My kids and I would agree that our least favorite thing about the school year is homework. It seems that we cannot get through a weekday afternoon without a homework meltdown. What frustrates me most is when one of the kids asks for help and then argues with me about the advice I give. It might go something like this…
(Kid) “Mom, why do I keep getting this subtraction problem wrong?”
(Me) “You need to write it out, don’t try to do it in your head.”
(Kid) “I don’t want to write it out!!! It will take too long. My hand is tired. I HATE HOMEWORK!!!!”
(Me) “Well, you asked me why you keep getting the problem wrong. TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE IT OUT AND GET IT RIGHT, OR DO IT IN YOUR HEAD AND GET IT WRONG! IF YOU FAIL MATH AND CAN’T GO TO COLLEGE AND END UP LIVING IN A CAR, DOWN BY THE RIVER, DON’T BLAME ME!!!”
Sound familiar? I was thinking about how much it bothers me when my kids do this to me, and then I realized that I do the same thing to my dad. My heavenly Dad, that is! Oh, the times that I have found myself with a problem I couldn’t solve, asked God to help me with it and then argued with Him about what he told me to do. “But, God…that’s too hard, it will take too long, can’t you just fix it for me?” I can only imagine what God is thinking when I tell Him…the creator of heaven and earth, the author of my life…that His answer is just not going to work for me. I’m just thankful that He is far more patient and gracious with me than I am with my kids. I’m also thankful that, unlike my kids with their math homework, I have the answer key for my problems-the Bible. Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
So, please pray for me (and my kids) as we wrap up another school year. And let’s pray for each other as we remember not only to ask for God’s help with our problems, but that we will also be wise enough to accept his answers even when they aren’t exactly what we wanted to hear.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Guaranteed Admission
Have you ever been somewhere like an amusement park or a festival where you had to wear a special bracelet or get a stamp as proof of your admission? While a lot more convenient than having to keep up with a ticket stub, this practice presents a bit of a challenge for my family. My daughter, Carley, doesn’t like to be stamped or stickered or tagged in any way. In order to convince her to cooperate, I have to explain to her that she can’t go in and have fun until she consents to being marked.
As Christians, we bear a seal that permits our admission into the kingdom of heaven. Listen to these verses from Ephesians 1:13&14 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him”
When we become Christians we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who serves as our guide, our helper, a source of strength and a seal which identifies us as children of God. Since this seal is invisible to human eyes, how do we know whether or not we bear it? The Bible tells us that if we are living according to the spirit, the fruit we bear will serve as evidence. Galatians 5:22-25 tells us, specifically, what a spirit-filled life looks like. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
We’re still human, so we can’t expect to bear this fruit every moment of every day. However, once we accept Jesus and inherit the Holy Spirit there ought to be evidence of this inheritance in our attitudes and behaviors. We won’t get it right all of the time, but there should be a longing in our hearts to please God…our father and our King who has marked us with his seal.
As Christians, we bear a seal that permits our admission into the kingdom of heaven. Listen to these verses from Ephesians 1:13&14 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him”
When we become Christians we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who serves as our guide, our helper, a source of strength and a seal which identifies us as children of God. Since this seal is invisible to human eyes, how do we know whether or not we bear it? The Bible tells us that if we are living according to the spirit, the fruit we bear will serve as evidence. Galatians 5:22-25 tells us, specifically, what a spirit-filled life looks like. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
We’re still human, so we can’t expect to bear this fruit every moment of every day. However, once we accept Jesus and inherit the Holy Spirit there ought to be evidence of this inheritance in our attitudes and behaviors. We won’t get it right all of the time, but there should be a longing in our hearts to please God…our father and our King who has marked us with his seal.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Brand Identity
I grew up in a family of smokers. Dad was a Camel man who eventually switched to Winston. Mom smokes whatever is cheapest now, but I remember her smoking the True brand for the longest time. Grandma smoked Carlton, Aunt Laurie Marlboro and Aunt Babs smoked Eve Lights. I wondered the other day, why on earth is this one fact, each person's preferred smoke, cemented so firmly in my head?
