Fighting "Feel Good" Faith

I'm looking at my closet right now: dresses shoved on one side, shirts and jackets on the other, some hangers dangling and askew. But mostly, I was looking at the big, blank stretch of wall just above it.

A while back, I had the idea to make a LARGE sign for that spot that says, "She is clothed in strength and dignity." You know...so when I'm standing in front of my closet in my underwear crying because I have nothing to wear, I'll remember the important things to be clothed in.

At least that's the idea. I may still cry.

However, it also made me think of something else: am I really? Am I really clothed in strength and dignity?

I know there are a lot of y'all ready to hop to my defense, but hear me out on this. It might be my new soapbox.

In his letters in the Bible, Paul wrote often to warn his readers about the dangers of inaccurate theology. He wanted them to know how to sniff out a fake. At the time, much of this was centered around circumcision and "the law." These days, we call it legalism.

However, in our modern-day churches, though some are RIFE with legalism, I believe one issue has begun to outpace it. Indeed, this may be even more dangerous: Feel Good Faith.

I see it everywhere I look these days. I hear:

"God says I am enough."
"God says I am perfect just the way I am."
"God says I am strong.
"God says I can accomplish anything."

The problem with those statements? They are false. God doesn't say those things. As a matter of fact, those things are completely counter to the gospel of Jesus Christ because if we were enough, perfect just the way we are, etc. we would not have needed salvation.

But we did. We do.

In every situation in the Bible, if someone needed strength or courage, God did not say, "Go get 'em, Tiger. I know you can do it." He said, "Stand back, son, and watch how I do this THROUGH you."

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid,

do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be

with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

He didn't say, "You got this!" He said, "Trust me; I got this." The distinction is subtle but vital.

Joseph did not save millions from famine. God saved millions through Joseph.
Moses did not part the Red Sea. God parted the sea through Moses.
David did not slay Goliath. God slayed Goliath through David.

In these cases, and all the others in the Bible, it isn't the individuals ability that comes to the rescue, it's their faith in the God who saves.

Even the name Jesus means, "God is salvation."

"But what's the harm?" you might ask? "Why is it an issue if people want to say that? We know what they mean, and it makes them feel good. It empowers them!"

Unfortunately, it may feel good, but it's building your house on the sand. Time and again, I see people who say these things fall prey to their own philosophies. Life is hard. Spiritual attack is hard.

I keep watching as the people espousing these philosophies come to remarkably difficult junctures in their lives, and instead of leaning on the ONE who can give them the strength and courage they need to follow God into the dark places, leaning and depending upon Him, they lean heavily on their own understanding, thinking God would never want them to be unhappy or uncomfortable.

They make decisions, not based on scripture, but on what feels good because, after all, that's what gets them through. They trade the worship of God for worship of themselves, and their homes and lives fall like a house of cards. Only houses built on the rock can withstand the wind and waves.

It's sad and tragic and, honestly, just really bad theology.

So, when I look at my blank wall, thinking about the "clothed in strength and dignity" sign, I wonder if I actually am. The answer? If I have chosen to be.

When you read about the Proverbs 31 wife (which is who the quote refers to), there's a pretty formidable woman there. But why? Why is she so amazing? Because she walks through each day with God by her side.

• She works hard because she works to please the Lord.
• She makes good decisions because she trusts the wisdom of God.
• She gives unselfishly because she mirrors the God who gives.
• She is clothed in strength and dignity with no fear of the future because she knows whose hands its in...and it isn't hers.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,

but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

Proverbs 31: 30

To be frank, I don't know if that's who I am every day...probably not if I'm crying about not having any clothes in front of a loaded closet. I'm super glad I don't have to earn my salvation because if I did, I'd probably have a one-way ticket to Hell.

But I know it's who I aspire to be. It's who, thanks to the Holy Spirit, I look more like as time goes on. But I also know it's not me on my own.

I know I'm really excited to make the sign, not because of who I am, but of who God is, and He is calling me to be a woman fully dependent upon Him, every moment of every day. That's a theology I'm willing to stand on. 

NO Expiration Date

She sent the post to me a while ago, my sweet, sweet sis-in-law, Jamie. She sent it to me because she thought it would encourage me.

