We’ve Only Just Begun

1 Timothy 4:8 (Amp)

For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in every thing and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.

My physical appearance has always been a sore spot in my life.  It may be that I come from a family of beauty queens.  It may be that my older brother was considered one of the “hottest” guys in school.  It may be because I put the pressure on myself to fit into the world’s picture of pretty.  What ever the reasons, I’ve been body conscious for as far back as I can recall.

I can’t ever remember having the same concern about my spirit man.  I don’t work out those muscles with as much determination and expectation as I do my arms, legs, thighs, or abs (especially the abs).  Of course, I haven’t seen the likes of Billy Graham and Kenneth Copeland splashed on the covers of Vogue or Redbook. 

With all seriousness, I give very little thought to how my spirit is seen by the world.  Don’t get me wrong, I study and pray and try to walk the walk.  It’s just that I hadn’t spent that much time thinking about how others see me.  Turns out that working out the spirit man is the only path to everything.

Godliness is about having a fit and healthy spiritual life.  I’m committed to spending more time each day focused on my spiritual appearance than I spend on my physical appearance.  Although I do intend to continue to “physically train,” I also intend to add a spiritual regimen that will create the me that I need to be.

1 comment May 22nd, 2007

De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

James 1:4

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

When the traffic gets crazy AND you are already late, it’s hard to face being cut off and honked at with a cheerful or hopeful endurance.  When your husband has gone AWOL, the baby is crawling through your feet while you attempt to fix dinner, and the other children are fighting in the bedroom, it is hard to have a constant endurance.  When every thing that can go wrong seems to have chosen this moment to do just that, it hard to remain where you are because you want to be anywhere else.

No wonder the art of patience allows for the perfection of my purpose.  It takes an attitude of cheerful endurance, hopeful endurance, constant endurance, and a boldness to remain – no matter what.  I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Patience is so much more than just counting to ten.  It’s an active choice to stay.  One I don’t always pursue, even if it is what will get me across the finish line – or at least keep me in the race.

Patience is a constant endurance of things, people, or environment without the loss of focus on the purpose or the prize of the Provider.  When I pray for patience, I’m asking for so much more than just keeping my cool.  I’m asking for the promise.  I guess it’s worth the work after all.

Finding the right title for this blog hit a brick wall.  Hopefully the one I did choose will help you hold on to your patience when times get tough.

Add comment May 21st, 2007

Control

1 Corinthians 9:4

Have we not power to eat and to drink?

Our journey through 2 Peter 1: 5-7 has already been an interesting one and not all that easy to boot, but temperance (or self-control) just about ended the trip for me. I’ve spent the last several years learning, working, and pushing myself to control my speech – so I thought I had the temperance thing licked. Boy was I in for a surprise.

First thing this morning, I wrote in my journal about my struggle with the flesh to not eat when I wasn’t hungry. “It’s almost as if my flesh WANTS to be fat.” I asked God to forgive my gluttony and to remind me that I don’t need food for comfort or fulfilling when I have Him in my life.

Then I looked up temperance in my concordance. Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor – or a sense of irony, depending on your view point. All the definitions point to temperance being about control of the body, especially in regards to the appetite.

Just say no. It really is that simple, if only it weren’t so easy to say yes. If I could just be a little stronger, a little wiser, or a little less tempted to give in and do it my way. If my metabolism was just a little faster. If the food didn’t taste so good to me – all the time. If God would just make my path a little more level, THEN I could do what I know I needed to do.

Yea – as if that’s going to happen.

God has made it simple. He’s given me all I need to choose the right path. He’s spelled out the blessings I get when I do His will and the curses I get when I choose mine. Now I have to aggressively step out and do it, there can be no timidity or the race will be lost.

I need to take an active roll in temperance. I have to determine to master all areas of my life. Everything in or out of my body, mind and mouth must be screened, guarded, and filtered. I have to take control to have self-control.

