The Good Father

Since becoming a parent 4 1/2 years ago, I have probably learned more about God as our Father than I ever knew before having children.  Before having kids, I thought I knew everything about them.  When I saw kids acting up, I would often think the same thing that many people without children think; "why don't you get your child under control".  Oh boy, did I have a lot to learn in the realm of parenting (and I still do).  Having kids is tough, and having a strong willed child (or two) adds even another layer of difficulty to the process.  It's hard to get kids to do what you want them to do.  It isn't quite as easy to make sure your kids are well behaved as my childless self seemed to believe.
Do you ever think that God feels that way with us sometimes?  Now before you throw the "God loves us unconditionally" at me, go with me for a second.  Do you ever think sometimes God is watching us struggle to do something that he knows isn't the best thing for us and has shut the door on a couple of times just shaking his head?  Now don't get me wrong, I don't think God gets mad at us when we mess up, but from time to time he may just want us to listen to him the first time.  That's a phrase I find myself saying to my 4 year old all the time.  "If you would have just listened to me the first time I told you to get off the chair, you wouldn't have fallen and hit your head."  I think that sometimes when we do something that we know isn't God's will, he may think the same thing.  "If you would have just listened to me the first time and been patient while you were waiting for a new house instead of doing things your way, you wouldn't be in the massive amount of debt you are now."  Or maybe "If you would have just listened to me and been content in your circumstances and not gone negative, you would have gotten that promotion.  Instead your boss gave it to someone else that didn't complain and gossip all the time."
Now I don't believe for a second that God wants anything but the best for us, but sometimes I think he lets us deal with the results of our actions in order to help us learn and grow for the next time. "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4 NLT.  This is my absolute go to verse every time I am going through a trial (actually the whole book of James really).  We need to embrace those learning experiences and actually learn from them.
Like I said at the beginning, having kids will teach you more about God as our Father than anything else I have experienced.  As a parent, when your child is learning to walk you have to allow them to fall to develop their muscles to get back up again. God, as our heavenly parent, sometimes allows us to “fall” by going through times of trials to help us develop our muscles of trust and endurance in him.
I know when I watched my kids learn how to walk, it was often hard not to just go pick them up and carry them, but I knew how badly they wanted, and needed, to be able to do it on their own.  I truly believe that God does the same for us.  He sees us struggle and get frustrated, but he resists the urge at times to immediately lift us out of our struggles because he knows how important the lessons we will learn in those struggles are to our growth as Christians.  As hard as it is to admit in the midst of a discouraging or hard time, in my experiences, once I have gotten through the trial I can see what a blessing it was.  We have to remember during difficult times that we see what is directly in front and behind us.  God is all-knowing, he not only sees in front and behind; he sees all of eternity.
I remember vividly a time when I was walking with my then 2-year-old daughter near a very steep cliff.  I knew how far of a drop it was and how dangerous it would be for her to get near it.  However, my 2-year-old was walking with her head down seeing only 1 step at a time.  When she was as close to the drop-off as I felt comfortable, I made her stop.  Of course, she didn’t understand and threw a royal fit hoping to get her way and be able to keep going.  No matter how upset she got, I refused to let her go ahead.  What kind of mom would I be had I just let my daughter walk off a cliff because that’s what she wanted?  I think we do the exact same thing to God sometimes.  He sees danger or a wrong decision ahead and he puts an immediate stop to it.  Often we just don’t understand so, just like a 2-year-old, we throw a fit.  Maybe we get mad at God, or get depressed, or get angry.  I know there are so many times I have done exactly that.  But we must remember at those times we see such a small piece of the big picture of what God has in store for us if we would simply put ALL of our trust in him.  (I know, way easier said than done)

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart; do NOT depend on your own understanding.  Seek HIS will in ALL you do, and HE will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT (emphasis mine).

I experienced another similar incident of seeing a glimpse of God as a parent this weekend.  I was taking my girls for a walk and their independence started to kick in.  Now you need to understand in case you don't have the honor of living in the Western panhandle of Texas that the month of October can be a little rough.  It tends to get extremely dry and super windy about this time of the year.  That being said, it can get a little sandy on the dirt roads.  That makes it tough to push a stroller with a 2 year old and 9 month old.  You have to move around on the road to stay out of the sand.  Now my 4 year old loves to push the stroller, but she doesn't really understand the concept of looking up to see where you are going.  She pushes with her head down.