That's who she is...she encourages.

It was one of those posts by one of those Proverbs 31 ladies. I don't remember which one. You know, the wonderful women of God we almost forget are real. They're just SO godly.

She wrote about how she felt a calling from God, a calling SO MUCH like the one I had. Uncanny.

However, she continued to say that after that calling, God sent her people...people who asked her to write and speak. People who confirmed God's calling.

What my sweet sis-in-law sent me for encouragement, Satan used to taunt me.

"YOU had a calling? Are you sure? God's not using you. No one is listening to you. No one wants to hear what you have to say. NO ONE. You were wrong. There was NO calling."

I cried and cried and cried...out to my God.

I wrestled with it. I gave it to God. I asked Him for help. He comforted me for the moment...a bigger comfort was coming.

God sent us the marriage ministry at our church. We felt led to start it, we prayed about it, we started out strong...then everyone stopped coming.

Satan used it to taunt me.

"Now LOOK. You aren't even good enough to keep people who like you in a room. No one wants to hear what you have to say. NO ONE. You were wrong. There was NO calling."

I cried and cried and cried...out to my God.

I wrestled with it, and he led us to some wonderful people who have given us new direction for the ministry and helped us to allow God to breathe renewed life into the ministry. God comforted me, but there was more comfort coming.

A few weeks ago we watched a simulcast at a women's event at our church (the same one from this post). In it, Christine Caine preached a message that has changed...is changing...my life.

God's promises have no expiration dates.



Did you hear that?!

NONE.

She reminded us of the story of Sarah in the Bible. God sent angels to tell her she would have a baby, and she laughed. She laughed at God's promise.

She allowed herself to hope and believe, but then it didn't happen! Why didn't it happen?! Maybe the angels were wrong? Maybe they misinterpreted? Maybe it was up to her to shift and maneuver and manipulate to make the promises of God come to pass?

But no...she just needed to wait. God made a promise, and God keeps his promises, and they have no expiration dates.

Proverbs 31 lady's promises have nothing to do with mine. God called me.  He'll use me in whatever way glorifies Him most, and praise HIM, that promise has no expiration date.

God gave Josiah and I Compass Marriage Ministry. We are seeking to glorify Him, and praise HIM, that promise has no expiration date.

The other day, God solidified this for me through His word:

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
Isaiah 30:18 (emphasis added)

I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
Psalms 62:1-2

There are two very important lessons here:

First, God's promises do not expire. They will not die. He is faithful.

Second, anything God gives you - encouragement from a friend, a promise, a talent - Satan will try to use to destroy you. And anything Satan tried to use to destroy you, God can turn around and use to bring Himself more glory IF YOU GIVE IT TO HIM. That last part is very important.

You must give your heart to God...each day. You must pour your joy and your sorrow upon Him.

Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:6

What promises has God given you that you've given up on? What promises have you pushed away because it just hurt too much to hope anymore?

Let your hope and joy be renewed! Our God's promises do not expire!

Days Versus Decades

"I have one big piece of advice for you," said my professor. "Slow down."

Slow down. 

Two words, and they sound so simple right? 

Recently, as I've alluded to many times in last week's blogs, Josiah and I had a brief coaching session with my Christian Life Coaching professor, Eric Viets, regarding the building of our ministry. In addition to the little tidbit above, he had a lot of wonderful advice regarding blogging, newsletters, setting up the website, our logo, and so much more. 

Professor Viets was able to give this advice because, not only is he a wonderful professor at Liberty (seriously, he's one of the best proofreaders I've ever encountered), he and his wife have a flourishing ministry called Pre Engaged. Not only do they offer pre-marital counseling, they suggest and offer counseling before a couple gets engaged. I don't know about you, but I think that's BRILLIANT. They've been building this ministry for four years, so their advice was invaluable.

In preparation for the meeting, he had both of us write a ten-year letter (which we'll do in one Corinthians 3 Thursday link up), define our vision and mission along with some goals, and take a personality test. When it was time for us to work out our goals, I was on it.

