At His Feet; Luke 10:41-42

⁴¹“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I don't know about you but when I first read this passage or maybe it was the 100th time, it ticked me off.  I couldn't understand why Jesus would talk with Martha in the manner that he did when all she was wanting to do was make her guests at home and welcome the savior warmly.  Obviously I'm a Martha.  Then it hit me... that was her role and yet she was upset with Mary because Mary's role wasn't the same.  I think we do this a lot more than we realize in life.  We find ourselves busy doing works that we don't recognize when Jesus says sometimes "choose what is better" come sit with me a while, lean back against me and just breathe me in.  Just breathe.... listen.... spend a little time with me. 

I had to recognize that there is a time for my hands to be busy, my feet to be moving, my heart to be loving and then there are times when I simply need to be at his feet.  We seem to think that we run on batteries like the energizer bunny and just keep going and going until finally we just can't beat that little drum any longer and we wonder why we feel such dispare and our bodies tired and often become ill.  No one can run at full speed all the time without rest.  Even God on the 7th day took a day of rest so why do we think we can keep going and never slow down?

Aside from the rest that our bodies and minds need is a chance to have our souls fed by the one who designed us with the sole purpose of having a relationship with us.  He so wants to just have us at his feet so that he can restore us and teach us about his love and grace.  When have you ever been in a relationship that required no time with you, no communication...nothing?  Hmmmm, I can't recall of one and my guess is that you can't either.  I can also say that anytime that a relationship hasn't been nurtured that it often has fallen apart and the relationship ends.  I am so thankful that God our Father never gives up on a relationship with me, nor you.  He continues to woo us and pursue us and even hung the stars and the moon for us.  At Christmas I quoted from one of my favorite movies, "It's a Wonderful Life".  Remember in the movie George asks Mary (how appropriate her name is Mary) if she wants the moon because he'd tied a laso around it and give it to her?  That's what our Heavenly Daddy does when we sit at his feet.  He ties a rope around the moon and gives it to us to brighten our darkest nights all because he loved us from the moment he created us and all he wants in return is for us to sit at his feet and spend time with him.

There is certainly a time and place to be Martha too.  Her value, our value, in our service and hospitality to one another is invaluable and is rewarded.  But that is for another time, another blog.

God is calling you to sit a while at his feet.  Can you put all your busy stuff down for a moment and just sit with him?  Can you lay back against him and breathe?  For the next few moments, listen to this song.... close your eyes and sit at his feet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3GijrnfStk  

 

Blessings,
Heather

Second Chance; Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Happy New Year!

With the onset of the new year I'm sure that many will make resolutions to make changes in their lives that will cause either positive change or frustration.  Which one are you?  Several years back I decided that making resolutions at New Year's led often to disappointment in me and made me feel like I failed once again.  So my resolution was to never make one again, that seems to work for me. 

I don't think there is anything at all wrong with making resolutions, it's just the opposite,  but I know for me how it turns out... a big fail!  Then I beat myself up and end up feeling more depressed and spiraling out of control in just the opposite direction.  Why is that?  Maybe because I'm putting all my faith in my resolve and not in the one who created me?  That's what I believe at least.  Mark 10:27 tells us that all things are possible through who?  Through ourselves, no... through God.  So why do I keep making resolutions counting on myself to improve something within me when it's Christ who strengthens me?  Where does my strength come from?  Where does my help come from?  It's all through Christ, but yet I continued year after year thinking that I could make a resolution and correct something within myself by myself.  Me Me Me...

Who Am I that I think that I have all this power when the previous year it was the very problem that I was vowing to resolve for the next year!  Wait, I know... A child of the most high God that's who I am!  True my strength comes from the Lord, but if I instead begin to pray and seek Him about something that needs "fixed" in me instead of trying to fix it myself on my own then my chances of achieving my goal, achieving my resolution is greater because He who is within me is greater right??  Now you're getting.... so am I.  In all things Pray, even at the turn of the year when you see something about yourself, within yourself that needs improvement or change.  God hears our pleas, our prayers, and He will help see you through to your goals and resolutions.  He never fails, He never disappoints and He always is a God of second chances.

