Real Life - A Weekly Blog Devotional

With an hour to kill sitting in the bleachers at my daughter’s gymnastics lesson, I decided it would be a good time to finish up my homework for Bible Study the next morning. I pulled out my copy of Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur, my favorite pen, and my shiny new, green, spiral notebook, and settled in to study.

As I read the chapter, two questions the author asked jumped out at me:

1. Why do you think it is important to know Him as Creator?

And

2. What role has God had in your life?

Drowning out the noisy gym, I let my mind chew on these questions for awhile. Why is it important to remember He is the Creator? I asked myself. And I wondered if someone asked, What role has God played in your life? how I would answer.

I opened up my new notebook and put my favorite pen to work brainstorming. Here are some of my disorganized thoughts on these two questions:

• Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me of His power. The same One who created stars so large I cannot fathom them, and who’s very fingerprints are all over the tiniest of cells my eyes cannot even see, is the same One who knows me AND He is knowable. Amazing! This knowledge leads to worship and gratitude.
• Knowing Him as Creator leads to humility. I am reminded that I am created, He is my Creator, therefore I submit to Him, to His will, His ways, and have no right to dictate how things should be. (Job 38) I don’t even know enough to know how He does the simplest of things in creation, how can I then tell Him how to run my life?
• Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me that He is worthy of my trust. As my eyes sees all that He has made around me, and as I’m reminded of how mighty He is, how powerful that He could speak life into existence, I’m no longer anxious or afraid. I am His.

And how would I respond to what role God has played in my life? Well….that would take a very long book to write. : ) But here is a shorthand list:

• He had a plan for me, my life, my purpose, and my salvation before the foundation of the Earth.
• He created me. Perfectly. Even with my imperfections. He allowed my left eye to be small and blind for a purpose and my body, my personality, my mind, everything to be formed according to those plans and purposes He had for me before time began.
• He called me and accepted my little girl invitation to come into my life and be my Savior.
• He directed my life, but gave me free will to decide to love and follow Him.
• He forgave me every time I strayed, and welcomed me back with open arms. (Still does)
• Allowed trials, hard things to draw me to a deeper relationship with Him, more reliance on Him, a stronger character, and an ability to comfort and minister to other people in a way I would never have been able to do if I hadn’t been there myself. During all of it, He carried me and comforted me.
• He healed my broken heart and made me whole again
• He gave me hope, purpose, and eternity.
• He filled me with peace that is unexplainable and completely outside of the circumstances in my life.
• He loves me with a love that NO ONE and NO THING can ever take away from me.
• He is my everything, my very reason for existing.

Now it’s your turn. Because meditating on these two questions blessed me so much this week, I wanted to deviate from my regular devotion format and encourage you to contemplate these questions yourself this week. Feel free to use the comment section to do some brainstorming and sharing of your own. It would be awesome for me to read what your thinking about our Creator.

Love,

From God’s Word:

Click and Read Matthew 6:19-21

Key Verse:

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. -Matthew 6:20 (NIV)

Without Googling his name, can you tell me who Millard Fillmore is?

A few history buffs will be able to tell me, but most of us won’t have a clue.

Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States of America. You would think we would know the name of someone who held such a prestigious office, right? If I don’t even know the name of someone who was president, who will ever remember me when I’m gone? Does this life even matter?

It is a sad fact that most of us will be completely forgotten within two, maybe three, generations after we pass away. Here today, gone tomorrow. No matter how much we gain or accomplish, no matter how noble the causes we fight for, no matter how powerful the positions we hold, our lives truly are just a vapor.

Solomon saw it. When he looked at the works of mankind, he said, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV).

This has been a reoccurring theme for me this week. I’ve been reminded so much in sermons and my own study time, that time is short. So what am I doing with it? With the time I have been given, is it possible to do something meaningful? Can I devote myself to something more than chasing after wind?

I’ve been looking at my life and doing some self-inventory. I don’t have the answers yet, but I’ve been going through my day today asking:

• What in my life has eternal value?
• In what ways am I investing in eternity?
• What activities am I wasting my time on?

It’s been good just to ask the questions. If this is all there is, then life is utterly meaningless. I should just go have fun, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow I die. But since this is not all there is, I want to build a life that is meaningful and purposeful.

Our pastor taught us this weekend that the key to a purposeful life is doing life as if you are doing it unto God. Whatever you do, do it unto Him. I’m not famous or powerful. I am a mom. I’m a wife. I’m a homemaker. Not very exciting!