I was going to have the entire ministry set up within weeks. I was going to have a book written within a year. I was going to have a website developed almost immediately. I was going to leap buildings in a single bound...or so I thought.

In my haste to set impressive goals and be the star pupil I overlooked the fact that doing things right often takes strong dedication over time.

Professor Viets said it this way: "We live day-to-day, but God often works in decades."

Mind. Blown.

I think I've quoted him a hundred times to various people over the last couple weeks because that one sentence applies to so many different facets of life! 

We live in a culture that wants everything now...faster, faster, FASTER! The professor called it a "Burger King mentality": we want it our way, right away.

But God doesn't normally work that way. He can, but he doesn't. Instead, he understands that, in order to build virtues in us like patience and persistence, we have to wait and work because "endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:4).

The prophet Isaiah said:

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

God is trying to build endurance in us through prayer and faith. Mark Batterson, in The Circle Maker, says this: 

We live in a culture that overvalues 15 minutes of fame and undervalues lifelong faithfulness. Maybe we have it backward. Just as our greatest successes come at the heels of our greatest failures, our greatest answers often come on the heels of our longest and most boring prayers. 

So today, tomorrow, or next week, when you're tempted to throw in the towel because God just isn't answering your prayer and hope is still out of sight, remember that God is always at work, always with you, always for you. He just works in decades sometimes, instead of days.

Wade In the Water

I am not a risk taker. At all. I don't even buy scratch lottery tickets because I don't feel the possible gain worth the $1 or $5 risk.

Yup...not exactly a girl livin' on the edge.

However, I may be living on the edge in another way, and that's probably not a good thing.

I was reading The Circle Maker this morning, and something the author (Mark Batterson) said stopped me in my tracks.

He was talking about the confidence Elijah had that God would answer his prayers. He was so sure God would come through that acted often before he could even see God working. 

He just knew the answer was "yes" before he heard it.

Batterson then went on to talk about the Israelites crossing the Jordan before they could go into the Promised Land. So the Israelites would know God was with them and would accomplish great things for them, He had Joshua tell the priest to carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of everyone else and walk into the Jordan.

The exact words were, "Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river'" (Joshua 3:8).

Sure. That's no big deal, right? Just tell the priests to take the seriously heavy golden ark and go stand in the Jordan river in the middle of the flood season (Joshua 3:15).

If I were Joshua, I would have felt like such an idiot telling people to do something like that, and maybe Joshua did, but he had received a promise from God - so he acted on it.

And as soon as the priests' feet touched the water, the river stopped flowing, and they crossed on dry ground.

So here's the real question - how many miracles am I sitting on the edge of because I won't take the first steps because I might look stupid? How many? One? Three? Five?

I don't know about you, but I know I'd like to witness a miracle or two, and it may just be my own pride keeping me from seeing them.

There are promises I know God has spoken into my life that I feel like I'm just sitting on because I'm too afraid to take the first steps because I haven't seen God step ahead of me first...but what if He's just waiting for me?

What if he's just waiting for me to wade on into the river before He clears the way to the Promised Land?

Let me give you an example...

Recently, I felt very confused about the information I was getting from a couple different directions, and I felt like God was asking me to email my professor about the situation and ask for help.

Yeah, I ignored that. Why would I email someone who knows nothing of me but the assignments I turn in and blast him with my confusion about my life, my mission, and who knows what else?! That's crazy talk!

And yet...I kept hearing the small nudge of the Holy Spirit telling me to do it anyway, and finally, I obeyed.

It was a mess of an email. I barely knew what I was writing; I didn't even know why or what I was asking him for!

His response was such a blessing, though! He met with Josiah and me last Saturday on Skype, giving us a wealth of information, advice, and encouragement that I desperately needed!! (More information about that meeting to come in future blogs).

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7

That's such a simple passage of scripture, one of the first we learn. And yet, it's one of the most difficult to live by, I think...walking by faith.

So today I ask you, what promises are you sitting on the edge of? What has the Spirit moved you to do that you just haven't been able to act on yet because you were waiting for God to move first?

Maybe, just maybe, He's just waiting on you to make the first move.

Be sure to check back in tomorrow for our first "Corinthians 3 Thursday" link up!

