Monday Morning Memo: Just One Step

Christmas is over and I hope yours was as special as ours. Everyone, except our oldest granddaughter, was able to be with us this year and we had a wonderful time together.  As I looked at each family member while we opened gifts in the afternoon…I just kept thinking about how blessed I am with children who love the Lord and want to serve Him.  And then of course, our eight grandchildren bring me more joy than I can express.  Oh, I love them all so much.   

 

I also thought about how it seems like the older I get, the faster the years fly by and no matter what I do, I just can’t slow things down.  It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming our first precious baby into our family, and now our family totals 16.  To be honest, sometimes feeling the years fly by makes me feel a little panicky.  There are so many things I want to do…so many changes I want to make in my life…so much growth I long to experience to make me look more like Christ.  What saddens me though, is that instead of my panicky feeling pushing me to do more and being more intentional in my walk with Christ, it sometimes causes me to become frozen with fear.  I become overwhelmed and I feel inadequate to do what I need to do to move forward.  I deal with questions going through my mind such as what if I take a wrong step and make a mistake?  What if I say the wrong thing or look like a fool to my family and those around me?  What if my walk with Christ costs me more than I’m willing to give?

 

As a result, I bury my head in the sand and just allow the world to go on without me.  I feel more secure when I’m curled up in my personal cocoon because by doing nothing, I’m assured of not failing.  A voice in my head reminds me of my past failures and urges me to play it safe…don’t take any chances…let others do Christ’s work.

 

At that point…Satan has me right where he wants me.  He has me so paralyzed in fear that he doesn’t have to worry about me having an impact for Christ.  He knows that as long as I’m stagnant and as long as I’m not willing to step out of my comfort zone, I won’t be doing anything to make a difference in eternity.  As a result, no one will ever see Christ in me or hear from me that there is a God who loves them more than they can ever imagine.  

 

I don’t know about you, but I think that is a very sobering thought.  There are people all around me who need to hear about my Jesus and I may be the only person to whom they will listen.  But if I’m not willing to trust Christ to lead me, to give me the courage and strength to grow wherever He plants me, they may spend eternity in hell.

 

If you are reading this and you just can’t relate because you have never felt the need to crawl into a cocoon, I want to commend you and encourage you to keep on keeping on.  But, if you can relate and you are peeking through a tiny hole in the wall of your shell to read this, you may be wondering how you can break out.  How can you begin to move forward…how can you start turning the wheels in your life to jumpstart your walk with Christ?  Take a step.  One step.  You don’t need to begin sprinting or running a marathon; you just need to take one step forward.  Grasp onto Christ’s hand and put one foot in front of another.  Trust Him to walk with you for your first step and for each step that follows.  

 

Just think, if in the next week you and I would take just one step forward each day, we will have already moved seven feet closer to His ultimate plan in 2025.  It may not seem like much…but it is a whole lot better than sticking our head in the sand which always leads to taking steps backwards.

 

Will we make mistakes as we move forward?  Probably.  Is there a chance you and I may try something and fail?  Good chance.  But you see that is ok!  Christ is not asking for perfection; He is asking for our heart.  And if our heart is sold out to Him and our focus is on holding His hand and trusting Him to lead us, He can make something beautiful even out of our failures.  

 

Today is a new day…why not begin by taking just one step!

 

“But I am trusting you, O Lord,


saying, ‘You are my God!’”

Psalm 31:14 (NLT)

 

 

Monday Morning Memo: Is Your Tinsel Tangled?

Ready…Set…GO!  Crank up your energy and dive into Christmas week.   Last minute shopping, wrapping gifts, grocery shopping so you can make all those recipes you’ve been saving for the holidays, emptying out those extra bedrooms that you’ve been using as storage rooms so your company has a place to sleep, bathe the dog, clean the house, practice remembering names of distant relatives who you only see once a year, threaten your kids that they better be on their best behavior and say thank you for whatever grandma and grandpa give them…even if they didn’t get what they wanted AND slap that Christian smile on your face even though you are exhausted and in desperate need of sleep.

