Category: Listening

Rock ‘n’ Roll

It’s Monday and time for a blog post. There’s only one problem. I’m sick and exhausted and my brain is less than functional this morning. Here goes anyway.

Yesterday we did it. All 8 of us completed the Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Louis 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles). Our plan all along was to walk this race, but for a few of us, when we realized that we might be able to finish in under 3 hours, we ran a couple of miles to try to get there, and almost made it. My time was 3:00:56. That is my 2nd best time out of  seven 1/2 marathon races, and this is the most I have ever walked. Needless to say I feel pretty good about that. But what I feel even better about is that 6 of our 8 Bacon Lovers (anonymous) members completed their FIRST EVER 1/2 marathon yesterday, felt good about it, and some of them are looking to do it again, possibly even running! What a huge difference from 5 months ago!

Today, our muscles are recovering, our vehicles are getting stickers on them that say 13.1, and we are basking in feelings of accomplishment.

It just goes to show:

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Yes, we decided to do this race. Yes, we trained. And trained. And trained. Yes, we read about things we should and shouldn’t do on race day. But, we also prayed and asked God for his strength and protection throughout the training and the race. And we give Him the glory for bringing us through victoriously. Because as one of the signs we saw yesterday said, “FINISHING = WINNING.”

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

After all of this, I am almost convinced I can train for and complete a full marathon (26.2) this spring. I am also convinced I will need a nap this afternoon.

Hope and Grace

For the last few weeks, I have been spending time in the book of Romans, revisiting some basic themes of what it means to be a follower of Christ. As I have been reading, two words have rattled around in my thinking: grace and hope, and I want to share a few of my thoughts with you.

Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

First, let’s look at some definitions of hope. The definition of hope that we use today in modern language is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Another way of saying that is hope is a desire accompanied by expectation of our belief in fulfillment, or a strong and confident expectation. An example of this definition of hope would be this: Saturday I ran a 5K. I have run many 5K’s in the last few years, and it was my hope that in this one I would set a new personal record. I was hopeful that this would happen. But, while that was possible, there was also a possibility that it wouldn’t happen, so with this kind of hope, there is also a sense of doubt—it might happen, but it might not, but you want it to happen and you expect that it will happen, but there is still a possibility that it won’t. (I did set a new PR, by the way.) We say things like, I hope I get this job, but there’s a chance I won’t. I hope we can afford this house, but we might not be able to. I hope my friend recovers from this disease, but it doesn’t look good. Hope in this sense requires no faith.

Another definition of hope is a person or thing in which expectations are centered or trustful expectation with reference to the fulfillment of God’s promises. This is closer to the type of hope referred to in Romans. The definition of the hope used in these scriptures is more along the lines of trust. In fact, the archaic definition of hope is trust. So think about using the word trust in place of hope in the above. Gives it a whole different feel doesn’t it? We TRUST that He is God and is the Lord of our lives. There’s no doubt that we are going to share in the glory of God. We trust it. When our hope (trust, alert expectancy) is in the Lord, there won’t be disappointment. We won’t be put  to shame, or deluded, or left feeling shortchanged other versions of this scripture say. Even when things don’t turn out the way we expect, because our hope isn’t in our circumstances, but in the Lord. The more we suffer, persevere, endure and see God at work, the more our hope (TRUST) is built.

You see, if our hope truly is in God and not our circumstance, or in how we think things should turn out, or how other people treat us, or let us down, we can be filled with joy even when the world falls apart around us because we trust that God is in control, that God has our best in mind, that the God who has given us Grace is still giving grace.

But what is it that gives us this trustful expectation of God?

