I realize I confess a lot on my blog and today is no different...I guess I hope that in someway God will use my stories to get through yours. I read one little verse that hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce." Proverbs 3:9.
The part that hit me and made my mind race was..."honor the Lord with the best part of everything. The questions I started asking myself were "who or what gets the best part of me?"..."who gets the best part of my time?" "who gets the best part of my patience?" "who gets the best part of my attention?" I humbly had to admit that it wasn't the Lord. I often give him the leftovers. There are even times in my quiet times with Him that I have also planned the next days activities or this weeks family meal plan. So where does my best go? The ironic thing is my best goes to the ministry I have been given and the family I have been entrusted. For you it might be your work outside the home, or your kids, or your friends, or your tv, or your workout schedule. None of these are bad things, but when given our best time, attention, effort will always keep us from being our best for which God has called us to.
God knows that without giving Him our best then it is impossible to be the best at all he has called us to be...wife, mom, sister, friend, minister etc. It is all a reminder, once again, that I am called to "Be still" and sit at the feet of Jesus so that I can serve as the body of Christ.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
My Word for 2012
I have a confession...I am a fixer. Can you relate? I am the person that likes to "fix" the problems. When my kids come to me with a problem...I figure a way to fix it with a kiss or bandaid. If my husband has a problem...I figure a way to fix it with a letter or scripture. Being in ministry, People come to me daily with their problems and I immediately go into "OK, lets come up with a plan and see if we can fix this thing." It is my way of controlling the world in which I live in because if I can control it then I can fix it and everything will be ok. I don't like seeing people hurt and/or in pain so the easiest thing to do is try to fix it. Well, over the past couple of months my heart has been so overwhelmed and broken with all the problems I can't fix....like the pain my friend is going through in her marriage and nobody even knows it or the friend who is struggling with the most likely death of her TWO children or the girl that has struggled with years of abuse and the only way "she feels" loved is in the arms of another girl and on and on....
Well, I was laying in bed crying out to God about how I could help or "fix" them...I finally looked up and there on my wall were the letters I had put a few months back that read..."Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
First, he calls us to "Be Still"...not do more...not serve more....not fix more but be still. Why? Ask Mary and Martha (Luke 10). I have always felt bad for Martha because all she wanted to do was serve. There is nothing wrong with serving in fact, we are called to serve. Jesus himself said, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and and to give his life as a ransom for many." What Martha was doing wasn't wrong she was just doing it in the wrong order. We are suppose to sit then serve. Sit at his feet so then we can serve. Sit at his feet so we know how to serve. Sit at his feet so we know when to serve. My prayer times were so filled with praying for the needs of other people that I forgot to just sit and marvel and who He was. I forgot to sit and be filled up. I forgot to sit and just "be still."
The second part of that verse reminded me that He is God and I am not. I was never intended to save anyone from their problems or even fix their problems. That is a weight I was never intended to bear. I was trying to be what only Jesus can....their Savior. We are not called to fix problems just LISTEN and point them into the direction of the ONE who can....Jesus. He is God, comforter, leader, provider, healer...ALL that we need.
So....My word for 2012 is Still. When there is a need...be STILL. When there is a problem...be STILL. When I am angry....be STILL. When I am overwhelmed....be STILL. This is not going to be easy for me, but in the words of Bethany Hamilton,"I don't need easy, I just need possible."
I would love to hear your WORD for 2012!!
.
Well, I was laying in bed crying out to God about how I could help or "fix" them...I finally looked up and there on my wall were the letters I had put a few months back that read..."Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
First, he calls us to "Be Still"...not do more...not serve more....not fix more but be still. Why? Ask Mary and Martha (Luke 10). I have always felt bad for Martha because all she wanted to do was serve. There is nothing wrong with serving in fact, we are called to serve. Jesus himself said, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and and to give his life as a ransom for many." What Martha was doing wasn't wrong she was just doing it in the wrong order. We are suppose to sit then serve. Sit at his feet so then we can serve. Sit at his feet so we know how to serve. Sit at his feet so we know when to serve. My prayer times were so filled with praying for the needs of other people that I forgot to just sit and marvel and who He was. I forgot to sit and be filled up. I forgot to sit and just "be still."
The second part of that verse reminded me that He is God and I am not. I was never intended to save anyone from their problems or even fix their problems. That is a weight I was never intended to bear. I was trying to be what only Jesus can....their Savior. We are not called to fix problems just LISTEN and point them into the direction of the ONE who can....Jesus. He is God, comforter, leader, provider, healer...ALL that we need.
So....My word for 2012 is Still. When there is a need...be STILL. When there is a problem...be STILL. When I am angry....be STILL. When I am overwhelmed....be STILL. This is not going to be easy for me, but in the words of Bethany Hamilton,"I don't need easy, I just need possible."
I would love to hear your WORD for 2012!!
.