Sing to the Lord!

"But I will sing of your strength in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble," -- Psalm 59:16

It's funny that today's verse talks about singing. I am up early on a Sunday morning, before I get ready to go to church and sing in the choir. It's 5:30 in the morning and as the sun begins to brighten the night sky, the birds are singing all around me. I love this time of day, because there is not much traffic on the road in front of my house to drown on out the beautiful symphony of birds. I had a brief thought that they were singing to me, welcoming me into this wonderful day...but I don't think it's me they are singing to...I believe they are singing to their creator, thanking and praising him for their lives, and for this world they live in.

My daughter shared with me a Youtube video that she heard at Youth Group last week where a pastor made a "mash-up" mix of the noises that scientists have discovered that some stars make along with the haunting songs of whales. It seemed a little far fetched to me at first...stars singing??? Stars paising God??? Whales singing praises to God??? But I have listened to it several times now and read the verses: "Praise him, sun and moon: praise him, all you shining stars." -- Psalm 148:3 and "Praise the Lord Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths." Hmmmm...It makes you think! Check this video out for yourself! It's a 15 minute video, but make sure you listen all the way to the end...I bet it will make you have goose bumps!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWKm-LZWm4

If birds, and stars and whales can sing praises to God...shouldn't it be even more important for me to praise God? But God doesn't NEED my praises because he has a symphony of his creation singing to him...creatures that don't have the "human mess" to cloud their thoughts...worry, fear, doubt, pride, vanity....WE have those things that make us think less of God.

But, our God knows how we are, he knows us because he created us. Our God is great! If we know that, if we believe that...

"The lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)

"Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you." (Psalm 56:3)

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."(Deuteronomy 33:27)

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." (Hebrews 6:19)

I am going to sing praises to God today! Sing with me and the birds, stars and whales today! "How great is our God!"

What do you want?

"A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart." -- Proverbs 21:2

Do you know what you want? I mean, do you really know what you want from life? We want to be happy, don't we? But do we really know WHY we want to be happy or WHAT would make us happy ? We are always searching for things to make us happy, and we never seem to find it, so we obviously don't have a clue. We think we find things that make us happy...marrying the person of our dreams...kids...good jobs...fun times with friends...traveling to new exciting places...we are always searching for something to make us happier. We think we know ourselves so well that the way we live our lives is just right for us. We don't want the government telling us what to do or how to live. We don't want our parents telling us what to do when we are children or when we are grown adults either. We have problems with authority and feel like "management" is always out to get us and we know we could do a better job than they do. If everyone would just do things MY way, then EVERYONE would be happier, right?

The problem is, we really DON'T know! We are always searching, because we don't know what we are looking for. We know it's out there somewhere, but we don't know what IT is! We are blinded by our our ambitition to be happy. I say blinded because it is right in front of us, but we can't see it. We think we know what we want, we think we know what to do in our lives to get it and we live our lives in a way that is always trying to get it. BUT...God DOES see it and he knows our heart. God weighs our heart. He sees the IT that we can't see. When we open our hearts to the power of God, he opens our eyes to the IT as well.

Jesus is famous for making the blind see. In Matthew 20:29-34, Jesus has an encounter with two blind men sitting on the side of the road. Apparently, they knew that this man has healed the blind before and they ask for his mercy on them. Jesus stopped and asked them, "What do you want me to do for you." They answered, "We want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes. Immediately, they received their sight and followed him.

What do you want? Their basic need was to be able to see. If they could see, then they wouldn't need to be begging on the side of the road. What do you want? I want to see! I want my eyes to be opened so I can see the world through God's eyes and not my own. I want to see beauty in the ugly. I want to see that by seeing the world in this way, I CAN be happy! If I see everything in my life through God's eyes, seeing blessings in the tragedies, seeing opportunities in the challenges, seeing peace in the chaos. I don't want to be begging on the side of the road any more! I want to see! When you ask for sight, it will be granted to you. Maybe not exactly how you thought it would come, but you will see! God loves us enough not to give us lesser things.

