Monday Morning Memo: Irritated and Overwhelmed

The family caught my attention as we sat eating in an area restaurant.  They were very nice looking and reminded me of the all-American family.  Mom and Dad, along with children who appeared to be teenagers. 

 

Of course, most restaurants are filled with families who fit this description and while I love to people-watch…I don’t often get fixated on one particular table.  I did on this day though.  It wasn’t because they were doing something unusual, because unfortunately they weren’t…they were doing what has become “normal”…but it still bothered me .

 

There they were, waiting on their food to come…each glued to their phone.  None of them spoke…none of them looked at anyone else…none of them interacted with anyone but the server.  When their food arrived, they did put their phones down to eat, but still no conversations were started.  It appeared that their sole purpose was to scarf down their meal as fast as they could so they could resume their scrolling.  I’ll be honest…I found it very sad.  There they were with a perfect opportunity to converse and connect with each other…to learn more about each other…but they found their mobile device to be more important.

 

But as I caught myself condemning this family in my mind later that day…I realized that while I was pointing a finger at them…I had four more fingers pointing back at me.  I recognized that this scenario isn’t much different than my behavior at times when I sit down with my Jesus to hopefully “consume” His Word.   How often do I let my mind wander while I’m supposed to be reading and listening?  How many times do I think it’s important to just do a quick check of Facebook or Instagram, but before I know it my scrolling has taken up my time?  I have a perfect opportunity to converse and connect with my Savior and to learn more about Him…but I find my mobile device or computer more important.  No wonder there are times I feel irritated and overwhelmed.  

 

OUCH.  I wonder how that makes my Heavenly Father feel, when many other things take precedence over my time with Him.  I wonder if He shakes His head…wanting to remind me that His blood was shed for me…but yet I can’t “sacrifice” some undivided time to spend with Him.   He longs to be with me. He yearns to teach me how to live so I will look more and more like Him.  But it is my decision as to whether or not I take advantage of His desire to spend time with me. He won’t force me to make the right decision…but I do know that He will always be waiting patiently for me.  Why?  Because He loves me that much.

 

He loves you that much too.   So, the question then becomes, “Will you and I accept His offer to spend some uninterrupted, undivided time with Him this week?”  I sure hope so…because if the King of Kings and Lord of Lords wants to meet with us…why in the world would we say no?   

Monday Morning Memo: The God of the Impossible

Last week I wrote about trusting God with those things we can’t see.  Trusting in the invisible.  Trusting Him…knowing He sees everything and is more than likely whispering to us, “Please my dear child, trust the invisible…because it is much more wonderful than anything you can even imagine or see with your own eyes.” 

 

This got me thinking about some statements we often hear.  “She doesn’t have a prayer in passing that class.”  “He doesn’t have a prayer in getting that promotion.”  “They don’t have a prayer in ever reconciling their marriage.”  “I don’t have a prayer in ever being any more than I am today.”  These are just examples of statements which can be made when you feel there isn’t any chance that a certain event will occur in those future happenings which appear invisible.  We’ve all had words to this effect come out of our mouth when something just seemed impossible.

 

Impossible.  The word is used when we think something is incapable of happening.  Just like when we say that we or someone else doesn’t have a prayer…we are totally giving up that there will be a good outcome when we use the word impossible.

 

I was thinking this weekend about these words, and it made me wonder who or what determines or influences when I give up.  Am I coming to this conclusion because I have hard facts, or do I rush to this assumption because I am taking into account my limitations…my shortcomings…myinadequacies or someone else’s limitations…shortcomings…or inadequacies?  Am I looking at the situation through God’s eyes and His strength and power…or my own?

 

If I look to the Bible to find my answers, it tells me what I need to know about “not having a prayer”.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Notice it doesn’t say to pray about only those things of which you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, will work out.  It says to pray about everything!  So even if you doubt something will happen…pray about it anyway.  We ALWAYS have a prayer!

 

And the impossible?  Mark 10:27 tells us, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But not with God.  Everything is possible with God’”.  So whatever situation we say “doesn’t have a prayer” …we are looking at it from our human perspective.  Everything is possible with God!

