What A Day!

Today was one of those days...

Friends came over and brightened my morning, the sun shined bright, and I was having fun.

Then they went home and my son started the whining that we all love so much. It was Mommy this and Mommy that, my feet swelled up the size of watermelons, my lips are so chapped they cracked, the whining continues (mine now added to it), I didn't have one crucial item for the dinner I really wanted to make, and Sierra feels like she weighs 50 pounds. And now my office chair won't stay up. No, it's not because I'm the size of a walrus! It just won't stay up. I'm typing with my knees up to my boobs, which is very interesting when your pregnant, I must say!

So the day seems kind of dim but I sat down resolved to see the bright spots in my day through all of the gloom I feel. I reflect and I can see that in the midst of it all my husband keeps checking on me to make sure I'm okay, he put up a door for my laundry room, and my daughter has been the angel/helper I know she can be. Granted, my son's silence frightens me but I just have to concentrate on the wonderful day of weather and how amazing my family and friends can be. I am deeply grateful for them and for the quiet moments like this one.

Thank you, Lord. You didn't have to put such blessings in my dad but I'm so thankful you did. Now please tell Colton to clean up whatever mess he's making before I come in there.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

The Armor of God

My husband has been challenging, whether he knows it or not, to get my butt back into the word and my mind back on God. This weekend he had me help him memorize the passage in Ephesians 4 about the Armor of God. Once again, this was another passage I’ve read a lot and even memorized at one point. I love how scripture never says the same thing to me when I’m open to what God wants me to hear.

So the armor consists of the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, and prayer. I’ve heard a lot of detailed steps and explanations for each item but just reading it can give you quite a picture of what’s needed to stand in the face of evil.

The imagery is so cool! The one that stood out this time was the shield of faith. Here’s how the verse reads:
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Eph. 4:16

I feel like I put on the armor the best I can but somehow I forget the faith shield. So I’m well protected but I’m still open to injury. If a flaming arrow is flying at me, wouldn’t I want to keep it from hitting me? DUH! Sometimes I think I just stand there readying myself for impact when I could avoid it all together! All it takes is a little faith, confidence, or belief for me to do that.

I guess the same could apply to each of the other pieces of armor. Do I get myself all prepared for battle without deciding that I’m fighting for God (Helmet of Salvation)? without being honest with God about my motives (Belt of Truth)? or without being anxious to do right and being at peace with it (Feet of Readiness)? Or maybe I get all the armor on but forget to prepare myself for what God will bring about (Prayer).

Here’s something to think on each day… “Am I wearing all the armor or just a few pieces today?” What a massacre if I fail to at least pray.

Praising God From Down In The Pit

“Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all of my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits –
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalm 103:1-5

There was a guy in my college choir who exemplified this passage. He had an amazing gift of music and charisma that you just couldn’t miss. Shoot, you couldn’t help but join in! While he was with us, his father became very ill but each time you asked him about it his answer was the same. “He’s doing well and I’m praisin’ God.” Even after his father passed on he would say, “I’m just praisin’ God.” I could see the pain in his face but that was far overshadowed by the praise he was determined to give his Creator.

The Psalms are full of passages that begin with the agony that the author is feeling and end with the resolve to praise God through it all! Psalm 13 is one of my favorite examples of this. David feels like God has forgotten him but at the end he says that he will trust God and sing to him because he’s been so good to David.

I think I’ve read Psalm 103 a thousand times and I don’t know if I ever actually “read” it until today. Praising God comes easily for me, being somewhat of an easy-going optimist, so I never really thought about why I should praise him.

Then it came up in my study time today and it was put to the test. I don’t know if it was all in my head (probably, being 6 months pregnant) but I know that God wanted me to see it and “feel” it today. He wanted me to praise him for all the wonderful “benefits” he has given me, even in the face of suffering.

I was sitting there trying to read and study when my eyes started to itch beyond control. Then my skin kicked in, hives all over. And finally, my nose started running. Gotta love allergies but I hadn’t experienced this intensity for a long while and in the one area I needed to use to study… my face! I couldn’t see to read!!

I was embarrassed to ask for healing (not like this was anything life-threatening) but forced myself to pray for it once again, even if it was only for these few moments I had to study in quiet. And praising God didn’t even come to mind! I had to stop and dose up on allergy stuff.

When I returned, the author of my study was talking about healing. How many times I’ve prayed for healing I’ll never know… I think if I ever found out I’d have to apologize to God for whining so much. James 5:15 came up. “The prayer of faith will save the sick.” I was directed to a definition for the word save… “to save a suffering one from perishing.” Okay, so God may not heal me. He may not even save me from the suffering but he will save me from dying of it. In other words, “Buck it up, you Whiner!” I may be miserable but I am blessed and I WILL praise him through my pain. He gives me so many reasons to praise him that it seems like silly drivel not to continue praising him when one little negative thing comes my way.

Think about it… according to Psalm 103, he gives us forgiveness, healing, redemption (I love that one… “he redeems your life from the pit.” I can just see the albino in Princess Bride saying, “You’re in the Pit of Despair. Don’t even think… about trying to escape.”), love, compassion, satisfaction, and renewal. Why should my whining take center stage in the face of these.

Thanks to my college friend for the life lesson and to the Lord for the reminding me that I always have greater things to praise him for than even the darkest pain or the deepest pit. Praise GOD!