Cleaning my toilets, changing the diapers, serving my family, all of these appear meaningless, but they have the potential of being more eternally significant than being President of the United States if done with the right heart. If I do my life, the things I’ve been called to do, and do them as if I was doing them for God and for His glory, that work will last. And it will bring me joy.

Personal Application:

Do your own self-inventory this week:

• Can you identify ways you are chasing after wind and wasting time?
• How are you investing in eternity?
• If you were to die tonight, is your life in order? What would you be able to take with you?
• Are you ignoring eternity or building up treasure there?
• How can you do your own life as if unto God? What meaningless activities can become eternally significant just by changing your heart and attitude about them?

Dear Lord,

Thank you that this life is not it. Give me an eternal perspective and help me to build my life in a way that will have eternal significance. Help me to set aside the things that are worthless and to strive for the things you value. Show me how to do my everyday life for you.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen

More of God’s Word:

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. - Colossians 3:1-2 (The Message)

I’ve been a busy traveling girl this summer. Thank you for being patient while you waited for a new post.

One of the trips I took was to Charlotte, North Carolina where I attended a conference for speakers, writers, and ministry leaders. I won a scholarship to go and have been looking forward to the trip all year. I saw it as a gift from the Lord and an opportunity to share with editors a book I wrote on healing after pregnancy loss.

Four days before I left for the conference, I was at my Mom and Dad’s house in Washington State and tried to do a few finishing touches on my book proposal. As I researched for the “competition” section on my proposal, I made a startling discovery.

The two editors I had made appointments to meet with, the two I’d prayed over so much, represented publishing companies that had just released their very own books on the topic of- you guessed it- miscarriage.

At that moment, I knew I would be wasting their time pitching competition for books they had just published on the same subject.

There I was:

- 10 hours away from home
- Four days away from the conference
- Totally and completely prepared to pitch a book I now knew they would not want.

I did what any girl would do.

I cried.

A lot.

All day Sunday I mourned. Waiting for the conference to arrive, I carried the weight of being a scholarship winner. I knew there were so many women who wanted the gift I was given, and I was determined not to waste it. So, I was so ready. I had handouts, sample chapters, a beautiful proposal, and then- nothing.

Crying it out on Sunday, I learned some hard lessons. I had wrapped up so much hope in getting that book published because I was counting on the book bringing meaning to our loss. God had to show me that the beauty He was and will continue to bring out of our hurt had nothing to do with me or my book, it had everything to do with Him.

He also showed me I was relying on myself. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be prepared. I didn’t leave any room for miracles, so He took away the crutches I was leaning on.

That night I made a crazy decision. I have a novel I’ve been working on, and I decided right then I was supposed to pitch that book instead. It wasn’t ready though. I only had four rough chapters written and a vague idea of were I was going with the story. I didn’t sleep for the next three days, worked all the way home in the car, spent hours on the telephone with my amazing dad editing what I did have, and then left Thursday morning far less prepared then I would have ever wanted.

While we were in the air, my friend, Rochelle, handed me the devotion book she was reading. I read that day’s devotion, overwhelmed and grateful that it was a message just for me. Here’s an excerpt:

Streams in the Dessert

July 31 With skillful hands he led them - Psalm 78:72

When you are unsure which course to take, totally submit your own judgement to that of the Spirit of God, asking Him to shut every door except the right one. But meanwhile keep moving ahead and consider the absence of a direct indication from God to be the evidence of His will that your are on His path. And as you continue down the long road, you will find that He has gone before you, locking doors you otherwise would have been inclined to enter. Yet you can be sure that somewhere beyond the locked doors in one He has left unlocked. - F.B. Meyer

I knew God wrote that devotion just for me because I live that scenario everyday.

My baby boy is one week shy of turning one, and he still has not figured out how to crawl right.

(And he doesn’t listen to his mommy either when I tell him he’ll never be able to read because of it!)

But man can he scoot! He’s fast!

His sisters keep forgetting to close doors behind them, so when he sees an opportunity, he looks me in the eye as if to say, The race is on Mommy!

He scoots as fast as he can, trying to beat me to the bathroom door before I can close it in his face.

It dawned on me. How often do I do that with the Lord? How often do I try to race Him to a door before He closes it?

