The Power to Perform

I wish I had the gift of mastering one area of difficulty in my life, and then smoothly moving on to the next area that needs work without having to go back to said area again. The problem is that I do go back. You may call it the essence of my humanity, or you may call it a character flaw. I call it crazy. I try so hard to do everything I need to do every day. I have to do lists in my head, and most days I struggle with balancing what I know I need to do with what I want to do. Maybe by chance, I am not alone in this. The struggle to accomplish the base things on most days overwhelms me. Then I try to throw the areas that I need to change within the inner me on top of all this, I come close to losing my mind. As I was pondering all these crazy mixed up thoughts, I am reminded of Paul, and in Romans 7 penned these words:

18	For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19	For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

I know I’m not the only one who has conflicting emotions, and these thoughts on the human condition. I want so desperately to do what is right, but the struggle is great. I know that I am not perfect, but often that is my ideal when it should be the farthest thing from my mind. I feel I am constantly performing like a tightrope walker.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to go to the circus, and see the tightrope walkers in action. It was amazing to me the balance that they were able to keep as they moved back and forth so high above the ground. I read later that the reason they are able to keep their balance is extreme concentration, and keeping their eye on a fixed point on the platform. They would begin with a rope just a couple of feet off the ground. The more experience they gained the higher the rope was moved up. The one point on the platform never changed. The jumps and even through the flips they preformed they did not waver in their focus. These arielists have the gift of balance. One thing I noticed is they did not panic when they appeared to be leaning over to far. They readjusted their focus, and remained calm. When I find I am struggling to keep balance, more often than not I have shifted my focus away from my focal point, Jesus Christ. The crowd may distract me, or I look at the location of my feet instead of at my focal point with my feet firmly planted on the rope. I need that daily steadying of the Holy Spirit, and the calming presence He provides. When I feel I am leaning to far over, I need to keep my focus on my Lord and His Word, remain calm, and let God give my feet a secure place to land.

Though the world may be watching us (and they are watching). We need to remember that we are performing for an audience of one, the Lord. Don’t feel the pressure to perform everything perfectly. Let us rely on God alone for our balance in a shaky world. Pleasing the Lord and solely focusing on Him should be our only concern.

Blessings to you!

Second Fiddle

Leonard Bernstein was once asked which instrument was the most difficult to play. He thought for a moment and said, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm–that’s a problem.
If we have no one to play second fiddle, we have no harmony.”

We have a wonderful opportunity to be the harmony in this life we have been given. In the “Me First” society we live in today, we can be the one who sets the tone in our homes, our churches and in our places of employment. When you put someone else ahead of your own desires and feelings, other people will notice and some may even ask “why”. You will then have the opportunity to tell them the difference that Christ has made in your life.

Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, the world is watching you. They notice how you handle yourself in situations and how you react to adversity. They will also notice when you put someone else’s needs before your own.

Jesus continually through his public ministry put others needs first. He ate with publicans and sinners because he knew they had questions he could answer. He washed the disciples feet to show to them and us what being a servant really means. When Jesus was on the hillside teaching, He was sensitive to the needs of the people who were hungry, and preformed a miracle feeding 5,000 plus. He is a beautiful example of humility and sacrifice.

We need to willingly follow the example he set before us. If it was that important to the Lord, we can be assured that he would want us to live that way too. Living a life of service produces beautiful music that will touch the heart of God.

Let’s play the harmony with the notes of our life.

Only Pray…

As I have ventured over to Facebook over the last few days, I have been overwhelmed at the amount of friends who have been through so much in the last few weeks. Illness, grief, and struggles have been at the forefront of every post. My heart is deeply touched by each post, because each post represents a dear friend or family member. I feel compelled to do something. I want to do something big for them so they will feel loved, and not so alone in the trial they are facing. I thought to myself, “Right now, I can only pray for them.” Then I was hit with conviction, praying is the first and best thing that I can do for them.

