Monday Morning Memo: Memories

This past week we had the opportunity to drive to the Atlanta area to visit my sister and her husband.  They moved there last year and this was the first time for us to see their new surroundings.

What a great time we had catching up on each other’s lives.  During our last evening together, my brother-in-law asked each of us to recall our earliest childhood memory.  What followed was lots of laughter while we reminisced about the days gone by.

Memories.  All of us have them.  Some are good and bring smiles to our face and warmth to our heart.  Some are not so good but we can see how we grew from the negative experiences.  Unfortunately, some are so painful that we have pushed them to the back of the recesses of our mind and they have taken deep root in how we live each day.

The hardest thing to grasp sometimes is that there is nothing we can do to change any of our memories.  We can’t have a re-do on anything that has transpired in our lives whether it was good…bad…or ugly.  But I think we often spend so much of our time trying to do just that.  We either try to relive the good times instead of making today better or we rehash the negative memories over and over again until it consumes our every thought.

I think it is important for each of us to remember a quote by Dr. Seuss, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”  What is happening today, at this very moment, might either be a memory that you will want to forget or one that you want to cherish.  We have the opportunity to make memories today, tomorrow and in the weeks and months to come that make a difference in our life and in the lives of others either positively or negatively. 

We have lost several friends and family members recently and it made me think about the memories that I have from each person that passed away.  It also made me think about what memories I am leaving behind for others when I leave this earth.  As I shared last week, “When the Lord calls me home, I wonder what I will have left those here on earth.  Will I be remembered for reflecting the image of Christ, or for living only for my own pleasure?  Will others remember me as being a faithful follower of Christ, or a faithful follower of the world?  I know that the example that I leave behind could either draw others closer to my Savior, or push them farther away so I need to be diligent in making the right choices now so that what I leave behind will make a difference in eternity.” 

Memories.  What kind are you and I leaving behind today?  Paul wrote in Philippians 1:3, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”  How wonderful it would be if this could be written about each of us and what a wonderful goal for which we should strive. Whether this happens will be determined by the choices we make and in Who we have our focus.  If we are intentional in making sure that what we do today is in line with God’s will, I have a feeling that the memories we make will be much brighter and those that we leave for others to reflect on will bring a smile to their face and warmth to their heart.  Let’s do everything we can today so that those who we come in contact with will want to thank God for allowing us to be a part of their lives.

Monday Morning Memo: What Will I Leave Behind?

This past week has had many moments of sorrow.  We first attended the funeral of relative who passed away from liver cancer.  The next day, our beloved aunt walked through the gates of heaven after her valiant fight with liver cancer.  Then, just two days later, a very dear friend of ours met his Jesus face to face following his diagnosis of brain and lung cancer.  All three of them were dearly loved by their friends and family and will be greatly missed.

I cannot attend a funeral or hear of someone passing away, without thinking of my own mother who left this earth in 2009.  She was especially on my mind this past week since she would have celebrated her 90^th birthday on January 15^th.  Oh how I wish we could have celebrated together on her special day but I have the feeling the party in heaven was much more than I could ever imagine!

For those who leave this earth after accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, eternity is spent walking streets of gold and worshiping the King of Kings.  They are completely healed…no more pain…no more cancer…no more heartache.  They close their eyes to the problems of this world, and open them in their new heavenly home.  Just as it says in the beautiful song “Finally Home”:

But just think of stepping on shore-And finding it Heaven!

Of touching a hand-And finding it God's!

Of breathing new air-And finding it celestial!

Of waking up in glory-And finding it home!

It is us who are left behind who grieve; who now have to deal with facing each day with an empty hole that no one else can fill.  Life will never be the same for us who are left on this earth to carry on without those whom we dearly loved.

After my mom passed away, I knew I had a choice to make.  I could dwell on the fact that she left me, or I could dwell on what she left me.  She left me to receive her eternal reward…but what she left me was an example of what a Christian life should look like.  She left me with memories of the times I saw her respond in a loving way when I wasn’t very lovable.  She left me with memories of seeing her spend time in the Word, learning more and more from her Savior.  She left me with memories of always displaying the image of her Heavenly Father…so much so that I never heard anyone say a negative word about her. 