This year I want to publicly announce (so you all can hold me accountable) that I choose to allow Christ to strengthen me in my battle against my body.  I know that I can't do it alone, I've tried and I've failed.  As I began thinking yet again that I was entering a year not content with my weight I realized that for me to achieve a healthier weight goal, I need to turn that over to the one who has better resolve and willpower than I can ever hope to have.  It is through Him alone that I will find my strength and not myself.  It is God alone who will change my mindset and my ideals about the temple that God has given me to use for His glory.  He created me to be a temple holy and acceptable to Him.  This year I turn it over to Him to make it so.  Does that mean I get to sit on my backside?  You know the answer to that.... God expects us to do our part, but I need Him to encourage me and challenge me to be better, healthier and wiser about my health.

Today I ask you not to make a resolution but to make a determination that whatever needs "tweaked", "improved" or just "maintained" in your life that you simply turn it over to Him, ask Him for wisdom, guidance and that staying power. 

What are you needing resolved in life today?  What second chance do you need this year to improve the person that you are to be as a reflection of who He is to others?  It's not about being perfect or attaining perfection, it's about being the one He called you to be.  Are you completely that person today?

Blessings,
Heather

Can I Get A Witness; John 14:12-14

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

As I was driving to work this morning listening to this scripture it hit me that this time of year is an even greater opportunity to be a witness.  Many view Christmas time as a special time of year even if they aren't Christian and have no faith in the baby born in the manger or the man who walked this earth teaching peace and good will towards man.  It's simply a time of spending time with loved ones and getting caught up in the joy of the season.  I can't help but think that God planned it that way, that he orchestrated this holiday season as a way for mankind to show one another compassion if only for a brief season and to bring all of us together when otherwise we often are divided.  How many this season participated in food drives, toys for tots, adopt a families, etc?  Amazing how during the Christmas season, moreso than any other time during our calendar year, we pull together to help one another in need.  "They will do even greater things..." It truly is a great thing to be able to help someone who is struggling a bit more than we are isn't it?

But there is a flip side to this goodwill attitude isn't there?  The side of man, the flesh, that comes out during this time of year as well.  You see them or maybe are "them" while out shopping to find little Timmy that toy he's been asking for weeks for or picking up the last of those chocolate chips to make Grandma's favorite treats.  Everyone seems to be in your way or the lines in the stores are too long and you have no time to be wasting just standing there.  Have you ever stopped to ask how you can be a witness of the Christ child at that very moment instead of growing impatient in line?  Everyone else is in line too, everyone else is standing there with a million and one things to do as well so what better time than to let the light of Christ shine through you instead of the darkside of man. 

I recently went shopping to pick up items for my annual Christmas baking at the local grocery store.  It was busy as expected and the shelves not always exactly stocked with what I needed but it wasn't too bad.  As I was putting butter in my shopping cart for those tasty treats a young mother came through pushing her cart and obviously very stressed.  She was trying to quickly get through the store with her newborn screaming at the top of her lungs.  As she walked by me trying to quiet the little one, I jokingly said maybe she's just cold coming through the dairy aisle.  She looked at me and in desperation said, "I don't know what to do I can't seem to make her stop crying, I don't know what she needs and everyone keeps starring at me thinking that I do."  In a second my heart went out to this young lady.  She had a million and one things to do as well I imagine but she also had a baby at that very moment demanding her time and attention and she was losing the battle to keep it together.  I had the choice at that very moment to be about my own business or I could choose to let the light of Christ shine through me.  I chose the later.  I didn't know what her little one needed, but I could take a moment and talk with her.  As we talked the little one began to calm down along with mom and within a few moments the little one was sound asleep.   "They will do even greater things..."  you may be thinking that's not a great thing, but I think at that moment the young mother who was going to be able to finish her shopping knowing her baby was resting, that it was pretty great.

How are you glorifying God this season with your actions and attitude?  Are you being the light of Christ or are you too busy to stop and be a witness?  Is this a season about you and your needs or is this a season about a babe born in a manger who grew up to be a man who walked this earth teaching peace and good will towards man.

