Focused

Do you ever find yourself totally focused one moment, then off doing some random task the next moment? 
This happens to me more than I care to admit. 
So, this fall, I made "staying focused" my new goal.

But, alas, I have skipped right off of this new path a few times while I'm learning.
Unfortunately, I learn best from my mistakes.

Just a few weeks after starting my new resolution, while I was attentively listening to a conference call in the Bluetooth in my ear, I somehow found myself in my kitchen, still listening but looking for something to make my coffee taste a little more exciting. 

Every Wednesday morning I have a call with people who run different local ministries throughout my city and state. 
For one hour each week, current and retired doctors, business professionals, educators and more, gather by phone to give an update on their particular organization and to pray.
And boy! Can these people pray! 

On this call, I particularly love listening to Dr. David, a retired doctor who is originally from India. He is so full of love for God and love for people. Plus, there is something about his accent that makes him sound even wiser.

The morning I was distracted by my coffee, we were about 45 minutes into our call  when I got up from the couch to look for a solution to the boring coffee dilemma. I unknowingly left my phone behind because my Bluetooth was in my ear.  I tend to mute and un-mute the speaker several times throughout the call depending on what is going on around me and if I want to speak. I didn't really pay attention to the mute button when I got up and headed toward the kitchen.
When I opened the refrigerator, I saw a few flavored creamers before I noticed some thing in the back of a door shelf, near the ketchup.  It was a plastic bottle of Hershey's syrup. Yum! I didn't even know we had that. I could turn my coffee into a mocha.




I was so delighted with the thought of my delicious drink, I'm not even sure if I was listening to the call going on in my ear.

Then it happened!!!!

I flipped open the lid, turned over the bottle to squeeze the chocolate into my drink and
completely froze....
                            panicked....
            ran scenarios quickly through my mind  of how to handle my situation.
THE SYRUP BOTTLE WAS ALMOST EMPTY. So, when I squeezed it, it made a horrible sound.  A little syrup came out, but there was the loud noise of a lot of air being pushed through the little hole in the lid.
Noooooo!



    Was my phone on mute?
          Would anyone know that noise came from my phone?
              Should I blame the dog? Try to explain?
                      Sneak off the call, never to be heard from again?
I froze, literally holding the bottle in place, not knowing what to do.
Did the person who was praying pause longer than usual?
Did everyone just hear that noise?!!!
I touched every pocket on my clothing looking for my phone.
I tiptoed into the other room to get it. (I don't know why I tiptoed, but I did).
"Oh Please, Lord. Let my phone be on mute!"...... "Please!!!!"

This was my silent prayer that day.
Compared to the "big things" we pray about on this call, my silent plea to God may not seem important.  But at that moment, it was important to me.

As I was creeping back to the couch, I remembered my new goal and wished I had caught myself getting distracted just a few minutes earlier. 

Friend - You and I were created for a purpose.  We may get to do a lot of different things a long our journeys. But, when we are given a task, a call, or a mission, it is best to always keep that in our line of sight when we are deciding what to do.  It is just as easy to get distracted by good things (like chocolate syrup), as it is by negative things.

My prayer for us today is that
- our hearts and minds are attuned to the voice of God
AND
- we will stay focused on the good things He has called us to do.

Hopefully, we can both learn from the lesson of the chocolate syrup.
Never Forget the Truth ...
God created you for a purpose to do good things which he prepared for you in advance.


So what happened?????

Thankfully, my phone was on mute.

So, why are my friends disappointed by that?

Consider It Pure Joy .... Really?!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,"

Ummmm - What? Who thought that was a good saying?!

Maybe "pure joy" meant something different long ago when it was written.

Oh, wait. The writer was Jesus' younger brother, James.

I think it is safe to assume he may know a few things

When I hear the words to consider trials pure joy or to rejoice when things are hard, my first thought is - you don't know what I have been through. The last three years, I have hung onto a verse in Ecclesiastes 3. It says there is a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance.

It is hard to understand "consider it pure joy" when you are suffering. 

James goes on to explain that when our faith is tested, it produces endurance.  As we build endurance or perseverance, we become mature and complete, not lacking in anything.  

So, James, let me get this straight.  

If ......

