plan – View From My Shoes

Daily Distractions vs Dwelling

It is easy to get so caught up in everything around us that we miss the most obvious of instructions found in God’s Word.

While reading and preparing for Palm Sunday, I took special note of the verse, “His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.” John 12:16

The disciples had just retrieved the young donkey, and Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem under the shouts and praises of the crowd. The disciples knew the old testament. They knew what it said in Zechariah 9:9 about the Messiah. You would think at some point and time, they would stop and realize, “This feels eerily familiar. I have heard about this somewhere.” In the excitement of the daily events, they did not make the connections.

A couple of summers ago I decided to plant a mimosa tree in our front flowerbed. There was a mimosa tree outside my bedroom window growing up, and I have found memories of the pink flowers dancing just beyond my window year after year. I read the tag on the tree when I bought it. I read all of the planting directions. I knew what it said. I knew what to expect with a mimosa tree, but I missed some major connections. I was so caught up in the nostalgia of planting a tree from my childhood and filling a gap in our flowerbed, that I just let it go right by me. Towards the end of the first summer, I had a brief thought about how big that tree was getting. By the next summer, it all became very clear to me. I had planted a tree that not only made a huge mess, but also needed more space than was available in our flowerbed.

Hindsight is so clear. The disciples were busy worrying about the political scene, trying to stay safe, and excited about what they thought was going to happen. They missed all the signs that Jesus would be crucified for our sins. In many ways they were oblivious to his plan until after it happened.

There should be no judgment from us placed on the disciples. It is easy to miss Jesus’ plans when not paying attention. How many times do we get consumed attending to the revolving door of problems in front of us forgetting to go directly to the problem solver?

How many days go by with every minute spent checking off the never-ending tasks on a “to do” list only to later realize zero time was set aside for Bible reading or spending time in God’s presence? The day is gone with only time left for a quick promise to do better tomorrow.

If I had just stopped and thought about the planing directions, I would have saved myself from the now required annual lopping off of tree limbs and most likely eventual tree removal.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” We have clear directions from God’s word that we should dwell on daily. The benefits of putting aside the daily distractions to read, reflect, and remember can save us from so many problems.

Passionately Share Your Faith

I love sharing my food and allowing others to enjoy. Why do we not share Jesus with the same passion?

When you get your food at a restaurant, do you sometimes want everyone at the table to try it? I know, some people like to share food more than others. Scott and I share bites almost every time we eat out somewhere new. I find myself saying, “You have to try this.” Scott of course will do the same. It isn’t because we don’t want to eat what we ordered. It is because the food is amazing, and we want each other to taste it and enjoy.

Shouldn’t we feel the same about our experience with Jesus. Most of you reading this blog, have experienced what it is like to be with Jesus. You have experienced what it is like to feel His peace in the midst of a crisis. You know what it is like to see Him miraculously meet your financial need. You remember a time when He made the impossible happen. If we know and have experienced something this wonderful, why do we not passionately share it with others? For me, I personally want my friends to know and understand how peaceful it is trusting that God has a plan for my life. I want them to know that they can rest with Him. We don’t have to figure this world out on our own.

In John chapter four, Jesus meets up with a woman at a well. After their conversation she goes running back to town telling everyone about what she just experienced. She isn’t keeping this life changing event to herself. She is telling everyone she knows. Verse 39 states, “Many of the Samaritans from the town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony.”

If you know Jesus, you have something to share and tell others. You should be actively looking for ways to tell others about what you have. Make a list of times God has been there for you. Write down what He did that others need to know. Then like the woman at the well, tell anyone you can when God gives you the opportunity to do so.

I do want to point out one major difference between sharing food and sharing Jesus. When sharing your food, there is a limited supply. By sharing with others at the table, you give up what would be yours. This isn’t the case with Jesus. Telling others about Jesus and sharing your faith, does not take away anything from you. Jesus’ love, forgiveness, grace… is unlimited. Share it!

Refuge or Strength – God’s got you Covered

Choosing your battles is hard. There are some battles worth fighting and some that are not yours to fight.

First of all, the hummingbird picture has nothing to do with this blog other than he was buzzing around all morning while I was reading and then while I was writing this blog, so I thought I would include him.

When my kids were growing up, one of the biggest decisions I had to make was what to ignore and what to take up as an issue. Looking back, I probably could have let more go than I did. Why was I so dogmatically insistent that they brush their teeth every single night no matter what? Did I think missing one night would cause all of their teeth would fall out, or that they wouldn’t brush their teeth as an adult if I let one night slip by? When they were teenagers, I learned to let it go that a week’s worth of clothes were on the floor. It just wasn’t worth the fight. However, when we reached the point that we were out of cereal bowls because they were all in my son’s room, that had to be addressed.

