A Note to Parents Far and Wide (lol)

Let me start by saying this post is not meant to be one of judgement, but one of my observations and revelations. I feel like I needed a warning at the beginning of this topic because my thoughts today are on parenting, and since I'm not a parent as of now (PTL! lol) I could see how it could easily be taken as judgmental. But I do have a lot of experience with children and their parents since I nannied for a little under 10 yrs and have worked in several preschool environments, including the one I'm currently working in. I have seen it all! And so I have some thoughts and hopefully encouragement for you parents out there.

As I think back over the last decade (plus some) of being around so many different family structures something really sticks out to me, not one is the same as the other AND not one is perfectly done. There are parents that use techniques that I could never imagine using to raise a child. Then their are parents that I imagine I will be like, using techniques that are on the opposite spectrum from the previously stated ones. Then there are the parents that mix in bits and pieces of so many different techniques. The thing is, no technique is perfect. No parent is perfect. And no child is exactly like the previous or the latter. There are just so many things that play into how a child will turn out. But often I look at parents and how defeated they look and sound as they compare themselves to one another and my heart breaks. Comparison in any aspect just brings destruction. It is a deadly weapon of the enemy... but our God is bigger! And He created each of us in very unique ways with very specific personalities. I say all of that to make the point that, what works for one parent, may not work for the other. :)

I watch the families coming into the office as they drop-off or pick-up their child. There is often a wide variety of children walking in and out every day.  One day Melon (fake name given for the protection of our students) may walk in with the biggest smile, so happy to see everyone and get to play with her friends... the next day, she's throwing herself on the floor in a tantrum because mommy has to go to work. Then we have Choco (again, fake name) who is as silent as silent can be as they walk through the office, but get them on the play ground and they can't stop jabbering! It's not only personalities that affect how these kids act but how they are feeling, their environment, how much sleep they got, etc... the list could go on for days. It's because of this that trying to be the perfect parent is impossible!

But here is some encouragement for you parents, the only thing that will get you through this crazy thing called parenting is our Heavenly Father. Only His ways are perfect! When we try to do things in our own strength or mold children into what someone else's child might look like, we fail! Why? Because we aren't perfect and no child will ever be perfect (except sweet baby Jesus of course). And I just feel like the Lord wants me to tell you that His ways are higher then our ways (Isaiah 55:9), so trust Him!

You could waste your life trying to read every parenting book known to man (I am NOT against parenting books) and trying every technique that's ever been used to raise your child, but the reality is that placing yourself firmly in the Word and teaching your child to be firmly placed in the Word, will be the strongest and most secure technique out there. There will be ups, there will be downs, and there will be a whole lot of in betweens, but being faithful to raise your children to honor the Lord is what will give you sanity at the end of the day! They won't be perfect, they will still make A LOT of mistakes (trust me, I've done it and I work with teens who do it more often than not) because there is freewill but the Lord is faithful to His word where it says "Train a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.

Last thoughts... don't let the weight of this world try to cause you to believe you are a bad parent because your child does look like, talk like, play like, sit like, run like, or sleep like the way the child next to you does. In fact, be encouraged that the differences in your child will be used to glorify the Lord in ways only they can, because they are unique! Their personalities are unique and their strengths/weaknesses are unique and so their callings will be unique! But ask the Lord daily for the wisdom (Proverbs 2:6 & James 1:5) and strength (Isaiah 41:10; 1 Chronicles 16:11; Philippians 4:13) to trust Him in raising your child/children and know that He will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:5&6).

Lord, tonight I bless every parent I know. Every parent that is struggling to raise a child in this crazy world. I pray that You would be their strength and wisdom in training them in the way they should go, but also that You would be their peace and hope! That even in the hardest times, in the most tiring of times that You would be there speaking to them and loving on them. I ask for a stirring in their hearts to be consistent in raising their children to love You and honor You... that through their obedience to raise them as Your children, they too would receive the honor they deserve as parents. Remind them in the imperfect times that You are still there and You still love them! Thank You for their hearts to love You and love their children! Amen!

