Our Children: From Seedlings to Oaks

As this new school year begins, my heart is in a state of prayer. How can it not be, when my youngest, my 16 year old, just drove off for school for the first time on his own? I am reminded once again, that my boys are not mine, they are God's. Isn't it hard to let go of something you've held so close and nurtured for so long? It's as if I saw my heart driving off, out of my own driveway. And boy could I feel it.

As moms, these milestones cause us to look back. For 20+ years I've been a professional stay-at-home mom. As I've applied for a handful of jobs lately, I realize I do not look good on paper! Not much experience there to speak of. I don't blame them for not calling on me! Haha! There are moments I wish I would have gone to college and with that degree been able to influence others. (And I am grateful for those who did who have influenced mine!) But then, I look at my boys. And I realize they've been my students.

Many of us, including me, did not realize that when we are handed our babies after carrying them for 9 months, God is handing us seeds. Full of potential. Full of promise. But these little seeds cry, demand so much of our time, make us die to self; they require so much from us! And we don't feel like teachers. We feel like chopped liver! No sleep, frumpy clothes, not a stitch of makeup--we are in survival mode. And we are wondering what happened to our neat little lives. This, my friends, is what a life of influence looks like. And I had no clue.

But this new opportunity presented before us is really a chance to be more like Christ. It is a picture of what salvation looks like all over again. New life. And death to self. "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). The picture of the crucified life. A life given over to Jesus, all for the sake of influencing others as He did. With a life of influence, we sign up to gain a greater understanding that our lives are not our own. We are living for others. Like Jesus did.

What phase in mothering are you in? The beginning stages of changing diapers, rocking, burping and sleepless nights? The stage of first steps and picking up Cheerios off of the floor? First book sacks and school shoes? Junior high years full of changes and challenges? High school years that bring driving privileges and a little less of our control? The independent college years where faith is tested and new philosophies are presented? Maybe yours are in the work force or married themselves. This wonderful-scary-exhausting-but-we-wouldn't-trade-it-for-the-world-life-of-motherhood = INFLUENCE. We remain, to some degree, our children's teachers all of their lives, remaining sensitive to their ages and needs as we do.

By the grace of God, we are handed seeds. A seed has to die to grow. Maybe that's where we come in the picture. We die to ourselves to see someone else grow healthy. That's exactly what Jesus did for us. He was handed the choice to influence, or not. He chose to change the course of our lives by dying for us. And now we live! So our children are the seeds. We nurture, care for them, teaching them right from wrong, watch them grow, change, develop, give their lives to the One who changed ours; they then begin their own journey in Him, discovering Who He is and learning to trust and obey Him. And they become oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Yes, we will see this life of influence as a mother was all worth it. We will have seen every stage of growth in a human life until the day God calls us home. There is no greater influence and privilege than that. No other job on this earth can provide that opportunity! And I am honored beyond words. Motherhood is a beautiful, although costly, role. Embrace it, and watch those seedlings grow into oaks. As we do, in hindsight, I think we'll find we've grown more like Christ. And that's exactly what He's looking for.

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor." 

Isaiah 61:3

Afterthought: For anyone who has not been able to be a mother by birth, but is a mother figure in someone else's life, thank you! I know many who have not had a proper mother figure and have leaned on another woman for nurture and guidance. Or have adopted a child to taken them in as their own. This is a beautiful picture of how Christ adopted us into His family. Motherhood comes in many packages with the same heart and purpose. I celebrate you, and so does God. 

A God That Can Be Known

I was reading through 1 John this morning and came to the very end. It made me smile. It gave me joy. It reminded me of a miracle, a supernatural happening, that I only deemed to be a lofty thought at one time.

Let's just go straight to the source, shall we? "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true - even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20) (My emphasis added.) Really read it a few times. Receive it very personally from God.

Now let's chew on it a little. "We know also that the Son of God has come..." To know God we must know that the Son of God has come. We must believe. Deep down inside. And I did. But I found there was more for me: "...and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true." I needed understanding. This was not something I could come up with on my own! It was a supernatural gift of grace given by God through Jesus Christ. But let me tell you, I was so excited to know I could understand more about Christ. So I dug in the Word. I prayed for understanding. But then it got better!

As I prayed for understanding, God gave it. And I began to really know Him. I began to enjoy close fellowship with Him. He called me near so that I could know Him who is true.

I lived as a Christian with Jesus as my Savior for many years. But He came alongside me one day, interrupted my life, and revealed to me He wanted a close relationship with me. And it just changed everything for me! Because when we get to really know Jesus, He transforms our way of thinking. He allows us to see Him as He really is in all of His goodness, kindness and faithfulness. Contrary to popular belief, He is a God who can be known. Yes, I'll say it again. He is a God who can be known. I'll go further to say He wants to be known by us. It still blows my mind. And it should. This is a miracle, a supernatural happening: to know God.