The same is true as a leader. What battles do I need to stand up and fight compared to what battles do I need to duck and cover because they will run their course and be short lived. Neither option is easy. Taking up the battle and addressing a problem head on is hard and takes courage. It is equally hard to let something go even though you know that it is a temporary problem, not worth the energy or the repercussions of making it a big deal.

In Psalm 46:1 when the psalmist wrote that God is our refuge and our strength, look, he is telling us God is there for either situation. He is there to be our refuge, our shelter, when we need to hunker down and ride out the storm or when we need to stay in the bunker of God’s refuge and let God fight the battle. Conversely, God is our strength when we find our self on the front line in what might feel like hand-to-hand combat.

Whether you are in the middle of a storm with your health or enduring a challenge at work that is out of your control, rest assured and rest in God’s refuge. Furthermore, if you are fighting for your marriage or fighting against an addiction, fight, and fight hard, knowing that God will provide the strength that you need. No matter your situation or what you need, God is our ever-present help when needed.

God is our protector

Like our phones, we have a protector. God is always there to keep us safe.

Recently I had to buy a new phone. I’m not the techie type of phone person who buys a phone every time a new version comes out. I hold on to mine as long as I can before investing in a new one. While I don’t often buy a new phone, I do like a cute case and change them often. So, as they were transferring everything over to my new phone, I was shopping for a cute case. There were no cases in the AT&T store that I was even willing to carry until I could get some ordered, so I headed to Target with my new phone. I was a nervous wreck; my phone felt very vulnerable as I walked through Target without it in a case. It’s funny how much security a phone case offers. I drop my phone all of the time without worry, but I knew I could not drop it now because it was unprotected.

I can think of so many times in my life I felt vulnerable, unprotected, all alone, or even abandoned. You may feel this way right now. You have a bill you cannot pay, or a problem bigger than you can fix. Your latest doctor visit didn’t go as planned. It feels someone at work is out to get you. I don’t know what problem you might be facing, but you are not facing it without the protection that God offers us.

In Exodus 14:14 the Israelites see the Egyptian army closing in on them. They had to feel unprotected, vulnerable. However, Moses told them to stand still. God was their protector and would fight for them. All they had to do was stand and watch. We are also told in Psalms 91:14, “The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Think about how safe and comfortable you are throwing your phone around when it has a cover on it. We should feel the same sense of safety knowing we are covered by the Blood of Jesus. We are safe. We are protected.

Finding the Perfect Gift

Spending time with friends and family gives you insight to what they want just as spending time with God allows you to know what He wants in your life.

I have this theory about gift buying. If you spend time with someone, watch and pay attention, you will have an idea what to get them for Christmas. You won’t have to ask them what they want. You will hear them talk about what they like, what they need, or you will get to know how they like to spend their time and what their favorite things are. You will also learn what they don’t like. You shouldn’t have to ask what they want. This theory works out better some years than others. Of course for the family that lives out of state, we don’t see them often. I don’t know what they need or want. I have to call and ask.

Theories are just that, an idea that tries to explain something. However, without a doubt I can tell you this theory does apply to our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The more time we spend with Him, time in prayer, time in the word, the more we will know what He wants. In Jeremiah 9:24, we are told, “Let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me.” We are expected to know the Lord and keep a relationship with Him. It is because we know Him and spend time with Him that we know what He wants in our life. He wants us to honor Him and be full of the Fruit of the Spirit, but we only know how that is lived out in our life if we are spending time with Him. We are told again in 1 John 2:3 & 4, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar.”

As we are rushing around trying to find the perfect gift for our family and spending time with our loved ones, don’t forget to spend time with the One who loves us the most. This is the only way you will know what He desires from you.

Voice of Lies

You can do whatever God has asked you to do. He is there to help you.

I don’t understand how the majority of the time I feel there isn’t anything I can’t do. As a matter of fact, I often get myself in trouble taking on jobs by myself when I really should ask for help. But, why would I ask for help? I can do it myself. I even catch myself refusing help because “I can do it.” Just this week I was moving the patio furniture out to power wash the porch. I was carrying four chairs stacked together. Scott saw me, and came over to help. Through gritted teeth, I refused the help replying, “I’ve got it.” Maybe it is stubbornness; maybe it is over confidence. No matter, 99% of the time, I think I can do anything that is placed in front of me.

The problem is 1% of the time this voice comes in my head and at the worst times. This voice tells me:

You are in over your head.
You are not smart enough to figure this out.
You are not qualified to handle this challenge.
Soon others are going to realize you are incompetent.
I am bad mom.
Scott would be better off with someone who gave him more attention.

The list goes on and on and is very convincing. It is a voice of lies!

I know I’m not alone. This voice of lies speaks to all of us. Even Moses must have heard this same voice. He expressed his self-doubt to the Lord four times in Exodus 3 & 4.

