I’ve heard it said that artists are inherently egotistical… that at the foundation of all art is the artist’s belief that what he’s putting forward is worth the time and attention of others.
But I think it is at least as often the case that the writer/artist/songwriter has to overcome great personal doubt and self-accusation. I know I did, in order to write and publish my first book. I still do, to write when it would be easy to give into discouragement.
Last summer/fall, when I was considering my schedule and making plans for how I would use my writing time over the next few months, I was journaling one day when I finally wrote down the accusing question that had been niggling at my brain:
The question sat unanswered, accusing me, as tears streamed down my face.
Finally, I’d acknowledged the fear.
Behind the question was all the discomfort of my teenage years. Poor choices. Strained relationships. Self-accusation. The feeling of being misunderstood, never truly being known.
Underneath it all was the sense that, at my core, I don’t really have anything to offer.
The accusation screamed at me: you don’t have anything of value to offer to others, and you are an arrogant idiot to think otherwise.
But there in the silence, came the answer:
No one will buy the book if I don’t write it.
Underneath any risk… any art… any action of offering part of yourself to the masses is this: You have to be willing to fail. The risk is no fun. But without the risk, there is no growth. And ultimately, there is no product at the end of your actions if you don’t turn away from the accusation and decide to take action.
For the writer, there is no book to publish if you do not take the chance and write the thing.
The truth is: No one will buy the book, if you don’t write it.
WRITE THE BOOK.
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Tagged Do the Next Thing, goal-setting, NaNoWriMo, novel, writer, writing, writing fiction, writing tips 
Last week, I noticed I was feeling anxious. I’d been running the budget numbers again, trying to do accurate projections for what would happen when. We’re trying to sort out what we should do with our house, and when/if we should list it.
Normal things to think through in a time of transition. But I wasn’t just thinking, I wasn’t just running numbers; I was anxious.
We Americans are an anxious people. Medicines, counselors, self-help books, therapy sessions, and more exist in an attempt to counteract this problem. But let’s not kid ourselves: this is no new problem. The Israelites and the early Church were just as liable to anxiety as we are:
“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong, fear not! Behold your God will come with a vengeance… He will come and save you.” ~Isaiah 35:4
“Do not be anxious about your life. …Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” ~Matthew 6:25
“The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” ~Luke 10:41
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6
As I repeatedly turned the situation over in my mind, churning like fast-flowing rapids, I heard God’s Word: “Take each thought captive in obedience to Christ.” One word stood out.
CAPTIVE.
In my mind, I could see and hear Jack Bauer yelling, “WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?” to a captive he was questioning.
“Take every thought captive.”
Our minds are so easily taken captive by anxiety, gossip, lust, greed, rage, criticism, bitterness, envy.
But we can begin taking our thoughts captive in every moment.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE THOUGHTS CAPTIVE?
When I was thinking about this issue of captivity, an image came into my mind of Jack Bauer, screaming at the top of his lungs, “WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?” He was questioning the captive, rather than the other way around.
Which happens in your mind?
- Do your thoughts question YOU, telling YOU what to think about, stew over, and focus on?
- Or are you taking your thoughts captive, purposefully stewarding your own mind, THINKING CAREFULLY?
Imagine if we, like Jack Bauer, began proverbially grabbing our thoughts by the collar, and with a good shake, asking, “WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?”
By examining my recent budget & planning anxiety, it becomes very clear who my thoughts were working for:
- I was not at rest, trusting in Christ.
- Instead of meditating on and KNOWING that “my God will supply every need through His glorious riches in Christ Jesus,” my heart was meditating on fear, turning over all of the “what if”s that have not even occurred.
- It was as if my brain was searching under the couch cushions of life for things to worry about, rather than setting my mind on Christ & His utter dependability in every moment of my life.
- Ultimately, I was believing that my brain– my figuring things over and over again, and my anxiousness over the situation– would bring about a better result than careful planning & restfully trusting in God.
I WAS TRUSTING IN ME, RATHER THAN IN GOD.
No wonder I was anxious!
