Ms. Lego

Walking "to School"

My son calls me Ms. Lego because we are doing pre-school at home this year and he thought I needed a teacher name. When it is time to go to school, he gets dressed with shoes, gets his packed lunch and we walk to school. We walk together to the corner with me as Mommy and when we return to the house and enter, I become Ms. Lego. He loves Ms. Lego, is very respectful to her and believe it or not - learning from her!

I have to be creative and intentional with time to think of ways to teach a young boy the introduction of reading, writing and arithmetic. It is a great benefit to him and completely worth the extra work although difficult and out of my area of expertise. I found out the hard way the benefits were far greater than originally known or expected.

I unfortunately got lazy and Ms. Lego stopped coming for a couple of weeks. I thought it was no big deal because it was not as if he had a test or anything. I was wrong! I discovered he drastically changed when he did not have this instructional time in his day. He was a whiny, clingy child that did not listen. He lacked respect and struggled to play solo during the day. My lack of purposefulness and dedication to Ms. Lego resulted in stressful days that created an environment very difficult for me to produce good work.

It makes me think our faith is just the same. We have to put in the hard work to get good results. Our faith muscles have to be flexed daily and we have to strengthen them to withstand all that life throws at us. We have to be able to read God's Word and be confident in what we read to put what we read into practice. Think about it. Legos start out as a pile of mess on the floor waiting for someone to step on and hurt their foot. What makes them awesome is when we pick up the pieces to begin making a masterpiece. The joy and benefit from what we have built makes us want to continue on to make the masterpiece more and more elaborate to achieve the Wow Factor.

Being intentional isn't always easy. It won't always show instant benefits, but God blesses our time and none of it with Him is a waste. Just as preparation and studying reaps good results, time with God enhances our decision-making, thoughts and actions. We are better for the time we spend in His word, even if just for a small moment. Reading and understanding God's Word plus a little talking to God, known as prayer, can enrich our lives in a very positive and loving way. Wondrously and sometimes surprisingly little time turns into more time.

Time is something very precious to us all. It seems to get the best of us during the holidays. Why is that? It is a time we are supposed to be in reflection of God's gift - Jesus. Why so many gifts under the tree when we already have the greatest gift of all? Why so scattered with our time and engagements when we have eternity with Him? It can all be hurtful if not managed despite our intentions.

God's Word is not just intended for when we feel distant from Him, hurting or searching. Being in God's Word can show us how we need to spend our time and develop a different way of thinking. Learning the Word little by little can be applied to even the smallest decision or situation we are faced with.

We don't need to hit every party we are invited to. We don't have to say yes to everything our children what to do. Things start at home. Time with our family is important for each member. If we model and teach our children to run ragged this time of year, we are teaching them to miss out on what really matters. Sure we should open our homes and have people in to celebrate. Absolutely we should go and celebrate with others, but with a balance. Balance is different for everyone. Reading the Bible will help us to be more in God's will and make God smile. We start to get a better understanding for how He thinks in addition to what is important to Him. Understanding what is good according to God and not the world is alleviating and brings true joy.

May the Holy Spirit be alive and observed in your day to help encourage and inspire you to spend a little more time with God and doing what is right - maybe even difficult. May your no's be sprinkled with kindness and understanding to avoid bad feelings. God please share your blessings and teachings to develop and adorn our lives like never before to be spread to those around us. Thank you for your son Jesus. Amen.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. -Philippians 1:9-10 NIV

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. -Proverbs 1:5 NIV

God "will repay each person according to what they have done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. -Romans 2:6-8 NIV

What is Comfort?

