"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." ~Proverbs 3:5
Ever since I became a Christian, this has been my "go-to" verse. No matter what circumstance I was facing, I would turn to this verse to help me through.
Loneliness as a single mom.
Stress beyond belief while working full time, caring for my infant son and being the care-giver for my brother as he went through chemo and radiation treatments.
Exhaustion when my boys were babies.
Pouring myself into a new ministry at church.
Devastation while I walked by my dear friend as she navigated the new world of widow-hood.
Heart-broken over the struggles of my friends and family.
Trying to make the best parenting decisions.
Navigating the wonderful and complicated world of marriage.
Changes.
Failures.
Successes.
Unexpected doors opening.
Others closing suddenly.
Miscommunications.
Blessings.
Consequences.
Losses.
Joys.
Struggles.
No matter the situation, I go to this verse. I quote it. I send others to it. I have it on a picture in my room and on a 3X5 card on my kitchen cabinet.
I love this verse.
Until recently, however, I have never felt tested on it. I would recite it and read it, meditate on it and pray it. And it always brought me a sense of peace...sometimes large, sometimes small. It was my reassuring verse. It told me that even when I can only see a small piece of the big picture, He sees it all...beginning and end.
But now, it is more of a challenge. I am faced with circumstances that I do not understand at all, not even a little bit. Even the small piece of the big picture is blurry and confusing. The more I try to understand it and make sense of it, the more confused I get. I seek Him and think I know His answer, only to have a door shut in my face. Am I hearing His voice, or am I pursuing my own agenda? I thought I was following Him. I was trying to walk with Him. Now, I don't know. I am just one big ball of emotional confusion!
So now when this verse comes to mind, it challenges me. Am I still going to trust God with all my heart when I am in the midst of chaos and confusion? When things are not going the way I thought they would, do I still have complete faith that He is at work? Do I fully trust God's plan when I cannot understand what's going on?
I can't lean on my own understanding right now because I don't understand anything!
Maybe that is the lesson in it all. Maybe I have been relying too much on my own understanding of things. Maybe this is all to show me how to trust in the LORD with all my heart when I have not even an ounce of understanding.
I am finding that to be a very difficult task indeed.
"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” ~Corrie ten Boom
LORD, help me to be still and know that you are God.
Psalm 46:10
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Update on Olga
***Their Chip-In account is up to $710!!! If was all give what we can, they will be fully funded this week. We can do this!!!***
I wanted to give you all an update on the precious little girl named Olga who truly has changed my life.
About a month ago, I joined many other bloggers in an attempt to raise money so that her forever family could bring her home. You can read my post here: A Day to Save Olga. What an amazing response we saw! In just a few days time, so many people responded to the call by praying, donating and/or sharing the story with others.
I come to you now asking you to rally together once again. While they have raised around $20,000 so far, the anticipated costs for this adoption is around $35,000. For those not familiar with international adoption, you are probably looking at this number in shock! I know I did when I first became aware of it. It is outrageous that it should cost that much money! But, no matter how disgusted we are by the complicated, over-priced system, the fact remains that these children NEED TO BE RESCUED! If you haven't read my previous post, please take a minute to do so.
These children are unwanted. They are considered defective and disposable.
And yet, there are loving families here that desperately want to open their homes to these babies. The Abell family has the means to support another child. They have the space, the love, the ability, and the desire. But no matter how much they are willing and able to bring another child into their life, that $35,000 initial cost is overwhelmingly difficult to come by. How many people do you know that have that kind of money just lying around?
If they had chosen to bring another child into their family biologically, this would not be nearly as complicated. Medical insurance covers most of the expenses involved in a pregnancy. Unfortunately, there is not equivalent insurance coverage for adoption expenses. So because they chose to rescue a child that is in desperate need of a family, they have this enormous up-front cost.
This is not a situation where the family is getting in over their heads. They have not made this decision lightly. They are not going into it blindly.
They are following God's call on their family.
Most of us at one point or another help to raise money for something. We raise money so that people can get the medical treatment they need. We raise money to help fund research for various diseases. We raise money for organizations that help end human trafficking. We raise money to help people recover from natural disasters. We raise money all the time for so many different causes. But they are all similar in that they are there to help others in their time of need.
