Saturday, March 6, 2010

Pitty Party For One, Please...

I admit it. I had a pitty party last night. And though I know you are tired of hearing about it, I'm even more tired of dealing with it: My food issues.

I wasn't mad at God, or even questioning why He was allowing it, I just needed to vent to Him for a bit. I told Him - among other things - that yes, I was grateful that I had more than just manna to eat, but that none of those Israelite mothers had to cook all those delicacies for their family three meals a day while they had to resist. As I sat there refusing to eat anything while my family chowed down on fried hot dogs and french fries, I almost gave in. I almost ate them both not caring the horrid consequences. That combination didn't hold the possibility of hospitalization....most likely. I was just about willing to risk it, but I didn't.

So that's when God finally stepped in. As Kevin was cleaning up the dishes - bless that man - I sat down to read my Bible. I've been reading through a one year reading Bible that breaks it up so that every day you read some Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and New Testament. Since I have been reading a day's worth whenever I get a chance, I'm a little ahead and was reading March 15th. Guess what it was about? Food. Let me give you an overview of what God pointed out to me. I'll be skipping through Numbers 11 which tells about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt:

Contemptible people among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, "Who will feed us meat? We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to look at but this manna!"....


Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents. The Lord was very angry; Moses was also provoked....


The Lord answered Moses,..... "Tell the people: Purify yourselves in readiness for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you cried before the Lord: 'Who will feed us meat? We really had it good in Egypt.' The Lord will give you meat and you will eat. You will eat not for one day, or for two days, or five days, or 10 days, or 20 days, but for a whole month - until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you - because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and cried to Him: 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?' But Moses replied, "I'm in the middle of a people with 600,000 foot soldiers, yet You say, 'I will give them meat and they will eat for a month.'....


The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's power limited? You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you."....


A wind sent by the Lord came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them at the camp all around, three feet off the ground, about a day's journey in every direction. The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail - the one who took the least gathered 33 bushels - and they spread them out all around the camp. While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the Lord's anger burned against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very severe plague. So they named that place Kibrith-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved the meat.
Numbers 11:4-6, 10, 18-21, 23, 31-34


You know what the very next verse I was to read?
Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:8

OK, God. I got it, again. Thank You for Your patience and Your promises!

Pitty party is over. Check, please.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Being Grateful For Issues

I am so very good at messing things up and making them as difficult as possible!

This morning, I was so excited that I had the opportunity to read my Bible and then write on what the Spirit showed me, but - as so often is the case - that isn't what happened. First, we have the stomach flu at our house again. All evening I was cleaning and disinfecting and even slept on the couch to both stay away from it (Kevin), and be available to the kids if they need me. Needless to say, I didn't wake up well this morning.

After getting Lauren off to school, I sat down to get the computer up and running since it takes a while to start up. (Not too bad, I suppose, but 8 minutes seems an eternity in our instant society, doesn't it?)  But there was a little pop-up in the corner about something being blocked during startup. That was my demise: I tried to fix it. FYI, if you don't know what you are doing with computers and there isn't someone living in your house who can fix your mistakes, don't click APPLY...


One little click took me two hours to figure out. Oh sure, it offered me all kinds of help options, but I had somehow disabled them all. There was the option of online help, but I had disabled the internet as well. How about calling technical support? I figured I'd just look it up.... online. Oh, yea. There is a drummer at our church who works at Dell in customer support and occasionally has "Chat Interaction of The Day..." on Facebook with stupid questions from customers. I just knew I was next.

I finally figured out enough to get the computer up and running, but I have somehow managed to take that 8 minute start up time to about 15. It's a skill...

So what does this have to do with God? Everything.