 

Wow…sounds like a fun week, huh?  I’m tired from just typing the words, let alone accomplishing the tasks.  We often talk about Christmas being such a wonderful, love-filled holiday, but we often cram so much into this time that we end up just living in survival mode until it is all over.

 

What a shame.  I really doubt this is what God had in mind when He sent his Son into the world as a baby.  I just don’t think He hoped that this miracle would send us into a frenzy each year as we cleaned, cooked, purchased, wrapped, threatened and then lived behind a façade that everything was A-OK in our world.

 

I think many of us fall into this trap because we have made Christmas about US instead of about HIM.  We want everything to be just perfect and so we do what we have to do to make sure everyone gets what they want, instead of giving Him what He deserves.  As a result, we do what a sign I read tells us not to do:  “Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle”!

 

Yes, our tinsel gets in a tangle and then stress overwhelms us and we ignore the Christ of Christmas.  I overheard two patients in the cancer center talking about this one day.  A young man and a woman were sitting across from each other as they each received their cancer treatment.  The woman began talking about how she used to fret about Christmas, but now she doesn’t do that anymore.  She said she has realized that Christmas is about Christ and not about us.  The young man, with a quivering chin and tears in his eyes, nodded his head as he looked out the window and said, “Yes, I just want to be with family and friends.  That’s all I want”.

 

I understand that we all want our family to be happy and feel loved during this season, but let’s make sure our focus is on the One who made it all possible.  As we go throughout our week, when we feel the tension rising, why not take a moment and say to ourselves, “I am NOT going to get my tinsel in a tangle.”  Of course, we might want to make sure our relatives don’t hear us say it because they just might give us a straitjacket for Christmas!  

 

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: 

and the government shall be upon his shoulder: 

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, 

The mighty God, The everlasting Father, 

The Prince of Peace.” 

Isaiah 9:6

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Monday Morning Memo: Behind My Back

Have you ever read a graphic that made you squirm a little bit?  Today’s does that to me.  When I saw it for the first time this past week, I immediately pictured in my mind…standing behind someone hoping they don’t see what I’m doing…only to have God standing behind me, tapping me on my shoulder and saying, “You do know I’m right here watching…don’t you?”   OUCH.

 

How many times in my life have I done something I knew wasn’t pleasing to my Jesus…but I just figured He wouldn’t notice.  I mean…He is so busy with all the major disasters going on and the wars happening…He surely isn’t paying any attention to my “small” sins.

 

I have a question for you and me.  Why do we brag about our Jesus being all-knowing and all-powerful…but then hope to high heavens He doesn’t see what we are doing when we sin?  Rather silly, isn’t it?  But unfortunately, I’m guessing all of us have done this at some point.  Oh, maybe we figure it isn’t a “big” sin.  Maybe it’s just reading books or watching movies which we know we shouldn’t be reading or watching.  Or, maybe it’s just speaking to our spouse in a way we know we wouldn’t…if we saw Jesus standing next to us.  Or maybe it’s just that white lie we told the person who called because we surely didn’t want to have to spend time with them.  Why, it could even be that money we took “under the table” in our job so we wouldn’t have to report it on our taxes.  When we figure all the “big” sins we see going on in our world today…surely ours can be hidden and ignored.

 

Psalms 139: 1-6 says, “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.  You know everything I do.  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.  You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”  We read these words and we often think how wonderful it is that He knows everything about us…until we really comprehend that He DOES know EVERYTHING about us!  AND, He still loves us anyway…with all our faults and failures.  Such amazing love.

 

It’s because of His amazing love for us that He wants so much more for us.  He wants us to look more and more like Him…to be more Christ-like in everything we do…and that will never happen if we just continue to think we can hide our sins from Him.  Later in Psalm 139, we find these words, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

 

I know if I really do want to look like Christ, my desire…my longing… should be for Him to point out those things in my life which aren’t pleasing to Him.  Then I must be willing to ask for forgiveness and put those things aside which are weighing me down and holding me back from being a totally devoted follower of His.  I know that some days will be harder than others to really listen for His leading and then be obedient…but if my heart is truly given to Him…it will be so worth it as He leads me along the path of everlasting life.  