This is not a welfare case. This is not supporting someone who just doesn't want to work to get what they want. This is not enabling someone who doesn't know how to manage their money.
The Abell family has cut out all non-essential expenses such as "cable, eating out, haircuts, birthday parties, vacation, knick knacks, etc." Chris has taken on a second job and works extra hours any chance he gets. They are scrimping and saving and working. Jenn is making and selling various items. Yard sales, bake sales, MaryKay sales. They are doing everything they can to bring their daughter home. You can read more about their journey, their struggles and their undying love, hope and determination for their daughter in their latest blog post here.
Won't you be a part of helping them bring her home?
What can you give? $10? $25? $50? More than that? Some tax return money that could be used to help a little girl get home?
I want to challenge you to be a huge part in this wonderful story.
First, pray for this family. Pray for peace and wisdom and strength. Pray for miracles in the process. Pray for Olga...for her safety and health.
Go to the family's blog, Saving Our Starfish, and donate to their "Dossier Submission Chip-In" account on the right-hand side of the page. Give what you can. Check out all of their fundraisers and participate. They currently have $635 towards their goal of $5458. Let's all join in and blow the top off that goal!
Then, share this story. Email it to all your friends. "Share" it on Facebook.
I have seen what can happen when we rally together.
Let's do it again.
I wanted to give you all an update on the precious little girl named Olga who truly has changed my life.
About a month ago, I joined many other bloggers in an attempt to raise money so that her forever family could bring her home. You can read my post here: A Day to Save Olga. What an amazing response we saw! In just a few days time, so many people responded to the call by praying, donating and/or sharing the story with others.
I come to you now asking you to rally together once again. While they have raised around $20,000 so far, the anticipated costs for this adoption is around $35,000. For those not familiar with international adoption, you are probably looking at this number in shock! I know I did when I first became aware of it. It is outrageous that it should cost that much money! But, no matter how disgusted we are by the complicated, over-priced system, the fact remains that these children NEED TO BE RESCUED! If you haven't read my previous post, please take a minute to do so.
These children are unwanted. They are considered defective and disposable.
And yet, there are loving families here that desperately want to open their homes to these babies. The Abell family has the means to support another child. They have the space, the love, the ability, and the desire. But no matter how much they are willing and able to bring another child into their life, that $35,000 initial cost is overwhelmingly difficult to come by. How many people do you know that have that kind of money just lying around?
If they had chosen to bring another child into their family biologically, this would not be nearly as complicated. Medical insurance covers most of the expenses involved in a pregnancy. Unfortunately, there is not equivalent insurance coverage for adoption expenses. So because they chose to rescue a child that is in desperate need of a family, they have this enormous up-front cost.
This is not a situation where the family is getting in over their heads. They have not made this decision lightly. They are not going into it blindly.
They are following God's call on their family.
Most of us at one point or another help to raise money for something. We raise money so that people can get the medical treatment they need. We raise money to help fund research for various diseases. We raise money for organizations that help end human trafficking. We raise money to help people recover from natural disasters. We raise money all the time for so many different causes. But they are all similar in that they are there to help others in their time of need.
This is not a welfare case. This is not supporting someone who just doesn't want to work to get what they want. This is not enabling someone who doesn't know how to manage their money.
The Abell family has cut out all non-essential expenses such as "cable, eating out, haircuts, birthday parties, vacation, knick knacks, etc." Chris has taken on a second job and works extra hours any chance he gets. They are scrimping and saving and working. Jenn is making and selling various items. Yard sales, bake sales, MaryKay sales. They are doing everything they can to bring their daughter home. You can read more about their journey, their struggles and their undying love, hope and determination for their daughter in their latest blog post here.
Won't you be a part of helping them bring her home?
What can you give? $10? $25? $50? More than that? Some tax return money that could be used to help a little girl get home?
I want to challenge you to be a huge part in this wonderful story.
First, pray for this family. Pray for peace and wisdom and strength. Pray for miracles in the process. Pray for Olga...for her safety and health.
Go to the family's blog, Saving Our Starfish, and donate to their "Dossier Submission Chip-In" account on the right-hand side of the page. Give what you can. Check out all of their fundraisers and participate. They currently have $635 towards their goal of $5458. Let's all join in and blow the top off that goal!