We are able to be called the children of God because of what Christ has done for us, not because of anything we have done on our own. Which is the meaning of grace. We can’t obtain it. It has to be given, and because of the gift of grace, we not only are saved but we have hope that we are part of God’s plan to reveal Himself and His glory to the world. God’s grace, which can be defined as the state of God’s favor or undeserved privilege, brings us to the place where we can put our hope, or trust, in Him. What has been done for us is so big, so freeing, that how can we not trust Him? We tend to think of grace in terms like this: a child messes up, but rather than getting the spanking they deserve, they get loved on instead. In a sense, this is grace, but the grace being given to us through Christ is so much bigger. This grace saves us from certain death, it gives us Hope. This grace empowers us. We can’t even come close to attaining the perfection that is expected of us, but this grace enables us to do more and be more than we are able to do and be. A book I have been reading called Radical by David Platt talks about grace this way:

“Here the gospel demands and enables us to turn from our sin, to take up our cross, to die to ourselves  and to follow Jesus…We are saved from our sins by a free gift of grace, something that only God can do in us and that we cannot manufacture ourselves…But that gift of grace involves the gift of a new heart. New desires. New longings. For the first time we want God. We see our need for Him and we love Him. We seek after Him, and we discover that He is indeed the great reward of our salvation…So we yearn for Him. We want Him so much that we abandon everything else to experience Him.”

That’s how big this gift of grace is. When we receive it, this is what our response should be: hopeful, trustful, expectation that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Here is where our hope lies. Here is where our trust is. None of the things that can happen to us in this world can change the fact that we are the children of God, that we have been saved by the blood of His Son, that we are called righteous. That His grace covered our sin.

And yet, most of us simply hope for good outcomes to our lives, to our troubles, for our families. But we are called to put our hope in Christ. Not in chance, or karma, or our abilities, or other people. In Christ. Hope in Christ isn’t doubtful, it is trustful, and He is trustworthy. We don’t hope for Christ and His glory, we hope IN Christ and His glory. Here is where it is helpful to think of hope in terms of trust.

Putting our hope in Christ should be a natural response to the grace and redemption that we have received through Him, and yet it is still our tendency to put our hope in just about anything but Him.

I remember when Mike and I were trying to start our family. We had tried for a year with no success and finally sought medical help. For seven more months I took medication to help the process along to no avail. Throughout the whole time I would say I was trusting God and His timing, I would even pray those words, but it wasn’t true. I was putting my hope in my timing, in my doctors, in the medication, in the ways that we were trying to time things just right. I was sure I could make it happen on my own. It wasn’t until I finally came to the end of me and truly said, with conviction that I was done trying. I was done putting my effort forth. I was ready to truly put my hope (Trust) in the Lord and His timing, His will for our family and our lives, that we finally conceived Anne.

Saying that we put our hope in God and giving lip-service to our trust isn’t enough. It has to be genuine. It has to be honest. And when we just can’t get there on our own, that’s where we have to ask for God’s grace to enable us to get to the point that we can honestly say, with faith believing, that we do trust and put our hope in Him. It’s not easy, but nothing in God’s word promised us easy.

But one of the most freeing moments comes when we remember grace. Romans 8:1 says There is therefore now no condemnation for those  who are in Christ Jesus. Sometimes we are going to fail. We’re going to put our hope in the things of this world. But, we are not condemned for it. We are given grace. Grace that enables us to try again. And again. And again.

Examine your life and where you place your hope. If there are areas where your hope is not in God, ask Him for his grace to help you place your hope in Him. And keep asking and receiving until your hope is where it should be. In Christ alone.

Where are you placing your hope today?

(If you want to read more about hope, there is an excellent post on one of the blogs I follow here.)

 

Hope Now

Hope: The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best; OR a person or thing in which expectations are centered.

Romans 5:1-5

 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame [does not disappoint us], because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Italics mine.)

Woohoo!

Ever feel like no matter what you do, and no matter how you try you just can’t get it right? Does this sound like you at times:

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? –Romans 7: 15-24

That next-to-last sentence sometimes fills my mind; “what a wretched man I am!” Well, maybe not those exact words, because after all, it is 2011 and I am a woman, but, similar ideas. “I am such a screw-up.” “Could I have messed that up any worse?” “I am so not getting this ‘following Christ’ thing the way I should be.” “Why don’t I do more?” The list could go on an on. So as I read this passage one night last week before bed, that’s where I landed. In that, “I get what you’re talking about, Paul. I’m right there with you,” kind of place. I acknowledged that I fall short. And then I went to sleep.

