Afraid You'll Miss It?

I'm confessing!

I got to church this morning and,

realized our pastor was not preaching

(our pastor is amazing!),

it was graduation Sunday

(we have no graduate this year)

and you know what comes next, right?

Well, I waited for Strike 3 just like you're waiting for it,

but it didn't come.

Please know that I love church and yes, I know it's not about me.

I'm just being honest when I say that 

I walked into church hopeful and 

then sat in the pew for a few minutes.....disappointed.

I wondered who this guy was that was going to 

"try to fill in" for our pastor, and

what he could say to me 

(since I was not a current graduate).

Well, maybe there was a Strike 3,

maybe it was me and my attitude :(

If you follow me on Facebook, 

then you might know that I retired from teaching on Friday

(after 24 years).

Everybody keeps asking....

what are you going to do now????

what are your plans????

you're too young to retire (thank you), 

are you going to work somewhere else????

Well, the truth is, I don't really know.

What we (my husband and I) know
is that God has released me from full-time teaching right now.

So, how about that?!

I was sitting there this morning, 

not even realizing that I was just like some of those sweet graduates.

Yes, some of them thought they knew what was next,

college, military, mission field, etc

but I also have to believe that many of them sat there wondering what was REALLY next.

And then it came,

the quote that I wanted to write about,

the thing that this fill-in preacher said

to these graduates (and to ME)....

"God's ability to reveal HIS plan for me is much stronger than my ability to miss it."

I forget that sometimes,

when I'm wondering what's next,

when I'm seeking HIS will.

I keep thinking that it somehow ALL depends on me,

me looking, me seeking, me searching, me asking

and then me wondering if I'll miss it when HE finally reveals it.

Yes, I do think I need to keep talking to HIM

and yes, I need to stay in the Word,

but I also need to trust that when HE is speaking to me,

that HE will make sure that I hear HIM. 

Tonight I am a "graduate" who is thankful

that I didn't miss HIS word for me this morning.

What Kind of Waiter Am I?

What kind of waiter am I? 

I'm not talking about delivering your dinner to the table 

because I know how that would go. 

I mean when I pray about something and I am then forced to wait on the answer....

what kind of wait-er am I? 

What am I doing/thinking/feeling during the waiting?

wringing my hands?

thinking that God doesn't care?

am I anxious?

am I fretful?

am I talking it to death with anyone who will listen?

complaining about it?

whining about it?

do I keep it to myself and quietly worry?

And the key question might be.......Who am I listening to???

satan filling my head with doubts and thoughts,

trying to convince me that God doesn't care about my circumstance?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

At one time or another I've answered yes to every one of these questions.

I'm sure we all have.

But what should we be doing?

What is the job of the waiting?

What is the job of the wait-er?

I think the answer (and the question) is TRUST.

Do I really trust that God knows and that God cares?

Maybe the job of the waiting is to build trust, 

to grow our relationship with God.

Waiting certainly keeps me talking to HIM more.

But as I'm talking to HIM, I also need to remember to listen to HIM.

I need to listen to the voice of God, 

who constantly reminds me that HE loves me, 

HE cares about my circumstance, 

HE loves those that I am praying for more than I do.

HE knows what HE is doing!

I need to choose to TRUST HIM. 

I need to pray faithfully and then wait expectantly,

watching for the answer to come,

looking for the miracle to happen.

You are my strength, I watch for you;

you, God, are my fortress

my God on whom I can rely.

Psalm 59:9-10

"THE Look"

Ever get THE look?
Or a better question might be....how many times have you gotten THE look?
Maybe as a parent or teacher, you have mastered THE look.
You know THE look I'm talking about?
That look that needs no words, you automatically know exactly what it means.

I was reading today and came across the account of Peter after the Last Supper.
You know when Peter makes his bold declaration,
(that he was ready to go to prison and to death with Jesus).
then Jesus tells him how the reality will go,
(that Peter would deny knowing HIM 3 times before the rooster crowed).
Luke 22:31-62

We know the story ends just as Jesus predicted it would.
Peter denies Jesus 3 times.
Scripture says that just as Peter was speaking
(denying Jesus for the 3rd time) the rooster crowed.
And the next verse says.....
"The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter."
Luke 22:61

Have you ever wondered what was in THE look that Jesus gave to Peter?

Scripture says that Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him
and went outside and wept bitterly.

So what do you think was in THE look that made Peter weep bitterly?
disappointment?
sadness?
condemnation?
or THE look that I would have given him that says "I told you so!"?
Or do you think THE look was full of
compassion?
love?
forgiveness?
grace?

