Performing

The famous bard from Avon, William Shakespeare, wrote into the script of his play, As You Like It, these lines-

"All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players.They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts."





It all starts out rather innocently enough. Let me dance a little dance. I will sing you a little song. Perhaps I could tell you a good joke or two?

You want to do a good thing. You want people to like you, approve of you and appreciate your gifts and talents. You might even think God expects it of you. You might think that maybe if you just did a little more or did it better perhaps He would love and accept you more. You know that His love, acceptance and grace is there, but maybe it is just for other people, not you. Sure He died on a cross for you, but you barely made the cut and you are going to have to make it up by doing laps. Then there are the voices from the past and the present around you that unknowingly and unwittingly confirm that message and add a little shame to the poison pot you have prepared for yourself. In your head you know that it is wrong, but in your heart the truth just won't stick. So you keep striving.


Trying to be good enough, smart enough, talented enough, spiritual enough and meet the expectations of others and of yourself whether real or imagined is exhausting. Sure, in the beginning you have enough stamina. You keep striving and working and pushing through the fatigue. You take on things you know you have no business doing and your priorities begin to blur. You don't ask for help, that would be considered weak, right? You power through it alone and you look pretty good on the outside, but on the inside the house of cards is coming down. You have trained everyone around you to think you have it all together and that you are "strong and capable". They never suspect the battle that is taking place inside you. Maybe some do, but are not real comfortable with that idea, so they ignore it. Confusion sets in and you wonder how in the world did you get here? There is something inside that is telling you that your focus is way off but you are so entrenched in works and busyness that you can't even pause to ponder that still small voice beckoning you to rest and listen a bit. Before you know it you hit a wall and you are sick, tired and burnt out!

I wish I could say I have never experienced that, but I can't. The wheels of my vehicle can easily slide onto that well worn road. I have lost my focus and I caved to the expectations I thought others had of me and expectations I had of myself. The weight of it all overtook me like a strong wave and sent me tumbling to the depths of exhaustion. I bowed down to an idol of performance and approval and forgot the love, grace and acceptance my Lord has for me. Performance is a pretty rotten god. Performance is what the Israelites did for years in the form of sacrifices, rituals and laws. Performance is what this carnal world expects and demands. Performance only serves to frustrate, irritate and leave you beaten on the side of the road discarded, empty and disillusioned.

Matthew 11:28-30
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."


The true God, the Living God calls to you. He asks you to be still. (Psalm 46:10) Come away with Me for a bit He speaks to your heart. Lay your weary head on my shoulder. Pause. Know my child that I love you and accept you right where you are. No matter what you do or don't do you are Mine. Rest in Me.

Ecclesiates 2:11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Religious performance just presents mankind with another stage, on which to engage in yet another avenue of "role-playing." We are not mere players in His play. We are His children. We are not slaves, but His beautiful bride. We are not an ememy of God, but a friend. Our worth is not based on what we do or do not do. We are worthwhile because He took great pleasure in making us. We can never do enough to be accepted because we already are through our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our performance is null and void and will not earn us a spot in heaven because He has already done all that would ever be needed on the cross.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from youselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph. 2:8,9).

Lord God help us to stop performing and start letting You live your life through us. Forgive us. Help us Lord to rest in you and remember your love, grace and acceptance for us through your Son Jesus Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Steel Magnolias and Weeping Willows

I was thinking about this today after having had a difficult week with my son "Football". He was physically violent a few times at school last week to some children that didn't take too kindly to being controlled and manipulated by him. Nothing serious and it was only twice which actually is a pretty big improvement from where we have been. I was remembering a scene from the movie Steel Magnolias when all the women where in Truvy's beauty shop were gossiping and joking around and then all of a sudden Shelby has a pretty severe low blood sugar episode. Shelby's mom, M'Lynn, handles the episode so well. It is so tragically commonplace for Shelby to have these episodes that M'Lynn instinctively gives her juice, all while taking Shelby's verbal swings at her in stride. Her blood sugar returns to normal. Everyone in the shop seems to "get" what is going on and are loving and supportive during and after the episode.