So if I take that same thought process CAPTIVE “in obedience to Christ,” what does that mean my thoughts should look like:
- My natural inclination, urging me to run the numbers even though I’ve run them before & now it’s past bedtime: “Hurry, hurry, hurry. It has to be done now. Run the numbers again. Find out NOW if you can make x scenario work.”
- Me, realizing what’s happening, choosing to take my thoughts captive: “No. God is sovereign over our times. It is 1am and absolutely time for bed. Trust Him with this and rest. Remember- ‘You keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.’ and ‘Cast your burdens on the Lord, for He cares for you.’ Stop churning! God is in control of this too.”
What about you? What issues are holding you hostage, with you as the captive, rather than the other way around?
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion
raised against the knowledge of God,
and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
~2 Corinthians 10:5
What thoughts in your life do you need to grab by the collar and give a good shake?
What concerns in your mind need to be answered with the truth of Scripture, rather than being driven by the flesh?
Image courtesy of Naypong/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Tagged anxiety & worry, God is FAITHFUL, heart change, intentionality, stress, thoughts 
One of the things I love about having a big family is that it gives our children skads of opportunities to interact with people who (from time to time) rub them the wrong way. Better than that, they’re forced to work through it and KEEP living alongside one another, loving and learning to lay down their own preferences in loving pursuit of peace. Lots of opportunities for hurt makes for lots of opportunities for forgiveness and peacemaking.
I think God means the same thing to be true within the Body of Christ. It’s so clear to me in the Word:
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
~Ephesians 4:32
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you,
you have gained your brother. ~Matthew 18:15
Strive for peace with everyone. ~Hebrews 12:14
If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go.
First BE RECONCILED to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift. ~Matthew 5:23-24
If your brother sins, rebuke him,
and if he repents, forgive him. ~Luke 17:3
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly,
since love covers a multitude of sins. ~1 Peter 4:8
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so also you must forgive. ~Colossians 3:13
Those who plan peace have joy. ~Proverbs 12:20
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ~Matthew 5:9
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ~Romans 12:18
When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
~Proverbs 16:7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God ~1 Peter 5:6
As sinners, we (unfortunately) WILL offend each other. It happens in our homes. It happens in our workplaces. It happens in our churches. Every human relationship is marred by hurt, and peace and reconciliation is an ongoing need of our hearts.
But what happens? All too often, after the hurt, we run into our corners, determined to either keep fighting another round, OR to exit the ring, licking our wounds. It is very rare (at least, it’s been rare in my life experiences) to see wounded parties meeting together ON PURPOSE to pursue peace.
Sometimes language is used like, “There’s something you need to know,” “Let’s clear the air,” or “I’ve got a few things I want to say to you.” Sometimes there is complete avoidance of actual discussion. But rarely is PEACE a true goal after fists have flung and bruising has occurred.
But in Christ, it ought to be. I loved so much of what James MacDonald said at Resurgence in November (Here’s a video of his talk; SO good!). Here’s a smattering:
“When it’s hardest to love, when it’s personal and painful, humble yourself.”
“Love them. Even when it hurts. Even when it costs.”
“Own it all, to reconcile.”
That last statement was the most impactful part, for me. Here’s what he said:
“Generally in conflict within relationships, there’s fault on both sides, but they can’t see it. If you want to work it out, OWN IT ALL. Forego all opportunity to clarify your position. God loves humility. With God the way UP is DOWN.”
I actually heard Matt Chandler say something similar, in September. He used Zaccheus as an example of someone who, when he was captivated by Christ, paid back even more than what he owed. “As the people of God, we own everything and then some. Even if we only ‘owned’ 2% of the conflict, we own it all.“
(This is a moment when I feel the need to clarify– I’m not at all advocating some extreme position that the way for a battered woman to have peace with her abusive husband is to own all the responsibility.)
What I’m saying is, in normal everyday conflicts that happen in human relationships, there are times when our flesh and our enemy work together to convince each party in a conflict that their portion of the conflict is slight. Each side feels justified in withholding forgiveness, and believes its own “case” is the strong one. The vitriol amps up as each side replays the hurts and justifies all manner of ungodly behavior (fury, gossip, hostility, self-justification, pride, judgment, indignation, slander).
