God Intended It for Good

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”  ~Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

This very night eleven years ago marks a very important, transitional point in my life.

On November 9th, 2001, I was 18 years old, a newbie college freshman and newly-inducted sorority girl at my state university.  I was enjoying life with tons of new friends and a whole new world opened up to me.  I was doing well in my classes and partying a bit and living a great life.

Then that autumn, my life changed quickly.  And with it, the hope of my heart seemed extinguished for the next decade.

I can’t describe the events that led up to that day or the hours, weeks, & months that followed, but life has never been the same for me.

Yet despite the hardships that have come my way, do you know what I’ve found myself saying and thinking and truly believing this past year?

Thank You, God.  You rescued me.

Yes, I knew better than to party.  I grew up in a very caring, God-centered home. No family is perfect, and mine was no exception, but I had GOOD parents who cared DEEPLY about all four of us kids – and it showed in every decision they made.  They wanted a life for us that they didn’t quite have growing up.

I strayed from the well-beaten path laid out before me, and God kept catching me and redirecting me back toward that path.

But at some point, He must’ve known – as any parent has to when their child’s been warned enough times – that I was hell-bent on getting my own way, doing my own thing, rebelling from what I knew to be right.

I was most certainly in that place the day, 11 years ago, my world changed so profoundly.

Do I think God lets bad things happen to good people?

Yes, yes I do.

Do I think He allows it because He hates people?

Not at all.

God lays before us blessings and curses and tells us to CHOOSE LIFE.  Don’t rebel, He whispers; it’s foolish and always results in brokenness.

But at some point, many of us can get cocky and believe that we know better than our dear parents (and our loving Heavenly Father!).  I certainly thought so back then – I felt all those rules and restrictions that had kept me safe for most of my 18 years were actually hindering me from true freedom.

I couldn’t WAIT to grow up and be on my own.  Then I’d do……. whatever my heart desired!

And when I “broke free” back then, I did just that.  I remember watching MTV for a week straight (lame, by the way), surely the result of growing up in a cable-free home.  This was my first of many acts of “rebellion”: Forcing myself to sit through Real World marathons and hating every minute of it :)

I also recall drinking beer for 7-8 days STRAIGHT.  I know, Rebel Alert!!!! I’m not sure how the world handled my wild ways?!  ;) But for me, these were BIG deals.  And more than anything, they were a reflection of my heart: I wanted to do and experience a multitude of things I’d been protected from up until that point, and I viewed warnings as dares to explore unknown territory.

And explore I did.

There were much stupider choices, but I’ll spare us the rehash. Each week seemed to bring new opportunities to compromise and be foolish, culminating in tragedy for me.

I want to be perfectly clear.  I do not believe I caused my tragedy, but I assure you my rebellion and refusal to heed the voice of wisdom put me in precarious scenarios that proved to be disastrous.

I also do not believe God struck me with ‘lightning’ my freshman year.  He warned me – heavily – and extensively warned the people around me of the unwise path I was taking, but when we refuse to listen, we don’t know what awaits us on the other side of door number three… but I’ve learned that God doesn’t warn us for no good reason.

My insatiable curiosity beckoned me forward, and I paid the price.  Though my experience is absolutely not my fault, my decisions set me up for pain.  Likewise, I would NEVER blame God for someone else’s actions because He isn’t controlling other people’s lives just as He’s not controlling mine.

I’ve learned, though, that He steers our lives more than we know in the direction of hope and beauty.  He doesn’t leave our lives a disaster, even when we or other people train-wreck it for us.

Tune in for a moment as I recount once such journey!

Joseph’s Story

The biblical Joseph had one of the toughest lives in Scripture.  His dad’s unrivaled favorite among 12 sons, Joseph was sold into slavery as a teenager by his jealous brothers and lived as both a slave then a prisoner for the next 17 years.  He went from being a beloved son to a SLAVE overnight, was falsely accused, and was forgotten in his prison cell by those who promised to help free him.  He had his hopes dashed on more than one occasion.

Can you imagine spending half your young life in bondage, all while serving God and doing the right things?  That was Joseph.

Yet throughout his ridiculously unfair sentence, Joseph praised God and kept his integrity!

Eventually this man was freed and had the immense opportunity to face the very brothers who’d betrayed him so many years ago.  Through a sequence of amazing events, Joseph was given the No. 2 position in all of Egypt, and during a 7-year global famine was tasked with dispensing food to the surrounding countries.  What a job!

