Why the Wilderness?

           

           As a Christian, I often tend to think that everything should be easy.  I somehow believe that God should pave my life’s path in gold and remove any little thing that could possible stand in my way or cause me to stumble.  However, that isn’t how life works.  There are times when things seem to go well and there are times when nothing is working.  Some people seem to struggle more than others.  I also know people who never appear to struggle and it seems like everything they touch turns to gold.  However, we all have challenges in this life.  The older I get, the more I realize that no one has the perfect life.  The more I have gotten to know the people with a “Midas touch”, the more I have seen the real side of them.  Anyone can appear from a distance to have it all figured out.  It’s when you get a little closer that you can see the real struggles underneath.

So many people believe that Christians should have everything figured out.  I’ve even heard people say, on many occasions, that they don’t want to go to church because it’s just full of a bunch of hypocrites.  Well, I have some news for those people; yes, it is full of hypocrites.  I’m one of them.  None of us have it figured out.  We all struggle in some area of our lives.  Just like a hospital is not necessary if no one is ever sick, there would be no need for the church if we were all perfect.  There would also be no need for Jesus if we already had this faith thing figured out.  However, we all still have not arrived.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Last time I checked, all means every single person. 

Some of my biggest moments of spiritual growth have occurred during times of frustration.  It’s during moments of feeling like I am wandering in the wilderness like the Israelites, that I finally get to where I can depend fully on God.  Why is that?  Why does it take a “wilderness” time in our lives to get us to turn to God, or turn back to God? 

There are so many examples of God meeting with people in the wilderness throughout scripture.  The most famous is probably in the book of Exodus when Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness.  However, God met with so many others when he was able to get them alone in a “wilderness”.  For example, David wrote so many of his most heartfelt Psalms when he was in the wilderness tending to his sheep or even when he was running for his life from King Saul.  Before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God met with Moses in the wilderness in the form of a burning bush as he was tending his father-in-law’s sheep.  Abraham had an encounter with God in the wilderness when he took Isaac up to sacrifice.  Joseph had a long wilderness phase when he was sold into slavery by his own family, falsely accused of rape, and thrown in prison.  Even Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being constantly bombarded by temptations and attacks of Satan.  No one is immune to wilderness times.

Sometimes, getting alone with God is exactly what we need.  We need to get away from distractions to focus on what it is God has for us. You have a choice in the wilderness.  You can run to God or you can get mad at God, blame Him for your frustrations, and run from God.  However, you will never truly experience God’s blessings and promotions in your lives if you turn tail and run when you are in the wilderness.  Every one of the examples I gave of men in the Bible who experience times of frustration also experienced tremendous blessings on the other side of their wilderness.  The character that was built during those wilderness times, served them for the rest of their lives.  I, for one don’t want to miss out on that.  I have had a few “wilderness” phases of my own life and I have decided to run to, rather than from God during those times. 

One of the most comforting verses for me during trying times is James 1:2-4.  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  We can take joy during our trials knowing that even as we go through hard times they are preparing us for what God has in store for us.  I don’t want to miss out on the blessings on the other side of the trials.  I want to develop that maturity the verse speaks of.  I want to understand more about God today than I did yesterday.  I want to react better to a frustrating person now than I did a year ago.  I want people that I may have hurt to see a sincere heart for God rather than simply a hypocritical person.  I definitely want to be further along in my relationship with God five years from now than I am today.  I sincerely hope that if you are walking in the wilderness right now, you will grab your Bible (or your Bible app on your phone) and press in to the Word.  Turn off your television, radio, or whatever else you are allowing to distract you and simply pray that God would encourage you through your frustrations.  Press in and look up, rather than give in and give up.  

Let go of the Brush

I have to make a confession, growing up I loved watching Bob Ross paint.  For those of you who don’t know who he is, he is the guy with the huge afro who loves to paint “happy little trees”.  I am about the furthest from an artsy person you will ever meet, but there was something about him taking a blank canvas and turning it into a gorgeous mountain scene in just 30 minutes that would just draw me and my sister (if she would admit it) in.  Watching his show was interesting because just looking at his canvas as he painted, you would have no idea what he was painting.  It wasn’t until he got just about finished that you would be able to tell what his masterpiece was going to look like.  Even when he messed up a little he would simply say something like, “let’s just turn that into a little fluffy cloud”.  Even though the audience didn’t necessarily know what he was painting, he always knew what it was going to look like.

Just like Bob’s paintings, our lives are God’s masterpiece.  He knows exactly what he has intended the end to look like from the very beginning. He designed us exactly the way he wanted us to be. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:13-16 NLT.