But the humblest man of all, the God-man Christ, is our example. HE is the One that we follow. When accused, He did not answer back. He took all of the punishment and mistreatment that He did not deserve. And He did it for a people, and for peace. His aim was RECONCILIATION.
As joint-heirs with Him, following in His way, our aim should also be reconciliation. Even if that means owning more than our “share.” Even if that means owning it all.
This last year has provided me with a few opportunities to pursue reconciliation in tense or stressful circumstances. I’m so thankful to have had these godly men pounding me with the Word so that I was motivated and convicted to do the right thing, even when I didn’t feel like it.
Let me share a few final, challenging word from James MacDonald :
“Refuse to be offended. I’ve asked God to remove my sensitivity. Do nothing when you’re hurt. Do nothing from hurt or because of hurt. Hurting people hurt.”
Wow. I’ll let that one stand on its own, except to say this:
Sometimes we women in particular need to take a step back, breathe deeply, and work diligently to step out of our pain and strive to see things from the perspective of the other person. Strive to put things in the most favorable light, rather than seeing them in the most hurtful.
When reconciliation and peace become our overarching goal, above and beyond being heard, above and beyond giving someone else their just dessert, above and beyond ensuring that everything is seen rightly in the eyes of all human persons involved… we are taking on the description of sons of God: a peacemaker. And ultimately, this promise is ours:
Those who plan peace have joy. ~Proverbs 12:20
Images courtesy of DavidCastilloDominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
and adamr/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Katie also shared some great thoughts in October about conflict resolution: 6 TIPS FOR BIBLICAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION – Definitely worth reading.
Sign up to receive my monthly newsletter, and I’ll send you my FREE book, ONE THING: Top Tip (From a Mom of 6). In it, you’ll learn the top way I:
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Tagged beauty from ashes, Body of Christ, Forgiveness, friendship, humility, peacemaker, reconciliation, relationships
1. THEY ARE PRECIOUS AS BABIES. PRECIOUS!!! We built a pen out of the cardboard box from a deck box. We taped it to the floor in a trapezoidal shape so they wouldn’t have any 90-degree corners to run into (and get suffocated by the others, which apparently can sometimes be a problem with small chicks). They were absolutely adorable little fuzz balls and we couldn’t stay out of the garage while they were babies… it was WAY fun to sit in the middle of the pen and have them hopping and cheeping around us (and even falling asleep in our hands!).
2. THEY CAN BE AS INEXPENSIVE AS YOU CHOOSE. Instead of buying what would have been a short-term watering solution for chicks, I used an old peanut butter jar, toothpicks, and a plastic lid to make a self-releasing waterer for our chicks. Various size potting dishes, tubs, and paint cans helped me to raise the lid as they got taller (so they wouldn’t walk in the water). When they got big enough, we used poultry nipples to make a long-term CLEAN watering solution for them. (It’s still what they use, in their coop.)
We also ended up building our own coop, from scrap lumber. Everyone in the family got in on the project, and it was both inexpensive for us and educational for the kids!
3. EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY CAN LOVE ON THEM. Well, this is true for our Buff Orpingtons, at least (I’m not sure about other breeds; some are known to be more rude). Our ten buffs have always been incredibly sweet to our children, even to the littlest guys in our crew.
4. THEY MAKE GREAT USE OF SCRAPS. They love to eat all of our scraps, and any grass or leaves we feed to them. It thrills me to have all of our extra bits, uneaten food, and too-ripe produce go to good use. Because they are happy to eat almost everything, it all reduces our feed costs while making their yolks even more luxurious and bright-colored.
5. THEY MAKE GREAT PETS. Not too many pets are cute, funny, lightweight enough to pick up, pretty, AND provide something you can eat (while staying alive, as opposed to a pig who might make a fine pet but has to die in order to provide you with something tasty). Chickens are a fun pet for kids, and AGAIN, this is a reason why I love our Buff Orpingtons. They are patient with our kids, and even seem to enjoy being picked up, petted, and held for a few minutes.
