Are you watching the winter Olympics?  Our daughters check the television each night to see which events are on, so we usually get caught up in the competition for a little while.

I happened across this funny tweet from @HarlanCoben (whom I know nothing about beyond this tweet) a few nights ago.

Me:  I’ve never watched luge. I know nothing about it.

Me 20 minutes later:  Turns 9 through 12 are really the key to victory. He’s taking them too high. Why doesn’t he listen to me??

Sporting events often bring out the “armchair quarterback” in all of us!  We’ll talk to the television, and “helpfully” instruct these highly trained athletes who’ve worked for years to get to this level.  I mean, it’s like we know how they should go into that jump so that their triple salchow isn’t underrotated!

These Olympians have put incredible amounts of practice time and effort into preparing for the Olympic games.  It’s been their “work” for many years.  And while most of us won’t ever perform on that stage, there is something more important that we are called to do.

It won’t put us on a gold medal platform, or land us any lucrative endorsements.  But God has a work for each one of us.  And it will take a lifetime for that work in and through us to be refined.

Let’s look at Hebrews 13:20-21.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus…Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

The best part about the work God has for us to do is that He will do it in us.  According to the Geneva Study Bible, the word “perfect” in this verse actually means fit or suitable.  In other words, God is the one who makes us suitable for His work.  He equips us with what we need for the job ahead of us.

I like what Barnes said in his commentary about the above verse.  “Paul prayed that God would fully endow them with whatever grace was necessary to do his will and to keep his commandments…”  Whether it’s my marriage, my parenting, my career, or my ministry, I can’t make myself fit for it.  Only through Jesus and His Holy Spirit continually working in us can we live “wellpleasing in His sight.”

The work of the Holy Spirit is gradual and progressive.  Maybe you think, “God’s not doing much with me now.  I do the same thing every day (whether that’s go to work or do laundry or drive carpool).”  Yet even when we don’t feel like His Spirit is working, when we’re not seeing how He’s growing us, we can know He’s faithful to be dong it.  He’s equipping us for what’s to come.

It reminds me of Philippians 1:6.  “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Because God does the work, I can’t take credit for it.  All glory goes to Him.  When I’m a more patient wife or mom…when I’m bold enough to talk to my neighbor about my faith…when I find that last little bit of endurance I need in a difficult situation… it’s God who deserves the glory and praise.

God is the ultimate orchestrator of all that has to do with us.  He will give us everything we need to live for Him, and will energize us to do the work to which He calls us.

Related posts:
God Will Prepare the Way
God Has a Purpose for You Today
4 Ways You Can Live as Philippians 2 Christian Woman Today

Back in the day, I was a first grade teacher.  I enjoyed introducing six-year-olds to basic concepts in the classroom.  Teaching them to read was my favorite job.  Even if students had already started reading in kindergarten, they usually blossomed that next year.

These days I still get to interact with that age group on Wednesday nights at church.  A couple of weeks ago, I was helping two little boys memorize the following verse.

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings.” ~Philippians 2:14

“Murmurings” and “disputings” are some big words when you’re six, so I tried to explain the verse.  I told them it basically meant they should do everything without complaining and arguing.  Then we talked about some examples of what that would look like for them.

Did they always obey dad and mom without arguing?  Did they ever complain about what they were given to eat for supper?  We had fun talking through some possible situations they might be in that would present opportunities for them to choose whether or not to argue or complain!

Talk about a basic concept – and a simple, direct command!  It’s not only to first graders, it’s also for me!!

This is one of those verses that doesn’t leave any wiggle room for our current mood or situation.  “All things” means all things.  It doesn’t mean we get a pass for complaining if we’re tired or our child just made a big mess or the driver in front of us won’t go any faster.

Complaining doesn’t seem like a serious sin.  Yet this quote from Joan Chittister helps us realize what an effect it can have in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

“Complaining is the acid that shrivels our souls and the soul of the community around us as well.”

What a word picture!  I don’t think any of us want acid pouring over our souls, causing them to wrinkle and shrink.  And most of the time, complaining doesn’t just affect us individually, but also whoever’s around us.  After all, we’re usually complaining to another person, not just talking to ourselves!

When it comes to arguing, I’m usually one to avoid personal confrontation.  But do I ever argue with God?  If I feel Him convicting me of sin, do I immediately confess, or do I debate with Him (or within myself) over whether or not it’s really that bad?  If I’m going to follow the command in the verse above, I need to do whatever’s in front of me without arguing or complaining.

One of the best antidotes for complaining is revealed in this quote from E. M. Bounds.

“Gratitude and murmuring never abide in the same heart at the same time.”

