Help! I Feel Like Quitting

My writing has been sporadic lately.  Can I be honest?  I sometimes question if I should continue writing.  Sometimes I think I should quit.

Are there dreams, passions, or pursuits that you sometimes feel like maybe you should quit?

I'm just being honest with you today.  I pray you will give me room to share my humanness with you. People need encouragement and without it, pressing on can be hard.

Thankfully, I am about to start a Bible study with Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies called 5 Habits of a Women Who Doesn't Quit.

Since I am beginning this study, I figure I can wait until after the study and decide whether or not I should quit.  ; ) As usually is the case, I think this study is happening at just the right time!

If you would like to join me, you can go to http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/ to sign up today!  This study begins April 18.

Let's pray about this today:

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Lord, you know me.  You know my faults, weaknesses, and strengths.  Lord, I ask for you to direct my steps.  Father, I ask for wisdom and perseverance to continue on in what You would have me do and for release to let go of what you are done with.  I don't want to continue anything in my flesh that you are not in, but I also don't want to abandon any work that you have for me to continue in.  Lord, I ask for you to show me what is you and what is me.  My desire is to only be in your will.  Stir up in me a passion for the things you want me to press on in and give me peace in the things you are wanting me to let go of.  In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Almost Missed Ministry Opportunity

The boys were all out of the house at a men's ministry activity with our church--Paint Ball. It was just me and Sarah for the entire morning.  Sarah was looking forward to some girl time with mommy.   I, on the other hand, was thinking about a speaking engagement I had coming up a week later and the talk I needed to work on.  A whole Saturday morning free of the boys would be a great opportunity to practice my talk and spend time preparing.

Sarah's sweet smile and enthusiasm for spending time with her mommy won out.  Plus the day before, I had told her we could be together that morning and it didn't seem right to back out now.

We had pancakes, did a tea party with her stuffed animals, painted nails, and ended up in my bedroom talking while folding some laundry that had been waiting a couple of days to be put in drawers.

It was a lovely Spirit led morning.  Every moment seemed right.   My head had been fixed on doing what seemed pressing, but it was trumped by my heart beating to what was most important.

As I folded the two-day-old laundry, my nine-year-old daughter told me a story.  She told me how the Lord had been working in her life.  She shared about how she experienced the Lord in a new way at a prayer meeting and how the Lord freed her from a fear of what people thought about her hands being raised or her feet dancing as she worshiped.  She then asked me if I had a story to share about what Jesus has done in my life.  And so I left the laundry to wait a few minutes more and shared part of my story (at an age appropriate level) with her. At the end, she expressed how thankful she was to have a godly mom who loves Jesus. Wow.

And I almost missed it.  While sitting there with my sweet girl, I knew I was doing ministry.  Right there in my home, listening to my girl, folding laundry, painting nails, making pancakes--all ministry.

A week later I would be in a room full of women speaking, but I felt like the Lord was reminding me in that moment where my most important ministry truly is found.  It isn't found in a speaking engagement, writing a blog post, ministering on a retreat, or leading a Bible study (although all those are good!), it is found in the everyday activities, in my home, with my family, one on one with the people God places in my path.

That Saturday, the most important assignment the Lord had for me was ministering to my daughter....and I almost missed it.  How thankful I am that He didn't let me miss it!  

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3:16

Blue Skies Above

Last weekend I had the privilege of going to Nebraska to be a part of a speaking team for the Refresh My Heart Women’s Conference put on by Lelia Chealey.  Nebraska y’all!!  What an incredible weekend! I met wonderful women from different parts of the country!  I was teased a little about bringing such a big suitcase for a short weekend.  However, I left with a heart fuller than my overstuffed suitcase and refreshed by my sweet all powerful God.

On the way to the conference I had been on two separate flights.  On one flight I had an aisle seat and the other I was squished between two largely proportioned men.  On the flight back, once again I found myself sandwiched between two men.  Trying to look past the man to my right to see through the window, I realized it was a mute mission and nestled myself into a book I had picked up at the conference.  The book was Every Little Thing, by Deidra Riggs (Which I love, by the way!).  

