Counting My Blessings

Although I recognize that every day is indeed a gift from God full of His blessings in various shapes, kinds and sizes, today I'm reflecting on a particularly blessing-filled week. Or perhaps I'm extra aware of blessings today. At any rate, I thought I'd share a few of the more tangible blessings from this week:

-I got to spend last weekend with some dear college friends who I hadn't seen in a few years, and got to meet their precious little boy who turns 1 tomorrow (Happy birthday Joseph!). And I had a safe drive home.

-We got some rain this week! (Okay, not nearly as much as we'd like, but I'll take whatever God wants to give right now!)

-I finally got my gate fixed, and it is working better than ever.

-I got a card for a free lunch at Zoe's. Yum.

-I won a Panera gift card at our staff retreat today. Yum again.

-I got to use a Starbucks birthday gift card to try a raspberry mocha frappuccino this afternoon. Triple yum!

-At our staff retreat today, I bowled two strikes back to back and ended up coming in second on our team of four. Not too bad considering I hadn't been in a bowling alley in years, and my only recent "practice" was on my friends' Wii last weekend.

-After our retreat ended, we got the rest of the day off--a great early start to the weekend!

I'm sure I could go on and on...anyone care to add a blessing or two that they've experienced this week?

Against the Odds

Like much of the southeast, we've been experiencing a drought over the past couple of months. We've had a few periods of brief showers here and there, but are still way behind our typical rainfall totals.

This afternoon, we had a heavy downpour at our office, much to our delight. One of my co-workers had the weather radar pulled up on his computer monitor and remarked at how the radar wasn't showing any rain in our area, while we could clearly see otherwise.

Then he said that yesterday (which saw no rain) was supposed to have had a better chance of rain than today. I replied that perhaps the weather folks forgot to tell God about those percentages!

In the midst of all kinds of technology, Super Doppler radar, and other gadgets designed to track every bolt of lightning and predict every raindrop, how grateful I am for those times when God acts against the odds. He is not bound but what the Weather Channel says. He can bring rain, snow, hail and sunshine when He so chooses. He is not limited in His ability.

This applies not only to weather, but to every aspect of our lives. Just as He has control over the clouds, He has control over every storm and rain that come into our lives.

Football Fun

With football season a little more than two months away, here's something fun to tide you over (no pun intended, he he!).

Waste Not, Part 2

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, through reading John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life I've been challenged to think about my own areas of wastefulness. One area I've been contemplating is the time spent watching television.

Quite often I find myself turning on the TV mainly to give me some background noise while I do some household chore. Occasionally I do sit and actually watch it to be entertained, but usually I'm doing something else like folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher or even reading while the TV's on.

Lately I've been thinking about ways to reduce the amount of TV that I watch (or the amount of time that the TV's on). One way is to cancel my cable service. Now, I'm not sure I'm ready for such a drastic step as that. Perhaps I can start with cutting back to basic service rather than expanded basic. Although nearly all of the channels that I watch are in the "expanded" plan rather than the basic plan. And I'm not sure I could stand not having ESPN/ESPN2 access once football season starts.

Another idea is to watch TV purposefully. What I mean by that is to plan ahead what I want to watch, and limit my TV viewing to just that. No more channel surfing. When the TV show I planned to watch is over, I should turn the TV off.

So those are a couple of ideas I've had so far. I'm still ruminating on it. Deep down I know that I'd be better off with less TV in my life. I've gone through TV fasts before (even lived for a while without expanded basic cable, although I'm not sure that it was during football season) and know that there are many benefits to changing my TV viewing habits. Still, it's a hard habit to break.

Anyone have any ideas and/or wisdom to share regarding TV viewing?

Wounded Anyone Lately?

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:5,6)

I'm not a big fan of confrontation. I'd really rather pray about a situation and ask God to act rather than have to act myself. There have been times where I've felt God calling me to confront a close friend about some behavior or incident, and while I obeyed, it was after much prayer and with a very nervous and trembling heart that I approached them. I wish I could say that every confrontation was met with favorable results; in some cases, the friend denied any wrongdoing and became defensive. As a result, what was once a close friendship grew distant and uneasy.