Merry Christmas,

Heather



 

It's a Wonderful Life; James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

There was something about this verse that reminded me of Christmas.  Perhaps the mention of the perfect gift or maybe the reference to lights.  Shifting shadows could easily have been shifting snows and there we'd picture a wintery scene.  Amazing how reading scripture time and time again gives us different imagery and meaning.

This year I've struggled with preparing for the holidays, more specifically, preparing for what many refer to as Christmas.  I say it this way because I've been preparing my heart for Christmas but not in the way the commercial world markets it.  I have no issues with the retail world or even all the great celebrations of giving, sharing and lighting up the world just a bit adding beauty to the often white backdrop of winter.  We can honestly take a look at each of these things and see their positive contributions, although not always intentional, in the celebration of the greatest birth that has occurred on earth, the birth of Christ.

I recently had posted to Facebook that I just wasn't feeling the inner child in me that usually appears this time of year.  Decorating the house, trimming the tree, purchasing gifts and baking treats.  This year instead I looked at all of that as WORK and not work that I wanted to do.  I have some amazing people that encouraged me and yes I did get the decorating done and there are even gifts under our tree. I've actually been celebrating Christmas but in a different way this year.  I've not focused on finding the perfect gift, for you see we've already received that.  I've not focused on stringing the lights because we've already been given the greatest of lights.  This Christmas I've been celebrating my Jesus' birth in a personal and deep way.

I was blessed to be part of a group that provided carols to a shopping area adjacent to a live manger scene.  There we celebrated our Savior's Birth and were able to share with people who have never heard of Mary, Joseph and the little baby Jesus.  I've been preparing for a Christmas celebration coming up in the next couple of weeks that has me reading "The Christmas Story" from Luke and looking forward to sharing in the celebration with dear friends and family.  I've spent time with my husband in song which creates such a strong bond between us.  That to me is Christmas, the real deal... greatest bargain I will find this season and in any season.

Last night as we finally began decorating our home and putting up the Christmas tree we did our traditional thing and dragged out all of our Christmas movies.  Some are funny and some are heart tugging.  Something changes in my heart when I watch and listen while decorating, a smile appears knowing that we're blessed to have another year together to carry on traditions.  I find I focus more on the blessings that we have and less on the rough times that we've endured or I know lie ahead.  Christmas can certainly be magical beyond the commercial aspects of the world.

My favorite Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life.  It's not the most upbeat movie but it's a bit of a reality check.  We can spend so much time dwelling on what we don't have, how our plans didn't quite turn out the way we'd planned them or how everyone else around us seems to be living their dreams so why can't we.  Sometimes we're so busy looking around we don't see what's right in front of us and how truly blessed we are.  George Bailey had dreams of adventure and exploring the world from youth but life happened and he ended up staying in his hometown, marrying a hometown girl and taking care of the family business.  It wasn't his dream and he felt that life had let him down and it wasn't worth living anymore.  Who would care if he didn't?  What would it matter if he wasn't around?  Have you ever felt that way?  Have you ever wondered what life would be like for those you've encountered along life's journey if they had never had you?  You have no idea the impact you've made to someone's world.  George Bailey sure got an eye opener when Clarence, Angel Second Class, took him on a stroll of what life would have been like for those he envied of escaping Bedford Falls.  He was reminded how wealthy he was in that he had love all around him and there isn't anything out there in life that can compare to that.  Every year I cry at the same point in the movie when reading the inscription that Clarence writes to George in the book, Adventures of Tom Sawyer,

"Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings! Love Clarence." 

It really is a wonderful life when you have been given the gift that we have.  Christmas is love and that love exists because of the great gift born to us that blessed day.  A wonderful life doesn't mean a perfect, everything goes our way life but it's wonderful because we had a baby born in a manger, sent to earth to save man from himself.  We have a wonderful life because that same man died on a wooden cross to make our sins as white as the shifting snow.  Count yourself blessed if you have one person in life that you can call friend, because Christ calls you friend and he lifts you up on angel wings to carry you through the hardest parts of life because He really loves you that much. 