How many times do we underestimated the power of prayer. We can bring the name of someone right into the throne room of Heaven, and petition the One who formed the whole world into existence by merely speaking the words. When I speak a friend’s name before Our Heavenly Father, I am giving them access to the greatest source of power and strength they could ever hope to experience. Jesus can be there with them through the season of health issues they are facing each moment. Jesus knows the depths of grief they face in the loss of a loved one. Jesus knows the ultimate sorrow of being hurt and rejected by those He loved so desperately. The power of a single prayer can do so much more and go so much further than we could ever dream. In Jeremiah 33:3, we read, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Our prayers for others go far past the mere request. It ministers to the individual, and meets their needs in a way that only God can minister to them.

I do want to say, however, that we must not use prayer to give us an excuse not meet a need of others. If God tells us to do something to help someone, we should always be willing to go and to do. We should also make sure that before we go; we surround the situation with prayer so we will do exactly what God has for us to do. With the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can met another’s needs in a way that will bring honor and glory to God.

Sweet Friends, remember that we have no effectiveness or power apart from God. We do have access to the greatest power source the world has ever known, the power of prayer. May we faithfully pray for others remembering that prayer is always the best and first response.

 

I’m Back… I think!

The Last two years of my life have been ones of constant change. I would think I was finally getting my life back on an even keel when another event would propel me into a new area of upheaval. Though all of these things I am so glad that I serve a God that does not change. He lovingly picks up the pieces when I feel my world is falling apart again, and reminds me that I am his child, and He is working all things for my good. My faith has been strengthened because He does have the world in His very capable hands.

My little blog here has felt the effects of this time in my life. I wanted so badly to keep up with everything, but when certain things had to be let go for sanity sake unfortunately this was the area that was forsaken. I do not want to make a lot of promises about how I will post every day or week because I don’t want to make a promise and not follow through. So for all my sweet readers, I will say that I am going to try my best to post more often. Yes, I know I have said this before, but I really feel like I can stay that now with more certainty than before. As we all know, life is constantly changing. It takes a flexible gal to keep up sometimes. Some of my very best days have been blogging, and sharing with the new friends I have met here. I have always loved writing, and I feel like I have been missing an opportunity to be all that God wants me to be. Lately, He has let the creative juices flow, and revealed some ways to reach beyond myself to others. So with God’s constant help, I will press on.

With life in constant change, I have learned that you really can’t do it all. As I have been talking with some dear friends, they too have been overwhelmed by daily life, and are prioritizing their lives to make room for the things that really matter. My boys and I quote a TV personality’s line to each other when we are starting to “freak out” and need to refocus, “I am going to tell you one word ‘letitgo’.” You may reply that’s 3 words, but it’s not the way we say it. Sometimes only one word can put things back into perspective. It’s kind of silly, but it does seem to help. There are always things that can be let go. We need to follow God’s leading to know what those things are, but He will guide us if we seek Him. Just remember you don’t have to handle everything yourself. God’s shoulders are wide, and His arms are strong to carry your burdens, and if push comes to shove, He can carry you too.

Hang in there, dear friends. Life will change, and most often when you least expect it. In these times, Hold on to the rock of your Salvation, your Healer, your Guide, your Friend that sticks closer than a brother, your deliever, Jesus! He is all you need.

Blessings to you!!!

The Broken Ones

As a continuation of the last post, I thought I would share a wonderful song sung by the Talleys. This song was a great encouragement to me during my recovery. May the Lord help us to always see “the broken ones” and reach out hands of grace and mercy.

Loving the Broken

We all share a common bond. Whether it be physically, emotionally, or even spiritually, we have all had times in our life when we have been broken.  As I am starting to get out and about a little more, I have come in contact with so many of my friends who expressed how glad they were to see me doing better. I can honestly say this is one of the hardest physical tests that I have ever been through except for giving birth to my two boys. Almost every one of my friends has mentioned how hard it must have been to be confined to the chair and/or bed for so long. I would have to agree. It was hard, but there were two reasons why I didn’t go crazy. One reason was knowing that God was with me, and he would never leave me during my hard days. The second reason is the one I would like to focus on today. It is all of the love and support I received from my family, my church family, friends, and even those I didn’t know who were loving me through prayer. They were all reaching out to someone who was broken. Through these dear ones, I have seen and experienced the Love of Jesus.

