Accepting Where You Are on the Way to Where You’re Going

I have three children… three beautiful, active, energetic, active, smart, sweet, brilliant, and very active children.  At 5 years old, 3 years old, and almost 1 year old, they are our constant joy, and they are, how shall I say… yep, active!  Every so often, though, I get a few moments to sit and reflect about these precious little people God has given me (by every so often, I mean the rare times that they are all three sleeping at the same time… such as right now… at 1:00 a.m… This is my quiet time). 

So you know, I was thinking… It’s fascinating how different their stages of development are at this age.  In the same day, we could be celebrating the 5-year-old’s progress on her piano lessons, the 3-year-old’s progress on writing his name or recognizing all the letters of the alphabet, and the 11-month-old’s progress on eating a new food or drinking out of a cup.  They are all at such different levels and are learning very different things, yet the key word is that they are all making progress.

Think with me for a moment… Imagine how ludicrous it would be if I held my 11-month-old to the same standards of development as the 5-year-old.  What if I said, “Why can’t you read like your sister?”  What if I scolded my 3-year-old for not being able to tie his own shoes yet?  What if I got annoyed at the 5-year-old for not being able to reach the pedals in the car and drive us to the store?  Of course, that would be insane!  As their mother (and as a human being with common sense), I realize they are each at a different point in their growth paths, so I can’t compare them to one another.  Instead, what I’ve learned to do (thanks to some pointers from our pediatrician) is to watch each of their growth tracks individually, and while I may reference what is considered “normal” progress for a child their age, I keep a closer eye on the progress of each child on his/her own development curve. 

For most of us, it is probably pretty easy to understand why we don’t hold children to the same growth standards as one another… So why is it so hard for us to understand that our Father is just as patient and loving toward us? 

How often do we get caught up comparing ourselves to everyone around us and worrying about why we aren’t further along in our spiritual journey like they are?  We look at pastors and spiritual leaders and even peers in our own churches, and using some sort of self-fabricated, invisible measuring stick, we think we’re spiritually behind everyone else.  But God never called us to compare ourselves to everyone else.  The question isn’t whether or not we are on the same level as everyone else around us; the question is whether or not we are making progress on our own growth track with the Lord.

If we’re standing still in our walk with God, then we need to take a look at this relationship we have with Him and find out what needs to happen to get us moving again.  If I haven’t grown any in the last year, then I need to identify the issue and get going.  What has caused me to stalemate?  Unforgiveness?  Willful sin in my life?  A relationship that I hold higher than my relationship with God?  Hurt from a major disappointment or traumatic event in my life? 

What is standing in the way of my spiritual progress in my relationship with my Father?

Maybe nothing is.  Maybe you are growing, but you just don’t feel like you’re as far along as you should be.  If that’s the case, then I encourage you to stop comparing yourself to other people, and start looking at your own growth track. Pull out a journal or a piece of paper, and ask yourself some questions.

What have you conquered during the past year, spiritually speaking?  Do you find it easier to pray than you used to?  Do you get more out of reading the Bible than before?  Have you found greater freedom in worship, either at home or when you come to church?  Have you overcome an addiction or bothersome habit that was holding you back?  Have you been able to rein in that temper that used to fly so easily?  Have you been able to reach out and minister to someone else at work or school?

Things like this (and other things you may identify) are all benchmarks of personal growth.  These are things you can use to see progress along the way.  (If you can't identify any growth, then like I said, evaluate what is holding you back, and then write down some goals that you do want to reach over the next few months in your walk with God).

When it comes to your spiritual journey, you can’t just say, “I’m the same age as my pastor’s wife, so I should be at the same place that she is spiritually.”  And you can’t just say, “I’ve been saved for 10 years; I should be at the same place as that person.” 

Much like children, our spiritual journeys are unique and intricate on many different levels.  You don't know the price someone else has paid for the spiritual maturity you recognize in them. You don't know the struggles they have been through, and they don't know yours.  My sons have both fought through some issues physically as babies that my daughter didn’t face when she was that young.  So would it be fair for me to get frustrated at them when I realize that around that same age, while my daughter had already learned to start talking and walking, my sons hadn’t done so as early as she had?  Of course not!  It's neither logical nor fair to hold them all to the same expectations, because even though they are growing up in the same close-knit family as one another, their journeys have already been different.

