Category: 2011 Posts

Posted on in 2011 Posts

Christianity Isn’t For Cowards

I just finished reading a book called, Call of a Coward, by Marcia Moston. She was one that God called out of her comfortable life and asked her and her family to move to Guatemala to be missionaries.  I’ve always admired people who were willing to put their lives aside and follow Jesus to destinations unknown, trusting that He would take care of them.  It is always exciting to hear and see what God is doing in others’ lives and be reminded that we definitely serve something way bigger than ourselves when we call ourselves Christians.

Even though I’ve always been fascinated with missionaries and their commitment to serve God with everything they have and do, I’ve never been called to do it myself.  On my daughter’s 16th birthday though, she and I boarded a jet with 3 others headed for India to serve for a couple of weeks on a mission trip—this being the closest I’ve ever been to being a missionary.  I remember my mom taking us to the airport and as we were boarding the plane, she was saying, “You don’t have to go.  I can take you back home right now if you’d like.”  She was afraid for us to be going so far into lands unknown and was fearful for our safe return.  I knew though, that I needed to go.  I wasn’t going because I wanted to take time off without pay and live in the land of no toilet paper and sunshine for 2 weeks.  I was, in fact, going because I felt that God had put a call on my life to be there for that time.

I have to say, as we stepped off the plane onto foreign ground, I questioned myself.  Is this really what I should’ve done?  Should I have boarded this plane going half-way around the world with my teenage daughter?  But the wonderful thing about serving a powerful God is when you know that He is leading, the fear falls away and the joy begins in the obedience of following Him.  I would much rather be where He wants me to be in worlds unknown vs. being in the safety of my own home in disobedience when He had called me elsewhere.

There’s an old song that sings, “Where you lead me I will follow, where you lead me I will follow, I’ll go with you, with you all the way!  This is what I want my life-song to be.  Lord, I will go with you wherever you lead me…all the way.  When you say something like this to God though, you have to be ready to be stretched.  God isn’t a God of complacency.  He doesn’t allow anyone to coast through Christianity.  In fact, He’s not satisfied until you are refined through the fires.  He knows that in order for you to be the best you can be and learn to be strong in your faith, sitting on the couch watching TV and eating bon-bons isn’t going to help you grow.  Well at least not in the spiritual realm!  It probably will help you grow in physical ways for sure!  LOL!

One year when I was a single mom, my daughter was having another birthday and my friend’s son was too, just within a few days of each other.  My friend and I were trying to think of something different we could do to make their birthdays memorable.  I think we got the prize that year as we loaded them into the car and took off for a destination unknown birthday trip.  They were both teenagers at the time and as we drove, you could start feeling their fear of the unknown as they already thought we moms had two heads and were crazy anyway!  I’m sure they were wondering where in the heck we were going as after about an hour and a half of driving, we began our trek out into remote areas where there seemed to be nothing but grass, trees and winding roads that would make even the strong sick after a while.  My friend’s son was saying are you going to drop us off out here in the middle of nowhere and leave us or something?

They were both becoming so agitated by not knowing, we decided to go ahead and tell them the truth so they would calm down.  We told them we were going to a place where we could pet tigers and lions.  I was sure with the animal lovers that they both were, they were going to love the idea!  It was too funny though.  Even though we were telling the truth, they didn’t believe us!  They were even more upset then as they really wanted to know where they were going.  They just knew we were lying to them with the lion and tiger story.

It was priceless to see their faces as we pulled into the reserve and they saw the lions and tigers everywhere around them.  I think they thought we had literally lost our minds.  It is kind of scary when your teenage kids are thinking what we are thinking about doing might be dangerous when the two of us moms are saying, “Come on! It’s going to be fun!  Let’s do it!”  That day, we did actually pet lions and tigers.  I thought it was so cool to be standing there beside this huge lion and petting him. At first when I began to pet him, he flinched as though he had a fly on his back or something and scared me to death! I then realized the huge difference between him and me.  I may think I am strong and brave, but beside him, I was reduced to fly level.  The lady who was telling me how to approach him and pet him, told me I needed to get through his large main so that he could actually feel my hand vs. thinking  of me as an annoyance.  As I pressed through the deep fur, I found myself actually watching this lion find enjoyment from the massage I was giving him once he could actually feel it!  Imagine that! After leaving the reserve that day, we were all high on having stepped out of our comfort zones and done something very few can say they ever did.  We had blazed new territories that day and it felt good.

I can relate this to my Christian walk as well.  Often, God asks me to go to destinations unknown.  It’s not always clear across the world to India or to dangerous settings such as the tiger reserve though.  Sometimes, He sends people to me that simply need to hear about Him and the free gift of eternal life He has to offer them.  He isn’t here in the flesh to tell them so He
expects me to use my voice to share.  If you’ve ever tried to tell someone about your faith, you know, it can be really scary at times.  It’s not scary because of the message, but more so for the fear of rejection when we do.  There have been other times, He’s asked me to go to a neighborhood of high crime and pass out hotdogs and befriend those living in the area.  He even asked me to go speak to crowds of people several times about hot topics like abortion.  Talk about scary!

Putting all of that aside though, one of the scariest things ever in my Christian walk is to totally put my trust in God, especially if I were trusting Him to intervene for one of my children in need. Praying for them and then getting out of His way so He can reach them has often proven most difficult and downright scary.  We all like to be in control and often when we ask God into our lives, we even try to control what part of our lives we let Him into.  Some people say the prayer to ask God to come and change them, make them new.  Then they start telling God, “Let’s not deal with that sin right now, or that issue.”  You can have all of me God, but just don’t ask for this one little part of my life over here.  I want to remain in control of that area.  It takes a brave person to say, “Here I am Lord.  I will follow you wherever You lead me and I will allow You to have control.”

Who better to trust though than the One who created us in His Image to get us through this life?  The fun part about following God is He is full of surprises!  I have done things that I would’ve never done before I had Him in my life and reaped great satisfaction from having been obedient.  Just like the kids when they didn’t believe us when we told them where we were going, I’ve actually felt the same when God has asked me to do something unusual.  Just think about how Noah felt when he was told to build the ark!  You get the point?  If you’re bored with life and feel as though you have no purpose—everyday feels the same, I dare you to examine yourself.  Are you trusting God for your day?  Did you ask Him this morning to lead your steps and to open doors of adventure on your path?  Perhaps He has already given you a challenge and you’re still standing at the door, shaking in your shoes, afraid to move
forward.

God is like that big, strong lion and if we can just begin to shed our fly mentality and realize we were created in His image, we will begin to rise to new heights, taking chances and
stepping out to do what He’s asked us to do. No longer do we have to live in complacency and boredom when we have the Creator of the universe guiding us to destinations unknown!  Knowing that you are in God’s will each day fills the voids that you’ve been feeling with excitement and joy when you know you’re fulfilling your purpose here on earth, even when we’re just doing the everyday things.

We can no longer be content with just brushing the surface of who God is; rather, we need to press in and get to know the heart of Him.  It takes courage to step aside and allow God  to guide and direct rather than you being in control of everything.  However, once you do get beyond the surface, you realize that it is not nearly as scary as you thought it might be.  Rather, it is comforting to know that this One that invites you to Him will also guard and protect you throughout your walk with Him.  You no longer need to be afraid… you just need to trust.

Lord, I pray for those reading this today.  I ask that You will give them adventures that will stretch them and mold them into the person You created them to be.  You may not be asking big things of them; rather, You know exactly what they need to grow.  Help them to not be afraid, but to be brave.  Show them Your great power and teach them that even in their times of fear, You are strong and courageous—standing in for them in their time of need.

If God is doing something big in your life or has even asked you to do something small that you wouldn’t have done before you knew Him, send me a note on the blog for others to see or privately to justtryingtobeablessing@gmail.com and let me know.  It is exciting to see God at work and encouraging for those still afraid to see others stepping out and being blessed!  It would also be encouraging for me to know this helped someone to be courageous in their walk with Christ!

2Corinthians 12:10 Therefore, I take pleasure in weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. King James 2000 Bible (©2003)

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Posted on in 2011 Posts

Just Call Me Melvin!

In the real estate business, we see a lot of do-it-yourself projects that we snicker and say, “It looks like Melvin’s been here!”  Melvin  refers to the one who doesn’t pay a professional because they can do it themselves!  Sometimes they do a great job, but many times, not.  I remember when I was a single mom for about 4 years and had no money for much needed repairs at times.  I took on projects such as fixing a washer, a dryer, a toilet a couple of times, plumbing under the kitchen sink, and I even single-handedly killed a snake in my basement!  The key words in the last sentence were, took on.  You see, my projects didn’t always go as planned.

My favorite phrase as a single mom was, “I don’t need no stinkin man.”  So when I was in trouble, the first thing I did was try to take care of it myself.  We had a company in town that you went in and told them what was wrong with your dryer, for instance.  They had a dryer on display and would tell you what part you needed to change and demonstrated how you should do it.  I was so proud the day I saved a service call and totally got my dryer up and running all by myself.  So, when the washer went out, I was confident I could fix it too!  That one, however, didn’t go so well.  Luckily, my neighbor came down and pulled the part into place that I didn’t have the muscles to do.  I almost had it!

I was also very proud when our light in the bathroom quit working when you turned on the switch.  I thought to myself, “It must need a new switch,” so I went to Lowe’s and got a new one and promptly came home to replace it.  The one thing I hate, though, is a lot of detail.  When I started pulling the old switch off, I quickly realized there were way more wires than I expected, but went ahead and pulled them off the old and hooked them onto the new.  It worked!  I could get the lights to come on and was very happy.

I remember though, when I started dating my soon-to-be husband Jim, he came in and went to turn on the bathroom light.  He hollered out, “Is there something wrong with your bathroom light?  It’s not coming on!”  I hollered back from the kitchen, “Turn on the light in the hallway and then turn on the bathroom light and it will work!”  My system hadn’t been totally perfect but I was just so happy to have a light in the bathroom, it was OK for me that I had to turn on the hall light first!  Just a minor inconvenience, I thought!  At least we were no longer showering in the dark!

Reflecting on these scenarios, I felt that I was doing the right things.  I was collecting the facts and then taking action.  However, it seemed  that time and time again, even though I knew what to do, I was having a hard time making it happen.  Like the time when I pulled out the plumbing under my kitchen sink, only to find out I had no idea how to put new stuff in since the things I could purchase weren’t the right  sizes.  I had to call a local church to fix that one.  They had a ministry that had people in various lines of work that would help single women do fix-its for free.  Talk about humbling; the guy who came to fix it brought his wife.  She was one of the secretaries that worked in my ex-husband’s office.  I’m sure she went back and told everyone about me needing their help.  I so wanted to be self-sufficient and it panged me to know they now knew I wasn’t.  There’s that ugly word, pride.

Isn’t that how it is in our Christian walks at times?  We have the head knowledge—we know what the Bible says to do.  However, we often don’t seek the Holy Spirit’s help to help us implement our plan.  Often our pride gets in the way.  We get into situations in life and only when  we have things all torn up like my kitchen sink, we stop and ask for the Lord’s help to get us through.  It should be just the opposite.  We should always know the “instruction manual” or Bible, but without the Holy Spirit’s strength and guidance we will often end up in a mess!  We should always seek His help even when we think we know what to do.  Sometimes we can limp by like I did with my light switch, but eventually; being hooked-into the wrong power source can be disastrous!  I could’ve literally burnt my house down with my solution!

My garage was in my basement at that time too, and one day I went to the laundry room just about 10 feet from the garage door entrance, and there on the floor was a little snake slithering around!  It was a Saturday night and I was home alone. I screamed but it didn’t do any good.  The snake was still there.  I am petrified of snakes so I started calling all of my male friends trying to find someone who would come rescue me.  They were too busy or just as scared as I was and as I hung up the phone after my last try, I knew I had to do it myself.  “I don’t need no stinkin man,” I muttered as I devised my plan.  I got an empty box and filled it full of books and proceeded back to the laundry room.  Thank goodness it wasn’t a very active snake and had stayed in one place.  I set up a chair in the room and proceeded to climb onto the chair with box in hand.  I knew I was going to have one chance, so I carefully held the box directly over the snake and then dropped it on him.  Boom! I was afraid to remove the box because I wasn’t sure if I actually killed him or if I just stunned it.  After a while, I bravely removed the box and quickly swept the non-moving body up into a trash bag and ran it out to the trash as quickly as I could in case it woke  up!  I was victorious!

That day though was just another reminder.  I can’t put my faith and hope in man (or woman for that matter!)  All are human and will let me down, even in my greatest time of need.  However, I can trust God to be faithful and to hear my pleas for help in my time of need.  He might not give me answers as I would expect, but I can know He hears my call and responds accordingly to my best interest.  He doesn’t tell me He is busy or that my problem is too big for Him to handle. Rather, He is there, waiting for me to ask for His help.

So in summary, if we can know God’s Word and ask for His Holy Spirit to give us strength and guidance, we need not be afraid.  We can live victoriously with the assurance that when we depend on God fully for everything in our lives, He is faithful to be there in our time of need.   I may not need no stinkin man, but if I ever thought I didn’t need my loving God, I am in big trouble.  Thank you, Lord, for being there in my times of need.  Please remind me daily of my need to ask for your Holy Spirit’s guidance and strength in my life.  Help me to remember that even when I think I know it all, I still need you!  It is great to know, I can always count on you!  All I need to do is ask!

Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Joshua 1:5 (NKJV) …as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Posted on in 2011 Posts

A Little Bit of Sin Can Cause a Whole of Trouble!

Have you ever gone through customs and had them ask you if you have any live plants?  Did you ever wonder why they ask?  I’ve seen people try to sneak things through customs, not paying attention to the rules about bringing plants and other things into the US that are prohibited.  Even though it seems  harmless to bring a plant from another country, it could be a disaster.  Thus, this is the reason for the rule.

It’s kind of like the 10 commandments.  There are some that view the 10 commandments as just guidelines, not really rules.  Like for instance, I’ve heard some say, “When it says ‘thou shalt not lie’, I’m sure that doesn’t mean when I tell a little fib in order to not hurt someone’s feelings.” Really?  Is that how it goes?  I don’t think so!

Maybe you say I’m too black and white, as I have accused so in the past.  However, I call it like I see it and if there is a rule or a law, it is probably there because at one time or another it was a problem.  The person smuggling a simple little plant into the US just for use in their yard, or the man who tells his wife he’s working late when in fact, he’s out with a new female friend, have no clue as to how many people their simple decision to disobey the rules will affect down the road.  It all seems simple, but before you know it, it is out of control.

This past weekend, my husband and I visited Gatlinburg for a few days for rest and relaxation in the beautiful Smokey Mountains—one of our favorite places to kick back and unwind from life’s stresses.  It was a bit unnerving though as we stayed in a cabin called the Dolly cabin, short for Dolly Parton.  Everywhere we turned, there was another picture of Dolly staring at us!  There were Dolly DVD’s in the draws, CD’s by the stereo and lace and flowers everywhere you looked!  A couple of times, I had to turn a picture around as I couldn’t take one more picture of Dolly!  Obviously, we are not Dolly fans, but to each his own!  LOL!

As if that weren’t enough, as we drove through the Smokey Mountain National Park this year, I grew concerned as I looked around at the scenery in the mountains as well.  You see, several years ago, someone decided it would be a good idea to bring a plant from China/Japan called Kudzu to the US.  It makes a great ground cover and it also blooms with some beautiful flowers occasionally, just adding to its charm.  When it was brought over, it caught on like wildfire as it was new, different, and grew easily in the south.  However, the one thing one did not do their homework on is the fact that in the US, we don’t have the insects and/or animals to eat the plant that they have in Asia.  In fact, since we don’t, this vine called Kudzu has been known to be called the vine  that ate the south.  It is so out of control that it is overtaking entire mountainsides of trees that have been growing for decades as it flourishes up the existing foliage smothering out anything in its way.

I have heard that the only way to get rid of it is to remove the vine and burn it. Even then, if one leaf flies out of the fire and falls to the ground, a new plant will begin right there. It really grieves me to think that we could lose acres upon acres of trees and vegetation in these areas because it is so out of control.  Eventually though, left to grow, it will overtake and destroy all vegetation in its path.  In fact, it will overtake buildings, wiring, or whatever is in its way.

It kind of reminds me of sin. For example, when a person steps out of a marriage relationship and entertains the idea of an adulterous affair, they are only thinking of themselves and never even consider they might hurt anyone else.  Most of the time, it’s just a simple friendship that develops with no intention of an adulterous relationship or of hurting anyone with this newfound friend.

However, it’s kind of like the Kudzu. Just one little leaf—or in this case, one little lie—takes root and grows and before you know it, it is out of control.  Before you know it, you are justifying it and excusing it as you watch it destroy your relationships with your spouse, your children, your parents/in-laws, maybe your employers, friends, etc.  There is nothing but the Holy Spirit’s fire that will give you strength to rise above and kill that which seeks to destroy what we have worked years to have.  Sin can rob us of our joy in an instant. It is unrelenting—it doesn’t care what it finds in its path or who it  hurts.

This is why it is important to follow the guidelines God set down for us in His Word, the Bible.  When He says we shouldn’t lie or commit adultery, I’m thinking He has a pretty good reason for saying it.  Don’t you?  Or as far as the plants go, yes, it’s tempting to have the next latest thing in our yard that makes it stand out from the Jones’ but is it worth losing everything to have it?  The newness and excitement will wear off in both cases and then you’re just going to have another disaster to have to deal with.  It’s so much easier and much more rewarding to stay the course, do the right thing, and receive the blessings for having done so, even when it is hard and you have to deprive yourself at times of things that are tempting.  However, if you stay on the path, keep your eye on the goal, whatever you’re struggling with, will quickly lose its appeal.  Trust me, I’m a realtor!  It’s one of the funny things I say in life since realtors rank somewhere around used car salesmen.  LOL!  Today though, I will say, “Trust me, I’m a Christian.”  I have reaped and expect to keep reaping God’s  rewards for staying on the path and am here to testify to you today that no  matter what comes your way, if it’s not of God, run!  There is nothing worth losing it all.

Proverbs 3:1-2 (NKJV) My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.