of God.  There was a promised land for them.  A place of plenty.  A place of blessing.  So they followed the deliverer God had sent.

It was really not far to where they ended up, but they were taken the long way around.  God took them that way on purpose.  These people knew nothing about how to function with their new found freedom.  They now had no slave drivers.  They had no one to force them into anything.  They simply had God leading them and providing for them, and they were faced with the decision to trust Him.

Little did they know what He was protecting them from as He chose the route across the wilderness.  They weren’t ready for much.  That was plain to see when dust from the army of Pharaoh showed up behind them.  They were terrified and ready to surrender.

There were other enemies and other battles ahead of them, but God would have to prepare them to face and fight.  There were lots of obstacles between where they were and where they were going.  Physical obstacles and spiritual obstacles.

“The shortest road from Goshen to Canaan went through the Philistine country. But God didn't lead them that way. God said, "If they have to go into battle, they might change their minds. They might return to Egypt." (Exodus 13:7 NIrV)

When I catch every red light, when I get behind a slow moving vehicle, when I can’t find a parking place, or any other time that my time seems to be wasted, I most always wonder if God is interceding and interrupting my haste.  How many times I’ve come up on a wreck and wondered if I hadn’t been at every single red light, could I have been involved in that accident.

God certainly has the authority to put obstacles in my path for whatever reason He chooses.  Perhaps I need testing.  Perhaps I need training.  Perhaps I need reminding that He is God, and I am not.  He knows every leg of my journey, He knows what I am ready for and what I am not.

I really prefer the easy route, I prefer the fastest route, but I purpose to trust Him to lead me around it or thru it, whatever it is.

Start over...

After all the plagues, after all Pharaoh’s opportunities, after all the suffering he brought on the people of the nation he ruled, after all that had happened, there came an end to it.  A tragic end for the Egyptians.  For the enslaved Israelite nation, the end of an era.

"From now on, this month will be your first month. Each of your years will begin with it. Speak to the whole community of Israel…..”(Exodus 12:3 NIrV)

For some four hundred years, this had been their life.  The adults knew no other life.  Children heard stories handed down from great grandparents about life before slavery.  Life had been good.  Easy.  Egyptians were friends, not enemies.

Things change.

God knew the story from the beginning.  When Joseph’s brothers sold him off to those slave traders, which is how they all got into Egypt in the first place, God knew how the story would go.  Nothing that happened was a surprise to Him.  Not the birth of the nation, not the growth of that nation, not the years of blessing and plenty, not the years of bitter enslavement.

When they left the slave camps of Egypt, God gave them instructions to start over.  There would be a whole new calendar, a whole new way of marking the times and events of life.

“From now on..”, God said.

"The LORD will bring you into the land of Canaan. He will give it to you, just as he promised he would. He even took an oath when he made the promise to you and your people of long ago.” (Exodus 13:11 NIrV)


While we are not in the situation of those slaves, we all come to places that mark the end of an era.  Those times should be no surprise to God’s children.  He is faithful to continue to lead, guide, and bless.  Even when we are turning the page of a brand new calendar.

He is faithful.

Tell it like it is...

Often, the story told from different viewpoints sounds like a whole different story.  A spin can be put on it, details left out or elaborated on and the story takes on a new life.  Like the news broadcast companies, there is  a slant to a lot of stories.

I’ve sat and listened to my boys telling stories from when they were young and wondered why they remember the things they do.  Things that made an impact on their memory often missed mine completely.   The stories they remember best are those told to them by their grandparents.


“…you'll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you'll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you'll all know that I am GOD." (Exodus 10:2 The Message)


The Israelite children lived thru a lot.  Ten times plagues came and brought devastation.  Over and over their parents and grandparents watched the power and might of God as He displayed His authority over the so-called gods of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.  Children might remember about all that happened, but God intended them to have some understanding about those events.  He made a point to instruct those parents and grandparents to tell  the story.  God said tell it like it is.  Don’t depend on a child’s memory.  Don’t let a slant be put on it.  Don’t let emotions run loose and make it bigger and don’t let political correctness decrease the magnitude of it.

Tell it like it is.

Tell the generations after you what you have witnessed.  Tell them how Your Creator God wielded His power over Egypt.  And you won’t need to spin it, give it a slant, or elaborate.

Those children grew up and at God’s direction, re- told the stories of their deliverance.

Do my children hear the stories of MY deliverance? Have I told the stories of how God has acted in my life, how He has guided me and protected me?

“… tell your children and grandchildren ……………… how I performed my signs ……….. that you may know that I am the LORD." (Exodus 10:2 NIV)


He is God, and I am not.  THAT is how it is.

Say when....

In this age of fast food and speedy internet, I find myself usually saying "NOW!’.

I want my food now.

I want to be checked out now.
I want to be waited on and helped now.
I want my phone faster, I want my computer and internet service to be faster.
I want my deliveries to be faster.
I want people to do what they are supposed to do without being told ‘when’ they should.

Not only do I want things ‘now’, I expect.

I expect my food to be what I ordered.
I expect service to be available and plentiful.
I expect there to be ways to improve what is not up to standard.
I expect people to do what they are supposed to do.
I expect people to be honest and fair.