I wish sometimes I could be more like M'Lynn when our episodes occur and I wish sometimes that everyone "got" it. Sometimes I feel so alone with all of this. With a mental disorder like Reactive Attachment Disorder many people just think you have a kid you can't control. Some people can't understand why you have to be so structured and firm or why you have to stop and explain cause and effect...over and over and over again. They don't get why you won't let him more than a few feet away from you or why you have a difficult time relaxing. There are days I do well. I am a "Steel Magnolia" and am loving, understanding and doing the best I can do for my child never personalizing his behavior or the behavior or judgement of others. Then there are days I am a Weeping Willow. I get tired. I droop and want to give up. I look around and all my leaves are falling off! I take personally his behavior and the opinion of others real or imagined. I feel alone, isolated and misunderstood.

Well, Steel Magnolias is just a movie. My life is pretty real and so is yours. Sometimes I just have to be weak, so He can show himself strong in my life. I can't do it alone. I need Him and it is in those times that I am a "weeping willow" that I realize that more than ever. He lets me hit that brick wall as a reminder of my weakness and insufficiency. Maybe you can relate, even if your circumstances or struggles are different than mine. We all have a point where we come to the end of what we can "will" ourselves out of emotionally....and I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing when we stop trying to work it out for ourselves and lean on Him. It is a good thing to remove you and your abilities as an object of faith. He is where my strength comes from. He is the all powerful and all sufficient God. I believe when we can grasp that that He can work through us and accomplish more than we ever hoped or imagined. I haven't arrived there, but I am sure working.....on not working at it.

Hebrews 11:33-34 says:

By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

Father I ask you to help us all to rest in our own efforts and to cast our cares on you. Help us to rely on Your strength and not our own. Refresh us and renew us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

IN THE DARK

The other night I went to go pick up my oldest daughter from dance class. It was a typical dark southern night. It just seems to get darker here than anywhere else I have ever lived before. The air was still moist and humid from a rainstorm we had earlier that day. The ground had not yet absorbed all the moisture from the heavy rain so there were puddles everywhere. We live in a housing subdivision that is on the edge of the woods and the darkness is filled with all kinds of buzzing, chirping and hissing noises that after 13 years in this part of the United States I have finally gotten used to.

We chit chatted as we drove home and then I pulled into our drive way and parked the van near the garage. It was late, had been a long day and my pillow was calling my name, so I was anxious to get inside the house and go to bed. We got out of the van and made our way up the side walk towards our dimly lit front porch. I was wearing flip flops and my feet were getting wet. I didn't mind as the temperature is still fairly warm. It was then that I felt something jump on my foot! I couldn't make out what it was in dark, but it felt slimy, wet and was climbing on me. Yikes!! I screamed and kicked it off my foot. Whatever it was, it must have been determined because it came in for a second assault! By this time I was jumping, hollering and dancing on the sidewalk like a mad woman! If my neighbors had taken a look outside they might have thought I had lost my mind or I was having some sort of spiritual experience. I finally made it into the light to see that it was just a tiny brown frog. I was embarrassed and relieved at the same time. My frightened and confused daughter said, "Mom, I thought you were have some kind of seizure or something!" In those moments my mind had quickly imagined a copperhead or water moccasin snake climbing up my leg during the incident, which are both common to our area and are very poisonous. The snake in my mind thankfully was just a tiny brown frog trying to find higher ground on my top of my bare foot.

In the dark everything seems bigger, threatening and more frightening. In the light most things turn out to be pretty small compared to the image our minds can create. Darkness distorts things! Some things and even some people have seemed huge to me in my mind! They seem powerful, controlling, intimidating and even dangerous. However, in the light of God's word and in His wisdom they are very small like that little brown frog on the dark, wet sidewalk. The light removes their power, might and strength because it reveals truth! When we remove our focus from the obstacle in the darkness and place it squarely on the Lord and on the light of His Word everything in comparison seems very small, insignificant and not threatening. His light chases away the darkness and just like that porch light reveals the truth.