As the graphic says, we serve the God of the impossible and because of that, Satan doesn’t want us praying because he knows the power that our God has…the power to do the impossible.  Satan knows that God can take our limitations…shortcomings…and inadequacies and use them for His glory as the impossible is accomplished.  And in doing so…Satan’s impact will be lessened and someday my friend, he will be totally defeated!  Hallelujah!

Monday Morning Memo: Seeing The Invisible

“Accomplishing the impossible begins with seeing the invisible.”  I saw this quote by Steven Furtick and it has stuck in my mind.  I come across something like this and I immediately agree with what it says…but then living it out doesn’t come so easy.

 

Why is it so hard for me to see the invisible…especially when it comes to trusting God?  I trust many other things which I cannot see.  I trust that there is a sun in the sky even when it is completely covered by clouds.  I trust that there is going to be air to breathe as I go throughout my day, but I can’t actually see it.  Many times in my life, I have trusted that when I have been pushed into an MRI machine, the pulses of radio wave energy, which I cannot see, will take pictures of areas inside my body.

 

But trusting an invisible God, even though I have seen the effect of the power of His hand, is much more difficult.  When it comes to trusting Him, I want something tangible.  I want proof.  I want facts.  I want details.  And of course…I want results!

 

I have a feeling that I am not alone in this and I wonder how often God shakes His head at our ways.  Knowing how much He loves us and how much He wants the very best for us, I can’t help but believe that He is saying, “Please my dear child, trust the invisible…because it is much more wonderful than anything you can even imagine or see with your own eyes.” 

 

I think part of the problem, which we have talked about before, is that we bring God down to our size, instead of realizing how big and powerful He really is.  Nothing is impossible for Him.  Nothing makes Him wring His hands.  Nothing catches Him off guard or even makes Him break a sweat.  Absolutely nothing.

 

As some of you know, we owned a catering service for over 40 years and now our son owns it and my husband and I work for him part-time.  When Covid hit in 2020 and the state restrictions were imposed on the business, in an instant, the business went from having 10-14 events a week to zero.  The business phone rang almost constantly as group after group called to cancel.  

 

I remember when our son looked at me and said, “I never thought this would happen”.  Of course, we didn’t either…but I told him that even though we didn’t see it coming…our God did.  None of it caught Him by surprise.  He wasn’t wringing His hands, wondering what in the world we were going to do.  He was still on the throne and was still in control…even if we couldn’t see His hand at work.   At that point, our son had to make the decision to put his trust in the invisible…knowing that with God…all things are possible.  The result?  God was so faithful and accomplished the impossible to keep the business going, and even thriving, during those days.

 

What is it in your life today that seems impossible?  What do you want to see accomplished but you just can’t make yourself step out in faith because there isn’t anything tangible to hold onto?  Remember the size of your God.  What you cannot see…He sees clearly.  What you cannot do…He has already done.  What you cannot achieve on your own…He already has it accomplished and is just waiting for you to step into His plan.  I happen to believe that when we do this and when the fog finally clears, what we will behold will be worth the first step into the unknown.

 

“We don’t yet see things clearly. 

We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. 

But it won’t be long before the weather clears 

and the sun shines bright! 

We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, 

knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)

Monday Morning Memo: Our Last Resort?

It is a statement I have heard said on many occasions…and if I’m honest…I’ve been known to say it more than once.  I think we often say it without really “hearing” what we are saying, and I can’t help but think if we really listened to the words…we wouldn’t say them again.

 

When circumstances don’t make sense…when a diagnosis knocks us off our feet…when the world seems to be unhinged and out of our control…we often hear/say these words, “Well, I guess all we can do is pray”.  Hmmmm…sounds kind of hopeless, doesn’t it?

 

Unfortunately, I think prayer is often our last resort…our last-ditch effort to make things right after we have tried everything else.  When all else has failed…I guess all we can do is pray. When things don’t go the way we think they should go…I guess all we can do is pray.  When there are more questions than answers…I guess all we can do is pray.

 

Sadly, I think we sometimes use this statement as a cop out.  When we don’t want to have to take action, but still want to sound spiritual, we quip, “Well, I guess all we can do is pray”.  Then we either don’t pray about the situation…or we do pray but never listen for an answer…because that might mean we have to do something we don’t want to do.