I’ve expected so many things that turned out to be just as I expected.  But occasionally, that unexpected thing knocks the wind out of my sail.

I can voice all my desires and ‘say when’ moments but that doesn’t mean I always get them.  Though I can’t wrap my brain around it, God is not affected by time.  He says when and He is far more patient than I am.

Scripture tells about times that God would ‘say when’. times when He spoke and didn’t even have to say ‘now’.  Whatever He said, simply WAS.  Whatever He says still,  simply IS.

“Let there be light”, and there was light. (Genesis 1:3 KJV)


When Pharaoh had frogs all over his house, God allowed him to ‘say when’ he would like for God to remove them.  Incredible.  Ole’ Pharaoh had no idea how out of the ordinary it is for God to allow US to ‘say when’!!!

"I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile."   "Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God.   The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile." (Exodus 8:9-11 NIV)

God had a purpose in letting Pharaoh ‘say when’.  He was making it evident just who was in charge.  God sent the frogs, and when the frogs were eliminated at the exact time Pharaoh said, it would be hard for Pharaoh to explain that away.  Pharaoh would have one less excuse to not believe that God is God, and Pharaoh was simply was NOT.

God hasn’t let me ‘say when’ lately.  God has allowed things to which I would have said an emphatic ‘not now’!  But unlike the situation with Pharaoh and the frogs, I don’t need God to display the truth to me that He is in charge.


I purpose to not presume to ‘say when’.
He is God, and I am not.

Plagues of frogs....

Frog.  I see a little green frog and I immediately am challenged to Fully Rely On God.  FROG. There have been times when it seemed I saw a little green frog every single day, sometimes more than once.
 
I've been studying the life of Moses and the passages of this week's study contain the stories about the plagues that God sent on the Egyptians.  God intended for His people to be freed from slavery.  Each of the ten plagues were a direct assault on one of Egypt's many gods.  They believed the Nile river was the blood stream of their god Hapi.  God turned the water of that river to real blood.  For seven days there was no fresh water from that river, only blood.  Imagine the stench....

The Egyptians thought frogs were sacred.  Heqet was the frog-like goddess of life and fertility. They wouldn't kill frogs.  When God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh with the message again to let His people go, God warned them that He would send a second plague, a plague of frogs.

I guess Pharaoh hadn't any idea of how many frogs God could come up with.  The Bible tells us that frogs were everywhere.  "

If you refuse..... I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country.  The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.  The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.'" (Exodus 8:1-4 NIV)

Ick.

I guess Pharaoh thought so too, he "summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD." (vs. 8)

I wonder what the Egyptians thought from then on, each time they saw a frog, did they remember? Did the frog remind them of the power of God?  Did it remind them that God does exactly what He says He will do.  Did they remember that when God makes a statement or promise, that they could fully rely on Him to do just that? 

Fully Rely On God.  I don't need but one little green frog to remind me of that.......

Everything happens for a reason...

Well, yes it does.  Sin entered the world for a reason.  A choice to disobey God.

I could list dozens and dozens of reasons that things happen.  Everything that happens, happens because of a reason.   Duh.

That does not mean that everything that happens, happens for a GOOD reason.

But, “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 TNIV)


I am called according to His purposes.  I am not perfect.  My obedience is not perfect.  But I love Him and submit myself anew to His calling on my life.  And because HE is God, and I am NOT, all things…..ALL things, will work for my good.

Yep.  Everything happens for a reason.

Who gets the glory...?

　

It is in the most difficult of times that I am most intimate with the God Who made me.

In the times when I am helpless to change a situation, in times of hurt, times of crisis, when my heart and body ache…it is then that I know the Presence of my Father the most.

I want to serve Him all the time. I never want to take Him for granted. I want to bring honor to Him and make Him known to others. I want to bring Him glory thru the way I live my life. In every detail, every day, week after week, year after year.

I fail so miserably. I am ashamed that sometimes I glorify myself. I forget that it is Him and not me that has accomplished anything that is of any worth or value in my life. When I find myself in the most difficult situations, it is then that I have the best opportunity to bring Him glory.

He has shown Himself faithful to be always before me and behind me. He is the same today as yesterday and yesteryear. Nothing surprises Him as it surprises me. And He is capable of handling all my tomorrows.

He is so good.

Put it in gear.....

My Bible Study Fellowship lesson asks me to consider the question “Spiritually, do you think the Christian life should be like driving a car?”

My first impulsive answer is “YES!!!!! I want to put it in gear and go! Sometimes put it in reverse and back up!! Sometimes I want to slam a brake and stop!! I want to honk at what is in my way. And I want to PASS what is in the way!”

Doesn’t work like that….

I have a brand new car. I got it several weeks ago, I picked it out myself. It has lots of bells and whistles. It gets great mileage, is quite luxurious on the inside. It drives and rides like a dream.

It has a camera that shows me what is behind me when I back up. I has a little alarm that warns me if I’m too close to something. I can hear directions to my destination thru the radio speakers.

