Enjoy or Move on

Word to the wise~~When misunderstanding happens, and inevitably they do come, the survival of the relationship will depend on how well each person willingly gives the benefit of the doubt to the other person. We can choose to believe the best instead of the worst about one another.

Rest assured that if a minor misunderstanding ends the relationship, it was on its way out way before the misunderstanding.  It just means one or both parties were just waiting for the right opportunity to walk away to present itself.

Accept the fact that when someone is unwilling to work out their differences and come to a true place of understanding, it's time to let them go and move on.  Life is too short to spend with people who don't want to be with us.  We need to embrace every moment we have with those who want to journey through life with us.~~C.H.A.R.

Extinguish the Fire

The words hurt deeply, but at some point in time, we decided to not allow it to show.  We spatted off the childhood saying we learned to cover our pain, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me."  Yet, we all know it did.  

James 3 talks about the iniquity of the tongue.  With it we praise and curse others.  It only takes a spark to cause an enormous fire to burn down buildings and forests.  Once the fire gets out of control, there is no care to what it destroys in its path.

May we ponder this....if some words can injure a person, then some words can heal a person too.  May we not only strive not to harm with our words, but also to use our words as a balm over the words spoken to harm others.

Christmas Gifts

When the Grinch realized the true meaning of Christmas He said it didn't come in ribbons, packages, and bows but that it meant so much more.  When we look beyond what Dr. Seuss pointed out we discover even more.

Christmas comes wrapped in love, with sacrifice surrounding the package of forgiveness.  Jesus came forth as a man to die on a cross in order for each one of us to know the forgiveness of our sins.  May we remember this all year around.

Ask, Don't Assume

1 Samuel 1:13-17Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Jehovah. Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken hitherto.  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him. Eli watched Hannah in the temple and without truly understanding Hannah, jumped to wrong conclusions about her. Was drunkenness a common sight in the temple?  How come he didn't recognize the Spirit working in the life of this hurting woman in front of him?  In what ways do we do the same? Thankfully, Eli took the time to speak to Hannah and discover the truth.  When he sent her on her way, he spoke words of life instead of condemnation over her.  May we do the same today.

Goodbye Old and Hello New!

We must never make excuses for sin in our lives or in the lives of others.  We exemplify the mercy and grace poured out on us by Jesus when we extend it toward others and even ourselves.  The goal for all of us is to face the truth about our sin and be transformed by the resurrected power of Jesus Christ our Savior.

The enemy's deepest desires for us entails staying exactly where we are in our sin, of hurting others and being hurt.  He strives to convince us that we cannot change because that is just the way we were made by God.  Excuses for our sin strap and weigh us down.

Jesus came to set us free from unhealthy and destructive ways of living. He helps us face our sin, believe we have worth and value to Him, and overcome those areas in which we hurt others and ourselves.

Yes.  It's difficult to face the areas of our lives where we may be trapped in unhealthy and destructive patterns especially when others leave us because of it.  Yet, Jesus' promise of never leaving or forsaking us can strengthen us to move toward healing if we let it.

When all our excuses for our sins are tossed into the trash to be incinerated, then we finally begin to see the power of Jesus working in us and through us.  We are transformed, and we finally begin to enjoy the freedom found in loving and serving Jesus.

Trust, Rest, then Fly Free

In my normal course of conversation, I rarely use the word "awesome" to describe anything but my Savior.  I doubt He will mind too much though if I use it to describe the experience of holding a hummingbird in my hand and being able to pet her breast before she took flight.  

I'm not sure how long she banged up against the window in the back of our garage before my daughter discovered her dilemma.  I placed my hand about midway up the window so as she descended, she landed into it.  My first concern was whether or not her release from my garage might mean her certain death.  My mind whirled with questions on how I could properly care for her if she indeed was hurt.

When she finally settled in my hand long enough for me to carefully examine her, I observed that she had sustained no injuries.  The poor little thing just had no idea how to get out of my garage.  She didn't realize that taking flight in the opposite direction would have provided her with the freedom she so desperately yearned to possess again.  She repeatedly attempted to fly through the glass toward the world she clearly saw in front of her.  

In time I had gently persuaded her to not only sit in my hand, allow me to pet her back, breast, and head, but actually rest in the safety of my hand while I slowly meandered out of the garage.  I immediately offered her freedom but much to my surprise and joy, she refused it at first. Even when I walked up to the vine on our trellises and held her out to it, she remained still in my hand. 

I pulled her closely to my face as I rubbed my finger up and down her breast and watched her breathing slow down.  It was then I realized I wanted an image of this moment and asked my daughter to retrieve a camera.   I stared in awe at this small, delicate, and absolutely beautiful creature in my hand.  She took flight before the picture got snapped, but not before I had silently thanked Jesus for this opportunity.  