The plane landed in Chicago O’Hare Airport and we were instructed to remain on the flight if heading to Nashville.  Passengers going to Panama City, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Dallas fled the plane in order to rush across the airport to their adjoining flights.  I was able to remain.  I turned to the man at the window seat hopeful he might be leaving and asked, “Are you staying on the plane?”  He said he was getting off here and my heart leaped!  A window seat!  I will finally get a window seat!  He got up and as soon as he was in the aisle, I moved to his seat.  A window.  My heart was happy. 

It was a dreary day.  Rain poured from the sky as a watering can over a flowerbed.  People from across the globe boarded the plane and we ascended into the sky. 

Soon we were above the clouds.  It was breathtaking.  I looked down to see a blanket of white that appeared like snow-covered ground, bumpy and uneven with valleys and hills defining a beautiful landscape.  Then I raised my gaze and saw the blue sky.  Florida blue skies.  The kind that beg for you to soak in their glory and fullness of that clear deep blue. 

I use to say to my husband that all I want is blue skies—Florida blue skies--every day. 

However, the reality is that not every day has blue skies and certainly not Florida blue. 

Thirty minutes earlier, I had left the Chicago airport and it had been raining and the sky from my view on the ground was gray with charcoal colored clouds above.  Rainy.  Dreary. Wet. But now, in the air, there were nothing but white clouds below and blue skies above.  Perspective.

When we keep our eyes low focusing on only what we can see at ground level, it can sometimes be hard to see past the gray.  Rain comes. Life hurts.  And the pain can leave you drenched in dread, soaked and weighted down by the cares of this world.  It is easy to forget that above the clouds there are blue skies.  The blue skies are always there, crisp and clear and full of hope. 

I wrote this post from 25,000 feet up in the air in my journal.  On the front of my journal, it appropriately has part of a verse on it…

“Set your hearts on things above.” Col 3:1

The remainder of the verse says, “Not on things on the earth.”

Whatever you are going through today, I understand that your pain is real and from your view, it may appear very bleak.  But the Lord has a higher perspective.  His ways are higher than our ways.  From His view, He sees there are blue skies just beyond the charcoal colored clouds.  Keep on going in positive expectation that the rain will end, the clouds will clear, and the blue skies that have been there all along will eventually shine through.

It is easy to forget that above the clouds there are blue skies.  The blue skies are always there, crisp and clear and full of hope. 

“Set your heart of things above, not on things on the earth.” Col 3:2

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

“’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

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

 Father, I pray that when our skies look gray and bleak, that we would remember to keep our eyes on things above.  Help us Lord see things from your point of view.  In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Every Face Has a Story

My daughter set up her stuffed animals in a semicircle around a picnic blanket.  Her plan was a tea party with many of her beloved stuffed animals.  She has about fifty, but that is another story.  I have asked her many times to give some away but she insists she loves them all and couldn't possibly part with any.

As we sat drinking pretend tea and discussing the pressing issues her stuffed animals were facing, I was interested in finding out if she truly loved all these stuffed animals or if we could purge her room of some.  Perhaps find another loving home for them.

I asked her a question.  What is that animal's story?  We went through each animal in her room and sure enough, they all had a story.  From, this animal was given to me by my best friend in second grade to Dad ran all the way to the back of the Magic Kingdom to get Thumper.  Oh yes, he did.

As she spoke with a certain adoration for these inanimate fluffies, I felt it reflected in a sense of how the Lord looks on each one of us.  Of course, His love is infinitely greater than Sarah's love for Thumper, Dumbo or Mickey, but on a smaller scale, I saw a comparison.

Two nights after the stuffed animal tea party, we went to Winter Jam, a Christian music concert with several artists.  We sat in a stadium of about twenty-thousand people.  Looking over the crowd, I felt as if the Lord was saying.  Look at their faces.  Every face in that stadium represented a story.  As I looked around I knew the Lord knew every story.  And He adored every person as His own.

Some of those stories may have been that their best friend invited them to church in second grade and they accepted Jesus into their lives.  Other stories may have been that their Heavenly Father ran to the ends of the earth and beyond in order to bring them to Him and were coming to know Jesus for the first time that night.

The Lord sees us each as unique and our stories matter to Him.  He knows our stories.  He knows all of us and where we have been.  We are important to Him and we are adored by Him.  No matter if we are torn, old, dirty or our stuffing has nearly been knocked out of us, He adores us and calls us His.  He wouldn't part with us for anything.  He cares for us.