Then the next night I read this:

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus –Romans 8:1

And I was reminded of grace. I’m gonna mess up. I’m gonna fall short. But because of Christ and His sacrifice for me, I have grace, and I have power, and I have NO CONDEMNATION when my actions don’t line up with what I say I believe or what I strive for. That doesn’t give me freedom to go out and screw up on purpose, but it does give me forgiveness when I am not perfect. And the Lord knows that I am far from perfect (but don’t tell my kids and husband that! 🙂 ).

So rest in the arms of grace today and don’t let yourself be brought down by condemnation that isn’t there.

It’s Not My Fault!

Yesterday I had an argument with my son. Well, it was a joking around argument. He came upstairs in jeans that were getting too short and I told him to stop growing. He said, “it’s not my fault.” We then continued to yell that back and forth at one another for a few minutes. (He turns 8 tomorrow and is a bit excited about hitting that milestone. I, on the other hand, while excited to see the boy he is becoming, am realizing that he’s growing up way too fast!) This morning, it was a shirt that the sleeves were too short. I again told him to stop growing. He again told me it wasn’t his fault and we had a nice little laugh.

As I was sitting in church yesterday, I was thinking about that argument. And the fact that in a sense, he is right. It isn’t his “fault” that he continues to grow up. It’s the way he is made. It is how we have all been created. We grow up. Whether we want to or not. He can’t help it that he keeps outgrowing his clothes. He can’t change the fact that he doesn’t want to play with baby toys anymore, but instead wants to play with legos and Nintendo DS games. It’s a natural process, growing up, both in stature and in mental/cognitive ways.

But in some ways I think we can either help or stunt our growth. If we don’t eat well as a youngster, we may not grow to our potential. In the same way, if we don’t feed our spiritual selves well as adults and as Christians, we won’t grow to the potential that Christ has for us. We may continue to grow in little ways, but without some effort on our part, we may stunt our spiritual growth. And this growth process happens as we spend time with the Lord and His Word on our own, certainly, but it also happens as we spend time with others who can speak into our growth. This can happen as we meet with a small group of people on a regular basis. Or a mentor/spiritual guide occasionally. For me, one aspect that has been missing is some one on one time with a friend, going through a book and really talking about the implications of that on my/our life/lives. It’s pretty easy for me to read a book and get convicted or encouraged about certain things, but without someone asking, “so what does that mean for you and how are you going to implement that?” it is also easy to just stay at convicted or encouraged and not take any action to make changes that lead to more spiritual growth.

So, beginning this week, I will be meeting with a friend each Wednesday to talk about those kinds of issues. The first book that we are going to tackle is Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, and we’ll see what kind of growth we can encourage in one another. Because I don’t want it to be my fault that I don’t grow into the person the God has created me to be.

How are you feeling about your growth these days?

Miscellaneous Musings 2

In the last two weeks it has been very evident that I haven’t had a lot of substantial ideas running around in my head because I haven’t been able to blog! I apologize to you, my readers, for being so inconsistent, and I promise to get better starting now. So, here comes another hodge podge of ideas that have been running around in my head.

  1. Giving truly is better than receiving. I have a wonderful husband who pretty much lets me have just about anything I want (within reason). He never asks for anything for himself, and says that he has all he needs. A number of years ago he traded in his truck so I could have a van. This week the Lord has provided an opportunity for me to bless him with a truck. Yes, it is old, it isn’t beautiful, but it is a truck (and it is a manual transmission – something he loved in his old truck), and he will be able to have it before deer season. I have had so much fun working out the details and figuring out ways that I can pay for the truck outside of our regular income, so that it truly can be a gift for him from me.
  2. When God opens the door to do something new and you walk through it willingly, He blesses it in multiple ways. When I started thinking about coaching the Jr. Comets cheerleaders, I knew it was a huge commitment but really felt like I was supposed to do it. Even in the midst of giving them every Tuesday and Thursday evening and 10-12 hours every Saturday for the last two months, not once have I felt overwhelmed. Not once have I wished I didn’t have to go. Not once have I wanted to quit. I have loved every minute of coaching, playing, cheering, and getting to know this wonderful group of girls. They have been eager learners, ready to try new things and listen to what I have to teach them. While I am looking forward to a little more free time after the next two weeks are over, I will miss spending time with these girls and will be counting down the days to next summer and fall when I get to do it all over again! Thanks to the Lord for His guidance, His help, and His blessing on this endeavor.
  3. I have been reading through Romans recently in my devotional time before bed. I’ve read it before, but I wanted to read it again. Wow. I have been bombarded by the richness of Paul’s words to the Romans over and over. The reminders of God’s faithfulness to us, His gift of grace, our responsibility to obey, and so much more. Last night it was chapter 6, verse 22 that really caught me, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” It reminded me of a sermon my pastor preached early on in his time here about ear piercing. He told us how, in Old Testament times, when a slave was freed they could make a choice to stay with their master and when they did, the master would pierce their ears to show that they chose to stay. Christy Nockels has a song that really talks about this. Here is what she writes about the song:

07. My Master
My dad has been a pastor for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite messages that he used to share was from Exodus 21: 1-6. It’s about Hebrew slaves and the process they would go through with their masters after they had served their time. Basically, upon the 7th year, they could go free, or choose to stay. He would tell about the process of the Hebrew slave choosing to stay with their master, even after they were free to go. The slave would publicly go before the community and declare, “I love my master, I will not go free”. Then, their ear would be pierced, and the blood would signify a lasting covenant with their master…one made by choice and for all to hear. He beautifully tied this to our relationship with Jesus, our Master, and reminded us that the disciples often would call themselves “bond slaves” of Christ. We have a will, but when we choose to align ours with His, this brings true freedom and love like we’ve never known. After he shared this message one night, he felt led to have our church respond in a very unique way… That night many of us lined the aisles of that old church and took the hand of one of the leaders and publicly confessed, “I love my Master, I will not go free”. As a teen, that had a great impact on me as those words came from my heart and my mouth, and it still does to this day… Serving and calling Jesus “Master” doesn’t’ seem to be a real popular thing in this world to have rolling around in your vocabulary and in your everyday life. However, I am compelled to tell of the joy and freedom I have experienced in serving my Master. I will tell of His mighty ways, drawing near to Him and remembering what He has saved me from! Of this, I will forever sing!

You can take a listen to the song here. I included the lyrics below.

The day You heard my plea,
You looked right through me
You saw the pit I was in
And You came and pulled me out…

You set my feet upon a rock
And put a new song in my mouth
Then You called me Your own
And I’m never turning back

I love my Master, I will not go free…
I take Your name and live in liberty
My life is Yours forever
I’ll serve You faithfully
I love my Master, I will not go free…

You’re a love I’ve never known
And Your faithfulness has shown
No matter what I’m about
You always find me out

And You lovingly remain
Age to age the same
And for all of my days
I will tell of Your ways..Your mighty ways…

Covenant Keeper
You are, You are
Merciful, Kindness
You are, You are
Passionate Father
You are, You are
Lifeblood redeemer
You are…

For us, it seems foreign to talk about living in freedom and yet choosing to serve a Master, but in the Kingdom, there are many paradoxes that don’t seem to our eyes and our minds (that are so influenced by the culture in which we live) to be “right.” But, we are called to live in this world, but not be of it. We are called to live lives that are counter-cultural. So really, this is where it starts. Choosing to serve the Master.

What do you think?

Reboot

As a church administrator, I get a lot of computer questions, most of which are some kind of problem that needs to be fixed. By default, my first response is always, “Have you restarted the computer?” Most of the staff have heard me say this enough that now, instead of responding, “I’ll try that,” their response is, “Yes.”

Sometimes technology just needs to be rebooted. I had to reboot my phone just this morning because it somehow froze up while doing a back-up of my contact list. My computer ran some updates over the weekend and before they could “finish” installing, the computer needed to restart.  Every now and then one of the AC units at the church has a glitch and all I have to do is turn it off and back on and that takes care of the problem.

Lately, I have felt like I need to have a “reboot” in a couple of areas of my life.

