Running while resting

It’s sounds like an oxymoron huh? 

I was listening to a podcast on resting while running on my treadmill.  I kind of laughed a little at the irony.  But, I really was resting.  I have recently found after a long day of work and being a single mom of a teenager that I have loved unwinding by running at night.

True story.

Sometimes resting means taking a break from certain things so you can focus on other things.  Resting actually really looks like productivity.  Society tells us differently.  Let’s be honest, “church” can tell us differently.  Learn the word NO if you need to.

Let’s look at Leviticus 26:34-35. “Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies.  Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed. As long as the land lies it ruins, it will enjoy the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it.”

After reading this verse I had the thought that I wonder if sometimes God designs not-so-fun-circumstances that force us to rest because He knows what is best for us.  I had never thought of unfortunate circumstances and rest going together.

Busy bodies are counter-productive if they never take a season of rest.  (Or juggling so many things all might be checked off the list but none done “well”) A day every week for rest is what God demonstrated in Genesis 2.  He didn’t need it.  It was an example for us to follow.  It is productive.

A garden needs to rest after season to season to maintain healthy soil.  A tired soil doesn’t produce as good of a crop as a healthy one. 

Let me encourage you to ask God in what areas do you need to take a rest?  A few years ago I rested from all things in life except work and my son.  I just sought out as much possible time as I could with Jesus.  Oh, what a year.  I had to force myself to train my brain to sit out on lots of “stuff.” 

IT WAS WORTH IT. 

I sought Him out constantly and I was quiet long enough for Him to plant a seed deep within me.  He watered it.  And it grew.  It would take a whole blog post just to tell you all the fruit that has been produced from that year.  It still continues.

REST.  Try it!

New Year's Letter

I wanted to share a beautiful letter a friend of mine wrote for the new year.  I hope you are encouraged as I was.  Please enjoy this guest post from Dawn.

Never before have I written a New Year’s letter but, I felt compelled to do so. Winter season to winter season, New Year to New Year leaves many to reflect the events of the coming year. How can I improve self? And we all know it requires action to make change.

As I walked into church today, I was looking at the landscaping foliage that was cold, brown, brittle, lifeless, and dead by all appearances. Yet look again. Berries left over from bountiful days. Petals in a state of withering and decayed suspended in time. This seems to bring a feeling of despair of a loss of days gone by that was full of life, warm, and hope.

I saw something new in the frozen foliage today. New life dormant in the snow and ice waiting to emerge at the first on-slot of the suns warm rays and a gentle spring rains. Life again will spring forth. The foliage will spring up green tender life again, new buds, berries, and flowers. They will sway in the warm breezes of spring and brighten my walk into church with color and life once again.
Life sometimes feels this way: cold and dormant.

Today a gentle reminder from God was given. He said, that there is life waiting under the cold, ice, and snow. This year’s events many times felt to me like that cold seemly dead plant life I saw.

But, I feel a warm gentle breath of God, healing rains, and a son’s light and love awakening my roots. 

Activating life.
 
I will graduate this year, gain employment, and emerge a stronger version of self.

Happy 2013 New Year and may you experience joy, gain hope, and feel God’s restoring love!!

China. Crafts. Carpet. Christmas.

I’m struggling.   I mean deep down inside struggling.  Things, items, stuff......they just seem silly lately.

I have a beautiful china cabinet in my dining room.  I bought the cabinet to contain & display all of the items.  It’s full of lovely china, crystal & silver items.  FULL.  Not one of the items contained in the cabinet did I purchase.  It’s not necessary and it sometimes it even seems silly.  I appreciate and even love the gifts.  But, they are just things.

I have a great craft/scrapbooking room that is amazing.  Truly. Amazing.  I’ve bought LOTS of those items.  It’s not necessary and it seems silly.  

I have four bedrooms, a hallway & stairs, living room and a family room that got new carpet three years ago.  I lived just fine without carpet while we remodeled too.  It’s not necessary and it seems silly.