My job is eliminated,

      My child makes a terrible decision,

           My medical test comes back positive,

                My bills are larger than my bank account,

Then I'm on my way to being "mature and complete"? 

Hmmm (I'm really tempted to say, "No thanks. I'm good.")

"We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials....." 

Rejoice? Seriously? 

Tolerate? Yes.   But, rejoice? 

I looked up the original Greek words in these two quotes to make sure the meaning of the statements are exactly how they sound. (From James 1:2 NIV & Romans 5:3 NIV)

"Pure Joy" = chara  - defined as cheerfulness; i.e., calm delight:- gladness; exceedingly joyful;

"Rejoice" = kauchaomai - defined as boast, glory, joy, rejoice

It looks like the definitions are exactly what I thought.

This leaves me with a conundrum.  I am not a fan of trials and tribulations.  As a matter of fact, I like to avoid them 

To be honest, boasting about a trial is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. 

Think about it. I talk to my friend and say, "Hey Friend - Wait until you hear my exciting news. My husband has been out of work for almost a year. Our insurance is no longer active. And we don't know how we are going to pay our mortgage."  

 Now it can be wonderful to see how God works things out for us when there seems to be absolutely no way.  

But still - I am not yet in the place where I boast when there is a problem. 

"The testing of your faith gives you perseverance. As this endurance develops in you, you become mature and complete, not lacking anything."  

In Romans, the Apostle Paul explains a little more about becoming "mature and complete, not lacking anything".  

He shows us - 

Trials - lead to endurance 

         Endurance makes me think of training for a marathon.

Endurance - leads to strength of character 

          Like training for a marathon, each of your body's 'systems' get stronger. 

Character - leads to confident hope. 

This confident hope is an understanding of God's immense love for us.  He gives us His Spirit, so we can truly 'get it'. 

*Understanding God's love for us IS what brings us to maturity and completion. 

Personally, I have struggled to 'get it' because I get distracted by the struggles.

I have gone through breast cancer treatment this year.  Plus, three people I love have recently moved on to heaven.  My trial right now is learning how to "do life" without my sister here.

I know God is close to the broken hearted. He comforts those who mourn.  He is with us in every trial. So, how do I reconcile my heart ache and pure joy?

I reconcile it because I KNOW God can be trusted ALWAYS.  Every trial and every pain I have endured, My Loving God has been right there helping in ways I never could have imagined.  The first thing I heard in my heart when I cried out to God about my sister’s sudden death, was "Trust Me". A peace came over me immediately. Though my heart was shattered and I did not understand, I knew, from every past experience I have had with Him, that He was right there. I would soon see His love for me demonstrated as I walked through this terrible time.

It reminds me of the story in Acts 16.  Paul and Silas were beaten, stripped, thrown into the inner cell of a prison and chained to the wall.  

What did they do in the midst of such terrible suffering?  Verse 25 says around midnight they began to pray and sing praises to God.  

What?! 

I’ll say it again. In the midst of their suffering, they KNEW God could be trusted. 

The next verse tells of an absolute miracle. “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundation of the prison was shaken. At once all of the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose” 

They were right!  God could be trusted.  He not only saved Paul and Silas from prison, but the chains of everyone near them came loose, also. 

God's ways are impossible for us to understand while we are walking here on earth.  But each time we choose to trust Him in the challenges of life, we begin to understand His love for us more and more.

It appears to me, Paul and Silas did not get chained up in prison and immediately start praising God.  I’m not sure what time they got there, but “around midnight” they began to do the best thing they could. They prayed and sang songs to God. That is what changed everything for them. 

 I believe it is “around midnight” for us. It is time to start praising God right in the middle of our struggle. 

Just like the runner sometimes experiences the trial of muscle pains or burning in the lungs, we experience our own version of pain when facing a trial.

The runner pushes through, developing mental stamina as well,  knowing it is building the endurance he or she will need to reach the 26.2 mile goal. 

That's it! 

When facing a trial, we are actually on our way to being "complete". We are in the process of learning to understand the depth of God's perfect love for us. 

YOU, My Friend, are loved by God more than you can even comprehend at this time. The things you view as your stressors, are actually stepping stones that lead you right to the place you want to be.

