Tuesday, November 26, 2013

A Spiral Approach

I am so blessed to have friends and family that are so very supportive about my blog and my writing...and just me in general really. My mother-in-law is super awesome and quite often sends me little comments or insights about my blogs after I write them.

The other day, after she read this post where I said I felt like a spiritual dunce because God keeps having to show me the same lesson over and over, she sent me the most amazing little insight. I just had to share it.

She said God teaches us lessons...like Saxon teaches math!!!

Mind-blowing, right?!

For those of you who aren't homeschool curriculum obsessed, let me explain.

Saxon is a math curriculum a lot of homeschoolers use. It uses a spiral approach. What this means, is that a lesson is introduced sort of briefly, and then you just practice it every day. Once you get that down, then the lesson is sort of taught again, but from a different angle or a slightly different, but related, concept.

Do you hear the genius that came from that brilliant woman?!

God teaches us like Saxon Math!

He knows us. He knows how we work. He created us. He created ME. 

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me
You know when I sit and when I rise; 
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; 
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD....
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
(Psalm 139:1-4,13-14, NIV, emphasis added)

This bit of scripture offers so much wisdom and so much comfort.

My God knows me and he LOVES me. I am fearfully and wonderfully made by an Almighty God.

In His infinite wisdom, God shows us a lesson we need to learn, lets us practice, and then shows us another component when we're ready!

Praise be to GOD!


As a side note, but related, Intentionally Yours is hosting an event on January 4th at The Bridge in Princeton, North Carolina called Intentionally and Wonderfully Made, and it speaks to exactly this subject. Princeton is about 40 minutes outside of Raleigh. I'm definitely planning on going because I know this is a message God has been trying to get through to me...really written on my heart...for quite some time. 

Tickets for the event are only $5 in advance or $10 at the door! Please visit them at http://www.intentionallyyours.org or see the facebook event here.


Linking up today with:
Time Warp Wife
Juana Mikels


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Playing with Razors

My little Ryan hurt himself yesterday. Although he's been told many times not to, he decided to touch his sister's razor in the bathroom.

Sometimes, it's just hard to be a little boy with sisters.

He came to me with a bloody thumb and tears in his sad, little eyes and wailed, "Mommy it hurts!"

I bandaged his little digit and gave him hugs. In this situation he'd already gotten punishment enough, but he did get a little speech.

We talked about why mommies and daddies have rules: to keep their children from getting hurt. We also talked about God's rules for us: they are for our benefit, and keep us from getting hurt. Emily chimed in at that point and said, "And to keep us from hurting other people."

*sigh* I don't know if she knows the weight of her statement

My sister-in-law, Jamie, wrote a beautiful blog post recently about her walk with God, and it so mirrored mine. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I just didn't get it. I had no idea how to go about living it. I thought there were "good Christians," and then there was me, and I tried, but I just couldn't be that good. I was too dirty

I made decisions for my life and never once consulted God because I prayed, but I had no clue how to hear His voice in my life; so why pray about decisions? 

I was flying on a wing and a prayer. My plane was in bad shape, and all my instruments were down. I didn't know where I was going, but I hoped I was still sort of in one piece when I got there.

Just to let you know, that's not a good way to go through life.

But then, God brought people into my life that showed me how to walk with Him...and it changed my life forever. He bandaged my wounded heart and continues to every day.

Last night I had dessert with my gorgeous young friend and her wonderful boyfriend. We talked about the blog and church, and she said she's trying to find God for herself. She's had some bad experiences with religion and church and hypocrisy and seeing unfaithful Christians, and now she's trying to work out her faith.

Oh my heart.

I told her I was proud of her and she needs to find Jesus for herself. Hear this: you cannot own someone else's religion. It has to be yours, in your heart. I have faith that she'll find Him, and I'll help her any way I can.

But it made me think back to when I was younger...all three years ago or so. I thought back to all the times I was claiming Jesus and clamoring around in the dark. I think again about people I may have misled or turned away from the gospel. I've asked for forgiveness, and I know it's been granted, but often accepting it is the hardest part.

