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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

You Are Not Lost in a "Sea of Faces"

 It's that time of year again. 

 The holidays are over, and you're back to your daily routine or grind, if you will. We put our noses to the grindstone trying to get caught up on bills, and face a long cold winter season with little time for enjoyment.

 Sometimes in our efforts to get back normalcy we can lose our way. It's not uncommon to think you are alone, or just another face in the crowd. I am here to tell you that is just not the case. You are not alone. 

 I have found in my walk that when you take the time to talk with God, you find an appreciation for the ones in your life that make a difference. Sometimes it's just one person, sometimes many more. Keep your head up, talk with God daily, and never lose sight of the fact that you are not lost in this world. 

God bless!

 

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Things Have Got to Be Different This Year

Things Have Got to Be Different This Year
Glynnis Whitwer (Proverbs31.org)

"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." Luke 5:4-6 (NIV)

"Something's got to change!"

Have you ever said that in January? I sure have.
It's usually when I'm frustrated with myself for something I'm not doing. For example, my broken-record complaints focus on the same three things: losing weight, better managing my work load, and spending more time with people I love.

It's not for lack of trying my situations don't change; I work hard. But recently it dawned on me that I keep trying the same things in varying measures. I tried adding five minutes to my elliptical routine, and spent more time on my emails. Results: clothes still tight, inbox still overflowing. Time with family? I'm not sure more trips to the grocery store together qualify.

The problem isn't my effort; it's my approach. Something has to change.

There's a story in the Bible where Jesus told a disciple to change his approach. It happened at the very beginning of Jesus' ministry, as He was identifying and calling His disciples.
In Luke 5, Jesus borrowed the boat of the fisherman called Simon Peter to teach the people on the shore. When He finished teaching, Jesus told Simon to put the boat in deep water and let down the nets.

Simon surely was skeptical. Can't you see him raising his eyebrows as he looks at Jesus then at the water? He explains he's been fishing all night and hasn't caught anything. What he doesn't say, but might have thought is: Day isn't the best time to fish. Besides, all these people on the shore have probably scared them away. And no disrespect intended Jesus, but you are a carpenter/preacher—I am a fisherman. I might know a little something about fishing.
But to Simon's credit he obeys Jesus' unusual request to fish differently. The Scripture records they caught so many fish the nets began to break.

This story challenges my status quo. It's a call to change my approach to problem solving. If I want things to be different this year, I must do things differently.

For me, like Simon Peter, this starts with listening to and obeying the voice of Jesus for new directions.

This is hard for a routine-loving girl like me. I'm not a fan of different because it often feels uncomfortable. I prefer to keep things the way they are ... except that doesn't always work.
So I prayed about these three areas in my life, and asked God to show me a fresh approach for each. Being a faithful God, He gave me some options to shake up my routines.

1. Rather than go to the gym at night and stick with the elliptical machine, He asked me to go in the morning and incorporate strength training. So I signed up for a morning exercise class at church.

2. Rather than try to manage my emails by spending more time on them, I'm unsubscribing to every list. I'll visit websites and blogs on my schedule.

3. Realizing I've become too inward focused, I've made a list of special days, activities, and places I want to go where I can invite others to join me.

That day on the lake, Jesus invited Simon Peter to go into the deep waters—a place Simon had been many times before. But under Jesus' direction and with a new approach, Simon saw amazing results.

Can the same be true for me? For you? As we start 2014, may we become women who listen for the voice of Jesus as He speaks new ways into old habits. May we raise our faces to the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit. And may we trust Jesus as He takes us in to deep waters, where under His direction, we'll see amazing results.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God of new things. You have called me in to new life with You, and Your ways are higher than mine. Help me see those areas of my life that need a breath of the newness of Your Spirit. I want to be a woman who sets aside her comfort and routine to fish in deep waters with You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

(http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/encouragement/things-have-got-to-be-different-this-year-encouragement-for-today-january-22-2014.html)

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Listen: You are a child of mine!

Santa Monica Bay. photo by John Pyle

Sometimes we don't take the time to stop and smell the roses. That's true with listening to what GOD is trying to tell us as well. 

 If you are like me, you wait until you feel you have the time, or until something "big" whether good or bad, happens in your life.

 I am encouraging to take the time each day to walk, or talk with GOD. If you listen closely enough, you will hear him say "You are a child of mine..."

Isn't This Just a Small Thing?

Isn't This Just a Small Thing?
Lysa TerKeurst (Proverbs31.org)

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food." Romans 14:19-20a (NIV)

I always considered my food struggle as a small thing in light of the bigger challenges of life.

I can remember saying, "God, you can mess with my pride, you can mess with my anger, you can mess with my money, you can mess with my selfishness, you can mess with my frustration with my children, you can mess with the times I disrespect my husband ... you can mess with all that, but don't mess with my overeating." However, small things can easily become big things. Consider this example.

On January 15, 2009, Flight 1549 took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport with 155 occupants on board. The takeoff went fine, but three minutes later, at only three thousand feet, the plane encountered a flock of geese. Both engines shut down. Captain "Sully" Sullenberger had to make an immediate decision with life or death consequences. He made a miraculously successful emergency landing on the Hudson River.

Those geese were small, but they brought down an entire plane. Small things can easily become big things. We would do well to remember this principle.

Let's begin to acknowledge the "big" emotions that often accompany our "little" food struggles. I realized that I constantly bounced between feeling deprived and guilty; deprived, then guilty. My disgust and frustration with myself stripped me of the peace and joy that I wanted to be the hallmark of my life.

Having peace is a big deal. Scripture tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15). Isn't peace what we want in every area of our lives — even our health? Is your heart dominated by feelings of inadequacy, self-loathing, or defeat about your food struggles? Those are big emotions.

Whenever we feel defeated by an issue, it can prevent us from following God completely. That's why my weight loss goal isn't a number on the scale. My real weight loss goal is peace. I knew I would be successful one day when I stood on the scale and I felt peace, no matter what the number said.

As we move through our healthy eating journey, the goal shouldn't just be a smaller waistline measurement, but a larger measure of peace. The apostle Paul puts it this way: "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food" (Romans 14:19-20a). In other words, don't let a small thing become a big thing.

I often ask myself this pivotal question before making a food choice: Will this choice add to my peace or steal from it? Remember, nothing tastes as good as peace feels.

Pray this prayer today:
Dear Lord, Your peace is what I plead for today. I don't want my focus to be on food, a number on the scale, insecurity, or inadequacy. I want my focus to be on You. That is where I will find true peace. In Jesus' name. Amen.