He first asked the Lord, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? The Lord quickly answered, “I will certainly be with you.”
Moses then made my favorite statement. “But suppose they will not believe me.” Suppose, how often do I suppose something – assume that something is true without proof or knowledge?
Moses’ next doubt had some legitimacy which makes it easier to believe, “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord tried to prove to Moses where he should put his trust. The Lord responded, “Who has made man’s mouth? … Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
He should have stopped there, discounted the voice of lies and headed out to do as the Lord had commanded. Instead, he makes one more plea. “Lord, please send someone else.” The beautiful part of this story is while the Lord was angered, He sent Aaron to be with Moses.

I have to say, Moses helps me feel better about myself.

The Lord is the voice of truth and has the answer to every lie that comes into your mind. While it is true that we cannot do some of the hard things in life alone, the rest of the truth is that we have this friend, Jesus, who has promised “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. Read that again. His grace covers our weakness. We can do anything he asks us to do. He will cover for us where we cannot do it alone.

Next time the voice of lies begins to creep into your thoughts, remember the Lord had an answer for every one of Moses’ doubts, and the Word tells us, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8,

Everyone has a Job to Do.

We are all created to play a role in the body of Christ. Be proud of what you are created to do.

milk I’m embarrassed to tell this story, but this weekend I made a cooking mistake you would expect a 12 year old to make, but not someone who has been putting food on the table for MANY years. I was making macaroni and cheese with my mind on a million other tasks. Right before I put the last cheese in, I thought the pasta had a different smell to it and immediately realized what I had done. I used sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk. I had no idea how this was going to turn out, but went on as planned. We dubbed it dessert mac and cheese. While the concoction was edible, it was really rich and a few bites went a long ways.

While each can is technically a milk product, each serves a completely different purpose. They are amazing when used the right way, but disastrous when used as a substitute for each other. I was reminded that we are the same way. God has created each one of us as an individual with distinct characteristics, but disaster is guaranteed when we try to be something other than what we were created to be. Romans 12:4-6, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them;”

While I’m airing all of my dirty laundry, I might as well give you an example. As a teen, I so wanted to be able to sing in church or play the piano. I’m telling you, this is not what I was designed or created to do, but for some crazy reason, I had to give it a try. I’m so glad we didn’t have video cameras in everyone’s hand when I was growing up. I feel pretty safe there is no embarrassing evidence of my futile attempts to sing or play the piano. I’m telling you I cannot even keep a steady beat, but I tried to be something I wasn’t. Fortunately, as is the same with you, I was given other talents that I’m glad I have come to appreciate.

I just wanted to share this hoping you would be encouraged to thrive in the way you were created and use those talents with pride. No one is more or less important in the eyes of Christ. You are special and you are needed in the body of Christ.

Keeping the Joy

joy How is it that what used to bring us joy and pleasure can over time be taken for granted or even more strangely turn in to an annoyance that grates on our last nerve?

It is in God’s presence we find joy. It is when we have a relationship with Christ and spend time with him we find Joy. “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalms 6:11. If this is true, why then do we not just walk around happy all of the time? First, happiness and joy are not the same thing. Joy is much deeper and can even be present during the dark times in our lives. If joy is missing in your life, you must first ask where your treasure is. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19.

Let me give you a personal example. Scott loves to do impersonations and different voices. He really is good at it. When we were dating, this was a part of our time together that would make me smile and chuckle. It was a side of Scott I treasured. However, just the other day I was working in the kitchen and trying to concentrate. Scott had been helping me, but he stepped into the living area to turn on the Thunder game. As he was doing so, he started in with an impersonation of the announcer introducing the Thunder starters. I caught myself physically rolling my eyes and taking a deep breath. Why? I wasn’t appreciating the things in life that could bring me joy and was actually letting this same action get on my nerves. My treasure was shifting and could shift into the danger zone if I didn’t stop it.

Checking where your treasure is can be as simple as a check of your body language. How do you respond to those around you, those that you love the most? Does a smile come across your face when you hear the garage door open, when the phone rings and that familiar number scrolls across the screen, or when your spouse cracks that joke that you have heard hundreds of times? If not, you need to change the language your body is speaking. That language will become a steady voice that you don’t want in your life.

It is also in your power to treasure your relationship for Christ. He is always there investing in you. How much are you contributing the relationship? It does take two. Again, check your body language. How do you react when you hear a scripture quoted? How do you react when it is time for devotions? Do you roll your eyes as you would with a tired joke, do you plop down with your bible like you are being served canned spinach, or do you treasure the opportunity to draw closer to the author of those words?

God desires for our lives to be joyful. Joy is a natural fruit that is produced as a person lives in the Spirit. Check your body language and make sure you are feeding your soul what it needs to grow and produce joy.

Live in the Present Not the Past

Why does grief sometimes get harder instead of easier?