Don't keep Jesus at a distance. He wants you to know Him. He knows everything about you, so anything you've done doesn't shock Him. He takes us just as we are. But then, He begins changing us from the inside out through His extravagant love. It's all about grace. And love.

I am proof of this! I never thought Jesus could really be known! But He can! And when we begin to really know Him in an intimate way, we find He is not harsh, condemning, unreasonable or cruel. He is kind, loving, correctional and encouraging.

Jesus can be known! Psalm 139 says that He knows everything about you. Why don't you let Him show you all He is? He can be trusted. Did He not give His all for you? Entrust the depths of your heart to Him, and watch your life be transformed before your very eyes. You will fall head over heels in love, because you will discover His great love for you, because He showed you and spoke to you.

Bend your knee. Pray for understanding. And come to know your God in a deeper way. It's not a lofty thought. He can be known. I'm right there with you on my knees, desiring to know Him more, and thankful that I am known and loved unconditionally.

Do you need some guidance? Purchase a Bible study online or from your local Christian bookstore. This was paramount in my path to knowing God. Read His Word. Pray. "He is near to those who call on Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18

What Is In Your Hand?

I used to hang out with my dad and watch him as he gardened. He was a master gardener! I remember watching him sow the seeds of tomatoes, corn, beans, and so much more. He did not know if each seed would produce a plant and if that plant would produce any fruit, but still, he sowed with hope.

This morning I read Matthew 13:1-23, the parable of the sower. There are times that God just keeps putting something into our hearts to meditate on. This time is no different.

Think of a seed. It holds so much potential life. In that little seed is the possibility of a harvest. In this parable, the seed is the Word of God. Matthew 13:3 says, “The farmer went out to sow his seed…” It doesn’t say the farmer thought about sowing his seed, but did nothing. Or that the farmer wondered if his seed had any potential. Or that the farmer compared his small amount of seed to others’ larger amounts of seed. Or that he felt inexperienced because others knew so much more than He. Yes, this is a parable, a teaching Jesus used to illustrate something important to His kingdom. And there were different kinds of ground, which represented people's hearts. Read it for yourself. But notice Jesus did not tell us how the farmer felt—so that was not as important as the fact that the farmer simply sowed his seed. He sowed in faith. He sowed in hope.

What have been our experiences with God and His Word? This is what we hold in our hands as seed. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It is pure power. So we must cast our seed upon others’ hearts, no matter if their hearts are hard or soft. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to work that Word out in their hearts. And it’s also up to them to respond. We are simply the farmers that cast the seed onto their hearts in faith and hope.

Remember the day or season when others did the same for you? Aren’t you grateful they did? I am. Don’t look at your inexperience; look at what you do know. If it’s John 3:16, that’s the gospel! Don’t let anything keep you from casting the powerful seed of God’s Word into lives. James 1:21 says the Word planted in us can save us. Save us from hell, save us from fear, save us from strongholds, save us from condemnation, save us from our own flesh. It is powerful.

Humbly sow your seed. Pray. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Sow it in love. Believe in God and the power of His Word. God’s looking for a harvest from our seed. What God’s done in our lives is to be sown into others, no matter their response. We can be sure God’s doing something on the inside; we simply may not ever see it for ourselves while living here on planet Earth. It may be that we are a part of the process that God uses to draw them to Him. We are called to sow. God can’t bring an increase in the soil of human hearts if the seed is still in our hands.

Afterthought: I can still picture the tall rows of corn and healthy tomato plants in my childhood yard, all from those tiny seeds planted by my dad. There’s just nothing like fresh corn on the cob and garden tomatoes, is there? Wonder if he realized he knew the real power of a seed…Missing him right about now.

Back to the Basics of Grace

Today, I’m reminded once again of that beautiful word “grace.” It just seems too small of a word to hold so much meaning. Its Greek word is “charis” (Χάρις). (I’m attempting to learn Greek and it’s fun for me  to use what little I know and show you how it looks, so humor me!) Grace is simply a gift extended that we cannot earn. It is a benevolent kindness to the needy. Biblically, the needy have nothing to give. The needy are beggars: blind, crippled, hungry, thirsty, undone.

Many of you know I’ve written a Bible study regarding our worth and identity in Jesus Christ. It is something God has imprinted over and over again on my heart. And He continues… Obviously it's something I struggle with, maybe not as bad as I used to, but still do, nonetheless.