You don’t know what other people have gone through, and you can’t assume that your journey will follow someone else's development track.  At the same time that someone else may have hit a growth spurt with God and seemed to leap forward in their destiny and calling, you may have gone through a major life event that knocked the wind out of you.  The circumstances don’t dictate the end result, though.  Maybe you hit some unexpected delays along the way, but the strength that has been built in you through your relationship with God is probably much greater than you can see on the surface! 

The beautiful thing about God is that, as our loving Father, He considers where we are and where we have come from, but most of all, He knows where we are going!

It is a wonderful thing when the children of God can live together – much like my three children.  We can coexist in the same faith, in the same Church, and we can share much of our journey with one another.  In fact, we need each other for the journey!  But the beauty comes when we don’t get stuck in the rut of comparing ourselves to one another, but we all flourish by both the individual and the family progress we make together!

You know, the interesting thing about children is that while right now, a two-year age gap is a huge deal in their development, it won’t be all that many years from now until all three of my kids will look and act close to the same age as one another.  When they’re 3, 5, and 7, they’ll all be walking with no problem.  When they’re 16, 18, and 20, they’ll all be able to drive (prayerfully with no problem)!  The gap will continue closing the further into the journey they get.  When they’re 30, 32, and 34, who’s going to be thinking about which one is oldest or youngest or more mature or not?

The moral of the story is this… Look at where you are and accept it, realizing that it is not your final destination.  Today is just a step in the right direction toward where you eventually see yourself!  

Accept where you are today on the way to where you are going.

Remember, the question isn’t whether or not you’re growing at the same rate as someone else; the question is whether or not you’re growing?

And the main thing isn't whether or not you’re moving faster or slower than you wish you were; the main thing is… Are you moving?

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.   Philippians 3:13-16 (MSG)

_____________________

Amy

Trust without Borders

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30 NIV

I stood in the arena, surrounded by thousands of other people, with tears streaming down my face.  I wasn't even supposed to have been on this trip to this youth conference in Atlanta.  Last-minute circumstances necessitated another leader for the trip, so my husband and I scrambled to pull together the logistics for me to go.  We left our three kids with my parents, our dog with my cousin, and my church obligations with other team members who were willing to step in on short notice.  The whirlwind of the week left me little time to contemplate what might come out of the trip for me personally, spiritually speaking.  The point of the trip wasn't for me anyway.  It was for the eight middle and high school students we were taking to the conference.  But even in the busyness of the days prior, I had an underlying suspicion that God was up to something...

So here I was, with 13,000 other people, at the end of an evening session.  A powerful, life-challenging message had just been delivered, and Hillsong Young & Free had just taken back the stage to lead us in a response of commitment and worship. Ever since the opening of the session earlier that night, when I saw that the "Oceans girl" (Taya Smith) was there, I had been hoping they would do that song.  They had led us in an hour of praise and worship at the beginning of the session, all of which was exciting and authentic and powerful... but no "Oceans."  It was ok, though.  The entire evening had been such a genuine experience in God's Presence... There was no way I could have left disappointed.

Then as the pastor wrapped up his message, I heard the opening chord progression... and I knew it was coming.  I recognized the song immediately, and my expectation rose.  I knew what was coming next... but I had no idea what was really coming next.

The melody penetrated the arena...

"Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger 
In the Presence of my Saviour..."

...and God penetrated my heart.  Deeply.

Immediately, God's Presence very tangibly filled and rested throughout the room.  Each repeat of the bridge washed over me like wave after wave, and I began to contemplate the lyrics deeply and personally.  Before long, I broke down, not only in tears, but in full, unrestrained sobs.  My heart and God's Spirit met in those moments, and a reconciliation took place that I had been longing for for quite some time.

See, my trust in God had been very severely bordered.

Disappointments, unanswered questions, and inexplicable challenges had been building up over the course of several years now.  While none of them could shatter my love for God or my commitment to following Him, they had most definitely placed boundaries around my trust in Him.

I felt my faith had been met with defeat more often than it had been met with victory. 

I felt my trust was in tact but could be easily fragmented with another blow of disappointment.

I felt like absolutes I had always known to be true had become not-so-absolute.

Ultimately, I felt like God had let me down.

I had been very careful not to grow angry with Him, but I had inadvertently allowed walls to form around my trust in Him.  I wanted to trust without limits, but I had too much fear from the failures and disappointments.

"Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders..."

