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/ Jodie / 1 Comment

Genesis 37:3-4
3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.[b] 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

Joseph’s brothers hated him because their dad continually showed more love for their little brother- not them.

It happens all too frequently in family, between siblings, in marriage, among friends, and even in the church. We blame another person as a result of feeling rejected by the one we wanted to love us… more.

All of us are heart wired to be loved. God designed us that way. We come into this world screaming for attention from our father and mother. If our heart isn’t filled, we’ll throw a hissy fit, disobey, or do whatever it takes to be noticed. Add a sibling to the mix and the desire seems to increase- exponentially!

Left unsatisfied, our broken heart eventually falls prey to the tactics of the enemy. As a result, we unknowingly begin to form a hardened heart, which blames everyone around us, except for the person who didn’t love us….more.

If our wounded heart is left unattended for too long, we inevitably begin to hurt others, lie and cause overwhelming grief to the ones closest to us.

Genesis 37:23-35
23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.[a] 27 Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed. 28 So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces[b] of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.
29 Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”
31 Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. 32 They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”
33 Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. 35 His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.

The only cure to release the toxin of hatred that forms in our hearts is to throw ourselves down at the throne of Grace. When the King of Kings begins to perform healing heart surgery and shines His light through the damaged areas of our soul, we begin to see that those we were jealous of and spent a great deal of energy hating weren’t the ones who originally caused us pain. Occasionally, the Holy Spirit may even make a deep incision, revealing that we have blamed Our Creator. Whether we consciously think about it or not, in the recesses of our heart, sometimes we find it difficult to understand how a loving God would allow us to be hurt by those He placed in our lives to love and protect us. Blame God? No way. That’s just not right. God is perfect, sovereign, holy, righteous, blameless….
Yeah, He is. But that doesn’t mean that our imperfect hearts don’t wanna point the finger at the One in charge. We’re sinners, after all, who often lean toward the selfish and self-serving desires rather than the chosen, redeemed, restored heart of a saint. Yet, knowing this, God in his loving kindness still beckons us not to deny our feelings or hide our brokenness in an empty cistern. IMG_4310Instead, He calls us to pour out our complaints so that He can show us His perspective, His truth, His love.

Psalm 142:1-2
1 I cry out to the Lord;
 I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
2 I pour out my complaints before him
 and tell him all my troubles.

And miraculously, once we confess, repent and forgive, we are able to receive more unfailing love from Our Father than all the grain in Pharaoh’s storehouses.

Ephesians 3:18
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Letting Go

/ Jodie / 1 Comment

Matthew 14:22-33

22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![b]”

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[c] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

On Sunday, my husband and I surprised our oldest daughter with a zip line and sling shot trip for her birthday. As I stepped into my harness and began the safety lesson, I started praying….asking God to help me NOT be afraid. Down the first line I went. “Woo hoo! This is fun. I can do it!” my mind said. But, as the height, length of the line and speed increased, so did my heart rate- and so did my fear. Apparently, I began mumbling my anxious thoughts out loud because at some point, our daughter turned and said, “Mom, just lift your feet and let go.” Yes, ma’am. Down the line I went, zipping past towering pines, oaks and birch trees native to North Carolina, a trickling creek, an abandoned mill house and a rushing waterfall. Absolutely breathtaking.

2014-10-19 16-13 0

Had a refused to let go of the side of the boat, lift my feet and walk on water I would have missed out on a great adventure. I would have missed the gorgeous views from the treetops. I would have missed the thrill of riding through the woods, suspended from a thin line. I would have missed sharing a new experience with our daughter. I would have missed another lesson God wanted me to learn.

What happened to the other disciples in the boat? Why didn’t they go over the side and walk on water? Were they too afraid and thus content to just sit and watch Peter? Did they rationalize that if their friend sank, they would too? What did they miss by not letting go?

Today, as we celebrate our daughter turning 15, I realize the next few years will require a LOT of letting go. Driving. Dating. College. Career.….. We have tried to train her in the way that she should go, but we’ve failed in a lot of ways. A lot. Yet, by the grace of God, we’ve been blessed to watch this strong willed, brilliant, athletically talented, gifted, compassionate young leader emerge and begin her journey of climbing out of our boat, onto the water, to walk towards her Savior.

Letting go on a zip line is hard. Letting go of our children is harder. Yet, I know that God is in control. I know that He can be trusted. I know that His plans for all of our children are good. And I know that whenever the strong wind and waves develop in their lives, He will be there to reach out and grab them. I know this because He’s done the same for me, His daughter.

Childlike

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Matthew 11:25-26

25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

IMG_3765While sitting at Holden Beach, NC with some ladies from a ONE Flesh Small Group this weekend, I savored the sound of the crashing waves, the coolness of the wind blowing on my face and the softness of the sand enveloping my feet.

Not content to just sit at the beach, however, I finally got up and followed one of my friends, who was strolling along the waters edge, searching for unique seashells that had made their way to the coastline.

