No More Fly-by-Greetings

"Love does not behave rudely." 1 Corinthians 13:5
This week as I was attempting to pull a stubborn shopping cart from its corral in our grocery store entryway, I heard a familiar voice behind me. Someone I knew was speaking to me. As I turned to confirm who it was, I quickly realized this person had no intention of stopping. They merely kept their pace, speaking a few friendly words in my direction and then quickly disappeared into the grocery store. I didn't even get a chance to say hello...or good bye for that matter. In fact, they flew by so quickly I have no idea what they even said to me. I just smiled and nervously laughed, pretending I understood what they said.

Afterward, I thought how sad it is that people don't take time anymore to stop and enjoy each other's company. It seems in our modern-day world of emailing, texting, and voice mail that personal, one-on-one conversations are becoming a lost art. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly don't expect folks to sit and gab with me for 20 minutes in the grocery store, for I realize we all have things to do and places to go. But it's not good when we feel we can't stop for a mere 60 seconds to politely greet one another. 60 seconds to say, 'You're important enough for me to stop what I'm doing and converse with you.' 60 seconds to say, 'I care more about you than getting my bagels and cream cheese.'

But please be assured, I have no ill feelings towards the individual who passed me by that evening, for I am equally guilty of doing the very same thing. I too at times have felt it more important to get my deli order filled than to stop and chat with someone. I too have felt that a quick, fly-by-greeting is sufficient enough when I'm 'in a hurry'. But I'm beginning to realize how much I am missing out on when doing that. I am missing out on God's blessings and the beauty of having relationship with those people He puts in my path. More important, I am exhibiting rudeness to those I pass by.

So that evening at the grocery store I purposed to be more sensitive to the leading of God's Spirit and stop to greet people when I see them out in public. And sure enough, the next day I had opportunity to put this conviction into practice. On my morning walk with the Lord, I ran into one of our elderly neighbors. My first thought was to merely wave and keep on walking, after all this was MY time. But after my grocery store experience I felt it necessary to stop and say hello, so I did. And you know what? It was nice. Nothing miraculous, but nice. 60 seconds to let my neighbor know that she was important to me. 60 seconds to let her know I cared about her. 60 seconds to extend the love of Christ to someone.

Trusting the Lord in Uncertain Times

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own under-standing." Proverbs 3:5

My husband and I recently put our home up for sale. Oh, we don't have any specific plans in mind, just seeing if the Lord would have us make some changes in these challenging economic times. Well as you can imagine, this decision led our 10 year old to begin asking a flurry of questions. "Will our new home be in the country or the city? Will we live in a house or an apartment? How big will my room be? Can I bring my toy horse collection with me?"

You see, our oldest daughter is a planner. She likes all her ducks in a row, knowing all the details of when, where, and how things are going to play out. And most of the time I can give her answers to these questions, but not this time. For I do not know what lay in store for our family. So with great empathy I looked into her turmoiled eyes and said, "Honey, I realize this is difficult for you and that there are aspects of this situation that you will not be able to understand. You're just going to have to trust that mom and dad love you very much and will take care of you."

'You're just going to have to trust...' No sooner were those words off my lips did the Lord use them to pierce my own heart. For apparently I too had some questions and insecurities about the future. Are we going somewhere, Lord? What are you doing in our lives? Is it all going to be okay? My words to our daughter about trusting reminded me that just as she cannot understand what the future holds, neither can I. And just as our daughter needs to trust her parents, I too need to trust my Heavenly Father.

I then turned to our younger daughter and said, "Honey, do you have any questions or concerns about mom and dad putting the house up for sale?" "No, not really," she replied, "Actually sounds like fun!"

Now there was a different perspective! I replayed her words over again in my mind...'actually sounds like fun'. And as I did, I pictured the Lord lovingly winking at me saying, "Sherrie, do you think you could ever get to a place in your life where you think completely letting go of control 'sounds like fun'?

I didn't answer Him right away. In fact, I'm still pondering it.

Today's Family Bible Time Snapshot

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children..." Deuteronomy 6:6

Our Bible lesson today was from 1 Samuel ch. 8 where Samuel warns the Israelites of the consequences that would come if they rejected God as their King. To help make the story 'come alive' the girls made little clay figures to represent the characters of the story. (The chubby, little blue fella on the right is Samuel. And I think the yellow guy lying flat on his back is one of the rebellious ones, weary of prophetic messages.) Hey...whatever it takes, right?

For more ideas on making family Bible time the highlight of your day see Thoughtful Bible Study for the Family.

Radical Sacrificial Living

"...and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

It's that time of year again...Lent. A season when many God fearing people choose to abstain from doing something they love as an act of sacrificial devotion to the Lord. For some it means giving up chocolate. For others it may involve walking away from the Internet or unplugging the television. These are all good things, and for those whose hearts are truly pure in such endeavors, I believe God imparts spiritual blessings.

But may I be so bold as to say that I think this temporary season of partial self denial falls painfully short of what God intended our lives to be? For God doesn't say, "He died for all, that those who live should give up one thing they love for 40 days." No, 2 Corinthians 5:15 implies that we are to yield every selfish desire we have over to God everyday. Sounds a bit more radical than the traditions of Lent wouldn't you say?

But this shouldn't surprise us. For we serve a God who radically loves us and therefore it is only natural that He would desire us to live lives radically given over to Him. For the believer, there is nothing part time about following Christ. Denying self is not a seasonal event, it is a privileged way of life.