However, there have been times where the confrontation was met with a genuinely humble response. In those instances, the friendship changed as well, but for the better. Intimacy was fostered. Trust was built. Realizing that I approached them out of godly concern increased their awareness of my love and care for them.

Still, even with good results, confrontation is a nerve-wracking process for me. As much as I hate being on the receiving end of a confrontation, sometimes I think I'd still prefer it to being the initiator. But the Bible extols the virtues of a friend who is willing to "wound" another. The wound is not out of meanness, but out of love.

There are people in our lives who always tell us what we want to hear, who "multiply kisses". Of course we like being around them--but deep down we know that there are times when they are BS-ing us. And as much as I enjoy hearing nice flattering things about myself, I know that what I really need are friends who shoot straight with me. Who aren't afraid to say the things that I need to hear. Friends who will love me enough to wound me when I need it.

God has blessed me through the years with various friends who have been straight shooters. I can't say that I've always appreciated hearing what they had to say at the time they said it. Sometimes it took days, months or even years later before I truly realized the value of what they said. But their wounds have only served to give me a greater love and appreciation for them, as I realize the depth of their love for me.

May you be blessed with friends willing to wound you for your own good, and may you be obedient and faithful in times when God calls you to wound another!

Discernment

On the drive from Huntsville to Montgomery today I had the opportunity to listen to a sermon on discernment given by Joshua Harris at the recent New Attitudes Conference. Having prayed many, many times, particularly over the past year or so, for discernment, I was particularly struck by these statements:

"Discernment grows as we act on and obey what God has shown us. The reverse is also true. When we fail to act on what is true, discernment dies...possibly the reason that you're not growing in discernment, in your ability to see the good and acceptable will of God, is because you're not obeying what God has already shown to you."


I'd never really made that connection between obedience and discernment. I think many of us wait for discernment to magically appear to us, not realizing that our obedience (or lack of it) plays a major role in how much discernment we gain. Definitely gave me a lot of food for thought. You can download (for free!) all of the conference lessons here.

When God Says "No"

Good article about realizing that sometimes God says "No" out of love for us...

Leaving a Legacy

I've got this song on my mind today:

WHAT WILL I LEAVE BEHIND

AFTER I LEAVE FOR WORLDS UNKNOWN
OVER THE BORDER LINE
NEVER AGAIN ON EARTH TO ROAM
WHAT WILL I LEAVE BEHIND

WILL I BE MISSED BY THOSE I LOVE
OR HAVE I BEEN UNKIND
HAVE I BEEN TRUE TO GOD ABOVE
WHAT SHALL I LEAVE BEHIND

THIS IS MY PRAYER OH LORD TO DAY
LET ME BE HOLY THINE
AND WHEN I'M CALLED FROM EARTH AWAY
LET HEAVEN THEN BE MINE

CHORUS:
LEAVE BEHIND YES LEAVE BEHIND
WHAT WILL I LEAVE BEHIND
AFTER I LEAVE FOR WORLDS UNKNOWN
WHAT WILL I LEAVE BEHIND?

It's one of those "oldie but goodie" songs that we used to sing out of the hymnbook, before we got the "big screens". It seems to me that we don't sing very many songs about death and dying these days. I suppose some might view them as somewhat of a downer, perhaps more fitting for funerals. But isn't it a little late then--I mean, shouldn't we be thinking NOW about what kind of legacy we'll leave behind?

Whenever I prepare to go out of town (as I'm doing tomorrow), I can't help but think about what I'd leave behind if I were to not make it back. Sure, I want my house and finances to be in order for my family who'd have to take care of things, but more importantly, I think about how I want to be remembered. What kind of legacy I'd have. What I would be known for.

I'm not concerned with fame and fortune. Being a Hollywood star or a CEO or running for office does not interest me in the least. I want to be known as someone who had a soft and obedient heart for God, who encouraged others in their walk with Him.

I don't know if God has 50 or 60 more years left for me to spend on Earth, or 50 or 60 days, or an hour. But I do know that I want whatever time I have left to be spent doing His business and pointing to Him. I want to be conscious of leaving a legacy every day, not just when I'm about to travel.

Encouragement for Today

Psalm 138

1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.

2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
by all the honor of your name.

3 As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.

4 Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.

5 Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.

6 Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.

7 Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
and the power of your right hand saves me.