As a loving parent would, God closes doors I might be inclined to walk through and shouldn’t, but one day He’s going to leave one open for me. It will be the “JUST RIGHT FOR BECKY” door and instead of just leaving it open for me, He’ll come and lead me by the hand so we can walk through it together.

Personal Application:

Do you have hopes and dreams you worry will never happen?
Are you in a hurry for God to DO something, anything?
Are you racing God for open doors because you are worried He will close them before you can walk through them?

Take some time this week to lay those dreams at His feet and then wait on Him to not only leave a door open for you, but to take you by the hand and walk you through it with Him.

In my case, stripping away my security opened up doors for miracles that happened all weekend long. I had chances to pitch BOTH books, and I knew it was all God’s doing, not my own.

Trust Him to lead you in the pursuit of your precious dreams. He is worthy of that trust.

Love,

From the Word:
Click and Read Isaiah 55:6-11

Key Verse:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. -Isaiah 55:8 (NIV)

Yesterday, I went on a field trip to the zoo with my daughter’s Kindergarten class. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing this guy:

My friend, Daiquiri, took this picture with a simple digital camera and no zoom lens. We were literally this close to him, the only thing separating us was a sheet of glass. It was surreal to be so close to a lion. Awe inspiring, really.

Mildly curious, but undisturbed by the strange humans oohing and awing over him, he lounged right by the front of the cage the entire time we were in front of him. He almost appeared cuddly, like I could reach out and pat his furry mane or snuggle up next to him for a nap. But then I saw the scars on his face and realized, this guy is for real. He’s not some play thing or a pet. He’s dangerous and unsafe. Thank goodness for that glass between us!

The adults seemed to have a healthy respect for him, but the kids were clueless of how dangerous he was as they climbed on the outside of the exhibit and pounded on the glass. Many grew bored with it all and wanted to move on, while their parents stood and stared.

“How often do we see God this way?” I wondered. As clueless little children, forgetting His majesty and power, expecting Him to be “cuddly” and “safe” and to do our own bidding, according to our own will?

C.S. Lewis wove a similar theme throughout his Chronicles of Narnia series. In the books, Aslan the Lion represents Christ. Often the characters are reminded that Aslan is “not a tame Lion.” He is powerful, merciful, loving, kind, and trustworthy, but he is not tame, predictable, controllable, or even safe.

I love this quote from Lewis’ novel, The Last Battle:

Do you think I keep him in my wallet, fools?” said Tirian. “Who am I that I could make Aslan appear at my bidding? He’s not a tame lion.”

I enjoyed watching Disney’s movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where this concept appeared again through this scene:

Mr. Tumnus: [of Aslan] He’s not a tame lion.

Lucy Pevensie: No… but he is good.

What a MIGHTY God we serve! How worthy of our worship! How strong on our behalf! Thank God that He is not safe, not a puppet who dances at our whims, nor a small thing to be contained in the box of our limited understanding. He is HUGE, MAJESTIC, AWESOME, and not at all tame.

Yet, He loves me. He always acts in my defense and on my behalf. All that He does is good, even when I don’t understand it. How safe that makes me feel!

And He loves you. Even when He isn’t doing what you think He should. Even when His ways are incomprehensible to you, when it feels like He is doing it all wrong, remember that He isn’t tame, but He is GOOD.

Personal Application:
Are there circumstances in your life where God isn’t acting as you think He should? Take time to confess your desire to control and tame Him. Ask His forgiveness and worship Him despite the circumstances.

I’m not sure who said this, but it fits, “If God were small enough to understand, He wouldn’t be big enough to worship.” God is worthy of our worship. AND He is knowable. We can snuggle up to Him and feel safe and protected, unlike the lion at the zoo. We just can’t expect to control Him.

Father, I worship You. Your ways are not my ways. I submit to Your perfect will. Forgive me for the times I have been more concerned about my own will than Yours and expected you to do my bidding. Thank you for your forgiveness and patience with me. Thank you that in the midst of your majesty and power, you love me, and know me, and have my best interest at heart. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen

More of God’s Word:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. - Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)

From the Word:
Click and read John 10:1-21

Key Verse:
The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. John 10:4 (The Message)

On January 4, 2007, our family officially began the process to adopt a child from Liberia, West Africa. I had been praying for a long time prior to that decision and had faithful friends praying along with me. I watched as God miraculously worked out the details and prepared our hearts for this big leap of faith. Confirmation arrived in amazing ways, convincing me this was His will for our family. I couldn’t wait to send in our application and get the process going, fully expecting to have our adoption complete before the following Christmas.