I'll go! Send me!

I just finished my Christian Coaching textbook. That might mean nothing...it might mean a lot.

I have no clue.

The last couple years have been awesome, yet very difficult for me. I feel like I've been creeping to the edge of a precipice on my hands and knees....

Actually, scratch that. The previous sentence implies that I can see the precipice...and I can't.

I don't know what's out there. Whatever it is, it's probably more like a mountain than the edge of a cliff, but I can't see it. I don't know where it is or what the terrain will look like when I get there. 

I'm just groping around in the dark, and every now and then, God gives me a little glimpse of something in the moonlight.

Josiah and I went to a Saturday night service last weekend at Freedom Life Church in Hampton. Josiah's friend Freddy Villarreal is the pastor. The service was awesome; the worship was upbeat and authentic, as was the preaching (Never fear MBC friends - we're not going anywhere. It can never hurt to praise God and hear another sermon though, can it?!).

Pastor Freddy's main point during the message was "GO." Just go. If you've been praying about it, it's inline with the gospel and scripture, and God is still laying it on your heart, then it's probably time to just go...keep praying, but go.

For a lot of people his message was probably inspiring. For me, it was kind of frustrating.

I'm a jump in with both feet kind of girl. For the last two years (since getting the call from God, which you can read about here), I have been jumping up and down waiving my arm like a mixture of Hermione and Lecrae...sitting on the very edge of my seat, saying..."Oh, oh, oh!!! I'll go! Send me! I'll go! Send me!Lemme Go!" (For those of my unfortunate friends who are contemporary film or Christian music challenged, Hermione is a character from Harry Potter, and Lecrae is a very awesome Christian rapper and speaker whose song, "Send Me" can be found here).

But I can't go yet...because while I kind of know where I'm supposed to be heading, He keeps giving me SUPER AWESOME things to slow me down. I'm not even being sarcastic there. The things He's given me are wonderful and irreplaceable - like 2 babies on the way in the last two years and homeschooling and finishing my degree - but that stuff will slow your roll, ya know? 

Pregnancy brain is NOT a fallacy people. I'm just looking forward to being able to form sentences without having to play charades because I forgot important words, much less form a nonprofit ministry, design a website, craft a vision, define a mission, and leap buildings in a single bound!!

In all reality, I'm probably not being completely fair to God in my assessment of the information He's given me over the last couple years. After all, after a lot of prayer and deliberation, we were able to discern that it was His will for me to stop working and stay at home (despite the fact that the math didn't work). The decision to homeschool wasn't far behind and was also Spirit-led. Then, Josiah and I both felt like He was pushing us to start a ministry.

I guess that's a lot of movement for a couple years' time, huh? It just FEELS SO SLOOOOOW.

And just now...right this very moment...I found a scripture that convicted me and lifted my spirits simultaneously:

"For still the vision awaits its appointed time;

it hastens to the end—

it will not lie.

If it seems slow, 

 it will surely come; it will not delay."

Habakkuk 2:3

Or how about this one from Psalm 27:14:

"Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!"

While I started writing this post with no clear message or intention, God decided to make Himself clear through - shocker - His Word. It seems, for all the studying I've done in the Bible lately, all I really had to do was a 5 second Google search.

Someone remind me of that next time, please.

So, today, if you're anything like me, and you desperately want to move forward, but God seems to have other plans, meditate on these Scriptures (and the MANY others you can find just by googling "What the Bible says about God's timing" - I really do feel kind of idiotic).

God has a plan for your life...and mine. If we're waiting and willing, then He will surely reveal His plan in time...

but you better be ready to GO when He does!! Right Pastor Freddy? 

Help My Unbelief!

"I do believe! Help my unbelief!"

It sounds so contradictory doesn't it? How can you believe and need help with your unbelief at the same time? 

I bet most Christians know.

That's a quote from Mark 9:24. A man was asking Jesus for a demon to be taken from his sick son who convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and couldn't speak. Jesus's disciples had already tried to remove the demon from the boy, but they were unable.

Jesus asked how long the boy had the condition, and the man said, "From childhood...and many times it has thrown my boy in the fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us" (v. 22).

