Am I Trusting God?

Last fall our church did a big campaign to encourage everyone to join a small group and we were all studying Gospel in Life together at the same time. The sermons related to the lessons that we were reading and discussing in our small groups. It was a great time of growth and community building for me. One of the things that stood out to many of us was the idea of IDOLS. We have all likely heard a lot about MONEY as an idol (You cannot serve both God and Money - Matthew 6:24), but an idol is really anything that we place before God. Anything that we give a higher priority in our life or depend on more than we depend on God. In examining my own life I began to realize just how much of my time was spent on FOOD. Not just eating it, but researching, planning, preparing, shopping, blogging, Facebook status updates, etc. Was food replacing my time and need for God? If you have been following my blog from the beginning, you may have noticed my few month hiatus back in the fall. It was partly so that I could get a handle on this notion and make sure that God really was my priority and that my family was next and food came somewhere after that.

So, I thought I had this thing somewhat figured out and a better balance in my life. Especially with meal planning and shopping for 2+ weeks at a time, this has freed up my time, energy, thoughts, etc. to focus my attention on other things.  Then, this morning as part of my Lent study I read Matthew 6. When I got to the section on "Do Not Worry" I started to realize that I've been placing more of my trust in organic, local, "Real Food" than I have on God. If we are in a season in our lives where we need to conserve as much money as possible to pay off our debt, then I should trust that God can provide the nutrition our bodies need from the food that we are able to afford. Although I like the idea of eating all local, organic, grassfed, antibiotic and hormone free, raw, fresh, homemade, preservative free, devoid of high fructose corn syrup and other man-made chemicals, etc. we cannot afford to eat that way all the time at this moment in our lives. It's okay for us to buy convenience foods every now and again, especially if they make us happy and life a bit easier. I still prefer a fresh homemade salad to one from a fast food place, but if that is all I have energy for, then God can and will take care of the rest!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"  Matthew 6:25-27

Preparing for Lent

Today is Fat Tuesday aka Shrove Tuesday aka Mardi Gras, etc. It is the day before the celebration of Lent begins. This is the day to "indulge" before sacrificing something in preparation of Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross. Growing up in the evangelical church I honestly did not know much about Lent. We were not told/asked/forced to give up something in preparation for Easter. In fact, the only reason I really knew that Easter was approaching was because my birthday often fell around that time, there was usually a spring break from school, and our family had a wonderful egg hunt tradition. Palm Sunday was the only day in addition to Easter Sunday that I was vaguely aware of.  As I got older I remember running into people that gave up something for Lent, but I still had no clue what it had to do with Easter. And living in Wisconsin Friday night Fish Fry is a year round tradition, although I did go out for a fish fry once during Lent and was shocked at how many people were at the restaurant. We also went out for steak once during Lent and the place, which was usually packed, was fairly empty. It wasn't until Ryan and I had our first child that we realized we wanted to make sure we did something to recognize and prepare ourselves and our family for the coming celebration.

A few years ago I found a Family Study for Lent by MaryJane Pierce Norton. I'm not sure if she comes up with a new one every year, but I could not find a link to the original study I found (at least two years ago). Here, however, is one for 2012. I do, like her idea of "adding in" instead of taking away. For the past two years we have taken away sweets - except for Sundays, which are celebration days. Unfortunately on those Sundays we tended to overindulge. And although removing sweets from our lives again this year could be beneficial to us, the thought of removing TV and replacing it with something better appeals to me. Tomorrow we will make a list and each person will decide what they will "add in" to their lives in place of TV. What can you "add in" to your life this Lent? Removing something to make room for something better!

Other blog resources for Lent:
A Holy Experience
Money Saving Mom
Patheos
Faith & Family Live
From the Sheep Fold
A Seed Inspired


Other ideas I have come across in the past few years...

• Shrove Tuesday - eat pancakes/crepes, shriving means confession
• Ash Wednesday - beginning of Lenten period (40 days + 6 Sabbaths), Sundays are not fasting days, but little celebrations of the joy of resurrection - thus excluded from Lent
• Make a table centerpiece, purple table cloth/runner, cross, pot with seeds planted (that should sprout by Easter)
• Decorate a jar to keep the money you would have spent on the item you have given up for Lent and use that money to donate to something after Lent is through
• Lent = an abbreviation of Lenten = the "lengthen"ing of days from winter to spring - Look for firsts of Spring, go for walks and find signs of spring
• Make or eat pretzels - little arms crossed over chest (praying)
• Celebrate the Passover Seder
• Reenact the days before Passover - the 10 plagues
• Easter Story (Morning) Recipes
• Fly a kite as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection
• Decorate with Easter Lilies on Easter morning
• Caterpillar to Butterfly - symbol of Christ's Resurrection
• Decorate Easter Eggs - another symbol of Christ's Resurrection

Do you have any Easter/Lent traditions that are family friendly? Please share!

Testing vs. Discipline

Recently I was trying to figure out the difference between spiritual warfare/trials/tribulations versus being disciplined by God through our circumstances. The question arose because our church was studying Haggai and our Bible study was discussing the way in which God was trying to speak to the Israelites (and often speaks to us). Through the prophet Haggai (in chapter one) God said more than once, "Give careful thought to your ways." Then He continued by letting them know that all the hard work they had been doing had resulted in little to no fruit from their labor because they had been putting themselves first and not God. Our group got into a discussion of how God can still use our circumstances to discipline us. I started thinking back to a rather rough time in our life and wondered, were these difficulties signs that God was disciplining us?  We had seen the trials as spiritual warfare.


