DON'T NEED ANYONE TO TELL ME

     Each snowflake that falls to the ground is unique in its design -- that boggles my mind every winter!  Yet we don't look at individual snowflakes and think God made a mistake; we celebrate His creativity.  So, why are we so quick to look at others around us and make ourselves feel inadequate?

     I've learned I don't need anyone to tell me what I'm not good at!  It glares at me, sometimes all day long.  As moms, we're so good at reminding ourselves of what we DON'T do well, aren't we?

     Why is that?  How can we be exactly who God has created us to be and yet be so dissatisfied with our strengths and abilities we possess?

     Often skills that come easily don't seem to hold any true value in our minds.  And yet, the irony lies in the fact that it can be those same skills in us that will stare someone else in the face and make them feel so incapable.

     Are you tracking with me?

     YOU are talented.

     YOU are gifted.

     YOU are skilled.

     When you focus your discouraged eyes on the person who does well with that which you can't, you lose appreciation for what God's placed within you.

     DON'T beat yourself up about what you can't do!.  Stop!  Realize that what you do well is what God has gifted you to do.  What they do well is what God has gifted them to do.

     In I Corinthians, Paul shares the comparison of the physical body with gifts and abilities.  He asks how foolish it would be if all of us wanted to the eye, because then we wouldn't hear.  Or in the case of the ear, then we couldn't smell.  Likewise, we must recognize our value as we have been created.

     Some are created to make music, while some are created to make cookies; some are created to bring order, while some are created to bring excitement.

     None of us are irreplaceable -- not one!  Only the lies that pound on the back door of our hearts will whisper that message.  God has fashioned each of us with a specific plan and purpose; find out what that is for you and embrace it, celebrate it...but whatever you do, DON'T COMPARE IT!      

"God has placed the parts

in the body, EVERY one of them,

just as He wanted them to be.
If they were all one part,

where would the body be?"

I Corinthians 12:18&19

FEELING RUN DOWN

 
     There are just those days -- you know the ones -- where you just feel like you don't have what it takes to make it through the next hours, let alone days, that lie ahead.  That's just the reality of life, isn't it?  Somehow being told that those days are "normal" can make it seem more manageable, but something more is available to us that we shouldn't ignore...God's strength.

     This is true strength -- the kind that only God can pour into our lives when we've reached a low point, a hard place, a dark time.  

     Our God, Creator of all things, who is so intimately involved and concerned with EVERY detail of life, cares.  He truly cares.  And He's promised in His Word that when we are weak, His power will be made perfect in us (II Corinthians 12:9).

     I have a poem that hangs on a wall in our home and I stop to read it word for word every so often.  Alone, it's just a poem, but combined with God's promise to fill us with His strength, it becomes of great encouragement...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts seem high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When you care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must -- but never quit.


Life is queer, with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out;
Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with one more blow.


Success is failure turned inside out --
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt --
And you never can tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --
It's when things seem worst that YOU MUSN'T QUIT.

     Quitting can feel like the easiest solution -- it may be with our toddler who won't obey, our teenager who's pushing hard or our spouse who's not home enough.  Whatever is causing us to be run down or overwhelmed, we can take it to God.  He wants to join us in the middle of the mess, not stand back and watch us quit.

     Tell God where you're at and ask Him to come, in His power, into your dark moments and He will.  He really, really will!

"Don't quit in hard times;

pray all the harder."

Romans 12:12

If Only...

     Maybe it was the robin's fault -- the sight of him had started my mind whirling into the pit of the "if only's"?  The robin, on its own, was a glorious symbol of the hope of spring, while remnants of dirty, old snow still lay clustered in the woods.  I should have stayed focused on the glimpse of the red-breasted bird, but no . . . it happened so fast and without any realization that I was past the point of no easy return. 

     What was it?  It was the conversation I shared with myself about better things to come, that caused me to lose sight of the gift of today.  My thoughts had gone something like this . . . 

     "If only this snow would melt . . . but then it will be cold and rainy."  

     "If only the warmer spring days would come . . . but then there will be bugs."

     "If only summer would be here . . . but then . . ." 

     Do you see my dilemma?  It took so little to launch myself into "half a year from now", and in the process I had thrown away the blessing of all the moments and days that are in between.  Why did I do that?  Because I failed to be satisfied with the largess that is buried in the challenges of TODAY. 

     I stopped my thoughts.