When you push a stroller with your head down, you only see a step ahead of yourself and the place the stroller has already been.  It gives you no idea of what is ahead.  When she pushed like this she kept running the stroller off the road.  Everything in me wanted to grab the stroller from her and just push it myself, but it donned on me that that doesn't teach her anything.  This is about the moment I really felt the Lord telling me that this is what I do in life ALOT.  I look only at my immediate circumstances and don't see what is ahead in anticipation of the 2 degree changes I need to make to keep the stroller on the road.  I decided to use this as a learning opportunity for myself and my 4 year old.  I made her stop and explained to her the proper way to push the stroller.  I told her that she had to look up and see whats in front of her to stay out of the sand.  I explained how to keep the stroller on the hard part of the road and out of the sandy parts.  Finally, I told her that if she looked down she would not be going straight anymore anymore and would end up in the sand.  She tried again.

As long as she kept her head up, focusing on the goal, she did excellent.  However, when her head went back down, to the sand she went.

I couldn't help but think about Peter stepping out of that boat.  As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to stay on top of the water.  However, the minute he looked away, down he went.  God wants us to walk on the water.  He wants us to do great things and reach the goals he has placed in us.  However, if we only focus on our circumstances right this second or if we look away from God because "I thought it should have happened by now", then we will end up in the sand.  I will tell you from experience that pushing that stroller through the sand is not fun.  It requires an extreme amount of effort and makes the walk not much fun.  I would rather keep my head up and focus on the goal to get to that destination a whole lot quicker, and enjoy the journey along the way.  I am just so thankful to have a Father in Heaven who knows the perfect times to let us struggle a little with that stroller, as well as when it's time for him to grab the handle and push for a little while.

Legacy

Sometimes we get so involved in our lives and the stresses of what we are currently dealing with that we fail to realize how finite our lives on this earth really are.  Over the last month, the reality of how short life is has been burning on my mind.  A little over a month ago pretty early on a Sunday morning, my husband received a phone call that neither he or I ever expected and definitely did not want.  A dear friend and former coworker of ours had passed away tragically.  The news was crushing, particularly to my husband who had coached and worked closely with him for many years and had continued to stay in touch with even after moving on to a different school district.  This man was an incredible figure in the community.  Although he was only 30, his influence far outstretched his years.  Seeing the outpouring of love from the community was nothing short of humbling.  In the days that followed the people who he had touched demonstrated their great love for him in many ways, the community will forever be changed.  His funeral was very touching and it was incredible to see how many people he had influenced with his unwavering faith in God.
In the month since that time, I have done a lot of thinking.  Although he probably did not realize the scope of his influence, he left an incredible legacy.  I know as a 31 year old, I often take for granted that I will have many more years on this earth.  However, none of us knows the number of our days.  His tragic death has reminded me how tender life is and how vitally important it is to live life to the fullest every single day.

"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 plans, and all such boasting is evil." James 4:13-16 NLT

Wow.  This verse makes it plain that we don't know what the future will hold for us.  We can plan ahead and have goals and dreams, but ultimately God is in control.  We must not brag about ourselves or what we are doing or going to do because God is the one who gives us those abilities and blessings.  "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9 NLT.  We must take life a day at a time and focus on the one who's opinion really matters; God himself. I know in my own life, when I trust God rather than myself, I am always blessed.
My biggest prayer right now is that I will allow God to direct my steps.  I want to be strong in my faith.  I want to leave a Godly legacy.  I am deeply saddened by the loss of a friend.  But I am so blessed knowing that he left a legacy so strong that hundreds of people saw the hands and feet of Jesus through him.  I want my legacy to be one where people see the work of God in every single facet of my life.  That is our highest calling for our time here on earth.  "The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever" Psalm 37:18 ESV.  I pray that I don't waste the days I have been given.  Whether I am instilling Godly principles into my children during this season, or demonstrating my faith in action through the way I live every day, my goal (and yours) should be to leave a lasting legacy.

