A Godly Woman's Pursuit

“But you [woman] of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  Fight the good fight of faith.”

1 Timothy 6:11-12a

A woman of God has different daily goals to pursue than other women.  We don’t chase after controversy or other worldly things, but we are called to pursue righteousness and godliness.  We are to be intentional about our pursuit of faith, love,  and gentleness, and with all these things we shall endure above any obstacle. 

I have no idea what I might face today.  Controversy may arise, or I may find myself in the midst of a sticky situation.  No matter what today brings, as a woman of God, I am to chase after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  I am called to fight the good fight of faith today, as hard as it may be. 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for another day.  I am so blessed by you, Lord.  I have many things on my agenda today and I know it will be a busy day.  I have no idea what obstacles I may face, but please help me keep these instructions at the forefront of my mind and etched in my heart.  By your grace, grant me the strength to live this verse out today and every day, for my main goal is to please you and to bring glory to your name.  I love you, Father.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.    

So You Messed Up...Now What?

"Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces."
                                                                                         -Psalm 34:5

One time when I was a little girl I had the bright idea to go into the bathroom, climb up onto the sink, and stick a bobby pin into the electrical socket. I have no idea what I was thinking. I don't remember my thought process leading up to the poor decision, but I remember clearly what I was thinking afterwards. The numbness that was shooting up my arm and my blackened finger tips told me that I had done a bad thing. I knew that I shouldn't have done it, and I was afraid of what my mom would do or say when she found out. I was hurt, scared and ashamed.

When I went into the living room where my mom was, I held my burnt fingers tight in my clenched fist behind my back and hung my head. I couldn't even look at her. I tried to hide the remnants of my mistake and did my best to avoid interaction with her, knowing that one look and she would know what I had done.

Now looking back I can see that it was my shady behavior that sold me out in an instant. Mom took one look at me and asked what was wrong. Still afraid to look at her I just shook my head.  Finally, I just led her into the bathroom and pointed to the socket.

Of course, she corrected me and reinforced why this was such a bad idea. But then, like any loving mother would do, she took care of me.   She reassured me that I was still loved even though I had made a bad choice, and she fixed the boo-boo that my mistake had caused.

As adults we can do the same.  We make poor choices and afterwards we see the repercussions and know without a doubt we made the wrong choice. We hang our heads in shame and approach God the same way I approached my mom, afraid to look at Him or even interact with Him because we know He will take one look at us and see what we have done. But the Bible says that those to look to Him for help will be radiant with joy, no shadow of shame will cover their faces. We don't have to hang our heads in shame. We can look to God for help.  He will help us fix our boo-boo, remind us that we are still loved, and the look of radiant joy will return to our once shame-shadowed faces again.

Maybe today you are trying to sort through the repercussions of a poor choice. Perhaps you find yourself walking around with your head hung in shame, avoiding God because of what He might think, say, or do.  Or maybe, after hiding from Him for so long you find your self going back and sticking your finger in that same nasty socket. If any of these describe you, can I first of all tell you, I have been there?  Oh, have I been there. But can I also tell you that you can't overcome it without Him? Jesus paid the price for that sin you are hiding there behind your back. And the truth is, He knows exactly what it is you are hiding. Just show Him. Look to Him for help and He will help you.   Let your Loving  Father fix you up and remind you that you are  loved. Oh how loved you are!

He Makes Everything Beautiful

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace…

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Hello Friends! I’m sorry it’s been a while since my last blog post.  My husband and I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas for a friend’s wedding in mid-May, and upon our return, life hit us head on like a bug on a windshield.  The week following our return from Las Vegas, my husband’s grandmother took a turn for the worse and went home to be with Jesus.  Life was flipped upside down on us for a few weeks.  In one week we walked through the loss of our beloved Grandma Ruth, and we attended another funeral in addition to hers as well as a wedding, a graduation, and hosted a graduation party at our house for my little sister.  The following week didn’t get any easier.  Both of my little ones caught colds and I went through a surgery.  My head is still spinning from the emotional roller coaster ride we have been on, but one thing is for sure, there is a lot to learn in times like this. 

I have always loved this passage from Ecclesiastes.  We know that there are seasons in life, and God makes each one beautiful in its own time.  What I failed to remember is that we can walk through nearly all of these seasons in a week’s time.  Sometimes life just seems to hit us all at once and we find ourselves on a ride that won’t stop and won’t let up.  We keep trying to tap out but the punches just keep coming.  Life is just flat out hard sometimes, right?  But there is a secret to finding joy in the midst of the chaos, and I believe the secret is found in verse 11 above.  God has made everything beautiful in its time, so the secret to a joyful life is learning to see God’s beauty in it all.

 

The death of my husband’s grandmother was not an easy thing to walk through, especially as we watched her suffer during her last hours of life.  Yet, there was beauty to be found in the midst of our pain and heart ache.  For instance, watching Grandpa Carl, Grandma’s husband of 62 years, hold her hand and tell her that it was okay for her to go home and be with Jesus and her parents was a beautiful thing.  The look of passion and sincere love in his eyes after 62 years of marriage displayed an even deeper beauty than the look of love in our friend’s eyes as he watched his bride walk down the aisle toward him just a week prior.  Having the opportunity to be with Grandma during her last moments of life and to pray with her and encourage her was another beautiful moment.  After Grandma passed we huddled together as a family and had many moments where we were crying one second, and laughing the next.  Even in the worst of times, when we open our eyes and lift them to God, we will find Him, and when we find Him we will find beauty. 

So today, whatever season you are walking through, or if life is coming at you like a race car going the wrong direction down a one way street, it is my prayer that you will see God’s beauty in it all.  May your eyes be opened to the beauty in each moment, and may you see God in fresh new ways each step of the way. 

Heavenly Father, today we just pause and thank you that you make all things beautiful in their time.  Please help us to see you in whatever we are walking through today, Lord.  Whether we are mourning or dancing, laughing or weeping, or all of the above, would you open our eyes to the beauty you have set before us.  We love you, Lord.  Please bless this day, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.