8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

The Avoidance Ethic

As I mentioned last week, I'm in the middle of John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life. It's a short but powerful read, and I have found myself challenged and convicted in several areas as I've read through it.



Here's a little nugget from a chapter in which he addresses the pitfalls of living with a peacetime mind-set:



One of the marks of this peacetime mind-set is what I call an avoidance ethic. In wartime we ask different questions about what to do with our lives than we do in peacetime. We ask: What can I do to advance the cause? What can I do to bring the victory? What sacrifice can I make or what risk can I take to insure the joy of triumph? In peacetime we tend to ask, What can I do to be more comfortable? To have more fun? To avoid trouble and, possibly, avoid sin?



If we are going to pay the price and take the risks it will cost to make people glad in God, we move beyond the avoidane ethic. This way of life is utterly inadequate to waken people to the beauty of Christ. Avoiding fearful trouble and forbidden behaviors impresses almost no one. The avoidance ethic by itself is not Christ-commending or God-glorifying. There are many disciplined unbelievers who avoid the same behaviors Christians do. Jesus calls us to something far more radical than that.



People who are content with the avoidance ethic generally ask the wrong questions about behavior. They ask, What's wrong with it? What's wrong with this movie? Or this music? Or this game? Or these companions? Or this way of relaxing? Or this investment? Or this restaurant? Or shopping at this store? What's wrong with going to the cabin every weekend? Or having a cabin? This kind of question will rarely yield a lifestyle that commends Christ as all-satisfying and makes people glad in God. It simply results in a list of don'ts. It feeds the avoidance ethic.



The better question to ask about possible behaviors is: How will this help me treasure Christ more? How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ? The Bible says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). So the question is mainly positive, not negative. How can I portray God as glorious in this action? How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior? (Don't Waste Your Life, pps. 118-119)





Wow, talk about food for thought. Do you find yourself falling into that avoidance mindset, rather than taking a more proactive approach in pursuing activities that glorify God?

Separation

Today my sister and her family begin a new chapter in their lives as they begin the move from Montgomery to Fairfax, VA. Having lived in Montgomery most of their lives (and all of their married lives), my sister and brother-in-law are excited about moving to a new place with lots to do and see, a great public school system for my soon-to-be-a-kindergartner niece, and a fantastic job awaiting my brother-in-law.


Of course, while I'm excited for them, I'm very sad at their leaving Montgomery. It's weird to think of them living not fifteen minutes away but thousands of miles away. And it's sad to not be able to see my nieces grow up. Since Montgomery is the only home either of them have ever known thus far, I suppose I'm rather spoiled to getting to see the girls pretty often.


Still, I'm reminded that this separation from my family is only temporary. Even if we never end up living in the same city again, it's still a temporary separation, because this is just our temporary home. All too often I let myself get fooled into thinking that this earth is my true home, but it's not--as the song says, "I'm just a-passin' through."


Separation from our loved ones, whether through moving, or death, or some other means, is painful. But for those of us who are children of God, we can have peace in knowing that one day there will be no more separation. That doesn't mean that I won't miss my sister and her family like crazy, and I eagerly look forward to being able to visit them or them coming for a visit down here, but it does reassure me that separation for us is not final. This life on Earth is only a warm-up for the life to come.


Please keep my sister and her family in your prayers that they would:
-make a smooth and safe move to VA
-find a church home
-make friends
-sell their house in Montgomery


I'd also appreciate prayers for me and my parents as we adjust to their moving as well. Thanks!

Waste Not, Part 1

A couple of days ago I began reading Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. His writing is thought-provoking and challenging, the kind of book that I can't speed read through.

Although this book addresses in particular the need to stop wasting time pursuing self-fulfillment and instead pursue what really matters--an intimate relationship with Christ--I find myself thinking about other ways of being wasteful. One of those wasteful tendencies is with food.

Today I discovered a container of fruit that I had tucked away in my refrigerator several days ago and obviously forgotten about. Sadly, that's not the first container to become a casualty of the refrigerator wasteland. If you've ever wondered if sour cream can actually go bad, the answer is yes. I know firsthand.

While I can't recall offhand any Scripture references that expressly say that wasting food is a sin (someone please let me know if there is such a verse!), there are quite a few verses that address stewardship and taking care of what God gives us. In some of these verses, it is referring to not wasting the spiritual gifts and talents that we are given, but I believe that we are to also be careful not to waste the material and financial gifts we are given.

