Our Suffering and Our Calling

In hindsight it is always so surprising how we process concepts, even in regards to faith. For example, when the church shares messages on how “having God in your life makes things better”, the smallness of our minds can't compute it so it translates to "Getting faith will make your problems disappear". Um, nope. -Not a chance!

I'd almost venture to say that as you develop your faith, your problems might even get harder because then you're called to respond in a Godly way. And then the ante is upped again.

We also seem to wait to discover “our calling” before we step out in faith or to start sharing... But again another opposite is that we must step out, in order to discover. 

This message (link below) is a good one. It’s about our suffering and our calling. One of the highlights is in how we all process our suffering through our own belief system.  If you believe in God, then take your suffering to the Word of God. And what it speaks to you personally is your ministry. BOOM!

If you’re in a suffering season or a trial (or perhaps the next one that you’re in) don’t rely on yourself to reason it. (I’ve just given you two examples where we get it backwards.) Take it first in prayer and ask for the good Lord to open your eyes. Then take your trial to the bible. Search for scripture (either online or in a concordance) about your type of storm. Read the commentary to understand why certain things were and were not used. (That’s often where the nuggets are.)Then journal out your questions and what you feel scripture is speaking to you!  -Your “ah-has” are your testimony, your witness and your steps to obedience.

There is no better connector to God than your obedience to what he wants you to do. There is no better “disconnector” in your relationship to God than your disobedience. (Even if it is only obedience delayed).

I’m praying with you and for you in your season!  God speak!

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/mini-bible-college/listen/the-storms-of-life-the-word-and-the-witness-511919.html

A New Chapter

(copied from a Facebook status)

I got accepted to VCU in 96 for Mass Communications.  For several reasons I didn’t go. Then I got caught up in the working world and just never found my way back to school. A few years later when I applied at the bank, I really had no idea where I wanted to go. I submitted my application as a result of a few friends prompting me to do so. I also applied at the Humane Society and a few other places. I told God that I would accept the very first one that was offered as his will for me. -No matter what I wanted because I hadn’t been as happy with how ‘my’ choices were turning out.   

When I was called to work for the bank as a Teller, I tried to talk them out of it. “But I can’t count money” I said. (Only half teasing.) But I remembered my commitment and thankfully, they hired me anyway.  

From day one I LOVED it. I was only a teller for a year. I was briefly a CSR and then transitioned into our I.T. department when it was then only a 1 woman show.  I watched it grow and change and multiply in a variety of ways.  –And now we’ve grown to double digits in staff.

I can tell you that while I may not have been active in church or as particular style of believer, I tried to seek the Lord with all my heart. As I grew, he used that job more than anything else to change me. The lessons I’ve learned have been invaluable. Every class that I took seemed to apply to some area of my personal life in the exact season that I needed it. EVERY Supervisor I’ve ever had there has been very special to me. They were each more like mentors & kindred spirits than a “boss”. (THANK YOU <3) I’ve made some of my best friends there too but as a whole the organization feels more like a family. (And on top of it, it IS a great place to work!) Boy I could rattle on….

There are so many posts that lay under the surface of this announcement; in how God was with me every step of the way. (And I hope to share them with you when I find the words). But basically a treasured and dear chapter is ending and a new one is beginning. 20 years after that initial college application, I am transferring to our Marketing department as the Digital Marketing Coordinator. It’s bittersweet. I am sad to leave my team and the department that I’ve been in for 14 years. But I am also downright giddy at what lies ahead.

–Most of all, I am grateful.  …Very, very grateful.

Sleep tight friends and remember, it’s never too late to lift him up and no prayer is ever too small. It’s a start.

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” –Psalm 37:4

The Significance of the Rib | Notes

(These notes were used with the Power of the Praying Wife Study) – Week 3

"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." Genesis 2:23

“But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.” Genesis part 2:20-21

My commentary says:

God’s creative work was not complete until he made woman. He could have made her from the dust of the ground as he made man. God chose however to make her from man’s flesh and bone. In doing so, he illustrated for us that in marriage man and woman symbolically become one flesh. This is a mystical union of hearts and lives. Throughout the Bible God treats this special partnership seriously. If you are married, are you willing to keep the commitment that makes the two of you one? The goal in marriage should be more than friendship. It should be oneness.

