Since Nevaeh left to go and visit her father over the Christmas holiday, it seems that every where I go, there are children. There are babies, toddlers, elementary aged kids around my daughter's age and then there are the "tweens." It seemed that every time Ken and I would attempt to go some place, to escape the emptiness of our house without Nevaeh, we would be inundated with kids of every age. At first, I must admit, it made me a little sad and lonely for my child. Then, the bible verse, "Let the little children come to me." (Matt. 19:14) kept playing over and over in my head. I had no idea what God was trying to tell me, so I kept allowing myself to hear it again and again and silently asked God to make His will known to me. What was it about that particular verse that He wanted me to understand?
I went to the Source....The Word. I read chapters 18 and 19 in Matthew and it started becoming rather clear. We live in a world where there is an overabundance of arrogance...in the bible, I believe the word that is used most often instead is "haughtiness." We are a vain bunch of people at times. We tend to get so caught up in our own private little worlds and what is happening to US, that we miss what God is trying to show us in the REAL WORLD.
Have you ever watched a child? Really sat and just studied a child? They are so full of wonderment and innocence. If they see another child in the mall that is in a stroller and perhaps has snot running down their face and their diaper stinks to high heaven.....the child will look up at his mother or father and say.."Oh look at the cute little baby." We, as adults, drive down Broadway or West End in Nashville and see dirty, homeless people pushing carts with all of their earthly belongings in them in the dead of winter and we drive right past. Now, I am not saying that we FEEL nothing....but, do we take that opportunity to say to that child strapped safely in the backseat of that nice warm car you are driving, "Oh bless that poor man's heart. He is without a home. Aren't we blessed?" And, once you are home, does it bother you until it spurs you into action?
Can you imagine that day hundreds of years ago when all of these loving parents had come from far and wide with their precious little children and all they wanted was to have Jesus place His hands on and pray over them? The disciples were shooing them away and admonishing the parents for having the audacity to bother Jesus with mere kids! But, that did not set well with the Savior. He announced, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matt. 19:14)
I truly believe that when Jesus told His disciples, as He held a dear child in His arms, that "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven," (Matt. 18:3-4) He was saying that we must get back to the innocence that children possess. They are incapable early on of prejudice of any kind. They have no idea how to hate...that is something that is taught! They are shy by nature, the bible calls that "meekness." How many times did you hear while growing up "The meek shall inherit the earth." (Matt.5:5)?
A child is relentlessly forgiving. Someone can commit a horrible act against a child and what do they do? They are trying to hug the same person a few minutes later. I know that there have been many times that I lost my patience with my children and blew my stack, yelling when I shoud have remained calm and spoke softly and several minutes later, here would come a contrite little person asking for MY forgiveness. Those are the times that we should fall to our knees and thank God for the love He places in the heart of a child and beg for some of the same type of love for our own adult hearts.
When we love a child, we love God Himself. The next time you get a chance, just sit and watch a child as he or she goes about their every day life. They are everything that is pure in this life. They are always so filled with awe. Try to see life through their eyes.....when you do, you will get a tiny glimpse of Christ.
"....whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes Me." (Matt. 18:5)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Victim or Victor?
The other day my husband and I were talking and kidding around with each other and he made a flippant remark that ALMOST hurt my feelings. It wasn’t said to wound me to the core. In his mind, he had paid me a compliment. All he said was that he thought I looked prettier without my glasses. I know! I know! I think that as soon as he said it, he wanted to reach out, grab the words, hurry and swallow them before I heard it. But, it was said and for a little while, I had to mull this over.
Do I think that I look prettier without my glasses? Yes! I think that I look much better without my glasses and that is precisely the reason I have contacts too. Purely for vanity’s sake!
So, if I know that this is what I am thinking in my own mind, why did it instantly upset me to hear my husband say it? I know that he loves me. I know that he finds me attractive. I know that he would never say anything mean or hurtful to me deliberately. He said the words and in the space between us, I allowed his words to go through some sort of decoder and it transmitted “I do not think that you are pretty at all when you wear your glasses.”