But, do you think God allows us to see for a while and we are happy in the moment, and then because of our own apathy, our sight grows dim and we lose sight again of the IT that will make us happy?

If you have ever had to get new glasses, you have experienced how bright and clear things appear after you put on those new glasses for the first time. It's almost hard to walk because you had gotten used to things being fuzzy...that was your "normal." When your focus was restored, your "normal" was made better and clearer and things seem very strange at first.

When my sight grows dim, when things around me get fuzzy, I notice it. At that moment, I have a choice. I know going to the eye doctor will help me to see clearer again, so I need to make an appointment. But, time is short, money is tight, and I put it off. I get used to things being fuzzy. It depends on how strong my desire is to see clear again. If my desire is strong enough, I make that appointment and get new glasses. The eye doctor doesn't come to me, I have to go to him. God is like the eye doctor...he knows what my eyes need to see clear, and if I go to him for adjustments, he well help me see again!

What do I want? I want to see! I want to be happy! God weighs my heart. He knows what I need and what will make me happy. He asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" I answer, I want to see! But, learning from the blind men Jesus made see...when they recieved their sight...they followed him! Perhaps THAT is the IT we are looking for!!!

Thanksgiving isn't just in November!

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." -- Psalm 51:12

What a perfect verse for me this morning! I've had enough sadness, disappointment, fear, worry--I've had enough!

In the past few days I have been inspired to be thankful for EVERYTHING instead of longing for things I can't have. I'm reading a book about a woman who was dared to make a list of 1,000 things she loves. It changed her life and taught her to be thankful for EVERYTHING, the good AND bad. In all situations, she looked for things to be thankful. She began with a little journal in her purse that she carried with her everywhere, and every time she saw, experienced or thought of someething about her life that she loved, she wrote it down. At first it was just the dare that kept her going..."I WILL finish this list!" But then, it became a habit, and something that kept her going. And then...something horrible happened, her young son was seriously injured. This hit her hard because even though her son was going to be ok, it made her think about how hard it is to be thankful for the really hard and horrible situations. How are we to be THANKFUL to God when our children are hurt? How are we to be thankful when we lose our jobs or have a loved one die, or when a tornado comes and destroys a town, or a hurricane floods an entire island???? How can we be thankful to God when we are hurting or see others hurting???

I believe staying connected to God...ESPECIALLY during those times when we are hurting is the key. Praying that prayer from the verse above, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Asking God to restore your joy, relying on GOD to restore your joy, knowing that when you ask for it, God will give you a willing spirit to accept that joy, and his salvation in this will sustain you in the hard times. FULLY RELYING ON GOD...not on your own efforts...that is what sets us free!

So, past few days I have been trying to think of all the things in each day that I love, that I am thankful for. I am not writing these things down in a journal yet, but I am taking a moment to thank God when one of those things comes to my mind. For example,

* A cool breeze on a hot day, especially a breeze that smells of honeysuckle!
* Laughter from a small child.
* Seeing a dad and child reading together on the floor of the library, surrounded by stuffed animals.
* A beautiful song that touches my heart and makes me cry.
* A powerful prayer said aloud by a friend.
* Enjoying my breakfast on my sunporch.
* A hug from my daughter after an argument.
* The laughter that bubbles up after a co-workers bad joke.
* An email from a friend.
* Scoring a big word in Words with Friends against a friend who always beats me! ;-)
* The tinkle of windchimes early in the morning
* The moment when I know that I can't solve my financial problems myself and ask for help.

I could go on and on...And, when the hard things hit, I pray that I can find the good in the bad...isn't that the definition of HOPE...finding the good in the bad? And ask God to help me to find JOY in everything!

What do you love? What are you thankful for? Make a list. Look for those things everywhere and in everything. You will be amazed at how much joy it brings you and how that joy will sustain you through the hard times.