Then, share this story. Email it to all your friends. "Share" it on Facebook.
I have seen what can happen when we rally together.
Let's do it again.
Friday, April 15, 2011
To Serve and Protect
According to the Concerns Of Police Survivors website: "Each year, between 140 and 160 officers are killed in the line of duty." As of the writing of this post, there have been 58 line-of-duty officer deaths so far this year. We are currently on day 115, so if we do the math we see that on average an officer has been killed every two days so far this year.
Can you imagine going to your job every single day, not knowing if it is going to be you next on that list?
There are so many people who bad-mouth the cops. They see a news report of an officer injured or killed and they celebrate. Maybe they even participate in the violent protests against officers.
A saw a video on Facebook of three officers chasing down a crazy fan that was interrupting a soccer game. The video shows the officers tackling the man and then fighting with him. Shortly thereafter, hundreds of spectators descend on the officers, attacking them. The comments that were made in regards to this video sickened me. People saying the officers got what they deserved.
Really? Three officers doing their job, taking care of the crazed fan who chose to fight them and resist arrest...they really deserved to be attacked by hundreds of people all at once? Yeah, that sounds fair.
People are so quick to complain about the police. I am fully aware that cops are human. All humans make poor choices from time to time...some more frequently than others. I also believe that those in authority should be held to a higher standard. However, to make blanket judgments regarding an entire profession is ludicrous. Are all officers brutal and over-the-top? No. Are all officers crooked? No. Most actually are not. Unfortunately, as our society loves to gawk at the negative rather than applaud the positive, all that is brought to our attention are the "bad apples".
And even then, when we look at the various videos out there that show us the "police brutality", we are watching one short clip from a silent film! Can you really determine the entire story from such little information?
How about you put yourself in their shoes: You have to fight for your life on a daily basis. You frequently encounter people who hate you and want to seriously harm you and/or kill you. And you never know at the onset if this particular person approaching you belongs in that category or not. You always have to be on your guard. You cannot assume that the person you are contacting is a rational, kind human being who just wants to live in a peaceful society. Because as soon as you let your guard down, you could lose your life. When others are running away from the gunshots and the fights, you run towards them. You work long hours, dealing with people on the worst days of their lives. You are constantly using yourself as a shield to protect others from danger. You are regularly making split-second life-and-death decisions. You rarely have a day that is not utterly draining physically, mentally and emotionally. You see things that you wish you could erase from your memory: the young family that was plowed down in a hit-and-run, the woman who was brutally raped and left to die, the man murdered and stuffed in a barrel, the mother sobbing uncontrollably at the news that her son who just graduated college and had a promising future ahead of him died in a tragic accident...just to name a few.
Does this really sound like a job you would want? Most of us would say absolutely not. And yet there are so many people who are quick to criticize the men and women who do willingly take on this job.
Thousands of men and women get up each and every morning, noon and night to face yet another shift full of catastrophic events. Nobody calls the cops to celebrate a fantastic day in their lives! They call when their world is falling apart and exploding all around them, and they expect the officers to come take care of the situation, then complain that the officers did just that.
What does your average work-day look like? What is your job? What constitutes a bad day at work for you? I am picturing the work-safety signs that are found in most factory-type settings such as this one:
Now imagine having this poster in your workplace...and the number never gets above 2...and that's just for the fatal accidents.
I know some may feel that I am being a bit dramatic. I wish it were only that. Unfortunately, I have sat through numerous police officer funerals. I have witnessed the pain and sorrow and devastation and shock. I have also seen the honor and bravery and respect shown to those officers by their brothers and sisters in blue. I have sat through those funerals full of the knowledge that I could be the one in the front row tomorrow. I have dealt with the gripping fear that comes from that realization. And it causes me to get very angry when I hear people spewing hatred towards officers.
These officers are husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, best friends. When you celebrate an officer being beaten, shot or killed you are celebrating a child losing her father, a wife losing her soul-mate, a father losing his son. That sickens me.
Four years ago, I sat next to my childhood best friend as she received the news of her husband's death. I spent every moment with her that week as she faced her new reality of being a widow at 30. I watched her twin daughters' 3 year old faces as they tried to comprehend the fact that Daddy was never coming home. My heart physically ached as I watched the officer hand her the folded flag that had been draped over her husband's casket during the funeral. So many tears shed. That week is forever burned into my memory. How painful it was to watch my dear friend go through that! Every wife's worst nightmare. Emotions I cannot even begin to describe.