When his brothers came before their unrecognizably older brother, they pleaded with him for bread.  Joseph was literally their only hope for provision, and he knew it.  Placed in such a position of power and palpable vengeance, Joseph had a choice to make.

Do you know how he responded to their pleas?

“Heck no, I won’t give you bread – y’all ruined my life, so now I’m gonna ruin yours?”

Nope!  After revealing himself to his long-lost brothers, Joseph – in one of the most gracious acts of Scripture – replied:

“‘Don’t be afraid of me.  Am I God, that I can punish you?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.  He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.  No, don’t be afraid.  I will continue to take care of you and your children.’  So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.”

Displaying incredible wisdom beyond his years, Joseph understood that GOD Himself had allowed him to experience slavery – for a higher purpose.

Many people, Christians and non-believers alike, stop at this point of the story and shake their heads in disgust.  I can understand the sentiment.  No one wants to believe that a loving Father would ever allow suffering or hardship for His own, especially when He’s God and can effectively control all things.

We want to think God would pave the road for us in perfection, blessing us with only lovely and happy gifts (and He does give those, I promise!).  But who am I to say that something hard isn’t a blessing in disguise?

Could Joseph ever have predicted that his brothers’ selling him into slavery to Egypt would have been his (and their) saving grace nearly 2 decades later??  If Joseph had remained behind with his brothers, he wouldn’t have been in the position God placed him in to influence Egypt’s ruler and warn him that a severe famine was coming on the land.  God opened Joseph’s eyes to this fact, so Joseph warned the Pharaoh to store up food and provisions ahead of time so they would have plenty during the famine!

That’s just what Egypt did, and that’s precisely why – when the famine struck – Egypt was the only nation prepared to survive it (and with enough food left over to aid other nations!).

Families came to Egypt from all over the world to obtain bread during the 7 year famine, including Joseph’s.  And because God had prepared the way ahead of time through Joseph, untold numbers of people survived, including Joseph himself and his dear family!

I’m not Joseph, second in command of a great nation, and I don’t have his integrity or complete heart of forgiveness quite yet… but I do know that God derailed my “perfect” life path at the young, impressionable age of eighteen because He knew it would save my life for the better, and I really believe in my heart, the lives of others in the future.

Sitting here 11 years down the road, I reflect on the changes God has made in my life, my heart, and my life’s path since I was 18.  I was on a highway to hell so to speak, in great rebellion and with no plans to stop.  I wanted very little to do with God, considering Him to be Someone I’d turn to “later” in life when I was ready to settle down and marry.  NEVER would I have chosen His narrow path when I felt my “real” life was just getting started!!!

Yet that’s precisely what I began doing.

Why?

Because I learned on that November night why the world’s promises of “freedom” and “no boundaries” are so empty and full of despair.  Yes, I had to learn the hard way, and I’m sure some of you reading may think I’m CRAZY for believing these things about my past experiences, but I genuinely know that they were FOR MY GOOD.  

God alone knows the destructive path I would’ve taken if He’d not so lovingly deterred me eleven years ago.  I am so very grateful, from the bottom of my heart, for the journey He’s placed me on.

It’s cost me dearly, but I don’t believe scales could measure what it would’ve cost me had I stayed on the path I was on.

I wholeheartedly believe that when God changes one person’s life as radically as He has mine, that others’ lives will be touched, too.  You can’t walk through bondage that I’ve walked through, darkness that I’ve been enveloped in, or despair like I have without God rebirthing something much bigger and newer and more wonderful in and through you.

His plan often begins with death first – of our dreams and plans – so HIS new life can spring forth.

And as I sit here in recent days and ponder the future of what America will stand for after this year’s very-pivotal election, and wonder about the course our country will continue to take in years to come, I can say with confidence that whatever our God may allow us to walk through, that He’s doing it with our absolute best in mind.

He’s done it in my life, He did it in Joseph’s, He’s likely done it in your own.  And I believe He will do it in America’s, too.

Because we are His, and those He calls His own He lovingly chastens… so that one day we can experience full-circle the outpouring of His blessings in our lives.

Amen!

The Best Revenge

“It ain’t heavy if you don’t pick it up.”

It sneaks up on you.  Fine one day, you find yourself changed a short time later.

You may have heard the story of how to boil a frog: Put him in cool water and slowly heat it up.  By the time the little guy’s aware how hot the water’s become, he’s halfway-cooked.  Works every time.

