A Big Plan

“But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”  (Matthew 10: 29b-31)

 I have been able to do a lot of reading lately.  The kids and I have been taking trips to the library and I am bringing home 6-8 books a week.  Saturday I read a book that I really felt reached in and touched my soul.  Have you ever had that happen?  I mean I read books I love, read books I can’t get enough of, and read books that I can relate to but this could book could have been about me and could have described my life before Jesus…and after (kinda). 

There is something about walking around feeling worthless and dirty.  There is something about wanting a prince charming to come and rescue you but after reading dirty romance novels you have an unrealistic idea of love and passion.  It wasn’t until Jesus met me where I was that I knew I was worth something.  And it wasn’t until Jesus cleaned away the dirt that I mucked up in my life that I knew what real love was.  It was then that I could truly love my husband and my children.  It was then that I slowly begun to learn about grace, forgiveness, and understanding.

God has a big plan for everyone.  Even in this economic and political turmoil God is here. He is there is your smallest and your biggest celebrations and struggles.  Jesus is there on the left and right.  God is sitting with you in the pew on Sunday morning and at your desk when you go to work Monday morning.  God is with you when you have to have those tough discussions with your kids and He is there when your kids make the right or the wrong decision without you looking over their shoulder.  God’s plan is perfect.  No matter what we decide to do His plan will work.  If anyone could screw up a good plan it’s me (ask the hubby) but God didn’t let me stay in that dark place.  He brought me out and now I can live in the light! 

“For I know the plans” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

Black Coffee

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you, Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!” (Matthew 23:25)

 

I love coffee. I love everything about coffee. I remember being so excited making my dad coffee when I was a little girl and then pouring it for him (wish my daughter did that). However, I have never been able to drink my coffee black. Once my parents allowed me to drink coffee it was always with two sugars and a cream. As I have gotten older I don’t need both sugars but I have introduced my pallet to different flavors of creamers and then, as a special treat, a mocha or a latte with as much chocolate and whipped cream as possible.

 

For a long while I have been trying to lose weight and live healthier and one of my biggest obstacles is sugar. I have a series sugar problem and since I didn’t want to put my body into total shock I decided that, instead of giving up coffee entirely because I can’t put my sugary creamer in it, I would drink it black. Day two and I am still alive. The coffee is harsher, but probably more of what it was originally created to taste like. The experience isn’t as pleasant but it is just as comforting…especially with mornings becoming cooler. I am not as excited for that first hot sip, but then the warmth of it in my hands is just as refreshing. I can do this. It may not be exactly the way I wanted it to be but I can do this as still come away feeling satisfied.

 

There are things in our faith life that are probably making it harder to live the life that God has asked us to live. I am not talking about bad habits or addictions. I am talking about the dressing around our faith. Are we simply going through the motions, enjoying the fellowship after service, the teaching during service and letting ourselves be fed like infants (1 Peter 2:2) and staying there? Or are we beginning to take those baby steps that are necessary to grab onto the meat of our faith? Are we really living our faith out the way God had intended…and then what had God intended? You are not going to find this by simply walking from place to place in a religious environment. You need to grab hold of God’s Word, learn to speak to Him and listen to Him, and seek, really seek, out where you are supposed to go and do. Let the sugary stuff go for a while and taste what God has in store for you.

 

“So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvations that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

The Inbox

“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.  Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

 

I had a lot to do and only a little time to do it. I had to go through the flyers, add some things and change some things, and then send them off to the printing company. I had an hour to get this done, maybe a little less. Since I had already kind of gone through it once before I knew what I was doing so it really didn’t take me as long as I thought it would. I had 10 minutes or so to kill before I had to go get middle school kids so I stared at my computer at my inbox. There was a long chain of read emails that I just hadn’t deleted or filed for whatever reason. Some of the emails were personal, some were about the kids, and some were scheduling and meeting things; time to get organized.

 

I like folders. I like compartments. I like to feel like I at least have the tools around me to be organized, even if I don’t use them. I feel as though there are things in my life I am extremely organized with, like my time and juggling the kids and then there are things that blow up on me daily because of my lack of organization. So, looking at my inbox I needed to file these emails. So, I started and things were going great until I realized another folder would be good and I tried to make one but the computer wouldn’t let me. I guess there is a max of email folders you can have! After a little bit of thought I juggled some things around and now all is good and I have the folders set up the way I would like them to be. My inbox is blissfully cleaned out. Now, you can all sit in amazement at one of the most productive parts of my day yesterday!

 

Imagine that we are all an email account. We can get stuffed and prodded, cleaned out and junked. And like life God will give us the tools to help us stay on the right path and organized but there will come times in our lives when He won’t give us any more, we have to use the tools He has already given us because He knows it is enough, just right, and perfect. We may need to step back and ponder things for a moment, take an inventory of what we have, and use what He has given us to accomplish the task in front of us. So, if you feel overwhelmed clean out your inbox, get organized, take some deep breaths, and see if God doesn’t give you the peace you may be looking for.

 

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good, and pleasing, and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Behind the Dryer

“For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.” (Mark 4:22)

 

(This would be a good day for everyone to remind me that I am not alone)

 

Why, or I guess I should say how, does it get so dirty behind/beside the washer and dryer? Or, how does it get so dirty under the fridge and oven? I would never let a magazine come and take pictures of my house because it just never looks that clean but we do try to keep it picked up. I spot clean during the week, do a good thorough clean on most Saturdays, but while doing trash the other day I see this weird build up on the side of my dryer….I felt defeated. Here I work and work to try to make our house look kind of nice (We have three kids and we actually live here so I am not too worried about it) but then something like that actually makes me want to stomp my foot and walk away from ever cleaning again.

 

Thinking about it my prayer and faith life is kind of like my cleaning schedule. During the week I pray and read and then on Sundays I get a personal overhaul and I worship with my family of faith. But I confess there are things that only God and my husband know about me. Kind of like the hidden dirt under the fridge, most people have thoughts pass through their mind unintentionally that they would never like to share. I would have to guess that a majority of us have done things we wish we hadn’t. No matter what, though, we cannot hide anything from God. He knows every inch of our being and was has been with us every step of the way.

 

So, I know I need to pull out my fridge and other appliances occasionally to clean under them to make it to where they don’t get terrible build up. What can we do not to get negative build up in our everyday lives? We need to guard our hearts and our minds. We need to go to God in prayer and let His Word shape us and guide us. We need to go to Him in all things and build up that relationship so that when the really hard stuff comes up we will feel confident in going to our Father instead of trying to hide it under the bed….shoot, I better clean under there again too! This will be never-ending until we are on His side of Heaven. We will continue to have bad days and make mistakes and God will continue to be there to listen and to give us grace. God is good, as always.

 

“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4)