6. THEY CONVERT WHAT IS UNUSABLE INTO SOMETHING THAT IS USABLE. They take leftover scraps from last night’s dinner, and leaves from a honeysuckle, and turn them into delicious, farm-fresh eggs. AGAIN let me brag on my Buff Orpingtons. They are so good at foraging that it greatly reduces our feed costs. They are excellent foragers, and use their talons to root out sprouts and bugs under autumn leaves. Just one bag of $15 feed lasts them nearly two months, which gives us over a dozen dozen eggs with that one bag. Even at Aldi prices, I can’t get eggs for cheaper than that, and these are chemical-free, free-range, beautiful eggs from girls that I know. 
7. THERE IS SOMETHING GOOD FOR THE SOUL IN COLLECTING EGGS. I’m serious. The simple act of caring for our hens produces this fun activity we get to do, several times a day, as we go out and see how many eggs they produce for us (anywhere from 3-9 in a day). And the colors are marvelous, aren’t they?
8. THE EGGS TASTE DIVINE. There are major differences between the store-bought eggs we’ve used (even “free-range”/”farm fresh”) and our chickens’ eggs. The yolks are almost orange, packed full with nutrients. The flavor is fresh and undiluted. And the eggs don’t run and spread in the pan. They stay close together, making for a much better fried egg.
9. CHICKENS ARE FUNNY. They’re funny to watch, and very quickly while watching them, you start to see the reasons for phrases like “peckish,” and “being a chicken,” and “pecking order.” When I am having a hard day, or just haven’t been outside in a while, there is something restorative and encouraging about going out for an hour with the chickens. 
They truly make great pets, and we all love them.
As you can tell, I highly recommend Buff Orpingtons. I’m so pleased with their docile nature, their beauty, and their egg production. (They are also good meat birds but we will not use them for their meat… just their eggs.) I’ve told several friends, the only thing I *don’t* like about Buffs is that they all look so much alike, it makes it very difficult to tell any of them apart from one another.
[We ordered our ten from Murray McMurray, a very reputable hatchery. If you’re considering chickens, let me recommend it to you. They have an excellent reputation, and we didn’t lose even one of our day-old chicks to illness or disease, as often happens with less-reputable hatcheries.]
These are some of the reasons I love our chickens.
What about you? Do you own chickens? Have you considered it? What is holding you back?
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Tagged baby chicks, chicken coop, chickens, raising chickens 
This week, a friend admired my DIY chicken coop and said, “Wow, you really ARE Supermom, aren’t you?” She meant it kindly and this post really isn’t about that.
But that situation got me thinking:
- I’m not Supermom. I’m a semi-normal (is anyone really normal?) person with 24 hrs in a day.
- I get grumpy and tired, and my feet get sore.
- Sometimes my kids behave, and sometimes they fuss and stomp their feet.
- Like everyone else in the world, sometimes I think, “I can’t do this.”
- I’m no math whiz.
- I’ve not ever designed or built anything.
- I didn’t take woodshop, never spent time around woodworking, and had never used a table saw or a miter saw before doing this project. I just thought it up and made it, learning how to use the tools and problem-solving as I went.
But at the foundation level, what it took was this:
I HAD TO BE WILLING TO FAIL SPECTACULARLY. I put myself “out there” and said I was going to do it. And so, I found a way to make it happen and see it through to completion.
The coop’s not perfect. There are mistakes and creaky doors and the egg box door is too heavy because I used a thick plywood rather than a thin one (which is a mixed blessing- I don’t have to lock it, but it’s heavy to get open). I used a ping-pong table for the base (which I would never do again because it’s made of fiberboard which swells with water).
There are things I would do differently if I ever had to build one again.
But it got done.
Same with my first novel, writing an e-book (about which, nervously, I’m starting to get feedback), having & homeschooling a brood of kids, learning another language, or teaching a Bible study.
And it’s the same with the things *you* have in you to do.
YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO FAIL.
It’s not always easy to try something new, to put your hand and mind to doing something that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. It’s not easy to risk hearing negative feedback; it’s not easy to put your heart (your work, your effort, your passions) in front of others with the full potential of hearing criticism. But accomplishing things in life, relationally, spiritually, educationally, requires taking the risk. Until then, it’s just passing time, avoiding the adventures & dreams.
