Pressing On

(This is a five minute blog post.)


    We are hosting a home group Bible study at our house. If you have the gift of hospitality the following will probably not apply to you, however, I don't. Therefore, when someone new is coming to my house it is like the scales fall from my eyes and all I can see is every.little.wrong.thing. In stereo surround. Full color. Imax version.

    It's not fun. As I surveyed my un-mown yard this evening I reflected: I am far from perfect. You don't even have to look hard to see all the areas I can improve in, not the least is my less-than-persnickety housekeeping style. And my home is not the only area that could use a helping hand in the tasks to be accomplished department.

    Because just like with my home, my character could use some upgrades, too. I need some routine maintenance, but some things just need a straight up trip to the dump and total renovation. Just like my kitchen floor, there are more things that need replacing than I should keep.

    And I often think about how the world tells us that just makes us "real". Don't worry about those "imperfections"-they're part of your "charm"! You're not rude, you're "outspoken". You're not angry, you're "passionate." That we should tout our flaws like badges of honor. "You're doing the best you can." "Messy hair, don't care." "You do you."  The art of bragging about our shortcomings, and failings, curating an attitude of disdain for anyone striving to do better. To be better is viewed as a haughty "fakeness".

    But what does the Bible say?

    "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14 NIV

"[Jesus said] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 NIV 1984


   Yikes. Later in the same chapter of Philippians, Paul talks about unbelievers whose "glory is in their shame." What does it say when I am delighting in being a "hot mess momma"? Perhaps that my priorities are a little askew. It is equally as wrong to strive for worldly "perfection", but I should focus on daily "pressing on" to become more Christ-like. I should lean into the work that must be done in my heart and mind, I can never rest in anything less than looking and acting as my Savior would. Yes, He has given, and will continue to give, grace upon grace to us, but I can't use that as an excuse to revel in my shortcomings. Rather than seeing the places my home doesn't meet those HGTV standards, I should turn that laser focus to my heart. The best part about that type of self-improvement though? I'm never doing the work on my own.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

"[B]eing confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:14, 4:19, 1:6 NIV 1984

And that's just what Paul has to say about it!

"Father, help me to trust that you will continue to give me what I need to look more like You, including the ability to resist the temptation to laud my laziness and applaud ambivalence and mediocrity. Thank you for promising me that You will carry on the good work Christ started in my heart."

The More Things Change

(This is a five minute blog post.)

  ...the more they stay the same. Except it doesn't really seem like that at all does it? Lately, more than ever, it seems like I finally get something "figured out". And then that ugly "c" word rears its head. And we are all up in the air again.
 
   I. Don't. Like. Change. I am creature of habit, a lover of routine. I like the familiarity of continuity. But here is the cruddy, but oh-so-essential, lesson spring teaches us: growth absolutely requires change. A seed that stays a seed is useless. We actually call it dead. Because that is what it is. To live is to change.

   And so while in the immature part of my heart I don't like it, I recognize its absolutely vitality to the human condition. If I am growing, I am changing. If I am changing, I am living. Seasons come and go, no two ever alike. Days go by, each containing similar elements but always different ones, too. Some good, some bad, some uncomfortable, some exciting, all part of the process.

   This time of year is hard, perhaps because so many endings are so boldly proclaimed: graduations are a big 'ol celebration of over-ness. You're done, moving on. Changing, hopefully for the better, but you are literally not allowed to stay where you were. Kids are shedding grades like butterflies come out of their chrysalises, not fully fledged but ready for the next thing. Weddings, too, signal a big fat end: say goodbye to singleness, for better or worse. Programs are ending all over the place, shelved for the summer, and next year won't be quite the same.

   I think these may seem like New Year's musings, but truly, if January is for beginnings, this time of year is for endings. But that's okay, because I only need one thing in my life to stay the same.

"Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

And I have to recognize: if I want to be more like Him, many more things will have to change then stay the same. So here is to bittersweet endings. And to growth, even with the change it brings. 

See What You Want to See

(This is a five minute blog post.)

   What do you see when you see me? To be honest, I'm never really sure. I try to spend less time thinking about what other think these days, so I can spend more time thinking about what God thinks, instead. I don't say that to try to sound holier-than-thou, more that I am prone to be too introspective, too easily swayed by the opinions of others.