I have 15 storage bins that contain Christmas decorations. They take up lots of space for 11 months out of the year.  They aren’t necessary and they seem silly.

These all seem silly when I think about those who don’t even own a cupboard to put everyday plates in, let alone know where their next meal might come from.  It seems silly when I think about people who wouldn’t have the time for a hobby to make crafts let alone spend the money on a hobby.  I’ve met ladies in another country who are content to “sweep” their dirt floor.  So, I felt guilty complaining about the plywood boards through my whole house I “endured” for an entire year before I purchased carpet.  At least I had a floor.  I have Christmas decorations for what?

What if we all lived simple on purpose?  Downsized instead of upgraded.  What if we gave others as much as ourselves?  You know that verse where Jesus says “love others as yourself?”  (Luke 10:27)  That would mean 50% others and 50% us. 

If you have ever attended a church service in your life I know you heard them talk about money.  You’ve heard them ask for that portion God commands us to give if you are His child.  However, I heard a great sermon once about what does God think about how you spend that other 90% of your checkbook that is His. 

HIS

You mean it all is His?  Yup.  I have to answer for 100% of what He blessed me with.  The point is have I been faithful with what He has given me and asked me to do with it? However, I want to clarify gifts from our heavenly Daddy there are nothing wrong with.  He delights in running us down with blessings. (Matt 7:11)  It’s a matter of the heart.  Contentment. Greed. Thankfulness. Gratitude.  I’m just more concerned with being obedient to the Giver of all good things and not keeping up with the Jones’ to impress them. 

We work more so we can “afford” more.  We charge more so we can “have” more.  We go on extravagant vacations so we can “relax” right?  What is enough?  Fancy cell phones just seem silly.  I’ve never paid more than $50 for one.  Mine calls people.  It even texts.  That’s enough.  Salon nails seem silly.  I like them.  They are prettier than mine.  Mine are enough.  I made a choice to not have a car payment.  My car drives, it’s safe.  It’s paid for.  It’s enough. 

Being rich is truly just having more than enough. 

why the why?

Do you ever notice that?  Why do we ask God “why” when something tragic happens?

Let me tell you a story.

When Bryce was young our family went on a road trip.  We were on our way to the annual Strickler family camping trip up north for more memories.  It was a long car ride for a little one and he started asking fairly soon into the trip if we were there yet.  I’m sure we’ve all done that.  I know I did.  His Dad had a great answer that I will never forget.  As we were driving down the highway, he answered, “Yes.”  This puzzled Bryce because it was obvious even to a little tike we weren’t stopping.  In his wisdom Bryce asked, “Then why aren’t we stopping?”  Dad answered something like this, “If we aren’t stopped then we haven’t arrived there yet.”  After a few more times, it finally sunk in to Bryce’s mind that asking the question over and over didn’t get him the result he wanted.  It didn’t get him to his destination any earlier.

His Dad was teaching him a lesson.

P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E.

Your Daddy might be trying to teach you the same lesson. 

To answer my opening question, I forget He’s proven Himself trustworthy.  In that moment anyway, I forget.  I come back to reality and tell myself I know that I know that I know He is trustworthy.  If I see Him as trustworthy I wouldn’t even care what the answer was, would I?

Jesus never asked in scripture His Father the question why He had to die on the cross.  The only request He had was if there was another way out but even so let His will be done. 

He didn’t demand an explanation.  God doesn’t owe us one.  He’s God.  He knows the beginning from the end.  He created the beginning and wrote the whole story since then. 

He’s in control.  He’s got the whole world in His hands.  Man chose sin and therefore this world became corrupt, period.  God didn’t make us all puppets and force us to love Him and obey like robots.  Why don’t people get mad at the source, which is our enemy but instead shake their hand at God and become angry? 

It works.  Getting mad at Satan and relying on your Daddy.  I know.  Just recently Satan was out to kill, steal and destroy an area in my life.  You know what I did?  I got on my face, laughed at Satan and told him to watch out and see God be my source.  Do you believe within less than 24 hours MY Daddy did just that?  Yup.  He’s never late. 

