If your life is anything like mine, you've probably spent the last week or two among a lot of family. The holidays usually bring about time with family members who you otherwise might not see on a regular basis. For us, we had my family here, and then, a few days after they left, we headed out of town to spend time with my husband's family. In the last week and a half, we have seen more than twenty family members--though the majority of the time was spend with our parents, siblings, and in-laws.
I can't speak for your family, but in our families, we have a lot of different opinions and viewpoints among us. Some of us are very black and white while others of us see every color of the rainbow; some of us value presents while others value presence. We are a mixed bunch.
However, as I've pondered this time, and as I've talked with a couple other family members about this, I've been reminded of Psalm 133:1 which says, How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!
We aren't all alike--God didn't create us to be cookie cutter versions of each other. He designed us with free will, with differing opinions and varying interests...and yet, He also spoke throughout the Bible about living in unity with one another.
He doesn't say we all need to agree on everything. He doesn't even say we have to like all of the choices someone makes or even like how they treat us. But, He does say in Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
This isn't always easy for me. There are things people do (family or not) that just flat out make me mad. Accusing me of behaving in a way that I wouldn't, not respecting me, treating another member of my family poorly--those things make me a little crazy. I do not like to see injustice, and unfortunately I am quick to feel entitled to "fixing that." But God tells us that justice is His, and I have to trust that He will take care of it. It's not my job to tell others what they've done wrong; I don't need to take matters into my own hands. The God of the Universe is quite capable of handling it, and I know that His ruling is always just and right (as seen through the redeeming grace of Jesus) whereas mine would too often be based on a momentary feeling or hurt.
As you finish out this year, will you focus with me on the unity that God desires? Will you willingly lay aside the hurts others have caused and "turn the other cheek" so that you can be Jesus to your family (and others)? I know it won't be easy,--it will probably be really hard at times--and I know I, for one,will probably mess it up sometimes, but I want to live at peace with others. I want to finish this year the way I want to live out next year--at peace with everyone. Will you join me?
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Voice
I'll be honest... writing a blog entry was the last thing on my mind today. Having just returned from a ten-day adventure in Colorado with my family, I was heading toward (I thought) only dinner, laundry and sleep! After a quick glance at the blog calendar, I quickly figured out that- Yikes!- yes, it truly is my turn to write. Today!
The funny thing is, I didn't feel an all-too-familiar sense of panic creeping in. I felt a deep, inner calm and I immediately knew what I would share today.
You see, ten short days ago, my family and I headed off into beautiful southwestern Colorado with a group of friends, nine motorcycles, and one van. A loose itinerary and a huge dependence on God-- that He would keep us safe and show us the way.
What I did not expect was just how awesomely He would reveal Himself to us through His majestic creations.. through Nature itself. From our drive into Amarillo, Texas on the first stormy night of the trip where we saw dramatic lightning strikes across the landscape as far as our eyes could see... to playful chipmunks playing near waterfalls who would come eat directly from our hands... to our unforgettable visit to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, where we could have watched the light play for hours across the striped canvas of the Painted Wall. Through all of these things and many more... we felt God there with us.
We were reminded just how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and yet how very much we matter to God, as He took care of us in even the smallest of details. We watched almost zero television, heard little radio, were generally "unplugged" from life as usual. And when all the noise of life fell away... we could hear His voice so clearly.
We've only been home a few hours, and yet already, life is coming at us fast & furiously. I am going to try my hardest this week to keep that calmness, that stillness with me. To keep hearing God's voice so clearly. To focus on Him so completely that all else dims in comparison.
I urge you to do the same. When things are becoming too much this week, take a moment to find a quiet corner, read your Bible, thank Him for all He continually is in your life.
I have been reminded so many times in these past days on the road, of Casting Crowns' beautiful song, "The Voice of Truth". Please click on the link, take a listen and not just to their song.... but to The Voice.
I pray that each of you reading would hear the Voice of Truth today. May God bless you.
The funny thing is, I didn't feel an all-too-familiar sense of panic creeping in. I felt a deep, inner calm and I immediately knew what I would share today.
You see, ten short days ago, my family and I headed off into beautiful southwestern Colorado with a group of friends, nine motorcycles, and one van. A loose itinerary and a huge dependence on God-- that He would keep us safe and show us the way.
What I did not expect was just how awesomely He would reveal Himself to us through His majestic creations.. through Nature itself. From our drive into Amarillo, Texas on the first stormy night of the trip where we saw dramatic lightning strikes across the landscape as far as our eyes could see... to playful chipmunks playing near waterfalls who would come eat directly from our hands... to our unforgettable visit to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, where we could have watched the light play for hours across the striped canvas of the Painted Wall. Through all of these things and many more... we felt God there with us.
We were reminded just how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and yet how very much we matter to God, as He took care of us in even the smallest of details. We watched almost zero television, heard little radio, were generally "unplugged" from life as usual. And when all the noise of life fell away... we could hear His voice so clearly.
We've only been home a few hours, and yet already, life is coming at us fast & furiously. I am going to try my hardest this week to keep that calmness, that stillness with me. To keep hearing God's voice so clearly. To focus on Him so completely that all else dims in comparison.