For those of you who are not parents, these basic truths from His word can be applied to every area of your life too, don't dismiss it! lol

The Magic Kingdom

This weekend I did something I haven't done for a very long time... I went to Disney Land!! It's funny how a place full of crowds, expensive food and heat can fill so many people with so much joy! Walt was a wise man and gifted at knowing how to bring smiles to the masses!

As I sat by myself in front of the train station on our last night there I watched people walking down Main St with smiles from ear to ear. I wondered about their stories... how long had it been since they had been there last? Were there childhood memories attached to this wonderful place? Were they starting traditions with their children? Was this a once in a lifetime thing for them? Everyone has a story and I think that is partly why I love being with people so much, you get to know their story and connect who they are now with where and what they have come from. But back to Main St... I saw parents holding children all while hauling strollers and bags of goodies and souvenirs, and they were still smiling. I saw couples holding hands and gleaming with the joy of a new marriage; and then couples celebrating years and years of marriage. There were teenagers jumping around like they were 5 all over again, for once not afraid of what anyone was thinking of them. It stirred my heart!

I started asking the Lord what made this place so special that people could set aside the struggles and heaviness of their lives and have joy in the "Happiest Place on Earth"? And then my heart was filled with sorrow because though this moment brought smiles, it wasn't going to change anything. As soon as they got home it was going to be real life all over again. And for most of them, they don't know the hope and joy that is Jesus! Just as I was thinking on that the Lord reminded me that this was the reason for us as the Bride to not stay shut up inside a church. This is the reason He told us to GO! Kind of a heavy moment for the benches of Disney Land! 

There is a world out there that is hurting, the same kind of hurting we experienced before we knew the Lord. It's not about us being right and them being wrong, it's about us holding a gift that the Lord desires everyone to have. It was never a gift He meant for us to hold to ourselves but to share with everyone we can; whatever that may look like for you! I know for me, sitting down listening to people's stories and then being able to share mine tends to be the best way I know how to share this wondrous gift of love from the Father. It's about Kingdom living!

And as Easter quickly approaches, I am so thankful for the reminder that there are so many out there that deserve to know the greatest gift ever given. The challenge to not live so inward but to live a life of RELEASING! How great of a transformation will the church experience if it begins to be about those outside the doors rather than us and our needs all the time? I think we might begin to see the smiles that people experience through Disney becoming a more permanent thing because of the Saving Grace! 

So, Lord, my prayer for tonight is that you teach us how to reach people where they are! Teach us how to be love in a world of hurt and strife. Open doors of opportunity to reach outward and love. Teach us as your bride the best way to release the joy that is true in this earth! May your church be filled with more smiles and freedom than Disney Land could ever offer! In Your precious name, Amen!

"In Over My Head"

When a song just hits that spot in your heart and speaks so clearly to where you are in that moment... yeah, that's me right now. I've already shared that music is a deep love of mine and often times the Lord speaks to me through it; but today, today is different. I've had this cd in my car for a week now, which means it's played all the way through a good 75 times. I have heard and sung along with this song too many times to count. But today as I got in the car this afternoon to head home I felt these words jump straight from the cd player into my heart, as if they were my very own. They speak directly to where I'm at right now and the desire of where I want to be... here's a small tid-bit:

"Would you come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in

Let love come teach me who You are again

Take me back to the place where my heart was only about You

And all I wanted was just to be with You

Come and do whatever You want to..."

Yeah, that's some deep stuff. My prayer is often that the Lord would change my mindset to be in alignment with His... so that I don't try to force the majesty that is He in to these man-made, philosophical, theological boxes. I ask Him to teach me to be open to things not panning out the way I imagine because I only know in part, but He sees it all. I ask Him to teach me His attributes, and always He does it in love... because that's who He is! But the biggest cry of my heart is that He finds me in a place where my heart is solely focused on Him. 