Who can you lift up today to give them wings to fly?  Who needs to hear the story of a little babe born in a manger and who ultimately died on a cross?  His life wasn't easy, but his life was wonderful in that it saved you and I.  One life truly does matter and God has purposed your life from before you were born to be a friend to others as a light of hope and love.


Thanks for the Wings,
Heather

Drama Free; John 10:10

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

By definition drama according to Merriam-Webster is:  "a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance."

Or according to the Urban Dictionary:  "Something women and especially teenage girls thrive on.  Consisting on any number of situations that have an easy solution, which would bring a fairly good outcome. But these girls choose bad ways to deal with it. Again consisting of backstabbing, blackmailing, gossiping, betraying their friends or the all too common "I want to break up with him but I still love him!"  It drives men and what I like to call "normal" girls nuts."  I have to give a personal commentary, men sometimes can be drama addicts too.

I have no idea why or for whom God wanted this blog written for but I have to say that my motto is Drama Free Living For Me.  I don't like drama and I don't invite it to take up residence in my home.  The bottom line is that we all have problems of varying size and intensity but drama is what again.... an easy solution and the result of dealing with the problem(s) in bad ways.  I choose to avoid drama even if that means eliminating relationships.  It's about making the right choices which sometimes are the hard choices that cause us to grow in strength, character and knowledge.

The thief (drama, aka Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I (Jesus Christ) have come that they (Us) may have life and have it to the full (abundance).  What does that mean?  Satan doesn't want your life to be drama free, he wants to steal, kill and destroy your dreams, your hopes and your peace of mind.  Is life hard sometimes and trials seem to be never ending?  It can seem that way, but we can turn to the word instead of turning to the world repeating bad choices that end as they always have, BADLY. 

What do you choose today?  Do you choose to live a drama free life with Christ or do you choose the thief (drama) that has come to steal, kill and destroy you?  I can't promise you that you will never have problems or that life won't seem overwhelming sometimes but I can promise you what God promised you in his word to give you hope and a future. Today is a new day and it can be Drama Free. 

Blessings,
Heather

Clutter; Matthew 16:19

" I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Lately I've been on a mission to remove the clutter from my home.  As I was going through the closets I realized that many of the things I was preparing for donation were things I've not used or seen this year.  Even worse were the items that truly belonged in the trash but for some reason I was hanging on to them and allowing them to occupy space in my home that could be clear or used in a better way.  It began to remind me how in life sometimes I do the same thing, hold onto things or relationships that occupy space in my life that only serve to clutter it and not to better it or create space for the truly important things. 

Many of the things that I had been storing in my closets were things from my past or things that were my mother's.  Things that held memories or sentimental value but served no purpose in my life.  Some may feel differently that sentiment is the value they hold but for me clutter equates to chaos and stress. I'd rather not be tied to things of this world but focus more on those things eternal.  I jokingly said today that the whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven scripture comes into my mind often in a variety of ways.  Can you imagine being bound to THINGS that you just can't let go of here on this earth for eternity?   I personally don't want to be anchored down by material things while walking down those streets of gold, I'd look pretty silly walking around with a bunch of whatever wrapped around my neck weighing me down.    Don't misunderstand me, I still enjoy a good book or a great sale on a pair of shoes but I find more and more that my focus, my mission, isn't buying but ridding myself of the things of this world.  Why do I need 50 purses sitting in my closet collecting dust when there is a woman out there that doesn't have a single one to call her own?  Why do I hold on to a pair of shoes that I KNOW I will never wear again because they killed my pinky toes?  Why not allow them to hurt someone else's feet?  :)  I'm just kidding, I don't want ladies walking around with hurt pinky toes but I think you get what I'm saying.

Today in a study that I'm part of, we were talking about this being our temporary home. Nothing here my friend is eternal but our relationships with Christ and that is the deep within us, our souls reaching out and holding tight to the future we have beyond this world.  Our desires should be focused on the Father and things that He holds most dear... one another. 

