Monday Morning Memo: Being an Influencer

I’m guessing that most of you know who an “influencer” is in the world of social media.  In case you aren’t familiar with this type of person, they have the ability to shape the opinions, behaviors or decisions of others, most often through social media.  They typically build a dedicated audience and can significantly impact consumer choices.

 

I’ll be honest…I have a really hard time believing most of what they say.  Why?  Because if you watch them closely, their absolute favorite product seems to change…sometimes weekly.  Let me give you an example.  A woman will say that a certain product for your face is one that she just loves and what a life-changing effect it has had on her skin…only to say the next week that there is a totally different product that she loves and of course has also had a positive impact on her skin.  Then, of course, they always have a discount code that they’ve exclusively been given to share with you if you make the purchase right away.  I’ve come to realize that if some of these influencers actually used all the products which they so urgently push on consumers…it would take them most of the morning just to get their face routine done!

 

I realize that this is how the influencers make their money…by making you believe that your life will be SO much better if you just click on that link and use this amazing product.  For them to make money, you need to want what they are pushing…so they want to do all they can to get you to make that decision to “click”.   I hate to be the one to break the news to you…but many of those influencers really don’t care about you and how glowing your skin could be…they just want you to desire to be and look like them…hoping you will “click”.  We used to deal with high-pressure salespeople in stores…now they enter our homes through social media.  

 

I was thinking about this last week, when I read Galatians 1:24 and it seemed to jump off the page at me, “And they praised God because of me”.  Paul was reminding the people of his past…how he had persecuted Christians and tried to destroy the church of God.  But then God met him where he was and cleansed him of his sins and as a result, Paul made a 180 degree change in his life.  As a result, the people praised God because of the miraculous work He had done in and through Paul.

 

Talk about being an influencer!  Paul was a walking sign board for His heavenly Father.  He was living proof that he served an all-powerful…all-knowing God who could forgive and save the worst of the worst.  He was a testimony to the fact that no one is beyond God’s reach.  Paul wasn’t interested in having the people praise him…He wanted them to put their eyes on the One who had changed his life.

 

So, I then had to ask myself what kind of an influencer am I?  Do I go through life just doing and saying things which will only benefit me?  Do I really care about those who I encounter…or do I have an ulterior motive to bring attention to myself?  I have wrestled with these questions ever since reading the verse in Galatians. 

 

As I contemplated this, a friend of mine sent me an excerpt from a sermon on YouTube where the minister said our purpose for each day should be to make Jesus look good.  What a wonderful goal to have as we go through our day.  As a result of this, I’ve been much more intentional as I’ve interacted with people to keep this thought at the forefront of my mind…doing all I can to make Jesus look good.  I know I haven’t always been successful…but I think it is a good goal to have every day.

 

What about you?  What kind of an influencer are you as you go throughout your day?  You may not realize it…but I’m confident that people are watching you and will either be influenced for good…or for bad.  So, I urge you to join me as we keep our focus on Jesus…making sure we do all we can to make Him look good.  Oh, how wonderful it would be if we could say, “And they praised God because of me”!

Monday Morning Memo: Not Today, Satan

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 we will easily become discouraged, frustrated and want to give up.  He wants nothing more than for us to dwell on our adversities, so others won’t see Christ’s image in us.  

I have shared this phrase with you 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 person who, when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, ‘Oh no, they’re up!’”  To be successful in combating Satan’s forces, we must be intentional in putting our complete faith and trust, even during 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

Monday Morning Memo: Total Surrender

Once again, I’ve had a word rambling around in my head.  It’s a word that isn’t always easy to fulfill or live out and I’m guessing that’s why it’s been on my mind.  The word? Surrender.  The dictionary has several definitions, but the one that jumped off the page at me was, “to give oneself up into the power of another : to yield.”

 

We are living in a time when very few really want to surrender.  We think that to surrender is a sign of weakness…of giving up…of letting someone else win.  “Why should I be the one to give in?  Why should I surrender my rights?  I’ve worked hard to get where I am…I’m not giving in to anyone.  There is no way I’m letting you tell me what to do!”  Sound familiar to anyone?  

