Month: April 2018

“You, Lord, are my lamp;  the Lord turns my darkness into light.  With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” 2 Samuel 22:29-30
I love this verse.  It was in my Bible reading yesterday and I haven’t stopped thinking about it.  Partly, I’m sure because it is now the screen saver on my Ipad…both screens.
God is really trying to tell me something through it.  You know how I know?  I was only going to make it my lock screen saver.  I really loved the picture I had on my Ipad prior, just an instant source of peace for me.  However, as I was setting it, I felt this instant sense I needed to do both.  It’s a verse God wants me to ponder over and pray about.  I need to memorize it.
It’s interesting at the timing of it too.  This past week I have felt defeated.  I have felt challenged at every turn.  Everything was hard this past week. Nothing came easily.    Discouraged would definitely have been how I described myself up until yesterday morning.   Ever since I read this verse and started thinking about it, I’ve begun to feel uplifted.  I’m ready to go into battle again.  As Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians, our battle isn’t against flesh and blood…but against spiritual forces (Eph. 6:12).
I need reminded of that every now and then.  People tend to wear me out.  But once I remember my battle isn’t with them I can gain new perspective.  It’s not the people who are wearing me out, it’s the spiritual battle.  Once I remember that the battle is spiritual, I instantly remember it is already won.  I’m not fighting it alone.  God has equipped me with everything I need for the victory.  Usually, it means getting out of the way and letting Him do His thing.
Whatever battle you’re fighting today or this week, just remember, you’re not alone!
 

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing.” 1 Corinthians 3:6
You know what is annoying?  Pollen!
I had a great day yesterday, productive.  Accomplished a lot.  By the time I went to teach a tennis lesson, my last job of the day, I was ready for a relaxing evening.  Weather was good, not too hot, not too cold.  There was pollen EVERYWHERE.  Those long spindly looking things from the trees.  It wasn’t until after I’d finished teaching that it really started to affect me.  By the time we arrived at our small group my eyes had started to water, I was sneezing and the misery had started.
All because of pollen.  Something so tiny had such a large affect on my evening.  I went from feeling great to feeling lousy in an hour. But we need the pollen to fertilize the plants. Eventually, they become the trees and flowers we love.  They go from ugly little spindly things, or the infamous yellow dusting which covers cars in VA, to a variety of beautiful vegetation in a wonderful array of colors.  It is just part of the growing process.
You know what else is annoying?  Those little grains of truth we receive at unexpected times which cause us to stop and examine ourselves,  our relationship with others and with God.
For instance, yesterday, in the midst of a conversation a trusted friend told me I’m too hard on myself.  It was a random comment which I have been thinking about ever since.  He’s not wrong, I am too hard on myself.  It’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life.  I was surprised he had noticed.
For me, it’s a great reminder.  One of the fall outs of me being hard on myself is I can be hard on others.  I struggle with grace, I tend to fall more on the truth side of life.  I’m grateful for the comment, it’s already started to help me not only let myself off the hook, but extend grace to others.
It was the seed I needed to create a larger change.  Something which will result in a beautiful outcome somewhere else down the line.  God’s word often works for us in the same manner.  We’ll read a verse which resonates with us, it strikes a chord.  Hopefully, we’ll pause and think about it.  We’ll pray about it and ask God what He’s telling us through it.  Then as we begin to understand it, we start to apply it to our lives.  Hopefully this begins to bring about a change we didn’t even realize we needed.
Just as pollen is needed to fertilize the plants, we need the truths of God’s people and His word to fertilize our growth.  To spur us on to all God wants and means for us to be.
Growing can be difficult, but it is necessary.  It isn’t always an easy process.  It can be annoying.  It definitely takes time.  But the end result is worth it.  God can do miracles with a tiny seed!
Unfortunately though, we have to endure the pollen to spur on the growth!
 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”   Psalm 121:1-2
My pastor started a new series this week, Hills and Valleys.  It’s talking about when life is good and when life is bad.  There is always the in between.
I am currently in the in between.  I don’t know whether I’m going up the hill or down into the valley.  I wonder how many of us are in the same position?
I run two small businesses.  I teach tennis and I walk dogs.  Both of them require me being on my feet.  I found out yesterday I have a spur at the end of my achilles.  It’s caused by chronic inflammation in the tendon.  In other words, six months ago when it started to bother me, if I’d paid attention to the pain I was feeling, I may not be in this boat.  I could of just rested it then for a few weeks and it would have been fine.
But I didn’t. I ignored the red flags.  Now I’m facing possible surgery and months of recovery.
What if I hadn’t ignored the red flags?  Hindsight is always 20/20.  I wonder why we do it to ourselves?  Why do ignore the signs? The warnings God places in our path to keep us from injuring ourselves?  It can be relationally, physically, financially.  There are so many times we see the symptoms but ignore the problem.
The friend who only calls when they need something and we’re always there.  The boyfriend/girlfriend who only cares about their needs and we push ours aside.  The pain we feel in our achilles but keep playing anyway.  The credit card we can’t pay off at the end of the month but we keep charging.
Just a few examples, and we’re all guilty of it at one point or another.  I can just imagine God looking down on me right now, shaking His head.  “I tried to warn you Beth.  You wouldn’t listen.  How much pain do you have to feel for me to get your attention?”
That’s just heartbreaking.  I think I’m so tight with God, yet sometimes I ignore His most obvious signs.  Thank You God for loving me anyway.  Forgive me for not listening.
I wonder what God is trying to tell you that you’re not hearing?  How much pain do you have to feel before you start listening?  I’m praying it’s not as much as mine!
 

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7
One of my favorite verses, so simple yet all encompassing.  No matter what your anxiety, God can handle it.
It’s Spring Break week in Virginia.  Ironically, I feel like it is more stressful than a normal week.  Everyone seems to be rushing to fit all they can into a seven day period before normal life resumes.
I’ve been busy writing a Bible study.  Wasn’t my plan for this week, but a meeting Monday night put me on this path.  It’s exhilarating when I have clear direction for my writing.  Often times, I struggle to find a topic.
It has been a break for me from my normal routine.  I’ve spent my afternoons writing.  It’s been wonderful, for me, I have found rest.  I’ve cast my anxiety on the Lord and He has given me purpose.
How about you?  How has your Spring Break been?