John 8:12:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

We are living in an age when so many things can seem overpowering to us. What we must remember is that in the eternal scheme of things and in God's economy things are not often what they seem. He sees the big picture and encompasses all time, while we live in the here and now and exist in our own man made boxes of understanding. Only through following Him will we be able walk in the light that leads to life.

Lord please help us to continually follow You and not walk after the darkness or any of it's distorted attributes. Help us to maintain our focus on You and the light of your Word. In Jesus Name, Amen!

More Than A Conqueror

Identification Please....

I was walking on my treadmill earlier this week and listening to a well known teacher whom I am a great fan of. She said something that really struck a cord with me. She was speaking about the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. She referenced the following passage:

Matthew 4
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The point she made, that really hit home with me, was the If and the It is written part. Satan made the statement "If you are the Son of God". The first thing Satan attempted to do to Jesus was to make Him doubt who He was. I have read this verse countless times over the years and I never noticed the "if" before!

The first thing Satan will most often do when we are in the wilderness is to try to cause us to doubt who God says we are. Wow, talk about mind blowing! Do you have or have you had thoughts like: "you must not be a christian if you do/say that", "you couldn't possibly be God's child and behave like that" or "you are just not good enough to be a christian". The possibilities and scenarios are endless. The point is that our adversary, the devil, seeks to devour your perception of the truth. He seeks to get you to doubt your identity in Christ.

The Bible is very clear about who the believer is. The Bible is your sword and it was the sword Jesus used to defeat Satan in that moment. Read verse 4 again.

4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus didn't argue with Satan, nor did he try to explain to Satan who He was. He basically said, "look Satan, it doesn't matter what you say, because IT IS WRITTEN and all that matters is what God says." This passage was about much more than just being hungry in the wilderness folks!

So listen up! It doesn't matter what the world says, because IT IS WRITTEN. It doesn't matter what your enemies say, because IT IS WRITTEN. It doesn't matter what what anyone says about who you are, because who you are....IS WRITTEN!

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you have made him Lord and Savior of your life then you need to know who God says you are. It is truly foundational and an important part of defending yourself against the attacks of the enemy. Here is a sampling, but I encourage you to feast on the Word of God yourself.

Who I Am In Christ


I am accepted...

John 1:12
I am God's child.

John 15:15
As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1
I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17
I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body.

Ephesians 1:3-8
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10
I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16
I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.


I am secure...

Romans 8:1-2
I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28
I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39
I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.

Colossians

3:1-4
I am hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6
I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20
I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7
I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.



I am significant...

John 15:5
I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.

John 15:16
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16
I am God's temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21
I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6
I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10
I am God's workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12
I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Your friend, More Than A Conqueror.

P.S. If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ and want to be click here http://www.ficm.org/receivec.htm

God is not mad at you!!

Here I am again. I am so completely fed up with religion. Not my relationship with Jesus, just religion. Rules, laws, self imposed unreasonable expectation, control and manipulation....religion. Ok, my version of what that means. Don't get offended. Please don't get too caught up in semantics. You know what I mean. Whatever you want to call it, I can see how much it has injured people. I can see how much we injure one another and ourselves! That was never His intent. God doesn't love that way. God isn't waiting on the other side of that bush with a baseball bat ready to let you have it if you make a mistake. He really had to remind me of that again today. He has to remind me of that often. I can go there so easily. I tend to come before Him cowering and fearful ready for a good slap down. I tend to forget about my relationship with Him and go back to trying to "perform" to meet what I think are His expectations. I think I do that with others at times too. Both in expectation of them and of myself.

Do you want to please God? Love Him and love others, that is all. Really. Not rocket science. In loving him your motives will be altered. In loving Him it becomes about Him, not you. You will make mistakes but you won't want to do anything that would hurt Him or cause Him disappointment. He knows that heart and that is the heart that pleases His!