Last week, I was able to participate in the block party we had in a community near our church. This is a relatively new ministry our church has become involved in the last year or so. I was struck by how many faces I have looked into and realized these people are experiencing brokenness. I am not sure if it is the times we are living in, but so many I have come in contact with lately have been hurting in some way. It is not only in our communities, but in our church pews as well. I read a quote the other day that seemed to sum up what I have been feeling. “Hurt people hurt people.” I am not sure of the author of this quote, but I can relate.  So many times during my time of recovery, I would pray that the Lord help me to speak sweetly especially on days when I was hurting. I think we fail to see that people in our communities and in our churches often speak or react to what we do out of frustration or because they are hurting. It is not always easy to love and reach out to someone who is harsh or cutting with their words, but God calls us to Love. We need Him to love through us. We need to love the broken and hurting people God has put us in contact with. Why? It is simple. God has called us to minister. Sometimes the only time someone may be open to letting the light of God’s love into their heart is during a time of brokenness. It is our chance to be the hands of God reaching out to them.

I am so glad for all those who reached out to me in my time of brokenness. I know I need to take the things I have learned during this time in my life and pass it on. I need to reach out beyond what is comfortable, and love all the ones with whom I come face to face with daily. We have all been in a place where we have been brokenhearted, broken physically etc. So we know what to do. We need to love and bind up the broken. It is what Jesus would do.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;  he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” ~Isaiah 61:1

Expect the Unexpected

“Things don’t always turn out the way you plan,” is a line from one of my favorite movies. I was thinking about this today as I sit in my recliner with my feet propped up.  I am a planner by nature. When I get up in the morning, I think about all the things that need to get done that day. I schedule in my mind how long it will take me to do each particular task. I make long mental to do lists, and often write them down so I can have the opportunity to cross off the tasks when they are completed. Perfectionist, You may ask? and you would be 100% correct. I just can’t help it; that’s how I roll.   Even the best of planners have unexpected things happen on a daily basis that throw the to do list out the window. Things carry from one day to the next, so there are days when you just have to let it go.

Here lately, I have the unique perspective of having my daily routine turned completely upside down. My to do list now only consists a few things. 1. Stay put and keep your feet up. 2. Get Well Soon! Expansive I know. If you could see my face right now, you would know that I am smiling and throughly tickled with myself. It’s not that I am upset with my circumstances. It is that  I am learning to take them at face value that it is what it is for me right now. Would I rather be up doing for my family? Of course, Yes, but that is not what God has for me to do right now. I know that this is a part of God’s will for me. Will it always be this way for me? I don’t think so, but I know that whatever I am going through God is with me. He has answered so many prayers for me. He is teaching me so much through this time in my life. I have learned that I can practice patience, and rely on God’s strength rather than my own. God is also teaching me to rely on others to do things for me. I think most women for the most part want to be a “Superwoman” aka “SuperWife”, “SuperMom”, “SuperCo-Worker”, “SuperMinistryWorker”. and “Super______”.(You can fill in the blank.) We want to do it all! Didn’t the Proverbs 31 Woman do it all? Isn’t it spiritual to do it all. I am learning that I can’t do it all. God doesn’t want me to “Superwoman”. He wants me  to follow Him, and be submissive to His will for me today.

I have shared this to say to you that even with my overwhelming schedule I am learning also that days like this can also bring the unexpected. An unexpected phone call to let me know that prayers are being offered up for me. I received some flowers from the church where I work that were a blessing to me. Cards that I have been receiving every week from my cousin have been an encouragement. Packages from family and friends have made me feel loved and uplifted.  Even a hug from my 15-year-old while I was typing this post was an unexpected blessing. I could list so many more things that have happened over the last several weeks that I would love to mention, but I wouldn’t have enough room in this post. I know that no matter what you are facing right now God can send you unexpected blessings in the middle of it all. He knows what is best for you and for me, so I am going to continue to expect the unexpected. It happens more often than you may realize.

Blessings to you all!