As I sat listening and declaring these words I could feel His immense pleasure of embracing me with His presence. That's what He wants, that's all He ever wants, is to be with us, love us, sing over us, breathe life into us. No matter the season, no matter the hurt, the frustrations, or even the good that is happening in our lives, He wants to be there. He longs for us to invite Him in and share every intimate detail with Him. How sweet a lover is He, that He would care so deeply for us!

Then, the next part of the song happened:

"Further and further my heart moves away from the shore

Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours

Further and further my heart moves away from the shore

Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours."

He quickly reminded me of the fear that comes with not having control. The further I head out into the water, the deeper I get, the less control I have of the things happening in my surrounding. Am I going to be ok with that? Am I going to trust that no matter what the specific wave looks like, or how big/scary it may feel, that He has me? And my response is yes! Today, I answer with YES! Some days that answer may look different, but I pray that He remind me in those moments that trusting Him is far more beneficial that ever being able to completely control every part of every sentence my life will make up. As I let Him write clearly thought out sentences and build a beautiful paragraph that will join with other paragraphs to create my story, I will know that it will be nothing but brilliant and glorifying to Him. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

In this place of longing Lord, I ask that all the muck and confusion that has recently stepped in the way of us being one and keeping me from fully submerging myself in Your waters would gently be lifted. That hurt, shame, guilt, unforgiveness and so much more would be swept into your hands as I trust Your hand in my life, no matter that circumstance. May I be faithful in knowing and believing that You see it all and You always want the best for me, so I can trust your leading and just swim in those deep waters. Thank you for all of Your love and faithfulness! Amen

So, for your enjoyment and hopefully a moment of listening to these words and letting Holy Spirit speak to your heart, I have attached this song, "In Over My Head" -Bethel Music:

The Month of Love

"What is love?

Baby, don't hurt me"

The lyrics to this song popped into my head right now and as I was singing it loud and proud I realized how confused we really are about love. We title so many things "love", when in reality they are far from. So what is love really? How do we do/live it? I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

After reading that, love does not sound like butterflies and rainbows... it sounds like a lot of work. 

It says to me, "It's not all about you, but it's about those around you." All of a sudden the picture of red hearts and roses fades and reality sets in; 

LOVE IS NOT AN EMOTION, IT'S A CHOICE!

 There are days I wake up and it seems easy to love everyone around me, then there are the days I wake up and honestly all I want to do is bang some people's heads together. It's in those moments though, that love finds it's truth. Will I choose to be kind and patient with that person? Will I put them before myself and not be easily angered? Hard questions! But in the end it comes down to a simple commandment:

"... Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself..." (Matthew 22:37-39)

I want to honor Him, so I MUST love! 

He doesn't leave us out to hang though; we have help in this area! For God is love (1 John 4:8), so who better to teach us and help us in this area? You see, I notice in myself the difference in my relationships with people and my ability to choose to love them when I am trying to do it on my own and when I try to do it with the Lord. Actually, it doesn't happen at all when I try to do it on my own. I mean, yeah, I can be nice... for a few minutes... but it is impossible for me to love. The importance of involving Love himself in the midst my relationships with those around me is beyond important. 

So, I go back to that choice... will I choose to love? Even when it's hard? Even when it doesn't feel good? Even when I want to run the other direction? Yes, tonight I choose yes! 

Lord, tonight I want to honor you in loving those around me. Father, forgive me for choosing myself and my comfort above You and them. Help me to walk in love... to make it a life style. Help me to realize daily that the choice is mine and give me the strength to choose love always. That my life would bear the fruit of your kingdom on earth! Amen

Reminders

For the last few years I have caught myself doing a lot of reminiscing.... thinking about good times and looking back at lessons learned. I tend to do it a lot with pictures. Every couple of weeks I'll go through a few of my albums to remind myself of those moments in time. But tonight it was my Bible. I used to make a lot of notes on things in my Bible, until I realized that I like to write and so it's better for me to just journal it. So, tonight I was trying to remember a scripture and I pulled out my faithful friend. I turned to the book and chapter and there I found SOOOO many markings. Things were underlined, highlighted, noted, starred, etc. If there was a way for me to make known that this was something important to me, I did it. The chapter is Isaiah 61...