So yes, I get a little worked up when people bash cops. I have seen it during large-scale protests here. Hundreds of people who want to kill my husband just because of the uniform he wears. Many others who would stand by watching and not feel the least bit sad. And that angers me.
I want my husband to come home...each and every day. I want us to grow old together and live to see our great-grandkids. I pray that we get to. But I am also painfully aware of the other possibility.
For my husband, the risk comes with the job. He knew what he was signing up for. For me, the risk comes with the man. I knew what I was getting as well.
It is truly a noble deed to die serving and protecting others. And I honor that fully. But, it does get a little personal when others are wishing harm and death upon your loved one just because he is doing his job defending their rights.
So, please, next time you see an officer or hear the sirens, take a minute to pray that God would protect them and let them go home to their family unscathed.
On behalf of all the wives and families out there, I thank you.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
One Step
Do you ever feel like spending time with God is a chore? That you would much rather spend your free time watching some tv, playing around on the internet, reading a book...doing anything but spending that time reading the Bible and in prayer? Sometimes even cleaning the house seems like a more desirable option! Time with God can seem like such an obligation. I know I certainly have felt this way more often than I like to admit.
I have come to the conclusion that on our own, it is impossible to truly love Him and desire to spend time with Him. We are too human, too selfish, too prideful, too lazy. Maybe we don't really believe that His promises are for us, that His words are still relevant.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
I have been praying for God to help me love Him and desire time with Him and really have faith in Him. I have asked Him to re-ignite passion for Him and His Word. Just as the father in Matthew 9 cried out, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" v24
My prayer is similar: "Lord, I love you; help my ambivalence."
I stopped trying to love God in my own strength. That was impossible. Instead, I turned to Him and asked for help. I confessed that I really had no desire to spend time with Him and asked for Him to change that. And He did. All I had to do was turn to Him.
"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8
That is a promise.
"The Lord is faithful to all his promises..." Psalm 145:13
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart...for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:22-23
Take one step toward Him and ask for His help to bring you closer.
He will.
He is faithful!
I will leave you with an amazing quote I came across a couple days ago that so accurately illustrates my heart right now. It is a beautiful prayer.
It is that first step.
"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long."
A.W. Tozer ~ The Pursuit of God
I have come to the conclusion that on our own, it is impossible to truly love Him and desire to spend time with Him. We are too human, too selfish, too prideful, too lazy. Maybe we don't really believe that His promises are for us, that His words are still relevant.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
I have been praying for God to help me love Him and desire time with Him and really have faith in Him. I have asked Him to re-ignite passion for Him and His Word. Just as the father in Matthew 9 cried out, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" v24
My prayer is similar: "Lord, I love you; help my ambivalence."
I stopped trying to love God in my own strength. That was impossible. Instead, I turned to Him and asked for help. I confessed that I really had no desire to spend time with Him and asked for Him to change that. And He did. All I had to do was turn to Him.
"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8
That is a promise.
"The Lord is faithful to all his promises..." Psalm 145:13
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart...for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:22-23
Take one step toward Him and ask for His help to bring you closer.
He will.
He is faithful!
I will leave you with an amazing quote I came across a couple days ago that so accurately illustrates my heart right now. It is a beautiful prayer.
It is that first step.
"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long."
A.W. Tozer ~ The Pursuit of God
Friday, March 4, 2011
Aching Faith
Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with emotion that you feel like you just might burst? Part of you wants to scream at the top of your lungs and the other part wants to crawl back in bed and pull the covers over your head. You literally physically ache all over.
Lately, I am there more often than I am not.
The emotions. The longing. The impatience. They are so hard to handle each day. But, in a way, it is this experience, these difficult emotions that have brought me so close to God. I feel Him. I hear Him. I see His hands working all around me. Would I have been able to experience God in this way without experiencing the difficulty? Probably not.
I find myself turning to the book of Psalms often. In the past, this book just confused me; David at times seems so bi-polar. Such as in Psalm 88 where he says, "But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?" Then the very next Psalm begins with: "I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." The entire books seems to be a roller-coaster-ride of emotions, of doubt and praise.