It has a button to push that will heat the steering wheel when it’s cold (…that will be nice to my old achy worn out hands when it’s cold). It has heated seats that really feel good to my back on the way home from a 10 hour day behind a styling chair.


My life should be so easy to motivate.

But…I do have warning signals and I do have guidance. I do have a Source of comfort.

I just need to get out of the drivers seat and let my Chauffeur take the wheel. He is a much better Driver than I am. His driving record is perfect….

Listen to Me….

The Hebrew people had it rough. It was hot, the work they were forced to do was hard and just got harder after Moses showed up. Some rescuer he was!

God had spelled it out for them. I AM the Lord. I will bring you out. I will free you. I will redeem you. I will take you as my own, I will be your God. I will bring you to the land I promised. I will give it to you. Promise after promise after promise… (taken from Exodus 6:6-8 NIV)

“Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.” (Exodus 6:9 NIV)

I know they were tired out. Work, work, work. Day after day. Wonderful promises are hard to focus on when you are worn out.

I don’t want to be a tired Israelite.

I want to listen even though I am discouraged and tired.

Where is that cloud....?

I've studied the life of Moses before.  But God always has perfect timing and I find myself learning from Ole' Mose again right now. After having left the palace and found rejection from his own people, Moses lived with yet another foreign people.  He married, had children, got a job shepherding, and then came up on that flaming bush that wouldn't burn up. 
At Moses' request, God brought his brother Aaron to help him do what God had for him to do, and off they went to that familiar palace to deliver a very hard message.  "Let my people go or...."

So, Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh what God had said and Pharaoh refused.  Big surprise.

I'm already feeling sorry for Moses.  He has before him an impossible task humanly speaking.  He is no match and no threat to Pharaoh.  In fact, in response to Moses' direction from God, Pharaoh just makes life more difficult for the very people Moses wants to help.  Pharaoh doubles the workload. 

"Is this why you sent me?"
"You haven't saved Your people at all!"
(Exodus 5:22,23 NIV)

I'm not Moses.  But I sure empathize and sympathize. 

I look at my circumstances and wonder "Why Lord?  I thought I was about to get to a place where life would be easier from here on out.  I thought I had worked hard enough to take it easy in the near future.  I have done what I understood You to ask.  Now, it seems that things will just get harder...."

Looks like the promised land is just a little further.  (.....where is that cloud....???) 

Just look at me....

It wasn't meant to be advice really.  It was just a comment in a casual conversation.

 "Just look at me", she said. 

It has always been true of me that I learn best from a negative experience or example.  I have been in situations that made me purpose to never be guilty of some wrong behavior or attitude.  I have learned how I do NOT want to treat other people.  I have learned how I do NOT want to make a mess of relationships.  I have learned how I do NOT want to behave, react, or respond.

I have learned those things by being treated poorly, by seeing others suffer because of poor treatment, by seeing relationships crumble and words ripping thru hearts.

At my age, I might have expected to have it all mastered by now.  But just look at me too.

My mother's words come repeated from my own heart tonight.  Just look at me, I have learned a lot, and I still fail miserably.  Don't we all....

I look at her and know that she had hour after hour to look back in regret.  Her situation might have been different. 

I look at me and know that there is much to regret as well.  My life might have been different.  I might have been a better wife, mother, friend, employee....I might have been a better person. 

But as my first daughter-in-law often says, 'It is what it is'. 

So I purpose tonight to take my mother's unintended advice.  I purpose to not be defeated by the enemy's accusations over the regret that I do have.  I purpose to hear the soft still Voice whispering and leading forward.  He is able to "restore what the locusts have eaten"(Joel 2:25)

I purpose to learn as much as I can from every wrong choice and every painful mistake.  And I purpose to live in victory not regret, knowing that He is more than able to handle what I can not.

Hallelujah.

T.H.I.N.K.

T.H.I.N.K…..

"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Phil. 4:8 NASB)

Sometimes it's hard to find something to think about.

The enemy makes sure there is plenty of things to think about that are not true, that are not honorable, that are not right, that are not pure, that are not lovely, that have no good repute or excellence, things that certainly are not worthy of praise.....it is easy to find those things to dwell on.

God has given me a filter.  If only I could use it consistently.  If only I could remember to T.H.I.N.K.  If I could always remember to filter my thoughts and choose what is really true, what brings honor, what is really right and pure, what cultivates good repute rather than tearing down.

Yet, I fall into the enemy’s trap and find myself thinking on things from his perspective rather than my Lord’s perspective.

Satan has always used that tactic.  He distorts truth.  He presents it to us and so often we take it and bite right into it, even though we have been advised differently.

If there was just an off switch.  Wouldn’t that be great?  A switch to just turn my thoughts off.  At least for a while….

I purpose tonight to begin afresh, repenting of wrong thinking and begin “ fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”   (2 Cor. 10:5 The Message)

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How long has it been....

My daddy asked that question today.  He read aloud the lyrics to an old familiar hymn. 

How long since your mind felt at ease?

How long since your heart knew no burden?

How long since you felt this day is worth living?

Those are questions that don't always have a positive answer.  Often my mind if anything but at ease.  Often my heart is extremely burdened.  And many days I wonder just why I'm doing what I do. 