Self control and broken walls

"Like a city whose walls are broken through, is a person who lacks self control." -- Proverbs 25:28

Self control is a big issue for me...or lack thereof. I lack the self control to be consistent with my healthy eating, with my exercise, with my attempts at wise spending habits and financial plan to get out of debt. But what I am discovering is that control is not mine to gain.

I have failed over and over to do things myself. I have talked about the fact that I fail over and over, and I TRY to give control to God, but I still seem to hang on.

Sometimes, I feel like a city with broken walls...thieves can sneak in and steal my joy and my health because the protective walls are crumbling and broken and easy to climb over. Even though my city is still trying to do business as usual, my enemies have invaded and I find myself cowering under the bed, waiting for someone to come save me. I cry out to God to save me...

God hears my cries and reaches out to me...in a word from a friend, in a passage I read, in a commercial I see on TV...God reaches out to me and reminds me that He is there. He can chase out my enemies and rebuild my protective walls...but I HAVE TO GIVE UP CONTROL! I have to surrender, not to my ememies, but to my protector and Savior. If I keep trying to fix things on my own, it won't work, it won't be strong enough and those walls will come crashing down again.

I don't know why I forget about God and his infinite power and love! He has proven to me over and over that He loves me, and blesses me and protects me.

So, today...just this moment right now...I am giving up control. I am surrendering my will and I am giving up control of my body, of my finances, of my daughter, of my husband, of my work, of the things I do I church...just in this moment and hopefully moment by moment by moment of this day. Hopefully, those moments of surrender will continue and make a whole day of surrender.

What I think will happen is that I will no longer be like a city with broken walls, but I will have the self control I need to stand firm, because that control is really coming from my Savior and protector and loving Father, and NOT from me.

I have written about this before, and I will probably write about it again because it is way to easy to pick up the control again and forget God's role in my life. I am thankful that I have finally come to the time in my life where my faith in God is strong enough to help me give up that control in a quicker and easier manner than I used to. It doesn't seem to take as long for me to get frustrated and aggrevated at my own lack of self control and go back to God for help. And...luckily, He will never give up on me, but when I cry out to him, he comes in and starts rebuilding my city walls once again. God's grace is amazing and abundant and everlasting!

Fearfully and wonderfully made

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

I was talking with a friend yesterday. We were both complaining about the way we are...the fact that both of us are very emotional people, wearing our hearts on our sleeve. It seems that just by looking at me, a person can see what I am feeling. And, for whatever reason, in the last few years especially, I cry at just about everything. I like to think that I am a strong woman. My faith has seen me through many difficult situations in my life. However, I cry when I'm happy...I cry when I'm sad...I cry and get blotchy when I am angry. When I cry, I think it makes me look weak, and not the strong leader that I want to be. Crying over a Hallmark commercial is one thing, but crying over something at work that makes me angry...come on!

But, my friend told me yesterday that both of us should stop feeling bad about who we are...we should starting liking ourselves more. That is a hard thing to do, liking yourself...even the parts of yourself that make you mad. Then this morning I read the verse from Psalms above. God created me the way I am. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Perhaps there is a reason I was made this way. I am soft and tender-hearted for a reason. I easily empathize with people, making me easy to talk to.

Many people are made differently than me. They hold their emotions in and are harder to read. I'm sure there is a reason they are made that way too. When I try to hold things in, (and believe me, I have tried!) I end of making myself sick! That is not how I was made.

So, instead of complaining about how I am, I should learn to embrace ALL my characteristics. God made me and God doesn't make mistakes! His works are wonderful! He knew what he was doing when he made me weepy and sappy and soft-hearted. Maybe I need to learn to control the water-works more often, but I don't have to beat myself up for feeling the way I do.

I read something else this morning that made me stop and think. You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.


If I can learn to trust God more and embrace my weepiness, how can you trust God more with the way you are? Is there something about yourself that you don't like? Remember that God made YOU and God doesn't make mistakes! Embrace who you are! Join me in thanking God for making us who we are!