I think the answer to that question has something to do with consistency. Take my dad, for example. He and I shared 22 years worth of experiences with each other. The number of conversations we have shared is countless. In some of those talks, he advised me to never start smoking, because once you do, it's very hard to quit. Yet, what I can remember even more clearly is that pack of cigarettes that was always in his front shirt pocket, how he could work on a car or bait a fish hook using both hands while his cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth. Eyes squinting because of the sting, he could even talk out of the other corner of his mouth at the same time.
So, it's probably no surprise that when I was a teenager I picked up the habit as well. Thankfully, I eventually quit. But, the message here is, despite the warnings about smoking that each one of these family members gave me, what they did made a much deeper impression on me than what they said.
With this in mind, I think it's very important that we ask ourselves what it is that we do that is so regular, so consistent that the impression we create in our children is deeper than the impact of our words. Obviously, we'll never be perfect, not even close. But it is helpful for our children to hear us admit our shortcomings and to see our attempts at improvement.
Let's pray that God will help us to see and eliminate behaviors that could be making an unhealthy impression. Also, ask Him to make clear the things we are doing that have a positive impact. Finally, let's ask God to help us lead our children by example, with words and actions that match.
I think the answer to that question has something to do with consistency. Take my dad, for example. He and I shared 22 years worth of experiences with each other. The number of conversations we have shared is countless. In some of those talks, he advised me to never start smoking, because once you do, it's very hard to quit. Yet, what I can remember even more clearly is that pack of cigarettes that was always in his front shirt pocket, how he could work on a car or bait a fish hook using both hands while his cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth. Eyes squinting because of the sting, he could even talk out of the other corner of his mouth at the same time.
So, it's probably no surprise that when I was a teenager I picked up the habit as well. Thankfully, I eventually quit. But, the message here is, despite the warnings about smoking that each one of these family members gave me, what they did made a much deeper impression on me than what they said.
With this in mind, I think it's very important that we ask ourselves what it is that we do that is so regular, so consistent that the impression we create in our children is deeper than the impact of our words. Obviously, we'll never be perfect, not even close. But it is helpful for our children to hear us admit our shortcomings and to see our attempts at improvement.
Let's pray that God will help us to see and eliminate behaviors that could be making an unhealthy impression. Also, ask Him to make clear the things we are doing that have a positive impact. Finally, let's ask God to help us lead our children by example, with words and actions that match.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Stick the Landing
One of my favorite athletic events to watch on TV is Gymnastics. I am always amazed by the incredible abilities of these gifted men and women. It’s evidence to me of just how fearfully and wonderfully made we really are.
There’s something that bugs me about gymnastics, though. The commentators are so critical! I’m watching some teenager tumble, flip and twist her heart out. The routine looks just perfect to me. But, the commentators almost appear to be anxiously awaiting the next miniscule error. They seem to take pleasure in pointing out even the smallest mistakes that the average viewer would miss. I realize they are just doing their job and pointing out the things that the judges are looking for and explaining the possible areas where points may be deducted. But, just once, I want a commentator to say something like, “Yeah, so what she did two twists instead of three. Who cares she didn’t keep her arms perfectly straight. Big deal she wobbled a little on the landing. Did you see how awesome that was! Can you believe how high that 5’2” child just launched herself into the air? Judges, I’d like to see you do that!”
The sad thing is, I often imagine God to be like a gymnastics commentator or judge, honing in on every little and big mistake out and then deducting points. “Oooh, she just gossiped about her friend, that’s gonna cost her.” Or, “Wow, Tami was doing so well with her routine until she lost her temper with her kids. She’ll never win the gold now.”
It’s really hard for me to wrap my heart around the kind of grace that God extends. The truth is though, that in the end, God wants nothing more than for me to “stick the landing” and spend an eternity with Him. There are no hoops to jump through or balance beams to master in order for this to happen. All that is required is an exercise in faith; faith in the promise that Jesus has forgiven my errors already.
