Girls To Grow

Some nights I have a few minutes to read in bed before we turn out the lights.  I recently decided to try reading a chapter in the Bible during that time.  It’s not an “I have to do this before I go to sleep” thing, but I do like the idea of having God’s Word be the last thing going into my mind before I fall asleep.

I started at Genesis 1.  I’m using the Bible app on my phone, so it automatically opens to the chapter I need to read next (and I don’t have to try to remember where I left off last time!)  Genesis appeals to me because its stories are about people who sometimes struggled in their faith.  I think we can all relate to that in some way!  Since there’s no rush to get through the Bible in a particular time frame, I’m trying to really think about the story that’s unfolding as I read.

So I ran into Lot earlier this week.  What an interesting character.  I probably see way too much of myself in his story.  He focuses on what looks good on the surface, makes selfish choices, and tries to fit into a world he’s not made for.

You know the story.  Lot’s living in the midst of a wicked society in Sodom and Gomorrah.  God has decided to destroy those cities because of their great sin.  Abraham, Lot’s uncle, hears about God’s plan, and pleads for the city to be spared if there are a certain number of righteous people living there.

Two angels visit Lot the night before God’s punishment is to be unleashed.  They tell Lot to warn his family about the impending doom.  Morning comes, and the angels tell Lot to hurry.  He needs to leave so he won’t be consumed along with the city.  And here’s where I paused in my reading.  Genesis 19:16.

“And while he lingered….”

Why Lot???  Why are you lingering?  Don’t you remember what happened just last night?  Those men who wanted access to your angel visitors were right outside your door.  Then, when you didn’t turn the visitors over to them, they said, “This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.” [verse 9]  Is this a place where you still want to live?

Why do you want to stay?  Is it because your wife is so enamored with the city?  Or perhaps it’s because you’ll be leaving behind family and friends, maybe great possessions?

Yet before I’m too hard on Lot, let me take a look at my own life.

What is God is asking me to do that I’m holding back from since it would mean giving up time I want to spend on something else?  Could there be a place He wants me to go, but I hesitate to leave the comforts that I have now?  Is He asking me to give something up – a pastime, a habit – that I’m still clinging to, but need to release?

For whatever reason, Lot was reluctant to leave the city behind.  So is there anything that I’m unwilling to give up?  Is there any area in which this world has too much of a hold on me?

Let’s not be slow to obey God’s command or His call in our lives.

Since Lot lingered, the angels “laid hold upon his hand.”  Why?  The rest of verse 16 tells us.  “The Lord being merciful to Him.”

In spite of those times when I allow worldly pleasures to distract me from what I should do, God is merciful.  How thankful I am that His mercies are new every morning!!

I want to round out the story by looking at Abraham.  We know that in chapter 18 Abraham was basically pleading with the Lord to spare Lot.

What if it was my child who fell prey to the allure of Sodom?  I certainly hope that I would be as sincere and persistent in my prayer for her as Abraham was in his request for Lot.

And while I’m so grateful to say that I’m not in that circumstance right now, how much like Abraham can I be in praying that our girls will walk with God daily and not be drawn away from Him?

What did the angel tell Lot in Genesis 19:22?  “ Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither.”  The power of Abraham’s prayer and the faithfulness of God to Abraham meant that God wouldn’t act until Lot was safely out of the way.  My prayer can have that same impact as I pour my heart out to God on my daughters’ behalf.

Finally, Genesis 19:29 says, “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.”  It wasn’t for Lot’s sake that God saved him, but for Abraham’s.

I’m challenged today to pray for my children in such a way that God will remember my prayers when He seeks to work in the lives of my children.

Related posts:
10 Prayers to Pray for Your Daughter
5 Bible Verses to Encourage You in Your Prayer Life
A Prayer for Wisdom in Parenting My Children

Yes, I’ve admitted it here before, and now I’ll do it again.

I have to fight against pride.

Once in a while, we may run across people who openly brag or boast about themselves or their accomplishments.  In those cases, pride is pretty obvious.

But I don’t think that’s usually how it works for me.  (Or at least no one’s ever told me so!)  Mine is typically an inward thing.  It’s the thoughts that run through my mind, the silent judging of others as I compare myself favorably to them.  Having a much higher opinion of myself than I should gets me in trouble way too often.