I encourage you to look for the ways God is showing you His personal love for you as you are facing trials of many kinds. You are his precious child.

It turns out, James was not being unreasonable by telling us to "consider it pure joy" when we are facing hard things.  He is telling us to choose how we look at it, to understand the end goal. We can choose to praise God and be thankful even when it's hard. 

The word "consider",  hegeomai in the original Greek text, does not just mean "to deem; consider; account". It also means "to lead; i.e. to command (with official authority)". 

My conclusion is we can BE THE BOSS OF OUR JOY.  

Ephesians 3:18-19 IS the goal.

"May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep the love of God is.  

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete, with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Never Forget the Truth ....... 

You are immensely loved by God.

How do we smell?

I recently received the highest compliment from this cute little 5 year old girl. When I asked her dad for permission to write about her and borrow a picture from his Facebook page, I remembered how cute she looked with her older brother on Easter.

The compliment happened one morning when I was volunteering at Vacation Bible School at my church. As I started to squat down to talk to a preschool group, this adorable girl with dark, curly hair ran up and gave me a big hug, then said, 

“Oh, you smell sooo good.” 

“Thank you! ...... I was hoping I smelled good today,” I replied.

“You smell like cupcakes,” she exclaimed. 

“I love that!....... I want to smell like cupcakes,” I told her.

She giggled then ran off to her leader who was blowing bubbles.

As I thought about her later that morning, a verse came to my mind.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 NLT

Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God . But the fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.(16) To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.  And who is adequate for such a task as this?  

Hmmm -

I wonder if Jesus smells like cupcakes.  Perhaps to a five year old, that is exactly how he smells.  

I want to be a “life giving perfume”.  But, what does that smell like?

Perhaps, it is completely different to an adult. But, if that means I smell like cupcakes to a five year old, that is exactly how I want to smell. 

God Knows Where the Lost Things Are

God knows where the lost things are.




How about your wallet, glasses, cell phone, even keys?
         Often, those things are not lost but simply misplaced when your mind is working on auto-pilot.
But God really does know where they are, even when you do not.

What about your train of thought?  I wonder what happens to my thoughts when I leave a room to grab a particular item,  but when I arrive in the new room,...…...I cannot remember what I walked in there to get. 

 For me, this happens when I have to run down to the basement.
 In my experience, I've usually just misplaced the thought.
If I retrace my steps back to the first room, it will pop back into my head.
It's kind of funny.  God knew my thought the whole time.  In Psalm 139 verse 2, it says, “God perceives your thoughts from afar”, or in my case, between the kitchen and the basement.

Recently, I could not find my favorite necklace.
I looked in the small drawer where I keep my “go-to” jewelry.  It wasn't there.
I looked in my closet where I hang all other necklaces -no luck.
I looked in the side pocket of my purse and even the change pocket of a wallet I carry sometimes. (That may sound weird. But that is where I place earring if I take them off when I am out)  - no necklace.
Finally, I looked in the box where I keep my expensive jewelry.  It wasn't there either.

Though I would not consider the necklace expensive, it has great value to me.  It is silver.  The pendant is a diamond shape with a smaller gold circle in the center. If you look at it closely, “blessed” is engraved in Hebrew above the circle and in English below it.  It is the perfect size and design to wear with most outfits both casual and professional.  But most importantly, it was a gift my sister bought me when she was in Israel.  She bought matching ones for herself and for our mother. 

I assumed it would eventually show up, as most missing things do.  I tend to casually pray in passing about things like this.  “Lord, you know where this item is. Please show me.”

 But, after 10 weeks, He still was not showing me.  I started feeling a little more concerned.
 I was missing my sister who had passed away a year earlier.
              I was a few days away from a pretty big surgery.
                                And I really wanted that necklace.
I feared I had lost it in Dallas or Houston where I had traveled a few months earlier.  My “passing prayer” turned into a very deliberate prayer.
                           “God, I know it is just a necklace. But you know how special it is
                              to me. And you know where it is.  Please bring it to me.”

By this point I really thought it must be in Texas. I think I even prayed part of Jeremiah 33:3.
                          “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and 
                             unsearchable things you do not know.” NIV
OK, I know this is talking about the deep truths of God.
 However, I had searched for that necklace and did not know where it was located.

