I know that I've heard it said that "God is good all the time and all the time God is good." It is great to be reminded of this truth - but sometimes when I hear it, it sounds more like "God is not a big meanie, I need to convince myself that He is an OK guy." I think that we've been so brainwashed to believe that God is out to bonk us on the head whenever he catches us doing something wrong, that we have to convince ourselves that he is actually nice and that he wants to help us.
I don't know about you, but I want to go far beyond saying that He is just good. When I hear that phrase I want to jump up and down and shout God is awesome! He is unbelievable! He has great things in store for my life - beyond anything that I can even imagine! I want to let people know that He is not just a "nice guy" - He is God above all Gods and Lord above all Lords and He is able to bless our socks off, if we trust Him with our lives. He is definitely not a big meanie and He is more than OK. He is good. He is so so good. He is far above and beyond good though - words can't even begin to describe how wonderful He is.
So the next time you hear that God is good - believe that He is, but also believe that He is not just good - He is Incredible, Awesome, Perfect, Powerful, All-Knowing, All-loving, All-sufficient, Unbelievable, Wonderful, Terrific, Extraordinary, Fantastic, Invincible and so SO MUCH MORE.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Beautiful Sunset
We were just out for a drive tonight and I was surprised and delighted by the beautiful sunset. The colors were so vibrant. The pinks were beyond pink and the purples were beyond purple. As we were driving we would lose sight of it for a minute or two and each time I caught sight of it again, it was even more beautiful than what I had remembered. At one point it was directly in front of us and it seemed that if we drove straight ahead, we would actually drive right into it. Wouldn't that be wonderful to actually be surrounded by the sunset - to spin in circles and all around you were the beautiful colors and rays of the setting sun. I could only imagine that kind of experience. I wonder if it will be like that in heaven - surrounded by beauty and vibrant colors and warmth and love.
Friday, February 18, 2011
It's magically delicious!
Frosted Lucky Charms - They're magically delicious.
Frosted Flakes - They're great!
Snap, Crackle, Pop - Rice Krispies.
Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids!
Can you tell I just served breakfast to my children? It amazes me that these cereal commercial phrases are forever etched in my mind. I didn't take the class Cereal Advertisements 101 or Commercialism and the Modern Child or How to Memorize Catch Phrases. I put absolutely no effort into memorizing any of these verbal jingles - but they are embedded in my brain as if I had studied them my whole life. It probably helps that every Saturday morning as I watched the Smurfs and Scooby-Doo Mysteries that they played these commercials constantly. It probably helps that they put most of them to music. It probably helps that I was a young child when I saw them.
They say that when you memorize something as a child, you remember it much better than if you memorize it as an adult. I believe that is true because most of the things I memorized as a child I can still remember, while things that I memorized last year or last month I've already forgotten. The things that we believed as children are easier to remember too. No matter how illogical or wrong they were - it is harder to shake the belief, even as an adult. For instance - are Frosted Lucky Charms really magically delicious? I'm pretty sure they're not - but it still feels true to me. When I see a box of them on the shelf at the grocery store - I am drawn to them (almost magically:) When I pour them in a bowl and start to eat them, I immediately think "these tasted much better when I was kid" and I vow not to purchase them again. Yet, they still find their way into my grocery cart on subsequent shopping trips. It's strange.
I think that when we were children life was more magical and we were more trusting, so we accepted things whether they were true or not. Things tasted good to us because we believed they would and so they did. We were innocent and our minds were like a blank page to be written on. As we grew older, we became more skeptical. We began to see things as they really were - not what others told us they were. We got disappointed. Santa Clause isn't real? I can't fly like Superman? This cereal tastes horrible! People were unkind to us. Life wasn't turning out like in the movies - happily ever after. Our innocence and dreams were being taken away by the harsh realities of life. We had to grow up and leave all of that magic behind.
I don't think it has to stay that way though. As an adult, it has been my goal to re-capture some of that magic. To believe in the possibility of things that aren't logical and to dream again of fairy tales and happily ever after. I know that Lucky Charms aren't really magical and I'm OK with that. I've learned that it's OK to be disappointed, but it's not OK to always be skeptical. I've learned that people aren't perfect, but I've also learned that I don't have to be perfect either. I've learned that there is a lot of loss in life, but I've learned to open up my heart anyway. I've learned that life is both good and hard, both wonderful and sad and that if we really learn to embrace it, I would even dare to say it can be magically delicious.