     I looked for God's beauty that surrounded me in that moment -- the chaos of school books piled seemingly half-way to the ceiling that was accompanied by the laughter of happy voices . . . the noisy dog that chased his tail on the never-ending search for satisfaction of the catch . . . the brightness of the room  we were gathered in that offered the expectation of warmth and safety.

     My mind rested.  My heart filled with peace.

     God had been brought back to centre, and with Him, came the outlook I required to search for the blessings of the day.

     "Thanks be to God for His

indescribable gift!" II Corinthians 9:15

Puppet Shows

When I was a child I remember being totally mesmerized by puppet shows. It didn't matter whether they were big puppets or little puppets, if the person behind the puppet could make me believe even for a moment, that the puppet could really talk, I was hooked. These kinds of puppet shows are amusing and innocent, but there is another kind of puppet show that can happen in our lives that is neither fun nor healthy, and those are the ones in which the enemy uses us as his puppets. Sound confusing? Let me explain further.

I was reading in I Samuel 17 and reflecting on the thrilling moment when David stood before Goliath ready to defeat him - more than most other stories, I am sure you remember this one.  But what I noticed this time while reading, that came just prior to David's great victory, was in verse 28, where it says, "When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him (David) speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is'." Wow - can you imagine having your big brother, of whom you had travelled far to bring food to and most likely had looked up to, speak to you like that? Not only did his brother make it very clear to David that he wasn't welcome, his brother insulted his job, his reputation and his character. It is interesting to me that the enemy used David's oldest brother as a "puppet" to try to keep him from doing what God had called and equipped David to do that very day, which was to kill the giant that no one else (including David's big brother) had dared to face.

There is also the similar experience that Jesus had with Peter in the New Testament, found in Matthew 16. Jesus had begun to share what would happen when he went to the cross, and Peter's quick reply found in verse 22-23, said, "'Never, Lord...this shall never happen to you!' Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men'." Ouch - could it get more insulting than that? And yet, Jesus was perfect - he saw past Peter and straight to the enemy who was using Peter as his "puppet" in trying to turn Jesus away from what God had called him to do. The similarities to David with his older brother, and Jesus with Peter are very noticeable; in both situations the enemy was trying to keep those called, from fulfilling their purposes.

How does this apply to us? I believe there are two very important applications we can take from these stories. The first application is this; the enemy will use anyone he can find, including and sometimes especially, those closest to us, to try to turn us away from facing our challenges and our callings.  Therefore, it is very important when we hear words that hurt us or discourage us, especially when the words originate from those we are closest to, that we evaluate whether the words hold truth or the lies of the enemy. I have yet to try saying, "Get behind me satan" to my husband - not sure if that would go over well - but you get the idea. Satan will use whomever he can gain access to as his "puppets", if only for a moment, to discourage us and tear us down so we have to be on guard against his schemes. These stories are also a good reminder to us, that the battle and opposition that can come against us personally, can be greatest just prior to our biggest victories, so watch for that.

The second application is more simple, but just as important; the enemy wants and will try to use us as his "puppets" to tear down or discourage others who are in our lives, and we need to be ever aware of that possibility. I have heard it said that, "There, but for the grace of God, go I", and we need to live with that kind of grace evident in our lives. When the enemy tempts us to open our mouths and say what we FEEL; stop, take a deep breath, give a quick prayer, and see if what is wanting to come out of our mouths is a trick of the puppet master.

The more "puppet shows" that we can put an end to in our lives and the lives of those around us, the less opportunity the enemy will have to pull us away from what God has called us to do. The next time you see a puppet lying around somewhere, remember what the enemy tried to do - to David just before Goliath, and to Jesus just before the cross - and CHOOSE to not be one of his "puppets"!

The Discouraged Conqueror

What do we do when we don't "feel" like or "see" the reality of being a conqueror?  Well, fortunately the Lord allowed me to experience it first hand so I would have something fresh to share (ha ha).  I have heard it said that we should watch what we share because we could be tested on it, and I found that to be true 98% of the time, which sometimes makes me wonder why I keep writing, but anyway...

In less than twenty-four hours after sharing about being MORE than conquerors, I woke to realize that I was feeling very overwhelmed.  We had said goodbye to company and I found myself with four beds to change, seven loads of laundry to fold, a son that needed a ride for the evening, a family that needed to eat, to say nothing of the other chores that were required just to accomplish the basics of life and tidying up.  The temptation, of course, was to pass on my quiet time because what needed to be done seemed so huge, but I have learned through years of trial and error that these are the times I need to be quiet with God the most.  So I started my morning in the Word and a devotional I use, and listen to what God gave...