Letting food spoil is certainly not good stewardship. As a single person, it is somewhat of a challenge to buy groceries--especially fresh produce--and eat it all before it has a chance to go bad. However, there are times--today being one of them--when I could easily go home for lunch and eat what I already have in my house, but instead opt to go out to lunch instead.

So I feel challenged today to address my wastefulness in the area of food and to make a concerted effort to eat and enjoy what I already have before buying more. I know there are other areas of wastefulness that God is already revealing to me, and I'll share more of those later. One step at a time!

Oh, the Places You'll Go

I've been blogging for nearly three years now. I think Jon encouraged/dared me to start it. Not being one to shy away from a dare, I started writing. It's been fun having him and other longtime friends like Aleah and Rhonda jump into the blogging community alongside me. It's also been fun to reconnect with people I knew from way back in high school, like Jon O. and Eric.

I've also enjoyed "meeting" other people through blogs. Although I have not met them in person, there are several people that I feel like I already know through reading their blogs. That has been a delightful experience.

Writing can be such a personal act, and publishing it (whether via blogging or articles or books) is opening yourself up in a very special way. There's a certain vulnerability to sharing your writing with the masses (and by "masses", I mean the dozen or so people who stop by my blog on a regular basis).

There are some times when I've gone days or even weeks without anyone commenting on my blog, and I wonder if what I've written has made any sort of impact on anyone. Then, I try to quickly remind myself that I am not writing for the approval of others, but rather to express the thoughts that God has placed on my heart. Even if no one's reading, or if no one agrees with what I say, what matters is that I'm saying what God wants me to say.

Still, it's encouraging to go to my blog and discover that someone has indeed left a comment, or to have some random person at church or elsewhere mention to me that they've been reading my blog (unbeknownst to me) and enjoying it. I consider that the icing on the cake.

I do bookmark and read several blogs on a fairly regular basis, and there are a few that I want to give special kudos to now:

-Thank you, Terri, for making me laugh--what a great gift!
-Thank you, Donna, for not being afraid to question and doubt and wonder and share what's on your heart.
-Thank you, Dee, for your humility and encouragement.
-Thank you, Jim, for your thought-provoking questions.

I've been so blessed by the writings of so many! Thanks to all who use their gift of writing to encourage, exhort, and entertain me!

Freedom to Work

When I first started seeing my current hair stylist, I would come into the salon with some specific ideas in mind about how I wanted my hair cut. It didn't take long, however, to develop a good rapport with him and build trust in his work.

Now whenever I go see him, I usually tell him to do whatever he wants with my hair. He does know that that "whatever" comes with a few stipulations--for instance, I know he's not going to whack it all off and give me a buzz cut. Whenever I tell him to do whatever he likes, his face lights up--I think that he has quite a few clients who come in with very specific instructions about what to do and what not to do, so he probably appreciates having more artistic freedom.

I let my hair stylist cut and style my hair the way he sees fit because I trust him to do a good job. After all, he realizes that his reputation lies in his clients' hair, so it benefits him to do a good job. He also knows hair far better than I do, knows what cuts and styles are most flattering for my particular hair. So I leave it in his capable hands, and don't worry or fret while I'm in his chair. I can relax and know that when he finishes, I'll have a good looking head of hair.

Now let's apply this to prayer. How excited do you think that God gets when we approach Him with an attitude of "whatever You want"? Do you think that it delights Him when lay aside our "want" list or our ideas of what we think is best for us, and trust Him to do what's truly best for us? I think so.

Although God is all-powerful and is unlimited in His abilities, He does allow Himself to be limited by our willingness to let Him work in our lives. When I come to Him in prayer and offer my life to Him fully, asking Him to do whatever He sees fit to make me more like Him, it releases Him to work in ways that He didn't before. How much more peace I ultimately have when I relinquish my notions of control and let Him work. I wish I could say that I have that attitude with every prayer...

Working Well

There are few things in life to me as relaxing as someone playing with my hair. There's something about someone running their fingers through my hair that makes me want to drift off to sleep. If only I could hire someone to come over to my house every night and play with my hair until I fell asleep...on second thought, that's a little creepy...never mind.

