Cling to What is Good...

 There was quite a drama playing out over the past two weeks with the middle child in the Berad family.  You would have thought there was a much more serious situation at hand than just a loose tooth, and NEVER would I have imagined this drama playing out for as long as it did.  Over this two week period, my daughter grew more and more afraid to eat any foods that required serious chewing, she grew more and more anxious about the tooth actually falling out.  For most of these mornings she would actually wake up and be physically sick to her stomach all from the feeling of the loose tooth in her mouth.  She'd frequently have a tissue in her mouth, pinched on either side of the tooth to try to keep it upright and catch any blood.  By the end of two weeks, she kept trying to straighten the tooth (it was hanging forward at this point) and would keep saying, "See, I fixed it!"  Clearly not!  I tried to explain that there was no possible way she could keep this tooth from falling out of her mouth.  But, oh the relief, the burden lifted the night the tooth finally fell out.  She was able to eat again, she was acting normally, she wasn't getting sick in the morning any more.

As I was thinking about all of this, I began to make some connections in my mind...of the things we ALL hold on to that are not doing us any good.  How often do we cling to things that hurt us, rather than things that are good for us?  How many burdens do we shoulder on our own, when we have Someone Who has offered to carry them for us?

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) says, "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

How often do I literally sicken myself...with worry and anxiety, with fatigue, with fear, with misjudgment...and try to carry these backbreaking burdens on my own, thinking I can handle them.  My ego can be so headstrong and so foolish.  I am not a quick learner.  I look ridiculous, hanging on to these things which are clearly hurting me, but that I think I need so badly.  But God is reminding me all the while...."Release this to Me.  Let Me carry this for you.  All you need is Me."

How many times will I have to learn and re-learn this lesson for it to fully stick?  God is my strength and my all-in-all...  God is the constant my soul longs for, the never-changing, always present Help in times of trouble.  No matter how tightly I grasp on to material possessions, to relationships, to my sense of control...I will not have any greater success with these than my daughter Sienna had in willing her loose tooth to stay in her mouth.  Our ever-changing lives beg for a constant to grab hold of.  Our souls long for rest in this weary world we live in.  Cling to what is Good...what will last...the Rock Eternal, our ever-faithful Friend.

When God Repeats Himself....

How many times, as a parent or someone who has authority over young people, have you found yourself having to repeat what you say, over and over again?  Many hands raising and eyes rolling in solidarity at this moment...

This morning I woke up to see a thick fog and heavy frost outside, accompanied by a rare glimpse of sunshine during these gloomy winter months.  As I looked more closely, I could see that everything was coated in fragile, spiky ice crystals.  It was an amazing transformation that only lasted briefly before the sun rose high enough to quickly melt the ice.  I had to get a closer look so I threw on my coat and shoes over my pajamas and ventured out with the camera to see the beauty of the ice up close.  As I noticed the delicacy of the tiny crystals, all I could think of was verse after verse about God's love for me, His care for me, His provision for me, of the way He created everything in this world and saw that "it was good."  I felt like He was saying in this very simple and yet profound display in nature, "Remember what I have told you." 

Last week when I prayed and prayed and asked Him over and over again for assurance about what to do about my trip to Thailand, multiple times He gave me the answer to "Wait."  At the very last minute, I decided not to go on the trip, but still wondered,  had I made the right decision?  Was this really what He wanted when it seemed all along that He was telling me to go?  Thursday, the day I would have been traveling the 27 hours from Pittsburgh to Thailand, I started to get sick. By that evening my daughter who would have been traveling with me was also sick with a fever.  We found out that our flight from Chicago was late arriving into Tokyo and we would have missed our connecting flight to Bangkok.  And I also found out that the airports were beginning to scan with infrared scanners for passengers arriving with temperatures.  All of the scenarios of what might have happened had we traveled ran over and over again through my mind and what had been regret and great disappointment turned to relief and thankfulness that God had spared us from what could have been a very difficult trip with possible quarantining in a foreign country. 

When the things of this world challenge your faith and cause you to question if God really cares, if He sees the things that are happening to you, if He listens to your prayers, take heart!  As I read through scripture, I am encouraged when I see some of the ways God repeats Himself...the many passages describing the depths of His love and care for us, verses about how He forgives us when we repent, verses that exhort us to walk in His strength and not our own, verses reminding us to pray and take our concerns to Him, and verses telling us not to be afraid.  Did you know that there are 365 verses telling us "Fear Not!" in the Bible.  That is one verse for every single day of the year.  Why do we need to be reminded so often?

