Stand By Me

The more I study the life of Jesus,

the more my perspective of things changes.

As I seek to understand

the things going on in my life

(and in the world),

I, once again, realize

that everything revolves around

Him.

I have tried, in the past, 

to understand things

in my own strength

and have come up empty.

True wisdom comes from

knowing Him.

In as such,

seeing things from

His perspective

has become life-blood

for me.

Seeing things through His eyes

gives me

Hope.

My attempts and failure

at forcing myself into

being content

with circumstances

has actually forced me 

deeper into Him.

I now realize that 

God

doesn't intend for us to be content

in circumstances.

How can we be?

To be content with

governments & suffering,

poverty & evil

is perverse.

He isn't content with these things

so why do we try and convince

each other that we should be?

God desires for us,

instead,

to be content in Him.

As I was pondering all of this,

Holy Spirit reminded me of

Jesus' time in Gethsemane.

Here is Matthew's telling of it:

"Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, 

and he said, 

“Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  

He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, 

and he became anguished and distressed. 

 He told them,

 “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. 

Stay here and keep watch with me.”

 "He went on a little farther and bowed 

with his face to the ground, praying, 

“My Father! If it is possible, 

let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. 

Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

  "Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed,

 “My Father! 

If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, 

your will be done.”  

"So he went to pray a third time,

 saying the same things again"

(Matthew 26:36-39, 42, 44)

You see,

Jesus wasn't content with His circumstances.

But he was content with the Father.

He wasn't content with

what He was about to suffer.

But He was content with knowing

 that in spite of

(and because of)

His suffering,

God (He) would prevail!

How comforting to know

that despite 

evil, corruption, poverty & perverseness,

GOD prevails!

Knowing this 

fills me with

Peace 

& 

Hope.

Though my world may be crumbling ,

I am content,

knowing that Jesus 

is standing by/with me!

God Thoughts No. Sixty Four

If we aren't constantly changing & growing,

we become stagnant & stunted.

To demand of others
what we deem as correct;
(impose our will upon others)

is proud & arrogant.

Even God does not do that.

Certainly, there are absolutes;

God is good.

He never changes.

Jesus is Messiah;

the Way, the truth & the Life -

the only Way to the Father.

Yet, even still,

He has given us

Choice.

He has already chosen us
and

provided the path to His glory.

And He, 

ever so patiently,

Lovingly

waits -

for us to choose Him back.

Why, then,

do we cast each other off
if we choose not to conform
to one another's thinking?

Even God does not do that.

He waits,

ever so patiently,

 Lovingly;

for us to choose

to be transformed;

by the reality of His

LOVE,

not

His tyranny.

I have chosen

to be continually

transformed,

from the conformity of the world,

into the wonderful creation which

He has designed for me to be,

rather than into what

others think

I ought to be.

I choose also,
to allow you
to be transformed,
by Him,
into what He
has designed for you to be.

For truly,
Heavenly
Father knows best!

Parenting

This morning I was reflecting on my children and on parenting.

And as the saying goes, 

"I wish I had known then what I know now..."

As I was musing, I began making a list of the things that I have done

and of the things I have learned.

Certainly, there are some things I wish I had done better/more.

But there are also some things I have done well.

In the hope of encouraging someone,

I have decided to share my list.

Bear in mind that it's in no particular order.

I simply wrote it as I thought it.

Lavish your children with Love & affection.

Spend (quantity) time with them.

Make loving & nurturing them a priority.

The housework can wait.

"Spoil" them with love

rather than material possessions.

Teach and discipline them,

but only in Love;

never in anger.

Determine to raise them as best as you know how.

And realize that your parents probably raised you 

the best that they knew how.

Be gracious-

full of Grace.

As they grow up 

and may place some distance between themselves and you,

remain steadfast.

Don't get jealous or hurt

by others whom they have grown to love.

Instead,

be thankful that there are others who choose to love them

and want to be a part of their lives.

Be there for them

but don't hover;

no "helicopter" moms!

Recognize when you need to step back 

and allow them to make decisions.

Guide but don't suffocate.

Recognize generational sins & curses in your family line

and determine that it stops with you.