So, this ‘road trip’ you are on, try just resting in God for His faithfulness.  His timing is perfect and never late.  His reason isn’t your concern, just your obedience.

true love isn't blind

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman.  They fell in love.  They got married.  The end.

Huh?

Fairy tales pretty much portray love with most of the story being the courtship and “They lived happily ever after.”  ANY of you who have been married before or are married know the courtship usually is the part where you are on your best behavior.  Your “love” is blind as the common phrase says.  I put love in quotation marks because at this point you are only going on few facts that you love this person. 

What I want to focus on is the continual CHOICE to love a person after you truly SEE all their faults, all their mistakes and when the years change them.  True love isn’t blind at all.

What if someone wrote a fairy tale about after you say “I do?”……………

Let me tell you one.

The husband is a real life hero in my book.  He is the true expression of a servant.  You know that phrase in vows at most weddings where it says “In sickness and in health?”

How many of you truly think sickness is going to require your sacrifice?   It may be weeks, months and years of serving your true love.  You said, “I do” to it, remember?

When a physical condition altered his wife’s lifestyle, he chose to stay with her and stick by her side.  He serves his wife on a daily basis.  Somehow daily doesn’t even describe it.  Most days it is moment by moment.  I have seen him give his time, money, talent, etc. to bless her.  Could you alter your lifestyle, your home, and your heart for another human being for the rest of your life? 

Let’s give her some credit too.  She has to truly trust her husband.  She relies on his faithfulness to her.  She continually needs him. 

Making a sacrifice for another person requires you to see what they need and acting on it.  

Why cheapen love by being saying it’s blind?  I think it’s a better picture of true love when someone sees you in the worst of the worst and loves you in spite of it.  Sometimes this is a physical condition.  Sometimes this is a heart condition.  They may even truly love you enough to speak the truth to you in love about some changing you might need to consider. 

That’s what my Savior did for me.  He knew I needed Him.  He knew I was a wreck without Him.  He knew I’d live for eternity separated from Him and gave Himself COMPLETELY to me.  He sent his own son to die on my behalf.  He sees me and loves me in my selfishness. 

He isn’t blind at all. 

What if you approached love this way?  Will you choose to see someone’s faults and make another choice to love them still?

my father, my friend

So I didn’t get my Dad a Father’s Day card this year……….because I couldn’t fit everything all in.  So I dedicate this blog post to him. 

My hero.  Co-worker.  Elder.  Sushi partner.  Neighbor.  Shopping buddy.  Counselor.  Mechanic.  Rescuer.  Comedian……but the most dear to me, my friend.

I don’t know how I got so lucky being born to an amazing Dad, but I’m thankful God picked me to fulfill this role, his daughter. 

I have had some great memories with my Dad.  Things like on my 16^th birthday in Chicago eating at the Hard Rock Café and he leans over to some guest and asks, “Pardon me do you have any Grey Poupon.”  (as there is one on every table & acting like the classic commercial.)  Or the time him, my brother & I were at Wendy’s and he didn’t get any hamburger on his sandwich and he walked up to the counter and said, “Hey, where’s the beef?”  A certain car we had contained eight speakers and a great sound system and he would always roll down the windows and blare the music (as I would sink into my seat) and say, “Hey, I don’t want to just listen to the music, I want to BE THERE!”  I owe him a thank you for not getting easily embarrassed because, well, I overcame it in my childhood. 

One “date” he took me on when I was little I’ll never forget is at Kmart.  He bought me the coolest gloves and each finger had a different little puppet on it and I thought they were so cool. 

As an adult your relationship changes with your parents.  Some people run far away from their parents and their relationship dies.  Others become distant, as it is an easier way to have a relationship.  And others draw closer to them because a deep friendship can now grow.  I had an amazing childhood but as an adult I realize how blessed I am to have him as a father but more importantly a dear friend.

