Rest Your Soul

29 Tuesday May 2012

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“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30 (emphasis mine)

Isn’t that all we really want?  Rest for our souls?

We spend our lives working at a frantic pace, exhausting ourselves in pursuit of the dream of getting everything we want, just so we’re able to relax.  The truth is, Christ has already promised us rest from this world and rest for our souls.

We’ve been given everything our hearts desire.  All we have to do is accept it.

Backward

27 Sunday May 2012

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“Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” ~ II Corinthians 5:8

Today marked another earthly milestone my late husband has missed: his youngest sister’s high school graduation party.  Things like this tend to highlight what’s missing, and our hearts all grieve over the loss.

On days like today, I often find myself telling God how much I wish he could be here, to hug us, to be with us.  I usually throw in that I don’t really care how this is impossible, that I promise not to question things, but just to let him come home for a day.

At this point, God typically reminds me that I have things backward: my husband is home.  It is me that is still away.  Earth isn’t our home; my house isn’t a permanent dwelling.  Heaven is where I should be longing to be, instead of trying to wish my husband back to earth.  Heaven is our real home.

That Last Step – It’s a Doozy

26 Saturday May 2012

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” ~ Psalm 32:8

Today, my house was in desperate need of a tidy-up.  The week had clearly taken its toll, and things were scattered everywhere.  I managed to get just about everything put away without incident, until (you knew there had to be something) the last box.

The last box was big – it was one of those under-the-bed plastic boxes.  A great friend had given it to my son, filled to the brim with hand-me-down Legos.  Since it doesn’t fit under his crib, we cleaned out a drawer and put as many Legos in it as we could for now.  This still left the box pretty full and, with nowhere to put it, I decided to take it to the basement.

Not being very tall, the box pretty much obliterated my view of the stairs as I was going down them.  And as a direct result, I missed the last step.

The Legos and I went crashing down on my rolled ankle like a ton of bricks, with absolutely nothing I could do about it.  And the only prayer I could exclaim was, “Please don’t let anything be broken!” (Seriously, no idea how I would manage on crutches.)  After lying on the landing in a heap for a few minutes, seeing stars, I finally managed to collect myself and everything to get down the stairs.

Fortunately, nothing seems broken.  Strained maybe, and lots of random things hurt (like my quad muscle on the opposite leg), but the ace bandage on my ankle seems to be alleviating most of the pain.

It got me thinking about the lessons God has for us in this life.  Sometimes they can be difficult and sometimes they can be time consuming.  Sometimes it can be hard to see the point in the midst of the lesson.  It’s very tempting to want to skip ahead, to push past all this unnecessary middle stuff, and just get to the point.  But as I learned today, something as simple as skipping one step can have some pretty serious consequences.

Whatever God is trying to teach you in life right now, be patient with both Him and the lesson.  There is a reason you are where you’re at, and why it’s taking so long.  His timing is perfect and His entire goal for your existence is to refine your faith.  So stick with Him.  Every step of the journey is important.

Pomp & Circumstance

25 Friday May 2012

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“Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” ~ Matthew 5:12

For the seniors at the school I teach at – today’s the big day.  Graduation.

Family-wise, it’s a big day, too.  My youngest sister-in-law will be graduating with them.

Graduations are always kind of interesting to me.  Part celebration, part good-bye, they typically create the odd mix of trying to celebrate the future while simultaneously remember the past.  But what I do think is nice about graduation is that it’s some kind of marker; a symbol that you’ve accomplished something over the past four years.  You get to attend a ceremony and receive documentation that, yes, in fact, you have been doing something.

If only everyday life had some kind of milestone like this!

Everyday life doesn’t necessarily stop and reward you if you’re doing the right thing, or on the right track.  Most of the time, you simply have to keep going – trusting that God has you right where He wants you.  And that can be a tough thing.  We like the rewards and the accolades.  We want to know we’re doing it right.

But God knows this about us and has promised us rewards in heaven.  Our job – and it’s a tough one – is to keep going and trusting throughout our entire earthly life.  God knew we would face difficult times, but He promised us great things for enduring.

Easy Doesn’t Always Do It

24 Thursday May 2012

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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” ~ Romans 12:2

One of the things I have found most challenging about being a parent (okay, there are a million, but this one is at least in the top ten…or twenty) is meal planning.

Being responsible for only myself, I could kind of wing it without terrible results.  Now there is a little person in my life with an endless appetite, who needs to be fed five times a day.  A friend coined the phrase, “the relentless return of dinner” on her blog, and that’s how I feel about all of the meals at our house – they just keep coming back.

While I try to do homemade things as often as possible, there are days when making something from scratch seems about as difficult as climbing a mountain.  For those days, I try to have things on hand that don’t require a lot of prep.

Today has been a tired day, and I didn’t feel super creative when it came to fixing lunch.  Annie’s cheese ravioli swept in to save the day – or so I thought.

While heating something up on the stove sure seemed like an easy solution as far as preparation was concerned, I didn’t take into account the cleanup required after a twenty-month-old feeds himself tomato sauce-covered pasta.  In that regard, my time invested in lunch was probably the same; only it was spent at the end of the meal rather than at the beginning.  What seemed easier actually wasn’t.

