Below is a journal entry I wrote to my children November 12, 2010.
Jensen & Noelle,
I remember when you were Lauren's age - and just like she does now - you pretty much thought I was perfect. Then around age 11 or 12, Jensen began pointing out things that I would do wrong. And I recall being sad that the magical days of childhood "when Mom was perfect" were over! Obviously you know now that I never was, and someday Lauren will know, too.
To Jensen, Noelle, & Lauren: it's good to KNOW and ADMIT you aren't perfect. Perfect people don't have a need for Jesus. I need him more than I need anything else! I pray that you will always see others through eyes of GRACE. Sometimes it may be very hard to do. In those times, remember that you owe God a debt you can NEVER, EVER repay - and the gratitude you feel and the love you feel for Jesus will fill you up with grace for others.
I love you, Jensen. I love you, Noelle. I love you, Lauren.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Who are you following?
It is all too easy to look around and compare ourselves to others, isn't it? It’s in our nature to want to know how we stack up with the “competition.” And if we’re really honest, we’ll even admit that we get a sense of satisfaction when we think we’re doing better (at whatever) than someone else. We compare everything from hair styles, clothing, and accessories to parenting decisions over breast or bottle-feeding, homeschool or public school, as well as careers, social status, and more. But we also fall prey to this sin of comparison (yes, it’s a sin!) when it comes to God’s call on our life.
I can’t imagine there is a single one of us that hasn’t felt inadequate to fulfill a Spirit-led task or calling that was set before us. That is exactly why it is Spirit-led – because we cannot do it without him. Our need for the Spirit’s enabling power drives us deeper into a relationship of trust with our Savior and Redeemer.
Jesus said to [Peter], “If it is my will that [John] remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” - John 21:22
The good news of Jesus’ response to Peter is that you don’t need to worry about the next guy (or gal). God isn’t measuring your success by whether you are more or less effective than someone else. Your success comes from the simple, yet life-altering, command: “Follow me.”
One of the fun things I learned while in Cambodia is this quirky little common phrase: "Same same but different." It’s fun because it can be used for almost anything. If I’m eating the popular Cambodian fruit of mangosteen and you are eating the equally popular dragon fruit, we can say it’s “same same but different.” There are two items of fruit (same same), but they are different because it’s not the same kind of fruit. Get it? My sweet Christian Cambodian friends have this right when it comes to people, too. They recognize and value that we are all the same…and we’re all different.
This is the kind of unity the Father longs to see among his children. Some of us may have a very specific calling in life, such as ministering to troubled teens through equine therapy. That’s pretty specific. Others may find God’s will for them is a little broader, such as volunteering in various ways in the local community to be a light of God’s love to whomever they meet. The most important thing is to know your spiritual gifts and then begin to exercise them in the strength of the Spirit.
Recognizing that my [Paul's] calling had been given by God, James, Peter, and John—the pillars of the church—shook hands with me and Barnabas, assigning us to a ministry to the non-Jews, while they continued to be responsible for reaching out to the Jews. - Galatians 2:9
I think John and Peter learned this lesson well…and that is what enabled them to see without a doubt that God was working in Paul in ways that my beloved Cambodian sisters would say was “same same but different” from the way God was working in Peter. Both men were following Jesus on the path he had chosen for them. So let’s stop the sinful comparisons that land us right where Satan wants us – in a state of ineffective depression or pride – and let’s answer the personal call of Jesus with great passion and joy!
Fill in your name…Jesus is talking to YOU. _______, follow me!
Adapted from my 6-week study on Galatians, In Step with the Spirit.
I can’t imagine there is a single one of us that hasn’t felt inadequate to fulfill a Spirit-led task or calling that was set before us. That is exactly why it is Spirit-led – because we cannot do it without him. Our need for the Spirit’s enabling power drives us deeper into a relationship of trust with our Savior and Redeemer.
Jesus said to [Peter], “If it is my will that [John] remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” - John 21:22
The good news of Jesus’ response to Peter is that you don’t need to worry about the next guy (or gal). God isn’t measuring your success by whether you are more or less effective than someone else. Your success comes from the simple, yet life-altering, command: “Follow me.”
