Monday Morning Memo: Smile Makers :-)

There are quite a few things in life that just make me smile.  Of course, if I had to list them all…you would expect me to list my husband, kids, grandkids, friends…etc…and you would be right.  But the four that I am sharing with you today…don’t include any of those.  Refer to today’s picture and I’ll attempt to explain:

 

1.      I use plastic bags.  Yep, I said it and I’m not taking it back.  I know  they aren’t good for the environment, but I do wash them out and reuse them.  But the frustration involved in storing all the different size boxes and hunting each time for the exact one I wanted…was getting to me.  I had looked for a very long time for something to put all of them in, but most of them didn’t have the number of slots that I needed.  Well, walla!  Some months ago, I came across this one in my picture…and I can’t tell you the joy this gives me.  All organized and all in one place.  Can life get any better?

 

2.     Maybe it can with cheese.  I love cheese…but this past year I was getting really irritated with the store-bought, pre-grated cheese I was buying.  I don’t know if you have noticed…but it doesn’t melt!  So many anti-caking properties have been added to it, that it just sort of sits there on your pizza without truly melting.  So, I made the wild decision to start buying my cheese in more bulk form and grating it myself.  I then measure it out and use some of those wonderful plastic bags (being stored in my amazing organizer) and keep them in the freezer.  Oh, what satisfaction I get as I stand in my kitchen and grate the cheese by hand…knowing the wonderful goodness we will experience when the cheese melts.

 

3.     I made the decision at the beginning of this year to start milling my own flour.  Best decision ever.  In case you haven’t heard…flour you buy out of the grocery store is dead…no nutrients…and trust me, there are things in some flours you really don’t want to consume (think human hair and duck feathers…ewwwww).  So, I now buy wheat berries and oh what joy it gives me as I grind them up to make our bread.   And we are getting 40 out of 44 nutrients that we need each day when eating our homemade bread.  Life just keeps getting better and better…

 

4.     And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t include my flowers that make me smile.  I love summer and what joy I receive from God’s creation.  To see all the flowers blooming in vibrant color…oh how I hate to think about winter coming…

 

Well now I’m sure all this information has been riveting for you as you’ve had to endure reading about some of the things that make me smile.  And you are probably wondering why in the world I am sharing all of this, and you may even think I’ve lost my rocker because of the things that I shared which make me smile.  Why?  Because you may not give a rip about any of these things that I listed.  You may possibly not care at all about plastic bag organizers, grated cheese, milling your own wheat berries and you may hate working outside with plants.  Guess what?  That’s ok!  You don’t have to like what I like because you are a unique child of the King and…gasp…we all don’t have to be alike 

 

Why do we spend SO much time in our life comparing ourselves to others?  Why do we waste time wishing we had what someone else has…whether it be a possession, a job, a family or anything else that we covet?  Why can’t we just be thankful for the things in our life that make us smile…and be thrilled that others have things that make them smile too.  

 

Friends, life is short and each of us are on our own journey.  If we spend our time watching others and wishing our life away…we will miss so many smiles in our own life.  So, let’s see if this coming week we can pay more attention to all those little things that God has blessed us with which make us smile…instead of staring at others wondering why they are smiling.

 

We were filled with laughter,
    and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
    “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
    What joy!

Psalm 126:2-3

 

Monday Morning Memo - Part 4 - Lilacs & Skunks

The last few weeks, we’ve been looking at Revelation 2:8-11 concerning going through times of hardship. This was the text from which I preached in July and it had such an impact on my life. We have specifically looked at the Christ-followers from Smyrna…who remained faithful even under the worst of circumstances. 

This has made us question how we measure up to these faithful Christians.  Very few of us have gone through the severe persecution that they did, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had trials in our life.  All of us have faced different difficulties…what I have gone through has probably been entirely different than what you have faced…but that doesn’t diminish the pain and hurt that each of us have experienced.  But as I prepared for this sermon, I came across a statement that spoke volumes to me…and it is this: “How we endure hardships matters more than what hardships we endure”. 

You see, Jesus said that in this life we will have trouble.  And many of us can say AMEN to that, I’m sure.  Whatever the trouble – whether it’s illness or financial hardship or loss of loved one – we need to understand that how we endure matters more than what we endure.  We need to make sure that we aren’t people who let trouble come between us and our Lord.  Instead of moving away from God during times of difficulty, we need to make the effort to move closer to Him.  We need to keep our problems in perspective.  And we need to remember this – it’s when the pressure is on and times are tough that people are the most closely watching us.

It is so important for us to understand that how we endure hardship can greatly impact those around us positively or negatively.  We need to realize that how we handle hardship can either increase - or tragically decrease - our witness to the unsaved.  That may be one of the reasons God allows bad things to happen to Christians.  He knows that when Christians endure hardship well, others notice and their acceptance of the message of Christ dramatically increases. 

It's not some kind of fluke, that in proportion to the world’s population the church in Smyrna reached its greatest numbers during this period of persecution.  It happened that way because people were watching and what they were seeing – the faith, the unquenchable hope, the courage and the endurance of so many Christians while they were under attack – it all worked together to open doors for the good news about Jesus.

And friends, people are watching you and me today.  As they observe us in action, are they being influenced to open up their heart a little wider to receive Christ or are they being turned off to Jesus?

And most importantly, God is watching us.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the name Smyrna means Myrrh.  Myrrh was a sweet-smelling perfume that was not only worn by the living but was also used in first century embalming practices.  So, when the Christians in Smyrna were persecuted, their endurance rose up before God as something sweet and beautiful.  Can the same be said of me?  Can it be said of you?  

Think of the difference between the smell of lilacs and a skunk.  Which would you bring into your house and which would you want to keep out?

When the pressure is on and things get difficult…when you’re being unjustly pushed around and people you thought you could count on for support have turned on you and are squeezing the joy out of things, do you maintain a sweetness of spirit, like the Christians of Smyrna?  Or do you react to life’s hardships and respond to the crud others dump on you by raising a little stink of your own?  It’s pretty obvious isn’t it which kind of lifestyle others will gravitate to and desire to be like. 

“How we endure hardships matters more than what hardships we endure.”  This can be a hard concept to live out each day and I know it is something I personally struggle with.  But with God’s help, we need to make sure that no matter what life throws our way, we are showing Jesus through our actions and our reactions.  Because they are watching…and they need to see Jesus in us.