Does God get disappointed with us? Yes. Is He mad at times? Yes....not at His children, but at our behavior. We can make him downright furious. Do your kids actions make you mad sometimes? Mine do! Do I toss them away when they anger me? No, they are my kids! I may not like what they do, but I love them. Come boldly before the throne! Come like a child, not an enemy. Come expecting His love, grace, mercy and forgiveness!

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

If someone came before me with an attitude like, "I know you are a harsh person and not a loving individual so I really don't expect much from you, but would you get me out of this tight spot I am in?", how do you think I'd feel? How would you feel? How do you think the heart of God feels when we come to Him like that? I think He feels hurt and completely misunderstood. God is not mad at you! He is not mad at me. He may be hurt about some of the choices we make, but understand my friend that God deeply, deeply loves you.

Galatians 5

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

More Than A Conqueror

JOY!!!

When my oldest son was small I really wanted him to have a dog. (That is him in that picture above) There is something about a boy and a dog. It is a special thing and I wanted him to have that experience. I wasn't working at the time and our income was just enough for us to get by, so the number one requirement was that this dog was as close to free as possible. I was reading the local paper one morning and I saw an add for a small black puppy. The breed was "unknown" and all they wanted was $40 to cover the money spent for her shots. After my son was fast asleep that evening I left him at home with my husband and took a drive to the neighboring town to go see about the little black dog. I drove on roads unknown to me in the North Carolina darkness and arrived at the address the family who was caring for her had given me over the phone. What I saw was this tiny squirming ball of black fir. I paid the woman the $40 and tucked her in my jacket and proceeded to drive home. The drive was pretty eventful as I struggled to keep my eyes on the road and control the wiggly mass tucked in my jacket.

The next morning we introduced my little boy to his new dog. He was thrilled and the puppy jumped all over him and drenched him with doggy kisses. It was a match made in heaven. We talked about names for his new puppy and just couldn't come up with one. One thing we noticed about her was that she was always wagging her tail. This dog was never unhappy and was terribly hyper. She just had so much love for everyone that she couldn't contain her joy. So, "Joy" it was. We named our hyper, happy and overly-loving new puppy, "Joy". She lived up to her name. My one year old little girl would shriek for us to pick her up when Joy would come running. She knew Joy would jump all over her and cover her in dog slobber!

I was thinking about Joy this morning and those memories made me smile. The memories also brought a verse to mind that I haven't thought about in a long time.

Nehemiah 8:10
The joy of the Lord is your strength

Lately I have been overwhelmed and tired. Trying to keep up with the demands of being a mom and working out side the home can cause me to feel pretty drained some days. I know that lots of moms experience the same feelings. I have been praying that the Lord would strengthen me. He reminded me, when I read that verse, that my strength comes from the joy that is found in my relationship with Him. Spending time in prayer, in His word and just involving Him in every moment brings an incredible joy that creates amazing strength in those who call Him Lord. So much of the time I get so busy I forget that He is with me and wonder why I am running out of steam. He never intended for me to power through this life without Him. He wants me to depend on Him and commune with Him at all times. He is so good!

Father God, I pray for Moms today and Dads too that give all they have and sometimes come up feeling a bit short on strength...and joy. I pray that you would remind us all where our "joy" and our "strength" comes from. Thank you Lord for your refreshing presence! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rain

Seems it never rains in Southern California

Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before

It never rains in California

But girl, don't they warn ya

It pours man it pours

If you are my age you probably remember that song. I never have been a big fan of rain. I don't know if it comes from being raised mostly in a very sunny place or what. In the past I have seen rain as dark, depressing and lonely. My association with it probably comes from one of the most difficult, yet amazing times of my life, spent in the Seattle area many years ago. It was a difficult time in my life, but also one of the most intimate times I have ever experienced with God. It rained for for almost two months solid when we moved there. It was drenched outside, and it seemed a cloud hung over me inside my home as well. It was a dark time and a dark place but God met me there. He showed me during that time that He would never leave me and our relationship transformed into something very personal and very real. He was in my every moment and I learned that the world can be falling apart around you and you can still have all you need....in Him. I learned a deep dependence on God that I had never known before. Those years were very difficult, but they were also a very glorious time in my life.

