An Attitude Adjustment

I'll admit...the poem I'm sharing today is actually meant for mom's.  For those of you that truly know the challenge of housekeeping AND child rearing. It seems like a married women with no children should have ZERO trouble keeping her house clean.  Sigh...I wish that were true.  We live on a dirt road in the country and raise goats.  This farm life keeps mud and dirt coming in my house at ALL times.

Recently I found myself overwhelmed quite regularly...always feeling like the WHOLE house needs clean and I never have a chunk of time big enough to do the WHOLE house.  This only gets worse when the summer produce is spilling out of my garden and my counter which is inevitably dirty is now also buried in produce.  (the produce should be a blessing...but often it causes a great deal of stress as there is limited time to put up the abundance before it spoils)

Anyway -- I've been working hard lately to pick one household cleaning chore a day (i.e. dusting, vacuuming, the kitchen, the bathrooms) and working to maintain something that vaguely resembles cleanliness on a continual basis rather than striving for an entire day with no commitments in which I can tackle the house in it's entirety...which...in the end...only stays spotless until the next time we do chores. :)

This poem reminded me that it's all about perspective and attitude...these things I call "chores" are really blessings.  How lucky am I to have a husband with laundry to do...and animals that I adore (who happen to be dirty)...and rain to grow my garden (which results in mud)...and a beautiful view (which happens to be at the end of a dirt road).  I felt others of us struggling to maintain balance and sanity at times might also need this reminder.

Thank You

Dear Lord, Your Word says ‘don’t complain; I know that this is true.
But when it comes to housework or chores I don’t want to do,
It’s easy to resent the things to which I must give time.
“Taking up my cross” isn’t always what I have in mind.

But Lord, You have been teaching me to see the way You see,
To realize that household tasks are blessings You gave me.
And so, I choose to give You thanks for all I have to do,
Knowing that the privilege of doing it’s from You.

Thank You for the laundry dropped in piles upon the floor,
And for the dirty pairs of shoes left right inside the door.
Thank You for the shirts and socks and coats flung everywhere,
For OxiClean and Shout and Tide—it means we’ve clothes to wear.

Dirty cups and dishes clutter countertops and sink.
I sure hope no one’s hungry; I hope no one needs a drink.
If it could all just wash itself, it would be such a treat.
But thanks for dirty dishes, too—it means we’ve food to eat.

Thank You for the sink and floor and toilet I must scrub.
Thank You for the shower; thank You for the tub.
Thank You for the mirror and wet towels I know are coming.
Thank You for this bathroom; it means we’ve indoor plumbing.

The messiness of games and toys and books covers our floors.
And did I mention dolls and blocks and drawings taped on doors?
Sometimes, I think I’ve seen my fill of Hot Wheels, Legos, bibs.
But thank You for this chaos—it means I have four kids.

My front yard isn’t landscaped. It isn’t even mown.
It’s filled with plastic toys and shovels—things that aren’t my own.
It sure won’t win “Yard of the Month”, but I don’t need that anyway.
I thank You for my lived-in yard—my kids have space to play.

There’s so much work I must get done. I do it all, and then
An hour later, it’s a mess, and must be done again.
But Lord, I thank You for the time that I can’t call my own,
The time spent serving others. It means I have a home.

Oh, forgive me, Lord, for asking You for blessings great and small,
Then complaining when I have to clean or take care of them all.
Oh, Lord, the very fact that I always have much to do
Is not a cause for bitterness, but for giving thanks to You.

I see now that every chore I have to do reflects Your grace
In blessing me with earthly things until I see Your face.
May I do my work with gratitude for the opportunity,
Seeing in it a chance for joy, and not mere drudgery.

My heart responds in thankfulness for all that You have given.
I’ll serve You by taking care of it ’til You call me to heaven.
And may I serve in such a way that the world sees Your dear Son
In my heart and hands and words and work, that to Him, they be won.