Frosted Flakes - They're great!
Snap, Crackle, Pop - Rice Krispies.
Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids!
Can you tell I just served breakfast to my children? It amazes me that these cereal commercial phrases are forever etched in my mind. I didn't take the class Cereal Advertisements 101 or Commercialism and the Modern Child or How to Memorize Catch Phrases. I put absolutely no effort into memorizing any of these verbal jingles - but they are embedded in my brain as if I had studied them my whole life. It probably helps that every Saturday morning as I watched the Smurfs and Scooby-Doo Mysteries that they played these commercials constantly. It probably helps that they put most of them to music. It probably helps that I was a young child when I saw them.
They say that when you memorize something as a child, you remember it much better than if you memorize it as an adult. I believe that is true because most of the things I memorized as a child I can still remember, while things that I memorized last year or last month I've already forgotten. The things that we believed as children are easier to remember too. No matter how illogical or wrong they were - it is harder to shake the belief, even as an adult. For instance - are Frosted Lucky Charms really magically delicious? I'm pretty sure they're not - but it still feels true to me. When I see a box of them on the shelf at the grocery store - I am drawn to them (almost magically:) When I pour them in a bowl and start to eat them, I immediately think "these tasted much better when I was kid" and I vow not to purchase them again. Yet, they still find their way into my grocery cart on subsequent shopping trips. It's strange.
I think that when we were children life was more magical and we were more trusting, so we accepted things whether they were true or not. Things tasted good to us because we believed they would and so they did. We were innocent and our minds were like a blank page to be written on. As we grew older, we became more skeptical. We began to see things as they really were - not what others told us they were. We got disappointed. Santa Clause isn't real? I can't fly like Superman? This cereal tastes horrible! People were unkind to us. Life wasn't turning out like in the movies - happily ever after. Our innocence and dreams were being taken away by the harsh realities of life. We had to grow up and leave all of that magic behind.
I don't think it has to stay that way though. As an adult, it has been my goal to re-capture some of that magic. To believe in the possibility of things that aren't logical and to dream again of fairy tales and happily ever after. I know that Lucky Charms aren't really magical and I'm OK with that. I've learned that it's OK to be disappointed, but it's not OK to always be skeptical. I've learned that people aren't perfect, but I've also learned that I don't have to be perfect either. I've learned that there is a lot of loss in life, but I've learned to open up my heart anyway. I've learned that life is both good and hard, both wonderful and sad and that if we really learn to embrace it, I would even dare to say it can be magically delicious.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
What are the chances?
My husband found a lottery ticket yesterday for the big jackpot - which was up to $101 million. Someone spent $5 for 5 chances to win the lottery & then lost the ticket. I just went online to check the numbers (just in case) and found that not one single number matched from yesterday's drawing - out of 25 numbers, not one single number matched. What are the chances of that? I know someone can actually figure out the chances and give me some stats, but I'm not interested in stats. Since I never play the lottery (because I know instinctively that the chances are low to ever win any substantial amount of money) I would have guessed that the chances were high to at least have one of the numbers match, but I was wrong.
Isn't life like that sometimes too? We have a situation come up and we treat it kind of like the lottery. We'll try to figure out some solutions to the problem and just guess that because we tried - it will somehow work out. I took my sick child to the doctor yesterday and I guessed that she was sick enough to be prescribed an antibiotic. She would take it and get better - problem solved. Lottery won. I was wrong. No antibiotic - just go home, take some medicine & see what happens. Lottery Lost. She's still sick today and I'm not sure what to do now. Ride it out or call the doctor again? I feel like I should flip a coin to figure it out. That would at least give me a 50% chance of getting it right.
So how do we know what to do? There is no manual that I can flip through to figure it out. That would be nice. I'd flip to February 17, 2011 and look under Sarah's name and there it says - "today Sarah is sick, she needs antibiotics, call the doctor & he will call in a prescription for you." Wonderful - I'll do that. Lottery won! Too bad - I lost that manual (have you seen it anywhere?) So I'm left to make a decision with just my mother's intuition (which I would say has about a 60% chance of being right.)