Bitterness is like that.  A friend, spouse, coworker, family member, even stranger hurts you.  You get angry (rightfully so)–but don’t release it.  So it hangs on.

Hebrews calls it a “bitter root”, and if it isn’t uprooted it blooms into a full-blown tree bearing poisonous fruit.  And what else does Heebs say bitter roots do?  They defile many.

We’ve all been the unfortunate recipient of a bitter person:

• The family member who always explodes over (minor) issues
• That man at work who brings his trademark derogatory attitude and snide comments with him each day (yay!)
• The pastor who vents from the pulpit and becomes hardened, ungracious, even judgmental (not in my experience, by the way)
• The bitter ex-boyfriend/girlfriend who just can’t move on/get over “what they did to me”

Maybe we’ve played some of these roles ourselves.

Forgiving is tough.  People say or do things that affect us for years, decades even.

• Reckless spending, debt and poor financial choices (someone with access to our money)
• Infidelity
• Fraud
• Abuse or neglect
• Harsh, hateful words
• Name-calling/stereotyping
• Driving under the influence
• Slander/gossip that colors people’s opinions of us
• Alcoholism

This list is endless.

The greater the hurt from someone’s actions, the more tempting it is to hang onto and the harder it is to release.

As many lives are spoiled by bitterness and a lack of forgiveness as by almost anything in the world. People go through physical and emotional breakdowns because they refuse to forgive others. The longer we carry a grudge, the heavier it becomes. We cannot afford to harbor bitterness in our soul….

Forgive and be forgiven. And then forget it. This is the secret of spiritual health. Keep short accounts with God and men. Dont lock bitterness and guilt within the closet of your soul. Allow the Holy Spirit to shine His divine spotlight in your heart. Let Him clean out every closet in your soul. Then claim Gods wonderful promise, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

-Evangelist Luis Palau (emphases mine) :)

Is such a burden worth hanging onto?  It only grows larger and heavier with time.  You risk losing your heart, your love for others, your joy and happiness, your peace, and healthy relationships (because you’re suddenly suspicious, thinking they’ll do the same thing to you that so-and-so did).  I know because it’s happened to me.

After years of carrying a burden of bitterness, I had this epiphany: Forgiveness is the best revenge.

Isn’t that what we want when we stay bitter–for them to suffer for what they did?  We want to “get back at them”, for someone to pay for their poor choices.  We instinctively understand that whole eye for an eye aspect of justice.  In OT times, a lamb lost its life.  Nowadays, we know Jesus paid.  And if someone refuses to accept His sacrifice to cover the sins they’ve inflicted on others, well then God said one day He’ll judge them.  “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”  And that day may come for them sooner than later–even on this earth.

So if we know justice will be served and then leave it in God’s hands, let’s do ourselves and everyone around us a favor and let it go.  All of it.

We’ll free ourselves from the burden of repaying that person back.  We’ll leave room for God’s wrath (way better than ours anyway!).  And we’ll free ourselves to live without their influence guiding our choices anymore.

Yes, they hurt us.  But do we want to allow it to continue hurting us?  No way.

Forgiveness is truly the best revenge.  If this is our response, we’ll win that scenario every time.

Take the advice of one of our country’s most influential leaders to ever walk American soil–a man who overcame incredible hatred during his lifetime, lost his very life to hate and had every reason to return the favor:

“I’ve decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear.”  -Martin Luther King Jr.

Breakdown to Breakthrough: Joseph’s Story

This is one of the best posts I’ve read in a long time–about biblical Joseph’s breakthrough in Egypt.  Very well-written, great insight!  Read read read!  :)

xoxox Summer

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Breakdown to Breakthrough to Breakout
Mary DeMuth

It’s an interesting pattern we find in Scripture. First folks break down, then God breaks through. This leads to breakout. Look at Joseph. His breakdown happened slowly (but painfully) over many years as he suffered rejection by his brothers, was sold into slavery, framed by Mrs. Potiphar, and landed in jail. His breakthrough came when he learned to be obedient to God when no one was watching, when he entrusted his reputation to God. Only then did Pharah nab him and begged for dream interpretation. The breakout happened when Pharaoh promoted him in an instant, and Joseph was able to save the very family that rejected him.

Breakdown.

Breakthrough.

Breakout.

I’m in the breakdown phase right now. How about you? I’m the fishermen on Galilee, trusting far too much in my empty, unsatisfying nets. Nothing seems to be working. I place my nets over the edge of my boat’s precipice, hoping, hoping, hoping.

