Monthly Archives: October 2011

Breathe

31 Monday Oct 2011

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“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” ~ Mark 1:35

After a few very bumpy days of teething on my son’s part, I really enjoyed my two hours off this afternoon.  Every Monday, I have one of my terrific high school students watch my little boy, so I can spend some time running errands or getting caught up on work.  Usually, I’m making a mad dash during this time (I can get up to six errands done in two hours – and that includes the grocery store), but today I didn’t.  I ran a few errands, and then went to Starbucks and just enjoyed a chai latte for a half an hour.

I confess I didn’t spend the time praying, as Jesus did in this verse, but the time alone just to relax was just as appreciated.  After three less than stellar days, the time away from everything I worry about and fuss over acted like a reset button, even if it was only thirty minutes.

What I really like about this verse is that it reminds us that even Jesus needed to take time away from everything, especially to pray.  Sometimes our prayers get reduced to “LordhelpmefindmykeyspleaseblessthisfoodthankyouforthisdayAmen” and we forget how much we benefit spiritually from time spent with God, apart from everything else.

Take the time.  Seek His face.  You’ll be glad you did.

Where Did My Weekend Go?

30 Sunday Oct 2011

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” ~ Romans 12:12

I must admit, I’m a little bit shocked by the day and time.  As I watch the blinking cursor move across the screen as I type this, I can look at the upper right hand corner of my computer screen and see quite clearly that in less than twelve hours I will be teaching drama class.

How is that possible?

My little boy and I have done virtually nothing this weekend (well, I did wash the dishes yesterday), and yet the time has flown by.  Tragically, I don’t feel rested up for my week, because in all that doing nothing, my little boy has been teething up a storm (runny nose, refusing to sleep), so it wasn’t a restful nothing.

Which means this is an extra good week to keep Romans 12:12 in mind.  Joy+hope+patience+prayer = a good week.  I hope you have a good week, too!

Stretch

29 Saturday Oct 2011

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” ~ II Peter 1:5-7

Part of my no-tv-for-the-week experiment has included trying new things.  Since I think it’s difficult to simply remove something from your life, I decided to replace the absence of television watching with two new things.  First, I tried MOPS again.  I went once last year, but found it wasn’t a good fit for a brand new widowed mom, so I gave it another go this week.  I also went to my very first yoga class.

Now, MOPS was actually pretty good, but the yoga class really surprised me.  I’ve been running and working out pretty consistently, so I was shocked to find that the yoga class left me more sore than a Jillian Michaels dvd.  However, it was a good sore, one that told me it was working muscles in ways that hadn’t been worked in awhile.  I’m looking forward to going back, so I can continue to build strength and flexibility.

Stretching myself in these different ways was a good thing for me this week; one that I know will help me be more confident as a mom and stronger physically.  If I never tried different things, eventually I would stop growing.  That’s why today’s verse in II Peter is such a good reminder for us as Christians.  We are to continually add to our faith, building and strengthening it by challenging ourselves in unique ways.  Each one of these additions can take a long time to master, so it’s important that we keep stretching and working our faith, just like we would our physical bodies or mental abilities.

Hang On

28 Friday Oct 2011

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“But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.” ~ Joshua 23:8

Well, the speeding train that has been my week just dumped me off at the station and I’m still wondering where the past five days went.

Each day this week was busier than the one previous, so as of tonight, both my little boy and I are pretty much wiped out.  Tomorrow will be a very much appreciated day of doing nothing.

One thing about being so busy is that as each day went by, my little boy clung to me more and more.  I spent most of my morning today supervising set work and holding him.  By dinner tonight, I actually had to hold him in order to get him to eat, he was so tired of everything that was going on around him.

When things in our lives get crazy, do we hold tighter to our Heavenly Father?  Or do we allow the busyness to sweep us away from Him?  I think I can learn a lot from the approach my son took to the busy week, as he held on to his mom, the one he knows will take care of him.  I need to do the same with God, and when life gets hectic hold on even tighter, because I know He will take care of me.