In those moments, the words washed over me over and over again, and every time they did, it was as if another layer of disappointment was shed, another wall fell, and another aspect of faith was freed to break out.

"Let me walk upon the waters..."

I had never lost my desire to walk in the same power as Jesus did, but now my hope was breaking out again, shattering through the shell of disappointment, and I found the strength to believe again. 

"And my faith will be made stronger
In the Presence of my Saviour..."

My faith was fortified in those moments of brokenness.  In the middle of 13,000 people, it may as well have been just my Saviour and me.  In His Presence, so tangible and real, His Perfect Love broke through years of mounting fears that had taken root deep inside. His Perfect Love cast out the fear and replaced it with faith.  

He drew me closer to Himself in those moments.  He used a moment in a session of a conference on a trip I wasn't even supposed to be on.  He knew our relationship had suffered a blow, and although we had moved on together, He wanted the deep things to be made right even more than I had wanted it.  He wasn't content to just move forward.  He wanted to draw me in to a place of renewed trust, to launch me into a place of greater faith.

So that's exactly what He did.  I repented in those moments for holding Him at arm's length.  I let go of all the disappointment, of all the failures, and of all the unanswered questions, and Freedom captured my heart again.



I share all of this, because maybe you can relate to where I have been.  Is your trust in Jesus bordered by fears, failures, or disappointments?  Are you struggling with anger or doubt toward God?  Have you lost hope in the One who once was your shelter and inspiration and motivation?  Are there places in your heart and mind that have been locked away from God's touch, because you don't know how to open them back up to Him?  

Maybe you're like me and you never meant to let those walls be built, but somehow they were.  I encourage you to do whatever it takes to get into the Presence of your Saviour - right now, wherever you are - and let His Perfect Love cast out all your fear.  Let His Presence wash over you and break through the borders that have been set up around your heart.  He can penetrate the disappointment and the disillusionment.  Remember, He wants the relationship to be made right even more than you do.  

He has purposes for you and me... Besides wanting the relationship with us personally, He has other hurting people He wants us to help reach.  There are places He wants to send us, miracles He wants us to see and even to perform.  He wants us to walk on the water... Remember, it was out on the water that He called Peter to come toward Him.  Sometimes, out in the deep is where we find Jesus.  He's calling us to come. He needs us to be whole.  We need to be whole.  

Will you let Him shatter the borders around your trust today?

I don't know where all of this will go, or what challenges we may encounter, or what opportunities may be placed before us that are unfathomable to my imagination right now.  I don't know what situations He will call me to walk into or what miracles He will cause me to see, but... "Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders.  Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would call me... 
...And my faith fill be made stronger in the Presence of my Saviour."

It's the year for breakout.  We are uncontainable.


("Oceans" Hillsong United)

__________________________________
Amy

Conflict and Context

A LESSON FROM PROVERBS 18

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”  Proverbs 18:2 (NLT)

                                                                                                                     

I’ve been totally guilty.  Maybe you have, too.  Jumping to conclusions is so easy to do.  The boss issues a new policy that everyone hates, so we jump in and complain about it.  Social media goes nuts about a politician or celebrity’s latest offensive statement, so we throw our two cents in.  Some popular company's executive says something outrageous, so we jump on the boycott bandwagon.  The pastor preaches something we disagree with, so we figure he's not the man of God we thought he was after all.  Our spouse or parent or sibling says something that pushes our buttons, so we spout off the most cutting, hurtful string of words we can think of in retaliation.  

 “Fools have no interest in understanding.”

We live in a knee-jerk reaction world.  But consider this...

When was the last time you took the time to sit down and read for yourself the details of the new policy at work or asked someone in management to explain the rationale to you?  Did you try to gain understanding, or did you just accept your complaining co-worker’s conclusion as fact?

When the pastor said that thing that offended you, did you go home and search it out in the Scriptures for yourself?  Did you humbly ask the pastor or another spiritual leader over you to help you understand the point in question?  Or did you just let the pastor slip down a notch further in your (very spiritual albeit judgmental) estimation of him?

  

The last time you heard about a celebrity making an offensive remark, did you probe further to see what the actual words spoken were?  Did you find the full interview and learn the context of the questions asked?  Or did you read one headline and pass judgment on the person's motives and intentions? 