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." (vs. 1-3)

It continues on to say...

"Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs." (vs. 7)

This is one of my biggest life chapters! I am reminded tonight of why. I know that the voice behind these verses is the Lord; He is the one anointed to do all of these things, and many would argue that it's not our place to claim this for ourselves. But I would argue, to be Christ-like we must live as He. If the Spirit was on Jesus, I want the Spirit in me! If He was anointed to preach good news, I long for that same anointing! If He was sent to bind the broken heart, proclaim freedom, release those from the darkness, comfort, etc... I want to do that as well; I want to LIVE that as well! You see, Jesus is my example! If I'm not striving to see His kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, then what am I doing? What is my purpose?

I will not allow myself to be satisfied with a mundane, do the norm, blending in kind of life! I am called to change the normal; to shine brightly so people can see the Lord through me! That is life! That is my longing! It gets hard to remember that sometimes and so I am very thankful for nights like tonight where Holy Spirit reminds me so gently.

My prayer tonight Lord, is that You would remind each of us daily of the calling You have for us as Your children. That the same freedom we get to walk in and glory we get to experience is available for all those around us, and we need the longing inside of us stirred to share it! Let my life's cry not just be a cry but let it be the motivation that moves me into action! There's so much more and I pray we will not be satisfied with just normal, but we'd long for power and glory to be released through us! All for YOUR name's sake! Amen!

Getting Things Done

I tend to be a "get it done" kind of person. You know, the person that walks in the room and sees things that need fixing/organizing and does it. Yeah, that's me. I love figuring out solutions to problems, reworking things so they work better and simply just getting things done. I've been thinking about this a lot this week; it's been brought up in several ways and thus at the forefront of my mind. And tonight as I was thinking about it I had this sort of revelation moment...

The Lord has promised me several things in my life. They are things that I hold close to my heart and don't often share with a lot of people. These promises are things I long for, I get excited thinking about and I pray about often. I hold them close to my heart because I know they are from the Lord and they deserve to be protected. But I also want to see them come to pass. So as I have been thinking about these promises and my "getting things done" ways, I am reminded of Abraham. 

Abraham was given a promise by the Lord. A very special promise. A promise that I am sure as soon as it was released to him, Abraham's heart swelled with joy and anticipation. But you see, I am pretty certain Abraham was also a "get it done" kind of person. And to Abraham in the natural, since that's the way we tend to think most often, he could not see how this promise of a son with Sarah could ever be... so he did what a lot of us tend to do, he tried to help God out. I don't believe Abraham was purposefully trying to do his own thing, but that he was simply just trying to get things done... just trying to see a promise fulfilled. 

How easy is it for us to jump to that place of trying to make stuff happen? I often find myself subconsciously making plans as to how I can make these promises from the Lord come to pass, because I am that "get it done" woman, and I have to call myself back into alignment with the Lord's will and timing. And I get ridiculed for that too... waiting on the Lord's leading and guidance in every area of my life. I think we've just become a culture that is so used to figuring things out and finding ways to make things happen that we often forget that the Lord loves for us to allow Him to lead us. So, I have to push out the noise of people saying, "well, you could take this job" or "how about signing up on this dating site" or "why don't you join this ministry?" I know their hearts are to be helpful and loving (well most of them anyways lol), but my heart is to be in accordance with the Father at all times. No matter what that looks like... if I have to wait till I'm 60 to be married, or 75 to travel the world... I will do it because He is worthy of my trust and submission. 

I am not holier than thou, or even close... I'm just sharing my heart. I want to see these promises take place, and there are days that I want to take steps I've created in my flesh to get me there, but more importantly than even the promises happening, I want to be obedient! I would love to get to Heaven and the Lord say to me, "thank you for your obedience!" Who knows if He'll even say it, but I'd rather live with that goal in mind rather than achieving earthly success.