Stumbling Into Refreshment

We whistle at our kids and pets to get their attention, teachers might clap their hands to call attention to the front of the room, sirens get our intention in times of emergency, timers and buzzes on our ovens alert us to when food is ready...all examples of how easy it is for us to get a little caught up in ourselves and our own little world, until something catches our attention.  In fact -- I'm the queen of busy and I rely on all kinds of alarms and attention getters every day to remind myself what I need to be focusing on at that given moment.

All too often -- this business has us going, going, going with little focus on God.  At times it's a little stumble that draws our focus back to God.  I've come to appreciate these chances to slow down, check my heart, and spend some time with God.  Kind of like restarting our computers after an update.

I had a little stumble yesterday when a new friend said some harsh and inaccurate things about me...and it stung just a bit.  In fact it ruled over my thoughts most of the day yesterday.  I didn't understand why anyone could think or would say such things about me.  In the end it's a total misunderstanding and mostly due to the fact that this person doesn't know me very well yet.  Still...why was I so caught off guard by it?

Do I think I'm perfect? No, I most certainly know that I'm not.  Do I think this person is perfect?  No, I know that isn't true either.  Should my faith be in man?  Absolutely not!  Time and time again, we put faith in man and are disappointed.

God word tells us in Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Now can we really go about our lives NOT trusting ANYONE?  No, that's not realistic.  We trust others everyday.  We trust caregivers to watch over our children, we trust bus drivers and pilots to get us safely to our destination, restaurant workers to prepare and handle our food safely, we trust the bank to accurately deposit our paychecks etc.    The point isn't to stop trusting others but it is to remind us in WHOM our ultimate trust should lie.  And not to despair when we have a little stumble.  All of us need a little reminder now and then to shift our focus back on Christ and to rely on him alone.
Do the words about me yesterday still sting?  Yes, but I know that God knows my heart and that little stumble yesterday resulted in some refreshing time spent with God last night and this morning taking time out from my "busy work" to soak up His truths and His promises.  I hope these little hiccups in your life might do the same for you.

Here is a song I sang on Sunday with one of our team members.  We were both a little surprised to hear the congregation singing with us right from the beginning...which says to me...we know these words to be TRUE indeed:
Lord I need you oh I need you, every hour I need you.  My one defense my righteousness, oh God how I need you.

Click to Listen

The Backside of Suffering

I'm borrowing the sermon title from our pastor in yesterday's service.
I've shared before that this blog/ministry is about obedience to Christ...answering the call He's clearly placed on my heart...but that desire to be obedient grows stronger every day and it's all due to the "backside of suffering".

Yesterday's sermon was all about finding the joy...not necessarily right in the midst of the pain.  No, not that you enjoy it -- no one does -- but that your faith reminds you that God NEVER wastes suffering and that He'll always turn it into good...not in our time, not in our way...but always in His and for His glory.

In my case it was easily 7 years or so before I could REALLY embrace the backside of my suffering...before I had even the slightest glimpse of how God had orchestrated something so amazing - FAR beyond anything I could have imagined - born out of my suffering.  (Read My Story of Brokenness to learn more)

And that was only the beginning.  I don't know all that God has in store for me or how He plans to continue using me, but I know that my mustard seed faith has been exposed in the last year.  At this time nearly a year ago -- my entire blog was lost.  My webpage went down and all the posts, all the time I had spent in prayer, pouring out my heart, trying to communicate to others that which I thought God wanted me to share...lost.  It seems like such a little inconvenience as I reflect upon it now -- but at the time -- it was a huge blow.  It was discouraging and frustrating, and made me question the point of trying to start over.

Right now, my care cell is studying "The Invisible War" and as we arm ourselves with the knowledge of the Devil and his schemes I can see the lies he planted in my head..."no one reads the blog", "there's plenty of other ministries and blogs for people to read", "people won't notice that you've stopped posting", "you'll never recover all the posts you lost"...slowly I let satan shift my focus to this being about me...my thoughts...my time...my posts...my ministry...