After work I had a haircut appointment. My hairstyling guru was finishing up with another client when I arrived, so a girl at the salon pinch hit for him and washed my hair. She did a very good job of massaging my head while shampooing and conditioning away. Extremely relaxing.

By contrast, I was reminded of a woman who shampooed hair at my former salon several years ago. At this salon, there were about a half dozen men and women who manned (and womanned) the shampoo stations, and there was one woman in particular who everyone dreaded getting as their shampoo-er. The reason was that instead of gently massaging your hair, she pushed it haphazardly around your head, like someone flinging unwanted spaghetti around their plate with their hands. It was definitely not a relaxing experience.

Both women did the same job. Both accomplished the same goal--a clean head of hair for the stylist to work with. But whereas the one who took care of me today took the time to make it a relaxing and enjoyable experience, the other one did not seem to care. Technically, she did her job--but I can't say that she did her job well.

I was reminded that there are times when I, too, do my job, but fail to do it well. I sometimes focus more on the end goal, neglecting the importance of the process of reaching that goal. Even though I have a job that I truly enjoy, some days I'm distracted or tired or downright lazy, and do what I can to skate by. I'm not proud of that, and I do honestly want to do my best--but sometimes I give in to the temptation to goof off a little more than I should.

Right now it's somewhat of a slow time at work for me, which makes the temptation to slack off even greater. I tend to focus a little better when I'm on a deadline or have a lot of projects going on. This just means I need to discipline myself more to stay focused and do my best. I remind myself that it is ultimately the Lord who I am working for. Honestly, though, on slow days it's a struggle to keep myself on track.

How do you stay motivated to do not just your job, but to do it well?

Preparing for Rain

Last night some friends and I watched "Facing the Giants". I'd wanted to see it when it first came out in theatres but never got around to it. I wouldn't say it's an Oscar-caliber performance, but it was definitely entertaining and had some powerful messages.

The lead in the movie is a high school football coach whose job is on the line after yet another losing season. Plagued by challenges at both school and home, he finds himself losing faith and questioning what God is doing, and why his prayers for success both on and off the field are seemingly going unanswered.

In one scene, a man comes to visit the coach in his office. He shares with the coach a parable of two farmers who both prayed for rain, yet only one went out and prepared his field to receive the rain. Which farmer, asked the man, do you suppose showed more faith? Obviously it was the one who took action in preparing to receive what he asked for.

That particular scene made me think about how often I pray for something but do not prepare myself or my heart to receive it. Part of that preparation often involves waiting on God's timing, something that I struggle with. My prayers are sometimes timid, as if I'm afraid to ask God for something really big because I'm afraid He won't come through. I don't think it's that I doubt that He CAN come through, but rather, that He desires to come through for me. I suppose experiencing heartbreak over the past couple of years has contributed to this timidity.

How can I expect my faith to strengthen if I do not allow God the opportunity to work in a mighty way? I want to pray more boldly, and to act more boldly, in circumstances where God calls me to act. I need to not only pray, but prepare for the rain as well.

On Turning 33 and Living Life to the Full

Today I turn the big 33. It's not considered a "milestone" age, like turning 16 or 21 or 30. However, it is significant to me to think that I am now the same age that Jesus reputedly was when He completed His ministry on Earth and was crucified, resurrected and ascended.



Last night I was ruminating on how Jesus approached His ministry and His life in general. He seemed to take every day on Earth in stride, always living in the moment and not rushing to the next event or looking ahead to the next appointment. He had a peace in the middle of the storms, both literally and figuratively.



Of course, you could argue that, being one of the Trinity, He knew all that would happen, and had no reason to worry or fret about the future. However, while I'd like to think that knowing about the future would give me a huge sense of calm and peace, I have a feeling that if I knew some of the negative things destined for my life, I'd probably live with a sense of dread of the future.



And Jesus certainly knew what His earthly future held, including every agonizing detail of the torturous death to come, made even more agonizing by His separation from God. Despite knowing this, the Gospels never give an indication that Jesus lived a lifestyle of worry and dread about the future. He did not let the frustrations of life detract from His joy and peace. That is not to say that He was looking forward to the crucifixion--His grief-stricken prayer for deliverance in the Garden of Gethsemane certainly say otherwise.