We can’t be simultaneously thankful and complaining.  It reminds me of another one of those direct command verses.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:18

There it is again.  Just like we’re to do “all things” without complaining and arguing, so we’re to give thanks “in every thing.”

We get to make the choice every. single. day.  Will we complain or will we give thanks? 

I know that way too often, I choose the complaining, often without even thinking about it.  Wouldn’t it be neat if our default setting could be gratitude?  I think it can be, with the Holy Spirit’s help.  And I’m thinking I need to post 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in a prominent place to remind me daily that God’s will is for me to choose giving thanks.

Related posts:
Living Grateful:  Making a Daily Choice to Give Thanks
10 Key Lessons the Israelites Can Teach Us About the Christian Life
When You Don’t Feel Like Giving Thanks

As I realized which fruit of the spirit we’re going to look at in February, I was a little underwhelmed.  I mean gentleness just doesn’t sound very exciting.

I can get behind love, joy, and peace!  Those sound like big fruits that I can experience in my life in a lot of helpful ways.  Even longsuffering seems so far beyond my reach at times that I can get excited about seeing how the Holy Spirit is going to produce it in my life.

But gentleness?  That would be an easy one to overlook.  It also seems like something I should be able to muster up on my own without the Holy Spirit’s help.

So what exactly is gentleness?  The dictionary defines it as “the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered.”

I love the use of the word “tender” there.  When I think about God’s gentleness with us, His children, I recognize how blessed we are that He is tender toward us.  His concern, sympathy, and compassion are always present.

And as I think about that definition a little more, I have to ask myself if gentleness is actually part of my life.  Do my words and actions reflect kindness?  Am I mild-mannered?  In other words, not given to extreme emotions.  I’ll just say that I live with two teenage girls, so I know what extreme emotions looks like!

Yet 2 Timothy 2:24 commands us to be gentle.

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient…”

As always, whether or not we’re producing a certain fruit of the spirit is often displayed first at home.  Odd as it is, it often seems that we’re more considerate of strangers than our own family members.  And because I usually have ample examples of how I failed to demonstrate a fruit of the Spirit, here’s one for gentleness.

A couple of weeks ago, I needed to address a situation with one of our daughters.  It was only a minor issue, but I was a bit worked up.  (Can you say extreme emotions???)  I walked into her room ready for a confrontation.  My tone and my words were harsher than they should have been.  And after it was over (sadly, instead of before), I realized that I could have accomplished the same thing – actually probably a better outcome – if I’d had a kind tone and gentle words.

In fact, don’t we all respond better when we’re spoken to with gentle words?  Even when confrontation needs to happen, we can still approach it in a gentle manner.

Note Jesus’ gentleness found in one of my favorite New Testament stories shared in John 8:1-11.  The Pharisees bring before Him a woman caught in the act of adultery.  After her accusers leave the scene, convicted about their own sin, Jesus says to her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”  He addresses her sin problem, yet offers compassion and forgiveness.

I want the gentleness of Christ to shine through when I interact with others.  I found this quote at Focus on the Family.  “It [gentleness] is a tender, compassionate approach toward others’ weaknesses and limitations.”  So this fruit of the spirit will allow our hearts to be tender to the hurts and burdens of others.  We will speak the truth kindly and with love.

So, upon further examination, I think we’d agree that gentleness is a powerful fruit.  May we allow God’s Holy Spirit to let it show forth in our lives as we deal with our husbands, children, and all of those around us today.  Let’s pray that our lives will be marked by the same tenderness and compassion that Jesus showed.

Related posts:
4 Ways We Can Love Like Jesus
What Makes a Woman Beautiful?
Duty and Delight

So last week we talked about being longsuffering.  I briefly mentioned longsuffering’s close relative, patience.  (I like the distinction between the two I once heard – that longsuffering relates to how you deal with people, while patience is how you deal with things or circumstances.)  Since I had a glaring real-life example of lack of patience in the past week, I thought I’d dig into this topic a little more.

Let’s lay some groundwork, like checking out this dictionary definition of patience – “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”  If I could master that, I think I’d be much closer to spiritual maturity!

I’m guessing that patience isn’t a natural reaction for most of us.  With our busy lives, getting things done and at as a fast a speed as possible is of primary importance.  So with that introduction, here’s my latest story of patience run dry.

Last Friday night, after our daughters’ basketball game, they headed off with friends to a birthday party sleepover.  My husband and I decided a nice dinner was in order, so I went online and put us on the wait list of a nearby restaurant.  We still had a bit of a wait when we arrived, but got a table after about 20 minutes.