This is the day that I determine to be vigorous in my control, awareness, and acceptance so that I can be the master over all areas of my life, and all members of my body.

1 comment May 19th, 2007

All I Know

Proverbs 23:12

“Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”

I am a know it all – just ask my children.  I know where their shoes have hidden themselves.  I know what we are having for dinner.  I know what time everyone is suppose to be everywhere.  I am a mom.

This is not the knowledge that 2 Peter is pushing us towards.  The knowledge from scripture is deeper.  It’s the stirring you get when you hear or read scripture that penetrates all the way to your bones.  It’s locking into an understanding of that scripture that gives you the ability to stand without wavering.  It is beyond “knowing.”

It is possible to know something and have no knowledge of it at the same time.   Think of someone you just know – from church, school, even in your family.  Pick someone who you don’t get to spend much time with.  Now, what is their favorite color?  What is their favorite food?  What is the greatest moment to affect their lives?  You may know them – but you have no knowledge of them.

Knowledge requires time – commitment – and consistency.  To get the knowledge that scripture calls us to requires time in the word.  By putting it into your ears and eyes, it becomes established in your heart.  This is when knowing crosses over to knowledge and wisdom is formed for the path of your life.

Add comment May 18th, 2007

A Change Is Going to Come

2 Peter 1:3 (Amp)

“For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

Virtue is not something I would have equated with excellence.  In my mind, it was the essence of purity.  My understanding of virtue might have something to do with the traditional Webster’s dictionary that has the definition of moral excellence and chastity.

A quick study of a concordance and I discovered that the use of virtue in 2 Peter is described as valor – excellence – a boldness to do what needs to be done (this last one is the Kathryn translation of virtue).  Just think of male testosterone gone spiritual.

Every day I need to challenge myself to do my very best in everything I do.  If I mop, I will use actual floor soap, I will pick things up off the floor, and I will even sweep first.  If I blog, I will do it with good grammar, flowing sentences, and even the use of spell check.  If I drive to town, I will follow the rules (yes, this does include the speed limit), I will be patient with the other drivers, I will be a positive example to all those I encounter.

Virtue is about living a life WITHOUT excuses.  It’s looking inside me instead of looking at what is going on outside.  Virtue takes responsibility for every aspect of life.  Surely I can do that.

It’s not complicated.  It’s just a simple choice to give the best of what I have got, without hesitation or excuses.  God has given me His virtue.  Now I just have to put it to work.

Add comment May 17th, 2007

Keeping the Faith

Ephesians 6:16 (KJV)

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery arts of the wicked.

Faith is firm.  It blocks all the negatives the world will shoot at you.  It is a conviction, an assurance of the truthfulness of the Word, and a reliance on the promises from God.  Faith is balanced on the constancy of the Truth.

There are few Christians who could be convinced that they are not going to Heaven.  Most have heard the preaching about the path there, and have it locked firmly in their hearts.  No amount of words, written – spoken – or other wise formed – can take that belief away.

True faith, about or of anything, has this kind of solid foundation.  It’s not something you can sit back and expect to get one day (or even three times) out of the week.  It requires the continuous feeding of scripture that backs up and supports the Faith you are building to stand on.

Although Faith is given when we become Christians, it must be nurtured.  Find the promises of God  - beyond just the basics of salvation – and put it in your eyes, your ears, and your heart.  Eventually it will be so firmly established that nothing in this world will be able to shake it.

Add comment May 16th, 2007

Break On Through to the Other Side

2 Peter 1: 5 – 7 (KJV)

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”

The path to God’s purpose for each of us in life is not a complicated one.  He laid it out, in black and white.  The trick is to follow that path, and it’s not always that easy or fun, but it is always simple.

It’s just a few, little steps that lead the way to God’s blessing here on earth.  It’s just a few, little habits that can help change a life.  It’s just a few, little words that seem to take a life time to master.

Recently, my pastor did a sermon based around these few, little words.  It struck a cord with me that is still resonating today.  Over the next few days, I will be breaking down these steps in an attempt to break through to blessing.