But while it would be tempting to walk through life with the attitude of dread, Jesus embraced His earthly life fully. He took the time to hang out with children, to feed thousands of people, to speak words of kindness and healing to the downtrodden. And I think He didn't just live His life, but actually enjoyed it fully. Can't you imagine Him getting a kick out of walking on the water? Or having a twinkle in His eye as He performed some miracle?



Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." A couple of years ago, I adopted this as my "life verse"--hence, the title of my blog. I realize that Jesus didn't just promise abundant life for us, but also lived an example of that life--a life that, while not free from pain and suffering, was free from the emotional and spiritual bondage that often accompany the hardships of life.



As I enter my 33rd year of life, more than ever I want to emulate Jesus. I particularly feel a desire to enjoy the life that God has gifted me with, even if it's not necessarily the life I would have designed for myself. I want to be more thankful now than I ever have before, and to see each day as a blessing created especially for me by the Creator of the universe.



Whatever age you are, may you too be filled with thankfulness and a determination to live life to the full!

Spiritual Influences

I'm in a particularly reflective mood this week (although that's not saying much, as I'm nearly always in a reflective mood!). Tonight I started thinking about various people that God has gifted me with who have been a powerful spiritual influence on my life.

While I'm surrounded with many great influences in my family, church and among my friends, there are some influences that are no longer with me for one reason or another. Some of these people are no longer here, due to death or moving away. Some people have figuratively moved to a different place in their lives and we don't talk as much as we once did. But regardless of whether or not I see or talk to these people again here on Earth, the impact they made on my heart will last as long as I live.

I think that one of the greatest rewards we'll have in Heaven is realizing how many people we impacted with our lives. Equally exciting to me is the prospect of being able to share my gratitude to those who have touched my life in so many powerful ways. Of course, I try to share that with people now, while I'm still living, but I can't completely convey how influential they are, how encouraging they've been. The actions that may seem small to them--the note of encouragement, the phone call at just the right time, the compliment, the prayer uttered on my behalf--make a huge impact on me.

Take some time this week to show your gratitude to at least one person who has impacted you in a powerful way. You never know, it may be exactly what they need to hear right now.

Discerning God's Voice

Although there are exceptions, usually when God requires something of you, it will clash with what you consider to be the natural, reasonable course of action. Jesus said that if a fellow strikes you on one cheek, you should turn the other (see Matt. 5:39). Now that's not reasonable. He also said that if someone wants you to go one mile, you should cheerfully go two miles. That's not reasonable either.

The prophet Isaiah put it this way:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways my ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts" [Isa. 55:8]

Jesus usually did the opposite of what people expected. If we feel the tug of the world and what we hear from God seems reasonable and rational, then we should check it out. That's not to say that God doesn't utilize human wisdom. He does. But on many occasions God's Voice will ask us to accomplish something that seems quite illogical to our rational minds.

--From How to Listen to God, pg. 52

Peeling Back the Layers

Yesterday I helped a friend do some things around her house in order to get it ready to put on the market. Her mother and I spent part of the time scraping wallpaper in the hallway. Our routine was thus: run the paper tiger across the wallpaper to score it, spray the wallpaper glue dissolver and allow it to soak in, then scape away with our trusty putty knives.

It seemed easy at first, but we soon discovered that there wasn't just one layer of wallpaper on the wall, but several. The first couple of layers came off without too much effort, but the third one took a little more work. We often had to use the paper tiger and dissolver on each layer, which obviously took more time than we bargained for, not to mention made more of a mess.

I was thinking of how we are made up of many layers, emotionally and behaviorally speaking. Sometimes in order to get rid of certain layers that don't belong, God has to use some tough methods to scrape through to the layer beneath. Sometimes I think I've got myself all figured out, think I've hit the nail on the head of why I act a certain way or have a certain attitude--then I find that there's yet another layer lying underneath, and the scraping process has to continue. And scraping and peeling away at layers is not a pleasant feeling. It's painful, and sometimes brings to the surface painful memories or incidents long buried.

But when we allow God to scrape and remove those layers of hurt, anger, bitterness, resentment, distrust, abandonment, or other attitudes, then He is able to have a clean surface to work with. Then He can begin the task of "redecorating" our lives into the masterpieces that He has planned for us.