When you find yourself in a sticky situation...

Quite some time ago, I had a conversation with someone who was having a difficult time with family members.  It was an emotional time for my friend.  In this emotional state they began to speak about the situation coming up with the family members in a negative way…claiming that the situation was going to blow up into an argument.  It was obvious that there were already hard feelings there.  I told this person that the situation didn’t need to blow up and it would and could blow up only if they wanted and allowed it to.

You see, we cannot control what other people do, but we can control what we do and how we react to what others do.  If we know that a situation is volatile(or and situation for that fact!), that’s when we should take it to the Lord in prayer.

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS!!

We have different choices that we can make in situations like this.  We can take it into our own hands doing any number of things…and more than likely make a mess of the entire situation, or we can give it to the Lord.  Giving it to the Lord is the best and wisest decision we can make.  And, when we take it to the Lord, of course this fleshly body that we’re in usually wants what it wants when it wants it.  We need to remember that we should always ask for God’s will and not our own.  We may think that we know exactly what needs to be done in a given situation.  But in reality, God is the only One who can see the big picture.

When you find yourself in a sticky situation, remember to take it to the Lord and trust that He will work all things out for the good.  In my friends’ situation, I believe that’s exactly what they did.  I found out later that everything went swimmingly.

Trust God…He has our best interests at heart.    

So...I find myself frustrated with...

So...I find myself frustrated with others from time to time.  Then I ask myself, why?  Well, because they’re not doing what I think they should.  Hmmm…then I ask myself…what am I not doing that God wants me to do and is probably waiting for me to do?  Yikes!!  Hello!!

You know if we have given our lives to follow Jesus, we are all on a different place on the same path.  Just because we “get” or understand something now doesn’t mean that everyone else around us will get it at the same time we do.  In fact, if we’re honest with ourselves, we probably aren’t getting something that they understand. 

We’re all unique individuals and God has a time and place for understanding the things that He wants us to understand as individuals.  And…He is supremely patient in waiting for us to come to the understanding that He wants us to have.  Oh, how grateful I am for His grace and mercy for me!!

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.  Proverbs 27:17 

We need to be who God made us to be and not compare ourselves to others…or hold them to our expectations!  As we interact with others, just simply being who we are in Christ will cause us to sharpen one another.  That’s the work of the Holy Spirit…not us.

So, cut yourself and others some slack.  Take care of yourself.  Focus on being who you are in Christ.  Leave the rest to God.  I’m sure He’s got it all under control!  J

In Paula Deen's situation...

 

The last few days the hot topic has been about Paula Deen.  I read today where someone said that no grace had been extended to her and how folks don’t understand God’s grace.  Well, I have to agree that many folks don’t understand God’s grace, but I don’t agree that it’s our place to decide whether or not grace has been extended to her or not.  There’s no way we can know the full extent of what has happened to cause this storm.

In my own life, I have sowed and reaped good things and bad things.  It’s life!  I’m an imperfect human just like everyone else who has ever walked this planet, except Jesus, of course.  I have had to be a part of reaping things that were not good because I was a part of a family/group that had sown badly.  No, it’s not fair…and I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that there have been days I have struggled with the idea that I felt like I was paying for someone else’s bad sowing.  But, the reality is…God is sovereign…period!!  He has a purpose for all things and it’s not for me to question his sovereignty. (Trust me, I have reaped plenty of my own sowing from poor choices, too!)

And yet some might say; where is God’s grace in all of this?  Maybe we/whomever should just be let off the hook because of God’s grace? I could easily ask these questions in the situations I’ve been in where I wasn’t the one doing the sowing, but…I won’t.  The reason is because I see God’s grace everywhere in these situations in my own life!  My question is; who are we to determine where God’s grace ends and where it begins?  I can easily see that if it weren’t for God’s grace, things could be a lot worse than they are now in my life/family…but it’s not!  I know God’s grace is here…but I truly don’t know the extent…beginning and ending of it.  Nor is it for me to question the sovereignty of God.  I trust that He knows best.


I also know from my own experiences that I’ve extended a tremendous amount of grace to folks who have abused it.  At some point, we all have to make a decision that we’re not going to be a door mat.

 

In Paula Deen’s situation, I feel badly that she’s having a rough go of it now.  But I also feel badly for those who have been the recipient of harsh words spoken to them by her.  It’s a bad situation all around.  There is no winner in this.  But this I do know; And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 

Sometimes, reaping what we’ve sown is not easy.  But, it’s what we learn from it and how we apply it to our future sowing that either makes us a better person or in our stupidity or ignorance, keeps us continuing on the same path.  It’s our choice. 

When speaking the truth...

How is the truth being spoken?  Is it spoken in love or is it being screamed from a street corner with a bull horn or worse yet, from a pulpit by a screaming, spitting pastor?