God did create us with a purpose, but we must yield to His will to truly fulfill that purpose.  “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” Romans 9:20-21 NIV.  Just like a painting should never grab hold of the brush, thinking it can do a better job than a talented painter, we need to stop second guessing God every time we think God should be using blue when he is using grey.  Even a beautiful masterpiece looks a little ugly before the real beauty comes out.  God will take the ugliest paint spots and turn them into something beautiful, if we simply allow him to.  However, if we decide to turn away and do things our way, those ugly spots may dry as ugly and then we will wonder why we are not enjoying our lives.

Fortunately, no matter how badly we might mess up God’s masterpiece, if we turn back and allow him to take control, God will take those ugly spots and make them something beautiful to use for his purpose.  “He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.” Isaiah 61:3 NLT.  So let go of the brush, let God create a masterpiece in you.  Don’t get frustrated if you can’t see the beauty just yet.  Keep trusting, praying, seeking, and yielding to God.  No matter your situation, do what you can exactly where you are, let God do the rest.

Where's Your "Elf on a Shelf"?

                I absolutely love Christmas time.  I love all of the traditions and anticipation in the air.  I love watching my girls get excited about everything from putting up our Christmas tree and decorating, to making Christmas treats, to being a part of our church’s Christmas program.  To me, Christmas is so much more fun as a mom because I love seeing my girls light up about everything.  I am not one of those Christians who thinks everything secular at Christmas time is bad.  Rather, I am trying to teach my kids why we give gifts, why there is a star at the top of the tree, and the real reason behind the season.  Our society has taken a Christian holy-day and turned it commercial, but there are so many wonderful things to teach our kids even in the commercial parts of Christmas.  I do find it intriguing how many non-Christians celebrate, and I welcome it.  Even if they don’t know the actual reason why we use a tree to decorate, or what the meaning behind candy canes and wreaths are (which ironically all have Christian roots) I pray that their hearts would be open during this time to feel God’s love for him and understand that they have been given the greatest gift, Jesus, whether they believe in Him or not at this point.

                One of the newest traditions of Christmas has become the elf on a shelf phenomenon, boy how I wish I had come up with that.  We have an elf that my 4-year-old creatively named Elfie when she was 2.  It is kind of a silly idea but it is so sweet how excited she gets when she finds that elf each day.  I started thinking about how blessed children are with their childlike faith.  I don’t know a little girl who doesn’t just live in an imaginary world.  My girls are always playing mommy or teacher or pretending to be a princess.  My favorite thing to watch is how pure their faith in God is.  When my oldest wakes up from a bad dream, the first thing she asks me to do is say a prayer for her.  When I put my 2-year-old to bed right now I can’t just pray for her, she wants me to pray for her stuffed cow, baby doll, pacifier, and any other random thing she has decided to sleep with that particular night.

                I think that’s why Jesus had a special place for children in his heart.  He healed many children and, unlike most men in that day, never sent children away when they came to him.  Instead he drew them to himself.  I love The Message translation of Matthew 18:2-7.  The “mature” men of God, the disciples, were inquiring of Jesus who ranked highest in the Kingdom of God.  In my opinion they were fishing to find out which of them was Jesus’ favorite. I love how he responded to them.  “For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, ‘I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me. But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and it’s doomsday to you if you do.’”  

                I truly believe that as adults sometime we do ourselves a disservice.  Rather than simply knowing and trusting that God has our best interests at heart, we over analyze every single time we are in a trial and lose our faith.  We think there is some magic formula to pleasing God and getting our prayers answered.  However, he simply wants us to humble ourselves and have simple trust like a child.

                The older I get and the longer that I am a Christian, I am so amazed at how much I realize I don’t know.  Over the last several months I have come across so many things in scripture that I never even knew were there.  I have been a Christian as long as I can remember, and it humbles me every single time I find something new in a book I thought I knew everything about already.  I’ve decided that rather than going through life trying to understand every little thing, I want to be more like my little girls looking for that elf.  I want to wake up each day with anticipation, excited to see where God is going to show up today.  I want to go back to the simple and elemental things and have a simple trust like a child.

How Hungry Are You?

         

          After becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom starting in August, I have been learning how to re-arrange how I do things.  One of the biggest things I have changed my approach to is grocery shopping.  It is next to impossible to efficiently shop when you have 3 kids in tow, especially since the closest grocery store is about 25 miles away.  It’s also tough to wait until daddy gets home, or the weekend because there are a lot of things around the house and outside that he needs to get done, having to watch the girls slows that process down.  So, I decided to become a once a month grocery shopper.  I started menu planning and doing one huge shopping trip per month rather than 3 or 4 smaller ones.  It has been great!  Not only does it save trips, it also saves money because I have to be strategic and plan ahead, plus I can more easily comparison shop.  It has gotten even easier with Walmart doing online ordering for groceries. You simply order them online and they bring them to your car and load them!  It has made a former Walmart despiser into a Walmart lover once again (this is not an advertisement, it is just a tip that has helped save my sanity.  If you want to try it though click here for $10 off your first order).  