Please understand this, and I say it not with condemnation but from experience - if you are claiming Jesus, but walking in darkness (not reflecting His light), then you are actively working for the other side. I see that now. There is no middle ground. I wasn't helping, so I was hurting...that's just how it is.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, 
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, 
we lie and do not practice the truth. 
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, 
we have fellowship with one another, 
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
(1 John 1:5-7, ESV)

So, if you're there, walking in darkness, and you want to know how to walk in The Light, contact me. Email me (alissaandjosiah@yahoo.com); facebook me (https://www.facebook.com/daizygirl1979); comment here; heck, send carrier pigeons, whatever it takes. If you don't want to talk to me, call or email my pastor, Jim Weston, at Menchville Baptist Church (757-877-4532; pastorjim@menchvillebaptist.com).

Just don't go another day without claiming what is already yours! All you have to do is reach out and take it! There may be a cost (there is with every decision), and it probably won't be painless; I won't tell you a lie. But I will tell you this: it is always worth it. HE is always worth it. The relationship with Him is always worth it.

Life has many "razors", and unfortunately, most of them look like they'd be fun to touch. God's Word is there for us, not to hinder us from having fun, but to keep us and others, safe. We all have scars from the razors we've played with, but God is waiting, hearing our desperate cries saying, "Jesus it hurts!" 

But He's still waiting: to dry our tears, bandage our wounded hearts, and teach us the lessons we so desperately need. Let Him.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10, NIV)

Linking up with:
Simply Beth
Juana Mikels
Time Warp Wife

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Quick and Dirty: Just Say It

Alright this one is going to be quick and dirty (on the fly and no editing). I feel led to write it, but I don't have a lot of time today, so please forgive me!

I've been struggling some lately with writing...wondering if this is really what God wants me to do, or if I just think it is because I LOVE it so much. If you read the blog, then you know I've also been struggling with seeking approval from others, too.

Well, I've been praying a lot about both...and then God moved.

Just when I stopped seeking the approval, and just when I stopped reaching, He reached out for me.

First, I got an email back that I'd been hoping for, and it served as confirmation that I'm on the right track.

I also got a message from sweet young lady saying that a blog I wrote was just what she needed in her relationship.

Then, last night at church, I had multiple people tell me they've been reading the blog and that it touched them in some way.

Finally, I got a voice mail this morning from a dear friend. She left it last weekend, but I am HORRIBLE at checking my voice mail. She said God was working through me and my blog. She had been at a meeting after reading my blog on letting our light shine, and she brought up the post and it touched people.

Hear this...my grandmother always said "self praise is no recommendation," and that's not what this is. I know FULL WELL that this isn't me...it's God moving in me because let me tell you, my nature is dirty: self-seeking, willful, and deceitful. It's only Him working in me that makes this blog worth anything.

What's the point then? He's not just using me. 

Each person that felt led to tell me how they felt about my blog or how it touched them allowed God to use them! They were encouragers (yeah...I made up a word).

That's the moral of the story today folks. If you feel led to give someone encouragement, but you don't want to because you'd feel stupid or you're sure they already know, DO IT ANYWAY.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come from your mouths, 
but only what is helpful for building others up 
according to their needs, 
that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV, emphasis added)

This verse says "according to their needs," but how do you know what someone else needs?

You don't. 

It's not our job to figure out how God works, it's only our job to do what He wants.

So today, if God lays it on your heart to encourage someone...just say it. You never can tell what may become of it.


Linking up with:

Juana Mikels



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

He Has Me In Stitches

Today's post is kind of a continuation of yesterday's post. Not that it's about exactly the same thing, but in that we choose our perspective, and often when it comes to our spouses, we choose poorly.

God has been speaking to my heart about this a lot lately. Very frequently, I feel like a dunce when it comes to God's lessons in my life. If He taught me the lesson yesterday, why do I have to learn it again today? 

As I soaked up His lesson for me today, I realized that I'm thinking about it wrong. God doesn't just plug up our holes all at one time; it's more like stitching together a tear...slowly. He uses the thread of His Words and Wisdom and slowly but surely, He mends our hearts.

I suppose I've stalled enough...onto God's stitching for today.

Last night I was hurt. Josiah didn't know I was hurt; I didn't tell him. Why?

Because we've been over this before.