It was already late and we were hungry.  And the wait to get our food was probably one of the slowest we’ve ever experienced.  I don’t know if most of the kitchen staff had already left or what the issue was.  As we waited for our meal, the restaurant started clearing out, so it’s not like they were overrun with customers any longer.

Overall, other than complaining to my husband (which I did repeatedly) (and it’s not like that doesn’t count as impatience!) I thought I held it together pretty well.  Until dessert.  Yes, we wanted dessert, and made sure to order it even before we finished our meal in hopes that it would arrive by the time we were done eating.  Yeah, not happening.

Finally a guy brought our dessert out.  As soon as he set it down on the table, I asked if he could have our server bring our ticket as quickly as possible.  It was way past my bedtime and I was ready to go home!  I’m sure he sensed my frustration.  At least she did take care of that quickly, but I had already lost my patience with the whole experience.

Of course, I was convicted about this later, and had to ask forgiveness.  I wish this was an out-of-the-ordinary story for me, but sadly, it’s not.  That’s just a little thing, one of those daily examples that you might can relate to.

But how about when we’re facing a real trouble or prolonged suffering?  How impatient are we to get through whatever situation the Lord has us in?  Instead of waiting on God to teach us a lesson or work out a solution for His glory, don’t we just want Him to hurry up and deliver us?

Little circumstances or big ones, our struggle with patience is often about timing – what we want the timing to look like, and whether or not we’re willing to surrender to His timing for our lives.  Big, big thoughts to ponder there.

When it comes to patience, Romans 12:12 gave me a lot to chew on.

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” 

I thought there were several key words in this verse that could help us grow in patience.

Rejoicing

It’s easier to be patient when we’re living in joy and being grateful.  Looking around at all we’ve been given helps us focus on how blessed we already are.  It can lead us to trust that God is working currently just as He has in the past.

Hope.

When a trial comes and we’re tempted to be impatient, we should remember that God is in control.  He has allowed this situation to come into our life.  There’s a reason why He has us here, and we can trust that the outcome will be best for us.

Tribulation.

Just know it’s coming.  My trial will look different than yours, but we all are going to face difficulties.  Each one is an opportunity to grow in our faith and our patience!

Prayer.

I’ve mentioned that prayer is a special emphasis of mine for 2018.  We can pray for acceptance of God’s timing, and definitely for the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of patience in our lives!

Finally, a few quotes that help me visualize what patience should look like in my life.

“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.” – Barbara Johnson

“Regardless of how much patience we have, we would prefer never to use any of it.” – James T. O’Brien

“Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you, but not in one ahead.” – Bill McGlashen

With the Holy Spirit’s help, I trust that I can see more victory in this area of patience!

Related posts:
Surrender in the Small Things
Come On…Hurry Up…Not Now
7 Steps to Becoming a Wise Woman:  Build Your House

Today finally feels like the beginning of the new year.  Our girls headed back to school after a two-week Christmas break, plus an extra day off due to lingering ice from the snowstorm that came through last week.

It was a really good, much-needed couple of weeks of rest and family time.  We watched movies, played games, and ate a few too many sweets!  Now it’s back to early morning wake-up times and regular routines.  The house seems mighty quiet today.

Several years ago, I started writing out a monthly prayer list for my family.  On a page in my journal (fancy way of saying my notebook), I write each person’s name.  Underneath, I list five specific prayer requests for that person for that month.  For example, my husband has two out-of-town business trips in January, so two of my prayer requests for him revolve around those trips.  (If you’re interested, you can read in more detail about how I make my prayer list here.)

While reading my Bible last month, I came to Psalm 143:1.  Though I’ve read that particular verse many times, it spoke to me in a new way that morning.

“Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”

As I mentioned in last week’s post, I’m now writing this verse at the top of my prayer list each month.  It’s a daily reminder that I want God to hear my prayers and to answer them according to His faithfulness and righteousness.

We all want God to hear and answer our prayers.  I love how the Psalmist here just asks God to “listen to my prayer.”

He uses the word “supplication,” which has the idea of asking for something earnestly and humbly.  That right there should be our attitude when we come to God in prayer.  We have humble hearts, and sincerely ask for our needs to be met.  We don’t approach His throne lightly, acting like we deserve to have our prayers answered.

But what really got me was the way David asks for his prayer be answered.  He wants God to answer in His faithfulness and in His righteousness.

So what does that look like?

Well, let’s look at the faithfulness aspect first. 

God is constant and dependable.  He is faithful to His character, Who He is.  His goodness, mercy, and grace are continually evident in the way He chooses to answer our prayers.

God is also faithful to always do what is best for us.  Isn’t that how we want God to answer each request?  He is all-knowing, so we can trust that He will do what is going to be best for us.