My heart aches for this man. This wasn't a short term thing. If he was saying his son had been like this from childhood, then it must have been years. 

In my head, I can see him. A man, once happy and strong, now beaten down and weary, his spirit tired from the constant battle. He is worn with worry and riddled with despair (in my imagination, not the Bible).

He is desperate. Jesus is his last hope...and that's hanging by a thread.

Jesus says to the man, "'if you can'? Everything is possible to the one who believes" (v. 23).

And here's where the man says it - the phrase that calls to every Christian heart when they desperately need and want a miracle - "I do believe! Help my unbelief!"

Arthur Pink called this "The Believer's Paradox." In his writing from 1937 he said:

Unbelief is the great burden of the saint. It grieves his soul—the man in our text wept over it—do you? Gladly would the Christian be freed from this plague—but the Lord does not see fit to remove it in this life. Frequently it acts like a cloud that covers the sun, for there is nothing so effectual as unbelief in hiding from us the light of God's countenance.

...nothing so effectual as unbelief in hiding from us the light of God's countenance.

Wow.

How often have I felt this way? I know I should believe and I do believe, but oh Jesus, please help my unbelief! 

I was talking with my sweet friend Esther this weekend about this very passage and we both said that, often, it's not that we think God can't perform miracles, but that He won't. We are too worn and weary by the hopelessness and despair that surrounds us day in and day out. 

We know God can, but why would He? What if He doesn't? What if I get my hopes up and then they're crushed? Isn't it just better not to hope?

Apparently not.

God knows. Jesus knew. He didn't send the man away for saying "if"; He just gently showed Him his weakness. And this, again, is totally conjecture, but I think Jesus healed the man's son because of His response. It was pure and raw: a supplication to God Almighty in the flesh, wrought with honestly and humility.

And then He did - He healed the man's son. I bet there was some praising God in their house that night!! 

But later, privately, the disciples wanted to know why they couldn't drive out the demon. The answer was simple - that kind could only come out with prayer and fasting. 

Prayer and fasting? What does that mean? 

Prayer - communication with God; development of our relationship with Him.

Fasting - for a time, eschewing earthly food for spiritual food; leaning on God for strength and wisdom with every hunger pang.

The only thing that works in the hardest situations is total dependence on God. Jesus knew the answer.

So, here we are, wandering around this dark world, trying to be the light, but so afraid to hope. Is it too risky to dream? Or is it too selfish? Mark Batterson doesn't think so. In his book The Circle Maker (which I am just in LOVE with right now), he says:

Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish. Why? Because there is no way we can take credit for it. And nothing is better for our spiritual development than a big dream because it keeps us on our knees in raw dependence on God.

Big hopes and dreams honor God because we can't accomplish them by ourselves. That is a truth that fills up my heart with joy and sometimes it even spills out of my eyeballs. 

It's okay to dream big. It's okay to hope.

What have you been trying not to hope for? What have you been too afraid to dream? 

Cry out to God this morning. Tell Him you believe, and ask Him to help your unbelief. He's not our genie in a bottle, and He won't give us anything we want, but He will answer prayers that are in alignment with His plan and if we are seeking His glory.

Batterson says, "Jesus taught multiplication. He promised that He would multiply His blessings if we work like it depends on us and pray like it depends on God."

He wants us to hope and pray, and He will ALWAYS answer...even if He doesn't answer the way we think He will or the way we want Him to.

He always hears and He always answers.

You just have to ask....


Linking up today with:
Time Warp Wife

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

Hidden Rewards

My quiet time this morning brought me to the book of Ruth. If you're not familiar with the story (or need a refresher like I did), I highly advise you to take a few minutes to read it.

It won't take long. It's short. I'll wait.

Back? Okay, we're ready to go then.

Ruth was a champion of loyalty.  Seriously.

She lost her husband, and her mother-in-law, having lost everything in her life, was hightailing it back to her hometown.  She sent both of her daughters-in-law back to their own people so they could remarry and carry on.

But Ruth said, "no."

She was faithful and loyal, not just to Naomi, but also to God. She was a Moabite, and hadn't grown up with the God of the Israelites, but she was faithful and loyal nonetheless.