First, I have now lost 49 pounds and in addition to the scale not moving for a couple of weeks, I have been having some other weird things happening in my body. Since the end of the Biggest Loser competition, I have let a few sweets sneak back into my diet occasionally, have not been quite as over the top on my exercise, and have made excuses for not being as careful about what is going into my mouth. It seems like a reboot back to the beginning of the competition and what I was doing at that point has become necessary, both to get my body back in order and to get my focus back on the goal. I have 34 more pounds to lose and I don’t want to stop now, or worse, go backwards. So today I am starting the reboot process. Back to eating my everyday breakfast, heavily weighted with veggies lunch, and reasonable dinner, and nothing after 7:00 p.m. Back to seven days a week, sometimes twice a day exercising. Back to being careful to weigh and measure what goes into my mouth instead of just “guessing.” And I am going to go through my closet tonight and clear out all the clothing that is too big. Hopefully that will inspire me to keep working hard at losing.

Second, I have been struggling to find make time for prayer and devotions. Mornings had always been my best time, but because my workouts now take longer than they used to (and I don’t necessarily want to get up at 4:00 a.m.), that time is not always available. By the time I get home of an evening, there are so many things that need to be done, that it isn’t on my radar to sit down with my Bible. And yet, as soon as I climb in bed I can pick up the book I am reading for pleasure and spend 30-60 (or more) minutes reading it before I go to sleep. So, beginning tonight, my Bible will be sitting on top of my book next to my bed and it will get my attention first. If I finish my devotion and prayer time and still have time (and am awake enough) to read, then I can pick up my book.

There’s probably more, but I’m not sure it is wise to try to “reboot” too many things at once, some might not start again at all. 🙂

How about you? Any areas of your life that could use a reboot? If you say yes, make and implement a plan to get it done.

Child Labor

6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  –Proverbs 22:6

It is one of my goals in life to raise my children, particularly my son, in such a way that my future daughter-in-law (or son-in-law) doesn’t hate me. In other words, when both my daughter and my son leave home, I expect them to be able to cook, clean, do laundry, pick up after themselves, fix minor household problems, keep the household “books,” etc. In my house, there is no line of women’s work and men’s work.

When Mike and I first got married there was a definite “unspoken” line. And asking him to clean the bathroom crossed it. We have worked through those issues (mostly), but I want to make sure that we aren’t the cause of another generation of misguided gender issues, particularly regarding housework.

So, I was a bit surprised as I was discussing this with some friends recently when I felt chastised for teaching my daughter and son how to do their own laundry at the ages of 10 and almost 8. And expecting them to make their own lunch for school if they want to take it. The reason given for not doing these things was, “it’s too much work to go behind them and clean up the mess,” and “I’m too anal about the way I like things done.”  And yet, all I could think was 1) I don’t have time to do everything for my kids; 2) I don’t want my kids to see me as some kind of maid that does everything for them; 3) how will they ever learn to do it right and well if you never let them do it; and 4) if I, Miss OCD herself, can learn to let some stuff go for the betterment of my kids, anyone can :).

Yes, it is a super-big pain in the rear to constantly have to walk around and remind them to put the bread and peanut butter away. I do sometimes think it would be easier (and I am tempted to come in behind them) to clean the bathroom myself. I get annoyed when they don’t put their laundry away in the right places. And I would love it for their rooms to be clean all the time without having to go in and point out the places they have missed. But I feel like I wouldn’t be doing them any favors by doing it for them. And I would be setting myself up to be hated by my future daughter- and son-in-law.

When we read the verse that I put at  the top of this post, much of the time we think in terms of raising children up to live life for Christ, which I believe is true and very important, but I also believe that it is true about the stuff we encounter in everyday life as well. And I think there is a feeling that there will always be time to teach them those things. But to me, the truth of the matter is I only have so many years where I am the primary influence in my children’s life before their peers start taking over that spot. I only have so much time before they start spending more time away from the house than in it and I feel very strongly that by teaching them responsibility at a young age, it helps them as they grow up to accept new responsibilities as they encounter them.

Would I like my house to be cleaner than they get it when they clean? Yes! But not at the expense of  them not learning to clean.

Would I like my counters not covered in crumbs, peanut butter, jelly, pancake batter and other various food items? Yes!  But not at the expense of them not learning to cook.