I get it now.
God continues to show me His unfailing love and faithfulness everywhere--through songs and people and sermons and things I read--even while I am in the midst of the fire. While it feels like I am not getting an answer to my pleas, He is showing me His love and comfort.
My heart still aches.
I am still overwhelmed.
But I know He is here with me, holding me, working things out in ways I cannot yet see.
I am confident that He has great plans for me. And yet, I still cry out to Him.
Never before have the Psalms struck such a chord in me. I am understanding now that David was not bi-polar. He was human.
And so today, I will leave you with a verse that sums up where I am...full of praise and trust in God, even as I cry out to Him with every aching fiber of my being:
"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O Lord, endures forever --
do not abandon the works of your hands."
~Psalm 138:8
Lately, I am there more often than I am not.
The emotions. The longing. The impatience. They are so hard to handle each day. But, in a way, it is this experience, these difficult emotions that have brought me so close to God. I feel Him. I hear Him. I see His hands working all around me. Would I have been able to experience God in this way without experiencing the difficulty? Probably not.
I find myself turning to the book of Psalms often. In the past, this book just confused me; David at times seems so bi-polar. Such as in Psalm 88 where he says, "But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?" Then the very next Psalm begins with: "I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." The entire books seems to be a roller-coaster-ride of emotions, of doubt and praise.
I get it now.
God continues to show me His unfailing love and faithfulness everywhere--through songs and people and sermons and things I read--even while I am in the midst of the fire. While it feels like I am not getting an answer to my pleas, He is showing me His love and comfort.
My heart still aches.
I am still overwhelmed.
But I know He is here with me, holding me, working things out in ways I cannot yet see.
I am confident that He has great plans for me. And yet, I still cry out to Him.
Never before have the Psalms struck such a chord in me. I am understanding now that David was not bi-polar. He was human.
And so today, I will leave you with a verse that sums up where I am...full of praise and trust in God, even as I cry out to Him with every aching fiber of my being:
"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O Lord, endures forever --
do not abandon the works of your hands."
~Psalm 138:8
Friday, February 25, 2011
Psalm 130
OUT of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.
If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.
My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.
If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.
My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
What if it were your child?
God is so faithful to answer prayers that are in His will. Over the past couple years I have read alot of books with heart-breaking stories, some biographies, some historical fiction. About a year ago, while reading some of the historical fiction and sobbing my eyes out, I cried out to God. I asked Him to open my eyes to see what He sees...to break my heart for the things that break His heart. Boy, has He ever answered that prayer!
These days it feels as if my heart is going to literally burst. Do you know that feeling? My chest actually physically aches. Both last night and this morning, I felt like it took every ounce of my strength and concentration to not break down into the ugly cry. Oh, how heavy my heart feels!
Today, I got to spend my morning snuggling precious babies. I helped out in the nursery at our Bible Study. We had four sweet little ones, and four of us adults to care for them. While I thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, watching them giggle and rocking them to sleep...I could not stop thinking about all the children who never experience this. All those precious babies in orphanages around the globe who never giggle at their caregiver, who don't get rocked to sleep, who don't get cereal-o's to snack on just because. The thousands of beautiful children who spend their days laying or sitting in a crib crying because there is no one to pick them up, who don't know what it is to play, who don't get their diaper changed but maybe once a day. The children who don't know what a loving embrace feels like, who don't know what safety and peace and joy and warmth and love feel like. All because they are not "perfect".
I want you to take a minute and picture your own children. Whether they are little now or were long ago, picture your child as a toddler. Now imagine that someone took that child away from you and put them into one of these orphanages where they were not hugged and not loved and not cared for, but rather neglected and ignored and abused and forgotten. They were forced to stay in their crib all day long...in a room full of cribs with crying children who were never attended to...a room that smelled horrendously from all the children made to sit in their own filth... A place where they barely got enough food to sustain them, and no one ever picked them up to cuddle them. Endless days of dreadful existence.
And your child is there, crying out for Mommy and Daddy to come...crying out for nothing more than to feel loved and secure and safe.
Could you turn your back on your child? Leave them there? Say it is not your problem? It is not your "calling" to go rescue them? Someone else needs to do it?
No? Then why do you turn your back on the ones that are there?