I fear there are still some areas of my life that are not completely yielded over to Him, and I am convinced this is because I am not fully embracing the sacrificial love Christ has for me, nor am I consistently walking in the reverent fear of the Lord. I am prayerfully considering this, for I am weary of the meaningless fruit that my selfish living produces.

Praise the Lord for His living Word that convicts us and His Holy Spirit that enables us to change in order that we might experience fullness of life!

Blog Time Blues

"But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12b

Can I be honest with you about something? Sometimes blogs that are meant to be a source of encouragement...actually discourage to me. Oh, it's not their fault. The ladies who create these blogs do a beautiful job bringing some much needed refreshment into the world. It's my own weak mind that occasionally allows the light of their glory to cast a shadow over my day.

You see, most of the time when I look at these creative blogs, with their eloquent wording, soothing background music, and delightful photographs of children romping around the antique farmhouses in which they live, I am enlightened. I sit back and let their brilliance shine blessings into my soul.

But not today. Today these blissful blogs became a thorn in my side. It all started while our girls and I were making chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen. Everything was going just fine until I became painfully aware of my old, plastic sugar container sitting on the counter. It's cracked cover and vanilla stained masking tape label made me wince.

"I bet the Blog Ladies (that's what I affectionately call them) don't have sugar containers like this," I thought to myself, "I bet their sugar containers are beautifully, hand painted crocks handed down by their great, great grandmothers - crocks so lovely they are purposely left on the counter for others to admire. No, the Blog Ladies would never have an eyesore such as mine tainting their kitchens."

These thoughts prompted a strange sort of twinge in my heart. Not a twinge of jealousy per say, for my plastic sugar container has served me well over the years. And I suppose if I really wanted a beautiful antique sugar crock I could go out and get one. It was more of a twinge that my sugar container was a representation of my life in general and that maybe I had somehow fallen short.

You see, I'm not creative like the Blog Ladies, and we don't live on a rambling ranch with sheep and chickens and vineyards in my back yard. My children don't wear hand knit sweaters or sleep in iron post beds. We're just your typical suburban family with scooters in the driveway, Target brand clothing and yes, ugly, plastic sugar containers.

But the Lord reminded me that it's okay. Actually, its more than okay. For it doesn't matter what the sugar container looks like as long as it serves the purpose it was intended for...storing sugar. The same holds true for my life. I may never acquire the Better Homes and Garden lifestyles that I see on other ladies' blogs, but I will be faithful to serve the Lord (just as they do) in what He's called me to do - to love and care for my family. And the truth is, my children could care less what the sugar container looked like today, all that concerned them was that I was spending quality time with them. Oh Lord, please bless the Blog Ladies and help me never to unnecessarily compare myself to them again.

The Power of a Wife's Words

"And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." Genesis 16:2b

Sarai had waited long enough to have a baby (or so she thought). It had been 10 years since God promised her and her husband, Abram a child. Yet here it was a decade later, and she still remained barren. So in her desperation, Sarai did what any normal wife would do...she talked with her husband about the situation. Problem was, Sarai didn't just talk. Sarah controlled. She used calculated words that would convince her husband it was time to take action. Time to fix the problem. Time to take the bull by the horns and bring about the changes she so desperately wanted. As a result, Abram 'heeded the voice of Sarai' and agreed to take Hagar, her handmaid as his concubine. Hagar would conceive the promised child in Sarai’s stead.

Sarai’s plan came to fruition, but not without great cost. For God never intended Sarai to take matters into her own hands. He desired her to prayerfully wait on His timing. Unfortunately those involved suffered grievous consequences from Sarai’s lack of faith and controlling words to her husband.

We as wives have tremendous influence over our husbands decisions, and this is not to be taken lightly. Our words carry great power with these men who love us so dearly. Do you have a situation in your life that is troubling you, something you would like to see changed? And does that change require your husband’s leading or cooperation? If so, be careful with your words. Make sure your heart and motives are right with God before opening your mouth. I know Sarai wished she had.

Overcoming Homeschool Worries

“For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:32b-33

In my first few years of homeschooling, I found myself occasionally worrying that our children would not be academically equipped when it came time for them to leave the nest. Would they know how to add fractions that lacked a common denominator? Could they appropriately locate all 50 states and recall their capital cities? Would they remember that there's only one 'm' in 'tomorrow' and two in 'committed'? Or more important, what if a total stranger stopped them on the street and asked them to diagram a sentence, would they be able to do it? Oh, the needless worries that can plague the mind of a homeschool mom!

It was in the midst of one of these fretful sessions that the Lord graciously brought to mind Matthew 6:33, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Could it be that all these things went beyond food, clothing, and shelter and actually included math, science, and history? Could it be that if our family truly made seeking God's face the priority each day that He would be faithful in helping me teach our children all the other things they needed to live fruitful, productive lives?

The answer was a resounding yes! But claiming this promise required faith on my part. Faith to believe the Lord means what He says. Faith to believe that "the fear of the Lord truly is the beginning of wisdom." I had a choice to make. I could either take the Lord at His Word or I could spend the next 18 years fearfully spinning my academic wheels and wringing my hands, only hoping it would be sufficient.

Thankfully He gave me the ability to trust Him. It took awhile, but once I allowed the truths of Matthew 6:33 to sink deep into my heart, my fears regarding homeschooling were replaced with joy...the joy of knowing that if I loved God with all of my heart, He would take care of the details. Whew!