This is perhaps the repetition I need to hear that most though, because how often do I find myself caught up in worry about something and not trusting in Him?  God is so intimately involved in our lives if we take the time to really see, to read His precious Word, and to pray in a way that we are truly listening to what He might have to say to us.  Just like I have to repeat myself over and over again for the benefit of my children, God does this very same thing for me.  Ever so patiently, He reminds me again...

I care
I see you
I love you
I forgive you
I am your strength
Do not be anxious
Put your hope in Me
Pray without ceasing

HIIT for Your Life...

I try to work out regularly...it's my sanity at the end of the long days to be able to get a good sweat session in and being in shape helps me to keep up with all the crazy kids.  A number of years ago, after having one of the kids, I found out about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).  I was considering signing up for a 10K race just 2.5 months after I had the baby and I needed to get in shape quickly.  I read about how working out in intervals for short really intense bursts with a rest period in between is much more effective for building endurance that just working out at a steady pace.  So I decided to give it a try, and yes indeed, it does work.  But there is one thing I found out right away about HIIT training...it is incredibly tough!  The workouts where I would just use my elliptical at a comfortable pace for 30 minutes were so much easier than pushing myself as hard as possible every 90 seconds.  My runs where I avoided the big hills in my neighborhood were much less exhausting than when I pushed myself to do every hill multiple times.  There was nothing in me that naturally gravitated toward completing the harder workouts...it was truly a struggle from start to finish.

That's human nature in a nutshell, isn't it?  We want things to be as easy and convenient as possible.  We don't want to exert ourselves too much.  We don't particularly like that feeling of being completely exhausted, dripping with sweat, and almost unable to breathe!

But God has taught me something about HIIT and my life...when everything is smooth sailing, I grow weak, complacent, lax in my devotion to Him and the time I spend with Him.  When times get really tough, that is when I pray fervent prayers and truly wait on Him for an answer.  In the valleys, I really delve into the Word, looking for His wisdom, His answers, and His will for my life.  Just as the athlete has to push him/herself to become stronger, we need to push ourselves in our faith walk, daily.

We all crave comfort and struggle to find the blessings amidst the trials.  But here is a challenge for us all to attain to...seek Him more...both in the periods of rest AND in the intense struggles.

James 1:2 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, 

consider it an opportunity for great joy.

Yes, you read that verse correctly...troubles and joy don't seem to go together in the same sentence do they?  Nor do troubles and opportunity...God would You open our eyes to the opportunities for great joy that await us if we face our troubles head-on, girded with Your strength?  Give us courage not to turn away when we see that monstrous hill looming before us, but to press on.

Romans 5:3-5  (MSG) 

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

As you ponder these verses, remember not to waste those intense times in your life with complaining, unbelief or misery.  Remember that God can and will use them to deepen your faith, to strengthen your character, to pour Himself into you in a way you have never experienced before.  Submit to His HIIT training and remember that it can actually be an unexpected blessing in your life.  

Singing Behind Bars

In light of all that is happening in the world right now, I made a truly heart-wrenching decision this weekend to postpone my trip to Thailand.  I say postpone because I will indeed find another time to go, but for now, I must trust God and wait for the right timing.

I spent some time tonight working on a short devotional I have been preparing to share at my Bible Study next month.  Again, I was amazed by the way this story I'd chosen months ago spoke to my heart and to this situation I'm going through directly.  God does indeed shout to us in our pain.
Perhaps something I am experiencing or that God has impressed on my heart in all of this can be a blessing and an encouragement to you also.

Are you able to look beyond your circumstances to the bigger picture? Today I want to read one of my favorite Bible stories to you and challenge you to find the parallels in this story with things you might be experiencing in your own life.

Paul and Silas were preaching to and teaching the people in Philippi and for many days were plagued by a demon-possessed woman who kept saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Finally, Paul did what you and I might consider a good deed, casting the demon out of the woman once and for all. But her owners did not appreciate his “kind gesture” and had Paul and Silas arrested. They were stripped and beaten severely with rods and put into an inner cell in the prison with their feet in stocks and an armed guard to watch over them. This day had certainly not turned out the way Paul and Silas could ever have anticipated. And now they found themselves, in great pain and locked up in a dark prison….so naturally…they sang!

In Acts 16:25-34 we read, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.” 