God forms and equips men and women for various tasks but all these tasks lead to the same goal, honoring God. Man gives life to woman; woman gives life to the world. Each role carries exclusive privileges; therefor there is no room for thinking that one sex is more superior than the other.

Like a puzzle,

Together we are whole,

Stronger for that

But what else:

Matthew Henry: “God did not choose a piece of Adam's head, so that woman would be over him; nor did He select a piece from Adam's foot, so that he would step on her. Rather, our loving Creator chose man's rib, so that woman was taken from his side--to be his equal...from under his arm--to be protected by him...and from near his heart--to be loved by him.”

A paraphrased version of what I found on the Darrell Creswell blog and Answers in Genesis

·         Rib covers the most important parts (vital organs) of the body.

·         Using a rib symbolizing the wife’s role; significance and importance of her nature to the protective covering over the lifeblood in the home. Protecting the core of family.

Got questions - Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated “suitable,” k'negdo, carries much more meaning than simply “fit” or “appropriate.” This word also means “opposite or contrasting.”  

·         To compliment and to challenge

·         But also to complete

·         Adam lost a rib but gained so much more

Ribs:

Ribs are also the only bone in the body that can regenerate themselves. They are commonly used in bone grafts for this reason.

Removed from the periosteum (tissue)

By using a rib from him, both made from the same “dna” and/or material.

We are the same,

·         Both Made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27

·         Both Good – Genesis 1:31

·         Both came from dirt and are nothing apart from the breath of life. Genesis 1:7

Tied to Christ:

John 19:31-34

“Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead (or asleep), they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”

So just as the rib taken from Adam to create his bride Eve, Jesus was pierced on his side in order to create His Bride, the Church.

Let us not forget Paula’s notes from the Ellicott’s commentary that said in Hebrew Bone & Self are the same or close and so it is a reminder that God gave of himself as we should do the same.

(John 14:21) (John 10:18)

And finally- something that struck me about all of this is that

·         From the very beginning, when Adam and eve were instructed to eat from anything except the tree.  It was Eve who was deceived by the devil. But Adam knew better and deliberately chose to defy God for the sake of Eve. 

·         It is the woman who starts out wanting just a little bit more than she already has.

·         It’s the man who first shows resistance to authority, in an effort to follow a woman.

I don’t know how that thought speaks to you but my prayer for you this week is that you are able to use your influence on your man (and in your home) in a way that leads him closer to Christ and not away. M

May you be able to die of self this week so that you can protect all that is good and life giving and holy in your homes.

Sites:

http://www.biblebigpicture.com

http://www.answersingenesis.com

http://www.creation.org

https://janmeador.wordpress.com

The Spirit Goes Wherever It Pleases

Yesterday I was praying in the shower before church and I don't really feel like I understand everything that I was feeling or even what the Lord is trying to show me but the words adoption/fostering came to mind... again. While I see that he is opening my heart to the idea in the future, I can't discern what it is that he wants me to see right now. 

When the kids and I left church the snow was coming down. It changed our immediate plans and so I ordered a pizza that I had to go pick up for lunch. On the way back there was a man riding a bicycle down 17. The kids and I started talking about how it looked like he was slipping [by his tire tracks]. Traffic was heavy too.

As we passed him, I thought about how cold it was and how wet he must be. I made a comment out loud and said that I wished that we had room. Ethan quickly offered to wedge into the back between his siblings so that we could squeeze him in. It's kind of a big deal when one of the kids offers up "Shotgun". So, I tuned in.

I used to pick up people along the road before we had kids. Colin made me stop after we had them. It was an easy agreement because I was worried about their safety too. -But as we passed this man, I just felt like I was supposed to turn around. So I did. 