 

As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, let’s keep today’s graphic in our mind with each decision we make.  Let’s take a moment to ask ourselves if we are trying to do something behind someone’s back, while hoping God isn’t behind our back watching.    Or, are we thrilled to pieces He is right by our side…enjoying the journey with us. The decision my friend…is ours to make. 

Monday Morning Memo: A Stuck Tongue

There are some verses in Ezekiel which make me chuckle.  I’m sure they aren't meant to be funny…but for some reason when I read them, I immediately picture in my mind what it would look like if these words were describing me.  This is what the verses say:

 

“Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, ‘Go to your house and shut yourself in. There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels. But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says! Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.’” (Ezekiel 3:24-27)

 

I’m thinking this might be a very good idea for me…except I’m guessing I probably wouldn’t be talking very much.  If I’m honest, if God would make my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth so I couldn’t say the wrong thing…it would definitely be a lot quieter at my house 

 

You see, my mouth is often my downfall.  It is so easy for me to speak before I think…and as a result…the wrong things can be said.  I think this happens sometimes because I’m already thinking about what I should say next, while the other person is talking.   So, the second they take a breath…I quickly blurt out what I’ve been thinking about and it can be the wrong words…because I truly wasn’t listening to what the other person was telling me.

 

Oh, how much easier it would be if God would just make it so I couldn’t talk unless my words were His words!  And can you imagine what a difference it would make in our world if all of us could only speak when God wanted us to speak or post on social media when He directed us to do so?  

 

As I’m sure you have noticed…right now in our world there are so many words being thrown around which I am confident are not pleasing to God.  People say things on social media that they would never say to the person’s face.  But for some reason they feel they have a right to degrade and demean others as they hide behind a keyboard.  As children of the King, every action and every reaction we have should be based on Biblical principles…not on our emotions.  When we choose to run our life based on how we feel…instead of on what God teaches…Satan claps…because He knows it won’t take much to cause division.  What a tragedy.

 

James 1:19 says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:  You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”  Unfortunately, I have not perfected this verse in my life, and I know it is something I need to work on.  How about you?  Maybe it would be a good idea if all of us would make a point today to be quick to listen (even to those who may have a different opinion than us)…slow to speak (even when we are confident our way is the right way) …and slow to get angry (even when we really want to give others a piece of our mind).  

 

Would you pray with me?  “Father, I know that my words can either lift up…or tear apart.  Guard my mouth, Lord; keep watch over my lips and hands…so that I will only speak…or write…those things which are pleasing to you. Help me to act and react according to your Word…instead of my emotions.  I know the world is watching and listening Lord…may I be the light which is needed in this very dark world.  Amen.” 

Monday Morning Memo: Those Who Push Buttons

Well, if you are reading this…it means you survived Thanksgiving.  I hope it was a meaningful time for you as you counted all your blessings.

 

Now, the race is on for Christmas as we continue with the holiday madness of cooking, cleaning, shopping…so that we can spend love-filled, heartwarming, Hallmark-like time at various family gatherings.  Right?  OK…maybe that’s not what will take place for you between now and the end of the year.  I hope it is a fair description…but unfortunately, I know that for some…the days ahead hold everything but a loving family scene.

 

I wrote last week about the do’s and don’ts of blessings…but I know that just counting those things which have blessed us…doesn’t always help us with the relationships in our lives which are in disarray.  We may get along great with our spouse, but please don’t make us be in the same room with certain family members.  Or, maybe we get along fine with our family, but please God, don’t make us sit in the same pew at church with that hypocrite who only shows up at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

 

Most people have someone in their life who really irritates them.  This may be someone with whom they have a strained relationship or someone who just knows how to push their buttons.  And while it is often fairly easy to avoid these difficult people during the rest of the year…it sometimes is impossible to do so at holidays or special events…causing more stress than most are willing to endure.