And I love that this faithfulness involves God’s promises.  I want God to answer my prayer according to the promises that I find in the Bible.  And because He is faithful, I know He will.  For example, if I pray, “Lord, please be with me when I go to this doctor’s appointment that I’m nervous about,” I know He will go with me.  How?  Because He says in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

How about God answering my prayer according to His righteousness?

God always does what is right.  He is pure, He is just, He is holy. No matter how I might want my prayer answered humanly speaking, the best answer comes through the filter of God’s character.  All that He does is right.  If my prayer is answered according to His righteousness, I know it will be the perfect answer.  I don’t have to worry that God might get it wrong this time.  It will be correct.

Will it always be the answer I want?  Probably not.   Maybe what I’m asking for is not good for me or for the person I’m praying for.  Do I want God to answer it my way anyway?  No!  He by far knows what the best answer is for that request and what will bring Him glory.  I see in the short-term; He has eternity in view.

How thankful I am that we have a God who hears us when we pray!  We can trust that He will answer our prayers according to His faithfulness and righteousness.

Related posts:
3 Things to Pray for in the New Year
Praying and Praising With Scripture
How to Pray for Our Families in Times of Temptation

Happy 3rd day of 2018!!  Hope you and your family enjoyed welcoming in the New Year!

As for us, we had an interesting end to 2017 and beginning of 2018.

Our family kept our regular Christmas Eve tradition of going downtown for dessert and to walk through Charleston Place hotel to look at the decorations and take photos.

Christmas morning was just our family at our house.  Everyone seemed pleased with their presents!  We traveled up to Virginia that afternoon to spend a couple of days with my family.

During our trip back home, our older daughter started with a stomach virus, which spread to my husband on Friday.  I had some flu-like symptoms on Thursday, but thankfully never got the stomach-bug part of it!  We’re actually not sick often, so hopefully we’ll be well for quite a while now!

The last week has been a nice mix of time at home and activities out of the house – like attending the wedding of our daughters’ piano teacher and a nice New Years’ Eve party.  I’m really enjoying the family time – and we have lots of it today!  Some freezing rain and snow moving through our area means we’ll all be together in the house 24/7!

Since our girls don’t go back to school until Monday, I’m still in holiday mode.  I haven’t thought too much about goals for the new year.

But I have set one goal so far, and it has to do with prayer.  The older I get, the more I realize the importance of prayer. I have so little control over mine and my families’ lives, yet God is in control of it all.

While I’ve read Psalm 143:1 many times before, it stood out to me when I came across it recently.  I’m now writing it at the top of my monthly prayer list each month.

“Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.” 

(I’m putting together a post about what I’m learning from that verse, and hope to publish it soon.)

So my one goal for 2018 right now is to read one book a month about prayer.  I’m hoping this will help me learn more about the spiritual discipline of prayer as well as keep me focused on it throughout the year.

Here’s a list of the books I hope to read.

1. Prayer 101:  Experiencing the Heart of God by Warren Wiersbe

2. Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore

3. E.M Bounds on Prayer

4. 31 Prayers for My Husband by Jennifer Smith

5. Prayer, the Great Adventure by Dr. David Jeremiah

6. When Mothers Pray by Cheri Fuller

7. A Call to Prayer by J.C. Ryle

8. The Prayer That Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian

9. Handle with Prayer by Charles Stanley

10. Anything:  The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul by Jennie Allen

11. Prayer:  Communing with God in Everything by A.W. Tozer

12. How to Pray by R.A. Torrey

There’s always room for growth in our prayer life, and I hope that I cover new ground in this area in 2018.

I’ll leave you with this quote from Corrie Ten Boom.

I definitely want prayer to be my steering wheel!

So do you have a favorite book on prayer?  Have you set any goals for this year?  I’d love to hear from you!

Related posts:
What Hannah Teaches Me About Prayer
5 Bible Verses to Encourage You in Your Prayer Life
A Prayer for Wisdom in Parenting My Children

As expected, December’s pace has kept me away from blogging!  I’ve not gotten to all that I wanted to write about peace, but I thought it would be perfect to use a verse from Luke 2 today to continue that conversation.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” ~Luke 2:13, 14

While this is a wonderful season of celebration, there’s often some hard things about Christmas.  I personally know many who are experiencing physical suffering right now.  Others have recently lost loved ones, and are still grieving.  Figuring out how to make money stretch to meet all the financial demands we feel can also make this a difficult time of year.  Yet peace is a big part of the Christmas story.

Let’s look at three ways that peace and Christmas go hand-in-hand.

Because of Christmas, we can have peace with God.