We pulled over into the old Page School parking lot and I was a little nervous as he had a shirt over the bottom of his face. He put the bike in the back of the truck. (Which is also ‘unusual’ because I was borrowing my mother-in-laws truck. I'm normally in a van). Anyway, when he opened the door and pulled down his mask I was relieved and startled to see a young boy. (20yo) Soaked. I instantly recognized the stubbornness of my own youth and knew that whether or not he was doing something good or bad he was only doing whatever it was to prove a point. -Even if it was only to himself.

Anyway, he got in the truck. Only for me to discover that he was going across the river to Newport News. I hated to only drive him part of the way but I was not comfortable driving farther than necessary in the weather, which didn't look to be letting up anytime soon. He was okay with only going part of the way and made a comment about not expecting to see nice people. In an instant I knew that I was supposed to talk to him about Jesus.

It felt just like a scene from the movies as I turned to look at him and said “Do you know Jesus?” –He is the reason I turned around, after all. We began a conversation about church and it turns out the boy was adopted and had also lived in a foster system. He lived here now with his brother and sister in law. I tuned in some more…

The smell of pizza was all over the inside of this truck and so, very uncharacteristically me again, I asked him if he wanted to come home with us. I could feed him and dry his clothes. (I barely invite people over because our house repulses me most of the time and I am not being modest.)

For whatever reason he agreed. My plan was to come home and work on a video for church. But he came in the door and we ate pizza and I must've asked him 50 questions or more. He was so polite and well mannered and even when he spoke about his past, he was careful with his words in mind of the kids. The kids were fascinated and I knew that they were learning something in this moment that I couldn't tell or teach them with my own words.  –But so was I. Without his knowing, his very presence and demeanor comforted me in regards to my prayer that morning.

After we ate, while his clothes were drying, he sat in the floor and played Legos with the kids. -All 3 of them sat with him the entire time that he was there. I washed dishes and prayed about what to do next. I felt like I should write him a letter with scripture & a prayer.

My husband was at gun show and I was slightly nervous about what he'd say when he got home. Although I figured if I was supposed to do it. God would take care of Colin's reaction too. But still... I lit a candle and prayed for peace in the home while I finished the dishes.

When Colin came home, I met him outside and explained that we had company. But instead of blurting it all out. I let Colin lead the conversation and I answered his questions only. -When I told him that I picked him up on the side of the road, I could see 'it' flash across his face. I repeated that he was a kid and the expression eased. He never said a word. He introduced himself and put some things away. Then I explained that his clothes were dry and that I needed to run him to Newport News. Colin said "okay well I will take him".  They got in the car and they left.

Colin returned later and didn't say anything about me picking up the young man (for 3 days). The kids were gone, we sat on the couch. I rubbed his feet and we lightly talked and then he said...okay we'll I'm going to take Ethan to the Ignite Conference in March.

I.sat.mystified.

You might not know about this conference but it's basically a 2 day Christian men's retreat. There are a few big name speakers, breakout sessions on marriage and other topics. There are hunting and fishing exhibits, etc. We learned of it last year. Ethan wanted to go because some of the Robertson's were there. When I got the dates for this year, I told Colin about it and sent him the link and never mentioned it again.

My husband to date is an unbeliever (unless he has made some acknowledgement privately that I am unaware of.) He's not a very social person. He doesn't like crowds or driving farther than 20 minutes. The layers of this decision are each a big deal and then it in itself it is a BIG deal!

I didn't want to tell you about what happened after church yesterday morning because I didn't want to draw attention to what I did. It wasn't about me. Nor do I want to tell you that I have been fasting from something on and off. Truthfully, I haven’t even been sure why I feel like I need to do it. But it reminds me of the verse John 3:8 - "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

That's a strange verse but when I asked God to show me what that means, he gave me this day as an answer.

You and I may not understand why we feel led to do things like fasting or completing unusual tasks. [hearing the wind] We may not ever understand how one thing connects to another like what I was doing and what was happening within my husband that made him decide to go to the conference. [The spirit moves where he pleases] But it sure seemed that when I was willing to stop what I was doing and follow prompting of the Lord, even when it didn't make sense; he was able to go to work on my behalf in a really big and personal way! [With my lesson from the young man and in Colin’s decision.]

