Heroes in Waiting

     My son loves to have someone mount him on their shoulders and help him "fly" to the rescue of a distressed, imaginary victim.  My daughter loves to know she is desperately needed in an anxious moment.  I love to feel the satisfaction of a difficult task completed.

     Have you noticed we all share similar deep desires?  Have you ever noticed how every boy dreams of being a super hero?  And every girl longs to accomplish great feats? 

     Is it possible that God has placed something deep inside of our fragile beings that longs to be brave, heroic and invincible?

     The Bible tells us that every gift God gives is good, but the enemy always tries to destroy those very things with his twisted replica.

     Super hero longings are no different!  God calls us to be bold and to stand for Him, while the enemy tempts us to bring glory to ourselves.

     How can we walk out day-to-day life as heroes in waiting . . . ready to be used by God but not desiring to steal His glory?

     I am reminded of David in the Bible, who according to the prophet Samuel was not much to look at, but God knew David's heart.  Psalm 89 tells us what God thought of David when it says, "I've crowned a HERO, I chose the best I could find; I found David my servant."

     God knew what was in David's future -- giant slaying, battle victories and kingship.

     And God knows what is in our future too!

     I love what the evangelist, A.B. Simpson once said, "God is preparing His heroes.  And when the opportunity comes, He can fit their into their places in a moment.  And the world will wonder where they came from."

     We don't need to worry IF God can use us -- as we humble ourselves before Him and seek Him only, He will raise us up for great tasks when the time comes. 

     In fact, we may be carrying some of those tasks out right now and not even realizing it . . . it doesn't take much to have our capes flutter in the breeze for our children, does it?  So let's GO be the heroes that God has made us to be and soon we may discover what more He has in store, AS LONG AS we keep Him first in our lives.

"Don't let the HEROES brag of their

exploits...brag of this and this only:

That you understand and know me.

I am God."

Jeremiah 9:23&24 (msg)



Don't Worry, Be Happy

I paced the floor of our living room.  I felt like a caged lion.  The cold seemed to radiate from the outside, which further dampened the mood I was already comfortably settled into.  It didn't take long to find the name for the emotions I was drowning in -- worry. 

Worry; it meant I had taken the cares of my life from God's capable hands and put them back in my own hands . . . again.  Would I ever learn?  I asked myself.   Did I really think that my stewing over these items would make a positive difference?  Ultimately, worry meant I was focusing my thoughts on the enemy's lies for me, not God's truths.

I grabbed for my Bible and flipped to the passage I had read so many times.  "DO NOT be anxious about ANYTHING, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, WILL guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6&7)  That was the missing link - the peace was not there.  I knew that as I read that passage I often stopped at that verse and failed to read on.  As my eyes stumbled ahead on the lines, I realized God was showing more of His battle plan.  How to fight against the emotions of worry that tumbled around my head like black flies in the springtime.

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

That was it, I thought, as the triumph moved from my head to my heart.  A smile broke across my face as the dawning came . . . all the things I had allowed my mind to focus on while I worried had nothing to do with God's checklist of things to think about.

Is it true?

Is it noble?

Is it right?

Is it pure?

Is it lovely?

Is it admirable?

Is it excellent?

Is it praiseworthy?

If I had to say NO to even one of those questions, then I was not following God's plan.  And there was another important truth buried here - by worrying I was choosing to sin.  To go against what God had required of me meant that I had to become a slave to the enemy of my God.

It came full circle in my mind - right back to one of my favourite verses - "We take captive EVERY thought and make it obedient to Christ."  (II Corinthians 10:5)  If I was to importune each thought to go through the security check as meticulously as if in front of a guard at the airport, I would be in far more peaceful place in my mind. 

"God," I cried out, "Help me not to worry, but to take captive each thought, and then to be happy in You!"  The peace came, the worry left and my thoughts focused on the lovely once more.  Always God's Word had the way I needed to go -- always.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Luke 12:25

Everything We Need

God has promised to give us everything we need! We, as parents, will do whatever it takes to make sure that every need is met that our children have (needs not wants). Yet as much as we know this in our heads I find in day to day conversations, it is evident that this vital information has not made it to our hearts. There is a very quick test you can do to see where you are at with this - Did you worry about anything today?

More times than not, the answer can be yes - but it doesn't have to be. Jesus told us, in Matthew 11:29, that, "(His) yoke is easy and (His) burden in light." And that as we come to Him, He can take those things from us. Sounds easy but it requires faith and action from us. It means we need to truly understand what God has promised, so that we can trust Him to do what He has said He will do.

I love the verses in Matthew 7 that lay this out so plainly - as a parent I believe this strikes the heart of glimpsing the Father's love for us. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him." As a mom, I can read that and confidently know that if one of our children were truly in need of food, of course I would want to give them something good. Therefore I need to be resting in my Heavenly Father, that even more so when I have a need, He will provide what is required.

I have noticed an interesting trend with our younger children that seems to fade away as they approach the teen years - every once in a while they think that they are not going to get fed. Have you ever noticed that in your home? Sometimes it sounds like, "I am soooo hungry. Are you going to make lunch today?" or "If I don't eat soon I think I might die, what if you don't remember to make supper?" The part I find fascinating is that since beginning parenting almost 13 years ago, I have NEVER, not once, forgotten to feed one of my children. That means I have been consistent (or faithful, if you will) for over 14,000 meals - wow! Now for my children that may doubt a meal is coming, their experience level may land somewhere around 8,000 meals but you would still think that would translate into rest and belief that they will be fed ~ but it doesn't always. When they start to "feel" the hunger and the don't "see" the promise of food before their eyes, they start to worry...have we not done the same thing with our Heavenly Father?

When we know that God has faithfully met our needs in the past, continues to provide for the needs of today, why would we worry that He will "forget" tomorrow's? Because we are like the younger children who are still growing in trusting our Heavenly Father to provide EVERYTHING WE NEED.

So try something new - take a verse like Philippians 4:19 that says, "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus", or the verse above from Matthew 7, or any other one like it that speaks of God's promise for your provision, and write it out and stick it in a prominent place. The next time that you feel worry start to come to you, go to those verses (which are the living, active Word of God) and speak them out loud. Take them to your situation and say out loud, "My God has promised to meet all my needs according to His riches", or "How much more will my Father in Heaven give me good gifts because I am asking Him." The darkness cannot stay where there is light and worry cannot linger where there is trust in our Heavenly Father.

Do not let fear or worry reign when God wants to give you everything you need!