Since moving we’ve had several conversations about friends. Did you make new friends? What’s your new friend like? Did you talk to your old friends? What are they doing? Etc. Etc. Etc.
All this friend talk got me thinking about how lucky I am in the friend department. It’s been a reminder of how God has placed the perfect people in my life that just get me.
Y’all, my friends know that I don’t need to be invited. Honestly, if they do invite me I’m gonna say no so I can stay home curled up on the couch watching HGTV. That’s just me.
What this girl needs in a friend – I need a prayer partner. I need someone that willingly takes my burdens and slings them on their back to lighten my load. After all, 2 are better than 1.
I don’t need to be invited to places. I just need to be able to invite you into my heart.
Ladies, I hope you have friends like that. People pray for God to send their kids the right spouse – and no doubt I’m doing that. But I’m also praying for God to send my kids prayer-slinging, Bible-carrying, verse-slaying, secret-keeping, truth-giving, filled by the Holy Ghost friends.
It’s important.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ephesians 4:9-10
This past weekend I found myself in a much bigger city, in a much bigger mall than little ol’ Beaumont, Tx. Talk about a fish out of water.
As we shopped for new shoes for Maggie, I was saddened by the clothes all around me. I was saddened by the music blaring through the stores and the words people were flippantly speaking. I was saddened by the signage that adorned the walls. And I was really sad that my daughter had to see and hear it all as well.
I wanted to jump ship. I felt out of place, and I felt defeated as a Christian.
Then God got me. He said, “Snap yourself out of it, girl. Don’t forget who wins.”
God wins. Even though I felt defeated, He will not be defeated.
Sin surrounds us. My goodness, even Jesus was surrounded by sin. But God is bigger than sin.
I can’t fix the whole world. But (with God) I can work on my piece of the world. I can remember who wins this world – the one who created it.
Don’t look at the now. Fix your eyes on the prize and get to work.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
BREAKING NEWS Y’ALL! Emerging research shows that people with a sense of meaning in life can be predicted to have better physical health outcomes! WHAT?! Greater meaning has apparently been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease,1 reduced risk of heart attack among individuals with coronary heart disease, reduced risk of stroke,2 and increased longevity.3 Those that call me friend have undoubtedly given me a hard time once or twice for my finatical health habits–CrossFit at 5am, food prepping my raw bell peppers over the weekend for daily lunches, and, of course, my gluten free diet. Good heavens…my brother-in-law LOVES to raz me about that one! It’s true. I like to live a healthy lifestyle to take care of the body in which my soul is housed. And, I’ve always loved sharing my passion for health and fitness with others because I want people to experience how good it feels to be healthy! But this latest research–the news that people with a sense of meaning in life could live longer, healthier lives–is something that calls for preaching! Woohoo! I can feel the Holy Spirit comin’ on y’all! Can I get an amen?! (Throws hands up in the air…)
Okay, I’m not really going to preach, but I am going to tell you why knowing my purpose in this world has brought me more joy than anything else in my life–yes, even more joy than coffee! (Yes, my friends, I just typed that out loud.) And, talking about why we’re all here doing this thing called life is something I want people to know even MORE than how to train for a marathon or how to food prep for a healthy week! You see, it’s the SOUL INSIDE the house that matters more than the house itself. Eventually, my body will get old (I’m already snap-crackle-and-popping!), and at some point it will even turn to dust. But my soul…it’s forever. But why? Why do I have a soul that will live forever? Why do I have a temporary body in this world to house this human soul? The answer is actually simpler than you think.
We have a God who created this world with His perfect plan in mind. He created the first human body and soul, and He will create the last one too. The Bible tells us that He WAS, He IS, and He IS TO COME. Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;” and, then John tells us in the first few words of his written gospel that Jesus was there with His Father…from the beginning. (Oh! How I love tying Old Testament to New and looking at God’s story as one big love letter to us!) After the creation of the world, the Bible lays out details of how God created the first human beings by breathing His very own breath into that first body housing man’s soul; and, he then describes His love for them and His sheer enjoyment of spending time with them! He treasured them as His most precious creation! All He asked was that they love Him back and enjoy His presence with them.