The next morning I grabbed my hair dryer and rolling brush from the usual place, right next to the straightening iron. The cords were wrapped up together, so I looked into the small bin where I keep them. I saw something silver mixed in with the entangled cords.  As I pulled it out of the mess, I began to cry. I mean really cry. I have no idea how it got there. I had styled my hair plenty of times in the weeks the necklace was missing.   I could not even speak when I went to show my husband what I had found.
God cared about my necklace because God cares about me.





The same is true for you!

God loves you so much. 

He cares about the small things that concern you (like a necklace).

How much more does He care about your big concerns (like an upcoming surgery)? Or your marriage?  your children?  your job? or finances?
           
God cares about every detail of your life.



I know this can be hard to comprehend.  It is hard for me, too.
                     But, it is absolutely, 100 % true.

Consider Hagar, the maidservant who was forced to have a baby for Abram and Sarai in Genesis 16.  (This was before God gave them the names Abraham and Sarah).
I have to admit, there are many things about this part of the couples history that I do not like, especially when I think about the life and feelings of Hagar.
I do not blame her for running away.
 But our loving God sent an angel to prophecy to her, to encourage her and eventually, send her back. This had to be the first time this “Egyptian slave”, who no person considered important, knew the Creator of the universe, the God of Abram and Sarai, actually saw her and knew her name. The angel told her God had seen her misery.
   God cared for Hagar. For the first time in her life, she knew it.
               She called Him “the God who sees me”.

The same God sees you and those you love.
 There is not a single person who is lost from “The God Who Sees”.  Psalm 139 says He knit you together, HIMSELF, in your mother's womb.
Think about that.
    Before your mother even knew she was pregnant, God knew you and loved you.  He knew the things you would love and the things that would make you struggle.

You can never be lost from your perfect Father.
He knows you.
You are His.
Nothing can change His love for you.
Nothing can change your identity as His child once you have asked Christ to be in your life.

Nine years ago, I had great concern about my identity.
NOT my identity that is in Christ, but my identification while traveling. I lost it where the authorities told me there was no hope of getting it back.

My husband and I took a much-needed getaway to San Antonio, Texas when our kids were young.  The first full day was relaxing and fun, as we traveled down the Riverwalk by boat, then walked to the Alamo and then to the Historic Market Square.

A friend's daughter at the restaurant

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a delicious Mexican Restaurant that was decorated with so many strands of lights, it reminded me of Christmas.  My husband even paid the Mariachi band to sing to us.

It was the perfect day, until I realized I had lost my driver’s license 1,300 miles away from home.

I'm sure you can imagine the stress as we tore apart our hotel room, then retraced our steps……
                 So many steps…..
                          By then it was dark.

The next morning we had to visit a part of the city that is not included in any tourist brochures.  We waited in a line for hours at the San Antonio police station to see an officer and fill out the paperwork TSA would need at the airport.
     When I asked what would happen if someone handed in my ID, he laughed at me.  The officer actually laughed at me while I was standing right there.  Through his mocking snicker he replied, “We are in south Texas, Ma’am. With your dark hair and eyes, your license is more likely to be sold than returned.”
   
Well, then!!! Hmmph!
 I decided I would keep an eye on my credit report
               and pray if someone found my license, they would not use it for anything illegal.

I made it onto my plane without a problem.  I got a new driver's license when I got home. And basically, I forgot about my lost ID.

But God did not forget.  He holds my identity in His hand.

Seven months later, I got an odd looking envelope in the mail with yellow stickers across it. I opened the letter and there it was …….. my missing driver's license.  There was also a small note saying someone had dropped this into a mailbox in San Antonio.



God knew where my ID was the entire time.

No matter how bleak it looks, no one can steal our true identity.

You and I are children of God.

He sees you, My Friend!

I'm so sorry if you ever feel lost or far away from God.  Even when you don't feel His presence, He is still right there with you. He will show you the way to go, if you ask Him.
If you have a child or loved one who has lost his way, remember, nothing can change his identity or separate him from God’s love.  NOTHING

Romans 8:38 (NLT)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

Never Forget the Truth…..
Nothing and no one can ever be lost from “the God who sees”.