offended

Offended.

A word that my husband has vehemently banned from our household.

People seize opportunities to become offended at the drop of a hat.

Mainstream media latches onto a public figure's words and the crowd goes wild.

Rifts are formed for decades following a ruthless argument between friends or family.

Most catastrophic of all is the widespread belief that Christians are some of the most judgmental, most easily offended people.

And sadly, for some, this is true.

But this is not God's intention for us.  As Christians, we have two biblical obligations in this arena.

The first is to ensure that our speech is thoughtful, free from provocation and insult.

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, 

sweet to the soul and healing the bones." - Proverbs 15:24

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt..." - Colossians 4:6

"A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, 

but a man of understanding holds his tongue." - Proverbs 11:12

The second, and equally important, responsibility we have is to forgive one another.  We forgive, because he forgave us.  C.S. Lewis once said, "I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than him." The same applies to forgiving others.  Seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-2). Period.

"Be completely humble and gentle; 

be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:2

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. 

Forgive as the Lord forgave you." - Colossians 3:13

"A person's wisdom yields patience; 

it is to one's glory to overlook an offense." - Proverbs 19:11

That isn't to say that we should allow those we love to sin. Conversely, we are called to lovingly point each other in a Godly direction.

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, 

you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently." - Galatians 6:1

"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. 

If they listen to you, you have won them over." - Matthew 18:15

So, while we are called to make sure we are taking care with the words we speak, we are also implored to be, essentially, "unoffendable."

Our ultimate example carried his cross to Calvary with nary a word to his adversaries.  And with Christ's power in us, we can take note and rise to his standard of behavior.

Pause before speaking when someone throws a well-constructed insult or slur.

Hold your tongue when a family member casts the bait.

They may just be stressed. Or tired. Or hungry. We can all certainly relate.

when the answer is no

When one season of waiting for deliverance rolls into another without relief.

When, even though you believed the best, the diagnosis is dismal.

When you've been rejected for something - or by someone - again.

Heartache on this earth is real.  It's raw, with jagged edges that cut. It's often ugly and wildly unpredictable.  It's not tied up with a neat little bow as in a work of fiction.

And sometimes, it's the last story we'll be a part of on this side of eternity.

Sometimes God's answer to our prayers is, simply, no.

Many of us demand explanations. Why, Lord?

Instead of asking why, try asking him what can I learn?

Sometimes God doesn't change our situation because he's more concerned with the condition of our heart than with our circumstances. If it's going to shape us to be more like Jesus, you can be assured he'll likely allow it into your life.

Sometimes he needs us to completely abandon any semblance of control to which we're clinging.

And sometimes, he simply needs us to know that this earth is not our home.  

We yearn to be fulfilled by the things of this world, while it just wasn't designed to be so.  

He is the answer. The only answer.

Don't throw in the towel yet. Continue to lean into him.  

If the only answer you're getting is no, it's for a good reason.  Perhaps it's simply, not yet.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though inwardly we are wasting away, 

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." - 2 Corinthians 4:16

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, 

for my power is made perfect in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

tightrope

I am WILDLY afraid of heights.

"Get me down off the second-to-top rung of this ladder STAT" -type scared of heights.

So when I ponder the things that cause me the most fear and anxiety, that's definitely near the top of my list.

My husband and I took a day trip to Seattle in August of 2017 and naturally felt compelled to participate in touristy things. Thus, we ventured to the Space Needle and waited in line to go to the top.

If you know anything about the Space Needle's construction, (or skyscrapers in general), you probably know that it was built to be able to sway slightly with the wind for stability. (I don't understand the physics of this, but I trust that the architects who do, know what they're doing).

You may also conjecture, then, that as we made the painfully slow climb to the top in a swaying elevator, I clung to my husband for dear life, unable to look out the window to the sights below us. When we reached the top, I oh-so-gingerly stepped out and clung to the innermost walls of its summit so as not to plunge to my death. Eventually, reason took over, and surmising that stepping out onto the observation deck would not be my downfall, I did so with great trepidation. I knew it was perhaps the opportunity of a lifetime.

As current events rage around us, panic and fear have been at the forefront of many of our minds.

Will we have enough supplies to last? 

What will happen to my job? 

Will we stay healthy? 

How will we pay our bills?

Imagine you're walking on a verrrrry high tightrope. (I watched The Greatest Showman the other night, which may or may not have been partially responsible for this metaphor.) You're not walking it alone, though. The Lord is ahead of you, facing in your direction, with your hands clasped in his so that he can guide you to safety. Any glance downward can cost you your balance; it's best not to look to the right or left for the same reason. Therefore, you must keep your eyes on the Lord, walking the rope one step at a time to ensure safe travel to the other side.

This is the reality of our existence. It's easy to let fear overrun our thoughts during such an uncertain time as this. We take our eyes off of our God, focusing on the difficulties around us, and we begin to lose footing.

That distraction to the right of us, which is financial worry? Fixating on it will cause us to wobble.

The uncertain diagnosis to the left of us - sure to cause panic.

The noise of worldly evils below us will most certainly lead to distraction.

When we fix our eyes, though, on the Lord, guiding us with gentleness and patience toward the finish line, our breath slows, our hearts cease to race, and we walk with steadier steps.

We know that we aren't in it alone, and we don't have to be in control.  We only have to place our trust in the one who is. Your trust in him will help lead you to the other side.

Fix your eyes on the Lord - on your prayer life, on his word, on his promises, and on his faithfulness. Refuse to look in any other direction but his.

He knows the way, and he will not let you fall.

Seeds

I am NOT a natural evangelist.