Would I like it if there weren’t items of clothing on the floor by the washer and their clothes were not so wrinkled? Yes! But not at the expense of them not learning how to do laundry properly.

So, here’s what I would like from you on today’s post: where do you fall on the spectrum? Do you do it all for your kids? Are  your kids expected to do everything themselves? Or do you fall somewhere in between? Is 10 and 8 too young to be doing laundry and mopping floors? If your kids are grown, how did you handle these things? If you don’t have kids, how do you think you would handle these things? Let’s start a discussion in the comments  section below. I will moderate comments, so be kind. 🙂

Bad Day, Good God

Yesterday, I felt a bit bi-polar. I woke up to find that my scale hit the number that was my first of two weight-loss goals. I was ecstatic!

Then, after I picked up my lunch and was on my way home to eat it, “BAM” (literally). I had a car accident. And it was my fault. They were in my blind spot on the van and I pulled out when I didn’t see them. Fortunately there were no injuries and the damage is minor, but that brought me crashing down and I cried (sobbed, bawled, etc.) off and on for hours. By myself. In front of an amazing friend who showed up without being asked (you know who you are – THANK YOU!). With my husband as I told him about it. And by myself some more.

As I continued through my day, it seemed like every little thing that could go wrong kind of did and because of the accident (and subsequent ticket – the first one for me EVER), everything felt bigger than it was. By bedtime I was just feeling like it was a terrible day.

And then I was reminded this morning that I did reach my first weight loss goal yesterday, and that is a great accomplishment. No one was hurt in the accident, and that was an amazing picture of God’s protection. I was reminded what amazing friends that God has given me who came when I needed someone, and also let me be when I needed to not talk about it. I got my house spotlessly clean in my effort to work off my frustration, and that is a weight off my shoulders.

I’m sure as the rest of the story unfolds with money, insurance, etc., there will be many more things for me to learn from this experience, but for now, I am just reminded that God uses all of life to teach us and mold us into the people he has created us to be. I sang this song in my head quite a bit yesterday – “This is the stuff You use.”

What is God using in your life lately to shape you, good or bad?

I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please ‘Cuz I can’t find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that’s getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I’m blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You’re doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I’m running behind
Whoa

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that’s getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I’m blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You’re doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I’ve got a new appreciation
It’s not the end of the world
Oh Oh Oh

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I’m blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I’ve gotta trust You know exactly what You’re doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Oh Oh Oh Oh
This is the stuff You use

Just Keep Swimming…

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. –James 1:2-4

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky… –Philippians 2:14-15

I have learned many things over the years, as we all have. One of the things I learned last fall and have been reminded of this fall is this: it doesn’t matter how nice the weather has been all week, or even how nice the weather is at your house on Saturday, when you step onto the football field, it will be miserably hot. This past Saturday was no exception to that rule. It was hot and sunny with nary a cloud in the sky.

I knew Saturday would be a test as to whether what I have been talking about with the cheerleaders – doing what is best for the team, persevering even when it is hard, not thinking about yourself – has been sinking in at all.

I am happy to report, IT HAS!! I have to brag on the girls, they did an amazing job. There was very little complaining. One girl tried to stick it out (probably a little too long) despite the fact that she felt sick. They cheered, they smiled, they sweated, they looked like they were wilting in the heat at times, but they finished the day.

It definitely kept me going, as I was fighting a stomach bug and had to be out in the heat and sun for over seven hours.

But, as  I have been thinking about this, I have been thinking about the various areas of my life and wondering if I am persevering as well in those places. Places like finances, parenting, devotions, marriage, work, etc. Do I keep going even when it is hard, or do I give in to the temptation to quit, or even just let myself  coast and not put in the effort to rise to the level I know I can. In other words, am I practicing what I am preaching?

That is a hard question to answer. I would have to say “sometimes, but not always.” There are days that I push through no matter what and there are days that I just give up. But I don’t want to give up, because I don’t want to miss out on being “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” And that is something I need to remember on this Monday morning when I am tired, worn down, sore, and not feeling well. I have to keep going and persevere no matter what.

Or like Dorie sings in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…”

What areas of your life do you find it hard to persevere?