Eventually the sun came back. I had my doubts that it would at that time, but thankfully it did. It had been dark for so long and I had learned to function in that state. When the sun appeared I staggered back into the light and struggled to adjust my vision to the bright light. I eventually got the color back in my face and the bounce back in my step. I was grateful for the sun but even more grateful for the lessons I learned in the rain. I thought maybe that might be the last time that kind of rain came into my life. I hoped so anyway. As much as I enjoyed the close fellowship with God during that time it was a period of time that I did not want to repeat. However, we do live in an imperfect world and rain will come from time to time.

I think you can look at rain one of two ways. Rain does bring darkness, but it also brings refreshment. Rain can keep you inside alone and isolated or you can choose to go outside and dance in the rain anyway. Rain can make you sleepy and you will have to rest, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. When the rain comes you will get wet, but you will get clean too!

I recently have had a time of rain in my life. This one has lasted for a good while. I can see the sun starting to peek through the clouds. Again He has met me during this time. Even if sometimes it was so stormy that it was hard to see Him I could feel His presence. I know that I will look back on this season of rain and take away from it some good things.

Matthew 5:45:45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Heavenly Father I lift up anyone who might be reading this that is hoping the rain will go away and I ask you to meet them there and help them to embrace the truths you will bring to them during this time. Put your arms around them and bring them comfort and strength and whisper hope into their ears like you have for me. I give you Praise for the rain. In Jesus name, Amen.

More Than A Conqueror

Wipe Out

As a teenager I lived in Southern California less than 2 miles from the beach. I loved the beach and really enjoyed body surfing, although I am no expert. No surf board or boogie board, just me and the water. I used to go to the beach with my family on the weekends and then with friends during the week days during the summer. Many times I would go alone. I was an aide in the Principal's office at the high school I attended. I knew if I got the faculty mail sorted quickly that his secretary would let me leave early and I could get down to the beach for a while. I loved that woman!

So I would drive down to the beach in my 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, get out, drop my stuff on the beach and run and jump in the water. I would patiently wait for something decent to ride in on. Sometimes I'd wait for a long time. It was so peaceful out there just me and the water. Then I'd spot it, a decent wave! I'd start to swim really hard and as fast as I could and if I caught it I'd ride it in. It was such a amazing experience!

I live in the south now and I am very land locked. We only get to the beach once every couple years now. I have children and I am usually too busy keeping an eye on them to go out by myself. The only water my children regularly get exposed to is our neighborhood pool. So, naturally, for safety sake, I don't take my eyes off them. My body surfing days are behind me now.

The other night I was dreaming about a day long ago on the beach. I remember I had been out in the water for a long time and then I saw it! The bomb, that is a pretty large wave, compared to the normal sized waves I'd seen that day. I hesitated and thought maybe I'd just swim under it. Maybe I couldn't handle it. You know that little voice that kinda gives you a check in your spirit. Well, I heard it and I ignored it. My 16 year old, teenage excitement overcame that voice and I started swimming and I caught it! It was awesome. At that moment I felt as though I was on top of the world. I felt like I was flying and gliding on top of the water as it carried me to shore! There is not a feeling like it in the world!

Then something went wrong and then next thing I know I was spinning around and twirling under the water and eating a little sand as well. As things began to calm I started looking around and it occurred to me that I didn't know where I was. I didn't know where up or down was. I had drifted down deeply in the water and I couldn't see the surface. I was in serious trouble. I had this panicky feeling and the thought occurred to me that this might be the end. I began fighting those thoughts and tried hard to calm myself down. I started looking around. I notice the bubbles next to me and noted the direction they were going in and followed them to the surface. I gasped loudly as my face hit the surface. Breathing air had never been so wonderful! I don't know how long I was down there, but it felt like a really, really long time!