I can testify on social media with the fiercest of them, but when it comes to sharing the gospel in person, you will see me visibly shaking in my boots.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to tell someone about the ashes on my forehead.

As I walked the aisles of the grocery store for essentials after Ash Wednesday mass, I was approached by a male employee who had seen several people with the ash cross on their foreheads and didn't know what it meant.

So, I mustered up what courage I had and proceeded to tell him about the humble and penitential nature of the ashes, and the season of Lent that precedes Easter.

I then went on my way, contemplating if I could have said anything differently or additionally. Once I rounded the corner of the next aisle, I heard him casually talking to his coworkers about it.

While I'm fairly certain that had I expanded and tried to evangelize further it would've fallen on spiritually deaf ears, my hope is that a seed was planted.

He isn't likely to be converted by our meager little exchange, but if it spurs his curiosity, ignites a small spark, or gets his wheels turning, then I've done what we've been called to do.

Every opportunity we seize to teach or share the love of Christ with others has the potential to be the stuff of miracles in the hands of the Father. We can't force others to embrace faith, but we can always, always, ALWAYS plant the seed.

God can take the most humble of mustard seeds and turn into something abundantly and exceedingly more than we could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

So I will move forward and pray for that man. Pray that my words would bear fruit. Pray that his curiosity and willingness to ask a simple question would lead to a lifetime of passionate pursuit of Christ.

"Keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." - Ephesians 1:17-19

stones

I walked into my bible study today, frustrated and slightly embittered. Little mishaps had gotten to me, and my attitude definitely did not belong in church.  

After we opened with prayer and worship music, the first weekly speaker went through her dissection of John 7. 

Then came John 8.

John 8:1-11 reads:

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

When the speaker discussing John 8 came up, she shared this video with us.  It involves a would-be dialogue between Jesus and the adulteress.  

If you hate your sin, this video is for you.

If you hate what your sin did to Jesus, this is for you.

If you hate who you used to be, this is for you.

If you believe in Jesus and his death and resurrection, this is for you.

If you cling to hope because of Jesus, this is for you.

If you believe you're immune to sin and that by general standards, you're doing alright, we might need to talk.  But this is for you, too.

The truth is, so many of us carry our sin around with us daily.  We serve it like a prison sentence.  Or worse, we're too afraid of the ramifications to confess it.  Yes, we ought to hate our sin.  Despise it. LOATHE IT.  But to stuff our sin and shame into a backpack for us to shoulder is to say that Jesus' sacrifice wasn't enough.  That it was all in vain. That it doesn't hold enough power to clear your name. If I'm knocking on your door at all, I hate to tell you, but you have sorely underestimated the God that we serve.

Now, to be honest, the video I'm about to share with you may not affect you the way it did me.  Had I been alone at home, an ugly, ugly cry would have erupted.  As it was, I merely had to wipe away a couple of tears.  You've been warned - if you're a crier, grab a tissue.

home

Like the warmth of the sun after a particularly bitter winter.

Like the morning's first warm sip of coffee from your favorite mug.

Like your love's embrace after a lengthy absence.

That's how good it feels to be back.

For the longest time, I was uninspired to write, so I didn't.

But I realized that when I sit down to actually do it, the ideas usually come.

It's the sitting down to the unknown that's the problem.

For the longest time now, I've been at a fork in the road.

Which talent do I use to serve others?

Should I write the blog?

And because my background is in interior design, I've always wondered if I should go down THAT road.

And then there's graphic design.  While I'm not trained professionally in it, it's something that's incredibly fulfilling to me.

So what's a stay-at-home mom to do?

I finally realized that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing deal.

So I'm taking a new direction.

While most of my posts will be to point to Jesus, I want to share with you the other aspects of life that "spark joy."

Enter a lifestyle blog.

If even all my writing is in vain, it's an outlet I have found I'm a fool to neglect.

It's good to be back.

reckless abandon

Remember the trust exercise that was inevitable at camp during childhood? You'd turn your back to your partner, put your arms across your chest, close your eyes, and fall backward, trusting that your partner's arms would be there to catch you.  Interestingly, even the troublemakers in the group would follow through and support their partner's weight.  

Most unfortunately, adulthood isn't so simple.

There are situations outside of our control.  There are people around us whose behavior we cannot change.  Some trials in our lives will feel, and even be, insurmountable.  We have a limited ability to control and manipulate what goes on around us.

The first of the 12 Steps of Recovery reads: "We admitted we are powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable."

Getting right to the crux of it.  

Powerlessness.  We, as humans, are relatively powerless.  

When we confess to the Lord that we, indeed, are powerless, that's when he rolls up his sleeves and the real work begins.

Humbling ourselves before the Lord allows him to not only work in our circumstances, but allows him to work on our hearts in the process.  The Lord is far more concerned with the condition of our hearts than with our circumstances.  He knows that if we are not amenable to being shaped and molded, no real growth and change will come.  He allows things into our lives to ensure that we are wholly dependent upon him.  When we are humbled enough to accept that we can't go it alone, he's right there with us, ensuring we can stand up and face whatever lies ahead or whatever past monster lurks behind us.

When I picture what surrender to God looks like, I picture someone at the edge of a vast cliff, overlooking rough waters.  Without any concern for what lies below, they spread their arms wide, close their eyes, and allow themselves to free fall.  They trust that, upon landing, they will be safe and secure.

Surrender each worry, each fear, each past hurt, to the waters below.  Lighten your load until it's nothing but you, standing at the edge of the rock.

Give in, open your arms, and trust that the Lord is waiting to catch you.