Tomorrow

The last 2 years of my life have been a whirlwind of change.  If you would have told me 2 years ago about my life today, I probably wouldn't have believed you.  Two years ago, I was starting a new school year as an 8th grade math teacher, my husband was starting a new school year for the first time not coaching football and instead teaching industrial arts (which he loved), and we had just recently had our 2nd child who was about 6 weeks old.  If you would have asked me then, we were settling into what we would probably be doing for several years.  Boy was I wrong!  3 months after the start of that school year we started the process of buying a house in the country, something that we had always wanted but until then couldn't find or afford in our area.  That seemingly simple task turned into a 6 month process of ups and downs and at times thinking we would probably never close on the house.  We nearly walked away on a few occasions.  However, 7 closing documents and lots of frustrating phone calls later, we finally closed on our new home.
Life was great.  I loved my job and my coworkers, however the pressures of state testing wore on a mom with small children.  At the end of that school year I was just looking around at different job opportunities (and if you are a teacher of a highly tested subject, don't lie you look too).  I stumbled upon an Agricultural Science teacher job at a small school district much closer to where we lived.  I jumped on the opportunity and was hired for the job.  I am an Ag girl and was so excited to get to teach what I loved, and be able to teach a subject that kids weren't forced to learn.  My husband and I were pretty excited.  He would be starting his 2nd year in his job as industrial arts and I would get to teach Ag, both subjects we were passionate about.  However, sometimes life takes unexpected turns.  Two weeks after being hired for my new position, we were surprised (and incredibly blessed) to find out that we were going to be having a 3rd child.  Its funny how we like to plan our lives out, but sometimes God just says "no, I have something else in mind".  It was a huge shock and I was now tasked with the job of calling my new boss to let him know that I would been needing a bit of time off in the middle of the school year.  He was very understanding, and in January of this year we were blessed with our 3rd beautiful little girl.  Now I went back to work planning on staying in that position for the long haul.  However, just like before, God had other plans.  In the spring semester, Ag teachers do a lot of travelling.  In the month of April, I was gone more weekends than I was home, it was a lot of fun, but it was tough for my husband and the girls.  We also got to experience the high cost of having 3 kids in daycare. We planned on just enduring another year, however, our changes weren't over yet.  My husband wound up getting a job for the next school year at the school in our town as Principal.  What a blessing.  However, this job change brought a change in thought for us.  My travel with the FFA would be pretty difficult with his schedule as Principal at a different school.  We also struggled to find someone who could watch all 3 girls.  After about a month of trying to make it work this summer, we finally came to the decision that I would stay at home with the girls.  Now I need to say, I have never even thought about being a stay at home mom.  I like working and have always had a job, but we decided that this would be the best thing for our sanity, and for our girls.  In the span of just over 2 years we have had 2 children, moved, had 2 job changes, and now I am not working outside the home.  Talk about a whirlwind!
God is good.  As I was out walking/jogging this morning after sending off my preschooler and principal, I was doing a lot of thinking and praying.  This is the first time since I was 16 that I do not have a job.  It is a weird thing for me, and I sometimes find myself being fearful.  As I was out this morning I heard an awesome song called "Tomorrow" by Unspoken.  It brought me such comfort to know that no matter what, God is the one in control.  The chorus says:

Don't know what tomorrow holds

I'm learning how to let it go

Jesus, You are in control

Of my tomorrow, tomorrow

Come and take the fear away

'Til there's nothing left but faith

I know You will help me face

My tomorrow, tomorrow

What a perfect summary of what I have been experiencing over the last 2 years.  I so often want to be in control and know what is going to happen tomorrow, but God is the one in control, not me.  So, as I enter this next phase of life, I am going to learn to let it go and trust Him.  God has taken me so far, I can't wait to see where I will be 2 years from now.  If you get a chance, check out this awesome song from Unspoken and let me know what you have gone through that has taught you to trust Him for tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHIFsAYbq-A