Pride also comes through when I decide to rely on myself to get through whatever I’m facing.  I don’t see my need for God, either because I don’t take the time to think about asking for His help, or because I think, “I’ve got this.”

So what do I need to be portraying instead of pride?  One simple word.  Humility.

The definition of humility from dictionary.com is “a modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance.”  Well, that’s a lot to chew on.  It’s also a perfect segue to Romans 12:3.  “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…”

If I’m going to be like Christ, humility is an important character trait to have.  Let’s look at Philippians 2:5-8.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

In Lysa Terkeurst’s book, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, she shares a story about an event she attended.  The short version is, everyone there seemed to already know each other.  So she ended up sitting at a table alone.  As she reviewed the situation later, she wrote the following:

“Anything that infuses us with humility is good.  Even if it feels a bit like humiliation in the moment, the workings of humility within are a gift.”

We’ve probably all been in a similar situation.  But I’ve certainly never thought of being alone in a crowd as a chance to be “infused with humility.”  I haven’t seen it as a gift.  Yet God can use times like that to work humility into me.

I like how she follows that up with this thought.

“The only difference between humility and humiliation is that one chose to bow low while the other tripped and fell there.”

We’ve probably all experienced humiliation as well, but most likely we didn’t choose it!  I want to choose humility over pride, as hard as it may be.  Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”  If ever there was motivation to rid my life of pride, that’s it.  I want to avoid destruction for sure!

Finally, when we’re willing to live in humility, to let go of our self-importance and our pride, we can learn this lesson.

“…on the other side of the stripping of pride are some of the best gifts God gives us.”

The Bible reminds us that on the other side of humility we find wisdom.  Proverbs 11:2 tells us this.  “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”  If I think I know it all, I’m not searching for true wisdom.  When I realize how much I need wisdom – for marriage, parenting, service – then I am brought low and am actually able to receive wisdom.

As counter cultural as it may sound, I want to live in humility.  This is definitely not a battle I can win on my own.  But, to quote 2 Corinthians 2:14, “…thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ…”  As I yield to the Holy Spirit and allow him to work in my life, humility can get the victory over pride, and I can take another step toward becoming more like my Savior.

Related posts:
Living Authentic:  The Reality of the Day-to-Day
How to Develop a God-Honoring Thought Life
How Do I Walk Humbly With My God?

At some time or another, I believe most of us get to a place where making a difference in others’ lives becomes a priority.  For some of us, that might come earlier in our journey than for others.  For me, it’s more acute now than it ever has been.  Maybe that’s because I’m finally admitting to myself that I’m middle-aged.  (Yikes!)

No matter how old we are, where we live, or what our day-to-day job is, we can have a ministry.  I like this definition of ministry I found on Bible.org – “The faithful service of God’s people rendered unto God and others on His behalf to bring Him glory, build up His church, and reach out to His world.”

So what is my ministry?  And who am I supposed to serve?

In her book, Loving my Actual Life: An Experiment in Relishing What’s Right in Front of Me,  Alexandra Kuykendall shared this “Philosophy of Ministry.”

“Ministry is whoever is at the door or on the phone.”

Really?  Is that it?  I thought ministry needed to be big and important, like going on a missions trip or heading up the children’s program at church or volunteering at a homeless shelter.  Those are all great things to do and wonderful ways to serve.  But ministry is often “smaller” (in our minds), less grand, and just a part of our every-day activities.

So there’s actually a somewhat simple answer to my question, “What is my ministry?”

I can choose to minister to whoever God puts in my life today.  It’s one person at a time.  It’s my husband, my children, the receptionist at the doctor’s office, the school secretary.  Who’s right in front of me that needs a word of encouragement?  Who needs to hear the words “I’m praying for you?”  Who am I talking to on the phone that just appreciates a listening ear or would accept my offer to bring over a meal?

Galatians 6:10 says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”  I want God to be able to trust me to be faithful in my ministry.  As He places people in my path, I want to be responsible to see the need, and to help and uplift where I can.

And let’s not forget why we’re ministering.  I might want it to be so that I feel good about myself or can get a pat on the back.  Yet that would be the wrong motive.  Ministry and service are to point others to God, to bring glory to Him.

When we open our door and answer our phone, let’s look for our ministry opportunities today!

Related posts:
How Can God Use Me Today?
What Does It Mean to Serve My Husband?
5 Ways to Serve Others as a Family