Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Stuck in a slump

Slump is a dirty word in the sports world especially in the world of baseball and softball. As an athlete, you never want to be in a slump because that means you aren't hitting very well or if you are pitcher, everyone is hitting well. The thing about being in a slump is you usually have no idea how you got there and no idea how to get out.

I don't play baseball or softball, but do go through slumps. It's those times when your life just keeps giving you curve balls. During my slumps, I get tired, overwhelmed, impatient, discouraged, lonely as a mom, as a wife, as a friend, as a person in ministry. I just can't seem to do it all or do anything well, at least. I am learning what leads to my slumps and how to get out of them. During one of my slumps, I had just come out of a very taxing ministry season and I was drained spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I opened my bible and was needing to hear from Jesus when I read this....

"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people....you have patiently suffered for me without quitting."

I remember reading this thinking, "Oh God, thank you. You do see everything I have done for your kingdom and you do see me." THEN, I continued reading...

"But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first!. Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repen,. I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."

Oh crap...he had seen everything I had done, but didn't care because I had neglected the reason why I did them, HIM. I had neglected my first love, HIM. I had done so much for him without HIM. As my pastor describes it, I had become a full time minister, part time follower of Christ. I had become a full time mom and wife and part time follower of Christ. And he made it very clear, He would have no problem removing my lampstand from its place or in my case, removing me from ministry if it brought me back to him and seeking His face full time. He didn't need my ministry, he wanted me. For you, you may be a full time mom, part time follwer of Christ and you are in a slump. You may be a full time teacher and a part time follower of Christ and you are in a slump.  You may be a full time volunteer and a part time follower of Christ and you are in a slump. You may be a full time problem fixer and a part time follower of Christ and you are in a slump. When we get these roles reversed is when we are likely to go into a slump.

So How do we get out of the slump? It doesn't matter whether it is a slump in your marriage, a slump with your relationship with Jesus, a slump in your job, a slump with your kids....we get out of them the same way. We "Turn back to Jesus and do the works we did at first."
It's kinda like when my kids are trying to get their zipper zipped on their coats and it the zipper gets stuck (which is every day) and I tell them the same thing every time, "Go backwards in order to go forwards." When we get stuck in a slump we must go backwards in order to go forwards. We must go back and do what we did at first....if'its in your marriage, go on dates again, write love notes, send sweet messages, all the stuff you did when you were first dating .If it's your children, play with them, read a book to them, all the things we couldn't wait to do before we had children.  If it's your relationship with Jesus, go on dates with Jesus. Get in His word and read His sweet messages to you. Read His Word to change, not to finish. Listen to praise music and let them be God's love songs to you. Do all the things you did at first when you couldn't get enough of Jesus.

Everyone goes through slumps, so please know you are not alone. We want to put on the face that everything is alright all the time. We need to be real with each other and the times we are going through our slumps so that we can help each other through them. Will you be real today? I will start...

"Hi my name is Sarah Roberts and I struggle with slumps"

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Ouch...God may have just hit me in the mouth

Well, it is that week again....that week you either love or hate. It is the week that the fact that you are single, divorced, or widowed is so highlighted that you feel as though you are walking around with a giant neon sign announcing your relationship status. Or maybe each year you build up in your mind, that because you are married or in a relationship, that it is going to be a day of lavishing you with cards, roses, homemade candlelight dinner, just like it is at my house every year (ha ha...just kidding), just to be disappointed at the end of the day because it didn't live up to your expectation. Well, I have been studying the book of Galatians and I got punched in the mouth with some truth,so I am just paying it forward...you're welcome:)

 There are ways that we need to focus on ourselves but tend to focus on others...

This includes Sin. Yes Sin. We all have it but nobody likes to address it...well their own anyway. It's easier, less painful, less uncomfortable to focus on other people's sin rather than addressing our own. It works out better for us if we can keep the attention on Mary Lou who just got divorced instead of addressing the fact that we secretly are addicted to pain killers, shopping, attention, etc. Jesus knew we would struggle with this so he said this, "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? how can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye.' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye." Matthew 7:3-5
And before you start pointing the finger because you feel people judge you, believe me you do it too. We all do...every single one of us. We all judge people, and we usually judge people based on things we don't struggle with. God wants us to focus on ourselves when it comes to sin...address our own sin, issues, and problems. If you are like me, you have plenty to deal with, you don't have time to deal with other people's sin.
We love to Covet. (Galatians 6:4)We love to want what everyone else has. Instead of focusing on ourselves and what God has blessed us with, we focus on what God has given everybody else. Comparison kills contentment, which means we are happy with who we are and what we have until  we see what somebody else has.  For me, this happens a lot with parenting. I am confident and love how I am as a mom and what we do with the kids until I see someone who has made an entire zoo full of animals made out of used toilet paper rolls...then I think "I suck." Once again, God doesn't want us focusing on other people when He's trying to shape us into HIS Image not everyone else's.

There are ways we need to focus on others but tend to focus on ourselves

We have taken the word serve and made it into how can people serve "me." (Galatians 6: 8-10) I know that sounds harsh, but we are all guilty of it. We may pout because we didn't get the recognition we thought we deserved. We may be bitter because no one has said thank you for everything you have done for them. What started out as service ends up being..."What about me?" "they aren't meeting my needs?" "where is my 'me' time?" And the focus is on you instead of others. We live in a world that says "Do want makes you happy," "As long as you re happy?"....all because we think the world is here for us, when in fact we are here to serve the world in the name of Jesus. If the King of Kings says, "I did not come to be served, but to serve..." I think we should follow His lead. 

Love...we spend our entire lives looking for people who can love us. I get so discouraged reading facebook and twitter the week of Valentine's day because it is just depressing how people talk about not having anyone to love them or how their husband dropped the ball this year.  Since when did Valentines day become about who all can show you love? The creator of the Universe is so madly in love with you that He died for you. You are part of the greatest love story in the world. How about we make this Valentines day about how YOU can show love to OTHERS. Maybe there is a widow who is alone for the first time in 25 years and you could take her out for dinner. Maybe there is a mom who is spending their first Valentines day without their child this year and you could take a teddy bear to the family in honor of their child. Maybe there is a woman who's husband is fighting for our country's freedom and could use some flowers from Jesus this week. You are loved...now go spread it!

There is a fine line between focusing on ourselves and focusing on others. We are called to do both, but so often we get the lines crossed on which is which. So how do we walk the thin line? With Jesus of Course. Jesus said, is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."  Love your neighbor as yourself." When we love God first, it's possible to keep 2nd and 3rd in line.