So, if you are like me and have a hard time with the concept of grace, take some assurance from these verses from Hebrews- “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
There’s something that bugs me about gymnastics, though. The commentators are so critical! I’m watching some teenager tumble, flip and twist her heart out. The routine looks just perfect to me. But, the commentators almost appear to be anxiously awaiting the next miniscule error. They seem to take pleasure in pointing out even the smallest mistakes that the average viewer would miss. I realize they are just doing their job and pointing out the things that the judges are looking for and explaining the possible areas where points may be deducted. But, just once, I want a commentator to say something like, “Yeah, so what she did two twists instead of three. Who cares she didn’t keep her arms perfectly straight. Big deal she wobbled a little on the landing. Did you see how awesome that was! Can you believe how high that 5’2” child just launched herself into the air? Judges, I’d like to see you do that!”
The sad thing is, I often imagine God to be like a gymnastics commentator or judge, honing in on every little and big mistake out and then deducting points. “Oooh, she just gossiped about her friend, that’s gonna cost her.” Or, “Wow, Tami was doing so well with her routine until she lost her temper with her kids. She’ll never win the gold now.”
It’s really hard for me to wrap my heart around the kind of grace that God extends. The truth is though, that in the end, God wants nothing more than for me to “stick the landing” and spend an eternity with Him. There are no hoops to jump through or balance beams to master in order for this to happen. All that is required is an exercise in faith; faith in the promise that Jesus has forgiven my errors already.
So, if you are like me and have a hard time with the concept of grace, take some assurance from these verses from Hebrews- “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
Friday, February 12, 2010
A Lousy Situation
Last year, I had my first experience with every parent’s nightmare….Lice. If you’ve never had to deal with this problem, consider yourself highly blessed and favored! Millions of school aged children catch lice every year. And, the treatment is time consuming and tedious. First, you must wash the child’s hair with a special, medicated shampoo. Then, every day for a week you have to use a very fine-toothed comb to remove all of the nits or eggs from the hair.
You also have to go over your home with a fine-toothed comb…washing all bedding and clothing that the person may have come in contact with in very hot water. Carpet and other upholstered items must be vacuumed and things that cannot be washed must be sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. All of this is done to make sure that none of these nits are allowed to mature in to live lice. If they do, they will quickly reproduce and, once again, you’ll have a lice infestation.
Is your head itching yet? Sorry. But, I wanted to share this experience because it reminded me of the way we need to deal with sin in our lives. Think of it like this…sinful behavior, especially when becomes a pattern or a habit, is like lice. It can quickly multiply and become out of control! The first step is to stop the sinful behavior. But, it doesn’t end there because there are so-called “nits” all over the place that you have to get rid of, too. You have to go over your life with a fine-toothed comb, getting rid of the thoughts, people, places and influences that could cause a sin re-infestation.
It’s not easy get out of a sinful pattern of behavior. But, here’s some great news…you have help! Listen to these words of encouragement from 1 Cor. 10:13 - NLT But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give into it.
So, Let’s pray today that God will help us run that fine toothed comb over our lives, praising him for his loving faithfulness as He helps us eliminate out harmful behaviors.
You also have to go over your home with a fine-toothed comb…washing all bedding and clothing that the person may have come in contact with in very hot water. Carpet and other upholstered items must be vacuumed and things that cannot be washed must be sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. All of this is done to make sure that none of these nits are allowed to mature in to live lice. If they do, they will quickly reproduce and, once again, you’ll have a lice infestation.
Is your head itching yet? Sorry. But, I wanted to share this experience because it reminded me of the way we need to deal with sin in our lives. Think of it like this…sinful behavior, especially when becomes a pattern or a habit, is like lice. It can quickly multiply and become out of control! The first step is to stop the sinful behavior. But, it doesn’t end there because there are so-called “nits” all over the place that you have to get rid of, too. You have to go over your life with a fine-toothed comb, getting rid of the thoughts, people, places and influences that could cause a sin re-infestation.
It’s not easy get out of a sinful pattern of behavior. But, here’s some great news…you have help! Listen to these words of encouragement from 1 Cor. 10:13 - NLT But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give into it.
