Role Models

Much ado has been made this week over the announcement that Britney Spears' little sister, Jamie Lynn, is pregnant. Jamie Lynn is just 16 years old and her boyfriend is 19. She is the star of some show on Nickelodeon and is supposedly a role model for young girls.

Naturally, that role model status is much disputed now. I read a news article yesterday about parent debating over what to tell their children about this teenage star's premarital sexual activity and out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

While I don't know much about Jamie Lynn's background or how this pregnancy will affect her career and reputation (although I'm sure I'll hear way more about than I care to), I was thinking last night about another teenage mother--Mary.

Granted, Mary's conception was miraculous and not sinful, but I couldn't help but wonder about the beating that her reputation likely took. Considering that Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, I assume that she must have had a good reputation among her village. Perhaps she was the sort of girl that other mothers encouraged their young daughters to emulate. Maybe Mary was the favorite babysitter, the encourager, the servant, the girl that everyone wanted to be around.

Just imagine what news of her premarital pregnancy did to stir up her village. I wonder if she was shunned from public appearances, not invited to parties or celebrations. I wonder if mothers and daughters crossed to the other side of the road when they saw Mary coming.

Of course, not only was Mary risking her reputation by accepting the great responsibility of bearing Jesus, but she risked her life. Sex outside of marriage was a sin punishable by stoning. Yet Mary gave no indication of pausing in her acceptance of God's plan for her life. Instead, she saw it as an honor to become the mother of the Messiah.

Perhaps in Heaven I can sit with Mary and have a little chat about all that she went through in her pregnancy, the reaction of her family and neighbors, and what kind of life she led prior to the angel's appearance that caused her to have such great faith. She may have given up her role model status in her hometown as a result of this pregnancy, but her status as a woman of great faith with a servant's heart was cemented for all generations.

Impact

There are some people that come into your life that you just know right off the bat are going to play an important role in your life. Then there are others who quietly, without you realizing it, impact your life in various ways.

God has blessed me with numerous people from all walks of life who have made an impact on my life. Tonight was our office Christmas party, and our current association president and his wife attended. We have a lot of wonderful and memorable members, but these two are some of the most genuinely kind and thoughtful people I've ever met. As I drove home tonight, I thought about how blessed I am to have gotten to know them and how much their kindness and thoughtful gestures have influenced me. They are a couple who are truly in love with God and in love with each other, and they model the kind of marriage that I would like to have someday.

There are many, many other people who have come into my life and played important roles. Of course my family has had the most influence on me, but I am thinking tonight of so many others who have also impacted me. I think about a woman I know who was a single woman in her 20s while I was in college. We weren't particularly close, but I do remember that one time she sent me a note of encouragement along with a book of stamps. For some reason, that sticks in my memory--perhaps because a broke college student appreciated getting anything in the mail! I often received care packages and letters from home, but getting something from a non-family member was really special.

I think of the men and women who welcomed me into the singles group when I began attending my current church home. I was fresh out of college, had just moved back to Montgomery, and pretty much all of my friends were either still in college or living and working in other cities. These people welcomed me in and became a new group of friends. There are two women in particular from that group, both of whom are married now, one with children, whom I am still close to. They are both several years older than me and have taught me so much through sharing their wisdom gleaned from many trials and experiences.

I think of one of my very best friends who I met through the singles group. We became friends pretty quickly, but our friendship was really cemented after we both went through devastating break-ups of relationships at the same time. We were able to comiserate, cry together, vent together, and lift each other up and encourage each other. I truly believe that we would not be as close today if we had not both gone through such a similar valley at the same time.

I could go on and on, which is a wonderful thing to realize. Some people God has brought into my life for just a short while, but the impact they've made is lifelong. Other people have been with me for years, and, Lord willing, will be in my life for the rest of my life.

As I reflect on how blessed I am to know and be touched by so many people, I think about the kind of impact that I have on others' lives. I often forget that, whether I realize it or not, I am influencing others in some way. I want to live in a way that my influence is for good, and where the memories I leave behind are gracious ones.