But that was never the point of any of this.  It's always been about God, the opportunity to give Him ALL the glory for the things He's done in my life, or should I say the JOY I've experienced on the backside of my own suffering :)

With as much conviction as ever -- I will press on -- I will run the race set out before me -- and I will consider it all JOY the pain, the heartache, the suffering, the challenges, may it all be to His glory.

At the end of yesterday's powerful sermon I shared the song "Blessings" by Laura Story.  For you who are in the midst of pain right now and need to hear this song, may it indeed be a Blessing to you.  For those of you who are also on the backside of suffering, but need a reminder of how God is using and plans to use that suffering to grow you closer to Him...may it be the peace you need right now.  For those of you who have heard it several times but have someone in your life that needs to hear this, may it be the encouragement you can share with them.

For a link to the lyrics of this beautiful and powerful song:  http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/laurastory/blessings.html

Tired of Fighting?

Originally posted on Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Life’s battles…that is. Sunday’s sermon was a great reminder to me — the kind you can’t ever seem to get enough — that the wars of this world are not ours. The battle has already been won. Jesus said, “It is finished!”…yet we try in our might, and strength to win these earthy battles.  While I know my default should always be set on going to God…instead I often catch myself trying to take over, take control, steer the ship, run the show, and so forth. I fret, worry, stress, plan, overplan, question my planning, delegate, but then take over so it’s done right — does this sound familiar to anyone? Or is it just me?


While I can delight in the reminder that He’s already victorious…it stirred in me discomfort as I thought about those in my own sphere who fight their battles alone, by themselves, everyday unaware that God has offered to give them rest, to take their burdens in exchange for His yoke which is light. Maybe they believe there is a God but have no understanding of turning their life over to Him — or feel they aren’t “good” enough for God to accept or love them. Maybe that’s you today…weary from fighting your own battles…alone, weak, fragile, searching, broken, discouraged, hopeless.

The song I’m sharing today is an easy one for me to love because I’m a HUGE Natalie Grant fan. I’m drawn to her voice and her songs naturally so I often find myself humming along without actually letting the lyrics “sink in”. As I was thinking about this post and Sunday’s sermon, this song came on. Take a listen…you might first wonder what the connection is. The song is called, “Your Great Name”. But as I’m thinking about how victorious God is and the price He paid to win the war…these lyrics struck me.  SOOO victorious is He that the lost are saved, the condemned feel no shame, every fear leaves, the enemy flees – at the sound of His great name. So victorious is He that the weak find their strength, hungry souls receive grace, the fatherless find rest, the sick are healed, the dead are raised…at the sound of His great name.  When we think of God’s power in relation to our own — how silly is it that we keep fighting when He’s told us that all we have to do is take up our cross and follow Him?

Enjoy this song - particularly from a new perspective today.

Growing Pains

Originally posted on September 21st, 2011

Is God growing you right now? How is He doing it? Why is He so committed to growing us? What’s the point if I’m already saved…already a believer? Why does “growing” have to hurt this bad!?
I could go on but you get the idea…

I’m sharing an excerpt I found on the web at www.learnaboutgod.net — I found it appropriate for what God has laid on my heart.
The question for us is always, “Where are we growing?” Are we satisfied with a being a pine cone when God has in His purposes for us a full-grown pine tree that produces many pine cones, and provides shelter for many birds as well? It’s easier to be and remain a pinecone, but our God is life and life goes forward and grows. Another important consideration is that the more we allow God to do in our lives, the more He will be in our lives, and we are more likely to know Him. Knowing Him in turn causes further growth.

Preceding the excerpt, that last question may not have made since to some of you. Perhaps you haven’t experienced spiritual growth as pain yet — but likely — you will.  I look back to the very most painful times in life…the days when I didn’t want to live anymore…the devastation I felt and only now with a different perspective some 10+ years later can I also see the growth that came from that time along with the testimony, the depth of faith, the humbleness, the heart to reach out to others, and the understanding of how God will work all things to good for those who love the Lord.

