"Remember surrender
Remember the rest
Remember that weight lifting off of your chest
And realizing that it's not up to you and it never was"
These are the words to a song by Sara Groves that I heard when I was putting my baby girl to bed last night. Sometimes, God just amazes me in the little ways that He reminds us that He is in our situation.
I just began to weep as I stood there looking at my precious little angel settling in for the night. In that moment, I realized that the way I look at her is the same way that God looks at me. He doesn't want me to hurt, He doesn't want me to worry, and He doesn't want me to try to handle things on my own. He longs to take me in His arms and make everything okay, but I have to surrender all of my pain, all of my suffering for healing to take place.
"Realizing that it's not up to you and it never was..." WOW! That line hit me like a ton of bricks. I think so often I think that if I worry enough about something, it will somehow be resolved. Or maybe if I talk about my trials enough, it will somehow bring healing. God reminded me last night that neither of those will bring life but will only bring destruction and pain.
As I laid in bed I could almost hear God whispering, "Remember, surrender...remember, surrender...". Don't you know that He just longs for us to surrender all of our cares at the cross so that we can live the life that He has for us?
So often we ask, "Why am I having to go through this?" instead of "What can I learn from this? What is God trying to show/teach me?" We wrestle with ourselves and our Savior simply because things aren't going the way that we think they should go. We all have a preconceived idea of how we think certain situations should turn out. Even as young children, we throw tantrums and fits when things don't go our way. And, many of us still throw tantrums as adults when our lives take unexpected turns. They may be internal tantrums, verbal tantrums, or emotional tantrums. But, tantrums all the same.
Acts 21:14 says, "When it was clear that we couldn't persuade him, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."
Sometimes, that is all God is waiting for us to do. He is waiting for us to give it up and say, "Your will be done."
So, today I want to remind you as well as myself to "Remember, surrender." Surrender your life to the one that has had it planned out from the beginning. Believe me, His plan is much better than ours even though we would often beg to differ!! Give it all to Him today and allow Him to bless you and give you life.
Some Things to Think About:
1. Do you surrender or do you throw tantrums?
2. Do you look at surrendering as a weakness?
3. What area of your life do you need to surrender to your Savior?
Words of Worth:
"When it was clear that we couldn't persuade him, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done." Acts 21:14
"I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
"He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." Matthew 26:39
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Balancing Act
Sometimes I truly feel like my life is a balancing act and I am going to fall off of the wire at any moment. I feel like I am trying to be so many things for so many people that I can't possibly hold it all together.
The good news is that I don't have to hold it all together. I serve a God that holds it together for me and will take it all from me at any moment.
As women, we play so many different roles. We are mothers, daughters, wives, nurturers, and so much more. If we are not careful, our day to day lives can become very overwhelming and consume our very being.
Romans 13:14 says "Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires."
So often, I lose sight of who is really in control and try to take over. It never fails that when I do that, I lose my balance and fall. But when I focus on Jesus and allowing Him to help me balance everything, it is then that I can walk and not waiver.
What is it that you are trying to balance today? Are you trying to hold it all together on your own? Are you focusing on Jesus or just focusing on all of the things you are balancing?
Take time today to give Jesus all of the things you are balancing. Ask Him to take control of your life and give you the balance you need to hold it together.
Some Things to Think About:
Are you trying to balance too many things?
Do you feel like you are tackling life on your own?
Do you have a hard time giving things over to Jesus because YOU want to control them on your own?
Words of Worth:
"Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires." Romans 13:14
"Don't be impatient for the Lord to act. Travel steadily along His path." Psalm 37:34
The good news is that I don't have to hold it all together. I serve a God that holds it together for me and will take it all from me at any moment.
As women, we play so many different roles. We are mothers, daughters, wives, nurturers, and so much more. If we are not careful, our day to day lives can become very overwhelming and consume our very being.
Romans 13:14 says "Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires."
So often, I lose sight of who is really in control and try to take over. It never fails that when I do that, I lose my balance and fall. But when I focus on Jesus and allowing Him to help me balance everything, it is then that I can walk and not waiver.
What is it that you are trying to balance today? Are you trying to hold it all together on your own? Are you focusing on Jesus or just focusing on all of the things you are balancing?
Take time today to give Jesus all of the things you are balancing. Ask Him to take control of your life and give you the balance you need to hold it together.
Some Things to Think About:
Are you trying to balance too many things?
Do you feel like you are tackling life on your own?
Do you have a hard time giving things over to Jesus because YOU want to control them on your own?
Words of Worth:
"Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires." Romans 13:14
"Don't be impatient for the Lord to act. Travel steadily along His path." Psalm 37:34
Monday, July 16, 2007
Running Your Race
I promise myself every summer that I am going to lose weight, eat better, exercise more, and take better care of myself. I start out really strong and usually lose a couple of pounds those first couple of weeks of summer.
But then it happens. It becomes boring and mundane and I go back to eating what I want and exercising less. I lose sight of my goal and more often than not, end up weighing exactly what I did when I started (maybe even a couple pounds more!).