I'm glad that I've learned that life is not a lottery & that I have a source to go to for answers and direction. I can pray and ask God for direction & wisdom. I don't just have to guess & wonder about the situations in my life. My favorite verse is Prov. 3:5&6 - "Trust in God with all your heart and do not depend on your own logic. When you need to know the way, ask Him and He will direct you." (This is in my own words) So instead of playing the lottery with my life - I go to the source of life, God himself, and ask Him to help me. Sometimes it takes longer than I'd like to get the directions, but He has never failed me yet. So, what are the chances that God will come through for me? 100% - I like those odds! :)
Isn't life like that sometimes too? We have a situation come up and we treat it kind of like the lottery. We'll try to figure out some solutions to the problem and just guess that because we tried - it will somehow work out. I took my sick child to the doctor yesterday and I guessed that she was sick enough to be prescribed an antibiotic. She would take it and get better - problem solved. Lottery won. I was wrong. No antibiotic - just go home, take some medicine & see what happens. Lottery Lost. She's still sick today and I'm not sure what to do now. Ride it out or call the doctor again? I feel like I should flip a coin to figure it out. That would at least give me a 50% chance of getting it right.
So how do we know what to do? There is no manual that I can flip through to figure it out. That would be nice. I'd flip to February 17, 2011 and look under Sarah's name and there it says - "today Sarah is sick, she needs antibiotics, call the doctor & he will call in a prescription for you." Wonderful - I'll do that. Lottery won! Too bad - I lost that manual (have you seen it anywhere?) So I'm left to make a decision with just my mother's intuition (which I would say has about a 60% chance of being right.)
I'm glad that I've learned that life is not a lottery & that I have a source to go to for answers and direction. I can pray and ask God for direction & wisdom. I don't just have to guess & wonder about the situations in my life. My favorite verse is Prov. 3:5&6 - "Trust in God with all your heart and do not depend on your own logic. When you need to know the way, ask Him and He will direct you." (This is in my own words) So instead of playing the lottery with my life - I go to the source of life, God himself, and ask Him to help me. Sometimes it takes longer than I'd like to get the directions, but He has never failed me yet. So, what are the chances that God will come through for me? 100% - I like those odds! :)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Did you ever wonder why?
I didn't exactly have a perfect life. I saw, heard & experienced a lot of pretty horrible things in my life. When I was married I parted company with my parents because I needed to in order to survive. I lived with guilt over that for many years, but as I look back now I can see that it was the right choice even though many people didn't agree with it. I wonder why though - why did it have to be that way?
As a mother I have no mother to call to ask advice from or a grandfather for my son to spend time with. I feel very alone in many of the major issues of life & I can't help but wonder why? I know it sounds like I might be having a pity-party and maybe I am a little bit, but that's not really what's going on. I just struggle with why? Why didn't God put me in a different family? Why don't I have a better foundation for my own family? Why does it seem like I'm always swimming up-stream? Why does it seem like I'm fighting for my very life some days? I wish it could be easier, nicer, better - and so I wonder why it isn't.
Don't get me wrong. I have wonderful days too - days when I see the good things in my life - my husband, my kids, our home, my friends, God's grace in my life. I love those days. I wish for each day to be one of those days, but they aren't. Why is that?
Well, I think I've come up with some answers to my whys. I know that this is not a perfect world (duh!) and that there is a lot of dysfunction everywhere - not just in my life. I know that I contribute to my own issues because of my stubbornness, my unwillingness to change my bad patterns. I know that life isn't really supposed to be easy - it's supposed to challenge us, grow us & stretch us. I know that life is only a small part of our existence - the Bible calls it a vapor (a bit of steam that you see for one second & it's gone the next.)
When I really come down to the answer for my whys, it comes down to this: God wants to be for me everything that I need. If I need a father - He wants to be that for me. If I need a friend - He wants to be that for me. If I need advice - He wants to counsel me. If I need a shoulder to cry on - He wants to comfort me. If I need strength to make it through the day - He wants to provide that for me. If I need a break - He wants to give me rest. A favorite verse of mine from the Bible is found in Matthew and it says - "Come unto me all you who are weary and weighed down and I will give you rest." So, whenever the whys start to overwhelm me and weigh me down - I know where to go to find wisdom and comfort. He doesn't always answer my whys - but He always gives me rest.