We have gone shopping together and out to sushi, just the two of us.  We go to lunch on a regular basis because we work together.  Dad and I occasionally carpool to work together as we are also neighbors.  All of these are great moments in the simple day of an ordinary life.  I wouldn’t change a thing.  Great conversations happen.  Great laughs.  Great advice given.

I’ve had the privilege of going on a mission trip with him and we’ve gone on some great vacations together as a family.  My Dad was my roller coaster buddy as a kid because that isn’t Mom’s thing.  From Wisconsin Dells go kart racing to Disney World, Bush Gardens, Cedar Point & Six Flags Great America, we’ve ridden a few together. 

I also get to watch him be one awesome Grandpa to a great kid.  This is beautiful because He is my son’s only Grandpa in his life and he’s right next door to us. 

I love you Dad. 

a tale of two drawers

A friend commented on my nicely organized kitchen drawer one day while I was making soup for the both of us.  BUT, I confessed I also had a messy one right next to it.

Let’s start with the small drawer.  This drawer is doing what it was created to do.  It takes time to find what I’m looking for.  It isn’t as nice to open & look at.  It is wasting a lot of space it was given.  Much more could be stored in here if a little time was taken, organized the drawer and maintained it. 

Now let’s look at the large drawer.  This one contains a lot of items.  At one glance I can pretty much see everything in it and know where everything is. It is easy to reach in and get just what I need.  It is nicely fulfilling its purpose isn’t it? Its well taken care of.

This got me thinking how many different kinds of kitchen utensils there are out there.  Kitchen gadgets are numerous and how many different gifts and personalities are in the body of Christ.

Jar opener:  Some of you need help getting your “lid” opened so others can enjoy the benefits of what has been contained inside, sitting on the shelf collecting dust.

Strainer:  Sometimes we need help sifting out the unwanted.  Unless you practice using your gift you never get to the good stuff.  Perfect it.  This takes time.

Sandwich press:  This one seals two pieces of bread together and contains the contents inside.  God has given us the pieces to put everything together BUT without the Holy Spirit it doesn’t stay intact.  We absolutely need Him to be a part of it.

Oven thermometer:  This one tells us we are right on.  We’re ready.  It is the word of God.  He will never contradict again his word.  If it is edification or a correction (which I see as an edification too) it will always line up with God’s word.  If you receive something for someone the most faithful thing you can do with it is to test it and bring it before God.  Don’t quench the spirit by disobeying Him and delivering something but you can also quench the spirit by ignoring a word for yourself.  You just might miss out.

Broken pitcher plunger:  This one has been broken. It isn’t fulfilling its purpose.  It needs the other pieces to function, to do its job.  I think this is one of the most important.  If it is all alone what good is it.  It really is useless.  Why do I have it still?  I can order replacement parts.  You can get plugged in again.  There is hope. 

Pie/cake server:  Be the gift of a servant to someone else.  When it cost you something.  Love others more than yourself.  It’s hard to love others more than us.  I’ve been working on just trying to love others 50% of the time as much as I love me and have failed. 

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Mark 14:3-5

Another piece of advice that is important is to ask God yourself and seek out from Him what you are to be faithful with.  Don’t let others alone tell you what you should do.

As a younger Christian I attended a church where I was told where to serve, what my gifts were and how they should be used. AKA what areas of ministry needed filling.  I listened to man and not God directly.

Romans 8:28

I am called according to God’s design and purpose.  NOT other’s purpose.

For me gifts are about a deeper relationship with God.  When I started talking to God and seeking Him for how He desired me to further His kingdom is when I started really growing in my relationship with Him.  I had much more peach and joy as well.  Don’t get me wrong, others should see be able to acknowledge and even encourage you what your gifts are but don’t let them alone tell you.  Ask God for yourself.

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The point is, do something.  Use what you have.  I can’t do your part.  You can’t do mine.  I answer for me.  You answer for you.  Tell the jar opener to sift.  It can’t.  Tell the thermometer to seal the items together.  It impossible.

Luke 19:26

………if you want to increase your drawer capacity be faithful with what you’ve been given.  If you want it taken away don’t listen. OUCH.