On the final day of our stay, I followed another friend who wanted to go swimming, into the cool Atlantic water. Afraid to completely immerse myself in the ocean because of an emerging head cold, I chose to stay in the shallows so that I could keep my head and shoulders above the water. But, as I continued to watch my friend catch wave after wave and float all the way to the shoreline I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out on something….

There was no fear in her, no worry, no anxiousness of being overcome by the waves. She acted so childlike; overflowing with joy….peace….fullness of life.

As I was relaying these beach adventures to my husband last night, he wisely replied, “kind of symbolic of our relationship with God, huh?”

Yep.

Some of us are so wise and clever:

-content to sit on the beach and just look at God.

-content to walk along the shoreline with His Son to get our feet wet from time to time…. when we want something.

-content to jump into the waves for a swim, but quickly high tail it back to the beach when a massive wave of His Spirit threatens to overcome us.

And some of us are so childlike in our pursuit of God:

-wanting to soak in Our Father’s love

-wanting to be consumed by the presence of His Spirit

-wanting to become more and more like His Son.

Fortunately, there’s hope for us who are wise and clever! God promises to reveal His truth to us….IF we turn from our sins, become like a little child, and obey Him.

Matthew 18:2-4

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open by philosophy or thinking. Immediately you obey, a flash of light comes. Let God’s truth work in you by soaking in it, not by worrying into it….God will never reveal more truth about Himself until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming “wise and prudent.’” –Oswald Chambers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hi-VMxT6fc

I Urge You

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1 Corinthians 4:14-16

14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.

This passage, taken from a letter that Paul penned to the church in Corinth, appears to be written by a pompous and proud leader.

It isn’t.

Paul, who was the church founder, was writing to his beloved children to warn them of the evil that was operating in their midst. These “infant” Christians were still very susceptible to living by the flesh, instead of living in the Spirit. As a result, they were indulging in all kinds of sin; greed, cheating, sexual sin and worshipping idols, just to name a few. In order to continue training them in the way that they should go, Paul, who was their spiritual father- their mentor, urged these new believers to imitate him- as he imitated Christ. He was, as any loving parent would do, imploring his children to obey God so that they could enjoy a long life!

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child [a]in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Ephesians 6:2-3

2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

This parent-child relationship that was established in the early church doesn’t just apply to the Corinthians. It applies to today’s church in England, Africa, China, America….the world. It is critical that every part of the Body of Christ (whether we are “infants,” “teenagers” or “adults”) has a spiritual father or mother to disciple us. Without a mentor to teach, encourage, and yes, lovingly rebuke us at times, we, like foolish children are prone to disobey our Father in Heaven. Left to ourselves, we can easily become consumed by the evil in our midst, and succumb to the desires of our flesh. As a result, we (sometimes unknowingly), choose for ourselves a rod of punishment.

1 Corinthians 4:18-21

18 Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. 19 But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. 21 Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

“Some people talk a lot about faith, but that’s all it is- talk. They may know all the right words to say, but their lives don’t reflect God’s power. Paul says that the Kingdom of God is to be lived, not discussed.”

-Life Application Study Bible

With love and a gentle spirit, I want to urge to find a spiritual father or mother. The mentor you choose should imitate Christ and live a life that produces good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). They should be a man or woman whose heart is submitted to obeying the Lord. They should be a person who is willing to humble him/herself, confess and repent for their sins not only to God, but also to others.

James 5:16

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

IMG_2963

And, they should be a person who is willing to invest their time, talent and treasure into training you to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus (NOTE: this person may or may not be your Pastor, Sunday School Teacher or Small Group Leader. In the past, I naively expected leaders in the church to provide the training I needed, but I quickly realized that their role was that of an apostle, prophet or teacher- not a mentor).

“Paul told the Corinthians to imitate him- to follow his example. He was able to make this statement because he walked close to God, spent time in God’s Word and in prayer, and was aware of God’s presence at all times. God was Paul’s example; therefore, Paul’s life could be an example to other Christians. Paul wasn’t expecting others to imitate everything he did, but they should imitate those aspects of his beliefs and conduct that were modeling Christ’s way of living.”

-Life Application Study Bible

A Little Child Will Lead Them

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Isaiah 11:6

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
 the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
  and a little child will lead them all.

Before our whirlwind family trip last week, Doug and I began preparing our children for what they may experience in the big cities we planned on visiting. We told them about the noise, the smells, the sights, the difficulty in navigating busy streets, the traffic, the multitude of people, the venders selling things to tourists, etc. etc. etc. What we could not prepare them for, however, was their reaction to the poor.

We passed several people on the streets of Philadelphia during our 2-day visit, but one man in particular stood out to our son. Our family was completely oblivious, however, to his encounter until we left the noisy streets and returned to our less noisy hotel room. Moments later, our son began to weep uncontrollably. After multiple attempts to console him, he was finally able to sputter out a few words as to why he was so distraught;

“that man…… sitting on the street……was hungry….and had no where to live……”

Although I was moved by our son’s compassion, I’m embarrassed to admit that my initial thought was “yeah, he probably lives in some posh apartment and pays for all his luxuries by begging tourists for money.” Moments later, as I continued to watch our sons heart break, I realized my judgment (based on prior experiences) was an indicator of my heart- which was not being motivated by love.