Here's the gist of the issue - if you've read, or know anything about, Gary Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages, then you can probably guess what my primary love language is: Words of Affirmation. (As a side note, if you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it). Most people also have secondary love languages; mine is Physical Touch. Josiah's primary language is Physical Touch. So that works out right?

Not as much as you'd think.  

You see, you often give and receive love with the same love language, just like an actual spoken language. Words of Affirmation is like four levels down for Josiah, almost at the bottom of his language pool. 

I'm wordy. He's not.

He and I have talked about this before, and from what we've discovered, this is what our exchanges often consist of internally:

See what's happened here? He's communicating with me, but because our love languages are different, I'm not capable of receiving the messages he's sending.

This isn't a new problem, and we'll both continue to work on it. That's not the moral of the story. This is:

I get to choose how I react to this problem.

After this all-to-familiar exchange, Satan (or my own sinful, nasty nature - whichever you prefer) had a hold on my thoughts like you can't believe. Wanna know how it went? Here ya go:

Why won't he tell me the things I want to hear? We've talked about this! I need words. Where are my words. Well, I guess since he doesn't say I'm pretty anymore or tell me I'm beautiful, I'll just assume he doesn't think it anymore.

Doh!!! Did you catch that last part? Praise God, I did. He's teaching me, and I'm growing, and by His grace with the Help of the Holy Spirit, I was able to bring that thought under submission.

We demolish arguments and every pretension 
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV, emphasis added)

What I was thinking was destructive to my marriage and myself, and therefore, I needed to demolish it.

If my husband is loving me, hugging me, and behaving as he always has, why on Earth would I choose to believe he thinks something different now than he used to?!

I was choosing the wrong perspective - choosing poorly. What would my motivation for that be? Getting back at him, probably, through my bad attitude and my body language. Expressing to him my dissatisfaction, even though he tried to give me everything I wanted yesterday and more.

Here's the thing - every day, every moment, we are making perspective choices. 

The world sends out a message that we should be discontented and self-centered, always wanting more, believing we deserve more.

The Bible says the exact opposite. Jesus says we should be less...want less, think of ourselves less.

We are to be content in every circumstance, praising God simply because He's blessed us with the opportunity of one day entering into His presence. 

In my quiet time this morning, I looked at the following Bible verse:

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, 
I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this age, 
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2 (HCSB)

These are familiar verses to me. I highlighted them like that because that's how they're highlighted in my Bible. I came upon these verses separately, highlighted them separately, and tended to think of them separately...until today.

Today, I realized that the way we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to our God is by transforming our minds. We have to (1) take those thoughts captive, (2) transform and renew our minds so we can discern His will, and (3) banish the worldly ones that go against the His will and His Word.

THEN, through that process, we are presenting ourselves to God as a living sacrifice...daily.

This is for every aspect of our lives: the food we eat, the way we take care of our bodies, the way we treat our children, and the way we treat our spouses.

So, today God has stitched me a bit more. He does it every day. He stitches up the broken places in my life slowly, but that's because He can only go as fast as I'll let Him. He's perfectly patient with me.

The stitching isn't always painless. On the contrary, it's often painful, but it's a good pain - the kind that cleanses and heals.

Today, choose wisely. Take those thoughts captive - the ones that are destructive and stir up discontentment - and demolish them.

It might hurt right now, but at the end of the day, you'll be happy you did.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Give Me A Break...Or Not

Yesterday was a rough day. The busyness of the past couple weeks came back to haunt me as I tried desperately to get all my assignments done.

I don't really remember the kids going to bed last night, and at some point Josiah disappeared, too. I finished my assignments around 9:30, and then wrote a blog that I finished posting and linking around 10:30. By that time, I was way too awake to try to go to sleep, so I spent some time online trying to decompress for about an hour. I still didn't sleep well, though. Sometimes, if my brain is engaged for too long, there's just no shutting it off, unfortunately.

Then, this morning, long after Josiah had already left for work, he sent me a text asking how I slept. I told him, "not well at all," and asked how he slept. His response:

"Okay. Why'd you wait so long to come to bed?"

Awww, I thought to myself, he missed me.

I explained to him what I just explained above, that I was trying to decompress for a bit. I thought he'd get that, and maybe he did, but I could still tell he was irritated with me.

And then, I started to get irritated.