However, many things in life aren’t supposed to be easy.  The pattern of this world is to take the easy way out.  Find out what serves you best, and do that.  But Romans specifically states that’s exactly what we’re not supposed to do.  Instead, we’re supposed to let God transform us every day by changing the way we think.  And once He changes the way we think, everything else falls into place.

So don’t be tricked into believing that the easy way out will actually be easier – there will always be a price to pay.  By allowing God the space in your life to change you and help you grow, you will be giving Him the opportunity to create a person who does what is best for the kingdom, instead of just yourself.

Accommodating

23 Wednesday May 2012

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“Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.” ~ Luke 8:6

In an effort to be a bit healthier, one of the things that I’ve been incorporating into my diet lately has been fruit and veggie smoothies.  You know the kind – scary green, but contains your vegetable intake for the next month.  I always pat myself on the back for drinking one of these, because you usually don’t do it for the taste.

However, as I was preparing my smoothie today, I started thinking about the taste and how it could be improved.  I typically use avocado for the base, because it gives the smoothie a wonderful, creamy texture.  However, I realized today that I actually do it for a second reason – my late husband didn’t like bananas in his smoothies.

But I do!

Here I’ve been trooping through smoothie after smoothie, accommodating the preferences of someone who isn’t here anymore.  So today I threw in the rest of the banana my son didn’t eat for breakfast and enjoyed what was quite possibly the best tasting smoothie I’ve had in weeks.

It brings to mind this verse, not because the dislike of bananas is evil or anything, but because too often we accommodate something or someone that can be harmful to ourselves.  The seeds that fell among the rocks were forced to work around some big obstacles and while they gave it a try, ultimately the plants perished.  Christians often think to be an example in faith means we should accommodate others, but what we really need to do is stand firm in our beliefs, so our faith can flourish.

Look for ways you are accommodating something or someone in your life, and make sure those accommodations are healthy.  If not, it might be time to find a new place to grow.

Entitlement Beckons

22 Tuesday May 2012

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“Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.” ~ Nehemiah 5:14-16

I’m currently in the middle of a really awesome study on Nehemiah with my Bible study girls.  I’ve never really studied Nehemiah in depth – and certainly not to the level that these lessons go to.  The treasures that Kelly Minter mines out of this book of the Bible are truly amazing, and something all believers would benefit from.  (If you’re a Beth Moore fan, she’ll be doing this study on her blog this summer.)

One of the things that impressed me most about Nehemiah’s character from this week’s lesson is his single-minded focus on the task in front of him.

Nehemiah’s integrity and dedication got him elected governor of the regathered Israelites.  This position had previously come a massive salary, along with a rich allotment of food.  However, Nehemiah noted that with this position and monetary power, corruption had been the result.  So, out of reverence for God, he refused the salary and food, choosing to remain true to his mission of rebuilding the wall.

Nehemiah’s refusal to accept what was technically due to him is something to be admired.  If I were appointed to a job that came with a big salary, I think I would have a hard time saying no to the salary, but yes to the job!  It would be difficult for me to convince myself that the distraction of luxury would require more discipline to stay focused than I had time for.  And yet that is exactly what Nehemiah did.  He put the work of God far above his own comfort.

A worthy challenge for all of us.

Choose Wisely

21 Monday May 2012

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“A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” ~ Proverbs 12:26

According to New York Daily News, researchers have identified 25 “must know” words for all two-year olds.  As the mother of a not-quite-yet-twenty-month old, I read this list with great interest, to see how my kiddo stacks up.

The good news is, he has almost all the words on the list – with some notable exchanges.

No, that isn’t a typo.  I didn’t mean exceptions; I meant exchanges.  For example, dog and cat are on the list.  We don’t have any pets.  However, we do have my late husband’s hunting trophies mounted on the walls of our library.  So my son can quickly identify “bear,” “duck,” and, thanks to my in-laws, “elk” (antelope has proven to be a bit difficult so far).  Likewise, cookie was on the list.  Well, my son has a stingy mom who doesn’t really let him have cookies too often, but he will ask for crackers all day long.

It made me think about all the ways our environment influences us.  My son’s world has already – at a very young age – had an impact on his vocabulary and the things he can identify.  He doesn’t have much of a choice in his surroundings, but as an adult, I do.

Who I choose to surround myself with will likewise have a great impact on the things that influence me.  As this verse in Proverbs reminds us, it is wise to be cautious in friendship.  Caution leads to positive choices, while being hasty allows for room to be led astray, because we haven’t truly given our decisions much thought.

So be aware of who it is you are surrounding yourself with.  It will have a great deal of impact on who you are.

Sweet n’ Sour

20 Sunday May 2012

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28

My toddler is reaching the age bracket where the “terrible twos” are starting to show up.  For the most part, he is a sweet, loving, energetic little boy, but there are definitely moments when he wants to push the limits and see just how far he can go (screaming instead of asking for something is the current favorite).

And, of course, there are times that I handle this gracefully and times I get frustrated.  Lucky for him, his adorableness pretty much outweighs anything he can cook up to do at this age.

However, what really amazes me is how God can use a situation like this to teach us both so much.  My son is learning self-control (or he will, eventually), and I am learning how to be patient.  I’m also learning how to appreciate the wonderful alongside the testing, because as irritating as the shrieks can be, I know that someday I’ll miss the smacking kisses and the chubby little hands that offer to share racecars with me.

In all moments of your life, God desires the best for you – and that means learning and growing in your faith, through all situations.

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