One of our biggest vulnerabilities is that our society is wired to respond to shock and conflict.  When we see or hear something that strikes a chord in us, we want it to be true, regardless of whether or not it is.  News channels, bloggers, producers, and the kid next door at his computer all know this to be true.  That’s why headlines are carefully crafted to manipulate your emotions, to trigger your attention and entice you to read the article.  (Just pay attention to how many times you see or hear “…and you won’t believe what happens next!”)  Our media world is designed to reel us in so we will embrace whoever’s opinion has been aired by whatever article, video, or photo that’s in front of us. 

“…they only want to air their own opinions.”

The problem is that our society thrives on CONFLICT but ignores CONTEXT.

What do I mean by that? 

In one of my roles in the public sector, I dealt with disgruntled customers and employees on a daily basis.  But many of the issues brought to our office boiled down simply to a gross misunderstanding of the why behind the what.  Employees don’t see the big picture; bosses don’t see the individual employee’s perspective.  Everyone lacked the context of the other person’s perception, so because they lacked context, they lived in conflict.  

Let's go a different direction for a minute.  When was the last time you or I researched a social media post to verify its authenticity before sharing it with all our friends? 

Did you know that I could, at this very moment, tell you about a beautiful, struggling 7-year-old girl I know who is lying in a hospital a few miles from here, fighting for her life?  I could tell you how her mother is a single mom whose insurance was dropped last year and how they desperately need money for the little girl’s treatment.  I could post a picture asking you to please share it with all your friends and help us get 1 million “likes” for this little girl and her mother.  There’s only one problem:  The true context behind this story is that it is just a story.  I totally made it up.  Just now, that little girl and her family were created as a figment of my imagination. 

The hard truth is that people make up stories, stage videos, manipulate images, and misconstrue facts every single day, and then they publish them online for the world to believe.  If you are not aware of that context, you will experience more than your share of internal conflict from emotion-evoking images and articles pulling at your heartstrings and igniting your anger as you scroll through your news feed each day.  (The tools available to the average consumer nowadays are astonishing, and then the sheer amount of time that some people have to sit around and make up things is even more astonishing!  You just can’t believe every picture you see of Jesus in the clouds... Seriously, Photoshop makes that really easy to do, so unless you snapped the picture yourself, there's a good chance it's not real.)

Most of us are acutely aware that “not everything you see on TV is true,” but how many of us apply this to the Internet?  Do we realize that it is light years easier to post something on the Internet than it is to broadcast something on TV? 

…to search out a matter is the glory of kings.  Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)

The fact is that we have a lot of fools running around airing their own opinions with no interest in understanding.  So it's up to us to search out matters, to gain context and understanding of the situation.

Let’s leave the social media world and apply this to real life.  If we thrive on conflict without context, it can have detrimental affects on our relationships with those around us.

How often have we made a judgment about someone, thinking there was no fathomable explanation to justify what they said or did, only to find out that once we heard their side of the story, it wasn't so bad after all?

“The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins.”

Proverbs 18:17 (NLT)

I can’t count how many times my husband and I have found ourselves in the middle of a not-so-pleasant “discussion,” having gone ‘round and ‘round in disagreement, and then one of us says in response to the other one, “Well, that’s exactly what I’m saying!”  Ok, wait.  If you’re saying what I’m saying, then that means we don’t disagree about this after all, right?  So why are we arguing?  We’re arguing because we lacked understanding about the other person’s perception.  We jumped into the conflict because we didn't understand the context.

Most of us want to be given the benefit of the doubt in our personal conflicts, but are we affording that same opportunity and grace to others?  Are we thriving on conflict, or are we striving for context and understanding in each situation?

Let’s ask ourselves these questions:

• Am I jumping on every opportunity to engage in conflict with those around me?  At work?  At school?  At church?  At home?
• Am I always looking for something to disagree about when someone in authority over me makes a new request or a new demand?
• Am I easily offended and highly defensive?
• Do I make snap judgments based on the first side of the story I hear?
• Do I easily fall prey to potential ploys, or do I search out a matter before investing my emotion and/or finances into the cause?
• Am I interested in gaining understanding, or am I only interested in airing my own opinions?
• Am I a fool, or am I wise?

We live in a very indignant, emotionally-charged society.  Many people spend their lives looking for a reason to complain, to be offended, and to fight.  While I don’t deny that there are valid issues in the world worthy of our concern and even our anger, I just wonder how many times we jump headlong into a battle that could have been avoided… if only we had stopped to gain understanding first?