Because I shop only once (unless I make a quick milk or egg run), I sometimes have to get creative at the end of the month.  If my kids snack more than expected or if I forgot something on my list at the beginning of the month, the cabinets tend to get bare.  It is amazing the snacks or meals you can come up with if you are forced to use what’s in the pantry, freezer, and fridge.  If you get hungry enough you will figure something out to cook.  Desperation plus Pinterest and Google recipe searches can inspire you to try something new.  You may even be willing to dig out the old-fashioned ingredients…you know, those things you put together like flour, sugar, and cream of tartar (whatever that is), when that ready-made meal is not there.

The same is true in our spiritual lives.  When we get “hungry” enough for a change of our circumstances we will be forced to be more creative.  When we are just not getting fed by others in a way we so desperately need, it’s time to pull out your own old-fashioned ingredients (AKA reading the Bible for yourself) and get a real meal.  It is during times of actual desperation and seeking that we may finally find exactly what we are looking for.  I know, just like many Christians, I have had seasons where I have allowed myself to get distracted or too busy and put Bible study on the back-burner and forgot to turn on the heat.  It happens to everyone.  However, there have also been seasons where I have become discouraged and frustrated feeling like God couldn’t be further away, and finally got so desperate for a change that I really pushed into God’s word.  It never fails, when I finally put God back in the #1 spot in my life where he rightfully belongs; I am able to hear from him again, I feel a lot more content and thankful, and I have a lot more peace in my days.  So, my question to you is: how hungry are you?  Are you going to wait until the cabinets of your soul are completely bare, or are you going to push in and get fulfilled?  

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

Finish Your Recipe

Growing up, I absolutely hated sloppy joes.  First of all, who in their right mind wants to eat something that brings to mind a big, sweaty man who might change oil at a gas station (at least that's the image that came to my mind)?  I had tried them a few times and just really didn't like them.  However, I married someone who does like them so I had to find a recipe that I liked.  It took a while, years in fact, but I finally found one (and of course it happens to be this one by The Pioneer Woman, I just love her recipes).  I will now openly admit, I LOVE sloppy joes!  I often make them a couple of times a month now.  Nothing beats some of these sloppy joes on a toasted bun with some melty, shredded cheese.  However, it takes the right combination of ingredients to make a sloppy joe that I will eat.  

I started thinking last night while I was cooking about the magic of a good recipe (I know sometimes the strangest things come to my mind, give me a break I spend my days with humans age 4 and under).  You can take several ingredients that by themselves are not particularly something good to eat and turn them into something delicious.  For the sloppy joes for instance, I hate mustard but the recipe would not taste right without it (I use regular mustard instead of the ground kind by the way).  I would never dream of sitting down and eating a plate of raw meat or a spoonful of chili powder.  However, when you put them together in the right amounts, and put them to the right amount of heat for just the right amount of time, something magical happens.  The same is true of one of my favorite sweets; hot, fresh chocolate chip cookies.  Flour is not appetizing on its own, and who would eat a couple of teaspoons of baking soda?  But, when mixed with all the right ingredients and put in a super-hot oven for just the right amount of time, they are heavenly.

I feel like we experience some of the same process in our lives.  God is crafting a "delicious" life for each one of us, but just like a good recipe, we must get all the ingredients mixed together completely and it needs time in the oven or on the stove to taste right.  If you gave up on a recipe because you tasted it before all the ingredients were added, or decided not to put it in the oven because it was just too hot, you would never enjoy the fulfillment of a delicious, fresh baked cookie.  Day by day and experience by experience, God is making us into what he has created us to be.  However, if we chose to quit because we are going through something hard or give up because our situation seems hopeless, we will never fully walk in what God created us to be.  Just like any recipe, some ingredients in life can stand alone as be good by themselves. For instance, getting a promotion at work or maybe celebrating a new baby are wonderful things.  However, some ingredients of life are just plain gross on their own (for me the mustard in the sloppy joes), but when combined with the rest of our life experiences can be crafted into a wonderful part of our testimony.  We must take the good with the bad and keep the end result in mind when things get tough.  