He escapes every now and then. He'll retreat to the room and play his guitar or work on his music. Why don't I get a break?

I spent all day homeschooling, making purchases for projects, helping with a government lapbook, putting together dinner, leading devotions, and getting my assignments done...all with four kids asking questions and making noise. Don't I deserve a break, too?!

Then...as always...conviction.

My husband didn't want me to come to bed to get in the way of my break...he wanted to BE my break.

And then I saw him in my head:

His tired eyes last night as he waited for me to get done with my assignments;

His sweet face when he brought me home the Diet Dr. Pepper and dark chocolate because he knew I'd be stressed;

His willingness to get the kids in bed and take care of things last night so I could do what I needed to do.

This man LOVES me. He CARES about me. He WANTS me. And here I am whining about it.

So, now this is me, sitting down at the table and pouring a steaming cup of conviction for myself, heaped with a healthy dose of repentance.

How about you? Care to sit with me? If you'll share this cup with me, I think you'll find that, often, the little things that annoy you most about your husband can be turned into something positive...something that initially you loved and cherished in him.

Does he spend too much time watching sports? Perhaps you were initially drawn to his manly, competitive side.

Does he forget to pick up his socks or leave a mess in the sink? Perhaps you were initially drawn to his laid-back nature.

Does he fail to plan and change plans often? Perhaps you were initially drawn to his spunk and spontaneity.

Does he have a hard time being serious, often saying the wrong thing at the wrong time? Perhaps you were initially drawn to his sense of humor.

No matter what the "little thing" is, it can probably be traced back to something you loved and cherished about him in the beginning. I urge you today to take those things that irritate you, and find the good in them.

We should seek the good in others, just as we want them to always seek the good in us, looking over our flaws. "Do to others as you would have them do to you....Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6: 31,36, NIV).

So tonight, just after the kids go to bed, know where I'll be? In that bed, waiting for my wonderful, loving, caring husband because I've got some making up to do...

and maybe, just maybe, you do too.

Linking up with:



Monday, November 18, 2013

Seeking Approval

"Is it there yet? No."

"Maybe there's something there now! No"

"I know there's probably not anything there, but I'm going to check anyway. *sigh* No."

This has been me for the past couple days, checking my email semi-obsessively. 

You see, I went to this super awesome conference this week called Smart Stepfamilies with Ron Deal. We got a lot of great information and tips, and we also realized we're doing pretty darn well at the blending. I think we realized that before the conference, but this was definitely confirmation.

Actually, the highlight of my weekend was kind of unrelated to the conference itself. While standing there talking to one of the people from Family Life, I saw a business card for Intentionally Yours, a blog I've been following for about a month or so now.

"Cool!" I thought to myself, as I picked up the card and explained to the Family Life lady that I have been following the blog. "Oh!" she said. "Sherry and Scott are here this weekend. There Sherry is now!"

And so, my dear internet friends, I got to meet Scott and Sherry Jennings, and talk to them about my blog and the changeover (which I'll talk more about at the end of this post). They suggested a blogging platform I was unfamiliar with, and Sherry asked me to email her the link to my blog so she could take a look.

GAAHHHH!!

I was a little excited. On Saturday evening I emailed Sherry the URL for my blog along with a couple suggested posts she might want to read.

And then...I waited...and I've been waiting.

Here's the thing, it's been two days: two measly little days. She probably just hasn't gotten around to reading it yet. No big deal right?

But somehow, my entire internal thought process has been consumed by "What if she hates my blog?!"

I asked Josiah that question yesterday - "What if she hates it, Josiah?! What will that mean?!"

His reply - "Nothing."

He just doesn't get it though, right? Everyone appreciates the approval of their peers, and acceptance of my blog would give me the affirmation I need! How else am I supposed to know that I'm actually a decent writer, for crying out loud?

For crying out loud...because THAT is what I need to do.

I need to cry out loud because I have been prideful and sinning, and once again, have forgotten that this isn't about me.

I'm not good enough. I'm never good enough.

But GOD is good, in fact He's perfect, and it's HIM working through me that gets results...not my measly writing.

He has guided me to write, and so no matter what someone else thinks of my blog or my writing, I should continue to do it because He says so.

