Embrace The Challenge

 

       When I was young, I dreamed of being in the Miss America Pageant.  I embraced the challenges it offered and thought it would be wonderful to have everyone cheering for me.  A dream was all it ever was, however.  We were poor and never would have gotten the necessary sponsorship money and all that is needed for participation.  But the glory of it all…..and the prizes!  That kept me excited from year to year, as we watched it on TV, even knowing I would never personally participate.

As I reflected on my childhood dream, I noted the requirements-- (and they were likely different from state to state).  There were five areas of competition, including a private interview (worth 25% of your score), talent (35% of your total score), evening wear (20%) and then on-stage questions (5%).  Another area considered in your score is lifestyle and fitness- including the swimsuit area (15% of your total score).  There are forms to fill out, questions to answer and even an essay defining your passion, which is used as your “contestant platform,” as well as, other specific criteria.

It's interesting to note the parallel of competing in a 'beauty contest' to that of being a Believer; and more important, the big difference!  Just as I wanted people to cheer for me, God wants us to cheer for him!  He wants us to give all we’ve got, just as those young girls prepare to compete against each other – only we do it for Him and not for ourselves---the adrenaline, fame, notoriety or even the prizes-- which is the most important difference!

To be a Believer, there are no fees for the challenges that face us; or need for asking for sponsorship; special talent requirements; no prerequisite for funds to be able to pay for the evening gowns, make up, or training for our “talent”; and no requirement for particular physical fitness, or beauty. And we don't compete against our peers.  But we do need to prepare for the daily fight with the powers of the air--Satan and his minions.  We need to be in training, as we study the Bible and pray for the ability to follow God’s guidance so we win against Satan, our biggest adversary!  

And the prize….!?  It’s far greater than a scholarship and the material things that come from winning a beauty pageant. And the crown awarded for winning is nothing compared to our reward in eternity with Him.  It’s seeing God face to face when he welcomes us into heaven.

When the next beauty pageant comes around--and they are less and less these days, I would still love to sit and enjoy the gala proceeding.  It’s exciting and exhilarating.  But I must remember with my whole heart, that competing for a temporary crown in a beauty pageant pales next to fighting for Christ’s glory.  This should be the greatest desire of our lives, for which any of us can compete.  Let's embrace the challenge. 

Photo credit: https://depositphotos.com/357629920/stock-photo-crown-contest-america-style-crystals.html 

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God's City

 

  When I think of God’s City I picture a new Heaven and a new Earth, although my mind has a hard time pin pointing all that might entail.  But the Bible tells of the throne of God, streets paved with gold, a crystal river, brilliance greater than any jewels, walls made of jasper, no more pain or sickness, a new body, a time of no more hunger or thirst and everything good.  Along with all this, I’ll see my loved ones, and friends who have gone on before, and more than anything I’ll see the face of my Savior!

In the meantime, God has given us this earth; His creation to enjoy.  You can climb mountains, or move across flat plains, and enjoy vistas from hills looking overland or upwards from the valleys.  You can travel on roads; hike trails; cross oceans, fish from rivers, lakes and streams; visit cities or the country. Add to this the beauty of the bounty of trees, variety of distinct colors of flowers, wildlife and more and you realize how incredible it really is! 

As I walk through these amazing creations God has given us to enjoy, it makes me think about God’s City.  There is a sense of all that is right and good!  The views, like others around me, remind me God created this world.  His imagination is nothing short of miraculous.  There is no human who can duplicate His wonder or creativity.

It does, however, inspire us to use our own creativity.  While many of us can’t lay claim to being the world’s greatest artist or photographer, (although I’m certain there are those who could!) we are all given a measure of imagination. How we use this gift of ingenuity is as personal as each individual!  While portions vary, we are all capable of making another person smile, sharing kindness and giving a degree of happiness to everyone we meet in our day!

We will soon be entering the season of Fall which entertains Thanksgiving, to be followed closely by Christmas, a time of love and giving.  These special holidays offer times to reflect and have grateful hearts as we celebrate.  Yet, each of us every single day can take the best of what has been given to us and make it shine in someone else’s world.  We have reason to celebrate the warmth and love of Christ during this wonderful time of year, even as we enjoy the beauty of this Earth God has given us to live and grow in.