I truly believe that there are far too many people in this world that live unfulfilled, disappointed, and miserable lives because for whatever reason they didn't allow God to finish the recipe.  Maybe they hit a tough situation and got bitter and just never got over it.  Or perhaps they gave up because it seemed like the vinegar that they were dealing with would never make anything taste good.  Whatever the situation, we are called to persevere and allow God to use those things in our life to bless others.  Some of the most influential preachers I know have had to deal with some horrible life situations, whether their fault or not.  Some have been victims of childhood rape or maybe have come out of a drug addiction.  Many of the bad situations that we deal with in life are simple because we live in a sin-filled world.  However, God can take any of those situations and turn it around for His good, if we let him.  You never know 10 years from now, which of your "ingredients" will come in handy.  Don’t stop God before he’s done with you.  Some of the most delicious things in life take hours and hours to cook, don’t stop because it seems like God is taking too long.  He is the perfect chef and will pull you out of the oven at the right moment.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles 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

Bible Basics

Ever since I became a parent nearly 5 years ago now, I often think about how I will instill Christian values into my girls.  As a school teacher, I saw first hand what kinds of things at earlier and earlier ages kids are exposed to.  I saw kids as young as 7th and 8th grade get involved in drugs, end up pregnant, or just become followers of whatever way the wind of the current culture was blowing.  If I think too hard about it, it terrifies me that I will eventually have 3 teenage girls.  I pray all the time that they will make wise decisions, they will not fall into the lies of this world, and even that their future spouses are being raised in a godly home and will be wise.  We live in a crazy world now and I want my girls to be a light in the darkness.

My oldest has reached an age of asking "why?" about everything.  She is learning at an exponential rate right now and I have been looking for ways to teach her about God.  I am pretty excited to share something with you that I ran across and was able to get a preview copy of to look over and review.  It is a book called "Bible Basics A Baby Believer Counting Primer" by Danielle Hitchens and illustrated by Jessica Blanchard. I have looked it over and love it!  It is a counting book that uses many of the foundational truths of our faith as the items that are being counted from 1 to 10. For example, some of the things that are counted include the 3 parts of the Trinity, the 6 days of creation, and the 9 fruits of the spirit.  If you have followed my blog for long, you know I don't typically do this kind of post.  However, I feel like this is a great tool for my little ones and I really encourage you to look into it as well.
This book is a great asset for both young children and older children.  Some of the concepts will be above the understanding of a young toddler, but will serve as a good foundation for conversations about things like the Holy Spirit, creation, and fruits of the spirit.  I am giving away a copy of  this book starting now and ending 12/31/16! If you would like to enter for a chance to win, there are two ways to enter.  You can either comment on this blog post, or share a link for this post on Facebook.  If you want to enter twice, do both! Good luck! In the meantime if you are interested in purchasing this book click here. GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.  Congratulations Tatiana Amundson for winning a copy of this book!!!

What Are You Thinking?

Our minds are incredibly powerful things.  It's amazing how a simple thought has the power to bring us joy, cause us stress, make us angry, or make us cry.  If you think on something long enough, it will even begin to mold your belief system.  If you think you are unworthy or a loser or that you deserve bad things, you will begin to walk that out.  If you are constantly negative and complain about everything, you will not only drive others away because no one wants to be around a complainer, but you will also be miserable because you cannot find anything to be grateful for.  However, if you think not about what you don't have, but instead choose to think about all of your blessings, you will be able to live an abundant life regardless of your circumstances.

I love The Message translation of the Bible.  I don't always read that version, but it is such a good translation when you just want to get a good word in a more conversational, modern day way.  I was using The Message as a reference last night when I was reading, and I just loved 1 Peter 4:1-2. "Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want." I love that.  We must learn to think like Him.  We need to cast out those thoughts that don't line up with scripture.  We aren't going through anything tougher that going to the cross.  We have got to get away from expecting to always get our way.  I still struggle with that.  I want comfort and ease.

I grew up on a cattle ranch, so the first thing I think about when I see that term "weaning" is when we would wean calves from their mothers every fall.  I remember that for several days after separating those calves from their moms they would bawl and carry on.  However, it was time for them to move from milk to solid food.  After they finished their fits for a couple of days and got a taste of good grain and hay, they never wanted to go back.  They would actually nearly knock us over when we would feed them each day trying to get that good grain.  

We go through the same thing as Christians.  We whine and carry on wanting our way.  If we always get our way though, we may miss out on what God has for us.  Sure, we can keep taking in the "milk" forever and get by, but if we really want to experience God we need to "wean" ourselves from the milk only diet.  It may not be fun or easy right away, but it will be worth it.  I want to move on from milk and get a good steak dinner.  I want to stop being held back by wanting my way.  I want to desire more "to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what I want."

That is an incredibly hard thing to do, but so incredibly worth it.  I know that the times I have finally given up my desires and simply submitted to what God's will was, it wasn't easy but there has never been a time it wasn't worth it.  We had to do this a few years ago in the form of house shopping.  We kept hitting dead ends and finally realized we were trying to force something that was outside of God's will.  We had expected to just get our way, because after all we were Christians and everything should just work out, right?  We realized that we needed to set that aside until God wanted us to have it.  It was so hard setting that dream aside, however, when we finally did, we were blessed (after a time of patience, praying, and trusting) with an open door that was far better than what we were trying to force.  It wasn't easy but it was definitely worth it.  I pray today that both you and I will have the discernment and the strength to allow God to "wean" us and help us to pursue His will rather than our own.