Declare that they do NOT affect your children

and be willing to stand in the gap for as long as it takes

to break it!

Choose your battles wisely!

Instead of simply saying, "No" to purple hair

because you don't like it,

find out why they want purple hair.

Maybe purple is their favorite color and they want the

world to know it just by looking at them.

Maybe it's a sign of rebellion.

Finding out the root is much more important

than demanding your way simply because you can.

Allow your children to express themselves

through hair, clothing, art, music, etc.

Who cares what anyone else thinks as long

as you understand what's going on inside of them?

If you want your children to learn to make good choices,

then set the example by making good choices yourself.

And allow them TO make choices.

Cuddle more.

Criticize less.

Listen more.

Demand less.

Don't expect your child, "tween" or teen to act like an adult.

They are in a different place hormonally and emotionally than you

 (hopefully).

However,

if you treat them with the same respect that you expect as an adult,

they will mostly likely surprise you!

Whisper words of affirmation & love into their ear

for as long as they allow it.

They grow up way too fast!

Married couples,

love your spouse well and openly.

If you don't respect your spouse,

how can you teach your children to respect theirs?

Stop nagging.

Explain things to them.

They are smarter than you think!

Make your home their "Safe" place.

They need a place that is safe from the world

which is all too ready & willing to hurt them.

If your home isn't safe, 

they will run from it first chance they get

and likely seek safety in the wrong places!

If your children are grown 

or you feel like you've already 

"blown it" 

and that it's too late -

think again!

It is never too late to 

repent, apologize and ask for forgiveness.

Communicate with them...

children, teens and adults alike.

Remember communication is two way.

Listen first.

Speak second.

And most importantly of all,

keep in mind your heavenly Father.

He is always loving,

patient & long-suffering,

 there for you.

He has given you free will 

and allows you to make choices

but is always willing to give guidance & counsel.

He is not a tyrant

and loves perfectly and unconditionally!

He is the perfect model

of the ultimate parent!

OR

The ultimate model

of the perfect parent!

(hee hee)

Focus on Him first

and the result will be 

children who are loved, nurtured

and able to cope in life.

Amen

Clarity

"...don't worry about your life - 

what you will eat or drink: 

or about your body - 

what you will wear... 

can you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

Your heavenly Father knows your needs. 

Seek first His kingdom and 

His righteousness and 

all these things will be given to you.

 Don't worry about tomorrow -

 tomorrow will worry about itself! 

Today has enough of its own troubles."

Matthew 25, 27, 32b-34

So far, in my life, 

this has proven to be the most difficult lesson

 for me to learn.

Having been stripped of nearly everything,

  I have had ample opportunity 

to work on it though.

In the process

I have learned much,

both, about myself

and about God.

I have learned that 

there is still a lot of work to be done - 

in me.

And I have re-realized

that knowing 

(or getting to know)

God

is a life-long adventure.

Every day I am coming into

the fullness of His glory.

Hallelujah!

But somewhere along the way,

I realize, that I have misplaced

Hope & Joy

and have lost my zeal for

life.

In Philippians 4,

Paul talks about learning to be content.

And, in fact, for years

I have quoted verse 11 to myself,

over and over again, 

in order that I would

"remember" to be content.

But this morning,

Holy Spirit revealed to me

that I have been misquoting this verse to myself 

~ for years!

Yikes!

You see, Paul says,

"I have learned to be content regardless of circumstances."

But Holy Spirit lovingly pointed out to me 

that I need to follow that verse through with the next two verses

which actually finish the thought.

Here's what verses 12-13 say,

"I know what it is to be in want, 

and I know what it is to have more than enough -

 in everything and in every way 

I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, 

of having abundance and being in need. 

I can do all things through Christ who gives me power."

The secret is ~

being content 

~ in HIM - 

Jesus!

All this time 

I have been beating myself up;

attempting to be content

in my circumstances - 

good or bad...

When all along

I should have really been 

learning to be content 

in 

Jesus!

In Jesus there is Hope.

In Jesus there is fullness of Joy.

In Jesus there is Life.

Now that I see more clearly,

for the sake of my family

and for my health,

I pray that I can quickly return to

Hope

Joy

and

(abundant)

Life!