Two years later, the adoption is nowhere near complete. In fact we have met obstacle after obstacle and closed door after closed door, to the point we’ve had to make the very difficult decision to stop the process all together. I’m still in shock that this is the way it is ending. How could this be the answer? Wasn’t this God’s will?

Going through this shook my faith. Did I really hear His voice, or did I make it all up? Maybe I can’t hear God’s voice after all. I was so sure of God’s prompting to adopt, but obviously I was wrong. Or was I?

After a lot of soul searching, I am convinced it was God’s will for us to go through this adoption journey. Our role was obedience. His job was to determine the outcome. These past two years were not wasted. The destination was different than I expected, but the journey was in His purpose for our lives. And I can rest knowing that I did hear my Shepherd’s voice and followed where He led. That’s all He asks.

Personal Application:
Can you point to decisions you’ve made that you thought were God’s will for your life, but the outcome of those decisions seem to say otherwise? Is it possible that it was still God’s will for you even if the destination was different than you expected? How has He used those circumstances in your life? Talk to Him about the disappointment or disillusionment you feel and ask Him to show you where to go from here.

Or are you currently at a place where He is asking you to obey? If you recognize the Shepherd’s voice, take the leap of faith and follow His lead. How things turn out is up to Him. Your job is obedience. Re-read last week’s post on decision making. After you’ve gone through those steps of seeking the Lord for direction, trust Him when He does lead.

Make this verse your prayer today:

God,
Teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me-
My whole life one long, obedient response.
- Psalm 119:33-34 (The Message)

More of God’s Word:

1. Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. -Hebrews 13:5

2. 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
3. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
-Jeremiah 29:11

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

5. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
- Psalm 143:8

From the Word:

Click and read Psalm 32

Key Verse:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. - Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

Do you have a list of New Year’s resolutions made yet? How many have you broken already? : )

There is something about the New Year that ignites in me a desire for change. I organize closets, begin weight-loss programs, and start projects. It is in January I often make steps toward major life changes.

This January isn’t any different. I have some plans for new projects, some weight to lose, and also some big decisions to make. Driving home from our Christmas vacation, I spent a lot of time daydreaming and planning.

So now the question is, “Do my plans, schemes, and dreams fit into God’s plans and purpose for me?” How do I figure out what plans and ideas are God ideas and which ones may seem like good ideas but are outside of his will for me?

Last April, I attended our church’s annual Leadership Conference and went to one of the breakout sessions taught by Pastor Rick Verdeyen from Calvary Chapel Corvallis. The title of the session was “Good Idea or God Idea? How Do You Know the Difference?” I really enjoyed the session and walked away with some practical information to apply to my own decision making.

As a pastor, Rick said he is constantly presented with new and good ideas people feel passionately about. “Pastor, we need to start a prison ministry.” or “Pastor, we need to be more involved in missions and this is a great new program I just heard about.” Although all of those are good ideas, one church cannot do it all, and he needed to learn how to discern the difference between a good idea and an idea God was really leading them into.

He came up with this five step process to “Get a HANDle on Decision Making.” Using his hands to count them out, he goes through this process for figuring out God’s will:

1. Ask yourself, “Have I been in the Word?”:
Before someone can discern if a decision is a good idea or a God idea, they need to be studying the Bible. God has given us the Bible as a standard for direction and truth, so He will not give us direction to do something that is contrary to His Word. Plus, there are so many great examples to learn from and mistakes that people made in the Bible that we can apply to our own situations and avoid.

2. Have I prayed about it? And have I been persistent in praying about it?:
The Greek verb ask in Matthew 7:7 should really read keep asking. (Keep Asking) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you - Matthew 7:7 It is about persistent prayer. Not because God wants us to grovel, but because His ways are different than ours and this may be an issue of timing. I may not be asking for the right thing yet. He may have something much bigger and better than I can imagine.

3. Do I have peace about the decision I’m about to make?:
When we are headed in the right direction in God’s will, there is peace as confirmation. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” The Greek verb rule is the same word for umpire. Let His peace rule your situation and decision making.

4. I need to seek out wise counsel before I make this decision: This is not about asking everyone you know for their opinion. This will just lead to confusion because even if they are great, wise, people, we all have differing opinions. Instead, you need to seek out those people you know who will go through this process along side of you before they have an opinion.

