I Drive Drunk, Do You?

I have a confession: I drive drunk frequently.  

Okay, it’s not alcohol that I’m drunk on, but it’s emails, text messages, and sports scores.  

I just saw in the local news that a mother of four kids in the Ann Arbor area died in a car accident; she was texting while driving.  My first reaction was, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so dangerous, didn’t she know better?”  But that was quickly squelched by the realization that I am just as guilty of driving distracted: I often check my emails, text messages, and sports scores, usually at stoplights, but I often make phone calls while in motion.

There was actually an article in CNN this week about distracted driving and the dangers that it poses.  Apparently the risk of a crash increases by 4xs when we drive while using a cell phone.  There are other stats in the article that are very compelling and make me think twice about my driving habits.

As I reflected on these two articles and my own habits, I realized that it comes down to living a hurried life and an artificial sense of urgency. Reading that new email is ‘urgent’; sending that text message is ‘urgent’; checking that sports score…okay it isn’t urgent, but my curiosity gets the better of me.  Whenever that little envelope icon appears on my screen, it begs and taunts me to check it, no matter what I was doing at that moment.  

We live in a culture of instant gratification and impatience, both of which I doubt are very Christ-like. (If patience is a ‘fruit of the spirit’ [Galatians 5:22] then I guess that makes impatience an anti-fruit?) Don’t get me wrong: I love technology and I’m not trading in my cell phone for a landline, but I definitely need to grow in patience and delayed gratification. Perhaps driving and red lights can be moments to sit still, quiet my frantic mind and just enjoy the day.

Here are the articles mentioned above:
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/ann_arbor_mother_charmaine_dau.html
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/28/us/distracted-driving-dangers/index.html?iref=allsearch

Debbie Downer

One of my favorite SaturdayNightLive sketches was the Debbie Downer sketch.  There’d be normal, jovial scenes of people hanging out and at every turn “Debbie Downer” would insert a random tragic fact that would completely kill the atmosphere. Her friends would try to bounce back from her buzzkilling comments but to no avail – Debbie Downer always wins.

You think I’m going to ask you to prayerfully consider if you’re a Debbie Downer or not. But i’m not. I’m going to tell you that you probably are one…at least to yourself.  How many times have you found yourself in a good/ok situation only to start wondering “how long will this last?” or “something bad is probably going to happen” or “God is going to break me soon…” or “this can’t be real”? Suddenly our good moment turns sour. Is that surprising?  Debbie’s a ninja.

Instead of fully thanking God for our present moment, we start anguishing over the future. The thought of “let tomorrow worry about itself” is thrown to the curb right alongside “charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting” and “this semester, i will NOT procrastinate”.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  We’re not given the option to give thanks always, we’re commanded to do it.  What better way to fight the temptation to complain than to actively give thanks?

In my difficult times, this hymn has helped me to fight my downer tendencies and to remember God’s goodness:

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

To Walk or Not To Walk

My son’s current favorite toys are kid-sized vehicles: scooters, walkers, cars. He received an array of vehicles for his birthday, so he’s been pushing them around the house, laughing gleefully as he whizzes around.  The problem with this, however, is that he doesn’t want to walk on his own because he is afraid to let go of the vehicles. So, it was a heart-wrenching decision, but my husband and I decided to hide all the toy vehicles so that he can learn to take steps without them. 

 

The funny thing is, I feel really really bad now. I wonder if he’s thinking to himself, ‘Where did all my favorite toys go?” The most sad part to me is that I know how much joy it brings him when he can push the vehicles around, so it breaks my heart that he can’t experience that joy now.  I know it sounds overly dramatic, but I really do feel that bad!

 

As I thought about this, it suddenly hit me – this is how it must feel when God has to take things away from us, for our own good.  Sometimes there are things in our lives that are not inherently bad, but they may be inhibiting our spiritual development, so He needs to strip them from us for a period of time. Once our son starts walking, my husband and I will bring the vehicles back because he’ll have learned to walk without them.  We’ve only taken them away temporarily, but we had to in order to help him grow the courage to walk without them.

 

For the first time, it really hit me how much it must sadden God when He has to take things away from us, even temporarily, because it delights Him when we enjoy His gifts.  I’m learning about God’s father heart for his children, and perhaps next time He has to remove things from my life, I’ll remember the words from Matt Redman song: ‘You give and take away / my heart will choose to say / Lord blessed be Your name.”