One of the fun things I learned while in Cambodia is this quirky little common phrase: "Same same but different." It’s fun because it can be used for almost anything. If I’m eating the popular Cambodian fruit of mangosteen and you are eating the equally popular dragon fruit, we can say it’s “same same but different.” There are two items of fruit (same same), but they are different because it’s not the same kind of fruit. Get it? My sweet Christian Cambodian friends have this right when it comes to people, too. They recognize and value that we are all the same…and we’re all different.
This is the kind of unity the Father longs to see among his children. Some of us may have a very specific calling in life, such as ministering to troubled teens through equine therapy. That’s pretty specific. Others may find God’s will for them is a little broader, such as volunteering in various ways in the local community to be a light of God’s love to whomever they meet. The most important thing is to know your spiritual gifts and then begin to exercise them in the strength of the Spirit.
Recognizing that my [Paul's] calling had been given by God, James, Peter, and John—the pillars of the church—shook hands with me and Barnabas, assigning us to a ministry to the non-Jews, while they continued to be responsible for reaching out to the Jews. - Galatians 2:9
I think John and Peter learned this lesson well…and that is what enabled them to see without a doubt that God was working in Paul in ways that my beloved Cambodian sisters would say was “same same but different” from the way God was working in Peter. Both men were following Jesus on the path he had chosen for them. So let’s stop the sinful comparisons that land us right where Satan wants us – in a state of ineffective depression or pride – and let’s answer the personal call of Jesus with great passion and joy!
Fill in your name…Jesus is talking to YOU. _______, follow me!
Adapted from my 6-week study on Galatians, In Step with the Spirit.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
I've Been Set Free..
Sometimes I think I haven't come very far in my walk with the Lord because I'm too focused on what I'm still NOT doing, what I still SHOULD BE doing, or what character flaws and bad habits are still too present in my life. I can certainly relate to the apostle Paul when he says:
I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. - Romans 7:15
I'm learning that freedom in Christ is something for which I must continually fight. Over the past decade, I've grown by leaps and bounds in my love for and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I learned to be thankful for the deep and long-term shame I experienced because it drove me to Christ over and over and over in attempt to be FREE of it! My shame was a gift.
I don't believe that God intended for me to feel shame or wanted me to be stuck in it for nearly a decade. Not at all. He was there all along doing his part, whispering and sometimes shouting the truth of his love and grace, patiently waiting for me to finally get it - and be free. Without that intense struggle, I wouldn't have experienced the kind of overwhelming hunger for him that essentially consumed my life.
And then it happened. FREEDOM. It seemed so sudden once I finally accepted the incredible news that Christ had indeed set me free. But in truth, it wasn't sudden at all. It was a slow, grueling, painful, beautiful (his beauty, not mine) life-changing process.
What I've learned over the past few years is that I must continually fight to remain free. Not necessarily in the area of shame. That battle has been won. That truth has taken firm hold - praise Jesus! It's a new battle, and in some ways a more difficult battle. But I press on...because it is for FREEDOM that Christ set me FREE. - Galatians 5:1
I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. - Romans 7:15
I'm learning that freedom in Christ is something for which I must continually fight. Over the past decade, I've grown by leaps and bounds in my love for and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I learned to be thankful for the deep and long-term shame I experienced because it drove me to Christ over and over and over in attempt to be FREE of it! My shame was a gift.
I don't believe that God intended for me to feel shame or wanted me to be stuck in it for nearly a decade. Not at all. He was there all along doing his part, whispering and sometimes shouting the truth of his love and grace, patiently waiting for me to finally get it - and be free. Without that intense struggle, I wouldn't have experienced the kind of overwhelming hunger for him that essentially consumed my life.
And then it happened. FREEDOM. It seemed so sudden once I finally accepted the incredible news that Christ had indeed set me free. But in truth, it wasn't sudden at all. It was a slow, grueling, painful, beautiful (his beauty, not mine) life-changing process.
What I've learned over the past few years is that I must continually fight to remain free. Not necessarily in the area of shame. That battle has been won. That truth has taken firm hold - praise Jesus! It's a new battle, and in some ways a more difficult battle. But I press on...because it is for FREEDOM that Christ set me FREE. - Galatians 5:1
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