There is no way we could have a relationship with God without Jesus.  We are born sinners.  God is holy.  Our sin is a barrier between us and a righteous God.  Yet Jesus came as a babe in a manger.  He lived a perfect, sinless life.  Then He died a sacrificial death on the cross, taking all of our sin upon Himself.  Three days later, He rose from the dead, gaining victory over death for all who trust in Him.

When I accept Jesus as my Savior, His righteousness becomes mine.  All of my sin is forgiven, and I have full access to the God of heaven.  There is now peace between myself and God.  No better gift could be given than the one that was given that very first Christmas when God sent His Son!

Because of Christmas, we can have the peace of God.

Since Jesus came, we know about God’s love and mercy, His compassion and His grace.  He wants us to experience His peace.  I don’t know how those without Christ handle life’s struggles, but I’m so thankful that, through salvation, we can sense God’s peace no matter what our circumstances are.

As we talked about earlier this month, God can give us peace in our souls as we face trials in our lives.  God makes inner peace available to us as we learn to trust Him.  These thoughts have helped me over the last few weeks as I’ve prayed about a situation where I need peace.

Because of Christmas, man can have peace with others.

We’ll likely find ourselves coming into contact with some people over the holidays who aren’t exactly lovable!  I can’t love others – especially those who “get on my nerves” – on my own.  But remember, peace is a fruit of the Spirit.  While that applies to inner peace, I also believe that inner peace flows outward, and affects how we treat others.

In Romans 14:19, we’re told,

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

We choose how we respond to the cashier with a short temper, the fellow shopper who cuts in front of us, or the extended family member who dominates the conversation.  By our words and our actions, let’s choose to respond in a peace-making way.

This Christmas, may we be grateful for peace with God, rest in the peace of God, and show peace to those around us!

Related posts:
Are You Getting What You Want for Christmas?
‘Twas the Week Before Christmas
4 Ways You Can Live as a Philippians 2 Woman Today

Do you have a life verse?  I would say that I don’t.

Instead, I tend to have a key verse for a particular life season.  Right now, I would claim Proverbs 3:5,6 as the verses I cling to on a consistent basis.  Having two teenagers reminds you how much you need to wholly trust God to direct your (and their!) path.  I can’t lean on my own understanding.  As I continue to learn in my parenting journey, what I think is best for my kids may not always be what God has for them.

Whether or not you have a life verse, you likely have certain Bible verses you’ve memorized and continually refer back to.  I have a number of them!  I think it’s because they contain truths that are relevant to any situation we face.  One of mine has to do with peace.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6-7

While we already talked about some ways we can have perfect peace, this verse reveals to me that prayer leads to peace.

I believe there’s a little more to it than just the physical act of saying a prayer about something we’re concerned over.  Making my request known to God is the easier part.  The hard part is choosing to leave it with Him.

Sharing my heart’s desire with God in prayer is all well and good.  But if I finish praying, then two minutes later I’m worrying and trying to work it all out in my own mind again, I’m not going to have peace.

Merriam-Webster defines peace as a quiet and calm state of mind.  That sounds desirable!!  I also love the word “tranquil” as a synonym for peace.  I think of a still blue lake, with the sun shining down on it, and not a ripple on its surface.  To go through my day with a mind that restful and serene would be a blessing!

As for “being careful for nothing,” or, in other words, turning all my concerns over to God, I believe that involves submission.  It’s me surrendering to however He chooses to answer my prayer.  What sweet communion I can have if I commit all of my cares to Him!

The peace we receive at that point will “keep our hearts and minds.”  Here the word “keep” has to do with watching over or guarding.  God’s peace can guard my heart – my emotions and feelings – as well as my mind or thoughts.  That inward peace guards me from fear, worry, doubt, depression, and so many other attacks against my heart and mind.  Our outward circumstances may be rough and stormy, but inwardly, we can have peace.

This peace is beyond our understanding.  If you’ve ever gone through a trial and had that kind of peace, you know that’s the best way to describe it.  There’s no explaining it to someone who hasn’t experienced it.

But, as with the verse we looked at last week, the ending here is key.  I can’t manufacture this peace.  It only comes through Jesus Christ.  As our Savior and Lord, He gives us the peace we need.

December 9th marked 20 years since what has (so far!) been our family’s most difficult trial, at least humanly speaking.  That was the day our first child was born and went to heaven, all within a matter of minutes.  I continue to praise God for the peace He gave us during those days.  I’m comforted to know that, no matter my trial, His peace is always available!

Related posts:
A Story of Goodness and Grace (more of Angel’s story)
5 Bible Verses to Encourage You in Your Prayer Life
Our Greatest Trial, a Blessing in Disguise