Lent 2012

During this 40 day period leading up to Easter (or Resurrection Sunday as I like to call it), I’ve committed to several things that will help me focus on Jesus. Aren’t we supposed to focus on Jesus all the time? Well, yes. The truth of the matter is, I need all the help I can get when it comes to following through on my spiritual disciplines. I’m thankful that the tradition of lent can be redeemed to help me draw even nearer to Him.

Though I believe everyone can struggle with these things to some degree, it seems that women are more susceptible to: busyness masked as closeness w/ God, and the lies of the enemy. Typing this as I’m battling the nth cold/sickness of the season, I understand that I am fragile and weak. Satan loves to kick me when I’m down, shoveling in lies upon lies between my coughs and sniffles. In light of all of this, I decided to come up with some commitments to be spiritually/physically/mentally/emotionally healthy.

1) Spending time in solitude for 1 hour before going to sleep (at a set time), spending that time in reflection/journaling/prayer.
2) Memorizing at least one verse from that day’s BRP.

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but only one thing is needed.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

To my fellow Marthas- let’s not lose ourselves in the worry and upset of many things. Let’s lose ourselves in the intimacy of our Savior! When Jesus beckons us to come and rest, it’s not a friendly suggestion. It is an imperative choice we need to make, especially in light of the crazy, chaotic, frantic world that we live in. Here we go!

Beautiful Friday!

Hello all!

A friend and I set out on campus one day to tell women they were beautiful and ask them, “what makes you beautiful?”.  It was a great chance to see how people are made so differently and wonderfully.  Check it out!

What is beautiful about you?

 

Prayers for Our Husbands

I came across this resource recently that I found very helpful in trying to pray faithfully and specifically for my husband.  Hope it’s helpful for other wives and for future-wives.  :) 

Daily Prayers for My Husband
Adapted from The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

Monday
Help me to be patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled
Make me a tool of reconciliation, peace, healing and forgiveness
Make me my husband’s helpmate, companion, champion, friend, and support
Help me create a peaceful, restful, safe home for him
Help me to accept him the way he is and not try to change him
I leave any changing that needs to be done in Your hands
Lord, I lay all my expectations at Your cross

Tuesday
Show me what unconditional love really is
Bring unity between us so we can be in agreement about everything
Make us a team
Help me to overlook his faults
Where love has died, create new love between us
Help me to support and respect him
Give me new appreciation, compassion, acceptance and love for him
Reveal to me his wants and needs

Wednesday
Bless my husband at work with favor, success and prosperity
Help him to balance time at work and time with family
Let him work for You and not man’s approval
Show him anything he should be doing differently
Open doors of opportunity for him and develop his skills
Help my husband to handle money wisely and honor You with it
Keep him sexually pure in mind and body
Take away anyone or anything that would inspire temptation to infidelity

Thursday
Deliver him from adultery, pornography, drugs, alcohol, gambling, and perversion
May he thirst for Your Word and Your truth
Keep him from impure, evil, negative, or sinful thoughts
Help him know Your love, wisdom and wise counsel
Make him a godly leader who makes wise choices
Keep him healthy and strong

Friday
Protect him from all danger
Give him wisdom and discretion
Remind him to always turn to You and trust in You for all things
Give him endurance to run the race and not give up
Teach him to cast his burdens on You and wait for  You
Make him a man of integrity
Give him a teachable spirit that is quick to confess his mistakes

Saturday
Let there never be any reason for bad things to be said of him
Deliver him from his enemies
Let him bear good fruit
May his priorities be in perfect order
Be Lord and Ruler over his heart
Give him godly male friends to openly share his heart with
Make him forgiving, loving his enemies
Give him the joy of the Lord in his life

Sunday
Teach him the skills to be a good father
Fill him with love, peace, joy, gratitude, and serenity
Strengthen our marriage and help our love to grow
Redeem him from negative emotions: depression, anger, fear, etc.
Fill him with Your Spirit and the fruits of Your Spirit
Guard his tongue and fill him with Your love
Convict him of sin, bring him to repentance and humility
Give him a heart that follows You in all he does

Break every chain

Tonight in LIFE group, we were sharing our reasons for why we had trouble believing in & experiencing God’s power to heal our wounds:

• Does God really care enough for me?
• Do I want to go back to that place of hurt that I’ve spent all these years running away from?
• Is it really necessary? I’ve already figured out how to “manage” with this pain.
• Is it even possible to heal my problems?