Intelligent people are always ready to learn.  Their ears are open for knowledge.

Proverbs 18:15 (NLT)

______________________________

Amy

Run Like a Superhero

I love living with a 3-year-old… and not just any 3-year-old, but a 3-year-old little boy.  See, I’ve done the 3-year-old thing before with my daughter, but my son has brought a whole new dimension to the preschool years!  The messes, the accidents, the humor, and the sheer, raw energy have all gone to new levels!

For example, as we were getting our morning started today, I gave him a wrapper to throw away, and he sped off like a bolt of lightning (well, as close to lightning as his little legs could move him) across the room to the trash can.

I laughed inside and thought, “He runs like a superhero everywhere he goes.”

And you know, why shouldn’t he?  It’s fun, it’s invigorating, it’s exciting, and above all else… No one has ever told him he couldn’t.  No one has ever told him he can’t be a superhero, and I, for one, have no intentions of doing so.

So of course, I got to thinking…

How are we running this race called life?  Are we running like a superhero, or have we slowed down because somewhere along the way, someone told us we couldn’t do that?

We just celebrated Easter this past weekend, and it’s striking how Jesus was/is the only real-life superhero to ever live… He walked through His sphere of influence helping all who were in need who would receive His help.  The sick were healed, the dead were raised, the shamed were given grace, the pious were exposed… He conducted the greatest rescue mission of all time, ultimately finishing the work that would impact all of humanity, past, present, and future.  Wow!  What a superhero!

So back to my question… How are you running? Are you running like Jesus did, full of passion and purpose, totally committed to the mission assigned to Him? Are you running carefree, face in the wind, ALL-IN?  Or have your steps been hampered, either from disappointment, from being worn down by the routine, or maybe even from words spoken against you somewhere along the way?

Voices are powerful, and the voice we listen to determines where we will go in this thing called life.  Just look at Adam in the Garden of Eden.  When God came looking for him after he and Eve had sinned, Adam told God, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”  I love God’s response: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”  (Genesis 3:10-11).  Sure, they were naked.  They were naked every other time they had walked with God, too.  But this time was different.  Their nakedness wasn’t the point.  The point was that they had listened to a different voice, a conflicting voice, instead of the voice of their Creator.  Their nakedness was not shameful until they stopped listening to the voice of God and started listening to the deception of the serpent.  The problem wasn’t their nakedness.  The problem was they had listened to the wrong voice.

So let me ask you… 

     Who told you that you can’t change the world?

     Who told you that you won’t ever be anything above average?

     Who told you that you’ll never rise above your current circumstances?

     Who told you that you’re bound by your family history and will never break the mold?

     Who told you that you can’t be a superhero?

Whether you’re battling words spoken to you from others or words spoken to you from within, I challenge you to cast those words off, like a prisoner casting off his broken chains, and rise, and RUN.

Your Creator's words to you are life, hope, and purpose.  He’s always speaking; if you’re not hearing Him, make sure you’re tuned in to the right channel.  Hear the voice of the One who made you, the One who died for you, the One who loves you unconditionally.

Then rise, and dare to run.  Run like Jesus did.  Run like a superhero.  And change your world.

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

  

_________________________

Amy

 

 

A Lesson from the Little Black Remote

A few days ago, I came home from work and wanted to watch some TV and relax.  As I sat down on the couch, I was informed by my wife that little black remote that controls the volume to the sound bar had gone missing.

A little back story... Earlier that day, my kids had been playing and apparently, they thought it would be good to play with the little black remote.  I’m not really sure why, but my three-year-old son decided he would hide the remote.  When my wife (and daughter) asked him where the little black remote was, he would just shrug his shoulders and say, “I can’t know where it is.”  At one point in the grilling of my son about the whereabouts of the remote, he added, “I put it in a tricky place.”  J  I know, real cute. 

Back to my part of the story…  As I was informed of the missing little black remote, my wife said we could just watch TV anyway, that it’d be a little loud but not horrible.  I went on a little hunt myself (with the help of my daughter), looking in what I thought would be a tricky place for a three-year-old to hide a remote.  No luck.  We watched our show despite the volume being slightly elevated.  We went to bed that night still not having found the little black remote. 