Numb

27 Thursday Oct 2011

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“For I am the LORD your God 
   
who takes hold of your right hand 

and says to you, Do not fear; 
  
I will help you.”
~ Isaiah 41:13

If you’ve been reading my blog this week, you know that on Sunday I decided to give television up for the week (see the post called Time Vulture for the rest of the story).  It’s been a good experiment, one that I believe I’ve really benefited from.  If nothing else, it’s led me to realize that I actually didn’t have enough time to be watching tv in the first place, since my entire week has been a whirlwind without it.

However, I have realized why I was watching so much tv in the first place – to avoid feeling lonely in the evening.  In spite of everything that happened last summer with my husband’s death, I think I have put together a nice life and routine for my little boy and me.  We have lots to do and are pleasantly busy just enough of the time.  But once my little one is in bed and the house is quiet…well, turning the tv on has become my way to numb the sadness brought on by the fact that I’m alone.

Which is why I chose today’s verse from Isaiah, because it reminds me that I’m not alone.  The image of God coming alongside me, taking my hand, and promising to help is a truly beautiful picture to me.  And something I am thankful for every day, whether it be in the busyness of the day or the quiet at night.

So Fast

26 Wednesday Oct 2011

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“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” ~ Psalm 90:12
“We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.” ~ I Chronicles 29:15
“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” ~ Psalm 103:15-16

Today, as I watched my little boy toddle across the room, I was struck by the speed at which life moves.

Only a handful of months ago, I was delirious from lack of sleep, sure that I would never get rest again as this tiny baby cried to be fed multiple times a night.  But here he is, already a year old, and those days are only a memory now.

Being a teacher, I get to watch my students long endlessly for summer, sure that the fun days of freedom will be so much better than the daily grind of classes and homework.  Then, as seniors, willing the time to move quicker, so they can get started on the adventure that is college.

But now, as I am years down the road from where they stand, I can’t help but wonder in amazement how quickly the time really went.

The Bible repeatedly teaches us that this life is soon over – the three verses I chose for today are only a sample of the many more there are on this topic.  God clearly wanted us to understand that our time, and our opportunities to be a light for Him in this life, are very limited.

Vision Problems

25 Tuesday Oct 2011

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“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” ~ Matthew 7:5

I’m going to wind down a slightly different path of interpretation with this verse, so please bear with me.

Have you ever noticed that occasionally we’re not sad about the plank in our own eye?  That is, when something is going wrong in our lives, we like to amplify it to make the most out of our own suffering?

Sometimes people (including Christians) seem almost to brag about the plank in their own eye, as it were, when it comes to sharing what’s going on in life.  Instead of just listening to a friend and what is happening in their life, we feel the need to one-up them instead.  But we aren’t one-upping them in a positive way, rather a negative one – if they have a headache, we have a migraine; if their boss has been hard on them, ours is impossible.  It’s something I think we’ve all done at some point, and while it turns this verse on its head a bit, the sentiment still rings true.  We have to get rid of how big we see our problems to be before we can help someone else.  It isn’t necessarily reality that our problems are actually bigger than everyone else’s, but we can easily fall into the trap of thinking so.  And when that happens, it prevents us from being truly helpful to anyone.

We need to always be careful that we’re not ignoring the plank in our own eye, but we also need to watch out that the plank isn’t the only thing we see, either.

A Tale of Two Hearts

24 Monday Oct 2011

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Search me, God, and know my heart;
Take a quick glance, Lord, but don’t look too closely
test me and know my anxious thoughts
I’d prefer You only push me a little bit today
and I’ve laid out the thoughts that I’d like to share
See if there is any offensive way in me,
Let me know what aspects of my life would be easiest to change
I’d rather not deal with the rest
and lead me in the way everlasting.
And lead me on the most successful path,
Filled with a comfortable life that meets with no persecution.
~ Psalm 139:23-24

Which prayer will your heart pray today?

Time Vulture

23 Sunday Oct 2011

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You say, “I am allowed to do anything”–but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”–but not everything is beneficial. ~ I Corinthians 10:23

I got clobbered by the time vulture this week.