I write this post to encourage you on your own journey. May you continue to have many "firsts" in your relationship with Christ. If you wonder when God will lead you to someone, ask him to show you. -But when he does so that's your queue to obey and meet the need. Regardless if you've done it before or the circumstances around it. Try to talk about the Lord, even if it's only offering to pray. I promise that when it's all over, you will feel blessed in being used by God. 

Peace be with you!

What about you-

• Do you ever feel like you should do something but decide not to because it’s too complicated or ‘different’ from what you’d usually do?

• What if it’s the Lord and his still small voice? Would that change your response? Why or why not?

• What if your obedience led to a revelation about him or an answer to a prayer? Would it be worth it?

I pray that you are open to the Lord’s day and all that he has within it! Bless you friend!

The Power of a Praying Wife | Confession from Chapter One, His Wife

One night earlier this week, I came home to Colin not feeling well and already asleep on the couch for the evening. Sadly, this isn’t unusual. His parents called because he didn’t put their 4-Wheeler back up when he was finished with it. I tried to wake him. “Later” he replied.

Knowing that he’s a man that likes warning, I told him that I’d wake him in an hour to go take care of it. The hour came. I woke him up. Irritated, he got the phone and said “I will call him”. I thought he went outside to smoke and tell his Dad that he was on his way.  –Instead he went to bed and I’m not even sure that he called his dad. No “goodnight”. No “I ain’t doing it”. Nothing.

My feather’s ruffled.

(I had to include it, it just makes me laugh.)

This is an area of struggle for me. For one, I struggle with people pleasing. Especially when it comes to things that ‘I’ think are important. This is an area where I would be a martyr and “take care of it myself.” Except that I’ve never driven a 4-wheeler down 2 boards in the back of a truck. AND it was dark AND I was irritated. AND I have 2 boys that would lose their mind wanting to do it with me.  I just wasn’t comfortable. (Can I just praise God here? This is an area that I have grown so much in. There is a time when I would’ve gone and done it myself anyway! And I can promise you from experience that the bad would’ve gotten ugly.)

If I am not careful, I can start trying to compare our actions and then I wind up judging him and giving a good foundation to anger, which is what started here. You see, I was raised to take care of your things. And especially to take care of things that belong to someone else! A 4-wheeler is expensive and I can’t replace it. It has been difficult for me to not judge him for having different opinions or motives. In his mind it’s made for water and mud. Rain won’t bother it. It wasn't a matter of "caring" or "respect", he was looking at the facts. I suppose he had a good point….

Also, I struggle with the fact that he doesn’t look sick. He doesn’t have cuts or bruises. He doesn’t walk with a limp or have any obvious signs of something being wrong. The things that I’ve read about with Neuropathy are terrible. The pain is 24/7 and excruciating. And in all seriousness, people can lose their legs over this. You take seizure meds to tell your brain that you’re not in pain. And some patients, like my husband, choose to also have stimulators implanted because adding a new pain (electronic stimulus) might help make the other one better. (hmmmm?)

And yet, sometimes I am immune to his sickness because he IS sick 24/7.

If that statement made you flinch at the harshness. Imagine being the wife who says it.

Imagine being her husband.

I flinch at the hardness of my own heart. -A woman that vowed to love AND protect him. –To cherish him. In sickness and in health. A woman that looks at what she thinks her love is verses what God says it should be and cringes because even her BEST human effort will fail to ever compare to God’s incredible standard.

But while it is harsh, it is my truth and it’s my confession. Sometimes, I am immune and even resistant to helping and being empathetic toward my own husband. And I am his helper.

Thanks again Lord for giving me a beautiful guide that will help me grow UPRIGHT.  

And in that conviction, let’s just look at his side for a moment. This event just happened to be on that really cold day that we had this past week. He works outside, in the freezing cold [conditions, I won’t work in], IN PAIN. And your metabolism spikes up to stay warm. I KNOW he had to be exhausted. But still I just want to keep putting ‘I’ first… sigh.

And the 4-wheeler was out because he was spending time with our children. Something that I pray to God that he will continue to do no matter how he feels. (So Thank you Lord for answering another prayer!)