Looking for the Silver Linings

Life is not easy.  That might be the understatement of the year.  However, if the only things you focus on are the negatives, you may feel like you will never get out of the pit you feel like you are in.  For example, as a school teacher, it was super easy for me to fall into the negativity of others.  Some of our negative conversations would go something like this;  "How am I supposed to find time in my day to do that?", "How did that teacher get all the smart kids and I got the ones who can't pass a test?", or even "I can't believe the Principal expects us to do that, has he ever taught (insert subject here)?".  It is easy for me to get pulled into negativity.  I also honestly believe that for reasons I don't yet understand, females struggle way more in this department than men do (although I haven't ever been a man so I can't confirm that).
I would say for at least the past 7 or 8 years (apparently I am a slow learner), God has been dealing with me in the department of negativity.  I know there have been many times I found myself in one of the conversations I mentioned, only to later walk back to my classroom or drive home feeling incredibly convicted for allowing myself to get so negative.  So how in the world can we get out of that realm of negativity?  As with all things, I believe that the answer to that lies in the Bible.
"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 NLT.
For people who have been around church their whole life, that verse may be a familiar one that has perhaps become a cliche that they just say but don't mean.  However, if you really consider the verse, it is pretty revealing about how to get out of negativity.  When you "fix your eyes" on something you choose to look at and focus on that thing.  It is a choice to look or not look.  This verse says to "fix your thoughts" on all those things.  That tells me that we must choose to think true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable thoughts.  We have a choice.  Is it honorable to talk bad about your boss?  Is it admirable to tell your co-workers what a bad teacher so-and-so is?  We have to make a choice to change our way of thinking.  When our internal thoughts, or external conversations, turn to those negative places, we must choose to think instead of things that are "excellent and worthy of praise".
I have found during the various ups and downs of my own life, that when I start allowing my thoughts to go to places of negativity, that I find myself feeling more discouraged or even depressed.  I also have found that when I am around people who always find the negative in every circumstance, that I am easily pulled that direction.  I think that as we mature as Christians, it is vitally important to learn from our mistakes and work to not make the same mistakes over and over.  I know that one thing I have tried to do, is avoid situations where I might get pulled into negativity.  As a teacher, I had to pretty much completely stop going to the teachers' lounge during lunch because that was a hot spot for negativity.  I also learned what teachers to spend my time with, and the ones not to.  It's the same in my personal life.  If I spend too much time with negative people, I become negative.  I try to focus my time and energy with people who are encouraging and optimistic.
Joyce Meyer has an amazing book that so many people have read called Battlefield of the Mind.  If you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you pick up or borrow a copy.  In it she talks about how the enemy uses our minds to keep us from God's best.  I really think that is the key.  If Satan can keep our minds focused on negativity and being frustrated, then we will never fully enjoy our lives.  If he can identify something negative in every circumstance we are in, we will always be miserable and looking for the next best thing.  However, if we can choose to allow God to renew our way of thinking, he can show us what he has for us.  "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2 NLT.
We must choose to find the silver lining to every cloud that rolls our way.  That is incredibly easy for me to do when I am looking in the rear view mirror, however, no matter how many victories God takes me though, I have such a hard time seeing positives in the midst of a struggle.  I find that remembering that we are looking at every situation in our lives from ground level, and God sees things from 10,000 feet, tends to ease my worries some.  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT.  He sees the beginning and the end, as well as everything in between.
One of the darkest moments of my life so far was almost exactly 7 years ago.  It was the moment I found out that I was getting laid off of a job I loved.  I had so much of my identity tied up in what I did for a living that I was completely devastated.  However, without going into all the details at this time, I can now tell you that it was actually a blessing.  Because of being laid off I learned incredible lessons about trusting God and perseverance through trials.  I also switched professions completely and started teaching during that time, something I would have likely never done otherwise.  I have been incredibly blessed by the people I have met and worked with over the past 6 years in education.  Because of that trial, I now see things through a bit of a different lens.  I am learning how to seek God's blessings even in the midst of trying times.  I hope that if you are in a time of trial and testing, that you too will choose to find the silver lining and remember that God is working behind the scenes, no matter how dark your circumstances.
  

Working Unto the Lord in ALL Circumstances

Several months ago, I had a conversation with a young man who was a student of mine that has really stuck with me.  The teacher who had taught in the position I was now in, although a really nice person, did not have much structure in the classroom.  The students were always moaning and groaning about having to actually learn things in Ag class because they were use to messing around in the shop or just sitting around talking or playing cards.  This particular student was a great kid, but he surprised me a little with his question.  He asked me something to the extent of "Why are you working so hard, why don't you just do what the other ag teachers have done and just let us mess around out in the shop?"  I responded to him that I was not hired to mess around, that even though the class was not a core subject that I still had state requirements of what I was suppose to teach and that I can't take a paycheck knowing that I wasn't doing my job.  He didn't understand, he thought it would be great to get paid to sit around.  I explained to him that in his little side business that he has, if he had an employee that he hired to do a certain job and that employee showed up everyday and just played on their cell phone and did nothing, how would he feel as a boss?  Would that person keep their job for long?  Since that time, I have really thought about what it really means to "work unto the Lord".
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 NIV. 

