Pray for Me - Thoughts from September 25

Will you pray with me that the trials I am facing right now would not overwhelm me?  I just feel like our enemy is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at me right now in an effort to get my eyes off the Lord and on to my circumstances.

Today I started feeling like I wasn't up to the task of handling all these challenges I am facing.   There's only 1 of me and there's not enough to go around- especially with MS fatigue and a foot drop with a limp to slow me down.

But I got 2 prayer requests from a friend who is going through major challenges in her life right now as well.

Suddenly I felt that she and I are doing our best to be obedient to the Lord's will in our lives and our enemy is trying to overwhelm us to keep us from being as effective as we might be if we were unhindered by the very real concerns in our lives right now.

So while I was pondering and praying I realized that I DON'T have what is necessary to meet the difficulties I am faced with now.   But I know who DOES have all that is necessary to help me prioritize and effectively accomplish everything that is necessary- joyfully and without grumbling.🙂

And I have some amazing friends and prayer partners like you to call on when I am in need as I am right now.

Please pray I will have the strength I need for each moment,  the courage I need for each challenge and the humility and the available resources I need when it's time to ask for help.  And most of all will you please pray that I won't make a single move unless my gaze is focused on the Lord and my ears are open to hear what direction He wants me to move on first?

THANK YOU!😌

Let God Steer - Thoughts from September 23

I was so thankful for these grocery carts when the kids were little.   You know, the kind with steering wheels and seat belts that make the kids feel like they are helping steer the cart around the store?  Whenever these kid-friendly carts were unavailable,  I had 2 kids who felt like they were more capable than they actually were who wanted to steer the cart for me.  I would let them take turns standing in front of me "helping" push the cart while I did the actual steering.  I knew if I let go, the kids would steer the cart into a shelf or into an oncoming cart.

I was thinking about this the other day when I realized how like children we are in this regard.  We often think we are more capable than we are.  We think we can handle situations in our own strength when, in reality,  God has His hands on the controls and only lets us THINK we are helping.  When He lets go - we crash and bad things happen because we just aren't as capable as we think we are!

We aren't God and we never will be.  Time to let go of the controls and let God steer us in the right direction. 🙂 

Stepping out of your Comfort Zone - Thoughts from September 12

I've been thinking a lot about my Mom lately.   Especially in connection with the text I sent last month about stepping out of our comfort zones.

My Mom is 79 years old.  She is an extreme introvert who has a quiet voice and can barely make herself heard to order at a restaurant.   She doesn't like to drive - it makes her very nervous.  We often joke that she has about a 5 mile radius from her home where she is comfortable driving and rarely ventures beyond that.

But almost 3 years ago she felt the Lord leading her to sign up to be a deaconness at her church.  It's a 3-year commitment and one of the responsibilities is to go visit church members who can't make it to church anymore- once a month- for 3 years.  

I admit I didn't think she should do it and was concerned about her wandering outside her 5 mile comfort zone.  I advised against it.  But she ignored my well-intentioned but incorrect advice and obeyed the voice of the Lord instead and made that 3 year commitment.

Now, we can argue about whether a church should be asking people to formally commit to performing the duties that, scripturally we are ALL supposed to be fulfilling in our churches.  But truthfully, without accountability,  we have been failing to support and encourage eachother the way we are instructed to.  So asking for a formal commitment isn't a terrible idea if those who sign up are called by the Lord to serve.

My Mom's 3 year commitment is coming to an end and I am so proud of her service and the growth that has taken place in her life!  She wasn't harmed in any way by driving to visit people who aren't able to get themselves to church anymore.  In fact, I have seen her grow in confidence and she now has a stronger support network,  solid prayer support and a stronger relationship with the Lord - KNOWING by experience that He is faithful and truly WILL provide the strength in areas where she is weak if He calls her to serve Him outside of her comfort zone.

I furthermore have to tell you that I'm convicted!  If my 79 year old mother, a widow with macular degeneration and an essential tremor can step THAT FAR outside her comfort zone and emerge stronger and more confident than ever before, what is stopping ME from listening to the Spirit within me, prompting me to serve in ways that feel uncomfortable? 

What's stopping YOU?

Trust - Thoughts from August 30

I have been really dwelling on these verses this week.  If we truly trust the Lord to tell us how He wants us to lead our lives, and if we don't rely on our own ideas of how to serve Him, He will show us what He wants us to do and will provide us with the abilities necessary to accomplish His purposes.   He doesn't always lead us in ways that are convenient or ask us to serve in areas where we are particularly gifted. 

I have a friend who moved to a small town with her husband when he retired.  The small church they attend doesn't have anyone to play the piano during their time of singing.   This friend has asked me to pray for her on Sunday mornings because she has been attempting to play the piano for their services even though she gets nervous performing in front of people and doesn't play piano very well.  She has started practicing at the local senior center during the week to practice and improve her skills but the point is, she is stepping outside her comfort zone to serve the Lord because she trusts Him to help her even though she is not confident in her own abilities.

I'm praying we all will have the confidence in the Lord to step out of our comfort zone to serve and to help those around us - starting with our church family.

TRY - Thoughts from August 24

One more thought this week  - from my reading this morning (August 24).  I have been so blessed by the Spirit in my daily reading this week.  I have tried to really slow down and really consider what I'm reading and how it applies to my life - my heart.

These verses convict me because I KNOW I don't forgive the way the Lord has forgiven me.  But this morning (August 24) I am reminded that it is my responsibility to TRY. 

And in another part of my reading- in Ezekiel 36:25-27 I am reminded that if I ASK the Lord for forgiveness and if I obey His rules, I will be sprinkled with clean water, washed, cleansed and given a new heart to replace my stubborn, rebellious, unforgiving one.

I am confessing to you my imperfections and asking that you pray for me to be more Christ like.😟 

WHY? - Thoughts from August 23

Here's another verse from this morning (August 23) that hit me differently than it ever has before.   Look at the last part where Jesus is saying that He wants us to know that the Father loves us the way the Father loves Him.  Been dwelling on that amazing thought all day!  The Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus...  Trying to wrap my mind around that - WHY??!! Makes my heart feel even more full of His love!

Overflowing joy - Thoughts written on August 20.

These verses were in my reading this morning (August 20) and I was really grabbed by them.  I was struck particularly by verse 19 that says... and to know the love of Christ that SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE! (Emphasis mine).  And I have been really considering what that means and have come to believe that it is a love that surpasses intellectual knowledge.  It's a deep heart knowledge.   It's a strong soul awareness that God loves me and that is such a full-body and soul experience that I have a confidence in that love that can't be shaken.  I have a joy that can't be squelched, a fire that can't be quenched.  It's beyond my head knowledge but it's something my heart and soul understand perfectly and with that deeper understanding,  I KNOW that absolutely nothing can separate me from that love.

I just wanted to share this with you because it is exciting to see so many scriptures explained within this one passage! 

This is nothing new, I'm just newly excited!!!  My joy is overflowing and I can't hold it in so I'm sharing it with you!😃