Well dang. Most of you know how THAT turned out. Stupid satan. I hate him. I really do, y’all. He’s such a butt. He tried to ruin Adam and Eve’s lives back then as much as he tries to ruin OUR lives now! Grrrr. God tells us through His prophet Isaiah “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Ummm. Nothing about my soul being separated from God forever seems HEALTHY to me! So what’s the prescription, doc?! Vitamin B-12? More brussel sprouts?! Well, you’ll be happy to hear that brussel sprouts have absolutely zero bearing on your salvation from eternal death. You. Are. Welcome. It’s actually SO much easier than eating stinky green vegetables! You see, God loved those first humans, our current mankind, and our future generations so much that He ALREADY had a plan in place for when we messed up! (Did you catch that…He knew we were going to mess up. He’s crafty like that.) From the beginning, God set his perfect plan in motion to save us from our own sin so that we could love Him back and enjoy his presence forever! Romans 5:8 gloriously states, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (NIV Life Application Study Bible). When WE couldn’t save ourselves from the sin…and the muck…and the filth…that we were living in, God sent His one and only Son Jesus to die in our place. And all He asks of us–to believe that He did it and love Him back with the lives that we live here in this world. THAT. That is the meaning of life–to be loved by God, and to love God back with our lives.
When someone realizes this and accepts the gift of salvation, scripture tells us that God and the angels throw a party! No, I’m serious! Look it up! It’s in the book of Luke! There’s a total rager every time ONE soul repents and accepts God’s amazing gift! Friends, living a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and daily exercise is important. (I’m not going to lie–I feel like I need to preach that too…another time, maybe? Smiles awkwardly…) But, the REAL meaning of life is so much more than taking care of the aging physical body that will eventually turn to dust…it’s nourishing the eternal soul within and coming to the realization that every gift (yes, even the gift of salvation) has been given to you for the PURPOSE of glorifying HIM, enjoying HIS presence, and loving HIM back. When we do this, the Bible tells us that WE are blessed beyond measure as WE are filled with the fruits of HIS Spirit–“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galations 5:22) Okay, go back and read that list of fruits one more time. Y’ALL! I mean, let’s be real. In today’s straight up looney-tune crazy world, that is some fruit we could all agree sounds delectable! Today, my prayer is that every reader who stumbles upon this message will hear God’s voice in ways they can understand as He calls them to fill their Spiritual diet with the fruit that leads their souls to a life in pursuit of the greatest meaning for which one could hope–to love their Creator and to be loved by Him.
Works Cited:
1 Boyle PA, Buchman AS, Barnes LL, Bennett DA. Effect of a purpose in life on risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2010;67:304–310.
2 Kim E, Sun J, Park N, Kubzansky L, Peterson C. Purpose in life and reduced risk of myocardial infarction among older US adults with coronary heart disease: A two-year follow-up. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. (2):124–133.
3 Boyle PA, Barnes LL, Buchman AS, Bennett DA. Purpose in life is associated with mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2009;71:574–579.
I don’t know all of the answers – that bothers me the most.
I mean it’s Hebrew poetry, y’all. I seriously told God that I didn’t like this study and that I wanted to quit.
Read that again.
Yup. Basically I told God that I didn’t like part of His written word. The instructions that He left me to get through this thing called life. His history. The Bible.
After moping around and feeling this way for a few weeks, I literally needed a come to Jesus meeting. I’m an educator. I know that not every lesson will be fun. In fact, life isn’t always fun. Just ask Moses or Abraham or Mary or Jesus.
God didn’t write the Bible so that Daisy Marino would be fully engaged and excited every second that I’m reading it – He wrote the Bible to teach me.
Little ol’ me.
He loves me that much. And He loves you that much.
So, I’m not giving up. I’m going to finish this study. I’m going to dig deep. And I’m going to thank God for His written word – even the parts that are hard. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to learn something new that will help me grow as a Christian.
My prayer is that the next time you or I have to do something for God that’s hard, not enjoyable, or that we just don’t understand, we would remember what and why God has done – and has so beautifully captured in His word – for us.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
It’s a phrase I’ve heard many times: suck it up, buttercup. When the going gets tough, the tough suck it up and do what needs to be done. Right?