Seeking Him, Chapter 4

In this week's study of Seeking Him, the focus was on repentance. I don't know about you, but for many years I thought of confession and repentance as being pretty much one and the same. Now I know that it's somewhat easy to confess sins, but more difficult (at least for me) to change my life in response to those confessions.

Here are a few nuggets of wisdom that I underlined in my workbook:

-Repentance cannot be considered genuine unless there is outward evidence--a change of behavior. It's not just a matter of feeling bad about our sin. If repentance is real, it will show itself. The outward manifestaton of repentance may be instantaneous or it may be seen over time. The length of time for real change may depend on the nature of the sin and how long one has been involved in it, or other variables. But sooner or later, there will be change in behavior.

-Something in our lives will break down as a result of unconfessed sin.

-...no matter how strong the bondage of sin or how long we have been involved in it, God can deliver us by His grace. [Isn't that great news? It's not up to us to deliver ourselves from bondage!]

-The purpose of repentance is not to make us feel better about ourselves but to restore us to a right relationship with God, so that our lives may again bring glory to Him and be used for His purposes. [Wow, I needed that reminder!]

Seeking Him, Chapter 3

As I mentioned the other day, this past week's lesson focused on honesty. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom that I underlined that address honesty and how it pertains to our personal revival:

• God cannot bless or revive a heart that refuses to acknowledge the truth.
• God wants to experience intimate fellowship with His children. That is possible only if we are honest with Him about the true condition of our heart as He knows it to be.
• Honesty is liberating...it is for our good and by God's mercy that He reveals the truth about us, no matter how shameful that truth may be.

That third point in particular encourages me. I need to remember that I am not meant to keep things to myself--when I allow God to reveal them to me (and when I confess them to Him and to others), it is for my good, not for me to be shamed by them or walk with my head downcast. Part of living life to the full is seeing myself as I truly am, and accepting the grace and mercy that God gives as He forgives my sins and cleanses me. But in order to experience that merciful cleansing, I have to be honest with myself, confess and repent. There is no room for pride.

Coming Clean

I read that, after years of denying use of any performance-enhancing steroids, Olympic sprinter Marion Jones has admitted to using steroids prior to the 2000 Olympics. I remember watching Jones at the Olympics in Sydney, in which she came away with five medals, three of them gold. A few years ago, when allegations of steroid use emerged, Jones vehemetly denied using them. I have to admit that, having heard similar denials from other runners, baseball players and other athletes, I was skeptical of her proclaimed innocence. Now Jones is coming clean, and faces jail time, not to mention being stripped of her medals.

It's a little ironic to me that this story is breaking in the same week that the chapter in the Seeking Him study is about honesty. It's easy for me to shake my head in disbelief when athletes deny using steroids to enhance their performance. But don't we all, in one way or another, have something that we try to hide? Don't we all want to project a positive image of ourselves, to protect our reputation, even if that means keeping something hidden?

We are in good company. Even King David--a man after God's own heart--kept his affair with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband covered up for a year. When Nathan the prophet confronted David about it, he finally confessed and repented of it. But in that year of silence, he suffered greatly. In Psalm 32, David wrote:

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:3-5)

Although Marion Jones no doubt has a long road to face--possible imprisonment, tarnished reputation, loss of trust--perhaps in admitting her guilt, she can begin the journey to redemption. When we admit our guilt and stop covering up our sins, stop being so concerned about what others think of us, then we are able to be cleansed by God and truly live the life we were meant to live.

Seeking Him, Chapter 2

The theme for the second lesson in the Seeking Him study was humility. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I'm finding that humility is truly key to revival. Pride is one of those "domino" sins--it tends to have a domino effect and cause all sorts of other sins.

I learned in this week's study that one of the quickest ways to gauge how prideful we are is by our reaction to being chastened by God. The study's author, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, writes:

"The inclination of our hearts toward pride or humility becomes evident when God brings to our attention something in our lives that is not pleasing to Him. The way we respond to Him in moments of conviction reveals the true condition of our hearts." (pg. 27)

In times when I know that God is speaking to me about a certain behavior and I am reluctant to confess it, or when I start to make excuses for it, or compare it to someone else's behavior, that's pride. It's a hindrance to my relationship with God, because I cannot have intimacy with Him (or anyone else, for that matter) if I allow myself to be prideful. While humility can be an uncomfortable state, it brings about beautiful results.