Anyway, the next morning, I sat down to answer some of the scripture questions in the Power of a Praying Wife Study Guide. I begin with question 9. Really God?? You’re SO funny.  

“Do you have any anger, unforgiveness, hurt or disappointment toward your husband?” I tap my pen to think of the nicest way to dance around this question. But it’s blaring at me. Like it has its own eyes and I can’t avoid its stare.

Meanwhile, Colin gets up. He’s sitting on the couch. Trying to greet me and talk to me. I want to give him the cold shoulder so he knows that I am irritated. But in that exact moment, I am being convicted of my wrong actions and having to write a prayer about them. But the prayer is asking God to change me and I can't hold my grudge and change at the same time. I finally had to give in and repent. I also went to the Colin and apologized.

I once heard that an apology with an excuse isn’t an apology at all. Try apologizing without explaining or defending your side. It’s hard. Don’t you want the other person to know “your why”? I’m pretty sure I still slipped some of my side in. But we left in peace and he put the 4-wheeler up that afternoon.

But in my reflection, can I just tell you how hard that night was. To be bottled up and irritated for something that I probably won’t even think about in 10 years. (It’s probably why that handy guide says to not even let the tiniest drop of anger stick around. It will make both of you miserable. For nothing!)

Then it was hard again to admit when I typed it out. (But that’s what I LOVE about Bible Study and meditating on scripture).

Own who you are so God can show you who you can be.

And again, it is hard to share it with others. Truthfully, I almost didn’t. I’ve prayed about it all week.  I don’t want people to see that side of him. I mean, I don’t want people to see that side of me either. But I have to talk about him, in order to talk about me and I don’t want to ever hurt him in that process.

To be honest, others in our family and friends comment to me about things that they think that he should be doing and it hurts me. I definitely don’t want to add to it. I chose this study so that I could overcome myself for HIM. –Both of them!

James 5:16 says “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”.  You are the righteousness of God. Woman pray for yourself and your husband!

And 1 Corinthians 7:14 says that even though my husband might still be an unbeliever, he is sanctified through me.

I want to confess the things that hold him captive and break those strong holds. And of course I want his healing. But I also want to confess my actions and have God grow me in the glorifying ways that only he can. Then maybe I can help my husband up.

I know that I am not the only one who struggles in this area. YOU are not alone. –And scripture promises us that the TRUTH will set us free. And it is only God’s truth that frees mine to be… different. Upright. Dare I say Holy?!

And between 1 John 1:5-7 and John 1:5 we see that darkness loses its power when in the light.

So my prayer in Chapter one is that God will hide the sin of my own inequity from my husband. Yet uncover glory in His wondrous way between us. And in Jesus name break anything that tries to wiggle in.

So now, I am giving it to God. I am so thankful for how far we have grown in this area during our marriage. –But I can’t wait to be able to share with someone later on, the wisdom that I gleaned, after we have gotten through it.

I extend that prayer also to you and yours! Amen and Amen!

Photo Credits:

Praying wife: http://www.rpmministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Prayer-Confession1.png
Owl: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/02/article-2138367-12E257FF000005DC-866_634x324.jpg

Apology: http://dulyposted.com/never-ruin-an-apology-with-an-excuse-benjamin-franklin/

Tuesday Challenge

This will be the final Tuesday Challenge. Last year, I committed to doing it myself for a year. I started in February because I fasted from writing in January. To tell you the truth, I wasn't even sure if I could even come up with something each week. But I didn't have to come up with all of them on my own. I could always look up challenges by others when I was ready for more. 

By the end of the year, my regular posts were beginning to end slightly in challenges. I think this served a greater purpose by helping me get to that point.

So, this is good bye. If you enjoyed the Tuesday Challenge, I challenge you to continue on finding new ways to Challenge yourself on your Journey toward the prize! I pray that God will bless you and protect you. May He smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Love,
Reggie

Scripture: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:14

Many Blessings to you!

Do you have a testimony about this challenge or a suggestion for another one? I'd love to hear it! Comment here!

What's this about? | Other challenges

Picture Credit [then modified]: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/nature/sunrise-over-the-mountains-14501/