Later, as I pondered my experience, I remembered the many ways we too manage to trap ourselves behind closed windows.  We repeatedly do the same thing hoping for different results and many times miss out on our intended freedom.  We too need the guidance of a loving hand to point us in the proper direction.  If we can learn to trust and fully rest in our Savior's gentle, loving hands, then He will carry us to a new place and give us the opportunity to fly free.  

The lesson of the hummingbird is:  Trust, Rest, then Fly Free.

Refreshed By His Grace

Saul earned the right to boast about his accomplishments, didn't he?  As a young boy, he became well rehearsed in the Jewish laws and traditions.  He understood what was expected of him and strove to live up to those standards.  As an educated man, he rose to high ranks among the Pharisees.

Yet, on the road to Damascus with a letter in his hand from the Roman authorities to rid the earth of those following The Way, Saul encountered a blinding light.  From it he heard the words, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Dumbfounded and clueless he inquired from the voice an identity.  He discovered the confrontation came directly from Jesus Christ.  Saul’s traveling companions saw nothing but heard the message delivered to Saul regarding his persecution of Christ’s followers.  

In those moments, Saul completely surrendered his heart and life to Jesus and from then on became known as Paul. His life took a hundred and eighty turn that day, and he never swayed from that decision. However, blinded by his encounter with Jesus he received instructions to head for the home of Ananias where he received his sight again.

We see from Paul’s pre-salvation days that he faithfully served as a Pharisee, and yet he was deceived by his life of religion.  He lived by Jewish traditions but actually fit the same category as the men who became angry with Jesus when He said, “You are like white-washed tombs, clean on the outside, but like dead bones on the inside.”

In the years that followed, Paul went from being the persecutor to the persecuted.  Many sought after him and strove to hinder his deliverance of the Gospel message.  They imprisoned him, beat him, stoned him, and eventually killed him.  Paul’s letters to the various churches during his ministry years provided us insight to not only what he endured, but how he responded to it.  

Many distrusted Paul at first, and some could never get past who he had been prior to his salvation, but Jesus transformed this man.  He learned the secrets to contentment regardless of his circumstance and a peace that surpassed understanding.

Some of the most difficult years in my Christian walk came during my husband’s third ministry.  The on-going tension of this particular ministry and the challenge of dealing with my troubled teenagers and young adults at the same time caused me to return to many of my childhood insecurities and patterns.  

Granted, during some of those years I sought professional Christian counseling and even overcame several inner battles from the past during that time.  Unfortunately, I still slipped back into some of my old destructive ways of dealing with too much drama in my life at one time.  As my insecurities resurfaced, with it returned my unhealthy ways of handling my relationships, circumstance, and responsibilities.  

A spirit of condemnation hovered over me.  I believed many times my life became about religion, and I lost focus on my relationship with Jesus.  I eventually came to a place where I seriously considered ditching the church and Christianity all together, but then would remember that only Jesus could offer me the words of life.

When my husband finally took a six month sabbatical from this almost eleven years ministry, it became apparent that this was absolutely necessary for my own emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.   We both hoped by the end of the sabbatical we both would be strengthened enough to return it, and in time see the Lord do great and mighty things in and through this ministry.

Thankfully, within six weeks of the sabbatical, I healed enough to be free of my anxiety and depression medications.  During this time the Lord brought several godly women into my life who walked beside me as I battled the lies of the enemy regarding my failures as a pastor's wife.  I slowly began to recognize the way my circumstances caused me to fall into some terribly unhealthy and often times destructive patterns.  

Together with the love of Jesus pouring from them, they pointed me toward my Source of truth and helped me tackle the lies regarding my value as a wife, mother, friend, and believer.  Through several Bible studies the Lord addressed my  issues regarding my significance.  He also reminded me of the freedom found when we walk according to the fruit of the Spirit instead of our emotions.  In time I started to grasp the reality of how Christ's death on the cross for my salvation proved my worth and value.

Now, over a year later, I praise Jesus for His work not only in my life, but in my husband and several of my children, too. In the words of Jason Gray, I can honestly say that, "In the hands of my Redeemer, nothing is wasted."  His work is far from done, but I love and appreciate the person who looks back at me in the mirror each morning now.  I am indeed a child of the One True King.

How about you?  Do you understand as Robert S. McGee says in his book, "Search For Significance" that you are "deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted by God, and complete in Christ"?  He wants you to know the freedom that comes with knowing who you are because of Jesus living in you.  Like Paul, He wants us to put our past behind us and live in a healthy relationship with Him.

If you have any questions or want me to pray for you about something specific, please email me at comehereandrest@gmail.com.