      When I started life in the “real world” outside of the safety of being in school or living with my parents, I was incredibly naive.  I honestly thought that when people went to work that they worked hard at whatever they did no matter who their boss was or what their pay scale was.  I actually believed that adults didn’t get caught up in drama or laziness while at work.  Boy was I wrong.  I quickly found out in the real world, many people want to do the bare minimum to get by.  Now, let me start off by saying that I am far from perfect.  There are times when I fall into ruts on the job.  However, I have discovered that no matter what job you have or who your boss is that there will always be struggles.  I decided early on that whoever I worked for or whatever I did for a living that I was going to try to do it as if God himself was my boss.  It shouldn’t matter if you are CEO making high dollar business deals, or if you are scrubbing toilets for the CEO; you should work as if God was your boss.  That can be incredibly hard to do, especially if your job isn’t glamorous or not your “dream” job. 

      There have been jobs in my past that I have loved, as well as those that I simply “survived”.  Those survival jobs are always the hardest to stay focused and dedicated to “working unto the Lord.”  It can be incredibly easy to justify slacking off or not doing your job.  If your boss is unkind or if the job seems unimportant we sometimes tell ourselves that no one will notice anyways.  It is also incredibly easy to not work to your full potential if you have a job where you don’t have constant supervision.  I have had several jobs where it was up to me to get the job done and my boss was either at a different location or simply left me alone.  Don’t be fooled though, eventually your work ethic will show through.  In some jobs it may be in the form of not reaching sales goals, or maybe having customers complain, or as a teacher, students not knowing what they are supposed to know to pass a test.

      The fruits of your labor will always come through.  It may take weeks, months, or even years but eventually your work ethic comes to light.  Having a poor work ethic can cause you to lose commissions, lose out on a promotion, or even lose your job.  It is vitally important during those times of “surviving” a job that you don’t particularly enjoy with a boss you don’t really like, that you press in and work to your full potential.  It is during those times that the Lord is able to see our true character and know if we are ready for the next level he has for us.

One of the most famous story in the Bible about working unto the Lord is the Parable of the Talents.  “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.  To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.”  Matthew 25:14-15 NASB.  If you notice, it says in “each according to his own ability”.  God knows where we are in our progression toward maturity.  He does not push us beyond our ability.  Notice also that is does not say that the one with five talents was any better than the one with two, or one.  He simply gave in accordance to the ability of the person.  I think we need to realize this in our own lives.  We may want the next better thing, but maybe we aren’t taking care of the “thing” we have now.  God gives in accordance to how we steward what we have. 

      In the story, the man with five invested what he had and doubled it, the same thing happened with the man who received the two.  However, the man that received one, hid his away and didn’t make a single thing for his master.  His excuse was that he knew that his master was a hard man and he was afraid.  Isn’t that what we do sometimes?  We hold onto or money or our things or even a job because we are afraid.  The slave who received the one talent feared what his master would do if he lost the talent.  I am guilty of the very same thing.  I fear change, I fear missing God’s will, I fear disappointing others, and I fear the unknown.  However, if we want to hear the same words as the two slaves that made good investments for their master “Well done good and faithful servant” we must push through the fear and apprehension no matter who we are working for or what we are called to do.  Regardless of whether we have a wonderful, Godly boss or one who we absolutely dread seeing, we are ultimately working not for man, but for God.

      Over the years I have taught hundreds of teenagers.  Every year I would try to throw some life lessons in with my regular lessons as often as I could.  I would almost always teach kids about integrity.  To give a really simple definition, I would talk to the kids about how integrity is doing the right thing even if no one is watching.  That is so easy to say, not as easy to do.  In reality, if our boss is away or if no one is around because we work remotely or maybe we work from home or are even a stay at home mom, it is incredibly easy to let productivity slide.  I know that I sometimes struggle with that.  However, it’s important to make sure we get the job done no matter who is watching. 