I urge you to do the same. When things are becoming too much this week, take a moment to find a quiet corner, read your Bible, thank Him for all He continually is in your life.
I have been reminded so many times in these past days on the road, of Casting Crowns' beautiful song, "The Voice of Truth". Please click on the link, take a listen and not just to their song.... but to The Voice.
I pray that each of you reading would hear the Voice of Truth today. May God bless you.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
God's Will
Phillipians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As I continue to ponder Balance, I keep coming back to peace. Last month, I ended my blog thoughts with Paul's exhortation to pray without ceasing. Phillipians adds that the God of peace will be with me to guard my heart and mind, when I pray and let His will be mine. How do I know if I am in God's will?
Take a look at these thoughts from Shelly Radic, Director of Ministry Life at MOPS International:
Years ago, tuning in to a television show meant walking up to the television and adjusting antennae until the picture and sound came into focus. Tuning in required a physical engagement unknown to current viewers. Today, we sit at a distance and with the click of the remote, control everything- volume, channel, brightness. Tuning in is easy.
We often expect to hear God in the same way. We sit at a distance, fire off a prayer and expect God to instantaneously fill our minds with a clear picture of his perspective on a situation. And when that doesn’t happen, we wonder why we aren’t hearing from God.
Hearing God’s perspective involves engagement with him. To know his perspective requires moving ourselves mentally into his presence, acknowledging that we are always physically in his presence, and adjusting our thoughts and daily activities until his voice is our primary focus. Tuning in to God often requires that we tune out all the other voices clamoring for our attention.
John 10:2-5 says The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."
How do the sheep know where the shepherd is leading them?
Why don’t they follow a stranger?
What voices are most familiar to you?
How might these voices make it difficult for you to hear God?
Daniel was a busy leader, with many voices speaking to him every day.
Daniel 6:10-11, Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
How will you organize your day to ensure God’s voice is increasingly familiar? The sheep in John 10 and Daniel, the busy leader, could each follow God because they were familiar with his voice.
In Psalm 48:14, God promises to be our guide forever! I think of how He sent the pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day to the Israelites to let them know when to move. I don't need to pray every day and ask God, "Am I still in your will? Am I still where you want me to be?" The Holy Spirit is even better than a cloud. It is God in us, His very presence. I have learned that when He wants me to move, God will move the "cloud" -- change the circumstances, present a different opportunity, allow a crisis to occur, inspire anger or passion about something, reveal or validate the same thing over and over again in different ways.
Romans 12:2 says Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. You might be surprised where God's will leads you, but it is the safest place to be.
As a postscript, I found this video by Martina McBride, that I had to share! It's called God's Will http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJnoBbueEc0. Be sure to get out the tissues before you listen.
As I continue to ponder Balance, I keep coming back to peace. Last month, I ended my blog thoughts with Paul's exhortation to pray without ceasing. Phillipians adds that the God of peace will be with me to guard my heart and mind, when I pray and let His will be mine. How do I know if I am in God's will?
Take a look at these thoughts from Shelly Radic, Director of Ministry Life at MOPS International:
Years ago, tuning in to a television show meant walking up to the television and adjusting antennae until the picture and sound came into focus. Tuning in required a physical engagement unknown to current viewers. Today, we sit at a distance and with the click of the remote, control everything- volume, channel, brightness. Tuning in is easy.
We often expect to hear God in the same way. We sit at a distance, fire off a prayer and expect God to instantaneously fill our minds with a clear picture of his perspective on a situation. And when that doesn’t happen, we wonder why we aren’t hearing from God.
Hearing God’s perspective involves engagement with him. To know his perspective requires moving ourselves mentally into his presence, acknowledging that we are always physically in his presence, and adjusting our thoughts and daily activities until his voice is our primary focus. Tuning in to God often requires that we tune out all the other voices clamoring for our attention.
John 10:2-5 says The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."
How do the sheep know where the shepherd is leading them?
Why don’t they follow a stranger?
What voices are most familiar to you?
How might these voices make it difficult for you to hear God?
Daniel was a busy leader, with many voices speaking to him every day.
Daniel 6:10-11, Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
How will you organize your day to ensure God’s voice is increasingly familiar? The sheep in John 10 and Daniel, the busy leader, could each follow God because they were familiar with his voice.
In Psalm 48:14, God promises to be our guide forever! I think of how He sent the pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day to the Israelites to let them know when to move. I don't need to pray every day and ask God, "Am I still in your will? Am I still where you want me to be?" The Holy Spirit is even better than a cloud. It is God in us, His very presence. I have learned that when He wants me to move, God will move the "cloud" -- change the circumstances, present a different opportunity, allow a crisis to occur, inspire anger or passion about something, reveal or validate the same thing over and over again in different ways.
Romans 12:2 says Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. You might be surprised where God's will leads you, but it is the safest place to be.
As a postscript, I found this video by Martina McBride, that I had to share! It's called God's Will http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJnoBbueEc0. Be sure to get out the tissues before you listen.
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