Honestly, approval from others is quite often a motivator for me, and it really shouldn't be. We discussed that at Sunday School this week, too, and with the email-checking the last couple days, it really got my attention.

I'm approval-seeking instead of God-seeking.

Ouch.

The Bible verse that made me think of my approval-loving ways was John 15:18-25. Jesus said:

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own,
As it is, you do not belong to the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you."

Obviously, Sherry Jennings is not of this world either, so that's not directly what this is referring to, but how often do I post things about my awesome God on facebook and then obsess for a while afterward about whether I've offended someone or they're sneering at me?

More often, I think, then I've really been cognizant of before now.

And that hurts.

So, this is my confession, my friends: once again, I've caught myself seeking approval from the world instead of from my Almighty God. 

Thankfully, He's a forgiving, loving, and patient God, too. As long as I'm following His guidance and His plan for my life, then that's all the approval I need.

...but compliments are still welcome! (I'm a work in progress,okay?)



(Here's the note I promised with the update on the changeover.  I AM going to be creating a new blog, but Josiah and I are feeling like we have some other exciting ministry things coming our way, too.  So, instead of just creating a new blog, we are going to create a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and then create the blog underneath that. Isn't that exciting!!  So, for now, I'll continue to blog here until all that gets done!)

Linking up with:
Photobucket


Friday, November 15, 2013

Make Like a Tree And....

So today, I'm participating in Lisa-Jo Baker's Five-Minute Friday, where you're supposed to write for 5 minutes straight on one word, no worrying about editing or anything else.  Today's word: Tree.

What the heck?! Tree?

Tree isn't what I want to write about. How about how it's 4:30 in the morning and my butt is up looking for 5 minute Friday because once I'm awake I can't shut my brain off?  How about that?

How about the fact that I can't stop thinking that maybe I'm doing the wrong thing or have misinterpreted God's plan for my life or that people are starting to think my blog is boring or self-important? Or about how I feel like I need more of a schedule for my life but I don't even know how to go about doing that because I do things like wake up at 4:30 in the morning to write?

How about THAT Ms. Baker with your "tree"?

*sigh*

But then I take a minute to actually THINK about trees...and what I love most about them...their brilliance in the fall (yeah, yeah they give us oxygen, too, and that's nice, but not as pretty...I like pretty colors - don't judge me).

And ya know what I love.  In the fall, they're getting ready to REST for the winter.

Trees rest..they are still and reserve their energy and REST.

Perhaps I needed to write about trees after all.

Five Minute Friday

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Blowing Off the Bystander Effect

Can I just tell you how AMAZED I am by the small, intricate, intimate ways our BIG, POWERFUL GOD works in our lives? It just makes my heart sing.

As always, I had been meaning to write this blog for days. I knew what I wanted to write about, but it kept getting pushed off...for a reason.  God hadn't given me the clincher yet...the one thing I need to make the connection I was missing...

the connection I didn't know was missing.

One of the classes I took last quarter was a psychology class called Group Dynamics. I learned a lot of things from the class, but one thing in particular stuck out: the Bystander Effect.

In the wee hours of the morning of March 13, 1964 a woman named Catherine ("Kitty") Genovese was brutally raped and murdered outside her apartment building in Queens, NY. Coincidentally, in looking up the story again today, I found out her murderer is due for his second parole hearing this month. It was initially reported that there were multiple witnesses who heard or saw Kitty in distress, but did nothing to help her (although details that emerged later painted a different portrait of the witnesses' situations).

How could that be? How could people do nothing?! (Once again...the perception at the time, not necessarily the reality)

Two psychologists, Latane and Darley, decided to investigate this psychiatric and social phenomenon, and the Bystander Effect was born.

In essence, the Bystander Effect says this: the degree of responsibility felt by an individual is inversely proportional to the number of other people present.  Of course, that is a REALLY simplified version (and in my own words), but it's accurate enough.

For those of you who just got totally lost by my math-speak (i.e., inversely proportional), here's what I just said: we feel less responsibility to help people when there are a lot of other people around. We think "someone else will do it" or "I don't want to get involved" or "I should mind my own business" or "I might look stupid."

Since learning about the Bystander Effect, I've witnessed it in multiple situations, and while I have always kinda been helpful, I've also taken note of my natural instinct to shy away. Because of that, I wanted to write about it. Once you become aware of something and can identify it, you can overcome it, right?