      As a school teacher, I sometimes saw my boss, but many times I would go days or even weeks without seeing them except for in passing walking down the hallways.  It was up to me to make sure what I was required by the state to teach, was being taught.  It would have been easy sometimes to just let the kids do what they wanted and call it a free day, the kids sure would have love it.  However, that is not what I was hired to do and not what I was paid to do.  It’s important to keep that perspective.  Regardless of how we feel or whether we like what we do, that’s what we are hired for.  If you happen to stay at home this can be a huge struggle.  The tasks of a stay at home mom are far from glamorous.  However, there are still jobs that need to be done.  Even though there isn’t a true “boss” in that situation, we are still called to work as if God was our boss.  That means even if folding laundry or washing dishes are things you hate, you can still do the tasks with a grateful heart.

      “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.  Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 NLT.

Road Blocks Stopping Us From Reaching The Next Level

      If I were to really get vulnerable and honest, I would have to say that one of the biggest struggles I deal with in my Christian walk is having a quiet time.  I find myself so often making excuses or simply getting lazy and don’t spend the time in God’s Word that I should.  It is so easy in this overly stimulated world that we live in; between phones, television, or even being overly involved in worldly activities, to find ourselves pushing God to the back burner.  Even as I write this, I find myself distracted by what’s going on in the next room, thoughts of my to-do list, and even the worship song I am listening to in attempts to drown out the background noise.  It is a battle I often find myself in.  However, I know deep down that there is nothing more valuable in my Christian walk than immersing myself into God’s word and spending time in his presence.  I don’t think God can make the importance of studying scripture any clearer than what he says in Joshua 1:8 “Study this book of instruction continually, meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”   I believe that sometimes God calls us to a deeper level with him at the moment right before he brings us to the next level in our lives.  That verse comes at the moment when God is just about to allow Joshua to lead the Israelites out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.  Talk about a new level in life!

      In my own life this has occurred several times.  I can vividly remember one such time as a high school senior at a tremendous crossroads trying to decide what the next step in my life should be.  I had narrowed my choices down to 2 vastly different universities and majors.  One was to study Agricultural Business at a state university and the other was to study Youth Ministry at a Christian university.  I remember praying over and over for guidance, direction, and peace.  It came!  I realized that there was not a sense of peace about going to the Christian university, as noble as that may have been.  God had other things in store for me.  However, I had to really press in to be able to receive the answer I needed.

      Sometimes we put off pressing in.  I know that I am the number one procrastinator in that area because if I get really honest: It’s hard!  It’s hard to unplug and just focus on God.  However, for me at least, it is so very rewarding when I actually do it.  When I finally just get alone with God that is when he can really speak to me.

      There is a story in Luke chapter 10 that shines a light on the value of spending time with the Lord rather than focusing on all of life’s distractions, even if those distractions are not bad things.  It is the story of the two sisters: Martha and Mary.  Martha is a type A personality who is busy preparing a big dinner for Jesus and his disciples, which honestly seems like a wonderful thing to be busy with.  However, her sister is not helping with the preparations; she is instead sitting around listening to what Jesus has to say.  Martha, being the type A person, says to Jesus (paraphrased) “It’s not fair that I’m doing all this work and Mary is doing nothing, tell her to get up and help me.”  Rather than relaying the message to Mary, Jesus tells Martha, “You are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about.  Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41 NLT. Apparently even Jesus saw the value of stopping and just spending time with the Lord without allowing the distractions of life to get in the way.

      I find myself falling into the same trap as Martha all the time.  Even something as simple as worrying about what I will be cooking for lunch after church can completely distract me from spending time with Jesus and learning what the Lord is trying to speak to me during the actual church service.

      Just like human relationships, our relationship with God is a two-way street.  Good relationships require time and effort on the part of both people involved.  When two people spend a lot of time and energy together they grow closer and enjoy each other’s company.  You really get to know someone when they are a part of your everyday life.  I know so many things about my husband; his likes, dislikes, and favorite hobbies because we have spent countless hours together.  We love each other’s company and we serve each other.  He does many things for me all the time, and I do the same thing for him.  However, if the only time I talked to him was when I needed something and I never even acknowledged him any other time, there would probably be some resentment on his part.  Eventually he may not even want to be in a relationship anymore.

      Fortunately for us, no matter how much we push God away, he never wants to not be in relationship with us.  He seeks to have a relationship with us.  “For the Son of man came to seek and save those who are lost” Luke 19:10 NLT. He came after us.   He is in constant pursuit of us every single day of our life.  “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” Revelation 3:20 NIV.  The catch in that verse is where it says “IF anyone hears my voice AND opens the door.”  That tells me that there is an action required on our part.  We must first hear Gods voice but we also have to allow him in.  That’s where many people, myself included, tend to struggle.  We have to learn how to push past our inhibitions to step into the blessings of God.