Has something been tugging on your mind? Do you feel an urge to try something new?
- Painting?
- Writing?
- Photography?
- Homeschooling?
- Running a 5k?
- Learning to change your own oil?
Being successful at it– whatever “it” is for you– takes a willingness to fail.
Image courtesy of DavidCastilloDominici/freedigitalphotos.net
Sign up to receive my monthly newsletter, and I’ll send you my FREE book, ONE THING: Top Tip (From a Mom of 6). In it, you’ll learn the top way I:
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Tagged adventurous living, relationships, risk, writing tips 
When we moved overseas eight years ago, we sold or gave away virtually everything we owned. Personal items, baby books, and a few items we couldn’t sell and really liked went to my parents’ garage. Everything else? (Imagine me snapping.) Gone, just like that.
We moved to a somewhat-grimy, moldy-bathroomed, garishly-embroidered-floral-couched apartment in the middle of nowhere in China. It was there, on the fourth floor, on the right. A walk-up apartment, of course.
There in that smoggy city, without a car, owning few personal possessions, pregnant with our third child, God taught us contentment with little. We learned the quiet contentment that comes from living in a difficult place, while possessing a bedrock-solid-KNOWING that God ordained it. Honestly, the things that happened in our less-than-a-year there are still some of our favorite, laugh-out-loud memories.
Later, after nearly six years living abroad, we found ourselves back in Texas. When we decided to stay, and Doug found a job, we began looking to buy a house at the very bottom of the housing market drop. House prices were low, and even still, with crazy low prices and low interest rates, homes sat for sale for 6-12 months before selling. We were able to snatch up an incredible house (it’s still mind-blowing to me that we’ve gotten to live here for nearly two years) at a shockingly low price.
Thus began the period of our life I’ll call, “learning to be content with much.”
We have a pool, y’all. A POOL. In some parts of the country, a pool is a status symbol for the rich. In the sweltering Texas summer, a pool is the difference between staying inside from roughly 9:30am-6pm every day, and actually getting to enjoy the daytime (even in July and August).
But do you know what that pool was, for me? It was something I needed to apologize for, and explain away. I felt GUILTY for owning the pool. GUILTY for being able to afford it. I was guilted into explaining, to each person who came over, how “we just happened to be looking for a house when everything was ultra-cheap. We’d never be able to afford this house normally.”
Though I’d learned to be content–joyful, even– with little, I hadn’t yet learned to be content with much.
Over the past two years, we’ve had family pick-up football games…
…celebrated holidays with our fun & crazy family
(something we hadn’t been able to do while living overseas)…
…celebrated birthdays with skads of family and friends…
…hosted another family in our home for four months, to help them get their feet underneath them in Texas after a big cross-country move…
…had Theo, right here in this house…
…boogied through family dance parties…
…built a chicken coop ourselves, and raised baby chicks into laying hens…
…enjoyed the pool (especially on those hot summer days)…
…and enjoyed the freedom that comes with having a yard to play in
(something we never had while living abroad).
We have been blessed, and have wrung every bit of pleasure we could get from these short-term possessions.
Over these two years, God has taught me the heart-at-rest contentment that can come, even in the midst of having MUCH. He has taught me, just in the same way that I chose not to belittle or grump about the “little” we had while we lived in that tiny apartment, that I need to choose not to apologize for, or feel embarrassed about, the “much” that He’s given us here.
He owns all the cattle and made all the stars.
Everything we have, no matter whether it is “much” or “little,” is from His hand.
We have honestly held these temporal, earthly things (our house, yard, and pool) with open hands, sharing them freely with our care group, neighbors, friends, and the other family that lived with us. He has given us so much joy, and has taught us to be grateful stewards, and I praise Him for it.
Now, we are at a crossroads.
We don’t yet know where we are headed, but my husband is looking for long-term employment. Given the options before us, it is likely that we won’t get to remain in this house. I am thankful for the house, yard, and pool, thankful for the memories made, and thankful for the contentment-with-much that He has taught me here.