 

Maybe the questions we need to ask ourselves when we are faced with these types of circumstances are, What can I do to change this situation?  Can I make this person change?  The answer is no.  If I nag and nag and nag will the situation get better?  The answer is no.  If I whine, complain and grumble about it to everyone I meet will it make the holidays bearable?  The answer is probably no. 

 

If I pray for this person and our relationship…will God hear my prayers?  The answer is yes.  If I pray for this person and our relationship…can God begin to change the other person and me?  The answer is yes.  If I pray for this person and our relationship…will my heart begin to soften and will I begin to see this person through God’s eyes instead of mine?  The answer is probably yes.

 

I Corinthians 13 is often referred to as the love chapter and I really like how some of the verses are written in the version The Message. They say:

 

“So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first”,
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.” 

 

WOW.  I know if I am honest, I fall way short in living out these verses on a daily basis.  I’m guessing if I really took these words seriously…using them as my guide for how to pray for those who push my buttons…I just might see God work in a mighty way.  What could God accomplish if each day I prayed,

 

“God, help me to never give up loving _________ (insert name).  Help me to care more for him/her than myself.  Lord, help me not to think that I am better than him/her and help me to not fly off the handle when I am irritated.  Help me to not rank sins…pointing out his/her indiscretions and neglecting to ask for forgiveness for mine.  Father, help me to trust you with _________ (insert name) and our relationship…knowing that you are able to do far more than I can even imagine.  Help me Lord to always be the person that you want me to be…until the day when you call me home.  Amen.” 

 

If we are looking for something to give Jesus this year for His birthday…I have a feeling He would love for you and me to commit to praying this prayer every day.  Who knows…maybe in doing this our holiday will end up being what it was intended to be…a time of praise and a time of celebrating Jesus’ birth…instead of a stressful time of button pushing 

 

Monday Morning Memo: Blessed By Do's and Don'ts

Well, this week starts the madness.  It seems like once Thanksgiving week begins…life gets just a little crazy until the end of the year.  Of course, if you go by what you see in area stores, Thanksgiving has been completely forgotten and Christmas decorations have been out since August.

 

I think that it is so important for us to be intentional in making sure we don’t just rush through Thanksgiving to get to Christmas.   I happen to believe that if we take time to really count our blessings now, we just might have a different perspective for Christmas.  When we realize what is really important in life and contemplate on how much we have been blessed, I’m guessing that it will be easier to focus on the birth of our Savior.

 

I’m not naïve enough though, to think that everyone finds it easy to recognize his or her blessings.  There may be some of you who have had so much pain in your past, so much heartache, that this week only reminds you of what you don’t have instead of what you do have.  Your spouse may have decided that he or she didn’t want to be married anymore.  You may have lost a loved one, which left a hole in your heart and an empty chair at your table, and words just can’t describe how you feel.  Your child may have chosen a path that is against everything you believe in and the pain you feel has left you drained.  Your job, which you thought would always be secure, was taken out from under you and it has left you wondering how the bills will get paid.  And in an instant, your health begins to fail, and it is all you can do to face another day.

 

You don’t need me to tell you that our plans are often thrown out the window and our journey takes a sharp detour which makes no sense.   Unfortunately, life happens, and we can’t always control what is going on around us.

 

So, what do we do when the pain from our past keeps us from moving forward and being able to count our blessings?  I saw a quote from C.S. Lewis and I loved the analogy, “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”  There comes a time and a place where we must let go of those things which have entrapped us.  Until we loosen our grip, we will just be left hanging and there will be no way for us to dwell on what we DO have instead of what we DON’T have.

 

If you find yourself struggling today as you begin your week, I’d like to make a suggestion.  Find time today to write down at least 2 things you are thankful for and then tomorrow and Wednesday do the same thing.  By the time Thursday rolls around, you will begin your day of thanksgiving with at least six blessings to focus on as you go throughout your day.  When your past begins to overshadow you again, take out this list and read it out loud.  Read it over and over until it is ingrained in your mind.  