So now it is 24 years later and I awake with a start! It was just a dream. It was just memory from long ago. I am in my house, in my bed. My husband is asleep next to me and my kids are all asleep in their rooms. I lay there thinking about that moment years ago and about what fear can do. I remember how paralyzed I was in that moment. I thought about the battle that was taking place in my mind. If I didn't take control of my thoughts that day I may very well not be here today. Then a familiar scripture came to mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5: Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Our minds can take us to some pretty far out places. If we let fear get a grip on our thoughts the results can be pretty catastrophic. Faith is the opposite of fear. Our fearful thoughts can drown out wisdom and direction. If we are living fearfully, we simply are not living. Fear brings distraction and distraction brings mistakes. We can miss what God might be trying to tell us. Some mistakes are costly. Some mistakes have eternal significance that we are not even aware of.

Father, help me to keep my mind closed to fear and fearful thoughts. Help me God to take all thoughts captive to Christ. Where there is doubt Lord, help me to overcome it. Especially when I wipe out! In Jesus Name, Amen.

More Than A Conqueror

The Storm

Some seasons seem to be filled with more storms than others. This year in the Southern United States we had a very stormy spring. Summer seems pretty dry in comparison so far, but we are getting some nice ones here and there. The rain, wind, lightening and thunder in nature I don't mind too much. They are actually quite nice, particularly with the heat we have been experiencing.

The storms of our lives are quite another subject all together. I wish I could say that those kind of storms were relaxing, refreshing and they cooled the atmosphere, but they are not and they do not. Those kind of storms can cause you to feel weariness, discouragement, depression, like you are all alone and that your trials might never end.

Since 2001 my family and I have been facing many different kinds of storms. Storms like threats of lay offs, good size pay cuts and financial trials, relational struggles, deaths of loved ones, fostering and adopting two hurting children and various other large and small disappointments and set backs. It has been quite a roller coaster.

I don't think we are all that unusual. I just think that people in the christian community would prefer to hide the dirt under the rug. We just don't talk about it and we think that somehow doing that makes it go away. Down deep we are hurting and struggling, but since everyone else is behaving like everything is "hunky dory" we feel naked and exposed revealing our own trials. Sometimes we take a chance, share and get the "deer in the headlights" look from someone and that sets us back a bit. We end up feeling more misunderstood and stranger than ever so we pick ourselves up and get back to building our perfect white picket fence again. We try to "look" OK, but we are not. It reminds me so much of that children's book The Emperor's New Clothes. A crafty tailor had convinced the emperor that he had made the most beautiful robe for him to wear, when in reality he wasn't wearing anything at all. No one would dare say anything about the emperor's nakedness except for one very honest little child who pointed out the obvious deficiency in clothing to the emperor. I always get a chuckle out of that story. Some days I am the emperor and other days I play the child. It is amazing what we will tell ourselves to get by. Sometimes though the truth is staring us right in the face and there is just no looking away!

Can I be very bold and say that I am tired of all the pretending and faking it? Life is hard. The Word of God is very clear about that.

1 Peter 4:12:
Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

Fiery, wow, that doesn't sound very fun. I have to admit I have thought it strange more than once. "Why me?" I have thought. "Why us?" I've wondered. Well, if I am understanding that verse correctly, why not me and why not us, right?

Bad things and really hard things are just going to happen sometimes. There is no magic formula to negate the truth that we are living in a fallen world and have an adversary that delights in causing us pain and discomfort.