Living in this western culture which focuses on performance, image, materialism and status, no wonder we get off track. My husband and I don’t watch the main television channels often, but last night we saw some previews for shows that blew our minds. Our culture is rapidly changing, for the worse. It was a shock to see the messages the media are sending to America and who knows where else? I hate to be bleak, but the demoralization of our nation is swiftly spiraling out of control. The question we must ask ourselves is: what voice am I listening to? Is it truth? Is it a voice that changes with the times, or a constant voice, steady and resolved?

You see, the voices around us tell us we must look a certain way, earn a certain amount of money, have the nicest houses, drive the coolest cars and the list goes on and on. And we believe these are the things that bring us value and recognition. These things take a tremendous amount of energy and money to maintain, and yet they still leave us feeling cheap and worthless at the end of the day. Because the message that we are believing is that we are not enough in ourselves. And we are enough, yet we’re not. Let me elaborate.

Without Christ, we’re beggars. With Christ, we’re sons and daughters of the most high God. But for some reason, we get wrapped up in this world over and over again and live according to its values, or lack thereof. Jesus told the church in Laodicea, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing—and do not know that you are wretched, poor, blind, and naked…” (Rev. 3:17) This church was looking at materialistic wealth as bringing them importance—they had need of nothing. But in reality, because they did not need God as they were supposed to--they were wretched, poor, blind, naked. Strong words, aren’t they? They had lost their identity and value in Jesus Christ.

Sisters, without Christ, we cannot bring anything to God's table which earns us His approval; we are in debt. Why are we seeking the world's approval? Why do we listen to the loud voices of the media? Paul said in Galatians 1:10, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." Our lives show who we are aiming to please. And when we aim to please people, we are placing Christ lower than people. If we are aiming to please God, we must remember to live by what He values. Thankfully, we don't have to strive to please God. We simply must have faith (Hebrews 11:6)--faith that His grace is enough. We came to Jesus empty-handed. He has given us all we have. We have not earned one thing we have. Even if we worked for it. He gave us the energy and ability to earn that money. He gave us the job. Our giftedness is also a result of His grace; we could not manufacture it. Every good gift comes from the Father (James 1:17). We must get back to the basics of grace. Job 1:21 says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there.” God, through Jesus Christ, accepted us naked (spiritually speaking) with nothing to offer. When we leave this earth to our eternal home, we will not be able to take our image, positions or materialistic goods. By grace through faith in the power of the blood of Jesus' sacrifice, we came to Jesus. By that same grace and faith we will go to Jesus. Let’s live in that grace today. He says that we are enough in Him. The Father is satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. Let’s shift our gaze off of the world and its vices and look heavenward, where our Father sits enthroned on high and says with a steady, constant resolve, “You are enough in Christ. You’ve been made complete through His blood. Rest from your striving—it is finished. You are accepted, beautiful, valuable, gifted, loved greatly, cherished. Now live in that place, and thrive.” 

He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Unable to Keep Silent

Just this morning, I had to write my personal testimony of God's faithfulness in pursuing me. Despite my sin. Despite my depravity. Despite my unbelief. He pursued me! And over a period of time, He convinced me that His love was unearned, unmerited and completely unconditional. He simply accepted me where I was. He then asked me to come alongside Him to know Him and to allow Him to teach me. He has taken me through a long, intense sanctification process (and still is). I've had many strongholds (wrong mindsets) in my mind that would confuse me about who God is. I simply did not see Him clearly. Yet, He has been so patient with me! He should have given up on me long ago, but He didn't. He has proven that I am valued in his eyes. He is so loving, good and merciful. And I just can't keep silent as I recall all He's done in my life! He is deserving of my praise!

My friend, Tami, has a blog and asked many of her friends to share their testimonies on it, including me. In November of last year, I did. She told me I was free to share the link so that others could read it. I was too timid to do that--I felt I would be drawing attention to myself. But, no! Absolutely not! I would be drawing attention to God! I have become so tired of that mindset that I've decided I am not going to shut up about what God's done in my life. Peter and John (Acts 4:13-22) were threatened to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. But they answered them,"...we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." 

Click here to read my story on her blog (and feel free to "follow" her; I do!) I hope it encourages you to share your own story with others who need to hear it. I am one of them.

"Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." Isaiah 26:8

Any Students at Heart Out There?

Anyone but me love it when Fall comes and the school supplies are freshly displayed? Call me weird, but I love to walk down those aisles to see never-before-used notebooks (now with really cute covers), pencils waiting to be sharpened, binders begging to be organized and filled with all kinds of knowledge, new pens (will it be black or blue?), loose leaf paper... It all reminds me of fresh beginnings.  Innovative possibilities. Potential waiting to be discovered. And fulfilled.

