Day 15: Drawing Closer to God (Good vs Pefect)

It is a question that comes up sometimes in counseling of my clients. Why would God make us with weaknesses? I woke early this morning and tossed and turned in bed hoping to get back to sleep but ended up thinking about this question. My early morning thinking is by far the clearest and often God gives me such clarity on things in those early morning hours when I don't yet want to crawl out of bed. I rejoice in the Lord for this time of clarity on perfection and weakness. I, myself, have always just thought of humans as imperfect and we are but only because we have our sinful nature that has been passed down to each of us from Adam and Eve. But, this took me back to when God created Adam and Eve and the whole of creation. His comment about what he created wasn't it is perfect; he said "it is good". My answer to the question really remains the same as what I have been instructing my clients. God created a "good" creation that was designed to be in relationship with him. To have this relationship, we have connect to him through our spirit's because God is a spiritual being. Adam and Eve had that connection from the start. They had all of their needs met and any weaknesses they had were overcome solely because they were dependent on God. But they wanted their independence and our sinful nature had begun. Our sin keeps us from connecting spirit to spirit with our holy God. However, God knew even as he was creating Adam and Eve of what was to come and already had a plan in place to send his son to us, that we may regain the connection to his spirit and be back in real relationship with him. Jesus was the perfect man. This is possible because like Adam and Eve before the fall into sin, he was connected and relying on his Father. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, therefore he had the connection from the womb and on into our fallen world. It is through Jesus that we can regain the connection and allow the Holy Spirit to overcome our weaknesses, enhance our strengths and fulfill all our needs.

Day 12: Drawing Closer to God (Practice Makes Better Not Perfect)

Today, I found myself with the opportunity to talk about Jesus to a 5 year old in my preschool class who was having a bad day with his anger. To work on calming him down, I had him go into the library section of the classroom which is cozy and comforting with the extra large teddy bear. I felt convicted to work on getting him to focus on Jesus so I got a plaster cross that I had given to him way back when this adventure started with him in my class. He responded well to it then so it was worth trying again to regain a sense of calm. It did help and it led us to talking about Jesus. He wasn't convinced that Jesus was in his heart and at five I am not sure they will fully understand but I felt it was worth talking about in the hopes that some seeds would be planted. I walked him through how we all sin and Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins allowing our spirits to reconnect with God's spirit. Well, it went as well as it could have gone considering this boy's anger problem which I am starting to wonder if it might be a biological/chemical issue. In any case, I am thankful to God for this little experience witnessing to this 5 year old. It was good practice in learning how to witness to someone about Jesus.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 207

A song by Colton Dixon keeps running through my head with the words “scars remind us who we are”. We are not perfect. We fail and fail again and fail some more. We say things we shouldn’t say. We do things we shouldn’t do. We don’t do things we should do. We don’t say things that should be said. Got all that? We are not God. We are not in control. The mistakes we have made, the scars within us should remind us of how imperfect we are, of how we are not the one in control. We choose what controls us. Do we let the sinful nature control us or do we let the Holy Spirit control us? It is a choice that must be made continually.

Romans 8: 5-8 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 106

Unfortunately, my brain is not engaging. I read something but nothing wants to sink in. It is a time in my cycle that I feel the furthest from God. My brain just doesn’t want to focus. I know it is a temporary thing but it is pulling at my heart now because I want my brain to cooperate but I read scripture and I can’t engage. Well, no one is perfect, least of all, me. The sermon yesterday went in one ear and out the other. This is one of those monthly struggles that I am sure most women go through. My prayer is this no brain function issue will end soon.

James: 3:2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 21

The remainder of verses 8,9, 10, 11 and 12 in 1 Corinthians 13 require a lot more study than I have been able to put into it thus far. But from a commentary I found on-line at http://americanvision.org/5546/that-which-is-perfect-an-theological-glance-at-1-corinthians-139/ I have discovered that, #1, we have to take these verses within the whole context of the letter written to Corinth by Paul and, #2, the basic summary of it is this: nothing compares to love, not any possible spiritual gifts we may have, nothing. Love is the road to spiritual maturity and perfection in our relationship with God. That being said, we have to again call upon the Holy Spirit within us to help us remember that love is the primary thing that God wants us to have for Him and all other people. Without love, we have nothing and our relationship to God is not as it can be. We have to be seeking, praying about and giving love everyday. Here is my daily prayer to help me focus on my love for God and my love of others (please use and or make one in your own words):

  Heavenly Father, You are the perfection of love. Help me to cultivate a daily attitude of love for you and all peoples. Have the Holy Spirit within me, remind me that without love I have nothing and with love I will gain in my perfection and relationship with You. With the God of Love All Things Are Possible. Amen.  

