"Be Aware, Not Afraid."

Max Lucado. Have you gotten to know him? If not, you should. He has written so many wonderful books! I am reading one of my favorites again: When Christ Comes.

In a recent chapter, Max reminds us that the devil is mad. In fact, he is pissed! He has a short window to cause as much destruction as he possibly can. You can bet he is working around the clock.

But the reason he's mad is the awesome thing! He may talk big and tempt hard, but he is hurling everything he's got at us right now....because right now is all he has. The battle has been won and he knows he lost.

Furthermore, Satan does nothing without God's permission. How does that work? The horrible, gut-wrenching effects of Satan's work are constantly transformed into events that further the Kingdom of God. How's that for power?!?

To illustrate this, Max points out a situation where a young girl who endured a terribly traumatic event that inspired her to help others with similar troubles. These are things that Satan begins....but the STILL become the work of God.

I can't remember where I first heard it, but someone once told me that if you feel Satan trying to bring you down, you should take it as a compliment. He will work the hardest on those of us who are striving to be more Christlike.

Since then, I try to stop when I feel chaos around me and think..."ok, this is good. help me God. I want to do this for you. please help me." Instantly I feel relief and it's easier for me to resume whatever journey I may be on.

So the next time we feel tempted, tested, or tried. Let's remember that no matter what Satan may be trying to do in our lives - - - it can also be used to bring Glory to God! "Be aware, not afraid [because the battle has already been won]." (Max Lucado)

Normal

Today was a normal day. And you know what? Normal is wonderful! We all have times we can only wish things were normal. When our whole world seems to be caving in on us we pray for normal. But how often are we truly thankful for a plain jane normal day?

I remember praying for normal. When Mom was told she needed quadruple by-pass. I prayed for normal that day. I got on the road and prayed for normal the 4 1/2 hours home. I remember recently when she had another heart cath. We prayed for normal in the waiting room.


I remember praying for normal. I remember when Dad was stuck in Iran. When we didn't know if he was ok. We didn't know how to get him home. I prayed for normal then. I remember hearing his voice for the first time and wondering if he was really ok or was he just calming us? I prayed for normal then. I remember the plane and the layovers and the struggle to get back with him. Wondering, waiting, overjoyed when I saw Mom and Allan in Germany because they were so happy. I prayed for normal then.

And now both Mom and Dad are ok. Mom and I still talk too loud and too much. She takes care of our whole family. We are blessed that we get to hear Dad's voice every day and he is so happy. God has worked so many miracles in our lives on days we were praying for normal.

So on days like today, when we may feel blah...When nothing in particular stands out, when the world is moving, the time is passing, but its plain jane and vanilla...Do we remember all the times we prayed for this very day? Yes, normal is wonderful. Thank you God for normal!

Are you Wise?

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
- Psalm 90:12

Who doesn't want to gain a heart of wisdom? If you're anything like me, you are drawn to those who are wise. There is something alluring about one who seems to know so much about so many things.

Strangely enough, we don't spend time gaining the wisdom that is readily available to us. The guy who cut us off in traffic distracts us, the hectic work day or day with the kids distracts us, dinner and cleaning distract us....

Yes, our world is filled with distractions. Some necessary, some not so. The question becomes: with all the distractions and demands of our crazy lives, how do we - on top of it all - gain wisdom?

We pray. We use the verse from Psalm 90:12 and pray exactly that. Because there is no wisdom on this Earth that can measure up to that of our Heavenly Father. The knowledge he can impart on us beats anything from any textbook or lecture.

You want true transcendence? Pray to God for Wisdom. Simple as that.

Humbling

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." - - 1 Peter 5:6

To Humble = to lower oneself; to do something one considers to be beneath one's dignity (courtesy of Wiktionary)

So, how can we strive to humble ourselves? I guess we should first ask ourselves what we consider beneath our dignity? Better yet - let's look at Jesus humbling actions.

- He washed the desciples feet and wiped them with his towel. (He didn't think an act of kindness and caring was beneath him.)
- He took water from the Samaritan woman at the well even though other Jews saw her as beneath them. (Perfect example to show us not to do as others do.)
- He stayed at Zacchaeus' house even though the people of Jericho talked about him staying at the house of a sinner. (But He did this, even though He was free of sin.)


But the single greatest humbling event was when Jesus went to the cross for us. He hadn't sinned. He faced every temptation you and I do and yet He remained pure. But instead of making us suffer for our own decisions, He loved us so much He died for us.

He humbled himself before his Father, took every bit of our sins upon himself and suffered on the cross so that we might experience eternity with Him in Heaven! Scripture tells us that he was afraid to go and we can't even imagine the pain he was in.

But did he seem angry? Resentful toward us? Did he lash out at others like we do when we feel hurt? No. Despite the terror he endured he called out to His Father, "Yet not my will, but Yours be done."

Wow - Let's try that humbling thing again.

Postage

So a couple of things about postage have popped up this week. Random....yes. But let me share!

1st of all - Rumor is that there will be a No Ruz stamp this year. For those who don't know, No Ruz is the Persian new year and these stamps will be a tribute to that celebration. So go get some cool stamps to send letters to your friends - - or your bills (but that's no fun to talk about).

And....my quote today. Very fitting in a lot of situations.
"Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there"
- Chris Billings
This fits in so many situations I can think of off the top of my head. And, it should be comforting for women like me (hello Mom and Amy - I'm talking to you here)! We are completely wrapped up in 20 tasks at any given point in the day that we don't take a deep breath until we get ready for bed.

Hello! And we wonder why we are crazy and always lose our trains?????? You know what I'm talking about!

Too Long!

OK people. I admit. It's been too long since I posted here, but things have been a bit busy. Thankfully everything has calmed down now and once again there is a sense of normalcy in my life.

WWOOOOHOOOO!

That's exciting! I checked out my first library book in a LONG time yesterday! Already loving it!!! It's been so long since I've had a book to read solely for enjoyment! (Shout out to Mom who reads for enjoyment A LOT - even if your books are weird!!)

Also, much to my chagrin, I finally joined FB. Yes, count me in with the millions of people finding long lost friends, classmates, and family members! But it is pretty cool I have to say. I get to talk to my brother and my brother-in-law more than I could otherwise, so that's good enough for me!

It's been beautful here the last few days, so we have been enjoying that and definitely enjoying the gym once again. Life is wonderful right now! We are so blessed.

I get daily Bible Verses through e-mail that I will try to post daily and keep up with blogging more frequently.

Until next time....