So, Let’s pray today that God will help us run that fine toothed comb over our lives, praising him for his loving faithfulness as He helps us eliminate out harmful behaviors.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places
I always chuckle when I hear stories in the news about people finding images of Jesus in unusual places. A grilled cheese sandwich, the tailgate of a pickup truck and in a grease spot on someone’s garage floor are just some of the places where Jesus has reportedly been spotted. Jesus’ mother, Mary, has also been known to make appearances in odd places and recently a couple from Pennsylvania cut open an eggplant and found inside the word “God” written in seeds.
Oh, how I love Jesus. And I can understand why people are desperately looking for a personal encounter with Him. But would Jesus really use everything from vehicles to vegetables to show himself to us? So, where can we find Him? According to Jesus, we don’t have to look far. Here are his words:
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
We’ll definitely find Jesus in the broken and needy. We can have an even closer encounter with Him when we invite Him to live inside of us. Listen to this verse from Galatians:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
So, put down the eggplant and go ahead and eat that grilled cheese sandwich. Jesus isn’t there. He’s much easier to find, especially for those of us who have accepted his gift of forgiveness and everlasting life. So, look for him today, throughout your day. But, don’t rely on your physical eyes he’s much more easily seen with the eyes of your heart.
Oh, how I love Jesus. And I can understand why people are desperately looking for a personal encounter with Him. But would Jesus really use everything from vehicles to vegetables to show himself to us? So, where can we find Him? According to Jesus, we don’t have to look far. Here are his words:
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
We’ll definitely find Jesus in the broken and needy. We can have an even closer encounter with Him when we invite Him to live inside of us. Listen to this verse from Galatians:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
So, put down the eggplant and go ahead and eat that grilled cheese sandwich. Jesus isn’t there. He’s much easier to find, especially for those of us who have accepted his gift of forgiveness and everlasting life. So, look for him today, throughout your day. But, don’t rely on your physical eyes he’s much more easily seen with the eyes of your heart.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Fat Day
Have you ever had a day when you just felt fat? You slip on your favorite jeans and they’re a little more snug than usual. You check the mirror and the image staring back at you looks a little thicker through the middle than you remembered. “Oh great”, you say to yourself, “the fat fairy must have paid me a visit last night. She could have at least left some money under my pillow. Or chocolate, maybe.” You decide to survey the damage, and summoning all the courage you have, you timidly step onto the scale. Eyes cringing, you glance down, prepared for the worst. But, much to your surprise, you haven’t gained an ounce. Maybe you’ve even lost a pound or two. Your feelings were misleading; they didn’t match up with the reality of your actual weight.
The same kind of thing happens sometimes when we don’t feel the presence of God in our lives. How is it that we can go from a time of real communion and relationship with Him to a time of distance and separation? Where has God gone during these times?
The reality is, despite our feelings of distance, God hasn’t gone anywhere! He hasn’t changed either. In Malachi 3:6, God tells the Israelites, “I, the Lord, do not change”. Hebrews 13:8, says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And, in Hebrews 13:5 we are reminded of this promise from God, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.”
Many times, when it feels like God is absent, we’re the ones who have moved away. When I feel distanced from God, I usually don’t have to think about it long before I realize that I’m the one who hasn’t been making time for Him. Other times, I find that it’s my own bad mood that has me feeling far away from Him. During a downward mood swing, I may feel distant from everyone in my life, God included. Once I realize that it’s my own feelings that I’m projecting on God and not the other way around, it doesn’t take too long before our relationship is back on track.
The same kind of thing happens sometimes when we don’t feel the presence of God in our lives. How is it that we can go from a time of real communion and relationship with Him to a time of distance and separation? Where has God gone during these times?
The reality is, despite our feelings of distance, God hasn’t gone anywhere! He hasn’t changed either. In Malachi 3:6, God tells the Israelites, “I, the Lord, do not change”. Hebrews 13:8, says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And, in Hebrews 13:5 we are reminded of this promise from God, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.”
Many times, when it feels like God is absent, we’re the ones who have moved away. When I feel distanced from God, I usually don’t have to think about it long before I realize that I’m the one who hasn’t been making time for Him. Other times, I find that it’s my own bad mood that has me feeling far away from Him. During a downward mood swing, I may feel distant from everyone in my life, God included. Once I realize that it’s my own feelings that I’m projecting on God and not the other way around, it doesn’t take too long before our relationship is back on track.
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