This week, ask yourself how you respond when God or someone else confronts you about a particular attitude or behavior. Do you respond graciously and humbly? Or do you become defensive and prideful?

Watch Your Feet

My toes are still black and blue from Nancy Leigh DeMoss stepping all over them in her ongoing series about humility. On Monday's broadcast, she gave a long list of examples of pride. Many of them hit me squarely between the eyes, including some actions that I'd never before considered to be prideful.

Here's the list she gave...I won't ask you to name which ones in particular convict you, unless you just want to 'fess up!

1. Do you look down on those who are less educated, less affluent, less refined, or less successful than yourself?

2. Do you think of yourself as more spiritual than your mate or people in your church or people in your workplace, other believers. Do you think of yourself as more spiritual than other believers you know?

3. Here’s another one: Do you have a judgmental spirit toward those who don’t make the same lifestyle choices that you do? Dress standards, how you school your kids, entertainment standards. Think of other believers you know. Do you tend to have a judgmental spirit? Now maybe you don’t think you do. If you wonder on some of these, you may want to go ask somebody who knows you really well, "Do I come across that way, as having a judgmental spirit toward those who have different lifestyle choices than I do?"

4. Here’s another one: Are you quick to find fault with others and to verbalize those faults to others? Do you have a sharp, critical tongue? We would call it discerning, analytical.

5. Here’s another one: Do you frequently correct or criticize your mate or your pastor or other people in positions of leadership—your kids’ teachers, youth director. Think about the people who are involved in your life, people in leadership. Are you quick to correct or criticize them? To them or to others?

6. Are you proud of the schedule you keep? How disciplined you are? How much you’re able to accomplish? You’re a real producer, a real performer. Is that something that you’re proud of?

7. Are you driven to receive approval, praise, or acceptance from others? You always need to have a pat on the back, have someone telling you how well you’re doing or you get discouraged. Are you driven to receive approval from others?

8. Are you argumentative? You have to have the last word. Think about what it’s been like in your home for the last day or two. Proverbs tell us that only by pride comes contention. So where there’s contention . . . “Yes,” you say, “I know. My husband. He’s a proud man. That’s why we have so much contention in our home.” No, it takes more than a proud husband to have contention in a home. It’s a proud husband and, more often than not, a proud wife too. Are you argumentative?

9. Do you generally think that your way is the right way, the only way, or the best way? Think about how you go about cleaning up your kitchen and then your husband comes along and he does it differently. Is your way the right way? It has to be done your way.

10. Do you have a touchy, sensitive spirit, easily offended? Do you get your feelings hurt easily? This is another one of the evidences of spiritual pride that Jonathan Edwards talked about—people who take offense easily. He said:

Spiritual pride takes great notice of opposition and injuries that are received and is prone to be often speaking of them . . . humility on the other hand causes a person to be more like his blessed Lord when reviled: quiet, not opening his mouth, but committing himself in silence to Him who judges righteously.

11. How about this one? Are you guilty of pretense. Trying to leave a better impression of yourself than is honestly true. Here’s a way to go about seeing if you have that one. Would the people that know you at church be shocked if they were to come and discover what you’re like at home, behind the four walls of your own home?

12. Another one: Do you have a hard time admitting when you are wrong? Is it hard for you to say, “I was wrong.” Or do you wait for the other person to admit that they were wrong?

13. Do you have a hard time confessing your sin to God or others? Not just in generalities. We all say I need to be a better woman. I need to love the Lord more. I need to read my Bible more. But when it comes to the specific issues. "I’m in love with food. I’m in love with television. I love entertainment more than I love God." I mean the specifics. Do you have a hard time confessing those?

14. Are you excessively shy? You say, “Shy? That’s proud?” Excessive shyness. What is it? Self-centeredness. What do other people think about me? That can be an evidence, a subtle form of pride.

15. Do you have a hard time reaching out and being friendly to people that you don’t know at church? Do you stick to your own little group there, hard to reach out to new people? That can be pride.