Often growth hurts because it usually takes us OUT of our comfort zone. Oh No! Immediately my blood pressure goes up. If I’m going to be out of my comfort zone I better at least be able to touch it — right? Isn’t that how most of us are? When are we most comfortable? Well…usually when we’re “in control”. And finally — how often are the things that HURT (which are usually the same that help us GROW) out of our control?

I believe that God takes us out of our comfort zone because we’re then forced to wholly surrender. We’re never in control but we often convince ourselves we are and when we realize we’re definitely not…where and to whom do we turn? Who do we cry out to when we fall flat on our face? And then the healing (i.e. growing begins) :) When we are broken down, when we are nothing but rubble, when we are 100% surrendered — WOW there is some real room for growth there!

When you’re out of your comfort zone, when it hurts a little (or a LOT) you can know that God will use it to do the most amazing things in your life…for God has chosen to reveal His glory THROUGH us!?

The Sting of Death...

Originally posted on Aug 10, 2011

Finding it awfully difficult today to blog about something encouraging when I’ve just left a funeral for a 14 yr. old. Twice in the last few months I’ve watched a mom bury her child and in both cases — that mom was such a pillar of strength. It’s something to see really — to witness such poise, beauty, grace, and strength — could it be explained by anything other than God himself holding them up in this painful time?
I’m not a mother so I can’t imagine how hard it is to accept the reality that God gifts parents with children — but they are HIS, not ours…that He simply entrusts them with us for a time, for a season…

I have to believe that when a child goes to be with the Lord, a piece of their parents’ heart goes with them. Yes there is healing in time, and yes there is still the gift of the memories, the time we had with them, the pictures, the love but there must also be an ache and a void…to be filled when they reunite in heaven someday.

The pastor at today’s service talked about how it always seems much too soon when it’s a child that is taken from us…their life seems WAY too short — but then I was reminded that really ALL of our lives here on earth are but a blink of God’s eye just one chapter…preparing us for an eternity which we cannot fathom.
I want to share the verse that was referred to during the service and printed on the bulletins etc — I think certainly applies to the pain and sting of death…but isn’t it also true about many challenges in life? If you don’t have a “favorite” verse to help you face the battles of this life…maybe this is the one for you!

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.

In Christ,
Lenay

In Spite of Our Brokenness...There Is Freedom!

Originally posted on 8/03/20122

I LOVE it when a song gets stuck in my head (well…usually)
I LOVE it when worship songs get stuck in my head because it keeps my thoughts in a holy place. A song that’s been on my mind for a week now is called Freedom Reigns. I’ll put a link at the bottom of the post if you want to listen…but here are a few lyric snippets that I’ve been enjoying these last several days.
Where the spirit of the Lord is…there is freedom.

Now if you’re already a Christian, then you know this — but how often do we “REVEL” in it?! The single word freedom means sooo many things. Obviously freedom from the one thing we truly deserve which is hell, but freedom from so much more! Freedom from worrying, freedom from having to be perfect, freedom from this world, freedom from hopelessness, freedom from fear, freedom from addiction, freedom from our sin, freedom from our past, freedom from our mistakes, freedom from shame I could go on and on — but when you stop and think about it…WOW!

Yet, so often — we let the addiction, the shame, or the material things of this life have power over us and control us. So I just love the lyrics in this one simple line of the song…because it reminds me that the freedom comes WITH the spirit of the LORD (where the spirit of the Lord is)…and not apart from it!

Later in the song it says:
If you’re tired and your thirsty…there is freedom.
How often do we let ourselves get run down, tired, overworked, overextended and just keep trying to trudge along by ourselves…growing more empty by the day? We all get tired and thirsty — and I’m so thankful that He offers us the reprieve and the freedom. That He meets our every need, quenches our thirst etc.
Soak up the freedom!

Click here to enjoy this song!