I did not know it, but deep inside, I've always been a student at heart. When in elementary school, I was often the teacher's pet. Many times I had the honor of choosing a classmate to help beat chalkboard erasers outside; yes, it was an honor to get out of your desk and go outside for a welcome reprieve! (I'm 40 something and there actually did used to be chalkboards instead of dry erase boards.) When the teacher stepped out of class, I was often in charge (haha!) of the class with the task of writing down any names of those who misbehaved. I often had A+ papers proudly hanging in the class by my teacher. I was sent on errands for the teacher. Such a good student I was (grin). I really did want to please my teachers and make them proud.

Somewhere around 9th grade, though, I began losing my interest in learning and it continued to go downward throughout my years in high school. I just decided to have some fun and be social! I became distracted with lesser things. I've often longed to go back to those years and redo them. But I can't. What I can do is to do something about the here and now. In the here and now.

At about 30 years old, I participated in my first Q & A Bible study workbook. I was hooked! I had begun tapping into the student in me once again. I have to say, I had never done this type of learning before; God turned my head upward to look upon Him, which also turned me to look inward. Boy, I had a lot of learning to do! This was the stuff of life transformation. I was challenged by it, but I loved it because despite of and probably because of my ignorance, Jesus draw me to His side to teach me many things. I became His disciple. I found the learner in me again.

Let's do a little Bible study. The word disciple is the Greek word mathētēs which means, "a learner or pupil." It connotes the meaning of following another's teaching. Jesus walked about choosing His disciples and would approach them and ask them to follow Him. This meant that He would become their life teacher. As they walked and traveled from place to place, they would watch him and learn from Him. He taught them as opportunities arose in their journey. He often spoke to them one-on-one and gave them lessons each disciple specifically needed to learn. He is a very personal Father, Teacher and Savior!! Doesn't it just warm your heart that He gives us the attention we need and shows us our value? There are no overlooked students with Jesus!

So what God has put on my heart is that He wants some students at heart to come to Him and learn of Him, namely ME! Matthew 11:27-30 says,"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light." The word learn here is the Greek word manthanō (see how close it is to the Greek word for disciple?) which means, "to learn, be apprised, to increase one's knowledge, to learn by use and practice." Learning of Jesus brings rest from the busyness of life and its demands. Learning of Jesus brings rest from legalism. Learning of Jesus gives us a better understanding of who He is. Learning of Jesus makes us more like Him. You see, this was the purpose of a Rabbi, to make disciples who would be just like him and carry on His teachings!!!!

Jesus wants some students at heart to come under His gentle yoke of teaching. I believe there is a student in every one of us! Don't look at your past mistakes. Don't feel inferior or compare yourself to anyone else. Look forward to all you get to learn now! Are you willing to submit to all He wants to teach you? Would you, along with me, be willing to humble yourself and learn some very personal lessons from Jesus, the greatest Rabbi (teacher) ever??? Without challenge, there is no change.

I wonder. What is He putting on your heart? A lesson in humility? Compassion? Self-control? Submission? Gentleness? Kindness? Courage? Faith? Holiness? The list could go on forever. Ask Him what He'd like to teach you. And submit. It's for our health. And remember, when we submit to a season of in-depth teaching, life still goes on. Many distractions come. Warfare arises to try to stop you. Don't. Keep going forward. Aim at pleasing Him. At the finish line of the season will be your Teacher with an honorary diploma which says, "Well done, good and faithful servant." He'll proudly display your A+ character so that others will see Him. A good student points to the excellence of her Teacher!

Take your seat in the classroom of Jesus Christ. And don't worry about being confined to a desk; He takes His students on many field trips! He knows what type of learners we are. 

So who's in?

Sifted

For those of you who read this yesterday, this post has been re-sifted. Isn't that interesting? Yes, I am a work in progress!

When I think of sifting, I picture my mother at the kitchen sink with a sieve. I watch her pour a bubbly, hot liquid through that sieve. She then presses and squeezes the fruit until the sweet juice flows through; the sieve keeps any seeds, skins or unwanted pieces from going into the Mason jar. The result after hours of hard work: yummy blackberry or grape jelly for her family. Those hours of hard work were unknown to her children; we simply enjoyed the "fruit" of her labor. I know the hard work was rewarding to her as she saw her children enjoying her tasty jelly, her labor of love. That's just the way she is.

I've been pondering a verse for a long time. It's chock full of meaning. I don't pretend to know its full meaning, much less half of it. But this is the verse and what I've been learning by experience: "Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" Luke 22:31-32. Jesus is speaking to all of His disciples here, but notice--God hones in on Peter, one who would be a leader in building the church.