Or maybe some combination of all of those?

If Jesus had used words instead of THE look what do you think HE
would have said right at that moment?
"I told you so, Peter"?
"I am so disappointed in you, Peter"?
"You're breaking my heart"?

"I know it was hard to stand for me"?
"I love you"?
"I forgive you"?
"You're still mine, Peter"?

I'm asking the question today because I think that whatever we think was in THAT LOOK
is the same look we imagine Jesus gives us when we sin.

HIS eyes are always on us. HE sees everything.

So what is THE look that we imagine HE is giving us?

For Peter, whatever he interpreted that look to mean,
I believe it was forever seared in his brain.
I believe it drove him to Jesus... to love HIM, to follow HIM, to serve HIM.

What about us?

Is our view of God driving us toward HIM or away from HIM?
If you can't say "toward HIM" then I urge you to get in the Word,
read of HIS love and mercy and forgiveness.
Then let THAT be "THE look" comes to mind when we think of HIM.

Keep Looking Up

Things aren't going the way you hoped they would?

Too many things out of your control?

Ever spent time listing all the things that are wrong with your life?

I remember very clearly years ago when a wise woman said,

"If you are feeling overwhelmed, buried in problems, not seeing solutions......

then you need to STOP looking OUT and START looking UP."

It's so easy to get caught up in "our list".
I believe it's one of satan's tactics to keep us busy
and useless for the Kingdom.
If he can keep us busy trying to solve our own problems,
then we aren't seeking God.

Let's not do that today.
Let's focus on the PROBLEM SOLVER and not the problems. 

KEEP LOOKING UP!

KEEP LOOKING UP!

KEEP LOOKING UP!

KEEP LOOKING UP!

KEEP LOOKING UP!

KEEP LOOKING UP!

Give It Up

My Bible study took me to Genesis 22 this morning.

The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac. 

(I can still see the scary, creepy picture card from my childhood Sunday School class 

that showed Isaac on the altar and the big angel in the sky coming down. 

It still kinda scares me.)

The verses of course made me think of Abraham and his faithfulness to God,

his willingness to sacrifice his only son, how much he trusted God.

Are you amazed by Abraham?

I always have been.

But maybe for a few minutes we can remember that Abraham was just a man, human 

("but flesh" as my man likes to remind me lol) just like us. 

Can we think for a few minutes about the SACRIFICE,

 instead of how "super-Christian" Abraham was.

If I/you were the main character of these verses, how would the story change? 

What has God asked me to sacrifice that I just keep holding on to?

What am I willing or unwilling to sacrifice?

I admit that I don't think God is calling me to literally put my Jack on an altar 

like he asked Abraham to do with Isaac. 

But I do believe that HE calls us to sacrifice things and 

yes, sometimes people in our lives.

I think there are things that I/we willing give to God, some things feel easy,

right now church on Sunday is easy for me, tithing right now is easy for me,

 right now Bible study is easy for me 

(I say right now because we all go through seasons).

But, what am I holding on to?

What am I not willing to sacrifice?

kids? our money or lack of? bills? jobs? marriages? etc.

And WHY?

Why can't we let some of these things go?

We don't trust HIM.

We don't think HE will handle it correctly.

We don't think HE will take care of it the way we would.

We don't want to give it up.

We're afraid that HE will take it and keep it from us.

We don't want to give up our worry over it.

(I think if I'm worrying about something then it's part of the problem solving process.)

This list could go on and on.

The bottom line is that it really doesn't get much more serious 

than being asked to sacrifice your only son.

Let's remember that HE walked Abraham through it, 

HE will do the same for us!

Let's all check and see what we're holding on to today and give it up.

Let HIM have it, whatever it is.

It will be much better off in HIS hands anyway.

Abraham and New Beginnings

I love how I just turn the page in my devotional book and it is exactly what I needed to hear.

Coincidence? Of course not, It's HIM.

I said yesterday that I was facing some possible changes and choices

(most of them scary to me).

So what was my Bible study about today???

ABRAHAM and New Beginnings!!!

leaving what is known for the unknown,

inner strength and courage,

not being called to comfort and convenience,

called to a life of faith and trust,

obeying in faith.......

This was my favorite part,

"New beginnings tell the story of grace, mercy, and forgiveness - gifts from a loving Father who is worthy of our faith, even when we cannot see what lies ahead."

At this moment I don't know where God is going to lead me,

but I am excited about following.