Can we love one another, reserve judgement and stand in the gap during each other's trials and struggles? Let us not scatter and avoid people that are suffering. Let us not run for the hills when others are full of joy and we are not.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Most of all we need to understand that we have a BIG God that is in there with us, through all of it and will never leave or forsake us. He sent us The Holy Spirit who will never abandon us.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever--

Father through the storms in life that I encounter, and through all the disappointments and pain.... I am so grateful that You have not left me and that You never will. Thank you God and help me to love others as you have loved me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

More Than A Conqueror

People Who Bite (Yes, My Mind Works A Bit Differently Than Others)

No, this one is not about vampires. I think my kids would probably think it was really cool if it was, with the current Twilight movie trend. This one is about prickly people. You know ones I am talking about, those people that try to take a chunk out of you when you get near them. I suppose all of us have been that way at least once or twice in our lives. Well, maybe some of us a bit more than that perhaps? But some people, it seems, know no other way to be. I think that is tragically sad. My focus isn't only on the reasons they became that way, but on an appropriate response to them. It would be helpful to understand them better although that does nothing to curtail their mood or destructive actions. It is really hard not to blow it sometimes and react in kind. Seems the only variable that is controllable in circumstances such as these is our own reactions to their behavior. The feelings that try to sneak in are even harder to get a handle on.

I have a fascination with Cesar Millan, star of The Dog Whisperer. I think he is really on to something and not just with canines. Honestly, I think the guy is brilliant! You probably think I am a bit strange, but check out an episode or two and you will know exactly what I am talking about. I have a miniature dachshund and if you know much about the breed you know how dominant they can be if you let them.

So here I was one night watching The Dog Whisperer and checking out Cesar in action and I began wondering why some people are just always in a bad mood and are difficult to get along with, like the dogs he was working with. I thought about dogs. I thought about "unbalanced" dogs, "fearful" dogs, "dominant" dogs and "vicious" dogs etc., etc. I think people are not much different in that respect. People are unbalanced because they have been given wrong information about who they are. People are fearful because they have been hurt and wounded at some point in their lives and can't move forward because of the memory. People are overly dominant because they under the mistaken assumption that they must be in control of any given situation. People are vicious I think because because they are in mental anguish. Truly, I think it all comes down to fear. Have you seen that insane chihuahua episode? That dog looks like it is demon possessed or something! It might have something to do with the fact that death for him means someone sitting in the wrong chair, I don't know.

Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear communicates a lack of trust. Fear is defined as: a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Faith on the other hand is defined as: confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. So can we say that difficult, angry, unkind people in general are probably very fearful people? Seems like it to me.

So how do I react? I am a pretty sensitive person. It isn't hard for me to feel wounded and captured in my own fleshly pity party. I am being completely transparent with you. Cesar would say that I am creating unbalance in the "animal" by behaving that way. It shows weakness. If I get angry at their assault and bite back that is also interpreted by them as weakness and will increase the anxiety and fear in the "animal". The correct response would be "calm, assertive" behavior. Well, what does this look like I wondered?

I looked to the Bible, sorry Cesar but Jesus trumps you and me, and I searched out what reaction Jesus had towards his biggest critics and accusers. These dudes got down right ugly. The Pharisees were harsh. They continually misrepresented God as a "can't wait to rain fire and brimstone on you" type of deity. They missed the point and message of Jesus all together. They were well studied and they got the truth part right some of the time because of all their "knowledge", but completely missed the love part (which is kinda central, don't you think?). They made a big deal about things that really didn't matter. They were committed to truth at any cost, and they didn't care who they destroyed in order to protect that truth. I'd say they were a bit "prickly" wouldn't you? Jesus was not threatened by their heavy handed attacks and threats. He was "calm and assertive". He is the "Truth" and He was sitting right there under their noses and they were completely blind to it.

Matthew 15

10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”
13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

and also

Ephesians 4

15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

They couldn't rattle him and He was no wimp. He didn't run away from confrontation. He didn't argue with them in vain. He simply said it like it was and did it in a calm manner. He sounds pretty "balanced" to me!

Father, please help me to not get caught up in my own emotions and personalize fiery darts that come my way. It is no surprise that they come, because your Word says they will. Help me to react in a way that honors You. In Jesus Name, Amen.