In the wake of the very tragic school shooting in CT, I believe we are called to love all people, even those that would do the unimaginable and kill children. In watching some of the comments on the news from psychologists, I find they focus on the probable mental problems this young man may have had, but the simple truth is this was a very tragic call for help from someone who was probably filled with pain, hurt, anger and did not have a connection to God. In what little I have learned thus far in my goal to be a Christian counselor/life coach is that we are made up of three things: physical, emotional and spiritual. Modern day psychology will leave out the spiritual aspect that is a key part of who we are and who God created us to be. My heart aches for the loved ones that have to endure this tragic loss but my prayer is they will find forgiveness and love for the shooter and that they will be at peace knowing that God will bring good from this.

Matthew 5:43-48  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. – Max Lucado

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 7

You know the phrase “love is blind”?  This phrase came to my mind early this morning as I was tossing around in bed trying to go back to sleep and catch a few more zzz’s.  But my brain had to think more on it, so here I am writing about it rather than sleeping in.  This “love is blind” phrase refers to being so in love that you don’t see a person’s faults or differences. So does this phrase apply to loving God? I say, yes it does. Now God has no faults, he is perfect; so it is not a being blinded to this kind of thing but rather being blind in love towards God is letting go of all the unanswerable questions that the devil wants to plague you with that will make you question God and his love.  So if we are truly filled with love from the Holy Spirit, we should be “blind” to these unanswerable questions and love God with faith. So if those questions have been coming to your mind; the why would God…questions, than it is time to pray and focus on love and faith asking for the Holy Spirit to fill you up so much so that those questions don’t matter. 

Father, I am sorry that questions about who you are and what you do put a wedge between us.  Your love for me is without question. You love me no matter what. You have a blind-faith kind of love for me. I want to have that kind of love for you.  Holy Spirit, fill me up with such love that all the unanswerable questions are banished from my mind and only love for my awesome God is throughout me body, soul and spirit. With you all things are possible. Amen.

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge

I was reminded of a lesson I learned on love a few years ago. I found out I had some abandonment issues and learned why. My mother who had been going through her own issues at the time didn’t show up to my sisters 3 birthday party. I was 5 at the time. She was gone that whole weekend and when she came back it was only to move out to an apartment. To a five year old girl I felt abandoned and rejected. Thru some therapy and discussions with my mom, I was able to recognize my need to forgive her. Her love had failed me but what I learned was that indeed we are all capable of failing our loved ones. We are not perfect. But God’s love will not fail us. His love endures forever. I made it my mission to not only love on my children but to teach them about God’s love so that if at any time I fail them, they will know that no matter what the people in their lives do that they are loved by a God who cannot fail, who’s love will endure forever. If you haven’t learned this lesson on love or need a reminder of God's enduring love, read Psalm 139.

Psalm 139:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 308

We play a lot of roles through out our lives. I have been pretty successful at most of them and am always willing and able to improve but I am so fired as the "tooth fairy". My nine-year-old daughter wiggled a tooth out last night before bed and though she knows that Mom is the tooth fairy she wanted me to keep playing that role. I was never very good at it. The first tooth I forgot to take the tooth and leave money so I had to come up with a story about the tooth fairy being super busy and she would probably come tonight. I had a heck of a time once getting a tooth under her pillow that I could not find. Thankfully, I managed to find it without waking her up. Last  night I told her I could just give her money in the morning but she gave me that "look". She wanted to go through all the motions of putting her tooth under her pillow and waking up to find her reward. Ugh. I forgot! I am so fired! She came marching up to me this morning holding out the baggie with the tooth. Thankfully, she was forgiving especially after I produced a dollar for her. We do our best as parents but we are not perfect. Praising the Lord for being the one thing in our lives that is constant, perfect and unending and praising the Lord for the forgiveness a child gives you.

Luke 23: 33-34 When they came to a place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”