   And also because the longer I am around, the more I realize: we see what we want to see. We meet someone new and we instantly start forming opinions, applying adjectives: short, tall, skinny, plump, smart, sweet, in-charge, mousy, silly, rich, frugal, and the list continues on, never-ending. And most of the time we make a snap decision: I do or don't like this person. And then we expect them to carry the weight of our expectations.

   Sometimes this happens in a few moments, other times it can be built out of long-term data: a person's Facebook page, their Instagram account, their family, their other friends, their positions at work, at church. We don't really get to know them, instead we play Sherlock Holmes, collecting information that supports our theories, discarding what doesn't suit.

    But do we really get to *know* them? Very few of us fit neatly in boxes. Very few of us suit the label "perfect". Very, very few of us, when you boil it down to the bare bones, are deserving of jealousy. Very few of us want to incite that feeling in others.

"Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?" Proverbs 27:4 NIV

   Sometimes I want to borrow the refrain of the rebellious teenager, "You don't know me! You don't know my life!" Because, sadly, this is often true. You judged me based on what you wanted to see, you never took the time to get to truly know me.

   And the reverse is often true. You intimidated me, you sparked the green monster of envy, you looked pulled together, fit, you were smart and sassy, confident in your decisions. So, I never chose to look past the labels that I slapped on you, perhaps some fitting, others just a mistake made in haste. I never asked you if you had needs, or burdens. I never wanted to let you outside the box I created, it was too much work to re-think things.

   "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 NIV

   It was too much work to bear with you, to suffer through your ups and downs while suffering through my own. I didn't want to be patient; I wanted you to be what I thought you should be now. Or I thought you were something you weren't, and I was unwilling to see where the road might take us.

   I'm sorry for the times that I only saw what I wanted to see. The times that I missed out on beautiful friendships because of jealousy, or fear, or impatience. I'm sorry for the things you missed out on with me-that I am many, many things, but none of them is perfect. Perhaps the next time we can be brave enough to look past, look through, look into, and not only see what we want to see.

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11 NIV 

What the Heck?!

(This is a 5 minute blog)

    I normally try not to use this space to rant. I kind of feel like that is not beneficial to anyone who might read my blog, nor is it uplifting to me. However, I hope that this post will come across as more thought-provoking than angry, because this is a topic of great interest to me. I'd love to start a discussion if anyone is so inclined!

   So here's the deal: what is up with "Christians" swearing? I feel like this really violates many Scriptural principles, not the least of which is Proverbs 15:26

"The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked,    but gracious words are pure in His sight."

  I do understand that language is fluid, constantly changing and growing with culture and age. However, some words are quite obviously offensive. Therefore, why would someone who professes to be a believer, whose first (and only) goal should be the glory of the Lord, feel that it is acceptable to use words that are known and interpreted by the vast majority of the population as swearing? I saw a post on Instagram today, in reference to *donuts*! that used a curse word. WHHHHHYYY? (This particular shop, to my knowledge is owned by people who profess Christianity, even so much as specifically mentioning Beth Moore and inviting her to their store.)

  Is is to be cool? Because here's the thing: I've never met anyone who was offended by the fact that I don't swear. But the use of swearing makes me very uncomfortable. It, to me, violates the principles of Philippians 4:8, as in it is not something I want to think on. It isn't lovely, it isn't praiseworthy or excellent. Often it seems to demonstrate a lack of command of English, as in, you have a limited number of adjectives to choose from in your stock vocabulary, and perhaps need to visit a thesaurus. It isn't that it is about my personal comfort, though, it is that I don't believe swearing points others to Christ or shows the world His truth.

   Please note that I am not inquiring about the world at large. Those who are not in Christ will speak and act in ways both objectionable and immoral. I am not looking to make them change their ways in order to suit my beliefs. I am speaking to the Christian community, to those who say that they have been transformed, that they are not of this world.

    We have the opportunity to demonstrate how Christ has changed us by allowing our words to reflect Him. If we say that we love Him it should be exemplified by both our deeds *and* our words. Therefore our language, no matter how "informal" should always be Christ-worthy, not cringe-worthy. What do you think?