As a mother I have no mother to call to ask advice from or a grandfather for my son to spend time with. I feel very alone in many of the major issues of life & I can't help but wonder why? I know it sounds like I might be having a pity-party and maybe I am a little bit, but that's not really what's going on. I just struggle with why? Why didn't God put me in a different family? Why don't I have a better foundation for my own family? Why does it seem like I'm always swimming up-stream? Why does it seem like I'm fighting for my very life some days? I wish it could be easier, nicer, better - and so I wonder why it isn't.
Don't get me wrong. I have wonderful days too - days when I see the good things in my life - my husband, my kids, our home, my friends, God's grace in my life. I love those days. I wish for each day to be one of those days, but they aren't. Why is that?
Well, I think I've come up with some answers to my whys. I know that this is not a perfect world (duh!) and that there is a lot of dysfunction everywhere - not just in my life. I know that I contribute to my own issues because of my stubbornness, my unwillingness to change my bad patterns. I know that life isn't really supposed to be easy - it's supposed to challenge us, grow us & stretch us. I know that life is only a small part of our existence - the Bible calls it a vapor (a bit of steam that you see for one second & it's gone the next.)
When I really come down to the answer for my whys, it comes down to this: God wants to be for me everything that I need. If I need a father - He wants to be that for me. If I need a friend - He wants to be that for me. If I need advice - He wants to counsel me. If I need a shoulder to cry on - He wants to comfort me. If I need strength to make it through the day - He wants to provide that for me. If I need a break - He wants to give me rest. A favorite verse of mine from the Bible is found in Matthew and it says - "Come unto me all you who are weary and weighed down and I will give you rest." So, whenever the whys start to overwhelm me and weigh me down - I know where to go to find wisdom and comfort. He doesn't always answer my whys - but He always gives me rest.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sometimes it's hard
Sometimes it's hard to put on a smile
Sometimes it's hard to just rest for awhile
Sometimes life hits you square between the eyes
Sometimes you just have to let out a sigh
Sometimes you've done the best you can
Sometimes you don't feel like you can do this again
Sometimes it seems like you're in this alone
Sometimes it seems like hope is all gone
Sometimes the only thing left is the end
Sometimes you just need a hug from a friend
Sometimes you wish the joy would return
Sometimes you feel like you're going to crash and burn
Sometimes it isn't what you had wished for
Sometimes you have to just be poor
Sometimes you have to let be what will be
Sometimes you have to have eyes that see
Sometimes life isn't what it appears
Sometimes we need to look beyond our fears
Sometimes we need to hold on to hope
Sometimes we have to learn how to cope
Sometimes the dark is just before the dawn
Sometimes we need to not be a pawn
Sometimes we have to learn how to fight
Sometimes we have to reach for the light
Sometimes it's hard to just rest for awhile
Sometimes life hits you square between the eyes
Sometimes you just have to let out a sigh
Sometimes you've done the best you can
Sometimes you don't feel like you can do this again
Sometimes it seems like you're in this alone
Sometimes it seems like hope is all gone
Sometimes the only thing left is the end
Sometimes you just need a hug from a friend
Sometimes you wish the joy would return
Sometimes you feel like you're going to crash and burn
Sometimes it isn't what you had wished for
Sometimes you have to just be poor
Sometimes you have to let be what will be
Sometimes you have to have eyes that see
Sometimes life isn't what it appears
Sometimes we need to look beyond our fears
Sometimes we need to hold on to hope
Sometimes we have to learn how to cope
Sometimes the dark is just before the dawn
Sometimes we need to not be a pawn
Sometimes we have to learn how to fight
Sometimes we have to reach for the light
Monday, February 14, 2011
Love never fails
It's Valentine's Day - so of course the topic is on Love. I am a happily married 41 year old woman with 3 children & a great husband. I often wonder why my heart still beats faster when I watch a great romantic movie - after all, once you catch your man, aren't you forever satisfied? I am living proof that we still yearn for something more. That romantic part of us, that will not be quieted, is never fully satisfied for some reason. I've tried to ignore it - but it doesn't go away. I've tried to shame it - but it only makes it worse. I've tried to reason with it - but romance is not logical. My heart simply wants romance. My heart starts to shrivel if that need isn't met.