 

If even this assignment seems to be more than you can handle…take time to write down what you DON’T have.  Let me give you some examples of what I mean, by sharing some of the things that I don’t have:

 

I don’t have cancer

I don’t have a broken marriage

I don’t have to worry that I won’t have anything to eat at my next meal

I don’t have to live on the street in the cold in a cardboard box….

 

Understand what I mean?  Sometimes when we start listing what we DON’T have…we can begin to realize the blessings that we DO have.

 

I think you will find that with each blessing you write down or with each “don’t” that you record, your grip on the past will start to loosen.  With each entry, you will begin to find it easier to move to the next “rung” and you will start making forward progress.  Your past will no longer have such a tight hold on you.

 

I would be amiss today if I didn’t let you know that one of my largest blessings is YOU.  YOU have blessed me over and over again by your encouragement and support of my writing and without YOU, my life wouldn’t be as full and rich as it is.  So today I want to make sure and thank YOU for taking the time to read my posts each week, for your words and notes of encouragement, for sharing my writing with your friends and for your acceptance of me even if you don’t agree with everything that I share.  I have been truly blessed and I’m thanking the Lord today for YOU!

  

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”

Philippians 1:3

Monday Morning Memo: Our "Who" in Life

I was thinking this past weekend about the different kinds of pain we can experience.  Some pain leads to a blessing, which makes the pain seem worthwhile.  I was blessed to carry three children in my womb, and there were moments during those pregnancies where pain reared its ugly head.  But I can remember that whenever I would complain during my pregnancies, my mom would always say that this was only for a season and when the precious bundle would be placed in my arms, all the pain and discomfort would be worth it.  As was the case many times…my mom was right. 

The problem is that not everything in life is that way.  Not every discomfort, not every pain, and not every time of suffering ends with a joyous moment.  The trials we face aren’t always contained in a nine-month period where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel from the beginning.  In fact, I have witnessed people who have had to face times of testing which have lasted for years.  How unfair is that?  Why do some people seem to skate through life without pain and suffering, while others seem to face misery at every turn? 

If I had the answers to these questions…I would be a very wealthy woman.  God never promised that we would always know the “whys” of life; He only promised that we could know the “Who” of life.  Without exception, those whom I have met who have faced adversities with grace, have demonstrated that their “Who”…Jesus Christ…has remained their constant focus and has overshadowed their need to always know “why”.  

Let’s face it.  It would be much easier to keep our focus on Christ if we didn’t have someone else who is working overtime to keep us distracted.  Satan’s full-time job is to make sure we don’t keep our eyes on Christ, so that we will easily become discouraged, frustrated and want to give up.  He wants nothing more than for us to dwell on our adversities so that others won’t see Christ’s image in us. 

My graphic today shares a phrase with you that I have written about before, but I think it is a good reminder of what our thoughts should be as we begin each day.  It says, “Be the kind of woman who, when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, ‘OH NO SHE’S UP’”  Of course, this is also true for men  To be successful in combating Satan’s forces, we must be intentional in putting our complete faith and trust, even during the adversities, in our Lord Jesus Christ.  We must stand firm in making sure that Satan knows we have no intention of giving him any of our allegiance today, tomorrow or in any day to come.  He is a liar…and we need to turn a deaf ear to him and ground ourselves in the truth of God’s Word.

I have no idea what you are going through today.  You may be experiencing physical, mental or emotional pain which has lasted far longer than you ever dreamed it would.  I want to encourage you to not give in to Satan’s taunts that this life is futile.  Today is the Lord’s Day… not Satan’s… and in Him you can find the strength, wisdom and courage it will take to handle this time with grace.  Remember, no matter how long this “season” of life is for you, there will be a great reward someday when we see Jesus face to face.  Oh, what a day that will be!

 

“Put on the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to stand 

against the schemes of the devil”. 

Ephesians 6:11

 

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.  

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  

James 4:7