First came the scripture found in Romans 12:11&12, in the Message version, where it says, "Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.  Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder."  It had only been a matter of hours, but I had forgotten to give this over to God for His help, and honestly I had not been feeling cheerfully expectant either.  Then, in my devotional, Faith to Faith, it said this...

       We are to live in hope.  We are to rejoice.  So, when Satan comes to steal your victory and tell you that God is not going to help you this time, you just think on the Word of God and start rejoicing.  Rejoice that you are in Him.  Rejoice that heaven is your home.  Rejoice that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.  Rejoice.  Brag on God today.  The devil can't stand it!...When things get hard is not when you let go of the Word.  That is when you double up on it .  That is when you are constant in prayer so that you are immovable.

God is so faithful to speak to each of us and truly meet us where we are at!  I am so thankful that I took time in the Word today - I have a fresh hope for the day and a desire to rejoice; even though challenges still may come and the tasks that I have at hand have not disappeared.  I have a new "battle plan" for how to do all that needs to be done, and most importantly, I have taken it to prayer again and I will be standing on the Word and God's truth as I walk out my day rejoicing as a wife and mom.

Don't Compare

This sweet shot goes back a few years to when our girls were a little younger, but it fits well for what I want to share on the topic of comparing. Have you ever noticed that something can look the same on the outside, but be completely different on the inside? When we dig out fun, matching dresses for our three daughters, does it mean I want them to be the same on the inside? Of course not! Does it mean I want them to look at each other and decide, even though wearing the same style of dress, who looks the prettiest? Absolutely not! They are each God's awesome creation, created in His image with special plans that He has intended for them to live out. Just as I, as a mother, would not want my girls to feel the need to envy their sister or try to be something other than who they are, I believe our Heavenly Father wants us to live in that same freedom of who He has created us to be, without looking side to side to see who is doing life "the best". Are you comparing?

This past month in our Mom's Night we were discussing "Realities and Myths" and one of the things that stood out the most in the feedback I have received from moms is - Wow, others are really human too! Some moms were amazed to hear others share about feeling discouraged in the same area that they do and they were surprised to know that others found struggles in similar areas. Yes, of course we are all blind to some blessings in our own lives, that others can usually see, but it is because we are too busy comparing. Comparing to what? Let me explain.

II Corinthians 10:12 says, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves." I think that is something, especially as women, we do far too often. It might happen without us realizing it or it may be very intentional - it is not always done with a heart of judgment either. In fact, my greatest concern for my young mom friends is not that they judge one another but that they judge and look down on themselves. As with most things, there are two "ditches" in the comparing game - one is that we look at others and find ourselves better in our own eyes and the other ditch is that we examine those around us and find ourselves so lacking that we don't walk in the confidence God intends for each of us.

It is in the next chapter of II Corinthians, that Paul goes on to say, "I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray." It is what we have looked at many times before - the battle is primarily in our minds. That is why taking thoughts captive is so important. One of the things I love the most that comes from Neil Anderson is this, "When you are deceived, do you know it?" Of course not, that is what the word deception implies, we have been fooled or had the wool pulled over our eyes.

It is the same in the everyday journey of being a wife and a mother, we are open to the myths of other woman who make parenting look "easy" or make marriage look "fun". Those are not the realities of life if you were behind their closed doors any more than it is behind your own closed doors. I read a great quote recently by Jill Savage and she said this, "When we compare ourselves to other moms, we will always come up short. Why? Because we’re comparing our insides to someone else’s outsides. That’s not a fair comparison at all. We’ll never know someone else as well as we know ourselves so this is a game we can never win. " This is truly the bottom line - God has made each of us unique, there are no two moms the same and there are no two wives the same. Nor should there be, because God has things planned for you that no one else can do the same. And He has given (or may give you) children, and those children need you to be the mother God desires you to be in who He has made you - not trying to be someone you are not.

God would not have placed us in the homes He did, with the husband and children we have, unless He had special plans for us. There is not anything that happens without Him being fully aware and He will use all things in our lives for His glory IF we let Him. Let's not compare ourselves with anyone down the street or down the pew - we need to learn to love who God has made each one of us to be.