This Thanksgiving has been both wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. For those of you that don’t know, 5 years ago, within six weeks, the three most important men in my life (at that time) passed away and rocked my “Polly Anna” world. First my husband of 27 years died at the age of 48. A few weeks later, my uncle whom I adored and admired passed away and then in the next month, my father unexpectedly passed away. For years, we had the best holidays ever. We all gathered at my Grandma’s and cooked, ate, hunted, played games, ate some more, laughed… They were the best of times. Everyone I loved was always there.

It all started this year when I was frosting some cinnamon rolls, and I began thinking of the times I made cinnamon rolls for my dad and how much he loved them. From there on, I could not get my mind off past Thanksgivings and the wonderful times we had. I was an emotional wreck, holding on by a thread all weekend while all of the time I was surrounded by the most wonderful new family whom God has so graciously allowed me to be a part of.

I had to give myself the “buck up camper” speech many times over the last few days. While grief is real, it is also so easy to fall into the depths of pity when looking at the past, and what is no longer, instead of looking at the blessings of today.

Psalm 118:24 kept coming to my mind in the form of the song we used to sing in church.
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Tonight I had to look up that verse and see if it was for real or just a song. As I began to read the whole chapter, I was reminded of the power of praise and thankfulness. The chapter opens “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever.” Then later the psalmist states, “The Lord is my strength … and I will praise the Lord.” Keep in mind who the psalmist most likely is. According to my study bible, this chapter was most likely sung by the Savior on the night before His death. Just think of that, as Christ was facing death, He was praising the lord, giving thanks and rejoicing.

While I so deeply miss the wonderful holidays of the past, I have so much to be thankful for. I must continue to praise the Lord and give thanks. He has been faithful beyond measure.

I know many of you will face the same dilemma this holiday season. It is so easy to get caught up in comparing the past to the present, when in reality we have so much to be thankful for in our present state. I pray that if you find yourself feeling this way, you can stop and give praise to the Lord and begin calling out reasons to be thankful for your current situation.

What is forgiveness?

dillards Okay, don’t judge, but I’m still reading on the book that I referenced several months ago. It is a 28 day study of the Lord’s prayer. Yes, I’m going on about 4 months working on this study. This is partly because I have read some sections a couple of times, partly because I’ve set the book aside for days at a time, and partly because I have to divide up what I am to read each day. Anyway, I’m to the part of the study pertaining to the line “Forgive our sins as we forgive those that trespass against us” As I read this chapter, I arrogantly began to make a mental list of all the people I have forgiven. I was reminded of how I had been treated at various times in my life, how God had been faithful through those times, and how I was better off by going through those experiences despite what others had done to me. After several minutes of patting myself on the back, I put the study aside for the night and went to bed.

While shopping a few days later, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a person that was on my list of those forgiven. As soon as I saw this person, my stomach jumped up into my throat or my heart fell down into my stomach. Whatever happened, my insides were a mess. There was an obvious physical reaction to just seeing this person. Being the strong confident woman that I am and because I have completely forgiven this person, I did what any normal person would do. I ducked behind the clothes rack and moved from clothes rack to clothes rack until I was out of the store.

Driving home, it occured to me that maybe I haven’t forgiven this person to the degree I thought I had. If my emotions when I saw this person were strong enough to cause a physical reaction, maybe I haven’t forgiven to the degree I need to. This caused my mind to go all kinds of places. As a matter of fact. I have waited several weeks to write this because I don’t have the answer. I have often heard, “forgive, but don’t forget.” To me that has meant forgive someone that maybe has taken advantage of you, but don’t let them do it again. Now, like I said, I don’t have the answers, but I know of a specific time when a co-worker would pawn work off on me. Once, as I was praying and practicing how I was going to tell this person off refusing to do her work anymore, I felt clearly corrected and reprimanded that I was to show kindness and was to continue helping her in as many ways as possible. In reverse order to help with my current delima, I decided, when all else fails, go to the Word.

Colossians 3 and Ephesians 4 both give us direction concerning forgiveness. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31 & 32. This first reminds me how wrong it is when I have wished for someone that hurt me to be equally or to an even greater extent hurt themselves. I know this is wrong, and I have to control those thoughts. I will admit the best way I have found to get those thoughts under control is to pray for the person who hurt me. It is really hard to think evil against someone as you pray for them.

Aside from working on being kind and putting away my hate to the point where I don’t have to hide in the store, I want to focus on the last phrase in Ephesians 32. “Forgive one another even as God in Christ forgave you.” When God forgives us, our sins are completely forgotten. “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12. “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19. I don’t know that I can forgive like this. As a matter of fact, I know I can’t. Not me, not me alone. To truly forgive in this manner, I will require God’s help. I can’t say I fully understand how you forgive someone that has done something unthinkable to you or to someone you love. I’m working on this, but I do think I am to the point where I won’t hide behind the clothes racks at the store in order to avoid talking to a person.