But something my friend Mike said in a prayer group sticks to me now. He said, “The disciples followed Jesus at the pinnacle of their livelihood.”

The disciples did have breakdown, then breakthrough when Jesus filled their nets with the biggest catch of their ENTIRE LIVES. Then He asked them to follow Him. They could’ve stayed. But they didn’t. They followed Jesus. And then the breakout, in terms of the kingdom of God and changed lives, exploded.

I wonder what would happen if I found success in this writing gig if I’d be willing to drop it all and follow Jesus no matter what. I’d like to say that I would, but I’m not sure. I’ve been working so hard at this for so long. The sweet reward of success is intoxicating. I pray I’ll be able to leave it all, if He asks.

You may be wondering why I have this particular picture on my post. It’s the church I walked by every day bringing my kids to school in France. In that moment, as my career was in its infancy, God asked me to follow Him to France. And I did (oh by His strength). So, perhaps it’s in my DNA to drop my nets. I pray so.

I want to follow.

q4u:

What about you? Where are you? Breakdown? Breakthrough? Breakout? Share your story.

Your Redemption is Near

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.

-Romans 13:11-12

Today this Scripture was highlighted to me.  Your redemption draws nigh!

Redemption is His glory at the end of a long, difficult road.  God is weaving His redemption into each of our lives every passing day.  He is making our lives beautiful, turning what the enemy meant for evil into good.

This is the story of how He redeemed me.

Redemption from Pain

College and the years after brimmed with deep pain and darkness for me.  Some people call it the “Dark Night of the Soul”.  This was mine.

During my teenage years I had some tough experiences, things people should never have to deal with.  What followed was a decade of indescribable pain.  Life was crushing.  I don’t know how else to describe it.

The first year was a blur; I simply don’t remember much.  Each subsequent year was filled with searching, grasping for something to heal my wounds.  Utter desperation.  Despair.  Teeny glimmers of hope after all seemed lost.  And extreme confusion.

I turned over one stone only to uncover more.  There were LAYERS to this thing, this mountain of pain I held inside.  What was the answer?  What did I need most?

I realized I faced a choice: Deal with my experiences with my Healer’s help, the One I’d walked away from years prior, or turn away again to other ‘lovers’.

By the grace of God, this time around I chose Him.

As the pain intensified – which often happens on the road to freedom — I shrank back in fear, a shell of myself.  I sought Him, but leaned heavily on other crutches to make it through.  I didn’t want to unleash a torrent of struggles onto others, and I struggled to trust them, so I fumblingly turned to God again and again.  I slipped, yes!, but I returned to His feet.  I sought His heart for me.  I sought His salve and His touch… but I didn’t fully trust Him either.  Intimacy terrified me, so I played peek-a-boo with my Saviour for much too long, thinking He wouldn’t approve when He saw me up close.

But that’s not what we learn from His precious promises to us.  God shows His heart for His beloved, despite their repeated betrayal, in Hosea:

Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but He will heal us;
He has injured us
but He will bind up our wounds.
After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will restore us,
that we may live in His presence.
Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge Him.
As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.

-Hosea 6:1-3

Ever so slowly, light shone into my prison.  God entered and chased away my shame, one lie at a time.  He began stripping me of old habits and destructive cycles, revealing to me a new abundant way of life.  Then He did a remarkable thing.  Like His word says, He gave me a new name!, one spoken to me in the depth of the pit: JOY.  I stared back at the man who spoke this over my life, this word of faith, through the eyes of deep sadness and pain.  Joy — me?  He said I’ll bring joy wherever I go?  Wow!  How unthinkable in that season, but how like our Creator to make us into the unthinkable–something glorious–when we could’ve never accomplished it on our own.  How beautiful!  :)

One painstaking step of faith at a time, I learned to trust my Creator as He showed Himself most trustworthy!  This word became true in my life:

The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

-Psalm 146

This story of redemption is yours, and it is mine.  And it is life-changing when we share it with others.

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So!

Revelation 12 teaches us invaluable information about our redemption, our salvation:

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.’

To overcome our mutual enemy, each of us must share our story in our circles– proclaim our freedom, God’s redemption of our pain!  Scripture says “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”  Speak it.  Share our travels.  Surely somewhere along the way, we will meet others struggling through areas God has given us victory in.  With these people we are compelled to share that freedom is possible, they are not alone, and such beauty awaits them on the other side. 