  1. I did a lot a praying, 
  2. I practiced patience, 
  3. I realized how very little I know, 
  4. I discovered a new appreciation for all that my computer has to start up in the 8, I mean 15, minutes it is starting up, 
  5. I was reminded of the benefits of persistence even in seemingly overwhelming odds, 
  6. and I remembered how important it is to have someone you can turn to if you get stuck. -Yea, David, I was about to call you :)


All these things are life principles, but they are also God's principles:

  1. Praying? We always seem to run to God- as we should. Even those who don't "believe" when things get desperate enough. James 5:16
  2. Patience is the fruit a long time in ripening, but I got a little closer today. Proverbs 16:32
  3. It's always good to remember we don't know as much as we think we do. It keeps up humble before God. Job 38-40
  4. Sometimes we just don't know why a person is behaving in a certain way. We don't know what they are experiencing, but God does, thus it is a good thing that He is our judge and not each other. Isaiah 11:3-4
  5. We are often called to persevere in a hostile world: A world offended by the Gospel, but He is Faithful and True, and that's what counts. 1 Timothy 4:16
  6. Thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ I can go to for prayer, support, and teaching! Hebrews 3:13


I truly believe God can teach us anywhere and through anything as long as we remain in His Word regularly. That is what this blog is about. How well He reminded me of that this morning!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Waiting

Today is a day of waiting.

I'm waiting to meet some friends, waiting to get the internet at my house tomorrow (yea!), waiting for a Dr. appointment Friday, waiting to finish studying for my lesson tomorrow until the kids go to bed, and so on...

Psalm 27:14 tells us, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the Lord."
Romans 8:22-25 instructs with life-long waiting not only for us, but for all creation: "...For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits - we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience."
I love those verses. Honestly, how often to we wait eagerly with patience? Eager and patience almost seem opposite to us. These are a great reminder.

What do you do while waiting? Can you say you have eager patience? I'm learning it- and it is not an easy lesson! But so worth it. What we must realize is that eager waiting does not necessarily mean idleness, but neither does it mean busyness. It is a balance.

What is the right balance? Read Scripture and pray a lot. He'll let you know, for yours will be different from mine. Seek Him and He will direct you: He promises. (Jeremiah 29:14) And He always keeps His promises. (Hebrews 10:23)


Monday, March 1, 2010

Bit or Bareback?

Psalms is one of those books I use to enjoy once in a blue moon, but seldom turned to with excitement. I'm not really sure why. But the Lord has changed that in the last few months. I have come to appreciate it so much more. The Scripture I read this morning describes well the season of life I'm in.

I will instruct you and show you the way you should go; 
with My eye on you, I will give counsel.
Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with a bit and bridle,
or else it will not come near you.
Psalm 32:8-9


Years ago when I was in the 6th grade, I took horseback riding lessons. I got to the point where I was learning to ride bareback and control the animal with the pressure of my knees. I absolutely loved the freedom of riding that way and I believe my Morgan horse did too.

As I read this Scripture in Psalm, I realized that the Lord is also training me to respond to the gentle nudging He gives me in life. It's a long and difficult training process, but well worth it in the end. And oh, the extra freedom! He desires us to run to Him without having to be pulled to Him by the bit (trial) placed in our mouth. Then, as that becomes second nature, He merely needs to instruct us the way to go. This is not to say we won't face trails anymore, but that the reasoning behind them changes from discipline to allowing us to show off His glory immediately.

Once we have learned to trust Him fully and follow Him commands, we need only to look at Him and discern His instruction for us. That is what I long for. That is the process that I am in right now. Training not to be "without understanding".

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Peanuts and Sin

I love how God can remind you of His Holiness in the mundane things of life.

The other day I was cleaning up in the kitchen and noticed a small Tupperware with a few leftover pieces of popcorn and a handful of peanuts from the kid's snack the day before. It was enough I didn't want to waste them by throwing it away so I asked my husband Kevin if he would finish it off so I could wash the container. Besides, I call him my human garbage disposal for a reason.

After eating it he started joking with me that I had given those to him on purpose so he couldn't kiss me since I'm so allergic to peanuts. I told him I had never thought of that and would make sure to remember that little trick for next time, but he just laughed and said, “That's what they make toothpaste and mouthwash for!”

That's when I started thinking. Sin can not dwell before God, rather like I can't have peanuts too close to me. It separates us from a close fellowship with Him just like peanuts do between my husband and I. But we have available to us some toothpaste and mouthwash to remedy the situation: Grace and forgiveness! Remember though, just because we purchased it and it sits in our house does not mean we are actively using it. We must “brush” regularly.

Take some time today to brush (remember the grace given to us and thank Him for it), rinse (ask for forgiveness and forgive those who have hurt us), and then come into a close fellowship with the Father.