What she left me were very big shoes to fill in her absence.  She left me with an example of what I should strive for in my walk with my Heavenly Father each and every day.  I often think of her and wonder what she would do in certain situations and wish I could glean from her wisdom just one more time.  But since I know that her wisdom came from spending time with Him, I know that I have the same opportunity each day to learn from Him too.

A friend recently asked me if I spend much time at my mother’s grave and I admitted that I think I have only been there once or twice since 2009.  That may shock some of you and you may feel like I’m not a very good daughter, but my reason is that to me, she is not there.  I have no “pull” to her gravesite because she taught me by her example, that in death she would have eternal life with the Lord.  Her steadfast focus was on the day that she would step on shore and find it to be Heaven. Of touching a hand and finding it God's.  Of breathing new air and finding it celestial and of waking up in glory and finding it home!

When the Lord calls me home, I wonder what I will have left those here on earth.  Will I be remembered for reflecting the image of Christ, or for living only for my own pleasure?  Will others remember me as being a faithful follower of Christ, or a faithful follower of the world?  I know that the example that I leave behind could either draw others closer to my Savior, or push them farther away so I need to be diligent in making the right choices now so that what I leave behind will make a difference in eternity.  Time is short…I need to be faithful today.

How about you?  When God calls you home, will your passing just be a date in an obituary, or will your life live on by what you have left behind?  Time is short…you need to be faithful today.  

 “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine,

and learn from those who follow our example.”

Philippians 3:17

Monday Morning Memo: Let's Do This!

I shared with you a couple weeks ago, about what I felt the Lord wanted me to focus on in 2016.  I really sensed that He was telling me to stop dwelling on what I CAN’T do and start focusing on what He CAN do through me.  I need to allow Him to use the difficulties that I face for HIS glory and not use them as my excuse.  I must be willing to live “beyond the limits” of my comfort zone so that the Lord can accomplish great things through me for His glory.

There is a huge problem though…Satan doesn’t like this at all.  He doesn’t want me to accomplish anything for the Lord, especially if it draws others to want Christ as their Lord and Savior.  He wants me to remain stagnant…living inside my protective bubble…settling for the status quo.  Unfortunately, it’s really easy for me to want to remain there too.

I have written before that I have a lot of respect for Corrie Ten Boom and the amazing testimony she had throughout her life…even when she was in the worst of circumstances.  When she spoke, her words were so powerful and they are still having a huge impact long after she received her eternal reward.  Corrie was a child of God who wasn’t afraid of pushing herself way beyond her human capabilities, knowing that wherever God led her, He would give her exactly what she needed every step of the way.

I read a quote of hers this past week that was exactly what I needed.  Her timely words were, “When we are powerless to do a thing, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus.”  In other words, when Satan is whispering over and over in my ear that I can’t do something, that I am too weak to accomplish a task, I can smile right back at him and yell, “You are right Satan…I can’t…but HE CAN!”

What a difference it makes when we realize Whose abilities and power we can tap into!  There isn’t anything that we will face that is beyond Christ’s capabilities.  There isn’t any detour on our journey in which He doesn’t know where we will end up.  Nothing surprises Him…nothing makes Him fret…nothing overwhelms Him.  We can be assured that no matter what, His answer to us is, “Don’t worry…I’ve got this!”

Are you living in fear of what you might face tomorrow?  Are you afraid that if you commit to live completely sold out to Christ, He will ask you to do things that are way beyond your abilities?  You are right…He probably will…but He already knows when He asks that you can’t do it by yourself, but He knows that He can!  All He needs is your willingness to let Him lead and He will take care of the rest. 

Here we go into another week and I’m guessing there will be times when you and I feel powerless.  Let’s not forget that we have the privilege of “stepping inside the ability of Jesus”.  Just the thought of that gives me chills.  Let’s do this!!