When we are whining because we don’t want to do what needs to be done, and we are perfectly capable of doing the thing, this phrase might be appropriate. It’s cute and just pithy enough to awaken us to our own ridiculous self-pity and get ourselves moving in the right direction.
When we are exhausted, overwhelmed, or incapable of a next step for any reason, there is only so much we can do before we run out of strength and can no longer keep going on our own. If you are in that season now, or have ever been, let me just remind you of what God has to say about it.
When we repent and rest in God, he will strengthen us (Isaiah 30:15). When we cry out to God, he gives us boldness and strength (Psalm 138:3). God answers our faithful prayers (Mark 11:24). When we wait on God, and don’t run ahead, he gives us the strength to run and not be weary (Isaiah 40:31).
Our loving God invites us to stop trying to suck it up, and start soaking him in. Turn to him, and away from the temptations of this world. Rest in him, wait on him, and pray with a believing heart that he will strengthen you with a renewed boldness you have never known before.
Jesus sucked it up and paid the ultimate price for us because God knew we needed a savior, and he still doesn’t expect us to save ourselves from our sin or even from a bad day. Maybe today, my weary buttercup, it’s time to stop trying to suck it up and start soaking him in.
Wearied by his long journey, he sat on the edge of Jacob’s well. He sent his disciples into the village to buy food, for it was already afternoon. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.””
John 4:6-8 TPT
Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” When He asked this of her, He was asking for her devotion, her simple devotion. He told us to drink from his well which meant receiving everything He had to offer. Him drinking from her well meant her giving Him her everything. Her time, her interest, He was asking her to look at Him, to gaze upon Him.Oh that we get to gaze upon the One who is so worthy of our devotion!
Devotion: commitment to; being ardently dedicated and loyal
Ardently: an expression of zealous support
Loyal: faithful to a person whom faithfulness is due
Are we zealously committed and faithful to the one who deserves all of our faithfulness? Jesus is so committed to us, are we committed to Him? I prayed out loud a few months ago, Jesus thank you for your commitment. When I said that I literally began to weep over the gratitude in my heart for his constant commitment to me. Greater levels of gratitude lead to greater depths of intimacy. He’s committed to gazing at us. We always have His attention, but does He always have ours?
In the secret place, are we more concerned with how long we were in there or what took place while we were there? I’m not talking about marking off a check list while we were in the secret place, but did you gaze at Him? Did you commune with Him? This is real kingdom success, to be totally devoted to the one who is totally devoted to me. We must never confuse kingdom success. We often think our kingdom success is measured by how many ministries we start, but in all reality, its measured by how well we gaze at the Father, how committed we are to Him. True success is does the Father know me & do I know Him?
“Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.” Psalms 27:4 TPT
Is the ONE thing we crave gazing at His face? To gaze means to look steadily upon. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe in going into prayer and warring and tearing down darkness but we can’t do that if we don’t first look at the one who gave us the authority to do that.
Are we devoted on the mountain, are we devoted in the valley? Is He our everything when our plans and dreams aren’t happening fast enough? Is He our everything when we’ve been in the wilderness and we’re tired & weary? Do we GAZE when its not convenient to GAZE?Do we gaze when what we’ve prayed for doesn’t happen? Is He worthy of our attention when your season doesn’t totally make sense yet? How devoted are we? How steady is our gaze? Is it wavering based on circumstances or is it steady?
There’s a true satisfaction that comes when we give Him our full, unwavering, simple devotion & gaze. A true satisfaction in the Father, and in you.
She was so satisfied in Him that she ran back to town and told everyone what Jesus had done. She left her sin. One moment with Jesus, and she left her sin. She became one of the greatest evangelists for Jesus. She was looking for affirmation through those men & in a moment was affirmed by Jesus. That was enough for her. Her value was raised by His response. She then valued his affirmation over mans.
Jesus was also filled. In verses 31-34. He says I’ve eaten a meal that you don’t know about! He was saying, I’ve eaten from the devotion of my bride and I’m satisfied! He was pleased with her devotion, her commitment, her zeal. Know the pleasure we give our Father when we’re simply devoted, when we gaze upon Him with no agenda other than to be with Him.