Choose wise counselors, ask them to search God’s Word for you and to sincerely and persistently pray for you and then see how they feel led in this situation and take into consideration their advice. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

5. Then I need to WAIT:
Don’t rush the decision. Wait until you are sure that you’ve gotten your answer from God. Don’t get ahead of Him. Wait for His lead. This is the hardest part for me! I just want a decision made! I HATE waiting!

During the session, Pastor Rick shared a story of a lady in his church who trained horses. After a sermon on Psalm 32, she gave him her interpretation of this portion of the Psalm:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
which have no understanding,
which must be harnessed with bit and bridle. (NKJV)

She said she has some horses who know her so well all she has to do is look in a direction and they will follow the lead of her glance. That’s how God wants us to follow Him. Know Him so well we don’t have to be dragged around by bit and bridle in order to go where He wants to lead us.

That is where I want to be in my own decision making and planning for the new year. Instead of being in a hurry to start new projects and make quick decisions, I want to slow down, to spend time getting to know Him more, and to be persistent in praying about the areas of my life where I need more direction. I want to get to the place where He glances in a direction, and I joyfully walk in the way He would have me go.

Personal Application:

Do you have any decisions to make as you begin this new year? What about resolutions you’ve made or dreams you are dreaming about the future? Take some time to dedicate those things to the Lord. Ask Him if He shares those dreams with you and if your plans are in line with His will.

Are there people you can trust to be wise counselors? Talk to them about the decision you are facing or the dreams you are dreaming and ask them to be in prayer for you. Choose people who will seek the Lord on your behalf. Pray that God will lead you to people who can be godly and wise advisers in your life.

Lord,
I thank you for this New Year and for all that is ahead in it. I know that each day has already been ordained by you. You already know what lies ahead for me. I lift to you my dreams and plans for this year. Show me which of these you share with me and which of them you do not desire for me. Please bring me to people who can be godly and wise advisers in my life. Direct me this year and show me how to stay in the center of your will.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

Happy New Year!

From the Word:

Read Luke 22:39-45

Key Verse:
Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. -Luke 22:39-45

I love good books and some of my favorites are Jan Karon’s novels “The Mitford Series.”  Set in the small Southern town of Mitford, they tell the story of a lovable, Episcopalian priest, named Father Tim.  The magic of the books lies in how ordinary life is in Mitford.

I have learned so much from Father Tim.  Before he starts his day, he always prays, “Make me a blessing to someone today.”  What an attitude!  Whatever happens today, Lord, please let me touch someone’s life!  He has a firm grasp on grace, and it shows up throughout the books.  But I think the most important lesson that I have learned from Father Tim is his famous “prayer that never fails.”Whenever he is counseling someone or trying to figure out a situation, he suggests that they pray the prayer that never fails, “Thy will be done.”

Why don’t we pray this prayer more often?  Fear! We forget that our God is trustWORTHY. If we are honest, many of us are afraid of what that Will might include.  It is almost as if we see God in Heaven saying, “Yippee!  She finally surrendered. Now I can pour on the really hard stuff!”

We must remember God’s character and His heart toward us.  He says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

He isn’t out to get us.  He is out to love us, mold us, shape us, draw us to Himself, and ultimately work out what is best for us individually and for the Kingdom as a whole.  Pray the prayer that never fails and trust for just the right answer.

Personal Application:

Does praying this prayer terrify you?  List what you are afraid of, confess your unbelief, and ask God to help you trust Him more.In his book, Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray gives this exhortation:

“Oh, I want to encourage you, and I want you to cast away every fear.  Come with that feeble desire. I f there is the fear which says- ‘Oh, my desire is not strong enough.  I am not willing for everything that may come, and I do not feel bold enough to say I can conquer everything’ – I implore you, learn to know and trust your God now.  Say:  ‘My God, I am willing that You should make me willing.’”

Give the Lord Your fear, and then ask Him to make you willing and able to surrender to His good will.

More of God’s Word:

1. Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief! Mark 9:24 (KJV)

2. All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. – Psalm 111:7 (NLT

)3. God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); - 1 Corinthians 1:9a (Amplified Bible)

Dear Lord,
Thy will be done.  As scary as it is to pray, I know that I can trust You because you are worthy of that trust.  Thank you that I can rest in knowing You are sovereign over the details of my life.  Equip me to let go and wait for Your perfect will.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

Devotions will be published each Monday.  Check back October 20th for our next one.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Love,