   
     Understanding and knowing how Satan works is essential to Christian living. Satan takes us places we don't want to go. He gets in our minds to control our thoughts and actions. Satan gets up close and personal. He watches us. He lurks in our presence and sets temptation traps to distract us. He makes the things furthest from God a hot chocolate that warms and comforts us on a cold windy day. He wants his ways to seem comfortable and satisfying. He tells us God's ways are too hard with no reward. We believe him because it is easier to think poorly of ourselves, others and difficult situations. It is easier to run away from the truth then to stare it in the face and boldly seek God for comfort and solution.
     My weakness of fear and doubt can stop me dead in my tracks without knowing or realizing. The amount of intentionality and purpose to avoid these traps seems overwhelming at times. Satan knows this. Satan uses these struggles to keep me at the stop sign. But what good am I at a stop sign? What good are any of us at a stop sign? All we do is leave stain after stain in the lives of others as we sit idle. The key is in the ignition and the car is in drive ready to go, but our foot is strongly pressing against the break. No. It is too hard. Satan holds our hand to keep our foot on the break with lie after lie. You aren't good enough. Your past is too screwed up. The choices you made are who you are. Nothing can change. There is no hope. Just stay here with me.
     It is time for us to follow Jesus' example and say, "Away from me Satan!"
     It is time for us to stand up as Christians in our own lives and not allow the world to stop us from doing what we know is right. We need to start taking offense to others ultimately asking us to closet our faith. We need to stop throwing Jesus in other's faces that do not believe as we do and simply live with love in our hearts, actions and words. We need to let God be God while we live out the command of love as best we know how with the help of the Holy Spirit, example after example of Jesus and the steadfast prayer to God.

If He can multiply fish
and bread, He can
multiply this! (Luke 9:16)

     We all want to be comfortable, but is comfort the picture of Satan over our shoulder breathing words of lies in our ear comfortable? Our world is not safe if those that believe in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ put God in the background. We need to call on our Lord and Savior to redeem this place we call home. We need to pick our foot up and off the brake to courageously step on the gas pedal to move forward for Christ. Jesus taught us to follow the ways of the Bible, not the ways of the world that is becoming more and more filled with hatred, hurt and darkness. We need to turn our lights on and shine for Christ. Even if all we have to shine is a nightlight. God can use it. He can turn our nightlights into floodlights, but we have to brazenly flip the switch.
     Father, we pray our small steps of boldness and faith would multiply within us to take bigger and bolder steps. Lord, I pray more people want your love and acceptance because of our acts of obedience. May we be courageous enough to shine our lights outside of church walls to be multiplied and made great in your name. God thank you for loving us just the way we are and using our brokenness to reach and love others. Thank you for your Son Jesus. Amen.
          


Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
Then the devil left him, and the angels came and attended him. - Matthew 4:10-11

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. - John 13:34-35

Poking Old Wounds

     The other day our son poked one of my husband's open wounds repeatedly. It rubbed, or should I say, poked Jeremy the wrong way. It was not as if it was an accident, it was followed by laughter and did not feel good. It hurt actually and made a healing wound hurt all over again.

     Our deep emotional wounds are just the same. No matter how the pain was generated, the damage can always hurt when provoked. Just like a car involved in an accident sustains damage and undergoes repair will never be the same, so the pain in our minds and hearts will never be the same after inflicted. We may be able to hide or make improvements to overcome, but no matter the work and change, the tenderness can resurface. Buried is not always dead. Hidden is not always lost.

No one wants to be poked.

     We are called to love one another. Not poke the wounds that make them hurt again. When we know the pain others have endured, we are not to take the knowledge and use it against one another and continue poking for more agony. When anger is felt and displayed, there is something immersed provoking the anger. We are called to help one another stay afloat, swim and get out of the water. We don't have to be held captive and drown because of the weight of our wounds. When love is going around as it was designed, others should not feel they are poked, rather accepted and respected in our presence. We can't be prideful and selfish to prevent loving others above ourselves.

     Grace, mercy and humility are desperately needed. Thankfully we serve and walk with a God full of grace and mercy. Thankfully we have the examples of Jesus to demonstrate and show us humility and love. Thankfully we have the Spirit to help us with the things we know we can't do alone. Thankfully we are loved just the way we are.

     Lord, help us demonstrate more of your perfect love to others - even when it is hard. May we learn to demonstrate Ephesians 4:32 to be more Christ-like in a fallen world. Amen.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32