 

This may come as a shock to some of you  …but I can be fairly bull-headed…so I might have had one or more of those statements going through my mind at various times over the years.  To surrender might mean that I will have to give up some of my rights and that isn’t always easy to swallow.  It might mean that what I want to do…won’t be what I’m supposed to do…and that can easily rub me the wrong way.

 

Of course, there is one person I must totally surrender to…and that is my Jesus.  The reason is that if I am completely, unequivocally sold out to Him and He asks me to surrender my ways or my rights for someone or something else, I should do it willingly because my desire should be to serve Him in every way.

 

I think I sometimes struggle with this because I feel like I’m missing out on something if I must give up my desires or plans.  But this dictionary definition of surrender has me wondering if it can be applied to my surrendering to Jesus.   If I apply it spiritually, could it be that if I allow Him to have complete control of my life, I’m not going to lose anything, I’m going to gain more!  It said, “to give oneself up into (emphasis mine) the power of another : to yield.”  Hmmmm…when I give everything over to the Lord, I’m not living under His power…I’m living into His power!  My power is exchanged for His power as I yield to Him and I don’t know about you…but I’m just guessing His power is a whole lot better than anything I can ever muster! 

 

Last week I read some verses in Romans 8 in The Message which said, “ It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!”  Wow, that gives me goosebumps!  When we surrender to Christ, His power is in us and believe it or not, the power that He used to part the Red Sea is the same power that we have available to us.  Oh, if we could only grasp that truth.

 

If you are struggling with surrendering completely to Christ today, let me ask you a few questions.  How’s that going for you?  Are you at peace?  Are you feeling led and empowered by Him…or are you feeling lost and weak?  We serve a Savior who is able to do far more with what you have than you can…so why not let Him take the wheel of your life completely today.  You just might discover that surrendering completely to Him isn’t so bad after all…and is the best decision you will ever make! 

Monday Morning Memo: Absolutely Nothing

“Accomplishing the impossible begins with seeing the invisible.”  I love this quote by Steven Furtick and when I read it, 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 a lot of other things that I cannot see.  I trust that there is a sun in the sky even when it is completely covered by clouds.  I trust there is going to be air to breathe as I go throughout my day, but I can’t actually see it (well, with the current smoke from fires…I guess I can 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 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 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.

 

If I’m honest, the disorder I deal with on a daily basis, Hypermobility Syndrome, often has me fearing the future.  Learning more about it and realizing what the future may hold for me…can easily put me in an emotional tailspin.  Sometimes I think I might be better off to not have a clue what my future more than likely holds…figuring ignorance just might be bliss.  But I also realize that education can help me know what I need to do to try and stay mobile for as long as possible.  

 

What I need to remember is that even though I don’t know what tomorrow holds for my health…I serve Someone who does.  My disorder is not making my Jesus wring His hands.  It has not caught him off guard and He definitely isn’t breaking a sweat over my future.  Nothing that happens to me will surprise Him…absolutely nothing.  What seems impossible to me…isn’t impossible for Him.

 

What is it in your life today that just 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: Do You Tinkle?

I’m going to be honest right off the bat today.  I find parts of the Old Testament really boring.  Yep, I’ve said it and I’m not taking it back.   Who begat who (which includes names I can’t even pronounce) and what animal could or couldn’t be eaten, can, at times, cause my mind to wander. But once in a while I come across a verse that catches my attention and even makes me chuckle a little bit.  At least it makes me snicker…but I know I have a strange sense of humor.

One of those verses is Exodus 28:35, “Aaron will wear this robe whenever he ministers before the Lord, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the Lord’s presence in the Holy Place. If he wears it, he will not die.”  I know…I have a weird sense of humor, but I just keep picturing Aaron walking around with his bells tinkling and the scene just makes me smile.

Of course, it also makes me curious.  Why did Aaron have to wear bells when he went into the Lord’s presence?  Why was it important that he tinkled?  These questions took me to several commentaries to see what others thought about this scene.  

The consensus of the writers was that the bells were worn so the people knew every move the priest made while he was in the tabernacle.  He was there to perform the sacred rite on their behalf and so the tinkling of his bells was proof to them (even though he was out of their sight) that he was doing just that.  This was so important that if the priest failed to wear a robe with the bells, he would be put to death!

