A Clean Heart

Father, create in me a clean heart.  Make my mind holy.  Transform my thoughts and my heart that I may see others the way you see them.  Give me the compassion of Christ.  Walk with me always and guide my steps. Amen.

The Self-Help Lie

Why are we so easily sucked in by self-help and motivational ideas?  Don't get me wrong, you can do a lot to make yourself better and to think more positive, etc.  I'm all for being positive and optimistic.  However, the trap we fall into is looking to ourselves to become the person we think God wants us to be. The truth is God created me (and you). He knows exactly what His creation was intended to be, and only He knows that. It's cute that I (you) think I (you) know what God intended for me (you) to be, but really I (you) have no clue. I'm (You're) not the Creator. This is why it is imperative that we let God do the changing in us. He knows what needs to be done in our hearts to make us that holy creation He intended. All of the self-help and motivation in the world can't even begin to come close to transforming our hearts the way God can. We have to turn our hearts over to Him. Now, I'm not saying to not care for yourself or try to get better at something. I'm saying that if you're making changes to your life to give your life meaning or deep joy, you will not gain it that way. You will only have true joy when you allow God to work on transforming your heart.

Time With Friends

Some days your time with Jesus is time with friends. That's today. Spend time with people you love and watch for Jesus' work. It's always good!

The Next Waiting Moment

I feel like I spend a lot of my time waiting. I'm learning how to do that better.  It's not that I'm not doing things because I am waiting for some kind of sign. It's that I can see God is on the move and He has proven Himself faithful so I'm awaiting His next move. As I said earlier this week, when I have these moments of waiting, I'm trying to make it about God's faithfulness and not my patience. God has definitely been molding my heart in this for a while now and I didn't even know it. That's my favorite kind of transformation, when God makes the change right under my nose and I'm clueless about it until much later. So now to the next waiting moment, watching God move, using His faithfulness as my hope to make this time about Him and not about me. It's gonna be a good time!

Take the Time

I'm in processing mode.  I don't have clear thoughts just yet, but they're coming.  It's important to take the time, and make the time, to listen carefully and observe all that God is doing when something unexpected takes place.  When I've got an idea of what God is up to, but then things start to collapse around it and I realize it's not quite what I thought, I have to spend time with God to get back on His path and see where He is leading.  Again, meeting God where He is instead of expecting Him to come to me just takes time.

Unfavorable News

When you get unfavorable news, what's your go to response?  Mine is anger/sadness. I don't shy away from my thoughts or feelings, I go after them. God and I have good discussion about the topic and I find I could have been one of the writers of a Psalm. After about six hours of processing through the emotions, I come out on the other side ready to see what God is really doing. I am able to recognize, much quicker now than before, that God has a plan that has nothing to do with me. As I've gotten older and this pattern of unfavorable news has seemed to emerge, I'm finding that my disappointment isn't lasting. My hope is in the One I've gone to for so long, because I saw my parents going to Him. God knows what He's doing and I must let Him do His thing. He has not disappointed me, only people have. The plan I cannot see is far great than the plan I had, that much I know. God knows and that's all I need to know. As I grow deeper with Jesus, I have more questions, but I care less about the answers.  That's a peace that passes all understanding.

God Is Faithful

I'm being challenged by a new way to look at waiting.  It doesn't feel like an exercise of patience, particularly since you don't really practice patience, it's fruit of the Spirit.  Anyway, I'm seeing the waiting as more like a way to reflect on my faith.  I'm taking the time to think of all of the times God has been faithful.  There are so many of them, and thinking back on those times when God was faithful, even though He was seemed slow, has given me a new perspective on this time.  Instead of having patience, I'm using this as a faith journey reflection.  I'm loving this new perspective.  When I feel impatient, I think on a time God was faithful.  When I feel anxious, I think on a time when God was faithful.  When I feel hopeless, I think on a time when God was faithful.  Reflecting on faith renews my hope.