16. Do you become defensive when you are criticized or corrected? That anger that wells up. What is that? That’s a fruit that grows on the root of pride. Why do we get angry when somebody criticizes us? We may not express it outwardly, but inwardly. Because our pride gets hurt.

17. Are you a perfectionist? Here’s another evidence of pride perhaps in your life. The way you keep your house, the way you do your job, the way you raise your kids. Are you a perfectionist? Everything has to be just perfect and you get impatient and irked with people who aren’t.

18. Do you tend to be controlling of you mate? If you’re not sure, by the way, ask your mate.

19. Do you frequently interrupt people when they’re speaking? The Lord really spoke to me about this as I was working on this list. I realized what I’m saying when I interrupt you when you’re speaking is, what I have to say is more important than what you have to say. It’s pride.

20. Do you often complain about the weather, your health, your circumstances, your job, church? Complaining. How’s that pride? You think you deserve better. It shouldn’t be happening to me.

21. Do you talk about yourself too much? Are you more concerned about your problems, your needs, your burdens than about other people’s concerns?

22. Do you worry about what others think of you? About your reputation or your family’s reputation. By the way, that’s one thing that motivates a lot of parenting, isn’t it? With mothers, "What are people going to think if my child is this way?" That can be pride.

23. Do you neglect to express gratitude for the little things to God, to your mate, to others. An ungrateful spirit, that’s pride.

24. Do you neglect prayer and intake of the Word? How’s that pride? Well, I’m saying I can live my life without God. I can manage without Him.

25. Do you get hurt if your accomplishments or your acts of service are not recognized or rewarded? In your home? At your job? In your church?

26. Do you react to rules? And who of us doesn’t? Do you have a hard time being told what to do? Do you have an issue with authority? That’s pride.

27. Do you avoid participating in certain events for fear of being embarrassed or looking foolish? Do you avoid being around certain people because you feel inferior compared to them? Feel like you just don’t measure up.

28. Are you uncomfortable inviting people to your home because you don’t think it’s nice enough or you can’t afford to do lavish entertaining?

29. Is it hard for you to let others know when you need help? Maybe practical help or spiritual help. You have an independent spirit. I can do this on my own. I won’t let anybody else help me.

30. Here’s a way to measure your pride quotient. When is the last time you said these words to a family member, to a friend, to a co-worker, “I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?”

For the full transcript of the broadcast, click here.

Prayerlessness=Pride

The second chapter in the Seeking Him study is about humility. It is noted that pride is at the root of all sin, which is what makes it so dangerous. When we don't deal with our pride, we cannot effectively deal with the other sins in our life.

One area of pride that God has revealed to me is neglecting to pray. I try to maintain a pretty consistent prayer life. Usually my morning commute to work is spent in prayer, and I often pray at other times during the day as well, particularly at night before bed. But when it's the weekend or I'm not on my usual schedule, prayer sometimes falls by the wayside. It's easy to let it become rote or routine and not really genuine, fervent prayer.

When I don't take time during my day to seek God in prayer, I'm saying that I don't need Him. Of course, deep down I know that I do need Him. But my actions say otherwise. I'm realizing that rushing into my day without praying is an act of pride on my part.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

Seeking Him, Chapter 1

As I mentioned last week, I've started a 12-week study on personal revival called Seeking Him. Throughout the study I plan to share some of the insights I've gained each week.

Week one's title was "Revival--Who Needs It?". I think it's important to realize that for true revival to sweep across our churches, communities and nation, it has to first begin with us as individuals. It's easy for me to ask God to change those around me; it's far more humbling to ask Him to change me.

I've begun praying that God would open my eyes to see people as He sees them, and to make me sensitive to His leading. He has definitely been answering those prayers by bringing attitudes and behaviors to my attention that have not been pleasing to Him. Like I said, it's a very humbling experience.

However, this humbling experience has brought about a new awareness of how much God loves me. As I see my sinful nature more clearly, I get a greater sense of the depth of His love. One thing that stood out to me in this first week of study is that the Bible is filled with story after story of God's relentless pursuit of His people, and of His desire to have a relationship with them. That desire did not end with the Old Testament, or with the first century church. It persists today. Even now, God calls out to us to turn to Him, seek His face, and enjoy fellowship with Him.