God has been so good to keep maturing us, so that we are beginning to wholeheartedly echo Paul’s words:
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
I know how to be brought low, and
I know how to abound.
In any and every circumstance,
I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
abundance and need.
I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
~Philippians 4:11-13
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Tagged Comparison, Contentment, Discontentment, Eternal Perspective, family life, God is FAITHFUL, home group, possessions 
Years ago, when I worked for Governor Huckabee, oh the dreams that I had!
Having worked for the States of Arkansas and Texas, ladies, I was determined. I’d work my way up through the political ranks, and one day, be a Senator. And to tell the truth, when I get put out with political goings-on, I momentarily entertain those dreams. But seriously. While I absolutely want to effect change within my sphere and my reach, I am truly not interested in grasping after those things.
The reality is this: our dreams are sometimes given to us by God, but sometimes (and I think this is true in the modern age), we take on manmade dreams of career and infuse them with the ideas of meaning and significance, as if the doings of our life are what will bring joy, as if our title and duties are what give us value.
The main thing I wanted to share with you is this: letting go, opening my hands, *releasing* the grip of my tightly-clutched dreams has brought great joy and led to adventures greater than I could have imagined. Back when I was meeting Senator Blanche Lincoln, and picturing my future self in the Senate chamber, I could not have remotely imagined the life that God has given us.
I have found that God’s multi-faceted daily adventures are so much more delightful than our one-dimensional dreams.
Doug and I have been through good times and hard, lived abroad for 6 years, are raising six beautiful and fascinating children together, and already feel like we’ve lived enough for a few lifetimes. But I also need to be honest with you: while I’ve seen the world, I’ve also seen a WHOLE lot of diaper changes, loads of laundry, and boiling pots of pasta.
But that’s the beauty of it: God’s adventures don’t look like we’ve been led to believe about dreams and adventure.
In the movies and on television, dreams and adventure looks like passion, dynamic action, self-promotion, finding “who we really are,” and unending heart-racing moments. In reality, the heart-at-rest JOY of making love to the same steady man, the sloppy kisses of a chubby toddler, working through the annoyances of personalities that rub one another wrongly, the simple delight of living life transparently in God’s grace alongside whatever family God gives… these are the things that provide joys, highs, and depths that go beyond the scripted and happy-endings of the screen.
Hear me: I am NOT trying to use my situation as prescriptive toward others. But I do want to share with you the things that I’ve so clearly seen in our life. By releasing our manmade dreams, we’ve found God’s adventure (even through times of hardship and deep sorrow) to be much greater and more fulfilling than anything we could have written or imagined.
What about you?
Have you clutched dreams and found it discouraging? Have you released them and found joy? Do old dreams still nip at your heels? Are you chasing them now?
How are you sussing out God’s adventure for your life?
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Tagged Contentment, Eternal Perspective, family life, goal-setting, God’s adventure 
In life, we’ve been in limbo a number of times, and it’s where we currently sit. The waiting rooms of life happen to us all, and often without warning.
- Waiting for the tests to reveal, “What is this illness ravaging my body?”
- Waiting for the right employer to offer a position.
- Waiting for a proposal from the man you hope will ask.
- Waiting for word back from a friend after a disagreement
- Waiting for a positive pregnancy test after miscarriages or months of experiencing disappointment each month while we’re “trying”
Our natural inclination in those moments is to stress over delays, and with increasing tightness to clutch control of the situation. Sometimes, when we are desperate for a solution, we’re tempted to hope in, or fear, men. But no matter our circumstances, neither our hope, nor our fear, can ultimately be in men. Only God deserves our hope and our right & reverent fear.
The waiting room of life is where the rubber hits the road when it comes to God’s sovereignty.
- Do we REALLY trust God to oversee the details, as we see our bank account diminishing?
- Do I trust Him to oversee the timing, when it feels like my health or heart is on the line and things aren’t going as fast as I’d like?
- Can my heart be at rest, trusting God, when all is urgent and uncertain?
OR:
- Am I placing my faith in my competency or goodness? Or someone else’s (a doctor? accountant? husband? friend? boyfriend?)?