And that’s why I share mine.

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
So He subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind,
for He breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron…
He sent out His word and healed them;
He rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of His works with songs of joy.

-Psalm 107

Do you see it?  Despite our self-made prisons and self-imposed chains, God breaks down bronze gates and iron bars.  This is redemption.  It is God giving ear to our cries in our distress.  It is our powerful Saviour rescuing us from every kind of death.

Hallelujah :)

Beauty from Ashes

God didn’t just save me from darkness.  He saved me to someplace, a place He carved out for me before the world began. (Thanks to Beth Moore for this revelation!)

Ten years after the nightmare began, after believing no man would brave peering into my brokenness or would find beauty there, God gave me my heart’s desire: He made me a radiant bride!  I didn’t think this time would actually come.  If my tough experiences had taught me anything, it was that I’d always be in ‘waiting mode’.  Yet, that assumption proved false.  Even now I find it hard to wrap my mind around how far He’s brought me.  Me.  Redeemed.

Yet here I am.

My mom called my attention to this recently at my “early birthday” celebration, words I can’t forget.  She said that despite the long journey I’ve taken — the pain and sadness, my desire to get married earlier than I did, and the painful waiting period that ensued — when my time arrived, God blessed me with two weddings, two honeymoons and all kinds of two-ness (two becoming one)!  [Yes, we had two wedding celebrations: our wedding day with parents and pastor, and a huge one with all our loved ones.]  As she said this, instantly this verse flashed into my mind:

Instead of your shame
   you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
   you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
   and everlasting joy will be yours.

-Isaiah 61:7

[and in the Amplified]:

Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

Before marriage, I felt shame.  Many of my God-given dreams hinged on meeting the right man, starting a family and creating a life together.  But my dreams tarried.

Yet now I see how the Lord has turned each of these challenging times around for my good.  Each painful season changed something in me that needed to be changed, and each tough path I have traveled thus far has shown me new pathways to healing and freedom that I now share with others.  God has made “all things work together” on my and my husband’s behalf, and in the process He has made (and continues to make!) our story soo beautiful!

A year ago I would have never envisioned the life I’m now living every day.   I recall one moment last spring when God whispered to me, in my utter despair, “It’s always darkest before dawn.” He knew that after enough time passed and life didn’t happen as I’d imagined, hope died in me.

But God is faithful!  Eight months later I was blessed with two totally unique weddings — one flanked by New Mexico’s gorgeous snow and mountains and the other surrounded by Florida’s sunshine, sand and palm trees — and two honeymoons, when I’d only dreamed of one!  Both days were exceptionally beautiful.

Wow!  Did I deserve such grace after the places I’d been?  Or after failing to believe that He cared for me and would bless me one day?  No I didn’t.  Yet, that’s what grace means.  It isn’t earned or merited.  It is freely given.

His word promises us,

I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten –
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm –
My great army that I sent among you.
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will My people be shamed.

-Joel 2:25-26

Repaid me He has.  And this is just the beginning of my story.

His promises are so beautiful because they are so true!  He will give us beauty for ashes, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  That’s just what He’s done (and continuing to do) in my life.  And that’s just what He’s doing in yours.

Our Final Redemption

God’s final promise of redemption will greet us in the next life.  It is such a glorious promise!  Savor each word because this is His promise to YOU and to me, to all His children, in the place He’s preparing for us:

“Though you were once despised and hated,
with no one traveling through you,
I will make you beautiful forever,
a joy to all generations.
Powerful kings and mighty nations
will satisfy your every need,
as though you were a child
nursing at the breast of a queen.
You will know at last that I, the Lord,
am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Israel.
I will exchange your bronze for gold,
your iron for silver,
your wood for bronze,
and your stones for iron.
I will make peace your leader
and righteousness your ruler.
Violence will disappear from your land;
the desolation and destruction of war will end.
Salvation will surround you like city walls,
and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.

“No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
Your sun will never set;
your moon will not go down.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light.
Your days of mourning will come to an end.
All your people will be righteous.
They will possess their land forever,
for I will plant them there with My own hands
in order to bring Myself glory.
The smallest family will become a thousand people,
and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation.
At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”

-Isaiah 60

Until heaven, God will be working redemption in our lives here on earth.  Each broken part of us He redeems, each wound He heals in this life points us to our final destination and the Ultimate Redemption of mankind.  God promises a heavenly home where the sun never goes down!  Tears are not cried!  Unfathomable now, but it will be our reality later–just as I could never have hoped or dreamed or expected the life I’m now experiencing daily.  I couldn’t have even wished for the love I now know in marriage.  And this is just a glimpse of what’s to come.