But that's only part of the story...God hadn't revealed the full connection to me yet.

After reading my last post, my gorgeous friend and photographer, Amanda Truth, saw something else in my post that I hadn't seen. She used it to connect her own dots, to put together a blog post God had put on her heart (you can read that here). Here's part of what she said:
My sweet friend and past bride, Alissa wrote a blog post yesterday talking about that sinking feeling we often get with the question Who am I to be bold and light up the world and go after the things I love? And my response to her was Who are you NOT to? And I fully believe in that! When we chase the things that matter most to us, we light the fire inside of us, and by lighting the fire inside of ourselves, we’re unconsciously giving permission for others to light the world as well!
Isn't that awesome!! But guess what? I still didn't get it all the way.

But then I read this heart-breaking blog by my friend Lindsay about the World Vision organization and the children they help. I felt so inspired by her passion, and while there's NO way we can really do anything monetarily right now, I can try to impress these lessons on my children. I can try to teach my children how to care for others and appreciate what they have.

But guess what? God still wasn't done with the connection.

I had coffee with Amanda today, and she called me her "community." You know, you have a certain person (or people) you go to when you need advice or just to develop an idea or thought. Regarding faith and some other things, I'm her community. That's pretty awesome.

We also talked about our faith, and how, until I met Josiah and his family, I didn't really understand my faith all the way.  I loved God and had faith, but I was missing out on the relationship.  I didn't understand that He wanted a deep, intimate relationship with me. He didn't just wanted me to try to be good, He wanted my heart.

Amanda said she hadn't gotten that either until about 6 months ago, and God had used me in her life to help show her that.

SHUT UP.  That's pretty dang cool.

And on the way home from coffee...MY DOTS CONNECTED!

Josiah and his family helped me deepen my faith and develop a relationship with my glorious Savior. Then, I met Amanda and her beautiful self, and she is developing her relationship with Him. And now, she's influencing people in HER life so they can do the same thing.

Lindsay is spreading the word, too. She wants everyone to look outside of their first-world boxes and see how blessed we are and how we can change someone else's life who doesn't even have the basic necessities for survival.

We have a responsibility to those around us (and even those far away) to BE MORE and DO MORE. We have each been called to a purpose. If you're reading this and breathing, then GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU, and it's not just a plan for you.  Each one of our lives connects with other lives; our paths all cross, converge, and connect.

He has a plan to use you, and let me tell you people, there is no better feeling than knowing you are fulfilling God's purpose for your life. Hear me?

No. Better. Feeling.

Period.

Who am I to write this blog and advise people spiritually? Who am I to dream BIG and try to change the world?

Who am I NOT to?

Each of us has a responsibility to our God and our fellow Earth inhabitants to fulfill our God-given purposes and to dream BIG and do BIG.

Don't let the Bystander Effect run your life.  Don't wait for someone else to open your door.  Don't wait for someone else to help or give or do.

Who are you to dream BIG and change the world? My friend, who are you NOT to?





Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Seeking the Light

I feel like God has some lessons in my life stuck on "replay."  More than likely, that's because I'm just not really getting it the first time!

Right now I'm working in a book called "Discovering Your Creativity" by the wonderful people from Women of Faith (I picked it up used from Moore Expressions for $1! Only the first couple pages were written on.) One of the questions last week asked you what you would do for a career if there were NO boundaries - if every job paid the same, no childcare considerations, etc. - the sky's the limit.

My responses?
  • Sing
  • Act
  • Dance 
  • Write
As I looked at my responses, I felt a familiar shame creep in....

"Wow, Alissa Shea, could you be any more, 'LOOK AT ME!!'? All your responses are so spotlight-seeking. You are such an attention whore!" (Yes, I called myself an attention whore...it's not a nice word, but it's truth...so there).

So, there I was...staring at the book in shame...wondering why everything I dreamed of being was showy...wondering why I couldn't be different.

But then...

I continued the study.  And the verse we had to look up was this:

"You are the light of the world. 
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. 
Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 
In the same way, let your light shine before others, 
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16

Oh my dear, God. Why do I always question and put down your creation.