- Am I falling prey to a churning anxiety rather than being prayerfully at rest?
- Am I hoping in vitamins, a special diet, or exercise regimen to heal or make me well?
- Am I clutching and grasping over the ability to control the speed and specifics of how the situation progresses?
If we trust God at all, we MUST trust Him in these times of waiting. It’s these times that reveal the truth about our trust & faith.
Does God’s sovereignty mean that we do nothing? That we just sit around waiting all the time? No. A thousand times no! But there are times when you have done all you can do. You’ve fasted and prayed and researched and sought the Lord’s will and applied for jobs and altered your diet and asked for wise counsel.
You’ve done all that you can do, and you find yourself in the waiting room. The truth is that God is sovereign in the good times, and sovereign in the hard times. He is sovereign in the times when there is nothing we ourselves can *do* and yet things around us are still not as we would like for them to be.
Joseph said to his brothers, speaking of all the hardship he’d experienced, “you meant this for evil, but God meant it for good.” God meant it. Meant it. Do you remember what that “it” refers to– being left for dead, sold to slaves, betrayed, jailed, forgotten, humiliated? God meant it.
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
~Proverbs 19:21
When the rainclouds are pouring, the diagnosis is uncertain, or the job path is unclear, our hearts can REST in God’s goodness and perfect Lordship over the details and process, just as we REST in His goodness and Lordship when skies are blue.
He is the same God at the sunny apex of the mountain as He is in the foggy, mucky valley.
His goodness is not shaken because our circumstances seem gray. Words like “never” or “impossible” hold no power over Him. He sees our wounds and our hopes and our fears and our needs.
He reigns, still absolutely sovereign, as we sit in the waiting room of life.
When you look around and realize you’ve done all you can do, and things still look bleak, rest in the God of your salvation. He created you, He knows your inmost parts. Trust in His goodness. Instruct your heart: “Do not be anxious, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, make your requests known to God.” (Phil 4:6-7) “Cast your burdens on Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7) His sovereignty has not run out, or gone defunct, in your life. He said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deut 31:6-8, Heb 13:5-6) Trust Him. Cling to Him. Let me encourage you– and instruct my own heart in the process– when you are in the waiting room of life, ACTIVELY choose to trust and hope in our sovereign God.
Image courtesy of smarnad/freedigitalphotos.net
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Tagged Contentment, Eternal Perspective, God is FAITHFUL, God SEES, perseverance, Scripture, suffering 
It’s a rhythmic truth breathed throughout Scripture:
“You return man to dust; …they are like a dream, like grass …in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.” ~Psalm 90:3-6 (author: Moses)
“He knows our frame He remembers that we are DUST. As for man, his days are like GRASS; he flourishes like a FLOWER of the field; the wind passes over it, and it is gone.” ~Psalm 103: 13-16 (author: David)
“All flesh is like GRASS and all its glory like the FLOWER of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls.” ~1 Peter 1:24 (author: Peter)
“What is your life? You are a MIST that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” ~James 4:14 (author: James)
What are we like?
Dust. Grass. A dream. A flower. A mist.
What will inevitably happen to our physical bodies?
Return to dust. Fade. Wither. Gone. Fall. Vanish.
So what are you going to do, mama, with today? It could be my last day on earth, or yours. Even if it’s not, it’s the only “today” we’re going to get a crack at. God’s mercies are new every morning, and tomorrow will be a new day, but it won’t be today.
- It is easy to pass days in lethargy, staying busy via screens, while doing nothing of significance.
- It is almost as easy to pass days in a frenetic blur, staying busy cleaning and cooking and organizing, pursuing a perfect home, while missing the things that really matter in life.
- It is common to pass days in complaints, finding plenty to become embittered about, while doing nothing to bring joy into this drab world.
- It is very human to pass days criticizing things or people, rather than praising God.
But let’s not be women like that. I want to be a joyful woman; don’t you? I want the corners of my eyes to have deepening crinkles in them, from smiles and joy, if God lets me make it into my 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s… or beyond.