I’ll leave you with God’s best promise of all.  See for yourself–Ephesians 3:14-21.  Let’s always remind ourselves and each other that we can trust God because He is faithful! 

Marriage, Generosity & ‘Nag’ Reflexes

This morning I stumbled upon great marital advice.  Excellent even… which means I wanna share with you.

Single?  Odds are 9 out of 10 of you will experience marriage in your lifetime.  So don’t roll your eyes.  Keep reading!

As for the picture, comic relief!  Being a wife means doing things you may not always love – including boy-dirtied bathrooms.  But when done with love for your hubs, you create a welcoming haven for him to come home to.  I don’t strive for perfection but seek ways to bless Brian with an organized house.  I know, call me Ma Ingalls…. but I’ve learned that a home in order is one of the best stress-relieving gifts ever!  And that’s just what he needs.

The following brief article on “Encouraging VS Nagging” is hilarious.  Please enjoy – and repost if you find it useful.  This advice has widespread application for many relationships but is especially effective in marriage (taken from http://encourageyourspouse.com/2011/07/encouraging-nagging/):

ENCOURAGING?  NAGGING? 

Are you encouraging?  Or are you nagging?

Both activities are focused toward your spouse.  Obviously, one is positive and one is negative – but what’s the real difference between the two?

Encouragement focuses on the needs and feelings of your spouse.  It’s about their strengths and their gifts.  It’s about your spouse’s concerns.  Encouragement happens when it’s the best time for your spouse to receive it.  It happens after you’ve listened and asked questions.    Encouragement – it’s all about your spouse.

Nagging focuses on the things you think your spouse needs.  Nagging identifies what you think your spouse should be feeling.  It’s about what you think is missing, what ‘should be’ and what you’re worried about.  Nagging happens when you want it to happen.   It’s your thoughts and ideas without any input from your spouse.   Nagging – it’s all about you.

Hate to break-it-to-ya …  encouragement is not about you!

Just sayin’.  : )

LOVE IT.  Must remember.

And secondly, “The Generous Wife” shares ways to bless your husband daily.  So awesome.  You can bless anyone with these ideas, and they’re fun, creative (and yes, sexy!).

While I may not recommend being sexy to anyone but your hub, you get the point.  This woman is awesome.  What a great vision for your marriage – that whole “Ask not what my hubby can do for me.  Ask what I can do for my hubby” thing (or something like that hehe).

May we all be generous wives!  And may we be as excited to love our men as the lady above : )

In case you Gentlemen thought you were off the hook – here are AWESOME tips that should keep you busy: “100 Ideas on Loving Your Wife”.  Try a new one every day, or weekly if that’s your speed.  I’m pretty positive your wife will be delighted!

As my husband says, Find ways to out-love and out-serve each other.  I’d call that a blissful marriage, and above all a wonderful testament to God in your lives.  Our love for our spouse should demonstrate to others God’s love for us: unconditional.

xoxox Summer

Sweet, Sweet Scripture

I like Scriptures.  They are positive.  They bring JOY!  If we practice them, we will walk in great health, peace, and prosperity in our souls.

Scripture is beautifully-written, indeed the most beautiful writing in existence.  Some may argue with that, but that’s OK by me.  I will always contend that God is the best Author of all.  In fact, He created you and He created me.

He is so creative!  God created us in His image, meaning we are creative too (wow, how humble of Him to allow us to share this remarkable trait!)  Creativity is an amazing quality, a powerful force, yet our Father found delight in sharing it with us… I believe it’s an intrinsic quality in every human being.  Just think of some of the most creative people you know: Didn’t their art inspire you?  Draw you in?  Touch some deep part of your heart and soul?  That’s God shining through them!

God is also light.  That means He does not — indeed, cannot – deceive.  He is honest through and through.  WOW!  Can you imagine never having bad motives?  Never pretending to be something/ someone you’re not OR misleading someone that you had pure intent when really you wanted glory, affirmation, money, status, power, or some other self-seeking desire?  Not Him.  He is pure of heart, pure of mind, pure of intention.  I’m reminded of the Scripture describing a man named Nathanael as one “in whom there is no guile”.  Jesus is described the same.  That’s exciting to me that Jesus Himself qualified Nathanael’s character as a man without guile.  Exciting because IT IS POSSIBLE FOR US!  One of my deepest, most heart-felt goals is to be a person in whom there is no guile.  That is my plea for my husband and my fellow church members.  I know God can do this in us — He can make us people of pure intent, pure heart, pure motivations.  But note the key word: pure.  To be pure denotes a purifying experience that burns away impurities.  I believe holiness is one of God’s chief goals and works in His people.