And your Heavenly Father, would run to the ends of the earth and beyond to find you.

Praying this truth blesses you today as you think about the love Jesus has for you.  He loves you.  He knows your story.  You are His.

"But when He [Jesus] saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." Matt 9:36

The Secret to Being Brave

There are five words that I believe will revolutionize your life and mine if they become an indwelling truth anchoring deep into our heart.

The Lord is with you.

This is a truth Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew when against all reason and logic, she was told she was pregnant with the Son of God.  She was a teenager.  She wasn’t married.  She lived in a society where her outward circumstances would have caused a scandal, shunning, and possibly even death by stoning.  Yet, she was brave.  How?  How does a teenage girl face such adversity?  How was she brave? 

“The angel went to her [Mary] and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.’” Luke 1:28

Throughout the Bible we find these words.  They are spoken by prophets, angels, and even the Lord Himself to encourage His people to fulfill His plan and purpose in their lives. 

“Nathan replied to the king, ‘Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.’”  2 Samuel 7:3

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’” Judges 6:12

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” Joshua 1:5-6

If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31). 

Is there something the Lord is asking you to do that scares the begeebies out of you? Perhaps it is to step out into His calling this year.  Or go deeper in healing.  Or confront that person in love whom you have been avoiding. Or reach out to the neighbor down the street. 

Each one of our assignments looks different.  Seek the Lord and ask Him what He would have you do.  If it scares you, it is probably the Lord.  When you step out when afraid the most amazing thing happens, fear loses and courage wins.

The Lord is with you.  He won’t leave you nor forsake you.  He will be right there with you.  Knowing this truth is the secret to being brave.  I need this truth.  Let’s pray for this truth to soak into our souls and become solidified in the center of our core identity.

Father, thank you that You make us brave.  Lord, thank you for Your truth that You never leave us nor forsake us.  Lord, help us grasp a knowing that You are with us, that You are for us. And in that knowing, may we step out courageously into the great unknown and into our calling, to fulfill Your plan and purpose.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

Stepping Out

"His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of Passover.  And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem.  And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So, when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.  Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.  So when they say Him, they were amazed; and his mother said to Him, 'Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought you anxiously.' And He said to them, 'Why did you seek Me? 

Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?' 

But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them."  Luke 2:41-49 (emphasis added) 

These seven little words, "I must be about my Father's business." have been ringing in my ear ever since we toasted in the New Year.

The time is getting shorter and daily we edge closer to the day of Christ's return.  It is not a time for slumber or complacency.  It is a time to get busy, but not just busy doing anything...it is time to be about our Father's business.

The Lord usually gives me a word for the New Year.  (If you haven't asked Him for a word, I greatly encourage it!)  The word I felt the Lord gave me was "Step Out".

The end of last year was a time of stepping back.  It was a time for the Lord to have me step back so He could do some work in my heart He needed to accomplish.

As the new year began, I felt like the time of stepping back was ending and a new season of stepping out was beginning.

When I read this story in Luke about Jesus staying in the temple to be about His Father's business, I'm reminded that in order for Jesus to be about His Father's business, He had to step out.  He had to step away from the crowd.  He couldn't just follow where everyone else was going.  He had to stop... step... and stay.

First, He had to stop.  He had to stop following the crowd.

Second, He had to step.  He had to step out of the crowd in faith.

Thirdly, He had to stay. The scriptures say, "Jesus lingered".  The Greek word for "lingered" is hypomeno and it means "to remain".

Jesus lingered.  Jesus remained.  He stayed.

To "be about my Father's business" is to remain, or stay with the Father. Sitting with Him, listening and learning.  He listened and learned in order to prepare Himself for the divine work He was put here to do.

All three of these components are needed to follow God's business.

Stop. Step. Stay.

2016 is the time to be about our Father's business.

That might mean some changes for you this year.  It might mean giving up some things that distract from God's best.  It could mean changing where you go, stopping an old habit, or stepping out in faith and saying yes to something that scares you but you know it is the Lord.

If we continue along the path with the crowd, we will miss the assignment the Lord has designed specifically for us to do.