I woke up the next morning on a mission, determined to find it.  I looked again in all the places I had looked the night before: in the toy box, behind the TV, in the pantry, and in the laundry baskets, but I found nothing.  I was getting ready to leave my house to run a couple of errands and just happened to look in the baby’s bouncy seat, and behold, there was the little black remote under the baby’s jacket.  It was not in a tricky place at all, but actually it was in a place we easily overlooked.  I realized that day that my son’s definition of “tricky” is not a reliable clue!  "Tricky" meant we should have looked in the routine, obvious places!

I was remembering the whole scenario later, and it got me to thinking... We as Christ-Followers oftentimes think that God has put the things He designed for us in “tricky” places.  We want to experience the promises of God for our lives, but they just seem to be hiding in the tricky places in life, out of sight and out of reach.  

What I learned that day is that what is hidden is not necessarily hidden in the tricky but in the routine.  Maybe you need direction in your life, but you need to move that distraction in your life in order to see that your direction is right there.  Or maybe you are asking God to bless your life financially, but the answer might not be that you win the lottery; maybe instead, your answer will be in your getting into a routine of putting Him first in the tithe.  

My takeaway for you and me is that we can oftentimes find what we are looking for in the routine of life if we don’t overlook it just because it’s routine.  Perhaps the direction you need is found in the routine of reading the Bible every day.  Perhaps the words of God to you are found in the routine of going to church regularly. 

Matthew 7.7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 

I am still learning to not overlook the routine in order to find my little black remote in life.  This was just a little reminder for me from God.   

What little black remote can you find in the routine of your life? 

Wonderful Peace: A Testimony

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

__________________________


I'm so thankful for God's Love.  His Love for us is so great that we oftentimes don't even notice how it is working for us.  But sometimes He gives us a clue, even if it is after-the-fact...




In our church service last Wednesday, we ended the planned set of songs with one of our favorites, "After You."  Our worship together that evening was special.  The church family came together and entered into worship, and it was easy to tell that God's Presence had filled the room.  At the end of the song, I motioned for the band to keep playing, and then we flowed into some spontaneous lyrics about Jesus' peace.  I felt so strongly that there were people in the room who needed to sense Jesus as their Peace Speaker that night.  An unplanned chorus of the old hymn, "Wonderful Peace," followed.  Pastor Vannie opened the altar to all who needed peace, and the front of the sanctuary quickly filled with many of our church family members. Together, we continued in worship, and God's Peace was so tangible. It was really a special moment.


I've known many such moments down through the years, and as I have before, I left that service thankful to have been part of it.  I was thankful that God used us as a Worship Team to prepare the atmosphere for exactly what He knew people needed that night.


What I didn't know was that He was also preparing the atmosphere for what I was about to need.


We got home that night after church, and our 8-month-old baby, who had had a slight cough and cold throughout the day, had developed a fever.  I kept a close eye on him throughout the day Thursday, but the fever persisted, and his breathing became more and more labored and congested. I spent the day Thursday doing the things that I knew to do to help him feel better.  Meanwhile, my husband, Tim, left that afternoon for a men's retreat and would be gone until Saturday.


Friday morning, the baby's breathing seemed to be worse; he was definitely wheezing now and was still running a fever.  I decided to call the pediatrician's office and talk to a nurse about whether or not to bring him in.  She felt like he should be seen, so we set the appointment for later that afternoon.  I dropped the older two kids off with my mom and headed to the hospital where the pediatrician's office was.


Having had some experience with similar situations, I fully expected a pretty routine visit... I figured they'd find something like an ear infection, give me an antibiotic for him, and tell me to keep doing what I was doing for his breathing.


After weighing him and taking his temperature, they brought in the pulse oximeter.  Again, I'm familiar with the routine.  They want to see if his breathing is being productive enough to get adequate oxygen into his bloodstream.  What surprised me was that his reading came in low.  Also, it seemed his breathing had become even more labored throughout the day, and his respiratory rate was a bit high. The doctor ordered a breathing treatment for him, listened to him again afterward, and measured his pulse ox again.  Then she told me what I really wasn't expecting to hear... "I want to do another breathing treatment, but if that doesn't help, I may be sending you to the ER to have him admitted."


Wow.  This routine visit just took a turn in a totally unexpected direction. 