Then I look at the faces of those people in the wheelchairs that fill the room of the nursing home, one of them holding my mother.  If I can't answer those questions in a positive light, how might they feel? What makes the day worth living?  What burdens their mind, what makes their mind uneasy?  

My mother told me that after 60 years of marriage, being separated is hard.  I told her that yes, I was sure that it was and that I could only imagine it.  Having been married to the same precious man for 40 years myself, I can imagine it.  But imagining it is not the same as living the reality of it.  

How long has it been since she's been alone?  60+ years, that's how long. 

The lyrics of the song served to remind her that she is not alone.  The song challenged all of us.

How long since you talked with the Lord?

How long since you told Him your heart's secrets?

How long since you stayed on your knees til the light shone through?

There is no separation from God.  There is nothing except our own neglect that keeps Him from sharing our heart's secrets.  Nothing that keeps His Light from shining through the gloom of our days except that we simply do not look to Him.  "You do not have, because you do not ask..." (James 4:2 NIV)

How long has it been since you called Him your Friend? 

How long since you knew in your knowing place, that He genuinely cares for you? 

Hopelessly devoted to you....

Maggie was just that, hopelessly devoted.


It didn’t take much to make her happy. Talk to her. Give her a little attention. Touch her. Let her be near you.


I regret that I didn’t accept her devotion. She was clingy. She was messy. She smelled. She wanted so badly to love on me. I kept her at a distance.


I watched as someone else appreciated her devotion. The messiness and the smell didn’t stop him from receiving the devotion she had for him. He simply accepted her love, messiness, smell and all.


I’ve learned some hard lessons from Maggie. Maggie never let rejection change her. Day after day I kept her at a distance. Day after day she tried to demonstrate her devotion. Even when I refused it over and over, she still offered her love and she still wanted mine.


I want to be more like Maggie and less like me. I want to be free with my affection. I want to be hopelessly devoted.


I’m sorry Maggie. It’s too late to show you. If there was not another single purpose for your life, you showed me what it means to be hopelessly devoted. I saw love demonstrated with no expectations or demands. If there are dogs in heaven you are there.








 

Sitting in the shade...

I spent a majority of my day doing just that.  Sitting in the shade on my little concrete patio, looking at the roses, snapdragons, and peonies that are blooming in the flowerbeds.  It has been a while since I could do that, just sit.

I did very little reading, online or off.  No Ipad, no computer.  I did keep my phone nearby because my business is open today so I had to be available.  No books, no magazines.  Just sitting.

Elijah did some sitting in the shade once. His sitting was done out of exhaustion, depression, and desperation.  (I Kings 19:4)

I’ve done sitting of that sort too.  But not today.  Today was a restful day.  Restful for body and mind.  It was a great day, don’t get me wrong…I enjoyed it.

But how do people just sit and do nothing day after day?  Accomplishing nothing.  Contributing nothing.  Just taking up space.

I struggle with resentment in this.  I work.  Hard and long.  It just irks me that what I work for ends up in the belly of somebody sitting in the shade, day after day after day.

It shouldn’t be that way.  Paul says so too.

  “Don't you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? "If you don't work, you don't eat."  And now we're getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you.  This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately--no excuses, no arguments--and earn their own keep.  Friends, don't slack off in doing your duty.  If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don't let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he'll think twice. “ (2 Thes. 3:10-14 The Message)

Sitting in the shade is pleasant. But it must never become a way of life.

I sing because.....

Sometimes a song is just appropriate. When there’s a cake with candles, the happy birthday song is appropriate. When a new year is dawning, it’s Auld Lange Syne.


Music is a gift of God. We’ve learned how to use it in different ways, different styles, added different words. We have even perverted it and used it in wrong ways. The enemy doesn’t leave anything untouched, he’s done his thing on music too, using it for evil instead of the good that God created it for.


On Sunday, I sing because it is appropriate. It is appropriate to sing to and about our Creator God. Not because He needs His ego stroked. It is appropriate because I need to be reminded of His love and majesty.

“….be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:18-20 NIV)



Making music about our Lord ushers in the Spirit of God, promotes a heart of gratitude to Him for His love and provision, and being filled with His Presence makes it impossible for the enemy to fill us with his lies, his accusations, stealing our joy. That is the enemy’s intent you know…. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10 NIV)

This Sunday, we sang for an activity. We visited a nursing home and thought it would be a distraction, add to the conversation. Or relieve a lack of it….

Music brings back memories and emotions. Music that speaks of the nature of God reminds us of Who He is. Songs about His Majesty remind us of who we are. And who we are NOT.


I sing because I’m happy.

I sing because I’m free.

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches….me.


Hallelujah

Disappear into thin air....

I wish it were that easy don’t you? I wish problems could just ‘poof’. 


In these days of social media, we may think it is possible. A couple clicks on the privacy settings and ‘poof’…. 

But things don’t disappear, problems aren’t solved. Oh, I think it is often wise to remove ourselves from media situations, especially those of the dramatic variety. But shutting people out never solves an issue.

We humans can’t make anything disappear into thin air. Only God can do that.