My husband loves me. He has shown me hundreds of times in his actions how deeply he feels for me. If I am sure of this, why did I allow myself to be hurt or think the worst of something said in innocent teasing? It is that old victim mentality. There is the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other and alternately, they whisper good and evil in each ear.
After I had thought about it for a little bit, I realized that I am not a victim. I refuse to have that type of mentality. I have a God that made me in HIS image. I am progressing in HIS work, not a work in progress. He is constantly shaping me. There are times that I do not believe in myself enough and when that occurs, HE steps in and believes enough for both of us! I can look at all that I’ve gone through in life and know other things may arise, yet I can stand tall and proud and know that I have overcome and will continue to overcome. That is NOT a victim. I am a VICTOR!!!
God does not want us to walk around all the time sulking over the things that people may or may not say to us. We have to see ourselves the way that God sees us. He knows we are not perfect. He knows that there are some wrinkles that need to be ironed out. He’s okay with that as long as He sees our growth. I am me! There is only one me! God made me and gave me my own identity and gifts. It is up to me to use them. It is also up to me to choose whether I will be Victor or Victim. I choose VICTOR….after all, that is what God would want me to choose.
Oh, by the way….I like my husband a lot better without his glasses too!
Do I think that I look prettier without my glasses? Yes! I think that I look much better without my glasses and that is precisely the reason I have contacts too. Purely for vanity’s sake!
So, if I know that this is what I am thinking in my own mind, why did it instantly upset me to hear my husband say it? I know that he loves me. I know that he finds me attractive. I know that he would never say anything mean or hurtful to me deliberately. He said the words and in the space between us, I allowed his words to go through some sort of decoder and it transmitted “I do not think that you are pretty at all when you wear your glasses.”
My husband loves me. He has shown me hundreds of times in his actions how deeply he feels for me. If I am sure of this, why did I allow myself to be hurt or think the worst of something said in innocent teasing? It is that old victim mentality. There is the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other and alternately, they whisper good and evil in each ear.
After I had thought about it for a little bit, I realized that I am not a victim. I refuse to have that type of mentality. I have a God that made me in HIS image. I am progressing in HIS work, not a work in progress. He is constantly shaping me. There are times that I do not believe in myself enough and when that occurs, HE steps in and believes enough for both of us! I can look at all that I’ve gone through in life and know other things may arise, yet I can stand tall and proud and know that I have overcome and will continue to overcome. That is NOT a victim. I am a VICTOR!!!
God does not want us to walk around all the time sulking over the things that people may or may not say to us. We have to see ourselves the way that God sees us. He knows we are not perfect. He knows that there are some wrinkles that need to be ironed out. He’s okay with that as long as He sees our growth. I am me! There is only one me! God made me and gave me my own identity and gifts. It is up to me to use them. It is also up to me to choose whether I will be Victor or Victim. I choose VICTOR….after all, that is what God would want me to choose.
Oh, by the way….I like my husband a lot better without his glasses too!
10 Things To Pray About
Do you find yourself struggling at times to find new and refreshing things to pray about? We all do! I sometimes find myself on autopilot as I start to pray. Once we find ourselves praying for the exact same things over and over, we tend to get bored with our prayer lives. So, in an effort to spice up my own prayer life, I made a list of 10 things that may seem rather simplistic, but are truly worthy of our prayers.
1. The next time that you read your local paper, check out the obituaries. Every person that has died, has left behind family and friends. Pray for those that have been left to grieve. Ask God to give them the strength and courage to handle the death of their loved one. True, you may not know the person, but praying for another human being that may be suffering shows your compassion for another.
2. If you have been blessed with children and they are of school age, pray over your child's school. At the beginning of the school year, I wrote every teacher's name on a separate index card along with every staff member in my daughter's year book, and I choose a teacher and a staff member each week and pray over them all week. Pray for their families. Pray that they will find joy in their work. Remember, these are the people that see our children on a daily basis. They will appreciate your prayers, even if they do not know you or your child.