You may not have been the one who abandoned them. But you are the one who is ignoring and neglecting them.
If that were your child over there, you would stop at nothing to save them. No one and no thing would stop you from getting there as fast as you could to rescue them. Your thoughts and actions would be consumed with trying to get them back into your loving arms and safe home. You would be appalled and disgusted by what you saw there. You would be angry that anyone could do that to a child.
So why don't you feel that way now? Are those children any less deserving of love than the ones in your home? Is it ok that they are treated that way? Should you just leave them there and do nothing because they are not your responsibility? Of course not!
It is your responsibility! It is your calling!
"Defend the cause of the fatherless..." Isaiah 1:17
Doing nothing is not an option. God says clearly in many places in the Bible that we are to take care of the fatherless. In the book of Deuteronomy, He gave the Israelites many laws and instructions on how to live. In there He repeated many times how they were to provide for the fatherless. Does He care about the orphans less now, in today's society? I'm pretty sure the answer to that is absolutely not! He loves them and wants them taken care of just as much today as ever.
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
So why do we go about our lives thinking that it is someone else's problem to deal with? We live in a nice, suburban bubble here in America. Even if we "struggle" a little financially, we still have no idea what much of the world's "struggling" looks like. And instead of reaching out and trying to educate ourselves on the matter and figure out a way we can help, we gladly put on our blinders so that we can fully concentrate on our own lives.
"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves!" Ezekiel 34:2
You need to prayerfully consider what you can do to help. As I said before, doing nothing is not an option. Can you financially support a family who is adopting? Can you babysit for a family who needs to take the training classes? Can you make meals for the family who just brought their child home? Can you donate $10 or $25 a month to an adoption grant, such as the ones on Reece's Rainbow? Could you use your tax return to help a child get a home? Can you forward this post to others? Can you educate and encourage others to take off their blinders?
Could you open your heart and home to another child?
No matter what it is, trust God to help you...financially, emotionally, physically. He is faithful! You won't have to do it on your own. Whatever it is.
Just do something!
And, may I make one more suggestion? Don't pray, "Lord, let my heart be broken with the things that break your heart" unless you are really prepared for it to happen in a big way!
These days it feels as if my heart is going to literally burst. Do you know that feeling? My chest actually physically aches. Both last night and this morning, I felt like it took every ounce of my strength and concentration to not break down into the ugly cry. Oh, how heavy my heart feels!
Today, I got to spend my morning snuggling precious babies. I helped out in the nursery at our Bible Study. We had four sweet little ones, and four of us adults to care for them. While I thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, watching them giggle and rocking them to sleep...I could not stop thinking about all the children who never experience this. All those precious babies in orphanages around the globe who never giggle at their caregiver, who don't get rocked to sleep, who don't get cereal-o's to snack on just because. The thousands of beautiful children who spend their days laying or sitting in a crib crying because there is no one to pick them up, who don't know what it is to play, who don't get their diaper changed but maybe once a day. The children who don't know what a loving embrace feels like, who don't know what safety and peace and joy and warmth and love feel like. All because they are not "perfect".
I want you to take a minute and picture your own children. Whether they are little now or were long ago, picture your child as a toddler. Now imagine that someone took that child away from you and put them into one of these orphanages where they were not hugged and not loved and not cared for, but rather neglected and ignored and abused and forgotten. They were forced to stay in their crib all day long...in a room full of cribs with crying children who were never attended to...a room that smelled horrendously from all the children made to sit in their own filth... A place where they barely got enough food to sustain them, and no one ever picked them up to cuddle them. Endless days of dreadful existence.
And your child is there, crying out for Mommy and Daddy to come...crying out for nothing more than to feel loved and secure and safe.
Could you turn your back on your child? Leave them there? Say it is not your problem? It is not your "calling" to go rescue them? Someone else needs to do it?
No? Then why do you turn your back on the ones that are there?
You may not have been the one who abandoned them. But you are the one who is ignoring and neglecting them.
If that were your child over there, you would stop at nothing to save them. No one and no thing would stop you from getting there as fast as you could to rescue them. Your thoughts and actions would be consumed with trying to get them back into your loving arms and safe home. You would be appalled and disgusted by what you saw there. You would be angry that anyone could do that to a child.