“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:12 NASB)

How thankful I am that he doesn’t shut me out when I disappoint Him or betray Him. How thankful I am that He doesn’t point His Finger and make me disappear into thin air. 

I pray You know Him well enough to take your problems to Him instead of trying to make them disappear on your own. You’ll never make them disappear.


 

Running off at the mouth....

I know better.  I’ve been warned.

“…the tongue is a small part of the body. But it brags a lot. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire……… the most evil part of the body. It pollutes the whole person…….. the tongue is set on fire by hell.    People have controlled all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea….. But no one can control the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison. With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we call down curses on people….. Praise and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn't be that way.” (James 3:5-10 NIrV)

Today was one of those days that my tongue was not surrendered to that still small Voice.  I was controlling it.  Or, rather….there was no control of it.

I have excuses.  Too much work with too little sleep.  Frustration. Problems with no obvious solutions. The list could get much longer.

When I allow my mouth to spew off,  situations never get better.  They usually just get worse.  It is a devil’s lie that my words have any power to make situations better. It is in my silence that the power comes.  His power.

So tonight, with the words of David, I again regret moments of uncensored words.


“…The directions the LORD gives are true. All of them are completely right……I am warned by them. When I obey them, I am greatly rewarded.  Can I know my mistakes? Forgive my hidden faults.   Keep me also from the sins I want to commit. May they not be my master. Then I will be without blame. I will not be guilty of any great sin against your law.    LORD, may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your eyes. You are my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psa. 19:9-14 NIrV)

Glued to the screen....

Some folks use their phone.  Some use a tablet, others use a computer.  Some opt for the old fashioned television.  All of these screens can show you a radar screen and give you information about bad weather.

For days, the weather forecasters talked about the conditions being right for tornados.  For days, some of us were glued to the screen, watching and expecting.  We want to be prepared.  We don’t want to be caught off guard, have some devastating wind sneak up on us unaware.

I wasn’t one of those who stayed glued to the screen these past few days.  Perhaps because the man I share my life with watches the weather closely, not just the screens on electronic devices, but the conditions of the wildlife, the way smoke rises or falls, etc.  He watches it, so I don’t.  I depend on him to watch out for our safety in that regard, as in many other things.

The words of an old song come to mind.

There’s a great day coming, a great day coming, there’s a a great day coming by and by.
When the saints and the sinners shall be parted right and left, are you ready for that day to come?

There’s a bright day coming, a bright day coming, there’s a bright day coming by and by.
But it’s brightness shall only come to them that love the Lord, are you ready for that day to come?

There’s a sad day coming, a sad day coming, there’s a sad day coming by and by.
When the sinner shall hear his doom, ‘Depart, I know ye not.’
Are you ready for that day to come?

Are you ready?  Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day?
Are you ready Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day?

We don’t need a phone, computer, or television to prepare for this great event.  We need a Savior.

It is impossible to prepare our own selves.

Impossible.

No behavior modification will help.

I pray you know Him as that day approaches.

Why me Lord....?*•♫♪♪♫••*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪*

*•♫♪♪♫••*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪* what have I ever done, to deserve even one....of the pleasures I've known.*•♫♪♪♫••*•♫♪♫•*•♫♪♪*.

Tonight I sat and watched reports about devastation from tornados.  Storms have been predicted for our area for several days.  I was never much concerned about it.  I fully realized the possibility.  I also fully realized that I can't do a single solitary thing about it one way or the other.

I am thanking God tonight that me and mine have not been touched by tragedy.  Yet, I know that somewhere at this very moment, there are cherished children of God who have been deeply hurt, some have perished.  Did they not pray to the same God?  Why did He allow this disaster?

It is not a new question.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why do good things happen to bad people?  I have no answer...

One thing I know.  God is not vicious.  He is not partial.  And He is not unjust.  I know that He is Master over everything He chooses to control.  Why He chooses as He does is not for me to know or understand.

He is God.  I am not.

I ask Him to bring peace and calm to the weather, and to the hearts and bodies of all who are in such chaos and calamity tonight.

He is God.  He is able.

Nothing stays the same ...

Life is always changing.  At the moment of conception, things begin to change.  Life begins to travel forward.  A fetus grows. A baby is birthed.  A child grows into a toddler.  A teenager learns to drive.  A young adult marries and has a family.  Grandchildren come and so do wrinkles and arthritis.

I find myself watching two people struggling thru yet more times of life’s change.  Even as our parents muddle their way thru the changes of their lives, as their children, we struggle with them.

I am so thankful that the last change will be magnificent.  “…let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die--but we are all going to be changed.  You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes--it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed.” (1 Cor. 15:51-52 The Message)

Paul didn’t have it all figured out so neither do I.  But I know it will be glorious and eternal.  Changed forever, made to be like Him.  Pure, pain free, ageless.

“But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him--and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.” (1John 3: 2-3 The Message)

For now, changing is a fact of life.  Ushering us toward final death.

Well….unless death has been swallowed up in victory.  “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1Cor. 15:54 NIV)

Changing is easier when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, so “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.  When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Hebrews 12: 2-3 NIV)


Hallelujah.

Mary had a little lamb….