Another point was that the desire for revival and relationship with God is not produced by ourselves, but rather it is a desire placed in our hearts by God. Our hunger for Him is from Him. We don't generate it ourselves.

Looking forward to what week two has to say to me...

Remembering My Role

There are times when I see a wide chasm between where I am in my walk with Christ and where I want to be. And I become frustrated and discouraged.

I see areas of my life where I want to improve, from my discipline in diet and exercise, to attitudes at work, to relationships in need of healing and strengthening. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my spiritual "to-do" list. Just when I think I've got one temptation or bad attitude beat, another one (or two or ten) springs up in its place.

Then I remember that my role is not to change myself, but rather to allow God's Spirit to change me. He is the Potter, not I. As the clay that He is working with, I am to remain moldable, yielding to the changes He makes as He forms and shapes me into the woman He wants me to be. But I am not in charge of changing myself--which is a very good thing!

That is not to say that I am to be inactive and not take steps to improve my diet or relationships. But when I am allowing God's Spirit to give me wisdom in those areas, and trust Him to guide me, things go much smoother than when I try to make them work on my own.

Royal Orders

This morning I was reading in Nehemiah about some of the Levites who served in the temple at Jerusalem:

The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, a descendant of Asaph, whose family served as singers at God's Temple. They were under royal orders, which determined their daily activities. (Nehemiah 11:22-23, emphasis mine)

As servants in the temple, their daily schedules were not self-imposed, but rather dictated by royal orders. I don't know if they eagerly submitted to the day's duties, or if they had moments of inward grumbling and reluctance to follow someone else's plans for their day.

This verse reminded me that we, too, as servants of the King of kings are under His royal orders. We should let our day's activities be determined by and centered around His desires for us that day. I'll admit that it is SO easy to let myself fall into the trap of thinking that it's my day to control or determine my steps. It's easy to "do my own thing" and fit in God's plans when it's seemingly convenient for me. How foolish it is to get into that mindset!

O Sovereign Lord, help me to remember that this is YOUR day. Help me to remember that You are God, and I am Your servant. Help me to eagerly submit to whatever plans You have for me today, and to trust You that they are what's best for me.

Fasting Out Loud?

Growing up, I don't remember hearing much in the church about the spiritual discplines. To me, discipline was something your parents did when you misbehaved. And if I did happen to study something about the spiritual disciplines in church or in school, it was probably referred to as something that people did back in the "Bible days" but that was antiquated and no longer practiced.

Of course, now I know better. I realize that some of the things that I often do--such as intercessory prayer--are considered spiritual disciplines. And I realize that practicing these disciplines can help us focus on the One who truly matters, and remove the focus from ourselves.

One of the disciplines that I am not very familiar with is fasting. I've done it before, sometimes fasting from food, other times fasting from watching TV. Still, it's not something that I do with any regularity.

Last night I was thinking about all the people in my life in need of prayer for their various trials and circumstances, as well as my own trials that I need to pray about. I felt a very strong impulse to set aside tonight as a time of fasting and prayer, both for myself and in intercession for others. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll be blessed by spending that time alone with God, pouring out my heart to Him and searching His heart.

However, I did have some hesitation in mentioning that I'll be fasting. I was reluctant to share that because I don't want to come off as bragging or making myself seem more spiritually "fit" than someone else, because believe me, I'm not.

At the same time, however, since fasting is not something that is often preached upon (at my church anyway), let alone discussed in conversation with others, I wonder if we would fast more often if we were encouraged to do so more. Not out of peer pressure or a desire to fit in, but rather because of witnessing the example of others and the way they grow closer to God through their own fasting and praying, and desiring that intimacy with God for ourselves.

Any thoughts? Are fasting, praying and other spiritual disciplines meant to be shared, or something to be done in secret, with only God knowing about it?

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?

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.

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!

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?

Attractive Words

Yesterday while filling up my gas tank I noticed an attractive man at the gas pump on the other side of mine. A couple of minutes later, his friend emerged from the convenience store and walked over to the man. I heard the man say something to his friend that I found to be a big turn-off. Nothing obscene, just a word that I find to be highly tacky to use. At that point, this man was no longer attractive to me.