This situation had suddenly changed more dramatically than one could ever imagine. How was it possible that God could use these two disciples, imprisoned, to witness to a hardened jailer in the middle of the night? And did you catch that last part of verse 25, all of the prisoners were listening to them. Even when the chains were loosened and the doors flung open, the prisoners stayed there with them. They knew they were witnessing something very powerful, something supernatural, and they must have wanted to see how it all played out. All of this was only possible because of Paul and Silas’ obedience to God and because they were able to see beyond their circumstances and still find reason to praise God, with voices raised. We know as a result of this, the jailer did not commit suicide, and he and his entire family all accepted Jesus that night. Perhaps some or many of the prisoners did as well. God can use ANY situation for good. Why do we ever doubt Him?

So my question to you today is this. When you find yourself in the worst possible situation, when the odds are stacking up against you and you feel like God has abandoned you, how do you react? Is it your immediate inclination to praise Him when you are hurting? Another verse that challenges me in this regard is:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMPC) 

16 Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); 17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. 

There is no valley deep enough to keep us from praising and thanking God. There is no obstacle too high for Him to scale on our behalf. If we are to remain within the will of God, then not a single day should pass us by that we do not lift our voices in praise to Him.

Ask Him today, right now, to give you His perspective on your circumstances, and to remind you of the many ways He has blessed you and all that He has done for you through the shedding of His own blood. May all of us cry out our praises to God in a way that others will notice!

All Your Heart...

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMPC)

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

 It's February, and we are approaching a holiday which undoubtedly has us thinking about things of the heart.  Hearts are everywhere during Valentine's Day...love is in the air.  We tell our loved ones how much we care about them and do things to make them feel special.

We have a fun tradition of making the kids' favorite sugar cookies and decorating them for Valentine's Day each year.  It's a colossal project and an even more colossal mess, but they enjoy it immensely and it filled a few hours of these long, gray winter days with a bit of sunshine.

In these past few months, I've been tested to the limits of my endurance and faith.  My sixth pregnancy has proven to be, by far, the hardest yet.  The aversions, the nausea, the discomfort and the exhausting have tested me.  And now, just one week away from the biggest trip I have ever taken, I am measuring out the news every day, trying to determine what God would want for me, in light of the new virus in Asia.  "Trust in the Lord," has never taken on such meaning as it does for me now.  And I know that even in all of this, He is teaching me...shaping me even further into the person He wants me to be.  And I'm sure I still have a long way to go and grow!

I read a passage in the book, "Waiting on God" by Andrew Murray today that challenged me to think about my heart and the way I make decisions.

"It is with the heart that man believes and comes into touch with God.  It is in the heart that God has given His Spirit to be the presence and the power of God working in us.  In all our faith, it is the heart that must trust and love and worship and obey...And so, the Christian always needs, when he has studied or heard God's Word, to cease from his thoughts, to put no trust in them, to awaken his heart to open itself before God, and seek the living fellowship with Him....Beware of the temptation of leaning upon your understanding, with its clear strong thoughts.  They only help you to know what the heart must get from God - in themselves they are only images and shadows."

There is a reason God instructs us not to lean on our own understanding.  It is because we are weak...impressionable...we make decisions based on our emotions, or out of our anger, or when we are tired.  But God's Way, His plan for us, for me, is perfect.  How could I ever have any doubt about that.

I was reading Sienna her Bible story before bed tonight, and these thoughts were running through my mind.  It was the story of Jesus' crucifixion, of the way He was beaten and mocked and made to die in the most unthinkable way possible.  And yet, in the midst of this completely unfair cruelty and torture, He loved us.  He forgave us.  He looked out at the crowd that had gathered to watch and felt no anger toward them...He looked out with compassion...with forgiveness!  Oh that I could have a heart like that...to see people not they way they deserve to be seen, but the way God sees them....because ultimately that is the way that God sees me.  Oh that I could examine the situations around me and have the kind of trust that this verse in Proverbs implies....a whole-hearted trust in God and in the path He has for me.  God, give me the kind of heart that waits to be filled by You.  Do not allow my vision to be clouded by what I see before me but keep my heart and mind focused on You first and foremost.  With a heart like that there is no fear....no doubt...no room for seeking out a second opinion....just trust.

Perhaps you too are in a place of great turmoil, wondering what His will is for you.  I would challenge you, as I'm challenging myself this evening, to put your whole trust in Him.  Lean into Him as you never have before, as if your life depended on it.  Give your heart over to Him, and ask Him to fill you with a hope that can only come from Him.  One step at a time, walking in that kind of trust, He will make our paths straight and plain.

Psalm 31:24 (AMPC) Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!