My little sister tried raising one when she was in school.  I was grown and gone, but I remember that grooming a sheep seemed like a monstrous task.  Unfortunately, her sheep seemed to look pretty shabby as I remember….

Sheep aren’t known for being smart.  They need a lot of care, a lot of protection, and a lot of provision. Tending sheep would be very involved and time consuming.

I haven’t raised sheep, never been around a little lamb really, but I’m always drawn to the pictures of them.  They look precious somehow….Baby animals of any kind are like that.  Precious.

Imagine caring for a little lamb, feeding it, grooming it, protecting it, then carrying it to a religious center and handing it over to some stranger that will kill it and drain the blood out on a stone altar.  Imagine picking out the very best one, not to pet and love, but to die.  Imagine a perfect wool coat, stained with blood.

Ugh…..

Again, I am thankful to be born this side of the cross.  Again, I am thankful that I have never had to choose a substitute to be sacrificed as penalty for my own transgression of law.  Again, I struggle to wrap my mind around the truth of all that Jesus did.

For me.

Hallelujah.

Driven out....

Something stirred my thoughts earlier this week about the scene at the east gate of The Garden.  When Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and had obtained for themselves the knowledge of good and evil from the forbidden tree, the Bible tells us they were driven out.

“So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3: 24 NASB)

In war, that’s what the objective is, to drive out the enemy.  After being driven out, steps are taken to prevent their return.  In a sense, Adam and Eve had become enemies.

 “….friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4 NIV)

I am convinced that the garden incident will be rich in lessons for humanity for as long as time here continues.  Looking at what happened seems a little severe at first, at least to me.  So, they disobeyed.  So, they now knew what evil was and had chosen to partake of the knowledge of it.  Wasn’t the punishment an overkill?  Why kick them out of their home?  Why drive them away from the very place made especially for them?

“…..to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Driven out to protect the tree?  No.  Driven out to protect them FROM the tree, protected from eating of it and forever living in the condition they now found themselves in.  Flawed.  Stained with sin. Naked and ashamed, afraid of the Creator Who gave them life.

So today I am thankful for my ancestors being driven out so that I  inherited only their knowledge of good and evil and not an eternal state of such.

I also praise God for the remedy He has given freeing me  from the fallen state they passed on to me.  I am thankful to have the penalty of death removed.  “…from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:17 NASB)

And I am especially thankful that once I am freed from certain eternal death, I am assured that never again will I be find myself in that place.  Just as my ancestors were protected from an eternal life of sin, I too am protected.  Not by flaming swords in the hands of cherubim, but by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Hallelujah.

It's just a name....

No.  It’s not JUST a name.  Names are very important.  I wonder if we are aware of just how important they are.

Biblical names were extremely important,  names almost prophesied over the life of the person.  After making a simple search in scripture, I found dozens of times that names were given ‘because’.

Beginning in Genesis 3:20 NIV  “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.”  All the way to Matthew 1:21, "…… will name him Jesus--'God saves'--because he will save his people from their sins." (from The Message)

Eve means life giver.  She became the first mother.
Jesus means life saver.  He became the first and only Savior.

I wonder what my name says about me.  Did my name have any impact on who I am, who I have become.

What does your name say about you?

Connie is Latin for ‘constant’ and ‘steadfast’. Can I fulfill the requirements of that name?

 I am certainly given what is needed to fulfill that name.  I am given the Holy Spirit of God Who empowers me and equips me to be indeed steadfast, sure, and constant.  He has preserved His written Word, scripture that “…. is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (1Timothy 3:17 NIV)

My name is Connie.  I am constant and steadfast not because of mother Eve or my birth mother who gave me my name.  I am constant and steadfast because of my Savior Jesus who calls me Friend.  “ …., I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15 NIV)

“… the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ…..will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1Peter 5:10 NIV)

Hallelujah.

Be the winner...

At the time of this writing, the local football team has just won a playoff victory. There is a lot of rejoicing going on.   I'm not a football fan but I applaud the team efforts that led to the big win today.  Earlier today I noticed numerous people headed to the out of town game, and it's below average cold temperatures here today.  They braved the cold to encourage and support the athletes.  Everyone there today wanted to be the winner.  Someone had to lose.


I'm not much of a competitor.  Perhaps I'm fooling even myself when I claim to be noncompetitive.  I'm as human as everyone else so I like to come out on top too.  I suppose nobody likes to be beaten, but I have to say that I'm pretty quick to give up or give in when the competition gets intense.  I just don't like the feeling of competing.....fear of losing most likely.

There is one thing in which I continue to strive for. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philipians 3:14 NIV)

In this, there is no longer fear of losing.  The outcome doesn't rest on my ability or talent, not even on my determination.  I do not compete against you or any other person for the victory that is mine.

  "...thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Cor. 15:57-58 NIV my emphasis)

The victory I have, has been given not won.  It did not require team effort.  I have accepted it not earned it. I can't lose it.

Because of this huge victory, I purpose to "Rejoice in the Lord always...and to let my gentleness be evident to all, to not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present my requests to God.... knowing that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and  mind in Christ Jesus. I purpose that whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--I will think about such things  I know that  I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." (personalized selections from Philippians 4:4-13 NIV)

Tight knit...