So what is it that is cluttering up your life?  Do you have too many pairs of shoes sitting in the closet, maybe just a bunch of broken dreams or a past that you just don't want to deal with or feel you can't?  Maybe it's relationships that are causing the clutter, ones that just occupy space but are empty and lacking in anything substantial.  What is causing the clutter that's blocking your view to a clear path with our Lord?  Nothing should have more importance placed on it or binding here on earth than being and doing what our God has called us for so that when we enter through those gates we finally get to hear, well done good and faithful servant.  Our desire should always be for his return and nothing in our clutter need keep us from losing sight of Him.

Blessings,
Heather

Get Real; Judges 6:37-40

"look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor.  If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand as you said.  And that is what happened.  Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew - a bowlful of water.  Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me.  Let me make just one more request.  Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew. "  That night God did so.  Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew."

Interesting reading isn't it?  For some reason I had it in my head that I could petition God for a lot of things but putting God to the test never entered my mind because who am I to question or test God?  But we think about it don't we and afterall can we really hide anything from God?  Our Pastor preached on this very topic a couple months back and even then I wondered who Gideon though he was that he could put God to a test.  Ahh, but then in a single moment while driving in my car God said "Get Real Heather".

I listen to a lot of people pray in groups or over a service and I think that they sound so "pretty" in their prayers.  But that's not what God wants...he doesn't want our pretty prayers, he wants our heartfelt "real" petitions before him.  I know he hears me all the time, even in times when I wish he wasn't listening because what I said whether in my heart or out of my mouth isn't always "pretty".  Sometimes what comes into my head or enters my heart is just the opposite of pretty and can be quite ugly. In Ephesians 6:18 we are told to "Pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."  

Jesus set the example in Matthew 6 with the Lord's Prayer.  "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." What I don't think are that many read the words that come before this prayer.... "and when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."  It's not about the words spoken, it's about the words coming from your heart to his.

I was struggling earlier this week, just feeling rather alone and struggling with some things going on with my life.  Thursday morning I finally had it and as I usually do I began to pray on my way to work.  I do so during that time for a couple of reasons, one, that stretch of road is crazy that time of morning!! and two, because it's quiet in the car and I can just talk with my Daddy with no one else around.  I began thanking him for all the things in my life and asking him to touch those that have requested prayer and then he stirred my heart and I heard those words, "Get Real, Heather".  It's not often I will pray for myself, why I have no idea, but I tossed all the "pretty words" out the car window and I began to petition God in a way I've not done before.  I began to pray that I needed to see him show me that day in some physical way that he was present and had my life in his hands.  I prayed that I needed to see in a tangible way that I was highly favored and prayed that he show me that I was going to be ok. 

I went to a business luncheon later that day and there was a drawing being held where we all took a numbered ticket. We ate lunch and at the end of the luncheon the lucky number was to be drawn.  As the announcer called out the numbers....I looked around the room and no one got up.  Another ticket drawn and another number announced and still no one approached the stage.  A third time and no one claimed the prize.  The announcer decided it was best to flip the basket upside down and draw from the bottom. I listened to the numbers and was shocked to see they were my numbers!  I had just won an iPad 2.  In front of all those people I waited til I got to the front of the room and did a victory dance all the while smiling not just because I had won, but because God showed in a very real tangible way that I was favored and I knew then at that moment he was smiling too and was saying, "when you get real with me, I get real with you." 

I'm not saying that you will all win an iPad or anything like that when you pray, but I am saying that when you get real with God he listens far beyond the "pretty words".  You don't have to sound important and all knowing when you pray, you just need to talk to him like you know he's your daddy and you are favored.  He hears you all the time in your every day talk, he's just waiting for you to talk with him.

What real talk do you need to have with God right now?  Is there something that you think he doesn't already know?  Are you trying to talk with him like you speak "King James speak" or are you talking to him like the father you know him to be?  Is it time that you fleece God so that you can move on from the place you are today to the place he's calling you to be? 

A final note today of encouragement is a song by Mandisa that I heard yesterday called, "What if we were real".  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcLYkUb5Keo  I pray that it ministers to you as it did my heart to Get Real.


Blessings,
Heather