Trusting God in Times of Testing

It’s so easy when all is said and done after going through a hard time, to look back and see how God was orchestrating everything, even in the darkest of times.  However, it is sometimes nearly impossible to see those things when we are in the heart of the battle.  So how can we shift our mindset to get out of only seeing God’s hand when we look in the rear-view mirror, to actually being able to see him working even in the deepest trenches in the heart of the battle?  For me at least, this is one of my biggest struggles.  It is so easy to talk about my big faith and how “God works all things together for his good” (Romans 8:28 paraphrased) when everything is “good”.  However, when things aren’t so “good”, panic, doubt, and discouragement can often take hold.  It doesn’t seem to matter how many times God has triumphantly taken us through the hard times, when they hit our fleshly ways seem to always set back in.  So, how can we break free of that cycle?  I wish I had the perfect answer, however, just like everyone else I still struggle through this issue myself.  However, I have found some great ideas on how to manage this struggle throughout the Bible.

      One of my favorite stories about trusting God through the hard times is the story of Joseph.  God gave Joseph a dream at the young age of 17 of the things that He had planned for him.  What a miraculous thing to feel like God himself had shown Joseph a glimpse of the future he had in store for him.  What an amazing moment to have a dream from God! However, that was only the beginning of his journey.  Everything didn’t turn into rainbows and sunshine the moment he had the dream.  He had to go through some difficult and insanely frustrating times to get from the moment of the dream to its actual fulfillment. 

Joseph’s first trial came in the form of betrayal by his own family.  His own brothers (who mind you didn’t particularly like Joseph anyways especially since he was daddy’s favorite son and had recently told them about a dream which involved them bowing down to him), had decided to sell Joseph into slavery.  Now as awful as that is, it does beat what their original plan for him was; they wanted to kill him.  However, it still had to be a devastating blow (I can’t imagine the fear and disappointment of becoming a slave).  I imagine that his mind had to immediately go to a place of depression and doubt.  He had to have thought in the back of his mind that there was no way anyone would bow down to him now.  Even in the midst of this course change, however, Joseph still acted as a Godly man.

He was purchased by a man named Potiphar who was the Captain of the Guard for the Pharaoh.  Joseph worked hard right where God had placed him and he was blessed for it.  Even though he was a slave, his master noticed how God had been blessing his household through Joseph.  He respected Joseph so much that he even promoted him to be in charge of everything he owned.

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.  Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.  This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant.  He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.  From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake.  All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.  So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned.  With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing-except what kind of food to eat!” Genesis 39:2-6

Joseph was in charge of absolutely everything Potiphar owned.  He wasn’t promoted because he grumbled and complained every day or because he did what he had to do due to the fact he was a slave and had no other choice.  No, he was promoted because he focused on exactly where he was placed and worked unto the Lord to do the very best job that he could do.  God blessed him for that.  He was given a tremendous amount of favor in the eyes of his owner.

That’s where so many of us, myself included, struggle.  I often find myself grumbling and complaining and not focusing on working unto the Lord.  I truly believe, and this is with me not trying to point fingers because they are pointed at me too, that we as humans often stand in the way of God’s blessings.  We get so self-focused that we don’t even realize that the slight (or even major) discomforts we are going through in our lives are meant to refine us and develop us for our future.

For many women, a golden diamond ring is often the most beautiful and prized possession that she will ever receive.  However, the beautiful diamond in the ring did not start out so beautiful.  It had to undergo tremendous amounts of heat and pressure over an extended period of time in order to shine.  The gold also had to endure a heat so intense that all impurities were burned away before it was formed into a beautiful gold band.  It is the same with us as humans.  Often during some of our most challenging times, we are being tested the most.  Those tests are what “refine” us into who it is God intends for us to be.

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”  Proverbs 17:3

In my own life, I have found that the tests that have been the most frustrating have often been the very ones that have brought me to the next level.  That is such a hard reality to deal with.  However, if we can get to that realization, it is so much easier to at the least except but hopefully learn how to enjoy the refining process.  That isn’t to say that we need to slap a smile on our face every time something gets tough, however, we can be encouraged during thought times knowing that even when we feel like we are lost in the wilderness that we serve a God that is in control and he knows what we are going through.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31