This really got my mind wandering.  What if you and I had to wear a bell so that we tinkled throughout our day?  What if, because we tinkled, everyone would know exactly where we were and what we were doing?  Would I be ok with doing that?  Would you be ok with doing that?

I guess if we are doing exactly what the Lord wants us to do during our day, we shouldn’t mind tinkling.  Our day should basically be an open book to those around us and we shouldn’t have any actions which we need to hide.  There shouldn’t be books we are reading which are filled with pornography or television shows or movies which take our mind to places not pleasing to the Lord.  We should be treating our spouse and our children with the utmost respect and showing love to whomever we come in contact.  Our business affairs should be above board with nothing done “under the table” and our employer should see us doing our very best at all times. 

I don’t know about you, but I have to admit it made me smile when the priest had to wear the bells…but not nearly as funny if I had to.  I like to think that my life is totally focused on the Lord and His desires for my life, but unfortunately, there are times when I would be ashamed to have others listening to my every word.  But, of course, there IS Someone that hears my every word and sees my every move and I’m even more ashamed of those times I let Him down and cause Him pain.  I’m afraid that I would have been dead a long time ago for not tinkling when I should.

As we go throughout our week, let’s imagine we have a bell around our neck that others will hear.  You may even want to put a bell in your pocket as a constant reminder that there is Someone who knows your every move, hears your every response, and knows your every thought.  This just might help us remember that we are to be the light in a very dark world and hopefully, even in the darkness, those around us will hear us tinkle 

“So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—

before the Lord returns. For he will bring our 

darkest secrets to light and 

will reveal our private motives. 

Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”

1 Corinthians 4:5

 

“You are convinced that you are a guide 

for the blind and a light for people 

who are lost in darkness.”

Romans 2:19

 

Monday Morning Memo: Flying By the Seat of Your Pants

I had to back up what was on the TV, because I knew Dan hadn’t seen a certain commercial yet. I had recently told him about it, so when it came on a few days ago, I thought he needed to watch it.  It was another one of the ads for an insurance company that usually states something close to the beginning about young homeowners turning into their parents.  This particular commercial states, “Young homeowners can’t do anything without a plan”.  These young people are at the shopping mall and of course they can’t just take their time and shop…everything must be planned…right down to where they will go, what and when they will eat, etc.

 

If I ask myself why these commercials make me laugh so hard…it doesn’t take long to get an answer (yes, I answer myself).  I’m confident that the writers of these commercials have been following me around and all they are doing is just making notes of how I act and react…and that gives them plenty of material to write more ads.  These young people are me…especially the ones in this commercial…because I always need a plan.

 

I don’t like unpredictability.  I don’t particularly like being around people who just “fly by the seat of their pants” through life.  That isn’t me.  I like to know where I’m going…how long it will take to get there…what I will find when I arrive…and then of course…what will happen afterwards.  The word “flexibility” isn’t usually in my conversation because that would mean I might have to change plans in the middle of my journey and well…I don’t do well with that.

 

Attending an event that isn’t well organized?  Well, you might as well put me in a torture chamber.  Let’s just say I don’t do well with that either.   It’s all I can do sometimes to not jump in and start “fixing” things by doing what I think should be done.   

 

But unfortunately, my way isn’t always better.  There are times when those who do “fly by the seat of their pants” are much more successful with what they are doing than I would be.  They have a talent for getting things done at the last minute, all while keeping their stress level much lower than mine.    I often wish I was wired that way…and I’m sure people who have to be around me…wish I was too 

 

This makes me think of the verses in James 4:13-16, Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

 

OUCH.  These words step on my toes a little bit.  Now, do I think it is wrong to be organized and want to make plans?  No, I don’t.  But I think these verses are reminding me that life is so short and so very precious…and there are times when I need to be open to follow the Lord’s leading…even when the details I have set…don’t line up with His.  Because since He can see my tomorrow, and I can’t…He may just need to change my plans today for my benefit tomorrow.  