 

If we would really grasp to Whom we are praying…it would become our first choice instead of our last resort.  We can have a conversation with the One who created everything.  The One who is all-powerful.  The One who knows absolutely everything about us.  The One who knows our yesterday, today and our tomorrow.  The One who loves us more than we can imagine.  The One who will never leave us or give up on us.  The One whose plan for us is perfect, so we should desire to do whatever He asks…so that this plan will be fulfilled.  The One who is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day and we never get a busy signal or a lost connection.    What a great opportunity to take everything we have to this One who has given His all…so that we can have a personal and vibrant relationship with Him.  

 

We are all living in a world that seems unhinged, and I’m guessing that many of you may have additional stresses in your life which no one else even knows about.  Whatever you are facing today, know that this One…this One who even knows the number of hairs on your head…is waiting for you to pour out your heart to Him.  Don’t wait until He is your last resort…turn to your Jesus first and allow Him to speak into your soul.  

 

Oh, if the world could see us turning to Him first, maybe, just maybe, they might want to turn to Him also.  Our chaotic world needs to see the hope we have in Him; they need to see the power we have available to us which keeps us from yelling that the sky is falling.  They need to see that when things don’t go our way, we don’t fall apart, wringing our hands in despair…because our hope and faith are in this One of whom we can immediately turn to in prayer.  

 

I’ve been thinking…if we can make going to Him in prayer our immediate reaction, maybe our new response to our next life detour will be, “Oh what a great opportunity to go to my Jesus in prayer!”  That my friend…doesn’t sound hopeless at all!

“God's there, listening for all who pray, 

for all who pray and mean it.”

Psalm 145:18 (The Message)

Monday Morning Memo: Walking Boots

I recently observed an anniversary.  Notice I did not say that I celebrated an anniversary…because trust me…there wasn’t much celebrating happening here.  One year ago…on August 30th, 2023, I tore both of my Achilles tendons at the same time.  I am doubtful I will ever forget that day.

 

What a year it has been.  I have shared with you before that much of this time has found me wearing two walking boots…not something you usually see.  During that time, I was stared at…pointed at…laughed at…and yes…questioned over and over again as to whether I kicked my husband and that landed me in two boots.  That question “might” have been funny the first time I heard it…but it lacked much hilarity by the time I was asked for the 100th time.

 

Of course, the two boots took me to my first tendon surgery in February and then I was thankfully only in one boot when I went in for my 2nd surgery in June.  And now…I’m now starting to see a faint light at the end of the tunnel at getting rid of the 2nd boot and being able to wear two tennis shoes.  Hallelujah!

 

As I was thinking about this past year recently, my mind went to something I have shared with you before and that is the Japanese version of Psalm 23, which reads:

 

"The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush.

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals.

He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity.

He leads me in the ways of efficiency through calmness of mind and this guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day,

I will not fret for His presence is here.

His timeliness is all important.

He will keep me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity.

By anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility,

my cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours

for I shall walk in the pace of the Lord and dwell in His heaven forever.”

 

When I shared this with you before, I wrote these words:

 

“I have to admit that sometimes when I read this version, I think they are describing a life in a make-believe world. Whoever wrote this sure wasn’t living in reality and in the world that I live in – with my hectic schedule, my sometimes-frazzled thoughts, my friction with others instead of peace and harmony.”

 

I had to chuckle when I reread these words this past week.  Why?  Because after all which has transpired this past year…I look at this version of Psalm 23 completely different.  I would be greatly exaggerating if I told you that I’ve had a hectic schedule and I’d probably even be stretching it to say that I’ve had frazzled thoughts…because to be honest…my brain hasn’t functioned much at all.  

 

So, when I wrote about this last time, the phrases that jumped out at me were “The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush” and “Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day, I will not fret for His presence is here.” And then “He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity.”

 

This time, because I have been in a totally different set of circumstances, the phrases which caught my eye were, “He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals” and “His timeliness is all important.  He will keep me in balance.”  And then, “By anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility, my cup of joyous energy overflows.”