I thought about my life and all the areas I’ve experienced freedom and healing, and then all the areas in my life that still need to be addressed. I suddenly felt so overwhelmed by the sheer weight of it all and remembered Christ’s command in Matthew 11:  ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God heals. What is your testimony of healing?  What is your prayer FOR healing?

Do you believe that there’s power in the name of Jesus?

“Blessings”

came across a song this morning that really encouraged me. as i was reflecting on my life and on those who are close to me, i also wanted a “quick fix” and was getting frustrated with myself, others, and even God. the lyrics of this song really blessed me, and challenged me to see that an intimacy with Christ is the greatest gift that we can have. i highlighted a few things that really jumped out at me.

We pray for blessings We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

** ‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

When friends betray us When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Reflections on Year 1

We recently celebrated my son’s first birthday. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since God plopped this incredible little human into my life.  As I reflect on my first year of parenthood, there are so many lessons that I could dedicate a whole blog to them. I’ll just share a few here:

Raising a baby is a crash course in partnership:  My husband and I have partnered together in the past: we led a LIFE group together before we even liked each other, we went on a couple missions trips together, we planned a wedding together. But there was no greater test of our partnership and communication skills than raising a baby. I’ve never been so thankful to have a husband who is always asking, ‘How can I serve you more,’ and is willing to sacrifice until it hurts.

Wow, my parents really are pretty great: Having a child of my own has deepened my understanding and appreciation of my parents. I think back to some of the heartaches and headaches that I caused my parents, and I imagine how I would respond if Joshua did those things to me. It leads me to give them much more grace for the few times that they failed, and appreciate them so much more for all the times that they gave their best.

I can’t control outcomes:  I often wonder what kind of person Joshua will become. I hope he’ll be smart, athletic, musical, popular (but he won’t know that he’s popular so he’ll also be humble) … that’s not asking for too much, right? But in the end, Joshua will become whoever God has destined for him to be, and God will use whatever it takes to mold him into that person. The question is: can I relinquish all control and give God full permission to have His way with my son?

God truly does love me unconditionally: As cliched as this one sounds, as I think about how much I love my son, who can’t even reciprocate the love, sacrifice, sleepless nights, and labor pains that our relationship has cost me, it gives me just a tiny glimpse of how much God must love me.

And to leave you with a few practical lessons I’ve learned:
-Oxiclean is miraculous: it gets out even the worst poop stains.
-I can save money on gym memberships by using a baby to do arm curls and lunges.
-I can throw out my alarm clock because I have a little human alarm clock that is stuck on 6:30am and a snooze interval of ‘every 3 seconds.’
-Always have a camera within arms reach, because these little people do something new and exciting every day.

Not that bad

A few months back when I first got my braces a lot of people asked me why got ‘em. In their opinion they didn’t see anything wrong. I think what they really mean is it wasn’t THAT bad. My teeth weren’t so bad that every time I opened my mouth to speak or laugh that it was unbearable to look at. But once I began to explain that well I used to suck my thumb when I was little and so my two front teeth are not aligned with the rest of my teeth, and how it’s so obvious when I look at pictures of myself, then they say okay okay I get the point.

The connection that I’m trying to make here is that sometimes we treat our sins and others’ sins that way too. Yes, I see that something is not quite right, but we shrug it off or even intentionally categorize it as “not a big deal”, meaning we can live with it. (But how can we live with it, if Christ died for it ?? ) We think :

Everyone else struggles with it too, or even worse !
I’ve tried and tried to conquer this area but I have just accepted it as part of who I am.
How can I point this out to others when I’m just the same?

Most Christians would publicly agree that “they are bad” (which is why they first accepted the Gospel) but also silently applaud themselves in not being “that bad” (and now the Gospel doesn’t apply to them anymore). Let’s not settle for “not that bad”. As I’m keenly aware of my physical imperfections, I hope I can be just as aware of the imperfections in my heart and seek perfection. And by Perfection I mean Jesus Christ, seeking repentance and forgiveness from Him. (oh, so we do need the Gospel again …)