Today, what I need to do to infuse joy in my home is smile deeply at my children, read Scripture aloud over lunch, laugh at the knock-knock jokes (not my favorite), choose contentment amidst chaos, and passionately kiss my husband and let him know he still knocks my socks off.
Keeping in mind how brief life is, what do you plan to do to infuse the JOY of CHRIST into your home today?
Image courtesy of pakorn/freedigitalphotos.net
Sign up to receive my monthly newsletter, and I’ll send you my FREE book, ONE THING: Top Tip (From a Mom of 6). In it, you’ll learn the top way I:
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- HAVE PEACE in my parenting decisions.
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Tagged Contentment, Eternal Perspective, family life, homemaker, intentionality, joy, marriage, mom
We’ve opened our homes to small groups for over ten years:
- We’ve hosted short-term groups (i.e., a single-book study that only met for that one topic, and then disbanded)
- For four years, when we lived in Istanbul, we were the primary host home for a house church that met, week in, week out with a meal, sermon, prayer time, plus occasional communion & baptisms– with anything from 10 to 40 people in attendance in a given week. (Avg: 15-20)
- For the last two years, we’ve hosted a small group in our home, ranging from 3-8 families each meeting time.
I’d like to speak to the WOMAN– the wife in the host home– is that you?
Let me encourage you with these SIX things that can help you GO the distance as a small group host home:
- DO NOT RELY ON THIS ALONE AS YOUR SPIRITUAL “FOOD.” — you will often be running around, serving others, watching kids, wiping up muddy footprints, etc. Utilize online sermons, and personal Bible reading to self-feed so that you are not dependent on this time (and thus, do not grow bitter when you are unable to participate). Yes, you may (and likely will) be able to squeeze in some GREAT time with other believers during these times, but don’t let this be your sole place of encouragement.
- FIGURE OUT, AND DO, WHAT YOU CAN JOYFULLY COMMIT TO. — Are you an appetizers gal? Then don’t get hoodwinked into doing meals; keep it simple. Can you joyfully host once a month, but it gives you an eyelid twitch to host anymore than that? Figure out what you can joyfully commit to, and then do that.
- WELCOME THE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP, AND DON’T PINE AFTER (OR FEEL BAD ABOUT) THOSE WHO DON’T. — Sometimes you plan for a certain group of people, and it turns out totally different. Rest in God’s beautiful sovereignty and don’t stress over who is/isn’t coming. Welcome and enjoy the people who come.
- BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR NEEDS IN EACH SEASON. — Some seasons of life are more freed-up than others. It is OK to host for a time, and then take a break. It is OK to trade off with someone else. It is OK to do things one way for a while, and then change it to a more workable situation when your season of life necessitates changes. It really is OK. Live in grace, and don’t feel guilty for being a human person, with needs.
- BE MORE LAID-BACK ABOUT HOUSE CLEANING. — I’m serious. Make things tidy, but do not let this be an idol in your heart. It will ultimately embitter you. It will make children– image bearers of God Himself– into your adversaries. It will make you want to cancel group 45 minutes before everyone is scheduled to arrive because things aren’t the way you want them to be. Give yourself grace. Let everyone else receive grace, too, by seeing a realistic home. It’s OK. Everyone else lives in their houses too. Don’t be a slave to perfection.
- IT’S NOT ABOUT THE STUFF; IT’S ABOUT GOD & HIS PEOPLE. — Keep welcoming people. Hospitable means open to people. It means you open your heart and home, and you keep the focus on the people. Any one of us can do this… because it is a choice about where your focus is. Hospitality is not only for a select few “Martha Stewart” types– that’s entertaining, and that’s something entirely different. Keep GOD and HIS PEOPLE as the BIG thing in your view.
What has helped you go the distance in how you serve, love, and encourage others in your local church Body?
Sign up to receive my monthly newsletter, and I’ll send you my FREE book, ONE THING: Top Tip (From a Mom of 6). In it, you’ll learn the top way I:
- BEAT the “Mommy Wars”, and
- HAVE PEACE in my parenting decisions.
SIGN UP now & I’ll send it your way: Posted in Grow as a Church Member
Tagged Eternal Perspective, God SEES, home group, intentionality, local church 
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