So why don't you feel that way now? Are those children any less deserving of love than the ones in your home? Is it ok that they are treated that way? Should you just leave them there and do nothing because they are not your responsibility? Of course not!
It is your responsibility! It is your calling!
"Defend the cause of the fatherless..." Isaiah 1:17
Doing nothing is not an option. God says clearly in many places in the Bible that we are to take care of the fatherless. In the book of Deuteronomy, He gave the Israelites many laws and instructions on how to live. In there He repeated many times how they were to provide for the fatherless. Does He care about the orphans less now, in today's society? I'm pretty sure the answer to that is absolutely not! He loves them and wants them taken care of just as much today as ever.
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
So why do we go about our lives thinking that it is someone else's problem to deal with? We live in a nice, suburban bubble here in America. Even if we "struggle" a little financially, we still have no idea what much of the world's "struggling" looks like. And instead of reaching out and trying to educate ourselves on the matter and figure out a way we can help, we gladly put on our blinders so that we can fully concentrate on our own lives.
"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves!" Ezekiel 34:2
You need to prayerfully consider what you can do to help. As I said before, doing nothing is not an option. Can you financially support a family who is adopting? Can you babysit for a family who needs to take the training classes? Can you make meals for the family who just brought their child home? Can you donate $10 or $25 a month to an adoption grant, such as the ones on Reece's Rainbow? Could you use your tax return to help a child get a home? Can you forward this post to others? Can you educate and encourage others to take off their blinders?
Could you open your heart and home to another child?
No matter what it is, trust God to help you...financially, emotionally, physically. He is faithful! You won't have to do it on your own. Whatever it is.
Just do something!
And, may I make one more suggestion? Don't pray, "Lord, let my heart be broken with the things that break your heart" unless you are really prepared for it to happen in a big way!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
here i am
I ask your forgiveness right from the start. My thoughts are all jumbled up in my brain today. Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's all that has been weighing on my heart lately. Probably a bit of both.
I have often struggled with praying honestly, "Lord, use me. I am here to serve you as you see fit. Whatever you want for my life, I want. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Lord, I want your will." You see, I am terribly afraid He will do it!
What if He asks me to uproot my family? Move across the globe? Start a time-consuming ministry in an unknown area? Give up things I hold dear? Step out of my comfort-zone? Help a needy person? Adopt an orphan or two? What if He just asks me to walk across the room and share the Gospel with a stranger? Or worse yet, a family member?!
I often feel like God is calling out, asking for volunteers to step up to the front...and I am sitting in the back, sliding down in my chair with my head bowed trying to hide from view. "Please don't pick me....please don't pick me..." You see, I have an idea of what my future is going to be. A plan. The schooling plan. The vacation plan. The retirement plan. So many plans.
"Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Why is it so difficult to trust God? I mean trust completely. No lip-service, while keeping a tight grip on our own plans. Trust Him.
"Here I am." I love that phrase in the Bible. It has really been jumping out at me lately. There are numerous examples of men answering God, "Here I am."
Such as Abraham in Genesis 22. Abraham obeyed immediately. No hesitation. No questioning. No rationalizing why he shouldn't do it. Immediate obedience. The result? Tremendous blessing. "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." He got to experience first-hand, Jehovah Jireh...the God who provides.
Then there's good ole Moses. His story in Exodus 3 is certainly not his finest hour. And yet, this is a story I can identify with. This is my paraphrase of what went down:
God: "I have seen. I have heard. I have come to rescue them. So, now go."
Moses: "Who, me?"
God: "I will be with you."
Moses: "But, what if no one listens...."
God: "Tell them I sent you. They will listen."
Moses: "But, what if they don't believe me..."
God: "I will perform miracles."
Moses: "But, I'm not qualified..."
God: "Go. I will help you."
Moses: "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
Then the God got very frustrated with Moses.
Wow. As a mom, I want to send Moses to his room until he can obey immediately without whining and arguing! Seriously!
But, oh...how we are all like Moses. Isn't it easy to come up with excuses why you shouldn't have to do what God has told you to do? Reasons why it is someone else's calling and not yours?
Abraham or Moses? Who do you want to be like? I seem to be more like Moses, but desperately want to be more like Abraham.