Become excited again by being in His presence. He’s excitedly waiting on you. You’re not wasting His time daughter. You’re not wasting His time son.
I’m currently studying the Pslams with a dear friend. First of all this study is hard. Hebrew poetry – enough said. Secondly, the Old Testament Israelites make me mad. Why do they keep making the same mistakes over and over and over?
It’s easy for me to read about the Israelites and be all kinds of judgy-judgy towards them. I quickly say I would never do that or that or that all while coddling and repeating my own little sins.
We are all sinners. The Israelites. Me. You. Every single one of us. We all have something we keep circling back to.
Yet.
Yet God forgives.
Yet God loves.
Yet God still roots for us.
Yet.
I’m so glad that word exists.
“Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.” Psalms 78:38-39
It is a common misconception that the life of a Christian should be easy. I’m not sure where that idea came from since even Jesus didn’t live an easy life. The Holy Spirit actually led Jesus into a place where He would be tempted, 40 days of no food and living in the wilderness. He was faced with temptations from Satan himself. As God’s children, should we expect any less?
Difficult times are not enjoyed. I’m sure Jesus didn’t enjoy those 40 days of battle. I believe He saw the difficult times through the lens of eternal victory rather than temporary trials as He used the Word as His weapon. Because He fixed His eyes on the eternal victory, He was able to not give in to the temptations.
A year ago, I faced a difficult journey. I had 30% of my kidney removed fully believing along with the doctor that the mass being removed was malignant. Over 2 months we lived in the “what ifs”. We were tempted to give up, to be angry, to question, to live in fear, but God…. He faithfully reminded us to not lose heart. He reminded us to keep our eyes focused on eternity. As His children, we could look on the difficult times through the lens of eternal victory rather than the temporary trial. It was quite a journey where the Word was our weapon. Praise God, my difficult journey ended in a miracle. The journey itself, though, left me with a greater trust in God and a greater vision of looking at difficult times through the lens of eternal victory.
Let’s not expect life to be easy. It wasn’t for Jesus. Let us use the Word as our weapon and view difficulties as temporary times of growth leading us to eternal victory! The lens of eternal victory gives great strength, courage, and hope!
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.—Matthew 4:1
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.—2 Corinthians 4:16-18
I’m trying to be more spontaneous. Monday when I got home from work I cleaned my bathroom floors. I know, right! Pretty crazy. Usually I only do that on Saturdays. As you can tell I’m really shaking things up.
The thing is I am such a rigid, routined person I can easily get caught up in my to-do list and miss out on what’s happening right in front of my face.
There’s nothing wrong with having a list – with being routined. There is something wrong when that list totally dictates your life. There’s something wrong when YOUR routine trumps God’s WILL.
Sometimes we need to stop the checking off of the list and just look around us. We need to look beyond ourself and our checklist.
I’m learning that it’s ok to veer off the list sometimes. I’m learning that some things can wait. I’m trying to learn that I can in fact grocery shop on a different day of the week.
I’m learning.
I hope you are, too
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21
I asked people for words to describe their emotions after 9/11. The top three were fear, anger and sadness. These are all justified emotions that my flesh wants to put on and wear around like a coat of armor. Is that how I should be??
If I scroll through my social media accounts today I see the same emotions on display. Now instead of coats of armor they are weapons being used to lash out at others. Definitely not how I am supposed to be.
It’s awful to feel out of control, scared for the future, and overwhelmed by my circumstances. Thankfully, as a Christian I have somewhere to turn for answers. In Philippians 4:11 Paul says he has learned to be content in all circumstances. Learned……not supernaturally granted. …….learned. Yikes 😳, That means I can learn to be content in whatever circumstance I’m in ( 9/11, crazy pandemic world, or insert problem here ) but I have work to do.
Those that know me know what’s coming next. I have to Philippians 4:8 those thoughts of despair. I have to intentionally capture them ( 2 Cor. 10:5 ) and replace them first and foremost with truth – number 1 being I may not be in control, but my God certainly is. After that truth bomb, peace begins to flow back in and I can dwell on all the goodness of God.
Thank You Jesus for being our hope in the hard times. 🙌🏻
Rays of Sunshine inc 