I wonder… do we tremble at the thought of Him?

Do we bow in humility when presenting our requests at His throne?  Do we realize we’re bowing before the Maker of heaven and earth?  Wow!  I know I forget that more often than not, and that needs to change.

Repeatedly it’s been burning in my heart that my heart needs help.  God, I often seek my own glory…. my own comfort…. friendship with man instead of friendship with the Man.  I seek the wrong things.  I stay busy instead of staying still.  And I repent — but do I really?  Because my history keeps repeating itself.

But then You intervene.  And suddenly I’m doing things I never dreamt I’d be doing!  Or old habits that clung to me for far too long begin fading away!!!!!!!  SUDDENLY, as in the blink of an eye, I am FREE to be …. You?  No no, You IN ME.  YOU IN ME — the unique expression of You as only I, Your unique creation, can be.  WOW!

How magnificent and wonderful and beautiful this creation is!  I am at times in awe of who I am when You show up in me.  But when You don’t, all I tend to see are vainglorious attempts at winning praise and affection.  Half-hearted attempts at, well, anything.  Emotion-led living.  Judgmental thoughts, a sharp tongue, and that ugly demon pride.

But You in me — that is a sight to behold!  That is where glory emits from my being….. because You peek Your head out and are free at last to use my feeble hands, my weak knees, my limited resources to do Your unlimited work!  To achieve the impossible.  To reach the ‘unreachable’.  To push harder and longer and endure well past my breaking point.  You, Sir, can do anything.  Through me.  Yes, even through me.

Most of us are well aware of our shortcomings.  But I like what my pastor said recently — if we as the Body of Christ operate together (as one), we don’t have to experience the pain of our weaknesses.  We don’t have to suffer on behalf of what each individual is limited to, not only because we all have CHRIST IN US (“the hope of glory”) but also because we can lean on Christ in each other to get us through.  And Christ is a beautiful thing, indeed the beautiful One.

But we must let loose our dead nature for the alive Christ to burst forth!  Our flesh only drags us down and keeps us — where else? — but on earth.  Taking on Christ’s nature and removing our dead selves allows us to soar in the heavenlies with Him.

Christ, who is our peace….

He is our peace.  He keeps us there, in peace, and at peace with one another.  He is the Keeper of the Peace and the Bringer of the Peace!  When we link arms and join hands, we are emulating Christ Jesus.

So what are we waiting for?  Why don’t we dive into the Scriptures?  Why don’t we — ahem, ME! — stop wasting time and FOCUS instead on Him, on His words to us, on what He may wanna teach us?

Why are we scared?  He only wants to remove the dead, whittle away the impurities, bumps and lumps!  He is making us beautiful, truly beautiful, what every woman longs to be (and every man longs to be near). 

John 8:12: Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I Am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Don’t we want the LIGHT OF LIFE?  Don’t we want Him to illuminate our soul, riddled with passionate lusts that the heathens are controlled by, and bring peace and healing there?  Don’t we want Him to rise up in our spirits and spread love, glory, humility and wholeness wherever we go?

Do you want to touch the blind — and them see?

Do you want to comfort the brokenhearted — and bring healing to their loss?

Do you want to snatch the hell-bent from the flames?

Do you want to cooperate with our Father in the greatest Redemption story ever told?

Then what are you waiting for?  Go.  Do it :)  Just don’t do it alone.  Take Him with you — and invite other people to share the journey.  For our spirits are willing but our flesh is weak.  Let our kind Father’s Holy Spirit illuminate His word to you, one verse at a time, and see how your spirit comes alive.  See how He bursts forth and overcomes even your fleshly temptations, your temperament’s failures, your habitual behavior.  He can, has, and will continue to conquer all.

Jealous for Us

Putting God first (AKA firstfruits).  Remember when I wrote about that last month?  http://youaretheoneiwant.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/first-fruits/

He’s taught me a lot in 30 short days.  Today I opened His word to this passage (a book I’d never paid attention to!).  The passage is a little lengthy but the message, AWESOME.

“Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!  You have planted much but harvest little.  You eat but are not satisfied.  You drink but are still thirsty.  You put on clothes but cannot keep warm.  Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!  Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house.  Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.  You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor.  And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away.  Why?  Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.  It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops.  I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

-Haggai 1

Um, whoa.  Harsh much?  Not so fast…

What is God saying here?  His message is: ”Get your priorities straight!  This is why your house is in ruins…. why you have addictions you can’t satisfy…. why you work so hard but it’s never enough!  You are giving what belongs to God – the firstfruits of your heart, your money, your devotion, your time – to another.”

Hasn’t God said He’s jealous for us (Exodus 20)?  He will not sit by while we worship something else, something false.  We are His children!  Like any good father, He shows us when we veer off course, when we chase things that destroy us.

What kind of wife/husband would you be to ignore your spouse dating someone else — or to let your kids wander down a bad path that will cause them pain or even death, without correcting them?  Would you be able to say you truly loved them?

So what did our loving God do to His people, who left His temple unbuilt and thus rendered them unable to worship Him?  He sent disaster upon what they were relying on.

Why - because He hated them? 

No, because He loved them intensely and wanted them to realize they were devoted to the wrong thing.  He wanted to turn their hearts back to Him.  He was crying out for them to love Him back, to return to Him, to rebuild His temple so they could worship Him once more.

THAT IS A PASSIONATE LOVE!

So the people of Judah responded: They started building God’s temple!  And what did God do?  Check out Haggai 2:

“Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple.  When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten.  When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty.  I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.

Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid.  Think carefully.  I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn.  You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops.  But from this day onward I will bless you.”

He blessed them!!!  For even beginning to walk in obedience, He spoke His blessing over their lives.

The coolest & most exciting part (to me)?  This morning God spoke the same message to my heart: From this day onward I will bless you.

Why?

I believe it’s because we’ve been giving Him our firstfruits, honoring Him with the first of our crops (which we actually have, from our new garden!), our time (our mornings and the beginning of each month), our wealth (the first of our paycheck).

Have we been perfect?  No, but we’ve started plodding the path of putting Him first.  Proverbs 9 says God blesses people who give Him their firstfruits.  We recognized this — that the firstfruits already belong to Him — so when we give Him what’s rightfully His, He blesses the rest.

And He wasn’t kidding: He’s blessing our faces off.  No, we don’t share this to toot our horns.  We share this to demonstrate that the Bible, when applied, changes our lives :)

May God give you grace to do the same!
xoxo Summer

Good News

This weekend I opened up to this passage.  The words jumped off the page – a message for me!  And I hope for you.

‘Comfort, comfort My people,’
      says your God. 
‘Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
      that her hard service has been completed,
      that her sin has been paid for,
      that she has received from the LORD’s hand
      double for all her sins.’ 
-Isaiah 40:1-2

Hallelujah, what great news!  There is more to share – but another time.

First Fruits

My husband and I have been reminded numerous times this past month about the Firstfruits principle in Prov. 3:

Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

So this month we put this principle to the test… with great success!  If you want God’s blessing  in any area of your life, give your first and best to Him in that area.  The Bible makes it clear that God owns the firstfruits of what we own (in fact He owns it all!), so by giving Him our firstfruits we’re just returning what’s already His.  Things like:

Your mornings – the first part of your day.

The 1st of each month.

The first day of the week (Sunday) – Sabbath day!

The first portion of your paycheck.

Give God the firstfruits of your time, money, relationships, belongings, everything – and open the door in your life for Him to bless the rest!

We tried it with great results.  But we don’t want to give simply because God blesses those who obey Him and put Him first.  We do it because it’s what He desires, and we want to please Him with all that we are.

For more scriptures on firstfruits, check out http://familyofchrist.net/sermons/Sermons2007/discipleship_Aug2007/Tithing1-Tithing_as_First_Fruits.pdf

To make His name great!

How can we make His name great?  How do we do that?

By humbling ourselves.  By kneeling at His feet and asking Him where He wants us to go, who He wants us to love that day, what He wants us to do.

How?

I don’t know.  Does He humble us?  Do we humble ourselves, as the Bible says?

I want to make Him great.  I don’t want to get in the way.  How do I magnify Him — especially when my flesh wants the magnifying? 

Father… how?  How do I get out of the way?

Here’s the video that prompted this question: http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/vod/MW131v2_WS