A short time later, with a changed heart, I prayed with our son, right there in our hotel room in the city of brotherly love, and asked God to fulfill every need for that man. Afterwards, I told our 7 year old that the next time he saw someone in need to SPEAK LOUDLY so we could stop and do something.

IMG_8806Four days later, as our family was walking down 5th Avenue in New York City, we passed a man sitting on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign. I slowed my pace, waiting for our sons voice to ring out above the noise of the people, the taxi drivers blasting their horns and the construction equipment rumbling overhead…..a heartbeat later I heard, “MO-OOOOOMMM….there’s a man!!! I want to give him some money.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, turned around to look at my husband, who was already pulling cash out of his pocket, and watched, through tear filled eyes as our son, escorted by his father, walked back up the crowded sidewalk to give a tangible gift of love to a man in need. After the gentleman accepted the money, he looked at our son and said “God bless you both.” Indeed, He already had- for a little child had led us to a greater understanding of how to love our neighbor; whether they are poor in spirit, poor in relationships, poor in truth, poor in hope, poor in joy, poor in kindness, or poor in possessions.

Mark 12:31

31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.”

Proverbs 19:17

If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you!

Do What They Say

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Hebrews 13:17

17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

IMG_4126Last week, our family embarked on our first ever class 1 and 2 white water rafting adventure in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. During the bus ride down to the river, our guides gave us a short (and I do mean SHORT) lesson on paddling in order to navigate safely down the 8 mile stretch of water -and how to avoid going overboard. When we arrived at the waters edge and climbed into the rubber boat, I assumed 1 of the 3 guides would continue with their instruction, instead, they shoved us into the water and we were quickly on our way! Since my husband was the only one out of the six of us who had previously experienced white water rafting, we unanimously elected him captain in order to navigate us down the Lehigh River.

As my fear began to rise, feeling extremely unprepared to venture into uncharted waters, I began paddling like a mad woman- completely ignoring my husband’s directions. As some of our children followed my lead, chaos quickly erupted and we all began struggling against one another- and the rapids. In the midst of pandemonium, however, I heard that still small voice tell me to STOP and obey the voice of my leader….

After I took a deep breath, and began paddling at Doug’s command (and the children followed suit) our boat began floating along, almost effortlessly down the river….and all of us were able to enjoy the ride.

The same struggle to successfully maneuver through the uncharted waters of life often occurs within my marriage and family. I am quick to see the whitewater emerging around the bend and the dangerous rocks that loom beneath the surface of the deep that threaten to overturn us. What I often fail to realize, however, is that my captain (husband) has a different vantage point, and ultimately, he is responsible to God for how he chooses to navigate. My responsibility is simply to trust God and *obey my captains directions as we journey down the river together. As an engaged co-captain, I should be able to relay any potential warnings to my captain, but ultimately, I must learn to let go of my fears and leave the navigating to him. Sure, there will be times when he doesn’t lead wisely, but he’s human- and bound to make a few mistakes. And yes, since we are in the same boat, I may get splashed by the waves, or hit a few boulders, or perhaps even get tossed overboard, but…..if I continue to trust God, and submit my will to His, I will be able to enjoy the ride- despite the raging waters beneath me.

 

*I would not obey my husband’s directions if he was deliberately engaging in sin- or asking me to do the same.

Freedom

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Galatians 5:13

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature…..

1 Peter 2:16

16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

IMG_4310After an excruciatingly long and demanding homeschool year, I began looking forward, with great anticipation, to some free time in our kids and my schedule. With that in mind, I updated our children’s chore charts, added extra time each day for them to engage in their privileges (TV, Wii, iPad, computer games, etc.) and pushed back their bed times to be more conducive with our new summer hours. I was somewhat surprised however, when my act of generosity was met with “uhgggh….grrrr……we STILL have to do chores?!? We can’t watch TV ALL day??? We can’t stay up ALL night!?!” You would have thought I was a harsh taskmaster, refusing to feed them, and demanding they work 10 hours days in 100% humidity cropping tobacco- for no pay.

Later in the week, as I was chatting with one of our children, she admitted she was still mad at me for taking away “her freedom.” She had expected that during the summer she could do whatever she wanted- whenever she wanted. Was it too much to ask after working hard on her chores and school all year? On the surface, no. But I explained to her that true freedom isn’t the absence of rules or laws, for without any parameters, there would be chaos. I then gave a short lesson about the Israelites constantly sinning against God and His reason for sending the 10 commandments through Moses. It wasn’t because He was being a harsh taskmaster. No! God gave His children laws to provide safe, healthy parameters to live life to the full! He knew that if they lived according to His design, they would experience true freedom, in Him.

And so, as you may have guessed, my parameters for the summer still stand. Sure, I am open to negations, if respectful arguments are brought forward for consideration. But, I refuse to allow our children to live their lives as slaves to sin. Instead, while they are still within our care, I want to train them to become God’s slaves, because I know true freedom is only found by living a life submitted to Him- and His parameters.