Will you join me in the journey through faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity?  I have no doubt that through study, prayer, and patience, the breakthrough will occur.  By encouraging each other and prompting each other, it will be all that easier to reach.

I urge you to dig in to the word and to break on through to the other side of 2 Peter 1: 5 – 7.  Find your way from faith to charity, and meet God along the way.

Add comment May 15th, 2007

Being a Good Wife

I want to be a good wife.

So, what exactly is a good wife?  I know I’ve been struggling with this question the last few months.  If I was completely honest with myself, I’d admit I’ve been struggling since I first got married (but we won’t go back that far since I started out so low on the learning curve in the first place).

Proverbs has always been a book of inspiration for me.  Even Proverbs 31 has given me reason to hope and goals to achieve.  But since my husband just told me he’s embarrassed to bring people to our home, I’m guessing he’s not at the city gates praising me.

Six months ago, he’s words would have crushed me.  I would have been depressed for weeks, and the house would have REALLY been embarrassing.

Six months ago, I would have cried out to God to “strike him down” if only to knock some sense into him.  “Why me, God?”  Would have been my mantra.

Today, his negative words have been a positive reinforcement.  I recognize an attack from the enemy (not my husband, but the devil).  After all, the devil uses our friends, our family, and our organized religion to attack us more than any other avenues.  Who better to hurt you than those that are closest to you?

Today it’s on.  I will fight and defend my home, my family, and my marriage.  I will pray regularly, I will do the things God has led me to do – FOR HIM – consistently and with a joyful heart, and I will look to God to bring me the victory.

Today, I will step up and realize that the only thing that being a good wife demands is that I be a good child.  And I can do that.

1 comment May 14th, 2007

Do It All and Still Stay Sane

As a stay at home, work at home, homeschooling mom of three active boys, I tend to stay fairly busy. To add to the chaos, my husband is a pack rat who hates clutter. Over the last seven years, I’ve been struggling to find ways to meet all the demands that I face without losing my mind in the process. Here are the top five things I’ve discovered.

5. Make a list. Whatever works for you is fine – by the minute, hour, day, or week. It’s important that you know the tasks you need to accomplish so that you have something to aim for.

4. Stay on task. If you are working in the living room, then stay in the living room. Going into the kitchen will just distract you and make you want to clean in there. Finish one task before you begin the next one.

3. Know your strong time and plan around it. Morning is my best creative time. I try to do most of my writing before the sun is too far up in the sky. In the afternoon, my energy starts to fade, so I try to do something fun and energy boosting at this time (play ball with the kids or go for a walk). After dinner, I usually have a few more minutes of go power (while my husband is getting the kids ready for bed). I use this time to do some straightening (or to wash dishes).

I can write at night – when I absolutely have to – but it doesn’t flow as easy for me. Others that I know ONLY write at night. You can’t determine your schedule based on someone else’s personality. Make it your own.

2. Delegate, delegate, delegate and then allow them to do it their own way. If you want your kids to make the beds, let them. Don’t go in behind them and “do it right.” The job you pass on may not be done to your perfection, but it will be one less thing you have to do. Eventually, they should get better.

Assign tasks according to likes and skills – my oldest child enjoys organizing things, while my middle child is more active (I have him picking up or doing things outside most of the time).

1. Prioritize. In a perfect world, the day would have enough hours for you to complete everything on your list and nothing would stand in the way. In this world, life happens. If you know what MUST be done and what could be done and what needs to be done at some time, it makes letting things go a little easier. Does the floor HAVE to be mopped again this week? Does the refrigerator HAVE to be cleaned out today? Learn to let it go. In the end, even if you don’t check off any of your to-dos, things will still get done.

Life can be hectic. By following these few, simple guidelines it becomes more tolerable. Peace isn’t something you gain by doing it all, it’s something you learn to find in the midst of the doing.