So here is a little suggestion: instead of offering "how about's" or "maybe you should's", offer to pray with/for me. And not just me, but everyone around you. Instead of trying to offer an answer, let's seek the Lord together and see what He has to say about it. My how the world could change, instead of trying to get things done we seek and wait in patience for His perfect guidance! I want that to be my kind of living...

Music

In a moment a song can quickly capture my attention and cause me to dwell on it for days. The words penetrating my heart and mind; the sound lingering in my ears and mouth. Am I the only one? I didn't think so. Why does music play such an influential role? I look at this generation that can't even do homework unless there is an earphone in their ear with music playing. We can't be in the car without music playing. And for those of us who pray, it is often times hard to do that without music. So I'm thinking about this tonight... there is something very deep and special about this thing called music and I believe it's not an accident that it is this way.

I wonder how the past has played a role in where we stand today. I think about God creating satan and giving him "timbrels and pipes" (Ezekiel 28:13) and allowing him to play and worship at the throne itself. And I think about how pride crept into that angels heart. Then for him to be cast out of Heaven... how angry he must have been (and is). In my mind those things all play a role in what is happening in music and through music now. There is an emotional connection to music and satan knows that and uses it. 

Let's talk about secular music first... holy cow, a lot of times I have no words when I listen to lyrics of today's pop, r&b, country, rap, etc.  There's several running themes: sex, self-indulgence, anger, hurt. Not every song, but many! I'm not hating on secular artists, because they are often times gifted and amazing; I'm just pointing out that there is something heavy happening in the lyrics and music of today's culture. And it's not something to ignore, but something to be aware of. Our kids hear these things and if we go back to what I said at the top of this post about music and lyrics sticking with us, there is something to be seen there. When the lyrics of a song are describing sexual encounters and it gets stuck in our minds, don't we realize that it will play a part in our actions? What ever we allow to enter inside our hearts and minds will eventually come out. 

And now the thing it would be very hard for me to live without... christian/worship music. I'm not going to lie, I've got music playing most of the day. Up until recently I was fine with playing just anything "Christian" but I started listening to the words and felt a conviction. You see, so many Christian songs are focused on about 90% negativity and then 10% praising the Lord. Even worship songs that we sing in services and are meant to focus us on the Lord, they are all about us. "We've failed" "We're hurting" "Help us", etc. Instead of the focus just being how amazing our God is and declaring His glory and honor, we get stuck on self. I'm guilty of it too; I've written several songs I called "worship" and they aren't. I've kind of gone off on a rabbit trail right now, but I'm bring it back lol...

You see, I believe music plays such a role in us because the Lord loves it and created it. And because the Lord created satan with a desire in that area, he (satan) has decided to use it against the Lord in any way. So we are in a battle that we often aren't aware of and aren't prepared for. We aren't guarding ourselves against this scheme of the enemy because we aren't recognizing that it's an issue. But I'm calling it out; it's an issue! It's a real life thing that affects everyone. It affects our emotions, our thoughts, our relationships, our actions. And I'm not saying don't listen to music (remember I said it'd be very hard for me to live without it) but I'm saying be aware... ask the Lord, "is this pleasing to you? Is it blessing your heart? Does it build me up? Is it affecting the way I speak/act/think?" It might seem a little overspiritualized to you, but I would much rather live my life asking the Lord what I should be doing rather than just doing whatever and hoping for the best outcome.

I love music, but I love You more Lord! Help me to see when music affects me and learn to remove it from my mind and heart. I pray that we as Your bride would recognize that this whole church thing is not about us, but about You and all those out there who don't know you. Help us to sing songs of Your worth and praise and declare how amazing You truly are. I don't want to be overly crazy, but I do want to honor You in all the areas of my life, and this is the one that is sticking out to me tonight. So, bless the Lord oh my soul, and ALL that is within me bless His Holy name!