 “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”

Ephesians 3:20-21  The Message

“For I can do everything through Christ, 

who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

Monday Morning Memo: Because You Are You

If you are reading this…congratulations…you have survived the holidays!  Many of us look forward to December, but then are just thankful by the end of the month that we made it through.

I think children are usually the most thankful that Christmas arrives because it takes many days of being good so that Santa showers them with presents.  Our daughter is a nanny and she was telling me that the children she cares for had been counting down as to how many days were left in which they had to behave.  We all know what the song warns, “You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town.  He's making a list and checking it twice; he's gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.  Santa Claus is coming to town.”  A tall task to accomplish for some children!

Unfortunately, I think many adults have the same thoughts about God.  They look at Him as someone who they have to be good for, for Him to care about them.  They believe they have to get their life all in order before He will shower them with His love.  They couldn’t be more wrong.

Did you know that God loves you because you are you?  Re-read that sentence if you need to.  There is nothing you can do to earn His love.  There is nothing in your life that you have to clean up before He will care about you.  He created you and loves you more than you can imagine and there is nothing in your past or your present or even your future that will stop Him from loving you.  He loves you because you are you.

I read something on the first day of 2016 that jumped off the page at me and made me realize just how much God loves us.  I make it a practice to read the Bible through each year so I returned to Genesis on January 1.  As I’m sure you know, we read in the third chapter that Adam and Eve messed up BIG time.  They had it all…everything anyone would ever want.  Life was perfect in the Garden of Eden and beyond anything we can imagine.  But because they were human…they wanted more and so when the snake (Satan) tempted them to sin…it didn’t take them long to go against what they had been told.  Immediately they knew they had done wrong.  Instantaneously, they felt shame and hid when God came because they were naked.

Was God happy?  Absolutely not.  He immediately told them what the consequences would be because of their sinful actions.  They, and everyone who entered the world after them, would pay a price for their choices. 

Now if I had been God, I probably would have left them stew in their mess for quite a while.  They had been given paradise…but they chose their own selfish desires instead.  I would have, more than likely, let them feel shame for a long time for their sin and for their nakedness. I would have probably walked out of the garden, slamming the gate behind me, so that they would know just how ticked off I was. 

But do you know what God did instead?  Get ready for this…I had never noticed this before…but verse 21 in Chapter 3 tells us, “And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”

Are you serious?  Remember, they messed up BIG time and changed the course of history.  But God still loved them so much He made them clothes so they would not feel shame in their nakedness.  Just blows my mind.

If God still loved Adam and Eve after what they had done, don’t you think He can still love you, regardless of what you have done?  If you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, you are His child and He can hardly wait to spend eternity with you.  If you haven’t accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, you need to know that He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die just for you.  I can’t imagine that kind of love.  He did it so that you can be cleansed from your sins and also spend eternity in His presence.

Did you know that you were created in His image?  You were created to look like Him…the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He wants nothing more than for you to come to Him, just the way you are, and allow Him to mold you and shape you to reflect Him. 

This is a new year and a great time for a new beginning.  What better way to begin 2016 than to remember that the Almighty God, the creator of the universe, loves YOU because YOU are YOU.  There isn’t a Santa Clause on earth that can top that!

By the way, if you haven’t accepted Christ into your heart, why not start this new year by doing just that.  Remember, you can’t earn your way to heaven…or just be a good enough person…you need to come to Him and ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you from your sins.  I recently read the following prayer of salvation in “Living Beyond the Limits” and it would be a great one for you to repeat:

“Dear God, I know I am a sinner.  I am sorry for my sin.  Forgive me.  I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, died on Calvary’s cross for my sins and that You raised Him from the grave.  I want to invite Christ into my heart and live for Him as my Lord and Savior from this day forward, in Jesus name. Amen.”

If you just prayed this prayer, I would love for you to let me know.  Feel free to e-mail me at luannfulton@gmail.com any time.  I want to be praying for you and help you any way that I can as you begin your new journey with your Savior! 

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should

not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors 

through him who loved us. 

For I am sure that neither death nor life,

nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height nor depth, 

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God 

in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39