I popped in the salon today in my incapacitated state.  I joke that I have to keep them straight, make them act right, see that they get everything done.  Truth is, I love being there and I miss the camaraderie.  During my visit today I got a glimpse of something I hope I can capture in words.

I began to realize and ponder on it after getting back home and picking up my Sunday school book to read a couple pages of next week’s lesson.  The lesson is entitled Serve Humbly, the scripture passage John 13. In this passage, Jesus fleshed out an act of service to his disciples that was beneath anyone but a slave.  He washed their feet.  Further more, He said they needed to do the same thing for others.


"Do you understand what I have done to you?   You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am.  So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet.   I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.   I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer.  If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it--and live a blessed life.” (John 13:12-17 The Message)


Our reason for existing as a business at A Total Change is service.  We offer services and we are paid for those services.  But just because we are paid for them does not remove the principal of serving humbly.  Our goal is to do the very best we can for every single person.

What touched my heart today was not the humble service to paying clients, it was the humble service to one another.  Whether it’s trash to take out, a bathroom to clean, color bottles to wash, towels to fold, customers to help, or a baby to change, those girls are a tight knit group.  No one person is more important than another.  Nobody is too good to do anything that needs to be done. It’s not measured and paid for in dollars and cents.  It is a matter of humble selflessness.

All of those things are MY responsibilities.  The buck stops with me. Except for the fact that I am surrounded by a tight knit group of coworkers who also flesh out the same principle of Jesus’ foot washing.  Except for the fact that they don’t just do what they are paid to do.   They go far beyond that.

Oh we are quite human.  Just as Jesus’ disciples had disagreements and a little competitiveness,  this tight knit group does.  We all have a bad day occasionally, get a little grumpy, exasperated or impatient.  But never enough to tear us apart.

 We have no Judas among us.

I am blessed beyond measure.

Blessed more than I deserve...

I godly gentlemen with whom I have stood hand in hand praying over our community is known to respond with those words.  When I’ve asked ‘how are you?’, every single time he has said, “blessed more than I deserve.”  He’s not rich, he’s not famous, he’s got his own share of struggles, but he counts his blessings above all else.

In fact, who deserves blessings of any kind?  Personally, I don’t want what I really deserve, and I’m ever so thankful that I don’t get what I deserve.  I have broken about every single command of God in one way or another, many of them on a daily basis.

1. I’ve often put something or someone else above God. He has not always been the driving force of my life.

2. I have done whatever I have done for reasons other than God’s purposes. Rituals replaced a real relationship with Him for years. A body of people or a pile of bricks and lumber represented Him to me for far too long.

3. I have used His name in ways that were not respectful to Him. While I have not often used it in words of cursing, I have done so in empty misuse.

4. I have failed to stop my own work and reflect on His.  Completely.  Without interruption. Without distraction.

5. I have often dishonored my parents with my actions, attitudes, and words.

6.  I am legally innocent of murder.  I am morally guilty. Murdering opportunities, reputations, killing joyfulness and hopefulness.  By not promoting life, I have chosen to promote death.

7. I am not guilty of sexual sin against my husband, but I have dishonored him in other ways.

8.  I have not shoplifted.  I have not robbed a bank or otherwise taken any kind of item that did not belong to me.  I have however, taken advantage of a circumstance for my own gain, I have failed to correct a price mistake or a mistake in change refunded to me. I have taken the opportunity to rob someone of reputation. I have a yearly battle with stealing from a government.  

9. I have discussed someone else’s actions when I did not know the absolute truth of it. I have been drawn into discussing ‘prayer needs’ that turned into holy gossip sessions.  I have made judgments about people based on information that was not true.

10.  I am guilty of trying to feed my own desires.  I have done whatever it took to get what I wanted.  I am learning that fulfilling my own wants and wishes is unending. Satisfaction is short lived and fleeting, if it ever comes at all.


Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:4-21 both have the list of ten statements of instruction.  It’s a simple list of ten do’s and don’ts. You will find that you are guilty.  The penalty is death.

You need Jesus just as I do.  He has blessed us with an opportunity of forgiveness, redemption, restoration, and blessing.

Far more than we deserve.  Hallelujah.

Failed connection...

It seems there is a problem with our phone line and the credit card processing machine.  Over and over we get the same response from it: failed connection.  So, we do it over.  And over.  Third time is charm, sometimes. Often, it takes the fourth and fifth time.  It is annoying and a total waste of time. I’ve looked at the wires but it seems that everything is plugged in right.  Still, it fails to connect.

I fail to connect too.  But when there is a connection, it’s awesome.

I connect via a different line of communication than the phone line attached to my credit card processor. I connect to The One Who processes every transaction, He processes every thought, every intention, every action, every word.  There is never a transaction that He misses.

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10 NIV)


 Sometimes it takes longer to get myself connected.  To be honest, sometimes I quit trying.  Other times, I don’t even try but He is really always connected.  His Spirit within me never leaves.  He promised.  “God has said, "I will never leave you. I will never desert you." (Hebrews 13:5 NIrV)

Yes, I fail to connect, but when there is a connection, it’s awesome. It was a brief moment today…a God moment, a prayerful moment when I got just a glimpse of His activity.  I was reminded of His promises and wondered that I wasn’t actually seeing how He was fulfilling them.