As a mother, few things cause me to feel overwhelmed like feeling helpless for my babies.  I'll admit, I caught myself about to get emotional in the moment, but a calm came over me, and I really didn't panic (like I normally would have)... The doctor left to pass the orders on to the nurses, and I picked up my phone to text Tim, my parents, my sister, and a close friend.  I got texts back that they were praying, and I even got texts from Tim and my dad that all the men at the retreat had come together and prayed for the baby and for me. 


The treatment was administered, the doctor listened again, but she still didn't like what she was hearing.  She sent us to Radiology for a chest x-ray, but she was straightforward with me about the possibilities:  "I might admit him."


Walking through the hospital to Radiology, it would have been very easy (and characteristic of me) to become overwhelmed with thoughts of what might happen, of how serious this could be, of how reminiscent this was of numerous issues we had had with our older son, of how my husband was out of town and I was having to handle this myself, not to mention of how expensive a hospital stay would be (and the money we didn't have to pay for it, thanks to a huge insurance deductible). 


But I didn't get overwhelmed.  I didn't freak out.  I didn't get melodramatic, not even in my thoughts.  Instead, my husband, parents, and I were texting back and forth things like, "We are praying. No ER!!!"  "Sickness has no place," "...our finances are not taking a hit, either. It's breakout time. We are uncontainable," and "This is unlawful!" 


We returned from Radiology, and the pediatrician came in and said the x-ray was clear, showing no signs of pneumonia, so that was good news.  She told me she felt sure he had bronchiolitis, so she gave me some very specific instructions for how to help his breathing while his body fought off the virus that caused it.  She said, "I'm trying to keep you out of the hospital."  She told me what to watch for in case it became necessary to go to the ER overnight, and then she sent us home!


I left feeling a little tired, but overall, I felt relief, gratitude, and... peace.


And it hit me.  God knew on Wednesday night what was going to happen Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday night wasn't just for everyone else; it was for me, too. He prepared the way before me so that I could walk through it filled with His awesome peace.  That's how much He loves us, so much that He's there before us... He's already there in the situation before we are.


By Friday night, the baby's fever had broken and hasn't returned since.  He woke up Saturday acting like himself, and today he is definitely on the tail end of this sickness that attacked his body.


That's my testimony from this past week. But what about you?  How has God shown His Love for you this week?  What has He done for you that you might have missed if you hadn't stopped and thought about it?


Never underestimate the Presence of God, and never underestimate how great His Love is for you and your family.  He knows what we need even before we need it!

"Peace, peace, wonderful peace

Coming down from the Father above

Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray

In fathomless billows of love!"

___________________________
Amy

Baggage Claim

I was traveling recently by plane, and when I reached my destination, I went to Baggage Claim to pick up my checked bag.  I’m sure you’re familiar with the scene… A crowd of people huddle around the carousel waiting for the bags to emerge.  Everyone waits anxiously, necks craning and eyes searching for the one.  If you’ve ever stood there long enough, you’ll see the same bags circle ‘round and ‘round, time after time.  Some bags are snatched up right away, some are picked up by the wrong person in a case of mistaken luggage identity, and others are left there until the whole crowd has disappeared… circling around on the carousel, left unclaimed.

The term “baggage claim” got me thinking about what I do or don’t claim in my life in a spiritual sense. So let me pause and ask you:  What bag have you claimed?

Please give me a minute to unpack this idea (I know, cheesy luggage joke).  I believe that God has placed a unique calling and destiny in you.  For the sake of this blog, we will call this your bag.  You have a bag to claim, a unique bag meant only for you, a bag packed with an abundant life and tools to impact your world in a positive way.  But sadly, many people never pick up that bag.  Too many of us have either picked up a bag that was intended for someone else, or we’ve picked up bags that no one was ever meant to carry.  Too often, people are picking up the bags of guilt, shame, unforgiveness, or bitterness.   

We walk through life holding onto these bags instead of embracing and living out our own destiny from God.  In my own experience, I got to a point of being tired.  I got tired of living with unforgiveness, shame, and guilt.  Maybe you are at the same point. 

Our church has weekend retreats that are specifically designed to help us release this kind of baggage (and they are greatly effective), but you can let go of those bags anytime.  I invite you to join me in doing so right now.

1 Peter 5.7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

God cares for you.  He cares so much that He sent his only Son to be beaten beyond recognition and to die so that you can release the bags that weigh you down. 

Will you cast that bag back onto the carousel?  Will you pick up the destiny that God has designed especially for you?  

What bag do you claim? 

_________________________

Tim