I think that so many of us do this same exact thing in our relationship with God. Having a relationship with our Father requires dedication, honesty, and time. It requires us to be transparent and that is so difficult for many of us.
1 Timothy 4:7 says, "...train yourselves to be Godly. For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
Looking good here on Earth is nice. I truly believe that God wants us to take care of ourselves and the bodies that He has given us. However, if we are not training ourselves to be Godly, we will not only miss out on things here on earth but will also miss out on things that God has for us in the life to come.
Training always makes me think of marathon runners. Our lives are so much like marathons in that we are all running a race trying to reach a goal. For those of us that love Jesus, our goal is pleasing Him in the lives that we live here on earth.
Sometimes I just close my eyes and picture Jesus cheering me on. I literally picture myself running for the finish line and Jesus saying, "You can do this, Andi! I am here waiting and I will help you get there. Keep running, don't give up! I love you and I won't give up you."
So how do we train for our marathon here on earth? Below are some ways that I believe God wants to us run our best race and stay on course...
God's Word - God's Word is like the water that runners receive along the way. Without receiving the water, the runners get tired and will not be able to finish the race. God's Word is our water. If we don't receive it, we will not be able to finish the race. We will become tired and unfocused.
Prayer - God is our coach in the race. If we don't communicate with our coach, we will not know what is best for our training. God helps us understand how we should train, why we should train, and what the end result of all of our training will be.
Focus - Runners in a marathon must focus on what is ahead. They focus on the finish line. They do not turn behind and look at what has already happened or what is headed their way. Instead they stay focused on the finish line and what they can do to finish strong. It does not benefit us to look behind us in our race. We must focus on the finish line and what we can do to finish strong.
All of these things are very important in our race. Without them, we will not finish successfully.
Think about your race. Are you running it with everything that you have? Are you training yourself to be godly or are you just running with no real focus and direction?
If you are at a difficult place in our race right now, close you eyes and picture Jesus cheering you on. He will not give up on you. He loves us and is calling out your name daily as you run, becoming closer and closer to being with Him.
Some Things to Think About:
1. Are you running your race picturing Jesus as your prize?
2. Are you training in a way that will result in godliness and Christlikeness?
3. Are you using God's word and prayer to run the race or are you trying to run it on your own?
Words of Worth:
"...train yourselves to be Godly. For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8
"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:13-14
But then it happens. It becomes boring and mundane and I go back to eating what I want and exercising less. I lose sight of my goal and more often than not, end up weighing exactly what I did when I started (maybe even a couple pounds more!).
I think that so many of us do this same exact thing in our relationship with God. Having a relationship with our Father requires dedication, honesty, and time. It requires us to be transparent and that is so difficult for many of us.
1 Timothy 4:7 says, "...train yourselves to be Godly. For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
Looking good here on Earth is nice. I truly believe that God wants us to take care of ourselves and the bodies that He has given us. However, if we are not training ourselves to be Godly, we will not only miss out on things here on earth but will also miss out on things that God has for us in the life to come.
Training always makes me think of marathon runners. Our lives are so much like marathons in that we are all running a race trying to reach a goal. For those of us that love Jesus, our goal is pleasing Him in the lives that we live here on earth.
Sometimes I just close my eyes and picture Jesus cheering me on. I literally picture myself running for the finish line and Jesus saying, "You can do this, Andi! I am here waiting and I will help you get there. Keep running, don't give up! I love you and I won't give up you."
So how do we train for our marathon here on earth? Below are some ways that I believe God wants to us run our best race and stay on course...
God's Word - God's Word is like the water that runners receive along the way. Without receiving the water, the runners get tired and will not be able to finish the race. God's Word is our water. If we don't receive it, we will not be able to finish the race. We will become tired and unfocused.
Prayer - God is our coach in the race. If we don't communicate with our coach, we will not know what is best for our training. God helps us understand how we should train, why we should train, and what the end result of all of our training will be.
Focus - Runners in a marathon must focus on what is ahead. They focus on the finish line. They do not turn behind and look at what has already happened or what is headed their way. Instead they stay focused on the finish line and what they can do to finish strong. It does not benefit us to look behind us in our race. We must focus on the finish line and what we can do to finish strong.
All of these things are very important in our race. Without them, we will not finish successfully.
Think about your race. Are you running it with everything that you have? Are you training yourself to be godly or are you just running with no real focus and direction?
If you are at a difficult place in our race right now, close you eyes and picture Jesus cheering you on. He will not give up on you. He loves us and is calling out your name daily as you run, becoming closer and closer to being with Him.
Some Things to Think About:
1. Are you running your race picturing Jesus as your prize?
2. Are you training in a way that will result in godliness and Christlikeness?
3. Are you using God's word and prayer to run the race or are you trying to run it on your own?
Words of Worth:
"...train yourselves to be Godly. For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8
"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:13-14
Monday, July 02, 2007
Control Freak
Control: To have power over. Webster's Dictionary explains that to control something, you must have power over it. I have been dealing a lot with control in my own life and learning each day that in reality, I don't have the power to control anything.