"Look at the birds of the air. They don't plant or gather crops. They don't put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than they are? Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?” (Matthew 6:26-27 NIrV)

"My thoughts are not like your thoughts. And your ways are not like my ways," announces the LORD. The heavens are higher than the earth. And my ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.  The rain and the snow come down from the sky. They do not return to it without watering the earth. They make plants come up and grow. The plants produce seeds for farmers. They also produce food for people to eat.  The words I speak are like that. They will not return to me without producing results. They will accomplish what I want them to. They will do exactly what I sent them to do.” (Isaiah 55:8-11 NIrV)

He has promised to meet my needs.  How He chooses to do so is up to Him.  Everything He does, everything He allows…has purpose.  I have learned that He can be trusted.

And many times, it is such an adventure…..

Sing like a bird...

People who get caught sometimes do just that in trying to get themselves off the hook.  They sing like a bird, telling all they know about other people as if it somehow diminishes their own guilt.  But that is really not singing, and it really is an insult to the word ‘sing‘ and an insult to the bird.

Singing was God’s idea (and the beauty of a bird’s voice was his idea too).

I do so love to sing.  My voice is fair, better than some, certainly not as fine as many others.  I love music, I especially love harmony and my voice is better suited for it.  Music has a tremendous power and anyone can sing.  If the vocal chords work at all, singing is possible.  You might not sing well, but you can sing.   You may not play an instrument, but your heart and mind can be touched by hearing one played, and it is wise to be purposeful in what music we choose to hear.

Saul found himself in a sad state of depression.  Because of his choices and his rebellion against God, “…the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul…” (1 Samuel 16:14 NIV) Saul had enjoyed God’s very near Presence and had known His guidance and blessing.  Now, because Saul had become disobedient, he had lost God’s Hand of blessing.  He was miserable and made everyone around him miserable.  In an effort to improve his mood, a talented musician was brought in to play some soothing music.

Music can set the atmosphere.  Whether it’s the music playing at a shopping mall, or music in a restaurant, it has the power to influence us.  Singing can bring tears, stir memories, soothe tension or create it.  David’s music soothed and changed Saul’s mood.  I wonder what might have been different if Saul had used his own voice.  What if he had joined not only his voice but his heart with the music David made.    

We are instructed to use our voices on purpose FOR a purpose.  “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19 NIrV)

I believe this advice is far more than instructions about corporate worship practices. Whatever we do should be permeated by our love and appreciation of the One Who has given us life and rescued us from death, including the music we make or listen to, including the songs we hear or sing. It takes an act of will to do so, but using our voice in singing music to the God Who created us has an incredible power to change us.

From a pew in a church building and a Heavenly Highways hymnal in hand or in a restaurant with a menu. Standing at the kitchen stove cooking or standing in line at the grocery store. In the shower or in the car.  In that private place or on a public stage……

Sing like a bird.

And refuse to allow the enemy of God to pervert once again what God has given.

Shake it off....

There were times I wanted to strangle a few coaches for saying it. (…or yelling it.) No matter what the problem, their solution was to just keep going. No matter the hurt or injury, no matter the upset, the instruction was to just keep performing. (I yelled it myself at times but I was admonishing my sons to shake off the screaming from the sidelines more than anything else!) I was a momma, they were coaches, we had different ideas of what was paramount.

There are indeed times we need to be able to ‘shake it off’. We need to be able to put aside situations or circumstances, expectations or disappointments. We have to go on. And sadly, that includes the concept of leaving behind.

We leave behind places and things. We even leave behind relationships. It is a difficult call to make, and even harder to live out.

“But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:51-52 NASB)
In our lives, we eventually learn that we have to ‘shake it off’ or we live in a state of constant dysfunction, being shaken UP. And you know what?….shaking off the hard stuff is really easy to do in anger. It’s easy to get mad and walk away when we have a problem or when we are rejected. But being shaken up by a situation in our lives is not an excuse to completely quit. It is never ok for us to become calloused or uncaring. We may very well have to shake it off, but we are called to keep on, to continue on, not in anger, but with love and joy, in the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

　

Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust, washed their hands of the situation, and went on. NOT because they didn’t care, not because they were glad that people had rejected the Good New of Jesus Christ. They just simply understood that there was nothing else they could do. They had to ‘shake it off’ and go on.

It is hard. I tend to hang on. So many times I’ve thought that if I tried hard enough, I could change it. So many times the Lord has had to pry my fingers off of some situation or circumstance. I find it difficult to find that balanced spot of shaking it off and persevering in it. I have learned to pray in specific ways for Him to slam doors in my face, that way I have no other choice but to shake it off and go on. And He has answered. Often.

　

As my arms fail to serve me as they have in the past, I wonder if it is a door closing? And as I wonder, I attempt to ‘shake it off’. I struggle to surrender what lies ahead to The One Who knows exactly what does indeed lie ahead, knowing in my head and in my heart that He is always, and only….good.