Hallelujah!

Nightmare

Exhaustion

Soft pillow

Welcomed sleep

Tossing

Turning

Turmoil

Poverty

Injury

Abandonment

Death

Mourning

Heart wrenching

Darkness

Weeping

Alarm sounds

Arise from bed

Begin on auto pilot

Real tears

Dried on the face

The Dream

And real life

Are one and the same

God Thoughts No. Sixty Three

photo: walthampton.com

This morning the Lord reminded me of something I read quite some time ago.

It went something like, 

“Use what you need of the resources which God supplies,

 then give the excess to someone else in need. 

As you do, you will find that your cup will never run dry. 

You will receive a continuous flow. 

As you give, so you will receive.”

This line of thinking goes against everything our culture teaches 

(even within the “Christian” community)

 and that fact strikes me as flat out wrong.

As I was thinking on it this morning, 

I also had this thought;

“I bet if every Jesus follower actually did this,

we could end poverty.” 

Poverty isn’t only financial lack.

Poverty is physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual. 

It affects the whole person.

All too often, when we encounter those experiencing poverty, 

we automatically begin making assumptions. 

Assumptions about how they got there,

 why they remain there and 

how we think they ought to get out of it.

We forget that each situation is unique. 

We assume too much without actually knowing that person’s story. 

And we judge without bothering to get to know them.

As I have previously shared, 

I am well acquainted with the affects of poverty.

I thank God every day for the persons in my life who have faithfully, 

 for the past several years,

  put into practice, giving part of their resources to us -

month-after-month.

 For truly, without them, 

we would have been homeless a long time ago.

And since we are in the midst of this adverse financial situation, 

some days I am hard-pressed to figure out

 what I can give to someone else.

But this morning the Lord reminded me that 

I have myself to give to others. 

Holy Spirit has equipped me with 

the gift of encouragement 

and as such, I am to encourage others. 

And since school is “out”,

 right now I have an “excess” of time. 

So, I am to give my time to others

 through phone calls, text messages and visits.

And since these are the resources I, indeed, 

have on hand right now, 

I will give myself and my time. 

Jesus said it plainly,

 “Give and you shall receive.” 

And,

 “With whatever measure you give, 

it shall be given back to you; 

pressed down, shaken and spilling over.”

It really is that simple.

What a loving, gracious God we have. 

For truly, He has given us the answers to all of life’s dilemmas.

Kindred Spirits

In Psalm 143 verse seven, David says,

“Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. 

Don’t turn away from me or I will die.”

David and I are kindred spirits.

When I got up this morning and asked God for some encouragement,

He led me to the above mentioned verse.

My initial response was,

“YES! That’s what I’m talking about. 

Thank you David and thank You Lord!”

Then, my old religious self said, 

“Now, you can’t admit that publicly 

because feeling depressed is giving into sinfulness.”

Ugh!

But after some self-loathing and a nap, 

I decided that I was going to embrace that verse 

and publicly declare it, 

because, hey, despite my perfection in Christ, 

I am still prone to human emotions…

just like everyone else.

Our situation has been so difficult for so long 

that some days I simply feel depressed.

To admit this publicly is a huge step for me.

It has only been the past few years that

I have learned to allow myself to experience true Grace

-God’s grace.

I had been steeped in performance-based religion 

for so long that when I fall back into those old habits,

I get extremely frustrated with myself,

thus, focusing on performance rather than on grace.

HA!

What a vicious circular web the enemy tries to weave.

This afternoon, Holy Spirit said to me,

“Lysa, I am not obsessed with sin the way (some) people are. 

I’m obsessed with Grace. 

I am ALL about Grace. 

Remember, Jesus is the fulfillment of Grace. 

And I prefer your honesty much more than I judge your performance.”

What an amazingly Loving, Gracious God!

And you know what else? 

When I shared that verse on another social media platform, 

a few people responded; 

some with encouragement 

and some with the admission 

that they too have been experiencing a difficult day. 

I hope that this time I have learned (truly) 

to not underestimate the power of honesty, realness and Grace! 

Shalom!