CHOSEN

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12

I used to be confused about "God's chosen people." If the Jews were and God's chosen people, what does that make me? Well, I have read and studied and asked a lot of questions...I am no expert in Biblical theory, and I by no means have the answers. But, this is the way I feel God has helped me to understand it. Anyone who believes in God and believes that he sent his only son, Jesus Christ to earth to take on the sins of the world...to be our own personal Savior...anyone who believes that has Christ in his heart and becomes one of God's chosen people. God created ALL people...we are ALL his children. But, some of us have opened our eyes, ears and hearts to god's plan for our salvation and we CHOSE God....therefore, He chooses us!

Ok, now that I have figured out that I am CHOSEN by God, I can truly work to fulfill His call for me. I have been doing a LOT of thinking lately about what that calling is. But I think the verse from Colossians above tells me clearly. WHATEVER I do with my life, in my job, in my home, with my friends, in my community...I should do those things with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. If I am one of God's chosen ones, then I need to act like it and be Jesus to everyone I meet. Since Jesus was perfect, and was all those things all the time, that is a hard act to follow...it is hard and impossible for us who are not perfect to be all those things all the time. But, I think God wants us to try.

Perhaps God is not calling us to specific jobs or careers...perhaps He is calling us to a JOB that is bigger and more important than any job you could possibly have on this earth. If those of us who CHOSE God and know that he CHOSE us would work hard at the job of being compassionate more often, and kinder to more people, and think less of our own needs and more of the needs around us, and had more patience with people at home and at the grocery store and on the highway....if WE did that and truly fulfilled our calling we would have more impact on this world than through any career we might chose for ourselves.

That is a big request and a big job. We are not going to be perfect at it...we will fail at times, we will not do our best at times. But I believe it is what I am called to do. How about you?

"Suck it up, Cupcake!"

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have been convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it..." 2 Timothy 3:14

Ok, so you've had a disappointment. Things didn't go your way. You didn't get what you wanted. Life is full of disappointments. This one won't be your last, that is for sure. Life is too short to sit around boo-hooing...there is work to be done! I used to say "Suck it up Buttercup!" but my daughter said to me this morning, "Suck it up, Cupcake!" which I thought was totally appropriate for her to say!

It is ok to have feelings of disappointment. It is natural and very human of us to have these feelings. It is also very natural and human for us to get angry and throw a hissy fit when we don't get our way. Have you ever seen a toddler throw a fit when they don't get what they want? No one taught them to act that way...it is just what comes natural. But, toddlers grow up and learn that throwing a fit usually only makes matters worse...well, some of us grow up and learn that lesson.

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 1 Corinthians 13:11

I think part of the reason our world seems so messed up, mixed up and dangerous is that we don't heed those words enough. We all want our own way and get mad when it doesn't happen that way and we yell, call people names, scream, stomp our feet and stomp all the way out the door. Now tell me, how is that obeying the commandments that according to Jesus were the most important: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'" Matthew 22:37-38

When we want something really bad, we pray for it, ask others to pray for it and WISH it to happen, and when it doesn't, we assume that prayer doesn't work and we get mad at God. That is just flawed thinking. God says he hears our prayers and answers our prayers...it may just not be in our timing or in the way we thought they we would be answered. The sooner we learn that, understand that and grasp the importance of that, the sooner we will be able to move on to and the less time we will waste crying and complaining about how we didn't get what we want.

But, we must give ourselves time to get over it. Our hurt human feelings need time to heal. We mustn't beat ourselves up for having those feelings. God made us the way we are, and he made us with feelings. Reading the Bible, prayer and talking with wise friends are good ways to work through those feelings. Remind yourself of all the blessings in your life. Remind yourself where you would be without those blessings. Talk to someone about it and don't hold it all in to fester into bitterness that will spill out into other areas of your life. Bitterness toward someone else does nothing but cause YOU hurt and sorrow.

So your prayer wasn't answered the way you thought it should be...God has a plan for you. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Suck it up, Cupcake! There is work to be done and life to be lived!