Then, when they arrived in Bethlehem, she continued to be faithful. She worked hard and was known by everyone for her diligence and loyalty. She worked to ensure their survival, and she followed Naomi's instruction, and became the wife of Naomi's relative Boaz.

Oh, to be like Ruth.

The Bible doesn't say, but I wonder how hard it was for her.  I wonder if she spent some nights crying in anguish because she missed her husband (before her marriage to Boaz), or perhaps because she felt out of place and alone.  Did she ever get discouraged by all the hard work she was putting in?  Was she afraid?

Scripture doesn't answer these questions...but I'm thinking she may have.

I do.  Sometimes it's so difficult to see the end in sight.  

Will things ever improve?   

Are the kids ever going to listen?   

Can't the house stay clean for 5 seconds?! 

 How will we make it?   

What does the end look like?

God doesn't always give us these answers and we feel emptied by the mundane tasks.  Sometimes, the answers are hidden...

 And so are the rewards.

The last lines of Ruth list a genealogy that ends like this:

"Salmon fathered Boaz,

who fathered Obed.

And Obed fathered Jesse,

who fathered David."

(Ruth 4:21-22)

Obed, grandfather of David, was Ruth's son with Boaz.  God chose an unlikely woman - a foreigner, a widow - to the the great-grandmother of David, whose faithfulness was so great that he was given the honor of fathering the bloodline of the Messiah.

Thus, so was Ruth.

Did she know that in her lifetime?  No. 

Sometimes, we can't see an end in sight, but faithfulness can, at times, be rewarded generations down the line, in ways we can't even imagine.

So, when the going gets rough, and you can't see the end in sight, remember Ruth.  

God had a plan for her life, and He has one for yours, too...you just have to have faith and be faithful.

Linking up today for Titus Tuesday at Time Warp Wife. Check it out!

Peace Like A River

Peace.

No, I have not turned into a hippie...although, I am selling organic health and beauty products, using cloth diapers when the baby comes, and I'm now all about the recycling.

Okay, so I SOUND like a hippie (I jest...we'll call it environmentally aware), but that's not the peace I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the peace that passes understanding - Philippians 4:6-7 kind of peace:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I was laying in my bed just now and realized I was completely at peace, and it was the best feeling in the world.  This verse has been working on my heart so much the last year or so.  I come back to it continually.  I don't know a lot of scripture verbatim, and I definitely don't know the references 99% of the time (where exactly to find them in the Bible), but I know this one. 

 It is engraved upon my heart.

That's obviously an argument for memorizing more scripture, but that's another subject entirely.  For now, we'll stick to the peace.

My life is peaceful right now...busy, crazy, and noisy (not right this second because I don't have the kids), but peaceful.

• We are about to bring another child into this crazy world.

• I'm quitting my full-time job that brings in half of our income each month.

• Josiah is looking for different employment - something that brings home more or equal to what he makes now, and preferably, would give him weekends off most of the time to spend with us and go to church.

• I'm launching a new part-time home sales business - something I've never attempted before.

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting on that list, too, but for now that's good enough,

With all of that going on, somehow, God has given me peace.  A deep peace that transcends anything I ever thought was possible.  I now KNOW the true meaning of having "peace like a river in my soul," and it's awe inspiring.

Our child will be loved by so many.  God led us to make the decision for me to quit my job, so I know one way or another, He will provide.  If/when Josiah is to find other employment, it will be exactly where God desires Him to be and in His time.  He will give me whatever time and energy I need to get any of my tasks done, no matter what they are, as long as I am seeking His will in how and where I use that energy; thus, my business will be as successful as it needs to be for His plan in my life...no more, no less.

It's perfect peace.  

I know He will provide what we need, or at the very least, an avenue to get what we need, as long as we are seeking and acting upon His will for our lives.

And my God will meet all of your needs

according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Peace like a river. *sigh*

It's awesome. :)

Sunday, Solitude, and Facing Giants

It's quiet.

Normally the house would have been in a tizzy for the last couple hours with everyone getting ready for church. Today, all is quiet.

Josiah is at work.