 

And maybe…changing my plans isn’t for my benefit at all.  Maybe a detour is put in my path to benefit someone else…because as hard as it is to accept sometimes…life isn’t all about me   Maybe the new path will give me an opportunity to bless someone else and make their day just a little brighter.  That can quickly make a dreaded change…into a blessing in disguise.

 

I know I’ll never stop making plans and I will always enjoy a well-organized event.  But hopefully I will learn to “roll with the punches” just a little bit more often.  At least…that’s my plan 

Monday Morning Memo: Spending Time Together

I was going through my files the other day and I came across this devotional that I wrote back in 2019.  Oh, how it made me miss my in-laws!  I sure wish I could have another evening, sitting at their table.  So, I couldn’t help myself…I just had to share these words with you again.  I think the words are timely…whether it is 2019 or 2026…so I hope they will speak to you today.

 

When I married Dan almost 38 years ago (now almost 45 years ago!), I had no idea what all I was getting myself into.  I was fairly young (21), probably a little naive and just knew that I loved this man and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.  What I didn’t realize at the time, but soon figured out was, I had married the son of Betty Crocker.

 

Oh, I knew his mom was an amazing cook…I had already been blessed to sit at her table various times.  But it wasn’t until after we married that I really understood how much she deserved the title of Betty Crocker.  This woman was amazing!  She never served a vegetable she didn’t grow herself.  She was a master at frying chicken that was raised, killed and “dressed” (I had no clue what that meant until I learned I had to help!) on their property.  She made her own noodles, dinner rolls and of course, hamburger buns.  Every Easter she made iced bunny cookies and every Valentine’s Day she made iced heart shaped cookies and each family member got their own bag of them. 

 

You could drop in on her and my father-in-law at any given time and she could just pull food out of the air to feed you in just a few minutes.  In fact, when our son was a teenager, if he didn’t like what I was fixing for dinner, he would just head over to grandma’s because he knew everything she made was good.

 

All of this was overwhelming to a young bride who was raised in the city.   I had no clue how to garden or can or freeze the produce from a garden…and I sure didn’t have a clue how to make everything from scratch.  My mom was a good cook, but we never lived in the country where we could have a big garden so most of our food supply came from the grocery store.  This was a whole new world for me and it was obvious that I had a lot to learn.  Inviting my in-laws over for dinner was a very frightening ordeal because I felt so inferior to the cooking of Betty Crocker 

 

As I was canning green beans this past weekend, so many memories came flooding into my mind. I remembered those early years of standing in my mother-in-law’s kitchen as I helped her can green beans.  After a few years I felt confident enough to tackle the job in my own kitchen and bought my own canner.  When I had questions, I knew I could call Mom Fulton and she would patiently go over the protocol with me.

 

We spent many hours cooking together in her kitchen as I learned how to make some of her favorite dishes.  I worked alongside her and Dad Fulton as we turned the 200 live chickens into fryers that would go in the freezer.  That’s when I learned that dressing a chicken had nothing to do with clothes and that gizzards had to be cleaned out before freezing!

 

Looking back, I am so thankful that God placed someone in my life who could come beside me and teach me these things.  I discovered that I love to cook, garden and can and without her patient teaching…I probably never would have learned all of this.  She never made me feel stupid when I asked so many questions…she was just happy to spend the time together.  

 

I’m also so thankful that my Jesus is the same way.  He has so much to teach me and He patiently shows me His ways.  At those times when I am feeling overwhelmed and so unqualified…He encourages me to keep going and keep trying.  He never tires of all my stupid questions…He’s just thrilled to spend the time together.

 

Jesus is anxiously waiting to teach us and I think He expects us to be willing to come alongside those we meet to teach them.   My prayer is that our hearts will be open to His leading and our eyes will be open to see those around us who are in need.  Who knows…you might just be the Betty Crocker or the Paul Bunyan that someone is looking for.  And don’t worry…they won’t be looking for perfection…they will just be thrilled to spend time together with you.

 

“Show me the right path, O Lord;

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me,

for you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.”

Psalm 25:4-5

 

“Don’t look out only for your own interests,

but take an interest in others, too.”

Philippians 2:4