When God opens your eyes to something that calls for action, DO SOMETHING! Be like Samuel and say, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
But what if He hasn't "called" you? You don't feel any great "calling" on your life?
Open your Bible. If you proclaim the name of Jesus...if you are a Christian and want to live a faithful life: Open your Bible. It doesn't take a scholar to find the "calls":
"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?" Proverbs 24:11-12
"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans..." James 1:27 NLT
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves..." Proverbs 31:8
"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." Proverbs 3:27
"But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help--how can God's love be in that person?" I John 3:17 NLT
"Whoever Welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me." Mark 9:37
Or how about this one:
"Then the King will say to those on the right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
`Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' 'And the King will tell them, `I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'"
"Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'
"Then they will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, `I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'"
Matthew 25:34-45
What are you doing -- or REFUSING to do -- for Jesus?
As the song says, What Now?
What will you do? Will you pull a 'Moses' and argue with God? Or will you stand up right now and choose to follow Him?
Tremendous blessings await the Abrahams of today.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
I have often struggled with praying honestly, "Lord, use me. I am here to serve you as you see fit. Whatever you want for my life, I want. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Lord, I want your will." You see, I am terribly afraid He will do it!
What if He asks me to uproot my family? Move across the globe? Start a time-consuming ministry in an unknown area? Give up things I hold dear? Step out of my comfort-zone? Help a needy person? Adopt an orphan or two? What if He just asks me to walk across the room and share the Gospel with a stranger? Or worse yet, a family member?!
I often feel like God is calling out, asking for volunteers to step up to the front...and I am sitting in the back, sliding down in my chair with my head bowed trying to hide from view. "Please don't pick me....please don't pick me..." You see, I have an idea of what my future is going to be. A plan. The schooling plan. The vacation plan. The retirement plan. So many plans.
"Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Why is it so difficult to trust God? I mean trust completely. No lip-service, while keeping a tight grip on our own plans. Trust Him.
"Here I am." I love that phrase in the Bible. It has really been jumping out at me lately. There are numerous examples of men answering God, "Here I am."
Such as Abraham in Genesis 22. Abraham obeyed immediately. No hesitation. No questioning. No rationalizing why he shouldn't do it. Immediate obedience. The result? Tremendous blessing. "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." He got to experience first-hand, Jehovah Jireh...the God who provides.
Then there's good ole Moses. His story in Exodus 3 is certainly not his finest hour. And yet, this is a story I can identify with. This is my paraphrase of what went down:
God: "I have seen. I have heard. I have come to rescue them. So, now go."
Moses: "Who, me?"
God: "I will be with you."
Moses: "But, what if no one listens...."
God: "Tell them I sent you. They will listen."
Moses: "But, what if they don't believe me..."
God: "I will perform miracles."
Moses: "But, I'm not qualified..."
God: "Go. I will help you."
Moses: "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
Then the God got very frustrated with Moses.
Wow. As a mom, I want to send Moses to his room until he can obey immediately without whining and arguing! Seriously!
But, oh...how we are all like Moses. Isn't it easy to come up with excuses why you shouldn't have to do what God has told you to do? Reasons why it is someone else's calling and not yours?
Abraham or Moses? Who do you want to be like? I seem to be more like Moses, but desperately want to be more like Abraham.
When God opens your eyes to something that calls for action, DO SOMETHING! Be like Samuel and say, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
But what if He hasn't "called" you? You don't feel any great "calling" on your life?
Open your Bible. If you proclaim the name of Jesus...if you are a Christian and want to live a faithful life: Open your Bible. It doesn't take a scholar to find the "calls":
"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?" Proverbs 24:11-12
"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans..." James 1:27 NLT
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves..." Proverbs 31:8
"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." Proverbs 3:27
"But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help--how can God's love be in that person?" I John 3:17 NLT
"Whoever Welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me." Mark 9:37
Or how about this one:
"Then the King will say to those on the right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
`Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' 'And the King will tell them, `I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'"
"Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'
"Then they will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, `I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'"
Matthew 25:34-45
What are you doing -- or REFUSING to do -- for Jesus?
As the song says, What Now?
What will you do? Will you pull a 'Moses' and argue with God? Or will you stand up right now and choose to follow Him?
Tremendous blessings await the Abrahams of today.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
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