In Bible times, grain had to be purified by sifting. The wheat and barley grains were mixed with all kinds of loose fragments from the threshing floor. Everything was put into large sieves that allowed grain to pass through but left most of the rubbish behind.  When Jesus said that Satan wanted to sift Peter like wheat, he was probably referring to the shaking (my emphasis) of the sieve.*

I've heard Beth Moore teach on this years ago and have not forgotten it. If Jesus gave permission for Satan to sift Peter, something needed sifting. He saw rubbish. He saw impurities. He saw motives. He saw wrong mindsets. Perhaps, He saw past heartaches which still needed healing. It's hard for us to fathom why Jesus would allow Satan to buffet His disciple, His beloved. My pastor explained this so well. Where Satan has had reign in our lives, he has permission to traffic. To buffet. To torture. It does not negate the fact that we are children of God. We just need sifting. 

Is your world being shaken? Do you feel as if the once stable life you knew is now unsure? Is life turning out the way you thought it would, or are you in a season of disillusionment? You may be undergoing a sifting.

As believers, we often have a picture in our minds of how our lives will turn out if we "do this," and if we "do that." So, we do all the things we are taught. From the outside, we are living in right standing with God. But what about the motives of our hearts? Are they selfish? Or are they God-centered? Why do we want the results that the Word of God promises? To boast? To say, "Look at what I've done. I've been good"? As Christians, some examples could be going to church, reading the Bible, praying, giving, being a good parent, friend or relative; perhaps serving in a ministry or working hard for our employer. Now we are commanded by God to do all these things! But it seems after a long season of sowing, we often become weary and our thoughts can become tainted. We have worked hard. We have been faithful. And we are just not seeing the results we have envisioned. We must remember that by grace through faith we are saved, lest any man should boast (Ephes. 2:8). Even our works are to be evidence of God's grace, and we simply cannot boast in them. We cannot earn grace. We cannot boast in our works. In our sacrifices. Our works are indeed a result of our faith, but anything we do in obedience to God is an offering to Him, not something we await a "payment" on. We sow in faith. We keep our eyes on God. We sow into others' lives. This means the other person has choices they must make in life. They have to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). It's their faith walk. Not ours. We sow. God brings the increase (1 Cor. 5-7). Not we sow, we bring the increase. This is hidden self-righteousness. And it is very hard to see. I believe sifting often deals with our motives and mindsets. It's a deeper work. It's a hidden work. It's a refining work. God cannot trust us with the bigger things He's promised us if He can't trust us with our motives and mindsets in the here and now. He loves us too much for that. He knows exactly how we will handle His glory beforehand. He won't let us handle His glory if we won't give it directly to Him. We must do all the right things to get the right results because we know it is only accomplished by His grace. It simply will not get done any other way. Our hearts are deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), but God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20). Praise God for that! As we surrender to the knowledge of our own frailty and deceitfulness of heart, God comes in and puts more of His heart into us. This brings pure, God-centered motives! This brings new God-centered mindsets and all fear must flee. 

What vision has God given you for your life that has not come to pass? Are you ready for it? Then, you must be ready and willing to be sifted. Ready to be humbled under the mighty hand of God. Ready for your will to be broken and God's will to be done. What will this bring? GOD'S CHARACTER. Sure, our gifts and callings open up doors of opportunity, but character keeps us in those places. Character knows what to do with admiration and praise.  I know what you're thinking. I thank others all the time for the work they do for God by serving me. It's okay to be thanked and appreciated; it is certainly biblical. But it's critical that deep down we know the source of the work: God. Any good result we see is only by God's grace. So hand it all over to God. Point others' fingers upward. God-ward. Let's allow God to forge character within us so we know how to handle His glory. We, on our knees, display humility, love and gratefulness and point to the only One who is high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1).

After the sifting process, we may find that sifting was indeed our friend, masked as an enemy. Let's show Satan that when he sifts us, we humbly submit to our God. We are not submitting to Satan, but to God. We entrust all things to a God who is Sovereign. Then the sifting will do its good work. The devil will flee (James 5:7). God will replace those places once occupied by fear, torment and pride with love, peace and humility.

My mom put a lot of work into those jellies. It took time. But when the process was finished, she would serve her children that sweetness. When our sifting process is finished (for the present time), only you and God will know all that has transpired. Only you and He have seen the blood, sweat and tears it took while working it all out, submitting all things to our God. That's what makes it special. A hidden work. Then God will enthusiastically serve you and me up to this world, and the world will "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8).

*The Manners and Customs of Bible Times, by Ralph Gower