Hearing is not the same as believing

After a hard day at school, I held my sweet second-grader in my arms and told her how much she is loved; how precious and special she is to me - and to Jesus. You see, Lauren was heartbroken and in tears because her best friend told her she's no longer her friend at all. And a short while later, I was treated to this gem:

Lauren not only heard my words - she believed them. (And yes, she called me "Linda" - haha!) But she also went a step further. She made "this food" for me (it was chips and salsa). Her act of love was a natural response to what she heard and believed.

How often do you hear the words of Jesus, but not really believe them? Or how easy is it for you to believe that God's truth applies to someone else's life, but surely not your own circumstance or struggle? Hearing is not the same as believing, is it? And so I pray you hear and believe the words of Jesus today.

Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, "Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed at that moment. - Matthew 9:22

Have faith in him. His love and compassion will make you whole. He really, really is crazy about you. What will your response be? Do you believe him?

A song that no one else can sing

You are incredibly special to God. You are fabulously unique and irresistibly precious to him. And did you know that he has given you a song that no one else can sing? He has!

Check out Revelation 14. The scene is heaven. The 144,000 are from the 12 tribes of Israel. They suffered severe persecution for their faith in Christ and did not waiver. The apostle John records what he saw:

And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

Okay, so maybe you're thinking...uhhhh...I'm not one of the 144,000. True. But if you are a child of the Most High, then he has given you a special song of your very own. The psalms are FULL of exhortations to SING A NEW SONG, and they also tell us that God Himself has "put a NEW SONG in my mouth; a song of praise to my God." (Psalm 40:3)

Only as we experience life with our God are we able to sing a new song to our God. And because we have our own unique relationship with Christ, our own sweet love story, we also have a song that no one else can sing.

I used to walk around in shame, believing that if I opened my mouth to speak about my past that I would bring dishonor to God. Guess what?? The opposite is true. Because it isn't about ME and what I've done at all. It's fully 100% about JESUS and what he has done. He took my shame away. He took YOUR shame away. And he enables us to proclaim THIS:

I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bride with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

Now doesn't that make you want to open up your beautiful mouth and sing your own special GOD SONG - the song that no one else can sing? OH, SING IT!

Experiencing a delay?

My 8-year-old is learning to ride her bike without training wheels! Woo-hoo!! (Did you catch that part about her being EIGHT years old?) I don't know about you or your kids, but in our family, that's gettin' kinda "old" to be learning how to ride a two-wheeler.

According to the typical age of when babies and young children do things, Lauren has been "delayed" in most things. She crawled late (11 months old), walked late (16 months old), and even talked late. She didn't utter that precious word "Mama" until she was 17 months old. And because of these so-called delays, I remember the moments with clarity and the giddy excitement they produced. The fact is, there is nothing wrong with Lauren, and there is nothing wrong with her "delayed" timing.

Speaking of which, I feel like I typically know when something should happen in any given situation. God blessed me with a half-way decent brain and not-so-shabby organizational/management skills. So whatever is going on, it should pretty much happen according to my schedule. Because trust me, I've looked at all the various possibilities and weighed all the pros, cons, and possible outcomes. So clearly *this* is what should happen and *when* it should happen. It just makes sense!

Well...God isn't restricted to operating within the parameters of human wisdom. In fact, it's his modus operandi to do just the opposite:

Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. - 1 Corinthians 1

God has been showing me that his ways are definitely not my ways; and his thoughts are not my thoughts. He chooses to accomplish his purposes in ways that I would not have chosen in any way, shape, or form! He definitely baffles me at times, but I can tell you this - he is trustworthy and good. Of that, I am 100% confident.

I'm so thankful for the ray of sunshine that Lauren is in our lives! And I'm thankful for her "delayed" timing in reaching those special milestones in life. She is a reminder to me that there is most certainly nothing wrong with God's "delayed" timing. As a matter of fact, the most life-changing spiritual milestones in my life have come after what seemed like an inappropriately long amount of time. But those are the moments that made me giddy with excitement when they came; and those are the moments upon which I reflect as a reminder of how great my God truly is. There is NONE like him.

So how about you? Experiencing a so-called delay? Share your thoughts and what God is teaching YOU in the comments below.

UPDATE: The 'delay' is over! On this day, 09.21.13, Lauren began joyfully riding her bike on her own. We prayed first. She said, "Okay, deep breath" and literally took one, and off she went with God by her side. Isn't that just the way he wants it? Trusting him as we go! He's even patient and loving enough to wait until we're ready.