It’s true, many are seeing their lives disrupted due to weather phenomena which causes us pause.  Some find themselves with a great loss of material goods, and some even with the loss of family members or friends.  Still, as disasters come, there is time for ‘new’ — a time for rebirth and beginning again.  While it is often a stressful time, when we believe in a Lord that teaches ‘there’s always a purpose’ we can garner the strength to rebuild and look for the beauty even in our distress.

As a true Believer, we can know one day we will live in a place which is filled with His Light, a place of perfection, love, joy, inexpressible beauty, and continual praise.  I’m looking forward to that!  Are you?

Photo Credit:  https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/heaven.html 

Tears In A Bottle

 

         I admit, I’m an emotional kind of person.  I love to laugh, usually wear a smile, and am friendly.  On the flip side of this, however, I am also a crier, and tears can come quickly.  Tears can well up within my soul and fall from my eyes when I pray, feel God’s presence or am overcome with joy. 

Tears also can come from a 30-second commercial which moves me, and of course a Hallmark movie.  I cry when I am overcome with sadness when tragedy hits our family,  a friend is stricken with some kind of  trial, a loss in our community and even our nation.  Some days, if I’m particularly low, I feel the need to cry, but seemingly without reason.  I’m not sure I get that, but it is who I am.

A friend was telling me how she too, thought herself a crier, yet as she dealt with the cancer which stole her one son’s body, another son’s eyesight and a serious illness her husband dealt with, she could not cry.  She described her state of mind as carrying “a heavy weight attached to her ribs.”  She said it wasn’t until her husband passed away that she finally began to cry.

The tears, she said, however, came at the most inopportune times; and sometimes came in endless uncontrollable sobs.  Despite the way the tears came, she will tell you she considers the action of crying as a blessing, although she’d never before considered it that way.  After a ‘good cry’ she would get a sense of ‘relief’ she hadn’t experienced in years.  

It seems God knew we humans would need this ‘cleansing emotion’ delivered through tears, so we can heal and move forward.  Grief affects everyone differently, as do situations we experience. It’s often during these times we find ourselves drawing near to God in our distress; especially when we are experiencing a profound sadness, much uncertainty, and instability which can drive fear into our hearts.

Our tears can blur our vision as we struggle with pain and loneliness   Yet this blurred sight has the ability to teach and reveal God’s truths.  After we have recovered through God’s grace, His gentle heart, peace, comfort and unique joy, we discover opportunities to give aid to someone else’s pain, because we can so totally relate.

The Bible says God collects our tears in a bottle and he keeps record of all our sorrows. (See Psalm 56:8). God, in human form as Jesus, understood the pain of sorrow.  He wept over the loss of a good friend. He understands us in ways no one else can.

Our lives are filled with all kinds of surprising calamities.  During hard times, we are distracted and can have ‘tunnel vision’ causing us to often miss little blessings of life, including the sun shining, or the sound of a soft rain, the colors of the rainbow, and even the kindness of friends.  Perhaps we even miss the closeness of God.  But God is always with us, regardless of the circumstance we are facing.

If your heart is breaking, your spirit crumpled, or your physical body causing you all kinds of dismay, allow God to give you courage to keep walking forward.  Cry.  Give your tears to God as you begin to heal through His divine power.

https://www.pinterest.com/suchnicethingsfl/tear-bottle/ 

We Are Chosen

 

        I remember in elementary school being called names which were unkind.  I admit, my sister and I were different.  We were poor as dirt, and we loved Jesus.  Our peers thought us both, at the very least, ‘unusual’!

Names are important.  Four of my five children have nicknames.  Some were by design, others ‘moved in’ when I wasn’t looking, and stuck!  My second daughter is the only one who doesn’t have a nickname, and to my surprise when she became an adult with children of her own, she deliberately named each of her children so they would have a nickname.  She always felt slighted that she didn’t have a nickname; but honestly, I loved her name!  (Still do!)  It didn’t occur to me that she’d be in any way upset about it--and honestly it wasn't deliberate!

If I understand the Bible correctly, we will get new names in heaven.  I’m excited to find out what my new name will be.  I didn’t grow up with a nick name (aside from ‘shorty’ and I never liked that one!), but surprisingly have acquired nicknames that I very much favor, from the most unlikely people!  

Sometimes, like the nickname ‘shorty’ I heard over the years, we are given the tag that people ‘see’ when they meet us, (even if it is a name we don’t care for).  My husband was ‘PeeWee’ when he was growing up because he was small, and many of his cousins still call him that, except he’s long since ‘outgrown’ that name.  He grew to six feet tall!  Those who did not know him as a youth are surprised when they learn of this nickname.