One of my favorite author's is John Eldredge. One of his books that he co-wrote with a friend is called the Sacred Romance. I was amazed at what that book showed me about how this world works and especially about how my heart works. I never considered romance an essential part of life. It was always just a luxury to me - if everything else is taken care of (which, of course, never happens) then we can lavish some time on romance. Never would I have considered that every morning when we wake up, our first thought should be about romance. Maybe that is why God made such beautiful sunrises - to romance us. Maybe that's why He made butterflies & eagles - to remind us that He loves to fill our days with beauty. What an amazing thought.
I used to think God was a pretty tough guy - never smiling, always waiting for me to make a mistake so He could point it out and make me feel bad. I wish someone had told me earlier how awesome & powerful & romantic & beautiful He really is. I used to be afraid of Him, now I'm just in awe of Him. He is love - perfect love. Everything that love should be, He is & more. I never have to worry if He loves me because He always does - on my good days & on my horrible days and every day in between.
So on Valentine's Day, I am going to focus on romance. I'm going to look for beauty all around me today & try to share a little of my own. I'm going to remember that I am loved lavishly by the creator of the universe (and my creator) and that He is in the business of romancing me with sunrises (which I caught a glimpse of today), laughter and love.
For your Valentine's Day I wish you a day filled with romance & beauty. I wish you love because . . . Love never fails.
One of my favorite author's is John Eldredge. One of his books that he co-wrote with a friend is called the Sacred Romance. I was amazed at what that book showed me about how this world works and especially about how my heart works. I never considered romance an essential part of life. It was always just a luxury to me - if everything else is taken care of (which, of course, never happens) then we can lavish some time on romance. Never would I have considered that every morning when we wake up, our first thought should be about romance. Maybe that is why God made such beautiful sunrises - to romance us. Maybe that's why He made butterflies & eagles - to remind us that He loves to fill our days with beauty. What an amazing thought.
I used to think God was a pretty tough guy - never smiling, always waiting for me to make a mistake so He could point it out and make me feel bad. I wish someone had told me earlier how awesome & powerful & romantic & beautiful He really is. I used to be afraid of Him, now I'm just in awe of Him. He is love - perfect love. Everything that love should be, He is & more. I never have to worry if He loves me because He always does - on my good days & on my horrible days and every day in between.
So on Valentine's Day, I am going to focus on romance. I'm going to look for beauty all around me today & try to share a little of my own. I'm going to remember that I am loved lavishly by the creator of the universe (and my creator) and that He is in the business of romancing me with sunrises (which I caught a glimpse of today), laughter and love.
For your Valentine's Day I wish you a day filled with romance & beauty. I wish you love because . . . Love never fails.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Have you ever been led to do something that was seemingly insignificant, but it felt very important to you? I did – I decided to use my writing ability to start a blog. I don’t even like the word blog – it is very un-inspiring and non-descript, but I like the concept of writing something down that others may read and be encouraged by or that may make them think in a different way than they have before.
I love to think and ponder the bigger things in life. I wonder about God – who He is, what He spends His time doing, how I can get to know Him when I can’t even see or touch Him. I wonder about my life – why I am here, why I always feel the need to be perfect, how to experience life in all it’s fullness. I know that I’ve been given pat answers to all of these questions at some point in my life, but I’m not interested in the pat answers – I want to really understand things in a deep & rich way. In ways that are unshakeable & real. I’m not afraid of hard answers – as long as they are true.
So, as I “blog” you may not relate if you are more of a pat-answer kind of person. If you are like me, though, and like to ponder the whys of life, then you may enjoy reading along as I trudge through the deeper questions that I struggle with and some of the surprising answers that I’ve come to learn. Know that I am a Christian – not a hard-nosed religious sort, but a follower of Christ who tries to live life according to what He is teaching me along the way – and that is the lens that I see life through. Know that I am not perfect (much to my dismay) and may write things that you disagree with. Know that I would love to hear any comments or additions to my writings as long as you are kindJ Enjoy reading. . . .
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