I have never really thought of myself as a control freak. I like to think I turn most of my major concerns over to God and let Him deal with things in His way and in His time. However, God sees things from a different point of view and has definitely shown me lately that I am more of a control freak than I ever imagined.
God has really shown me in recent weeks that, more than anything, I want to control what other people think about me. I want to have the power over how they feel about me and who I am. Just like most people, I long for others to like me, love me, and respect me.
I've really been seeking God on this and asking Him to take control and allow me the strength and courage to give up that control. I never imagined the journey that He would take me on to allow me to do just that.
Recently, I felt like God gave me a picture of what it looks like when He is in total control. I pictured a courtroom with God in the judge's seat. There were seats for a jury but they were empty. There were seats for attorneys, but they were empty. There were seats for onlookers, press, and others interested in the trial, but you guessed it, they were empty.
The more I thought about this picture, the more I understood what it meant...
No jurors - It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about me. I don't have to answer to a jury of my peers. I simply have to answer to the judge and that judge is God.
No attorneys - I don't need anyone to plead my case for me. It is wonderful to have people pray for me and with me. However, it is important that I also understand that I can come to the Father boldly and know that He will listen and respond with grace and mercy each and every time.
No audience - I need to stop worrying about pleasing everyone around me. I constantly worry that I have hurt someone's feelings, disappointed someone, or caused someone to dislike me. At some point, we have to realize that being who we are is all that we can do and as Christians, we can only be who we are in Jesus.
Psalm 26:2 says, "Put me on trial, Lord, and cross examine me. Test my motives and affections."
If God tested your motives and affections, would He see that your motives were to please Him and only Him? Would He see that your affections are His? Or would He see that you are motivated to please others and gain the affections of this world?
I truly believe as women we all struggle with wanting approval from others. We so desperately want to please others that we often lose sight of who our judge really is.
This week, as you face control issues, whether it be trying to please others, or just trying to get things to go the way that YOU had planned, picture that courtroom. Close your eyes and picture an empty courtroom with only you and God. Thank Him for being everything that you need. Ask Him to put you on trial and change your heart. You'll be amazed at the things He will teach you and show you when you make yourself vulnerable to His will.
Some Things to Think About:
1. Do you worry more about what others think than what God thinks of you?
2. Do you sometimes feel like you have a jury that you must answer to?
3. Do you see yourself as a people pleaser or a God pleaser?
Words of Worth:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24
"Put me on trial, Lord, and cross examine me. Test my motives and affections." Psalm 26:2
I have never really thought of myself as a control freak. I like to think I turn most of my major concerns over to God and let Him deal with things in His way and in His time. However, God sees things from a different point of view and has definitely shown me lately that I am more of a control freak than I ever imagined.
God has really shown me in recent weeks that, more than anything, I want to control what other people think about me. I want to have the power over how they feel about me and who I am. Just like most people, I long for others to like me, love me, and respect me.
I've really been seeking God on this and asking Him to take control and allow me the strength and courage to give up that control. I never imagined the journey that He would take me on to allow me to do just that.
Recently, I felt like God gave me a picture of what it looks like when He is in total control. I pictured a courtroom with God in the judge's seat. There were seats for a jury but they were empty. There were seats for attorneys, but they were empty. There were seats for onlookers, press, and others interested in the trial, but you guessed it, they were empty.
The more I thought about this picture, the more I understood what it meant...
No jurors - It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about me. I don't have to answer to a jury of my peers. I simply have to answer to the judge and that judge is God.
No attorneys - I don't need anyone to plead my case for me. It is wonderful to have people pray for me and with me. However, it is important that I also understand that I can come to the Father boldly and know that He will listen and respond with grace and mercy each and every time.
No audience - I need to stop worrying about pleasing everyone around me. I constantly worry that I have hurt someone's feelings, disappointed someone, or caused someone to dislike me. At some point, we have to realize that being who we are is all that we can do and as Christians, we can only be who we are in Jesus.
Psalm 26:2 says, "Put me on trial, Lord, and cross examine me. Test my motives and affections."
If God tested your motives and affections, would He see that your motives were to please Him and only Him? Would He see that your affections are His? Or would He see that you are motivated to please others and gain the affections of this world?
I truly believe as women we all struggle with wanting approval from others. We so desperately want to please others that we often lose sight of who our judge really is.
This week, as you face control issues, whether it be trying to please others, or just trying to get things to go the way that YOU had planned, picture that courtroom. Close your eyes and picture an empty courtroom with only you and God. Thank Him for being everything that you need. Ask Him to put you on trial and change your heart. You'll be amazed at the things He will teach you and show you when you make yourself vulnerable to His will.
Some Things to Think About:
1. Do you worry more about what others think than what God thinks of you?
2. Do you sometimes feel like you have a jury that you must answer to?
3. Do you see yourself as a people pleaser or a God pleaser?
Words of Worth:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24
"Put me on trial, Lord, and cross examine me. Test my motives and affections." Psalm 26:2
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