There’s a song I love to sing that has a line, “I am who you say I am!”  There is a unique sense of calm and reassurance in knowing that God chose me as one of His children; and within his family, he doesn’t see me as ‘shorty’ or ‘chatter box’ or any other name that sometimes gets tagged on me.  God sees me as someone special, despite my limitations and exterior nuances.

Some people go through life hearing they are dumb, weak, un-attractive, not enough, and any variety of unkind words or innuendos.  These kinds of labels can cause us to forget those are not words God uses.  This is not who he says we are!  He uses good, kind, encouraging words to build us up, not tear us down.  He even tells us in his Word that we are his special possession. (1 Peter 2:9)

As Believers we are instructed to build each other up, just as Jesus did when he was on the Earth.  I wonder though, do we do it naturally or is it something that sometimes causes us to struggle?  After all, every ‘family’ has those within, whom just seem to ‘get under your skin’ during a discussion, or ‘rattles your cage’ given a behavior or attitude that sends shivers up your spine.

How do you deal with people that don’t align with your way of thinking?  Disagreements are sure to come.  That’s as normal as the sun coming up every morning.  But when we can be the ‘sun’ in someone’s day, even if we’d rather be a cloud, imagine the change of relationship!

        Words are important; as are names.  Do you ever get called a name you don't like, which is hurtful and unkind?  God doesn't want us to be hostile, antagonist, demeaning or humiliating to others.   We are chosen to be part of the Kingdom.  By accepting that gift, we must choose to be the sunshine, like Jesus did every where he went; not the rain in someone else’s day.

Choosing The Ordinary

 

       Life is full of distractions.  We have social media, tv, radio, books to read, iPhones, domestic duties to fulfill, errands to run, committees to attend, jobs to go to, sports events to watch, and the list could go on for days!  The problem with distractions is we often are so busy with everything else, we miss what’s important.

I was reading about the woman in the Bible who wanted healing, and in her great desire, knew if she just touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed.  The lesson for that story is obviously about faith, but there is more.  This woman was focused.  Her focus was so entirely on Him, she knew he would heal her.

There are times in my stress, I make bad choices.  They aren’t extreme choices, but it does affect the way I feel for the next several hours.  When I am stressed, I reach for food.  Thankfully, it’s not a major problem for me since my metabolism works it off quickly.  But there are times, when I’m distracted by my head running a hundred miles an hour, and when reaching for food, I find myself asking, ‘Why am I getting food?  I’m not even hungry!’  Often, then I’ll recognize the culprit.  I’m tired! Sometimes I make a good decision and walk away from the desired 'element' and know it will pass while other times, I say, 'oh well, I just won't sleep tonight.'  (That's coffee in the afternoon!)

Sometimes, however, when my brain is running at an excessive speed, distractions can be helpful in keeping me from feeling overwhelmed.  Other times distractions can be detrimental ---like when I’m writing, because my train of thought is broken, to never be recaptured as the original thought had been!

As life happens, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all that’s going on and all we want is an escape.  Sometimes the ‘escape’ is horribly harmful, like alcohol, drugs, or sexual misconduct. For some ‘scrolling on the internet’ is used as a distraction when life is hammering us, for others it's sitting in front of the tv set and just getting lost --or zoning out-- with whatever is on; or gaming or other kind of entertainment on the iPad or computer.  For some it's food to the point of being harmful.  There's a plethora of ways to distract ourselves, all we need do is listen to the 'lies' from Satan and just do it!

What would happen if we focused on Jesus like the woman who wanted to just touch his garment to be healed?  What if we decided to not just ‘touch’ his garment, but to grab onto and hold on tight?  What if we were ‘all in’ and decided to sit at his feet through prayer and Bible reading so that our thought process was just focused on God—-  what he wants for our life —-where he wants us to be — what he wants us to do— what job or spouse to choose — what ministry he wants us to be involved in —  what ways we can help other people —  what people we should choose as friends — and this list could go on for days.

Do we even think about including him in the decision —or discussion?  Or do we choose the ordinary distractions and just stop thinking about anything for a while?

I wish I could say I always include Him in my decisions; that I talk with Him about everything first.  Nope!  I can’t say that.  I’m human and I make human choices rather than those choices that would bring me not only closer to God, but closer to where He’d like me to be.  I’ve gotta work on that.  How ‘bout you?  Can you relate?

Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/search/distraction/