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,  I have become a gong or clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

From my own history, I can tell you that I was used to receiving what I believed to be truth without love…and often, that’s how I spoke the truth, as well.  I come from a highly dysfunctional family and it’s all I knew.  I thought it was normal to be critical, mean spirited and overbearing in “truth.”

When I became a Christian and began attending church, it seemed normal to have the truth yelled or screamed at me from the pulpit.  But when I truly began to understand the love of God, this yelling and screaming didn’t make any sense to me.  I began to question where the love was in it.  I can understand being passionate and intense in explaining something, but when it leads to someone yelling, screaming and pointing fingers at those who they consider sinners and calling other denominations cults simply because they believe they have the right to…I cannot stomach it.  I don’t want to hear a word that is being said.  I have been in church services where people, who felt the same way I did, got up and walked out.  There is no love in this type of message, even if there is some truth in what is being spoken.

So, yes…when speaking the truth, speak it in love.  The old saying, “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” speaks volumes.  Truth…speak it in love or don’t speak it at all…please?!

 

Just because you stand for what you believe...

Just because you stand for what you believe doesn’t mean you don’t love sinners.  Speak the truth in love, love the sinner. 

If you’re a Christian, persecution comes with the territory to a greater or lesser degree depending upon where in the world you live.  If we stand up for the truth of what God says about living a moral life, we’re persecuted. 

When Jesus told the Pharisees that whoever was without sin to cast the first stone, He was defending a woman who had been caught in adultery.  Jesus then spoke to the woman and told her to go and sin no more.  He spoke the truth to her in that she shouldn’t commit the sin of adultery any longer.  He was loving and kind to her.  He didn’t shy away from speaking the truth to her in love nor did He condemn her or, being the only One without sin, He didn’t stone her.

This is how we should, as Christians, handle similar situations.  In the times that we live in now, it seems that we can say that we’ve nearly seen it all…there’s nothing new under the sun.  There are some crazy things going on in our world and when we need to stand up for the truth, we need to speak the truth in love.  In 1 Corinthians it says that if we speak with tongues of men or angels but we don’t have love, we are like a clanging gong or cymbal.  Annoying!!  Speak the truth in love, but know that not everyone is going to like what you have to say.  Persecution is everywhere and should be anticipated.  Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.   Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.   But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” John 15:18-22

Don’t condone sin.  Speak the truth in love.  Know that we will be persecuted.  Remember that God is with us.  His grace is sufficient to get us through all things!

Don't let others fit you into their...

No one but you knows what you are called to do.  Don’t let others fit you into their mold of what they think you should do.  Be the you that God created you to be.

Several years ago, I was a pretty insecure person.  I worried about what others said and thought about me…I was a people pleaser.  That behavior is all that I knew…from childhood well into my adult life as well!   

Anyway, years ago when I was a kid, I remember that I loved to sing and even tryed to write songs…music has always done it for me!  One day I heard a couple of girls singing and I said to a close relative that I could sing as well as them.  This person laughed and said, “Oh no you can’t.”  I cannot begin to tell you how many years those words affected me…because I believed them!  After that, I never even considered singing aloud for others until I was well into my twenties.  It’s true!

One day, I remembered that situation.  I realized then, just how much I had let those four little words affect my life.  I made a decision that I would no longer let someone fit me into their mold of what they thought I was capable of doing.  NO MORE!  No one but God and myself know what He has called me to do.  (Of course I only know the details on a “need to know” basis.)  I will not let the opinions of others rule my life.  That was one of the best decisions that I could have ever made.

If we aren’t secure in who God has created us to be, how can we ever be fully effective within the Body o f Christ?  When you’re on a mission, so to speak, and you know that God has called you to do it, don’t let anyone stop you.  Keep your eyes on the Lord.  Don’t look to the right or the left.  God will see you through to the end!  

 

Because I know that God loves me...

 

While working outside in the yard today, I watched our dog, Stewie.  He would run around, randomly going about his business as dogs do and then from time to time he would start barking loudly…not at anything in particular. He cracks me up!  After a while he would go lie down in the shade and rest.  Then later, he would get up and start the process all over again.  I have a special whistle that I have always used for him and he knows that whistle.  When I whistled for him, he came running, full tilt! 

This made me think about myself and God.  As I run about in my daily life, do I have my ears tuned to hear God when he calls to me?  I hope I do…that’s my goal.  If I do, am I obedient in answering his call…or do I continue on with my own agenda? Yikes!!

Because I know that God loves me…his love for me (for us all) is immeasurable…I want to please him.  I want to make myself available to his calling to me at all times.  That’s my goal in life…to be all that God created me to be, through obedience to him.

Let’s make it our goal to keep tuned into the God of the Universe at all times…He’s always nearby…always pursuing us.  It’s us who breaks that communication…let’s be persistent in listening and chasing after him.