Just last week I had an "Ah Ha" moment while reading the first chapter of Job. As with Job, God allows Satan to test us with tribulations = spiritual warfare; how we respond to the trials determines God's response to us. When God disciplined the Israelites it was for disobedience. I thought back through the events of that year and realized we had been seeking the Lord and I do believe that we were being tested due to this.


"... we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us..." 
Romans 5: 3-5


It occurred to me that Paul welcomed (rejoiced in) heartbreak, disillusionment and tribulations (suffering) because that meant that he was doing God's Will and Satan was trying to discourage the work that Paul was doing. Are you in a period of tribulation? Search your life/heart ("Give careful thought to your ways.") - are you being obedient to God or have you been ignoring something He has asked you to do?


Lord, help me to see trials and tribulations through Your eyes that I may rejoice or change my ways.

Waiting

Several times a day I use the words, “please wait” or “just a minute” with my kids. Often my daughter will complain or say, “I can’t wait.” My son, who doesn’t have as many words, will throw a tantrum or say, “too hard.” When I find myself in a period of waiting (for God to answer) I must admit that I react in much the same way. Currently I am in a period of waiting…each day brings me closer to the end of the waiting, but I still find it difficult to wait.

Why is it so hard to wait on the Lord? Does God not know what is best for me? Do I somehow think that by getting the answer sooner it will somehow make life better for me? Unfortunately I have not been good at memorizing scripture, but the verses that I have memorized are often due to a song. Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of those verses that stays with me as I recall the song in my head. I know that the Lord has me in mind when I am in a period of waiting even if I don’t understand.

Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Lord, as I wait on You, please help me to trust that You will provide me with what is BEST for me, even though it may not always be what I asked for.

How do you deal with waiting? Are there any scripture verses that help you?

Mary or Martha?

I love to serve/help others. Behind the scenes is usually my preference, but it is what I like to do and it is often easy for me to do. This in itself is not a bad thing, but the other day I was challenged during my devotions by this statement from My Utmost For His Highest, "The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him." Hmmm... I began to ask myself some questions. Is my desire to serve selfish? Am I doing what God wants me to do or what I want to do? Do I serve because it makes me feel better about myself? What is my motivation for serving?

It never crossed my mind that my desire to serve could be hindering my ability to Listen to God. Immediately I thought of the passage in Luke where Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet while Martha was busy getting things ready. I can just picture the more Mary sat and listened to Jesus, the more Martha got upset that she was doing all the work by herself. (Luke 10: 38-42) My kids' Bible shows Martha in the kitchen with a very furrowed brow as she prepares the meal. I have often realized that I am much more like Martha than Mary. Both Martha and I are more "Doers" than "Listeners." And also like Martha I am quick to get irritated if someone who I think should be helping me is not. Do you resonate with Mary or with Martha? 

Lord, please help me to take time to "Be still and know that You are God." Help me to sit at your feet instead of always doing, doing, doing.

Seeing Me

Not too long ago I was feeling very frustrated with my daughter (three and a half at the time) and her ability to not hear me or listen to me.  At least if she did hear or listen, she did not follow through on what I was asking her to do.  Of course this is normal for a child her age, but it seemed to be happening more than usual at that time and it was trying my patience (I swear I used to have more before kids).  Anyway, a couple of days passed after my frustrations had culminated and during my devotions God revealed something to me.  God allowed me to see myself through His eyes…I am not unlike my daughter.  

How often do I listen and follow through on the things that God, my heavenly Father, has asked me to do?  Just like my daughter seems to have her head in the clouds, I do too.  So often I don’t even hear what God is trying to tell me or teach me or ask of me.  I just go about doing what I want to do or what I think I "need" to be doing.  I get caught up in the busy-ness of life and don’t take time to listen, to really listen to that still, small voice.  Oftentimes I wish that it wasn’t so still and so small, so that I could hear it better, but I don’t think the problem is with God's volume, it's me.  I am the one that has too much noise in my life to hear Him.

Lord, thank you for showing me my sinfulness.  Please help me to take time to listen and hear You speak to me.  Help me to listen better to my children, husband, friends and family as well.

New Year's Resolution

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions - probably because I'm afraid of breaking them.  This year, however, there is something that I have been nominally trying to work on since my second child was born - without much success, so I have decided to make it my New Year's Resolution in order to be more serious about it.  Unfortunately I don't think this is something that I can do for 21 or 28 days straight to make it a habit.  It is something that needs to be remembered and practiced over a lifetime.  Although I do believe that if I work hard at it and remind myself daily, I should make some progress.

My goal for 2012 is to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."  Taken from James 1:19-20 "¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires."

The first day that I decided to make this my New Year's Resolution was quite easy - it was fresh on my mind and my husband took the kids for a couple of hours so that I could have some time alone and he was home for the entire day.  Since that day it has been a struggle.  I am working on reminding myself every morning during my time with God, but it is amazing how quickly I forget.

When I am actually quick to listen and slow to speak I find that I am also slow to become angry.  In the past I mostly focused on the "slow to become angry" part of the verse, but now I am realizing that those first two help with the third.  Maybe if I focus on quick to listen for a month and slow to speak the second month then the third month slow to become angry would be quite natural and a good habit will have been formed.  In theory this sounds good, but I'm pretty sure that I will still need to rely on God rather than my own strength and ability to form good habits.

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions?  Why or why not?  Care to join me in my goal?