Once again, God showed me that He made me, He formed me in my mother's womb, not to be ashamed of who I am, but to use the gifts He gave me to glorify Him.

As long as I keep that in perspective, as long as I am not self-seeking but God seeking, then I am doing exactly what He made me to do.

God made Alissa.
  • He made her happy, and giggly.
  • He made her with a voice that sings and a heart that dances (her body loves to dance, too, but we're just not putting that on display).
  • He made her with a heart for words and a love for expressing them.
God made me, and he has a plan for me. Instead of wallowing in shame, I need to embrace that, and seek His will for my life and His glory.

Are you showy, too, or is your light different? Make no mistake, if you're an introvert, someone who hates the spotlight and does everything you can to stay out of it, this lesson still applies. 

YOU HAVE LIGHT. 

God created you exactly the way you are for a purpose, and he has good works prepared for you so you can walk in them (Eph. 2:10) and, in doing so, shine the light on Him.

I'd love to hear about your light? What would you do if you could do anything? What did God make you to do that makes your heart sing?

Whatever it is, I pray that you'll embrace it, and LET IT SHINE.


Linking up today with Time Warp Wife





Tuesday, November 5, 2013

More

Hi everyone! Sooo...was my sweet mother-in-law the only one who thought my last post was going to be a pregnancy announcement? Hahaha. Sorry to disappoint, if that was the case!

Nope. I am not currently with child, and as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm still at Life Under Construction. I do have something really exciting in the works, but it's going to take some time to create. Until then, I'll continue to blog here...cuz I can't stop blogging. That's just crazy talk.

That having been said, let's carry on, shall we?  

For some reason, I seem to be getting a lot of writing inspiration from my nonprofit business class. I don't know if it's the nature of the nonprofit sector itself, or just the fact that I am where I am in my spiritual walk at the moment. Either way, it's speaking to me, and I like it.

The other day I read this little tidbit, and it jumped off the page at me: "Thus, perhaps, accountability needs to include more than just avoiding transgressions and exhibiting model behavior. It may need to encompass demonstrated effectiveness in achieving the purposes for which the nonprofit exists" (Worth, 2014, pg. 128).

Maybe it was the word transgressions that made that whole sentence leap off the page for me.  After all, thanks to Mac Powell et. al. and their song "By His Wounds" that word gets stuck in my head on a daily basis (WARNING: if you go to that link, the video has scenes from "Passion of the Christ" that depict the graphic crucifixion of the savior who died for all of us).

Whatever the case, it leapt off the page.  Still don't see it?  Let me help:

Thus, perhaps, being a Christian needs to include more than just avoiding transgressions and exhibiting model behavior. It also needs to encompass demonstrated effectiveness in achieving the purposes for which the Christian exists.

That. Is. POWERFUL, my friends.

Just a few word changes, and nonprofit management becomes the solid, life-hanging truth of Christian existence...

We were called to more than just sitting in a pew on Sundays and trying to be good.

Don't believe me? How about this?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
 not by works, so that no one can boast. 
For we are God's handiwork
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
(Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV, emphasis added)

You may notice I emphasized the word handiwork there. We're currently going through Ephesians in our sermon series at church, and my pastor said something a few weeks ago that really stuck with me.  The Greek word there is poiema (poy'-ay-mah), and it is the word from which we get our words poem and poetry

You are God's poetry, carefully created cell by cell and hair by hair, and He created you for a purpose.

Please don't misunderstand me, by all means, go to church and sit in a pew because that's often how we begin to grow, and we need the body of Christ.

But if that's all we're going to do? If it's going to end there, then it just happens to be a giant waste of time because "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26).

Harsh? Yes, but sometimes God needs to lay it all out there to get our attention. 

And the good news is, it's not even our jobs to figure it all out.  Just like our faith is not through works, but a gift from God, so also, we cannot save people...only God can do that.  We just have to be willing to seek His face and His will for our lives, and He will guide us to where we need to be.

The path is already there, folks, we just need to walk in it.

So, that's my "business" lesson for the day. I'm a CEO, and it's my responsibility to do more than avoid sinning and act properly. 

I wonder what my next "business" lesson will be!!


Reference

Worth, M. J. (2014). Nonprofit management: Principles and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE       Publications, Inc.

Today's post links up with the following: