Sometimes, you just feel like giving up, don't you? You have invested time and energy in someone special to you, and it all seems for naught. You're stressed. They're stressed. And you have no idea what to do next. You have expended all your options and energy trying to help them, but they just don't want the help.
I decided a long time ago, though, that even when I FEEL like giving up, I just can't. I CAN'T! Maybe it's the fear of someone asking me, "Why did you give up on me? Why didn't you keep loving me, even in my mess?" I would rather die a thousand deaths than hear those devastating words come across someone's lips.
That doesn't mean the feeling isn't there. Oh, there have been many times that I have felt like "throwing in the proverbial towel," but love demands more. Love demands faithfulness, where no faithfulness is exhibited.
II Timothy 2:13 is a beautiful picture of this: If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Who He is, (NLT). It is not in God's nature, nor within His ability, to give up on me. I am His child. Period. I can figuratively (of course) spit in His face, disregard His careful instruction, push against His will and walk away. And yet, because He is God, and He remains faithful to His kids, He must remain by my side.
Now, that doesn't mean discipline and tough love are not part of the relationship. It just means, I always have Him. I am never alone. I can always cast aside my sin at any moment and as the Prodigal Son, come home to my waiting Father.
So the next time you feel like giving up on someone...the next time you say in your mind, "I'm done," just take a deep breath and remember the God Who never gives up on you. When those thoughts come, turn them into pleas of help to your Father on behalf of this one that you love. Use the painful longings in your heart for your loved one to drive you to your knees and bring closer to your Father.
We must do this.
We must not give up.
We must draw close and wait for God to work until that glorious day when the one we love turns and says: "Thank you. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for loving me, even in my mess."
Thank You, Jesus, for not giving up on me, even in my mess. I have done so much to hurt our relationship, and yet, You continue to remain faithful...for You are my God...You are my Father. Thank You. I praise You for Your faithfulness.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
To Know Him and Be Known By Him Takes Effort
You would think that after 21 years of marriage, my husband would know everything there was to know about me, but yesterday, I surprised him. We were listening to some "oldies" on the way home from our annual marriage conference, and as you can imagine, we were totally grossing our children's out, singing along and "swaying with the music."
All of the sudden, a song started playing that sent me back 35 years, at least. I was transported in my mind, back to the living room of my best friend's home. There I was, doing my best to impress the judges (my two best friends) with my cartwheels and flips and interpretive moves to the music. We held these dance competitions often, sometimes even enlisting Mom-Judges. Bless their hearts.
I must have been out of my mind to mention such deep thoughts, but upon opening my mouth and explaining the reason for my loud outburst of laughter, my husband was quite humored and amazed. He said, that "in 21 years of marriage" he had never heard about my "competitions." Can you imagine that? This wonderful man who knows and loves me, didn't know about my own personal "Dancing With the Stars" moments.
Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't know me. On the contrary, he knows me better than anyone. However, I guess what it does mean is that there is still more of me to be known!
In John 14:9, while Jesus was speaking with the disciples before His death, Philip told Jesus to show them the "Father" and it would be okay. To which Jesus replied, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?"
That was my question to myself, as I read: "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Belinda?"
Now, I know Jesus. I have been a Believer for a LOOONNGGG time. However, sometimes when you are with someone for a LOOONNGGG time, you think you know them completely. You get arrogant in your relationship and complacent in how you treat them. Your approach to them and your responses to them are automatic and almost unfeeling. You allow yourself to become too familiar, so much so, that the "newness" of the relationship wears off.
Unfortunately, marriage can be an example of this type of relationship. You can see it, all too often. A couple can become so familiar with each other that they take one another for granted. They forget that in order to have a thriving, growing relationship that lasts, you have to make your relationship a priority. You have to continue to get to know your spouse, every day. And to get to know them - really know them - you must invest time, effort, and a whole lot of fun. You have to continue working to KNOW the other person, for there is more of them to know!
Translate that into your relationship with the Lord. Have you been with Him (like me) a LOOOONNGG time? If so, are you intentionally STILL searching Him out, reading His Word daily, filling your heart with His thoughts, just so that you can know Him - so you can find out that there is more of Him to be known?
If not, if you are stuck in a mundane relationship with Jesus, can I challenge you today? Seek Him out. Desire to know Him and be known by Him on every level. Make an intentional effort to find out what Jesus thinks about your day...your finances...your relationships...YOU! He wants to be known by you. And He promises that when you seek Him, He will let you find Him (Jer. 29:13)! He will come and speak with you and tell you great and mighty things which you didn't know beforehand (Jer. 33:3).
There is more of Him to be known, my friend...soooo much more.
Jesus, I want to know You, today. I want to seek You out and find You. I want You to speak to me through Your Word. I want to be in relationship with You...in friendship with You. Thank You for wanting the same thing from me. I love You, Lord.
All of the sudden, a song started playing that sent me back 35 years, at least. I was transported in my mind, back to the living room of my best friend's home. There I was, doing my best to impress the judges (my two best friends) with my cartwheels and flips and interpretive moves to the music. We held these dance competitions often, sometimes even enlisting Mom-Judges. Bless their hearts.
I must have been out of my mind to mention such deep thoughts, but upon opening my mouth and explaining the reason for my loud outburst of laughter, my husband was quite humored and amazed. He said, that "in 21 years of marriage" he had never heard about my "competitions." Can you imagine that? This wonderful man who knows and loves me, didn't know about my own personal "Dancing With the Stars" moments.
Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't know me. On the contrary, he knows me better than anyone. However, I guess what it does mean is that there is still more of me to be known!
In John 14:9, while Jesus was speaking with the disciples before His death, Philip told Jesus to show them the "Father" and it would be okay. To which Jesus replied, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?"
That was my question to myself, as I read: "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Belinda?"
Now, I know Jesus. I have been a Believer for a LOOONNGGG time. However, sometimes when you are with someone for a LOOONNGGG time, you think you know them completely. You get arrogant in your relationship and complacent in how you treat them. Your approach to them and your responses to them are automatic and almost unfeeling. You allow yourself to become too familiar, so much so, that the "newness" of the relationship wears off.
Unfortunately, marriage can be an example of this type of relationship. You can see it, all too often. A couple can become so familiar with each other that they take one another for granted. They forget that in order to have a thriving, growing relationship that lasts, you have to make your relationship a priority. You have to continue to get to know your spouse, every day. And to get to know them - really know them - you must invest time, effort, and a whole lot of fun. You have to continue working to KNOW the other person, for there is more of them to know!
Translate that into your relationship with the Lord. Have you been with Him (like me) a LOOOONNGG time? If so, are you intentionally STILL searching Him out, reading His Word daily, filling your heart with His thoughts, just so that you can know Him - so you can find out that there is more of Him to be known?
If not, if you are stuck in a mundane relationship with Jesus, can I challenge you today? Seek Him out. Desire to know Him and be known by Him on every level. Make an intentional effort to find out what Jesus thinks about your day...your finances...your relationships...YOU! He wants to be known by you. And He promises that when you seek Him, He will let you find Him (Jer. 29:13)! He will come and speak with you and tell you great and mighty things which you didn't know beforehand (Jer. 33:3).
There is more of Him to be known, my friend...soooo much more.
Jesus, I want to know You, today. I want to seek You out and find You. I want You to speak to me through Your Word. I want to be in relationship with You...in friendship with You. Thank You for wanting the same thing from me. I love You, Lord.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Conquering the Things that Go Bump in the Night
When I was a little girl, I used to have the same nightmare over and over. Actually, there were a couple of nightmares, but once my sister's extra large Raggedy-Ann beat up the witch that kept invading my room, that particular nightmare stopped!
The other nightmare was more terrifying to me, because it was more real in nature. I would dream that I awakened in the middle of the night and had to go to the bathroom. It was just a few steps outside my doorway, so it shouldn't have been a big deal. However, my fear of what lay ahead, always made it feel as if that room were a mile away.
In my dream, I would grope my way to the bathroom, close the door and switch on the light...nothing. I would turn it off and on a couple more times, tension building in my body and mind with each click of the switch. Determining that the bulb was burned out, I would grope my way along the wall to the lights of the vanity. Again, I would switch on those lights, and nothing would happen. By this time, my heart would be pounding through my chest wall. My breathing would have deepened into almost a panic, and I would frantically turn around to grope for the bathroom door handle. And as you can imagine in a nightmare, the knob wouldn't turn. I was locked in the darkness, even though the lock was on the inside.
Usually at this point, I would be startled awake by something in my dream touching my shoulder, and I would beg God for the daylight to come. Oh, what a relief it was when the light of the sun would peek its way through my bedroom window.
I'm so glad that I don't have that nightmare any longer, but sometimes, I still find myself afraid. I'm afraid of the unknown, afraid of what people think, afraid of something happening to my family, afraid of not being good enough. And if I let myself go there - if I let myself dwell on what I do not know or what I perceive to be true, then I find myself back in my nightmare. I get trapped by my own thoughts, living in response to what I fear in the dark, instead of what is reality in my life.
You see, God's already taken care of the darkness. I have nothing to fear - NOTHING to fear, for: "you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (I Pet. 2:9-10).
Because of Christ, I am no longer in the dark, no matter how life may try to convince me that I am still there...that I am still stuck. Instead, I am in a glorious place - a place that is full of light and purpose and meaning - a place where darkness no longer exists or has control over my emotional, spiritual or physical being. In reality, I exist in His light, for His purpose, for His pleasure and praise - no matter what the fears ofares in my life may try to force upon me.
How should this affect me? Well, when those abnormal things do happen, when the scary things rear themselves and touch my shoulder in the night - I DO NOT HAVE TO FEAR. God is my God, and I am His child. He has complete control of everything in my life, whether I think He does or not. He sees the abnormalities as opportunities for His name to be exalted in my life, and it's my responsibility and privilege to make sure that happens, by dispelling the darkness with Truth...fear with faith.
So today, when things hit you head on...when you feel like you are stuck in a nightmare that will never end - remember. Remember that no matter how dark it seems, you are really in the light. God is with you and is using you in the midst of your struggle. He is guiding your eyes and your hands to glorify Himself. In Truth, you are walking in LIGHT, my friend. You are walking in Light - and don't let anything or anyone try to convince you differently.
Thank You, Jesus that I am Your child...I am Your chosen one who no longer has to live in darkness and be fearful of what exists there. Instead, I can choose to live in the Truth...in Your light. Thank You, Lord. I praise You in the light.
The other nightmare was more terrifying to me, because it was more real in nature. I would dream that I awakened in the middle of the night and had to go to the bathroom. It was just a few steps outside my doorway, so it shouldn't have been a big deal. However, my fear of what lay ahead, always made it feel as if that room were a mile away.
In my dream, I would grope my way to the bathroom, close the door and switch on the light...nothing. I would turn it off and on a couple more times, tension building in my body and mind with each click of the switch. Determining that the bulb was burned out, I would grope my way along the wall to the lights of the vanity. Again, I would switch on those lights, and nothing would happen. By this time, my heart would be pounding through my chest wall. My breathing would have deepened into almost a panic, and I would frantically turn around to grope for the bathroom door handle. And as you can imagine in a nightmare, the knob wouldn't turn. I was locked in the darkness, even though the lock was on the inside.
Usually at this point, I would be startled awake by something in my dream touching my shoulder, and I would beg God for the daylight to come. Oh, what a relief it was when the light of the sun would peek its way through my bedroom window.
I'm so glad that I don't have that nightmare any longer, but sometimes, I still find myself afraid. I'm afraid of the unknown, afraid of what people think, afraid of something happening to my family, afraid of not being good enough. And if I let myself go there - if I let myself dwell on what I do not know or what I perceive to be true, then I find myself back in my nightmare. I get trapped by my own thoughts, living in response to what I fear in the dark, instead of what is reality in my life.
You see, God's already taken care of the darkness. I have nothing to fear - NOTHING to fear, for: "you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (I Pet. 2:9-10).
Because of Christ, I am no longer in the dark, no matter how life may try to convince me that I am still there...that I am still stuck. Instead, I am in a glorious place - a place that is full of light and purpose and meaning - a place where darkness no longer exists or has control over my emotional, spiritual or physical being. In reality, I exist in His light, for His purpose, for His pleasure and praise - no matter what the fears ofares in my life may try to force upon me.
How should this affect me? Well, when those abnormal things do happen, when the scary things rear themselves and touch my shoulder in the night - I DO NOT HAVE TO FEAR. God is my God, and I am His child. He has complete control of everything in my life, whether I think He does or not. He sees the abnormalities as opportunities for His name to be exalted in my life, and it's my responsibility and privilege to make sure that happens, by dispelling the darkness with Truth...fear with faith.
So today, when things hit you head on...when you feel like you are stuck in a nightmare that will never end - remember. Remember that no matter how dark it seems, you are really in the light. God is with you and is using you in the midst of your struggle. He is guiding your eyes and your hands to glorify Himself. In Truth, you are walking in LIGHT, my friend. You are walking in Light - and don't let anything or anyone try to convince you differently.
Thank You, Jesus that I am Your child...I am Your chosen one who no longer has to live in darkness and be fearful of what exists there. Instead, I can choose to live in the Truth...in Your light. Thank You, Lord. I praise You in the light.
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