The kids are with their dad.

And I am quenching an overwhelming thirst for solitude.

I don't feel this need very often, or at the very least, I don't allow myself to feel it.  I'm a really social person; I thrive on social interaction and the energy I get from being around people.  Nevertheless, every now and then I feel like God is calling me to BE STILL.

Today is one of those days.

He and I have spent a lot of time together this morning, though, so maybe it's not quite solitude.  For a Christian, I suppose there's never absolute solitude.  While we might not be in the presence of other people, our God is always with us and speaking to us. As a matter of fact, it may be that the times we spend in quiet seeking His face may be the least alone we ever are.

Apparently, the quiet is making me wax philosophical.

In other news, Josiah and I spent some time last night with some very dear friends watching the movie "Facing the Giants."  For those of you who don't know, this is the second movie made by the Kendrick brothers, who also made "Fireproof" and "Courageous."  As our friends promised, it was low budget, the acting was stiff in places...and it was absolutely amazing.  Simple, heart-felt, and amazing.

I think one of the things I found most peculiar about the movie was that the acting may have been stiff during a few off the simple dialogues, but in the scenes that were truly emotional, where most novice actors would have the hardest times connecting, these people were stunning.  They might not be able to talk about dinner or the stove being broken with a lot of skill, but when it was time to connect with the character during a heart-wrenching battle these people gave some Oscar-winning performances.  They connected.  It was beautiful.

I also find it miraculous that with all the major things going on in the world, our God finds the time to speak to each one of our hearts exactly when we need it, and in the way we need it.  I needed that movie last night...desperately.  I didn't know I needed it, but I did, and I am truly grateful our friends allowed themselves to be a conduit for God's grace and love.

This movie was all about facing the obstacles in front of us with the knowledge that God is always with us, and nothing is impossible with Him.  Absolutely nothing.

Josiah and I are at a very exciting, but very scary, point in our life together.  We are about to have a new baby, and we feel so blessed God has given us this precious gift (in addition to the three precious gift I brought with me into the marriage).  At the same time, this means a lot of changes for our family...especially financially.

Secretly, deep down, I was starting to doubt...not God, but my ability to interpret His will in my life and what  He's trying to accomplish.

I talked to Josiah after the movie last night, and I guess I thought if I was correctly interpreting His will for my life, then I would have known something by now.  I thought He would have given me some inkling of His plans for me...a thought, an idea, a feeling...a post-it note from Heaven.  I don't know.  Something.

On the other hand, if He gives me all the answers before I have to step out in faith, then I'm not really acting faithfully am I?  Anyone can ace a test when they have the answers in front of them.  I need to face this test in my life understanding that it wasn't designed for me to have the answers in advance.  I'll get them exactly when I need them...not a minute before or a minute after.

The movie taught me something else, too...being stagnant while I wait for the answers is not okay either.  At one point someone tells the main character a story about two farmers.  Both farmers prayed desperately for rain, but only one of them went out to prepare his fields for rain.  Which farmer showed the greatest faith? The one who prepared his fields to received God's blessings.

My thoughts and actions need to reflect my faith in God and His ability to care for me.  Furthermore, until God chooses to show me my next path in life's journey, he expects me to blossom right where He's planted me NOW.  He expects me to grow where I am.  I think I had forgotten that.  I had become so obsessed with the future that I forgot to take care of my heart today.  None of us is guaranteed tomorrow; it seems a shame to waste the time we know we have been given while waiting for a time we don't even know will ever come.

In this very same vein, Time Warp Wife (see her blog here) posted this message on her facebook wall this week.  It spoke to my heart at the time, but even more so after seeing the movie:

This morning I spent a lot of time praying.  I had quiet time with my God that I had skipped out on a lot lately.  I don't know what God has planned for us in the next few months, but no matter what I will praise Him and trust His absolute wisdom, goodness, and love.

How about you?  Are you somewhere today where you don't know the answers?  Where your entire life seems overwhelming and wrapped up in fear? Are you praying for help but acting like you already know it won't come?

Praise Him...Praise Him, seek Him, and watch the movie. :)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  ~Matthew 6:25-34