If you want 2016 to be the year you stop, step and stay to be about your Father's business, will you pray with me...

Dear Lord, we want to step out into everything you have for us.  We want to be about Your Kingdom business Lord.  Father, we ask for you to show us where we need to stop, if there is something specific we need to stop.  We ask you to show us where to step and lead us and guide us as we step out into the unknown with You.  And Lord, we want to remain with you. We want to stay tightly with you learning and listening and growing in You.  We know the stopping and stepping means nothing if we aren't staying with You.  Lord, we only want your Kingdom to advance, increase, and multiply. Oh Lord, let us be about Your business.  In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Lord, Why Don't You Fix This?

We have entered into a new year.  For some, there are high expectations and hope for what is coming in 2016.  For others, there is a lingering issue from 2015 still hanging like a thread that keeps unraveling a beautifully constructed tapestry.  If only the thread could be cut and the tapestry remain intact. 

Perhaps it is marriage that is teetering on divorce.  Or a health issue of a loved one. It could be a child that has wondered and lost his way.  There are daily news reports of catastrophes around the world. There is so much darkness.   You have prayed and yet the tapestry still is unraveling and you question…

“Lord, why?  Why don’t you fix this?!”

This past summer, I was discussing an ongoing issue I was having with a dear friend.  She encouraged me to change my question, to stop asking “Why?” and ask “What?”. 

Lord, What are You doing in this?

It is ok to ask the Lord questions.  It is ok to question. 

Tucked away in the Old Testament, we find the book Habakkuk.  Habakkuk was a prophet who saw his world around him crumbling.  Not only did he pray, he asked the Lord questions. And He was “real” with the Lord.  When he was afraid, he told God.  When he was mad, he told God.  What he didn’t understand, he told the Lord and questioned Him. 

I want you to know it is ok to be afraid.  It is ok to be mad.  It is ok to question and not understand.  God already knows.  Tell him.  He won’t get mad.  He wants you to tell Him these things and talk to Him.  You don't have to pray a certain way to be heard. 

 And He wants to answer you. 

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and You will not hear? Or cry out to You of violence and You will not save? Why do You show me iniquity and wrong, and Yourself look upon or cause me to see perverseness and trouble?  For destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention arises.”  Hab 2:2-3

Perhaps you have wondered the same as Habakkuk.  O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and You will not hear?  Or cry out to You and You will not save? 

The Lord answered his question.  He answered with a "what" answer. 

“Look around [you, Habakkuk, replied the Lord] among the nations and see!  And be astonished! Astounded! For I am putting into effect a work in your days [such] that you would not believe it if it were told you. “  Hab 2:5

What then Lord revealed about the impending judgement of Israel is difficult to hear but Habakkuk understood that God’s ways are always good and just even in the middle of calamity. 

Then the Lord encouraged Habakkuk:

“And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time; it will not deceive or disappoint.  Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. “ Hab 2:2-3

From Habakkuk, we can learn that when all hope seems lost, that God has a bigger plan than we can see and it is for good.  There is encouragement.  There is a Light.  God longs for his people’s hearts to be turned towards Him.  He knows lasting joy and peace only comes from being in right relationship with Him.

  

There are plans in progress we cannot understand.  God sees the big picture.  What I want to be clear about is that the Israelites had brought this judgement on themselves after MUCH mercy and grace from God.  I don’t believe the Lord brings disaster into our lives to “teach us something”.  We do have a very real enemy who is out to kill, steal and destroy.  And the Lord and he are NOT partners. 

Because of these variables, it is even more so important to ask the Lord “what” is going on here when we are faced with things we don’t understand. If it is the enemy, then our mission will be to engage in spiritual battle through prayer. But we need to ask.  

 

The good news here is that after we ask, He will answer. 

Although you may have been walking through this thing for a while, I believe the Lord will astound you as you see that He is working out a plan you would not believe if it were told to you! 

Write your vision.  What vision [outcome] has the Lord given you in your heart?  Write out the promise and daily read it, pray it.  And go on in faith knowing that it will come at God’s perfect time. It will not deceive or disappoint.  God doesn’t lie.  God says it will “SURELY” come at the appointed time and it will not be late!

God is already at work and I believe you will be astounded.