3. Pick a church member, any church member. If you go to church on a regular basis, pick a member at random and pray for that person and feel free to drop them a short note and tell them that you are praying for them. It will make them feel special.
4. Do you have a favorite star on television? Pray for them. Do you know how hard it is to be in the public spotlight and the pressure that comes with that? I read of a group that actually prays every day over Hollywood and its stars. The stars may not know you are praying for them, but God does.
5. Every town has low income housing areas. Pray for the people that live there. Pray that God will give you ideas as to how you can help the residents in small ways, big ways, any way!
6. Pick a college. Adopt a college to pray over. Any college. It is not easy to be a young student in college these days. There are pressures to party and do things that many years ago, were not there. Pray for all students that may be testing on any given day, that they will do well.
7. Pray for your spouse or significant other. Pray that God will keep you both faithful to the other. Pray that you can be a blessing to each other. Pray for a long and happy life together.
8. Pray for our government. We have a brand new President. An African American President. There is this new energy in America. History is being made. This is indeed a time of celebration. This is a time where we should all feel that any dream is possible if we all believe. Pray to God to keep that feeling alive in all of us. All things are possible with God.
9. Pray for those that live in the nursing homes. There are so many elderly people living in nursing homes all over the United States. They are lonely. Some spend entire days sitting in a chair looking out a window. I know an elderly man that sits in the corridor all day in his wheelchair just watching people walk up and down the hall. These are people that raised families, worked and attended churches in our communities. Pray that God will bless them with good health. Pray that God will use you to be a blessing to them.
10. Pray for yourself. Ask God to show you what He wants you to do. He will direct your path. God has a plan for all of us. We may not know what that plan is, but on the way to it, ask God to lead you to people that need help. You can be a blessing to others.
1. The next time that you read your local paper, check out the obituaries. Every person that has died, has left behind family and friends. Pray for those that have been left to grieve. Ask God to give them the strength and courage to handle the death of their loved one. True, you may not know the person, but praying for another human being that may be suffering shows your compassion for another.
2. If you have been blessed with children and they are of school age, pray over your child's school. At the beginning of the school year, I wrote every teacher's name on a separate index card along with every staff member in my daughter's year book, and I choose a teacher and a staff member each week and pray over them all week. Pray for their families. Pray that they will find joy in their work. Remember, these are the people that see our children on a daily basis. They will appreciate your prayers, even if they do not know you or your child.
3. Pick a church member, any church member. If you go to church on a regular basis, pick a member at random and pray for that person and feel free to drop them a short note and tell them that you are praying for them. It will make them feel special.
4. Do you have a favorite star on television? Pray for them. Do you know how hard it is to be in the public spotlight and the pressure that comes with that? I read of a group that actually prays every day over Hollywood and its stars. The stars may not know you are praying for them, but God does.
5. Every town has low income housing areas. Pray for the people that live there. Pray that God will give you ideas as to how you can help the residents in small ways, big ways, any way!
6. Pick a college. Adopt a college to pray over. Any college. It is not easy to be a young student in college these days. There are pressures to party and do things that many years ago, were not there. Pray for all students that may be testing on any given day, that they will do well.
7. Pray for your spouse or significant other. Pray that God will keep you both faithful to the other. Pray that you can be a blessing to each other. Pray for a long and happy life together.
8. Pray for our government. We have a brand new President. An African American President. There is this new energy in America. History is being made. This is indeed a time of celebration. This is a time where we should all feel that any dream is possible if we all believe. Pray to God to keep that feeling alive in all of us. All things are possible with God.
9. Pray for those that live in the nursing homes. There are so many elderly people living in nursing homes all over the United States. They are lonely. Some spend entire days sitting in a chair looking out a window. I know an elderly man that sits in the corridor all day in his wheelchair just watching people walk up and down the hall. These are people that raised families, worked and attended churches in our communities. Pray that God will bless them with good health. Pray that God will use you to be a blessing to them.
10. Pray for yourself. Ask God to show you what He wants you to do. He will direct your path. God has a plan for all of us. We may not know what that plan is, but on the way to it, ask God to lead you to people that need help. You can be a blessing to others.
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