 

Do you know what this showed me?  God’s Word is relevant no matter what we are going through.  If our life is filled with one appointment or deadline after another…His Word is sufficient to give us what we need to get through those hectic days.  But if our life is brought to a sudden standstill and each day looks pretty much like the day before…His Word is able to comfort us, sustain us, and strengthen us to make it through each and every day.

 

As you know, I try to be completely honest with you, so I have to admit that there have not been lots of days where my “joyous energy overflowed”.  There have been some dark days this past year as I’ve struggled to see God’s purpose in all of this.  But I can attest to the fact that God has remained faithful day after day after day.  Over and over again, He has used family and friends to be “Jesus with skin on” to my husband and me…and we will be forever grateful for their love, support and their many acts of kindness.  

 

Wherever you and I find ourselves today…we need to remember that the Lord is our pacesetter and His Word will direct our steps.  He determines what each day will hold and our job is to walk in His pace, not ours, keeping our eyes focused on the fact that someday, we will dwell in His heaven forever.  I know I’m so looking forward to that day…because I am confident…there will be NO walking boots needed on the streets of gold!  Hallelujah!

Monday Morning Memo: F-E-A-R "Repent?" Part 4

We began our “study” of the word F-E-A-R several weeks ago.  I felt it was important because I am noticing a common theme among many people these days…yes, even Christians…and that theme revolves around living in “fear”.  

 

So far, we have looked at the fact that when we allow fear to overwhelm us, it shows our lack of Faith in God.  Then, we realized that when we allow fear to overtake us, we lose our Effectiveness for God. Instead of being productive…we become paralyzed.  Our focus is on us and not on Christ and at that point the letter “A” comes into play because through our fear, Satan can then Attack.  

 

Today, we will wrap up this study by looking at the “R”.  The “R” in fear reminds us that when we are consumed with fear, it is a good time to Repent.  I’m not talking about repenting for our many sins – we have probably all done that numerous times - but repentance for believing that God is no bigger than we are.  We need to repent and ask God for forgiveness for forgetting how big and powerful He is.  We need to realize that our trust has not been in the One who created us and knows everything about us, but our trust has been in ourselves.  

 

The problem then is that when our focus is on ourselves, not only does fear overtake us…but so does worry.  Did you know that anytime we worry, we are acting like an atheist?  We are acting like we don’t serve an all-powerful God who can handle anything.  And unfortunately, the world is watching us and if that is how they see us behaving, why would they ever want what we have?  And then at that point, Satan has killed 2 birds with one stone.  He not only has us not being effective for God, but He also has those in the world not wanting a relationship with our Jesus.  

 

The only time we need to be worried and fearful is when we are running our own life without God’s direction.  Jeremiah 29:11 in the New Living Translation says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

 

If we really believe this verse is true, that the Lord already knows the plans He has for us, that He isn’t sweating our future, then there really is no reason to fear or worry.  Putting our complete trust in Him, having faith that He is powerful enough and big enough to handle anything that comes along, will help our fears dissipate and allow us to live a victorious life which is focused on Christ.

 

I heard the analogy once that our life is like a puzzle and we can only see one piece of the puzzle at a time.  We have no idea what the entire picture of this puzzle looks like, because all we can see is what is going on around us on our little puzzle piece.  Each situation which happens to us is another piece of that puzzle.  But God knows what the finished picture will look like, so we just need to trust Him to put the pieces together in the order which he deems best.

 

Will problems arise in our future?  Yes.  Will things happen to us that won’t be pleasant?  Yes. But you see with God in control we don’t have to fear because He promises to give us what we need when we need it.  We can rest assured that the will of God will never take us where the grace of God will not protect us.  As long as our eyes are focused on Him…we have no reason to fear! 

Monday Morning Memo: F-E-A-R - My Story Part 3

We recently began our “study” of the word F-E-A-R.  Why did I think this was important and very timely?  Because I am noticing a common theme among many people these days…yes, even Christians…and that theme revolves around living in “fear”.  

 

We are living in a world which seems off its hinges.  Things are happening which we never would have guessed would take place and, as a result, people are consumed with fear.  Is this how we should be living?  I don’t think so.