I was going along, just minding my own business, and WHAM.  Suddenly all my free time was snatched away by the circling menace known to me as the time vulture.

What is this terror you ask?  Well, for all of us it’s different.  For me, it’s television.

You see, I’m not a super avid movie watcher.  I enjoy going to movies and will occasionally watch them at home, but I’m not one of those people who can sit down and watch all three Lord of the Rings extended versions in a row.  I would go crazy.  I can, however, watch just as much television in one sitting (I cannot explain this – I realize that it’s completely counterintuitive, but that’s why it’s my time vulture and not yours).

What happens is, for the most part, I keep the tv watching to a minimum.  I never watch television during the day, so it limits me to watching in the evening after my son has gone to bed.  And since there are always lots of things clamoring for my attention at the end of the day, I usually only have time to watch one show.  So I make sure it’s something I enjoy (thanks to my handy DVR) and then click it off and go read.  But, as I said, tv is my time vulture, which means I don’t always have such a great handle on it.

A time vulture is something that can be okay in moderation, but hovers in wait for you to weaken, then swoops in and takes over all your free time.  This week I found myself watching several hours of television every evening, which meant things that needed to get done, didn’t (like my pile of laundry, which has grown to massive proportions).  Which means I got to yesterday, looked around my house, and wondered where my week went.

When I figured it out, I knew that something had to change.  So starting tomorrow, I’m going cold turkey for the rest of the week, and not allowing myself to watch television at all.  Now, this isn’t a permanent change, but it’s something that gives me a chance to rein in a habit that isn’t serving me well.  I think television is great in moderation.  It’s a pleasant distraction and I like watching shows with great writing.  But if all my free time is being poured into it, then it is no longer healthy.  I don’t like getting to the end of the week and having nothing to show for my free time.

With my experience with the time vulture that tv can be, it reminded me of today’s verse.  I think things like movies, tv, and video games all fall into the category of “okay in moderation.”  Enjoying a story or a game as a way to unwind at the end of a day isn’t a bad thing.  But when it becomes the only thing you do, it’s time to reevaluate.

So look out for the time vultures in your own life.  If they have snuck up on your free time and taken over, look for ways to get a hold of them and bring balance back to your life.

Poison

22 Saturday Oct 2011

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“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” ~ Matthew 10:16

I am currently reading a novel about a female poisoner who worked for the Borgia family during the Renaissance (cheery, I know).  And while it speaks of the level of the corruption of Rome that a family of religious leaders like the Borgias would have employed such a person (historically, though, it’s doubtful it was a woman), what really fascinates me is the dual nature of the role a poisoner played in one’s household.

The obvious role that a poisoner played was to maintain the family’s power by strategically murdering rivals and enemies.  But a poisoner actually had a much more important job – and that was to protect the family from any similar threats.  A skilled poisoner must be able to detect anything amiss, whether it be food, routine, or unexpected gifts, and thus protect the family from harm.

The job of protecting a family from harm impresses me immeasurably more than killing someone off, simply because you would have to be so incredibly on the ball at all times.  You would need to know the people you worked for incredibly well, down to their daily habits and favorite foods.  Their likes and their dislikes would need to be second nature.  And every cook, servant and guard would need to be watched with equal caution.

Now, the brutally-offing-your-enemies part of a poisoners job isn’t something we need to admire.  But I think the vigilant watchfulness aspect is definitely important.  Today’s verse in Matthew reminds us that we have been sent out in this world, like sheep among wolves.  I think sometimes we forget that the wolves are out to get us.  We relax and think that the world should be good, since God loves us.  Yes, God does love us, but He warns us repeatedly that the world does not love Him and, as a result, will not love us.  I think that Christians need to do better to safeguard against the attacks of the world.  Too often, the church looks too much like the world – having been ensnared by the same temptations.

We need to be just as vigilant in protecting our family in Christ – standing guard against any and everything that could attack.  Our command isn’t just to be as innocent as doves, but as shrewd as snakes as well, so let us be wise in facing the world and all of its threats.

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