 

So far, we have looked at the fact that when we allow fear to overwhelm us, it shows our lack of Faith in God.  Then last week, we realized that when we allow fear to overtake us, we lose our Effectiveness for God.    Instead of being productive…we become paralyzed.  Our focus is on us and not on Christ and at that point the letter “A” comes into play because through our fear, Satan can then Attack.  

 

I then promised that this week I would share with you something that happened to me some years ago…when my eyes were taken off Christ and Satan immediately stepped in to make sure I was paralyzed in fear.  Honestly, you may read my story and think “Why did that cause her so much fear?”…but it did…and I want us to look at what can occur in our day to day happenings to throw us off track.  In the end, I obeyed…but trust me, I wasn’t a willing servant.

 

I was working at a church and the phone rang and it was a man who was in jail here in my town. He wanted to know if I would bring him some of his things which were in his car at his home.  Now, I didn’t know this man, but he said he knew me, that he lived by me, and he thought it would be easy for me to do this favor for him.  Well, I’ll be honest, this made me very fearful, and I really didn’t want to get involved.  I had no idea what this man was in jail for, or how he seemed to know so much about me.  At this point, Satan began his attack.  “LuAnn, you have every right to be afraid.  Why this man could be a mass murderer for all you know!  Why don’t you just ignore the phone call – he probably has done something terrible, and he needs to suffer the consequences.”

 

Well, after much arguing with the Lord, I decided to call the warden at the jail and asked for his advice in this situation.  He advised me to go and talk to this man’s parents, explain to them what their son wanted and have them take his things to him.  So, with my knees shaking, I did just that.  This was really pushing me out of my comfort zone, and I can’t tell you how glad I was when it was over.  As I pulled away from their home, I remember thinking, “Whew, I’m so glad that is done.”

 

Several days later, I was in another city and I purchased some beautiful potted plants for my mom and my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day, which was the following Sunday.  They were so pretty that I decided to purchase a couple extra planters and thought that I would also surprise a couple other women with plants.  As I was driving home, I was trying to decide who to give them to, and I was thinking about all the dear saints who attended our church and how I was looking forward to delivering the flowers to them.  Well, you guessed it, Christ began to speak to me and He said, “LuAnn what about the mother of this man who is in jail?  She probably won’t have a very good Mother’s Day.  Why don’t you take the flowers to her?”  

 

To many of you, I’m sure this wouldn’t be a big deal.  Just go and give this woman the flowers.  I can’t explain to you the fear that consumed me over this.  First of all, I thought the Lord had forgotten what I had already done for this family and honestly, I thought I had done enough. At that moment, when Satan realized that my eyes were on myself and not on Christ, he moved in once again.  “LuAnn, you should not have to give this woman anything.  She’s not expecting it and what if, because of you showing her attention, she becomes a pest.  They might want more from you and you have enough to do.”  The key here is that if Satan can get us to give in to him on something relatively small like this, it will be easier for him to get us to take our eyes off Christ the next time something comes along.

 

I did finally give in to what Christ wanted, and with my heart pounding out of my chest, I delivered the planters to this woman.  She sat and sobbed and said, “You will never know how much this means to me.  I can’t believe you care enough to do this.  This was going to be my worst Mother’s Day, but you have made it much better.’  A couple weeks later, I found a card stuck in our front door from this woman, telling me how much encouragement she was receiving every time she looked at those planters.  

 

I share this story not to brag about what I did, because believe me, as I said earlier…I was not a willing servant.  To be completely honest, I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t do this act of kindness because I cared…I did it as an act of obedience.  But I ended up receiving such a blessing through all this which I never would have gotten if I would have listened to Satan and allowed my fear to consume me.  And each time I can break through my fear, defeat Satan and keep my eyes focused on Christ, it’s easier the next time I’m faced with a situation which causes me fear.

 

What is currently happening in your life that has you gripped in fear?  Is God asking you to do something, but you’ve been paralyzed instead of productive?  If so, ask Him today to give you the courage to take the next step towards obedience.  It may not be easy, but I think you will be surprised at the blessings you will receive as you faithfully serve Him!