Later I thought about how the words I say can either be attractive or a turn-off to other people. I have been blessed (or cursed, depending on your perspective) with a quick wit, and enjoy using it to make others laugh. But sometimes that wit comes at the expense of someone else. I can inadvertently hurt someone's feelings if I'm not careful.

Not only do I need to watch what I say, but I also need to be wise about the conversations I listen to. Even if I'm not actively participating, if I hang around with people who use foul language, or tell lewd jokes, or gossip, I'm still affected by it--and others who see me in those conversations are affected as well.

I'm reminded of the warnings that Paul gave to the church at Ephesus regarding speech:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph. 4:29)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Eph. 5:3-4, emphasis mine)

Our words can draw people to Christ, or they can turn them off. I often forget how powerful an influence my words can be, for good or for bad. I want the world to know that I'm a disciple of Christ, by my words as well as by my actions.

Of course, I cannot have a pure tongue on my own. It is only through the Holy Spirit at work in me that any part of me can be pure and holy. Some days I remember to pray that I'll watch what I say, and other days I forget. Hopefully this is something that will become a permanent daily prayer request. I definitely need to be reminded that words carry weight far greater than I think.

Teachable Moments Week

I'm one of those nerds who actually enjoyed school, especially college. Granted, I didn't enjoy taking tests or studying, but I did enjoy learning new subjects (except for math). Today, my love of learning continues. I like watching the History Channel and Discovery Channel. I enjoy visiting museums and historical homes and landmarks. I like playing along at home to "Jeopardy!".

Just because I'm not in a classroom, that doesn't mean that I'm not learning. In fact, some of the most valuable lessons I've learned have not come from sitting in a lecture hall or studying at the library. I am more of a "hands-on" learner; I tend to absorb more when I experience it firsthand, rather than just hear or read about it.

As a disciple of Christ, I have the opportunity to learn from Him. That education is not limited to listening to a sermon or sitting through a Sunday school lesson. Indeed, God provides teachable moments all the time. He is always willing to bestow His wisdom on me, when I am willing to ask for and expect it.

Some days I am really aware of God turning occurrences into object lessons throughout my day. Other days, I coast through (or, in some cases, speed through) my day, totally oblivious to the lessons that God is trying to teach me. When I start my day focused on Him and asking Him to pour out His wisdom on me, I am much more likely to recognize those teachable moments.

I am trying an experiment this week. I am deeming this "Teachable Moments Week". All week long, I will make a concerted effort to open my eyes, ears and heart to the lessons that God is teaching me. There may be just one lesson that occurs throughout the entire week--or He may have a different lesson for me every day. I don't know what He plans to do. But I want to be aware of whatever it is He's trying to teach me.

I will do my best to share with you those teachable moments from this week. Feel free to share your own with me here.

Don't Give Up Doing Good

From time to time, God places a particular verse or passage of Scripture on my heart that He wants me to share. For the past couple of days, I've had Galatians 6:9 on my mind:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I knew a girl in our singles group several years ago who worked with our Inner City ministry. She said that this verse greatly encouraged her in times when she felt like she was making no progress with the children she'd been ministering to for months. In those weeks where it felt like she was getting nowhere, she needed this reminder to "keep on keeping on" when she was sorely tempted to throw in the towel.

Here are a few thoughts I've had this week regarding this particular verse:

"Let us not become weary in doing good": This week I was struck by the phrase "Let US" (emphasis mine)--I believe that it implies that Paul, too, was in danger of growing weary of doing the right thing. I suppose I've always considered the apostle Paul to be somewhat of an uber-Christian, unflinching in his Christian walk.

But the guy was human, and, like us, I'm sure that he experienced times of being sick and tired of not seeing fruit from his labors. After being stoned, left for dead, chased out of a city, shipwrecked, and imprisoned on multiple occasions (not to mention having to deal with various church feuds of one kind or another), I'm sure that he was tempted to give up at least once, perhaps multiple times. So it was good for me to realize that even "Super Christians" like Paul grow weary in their walk at times.

"for at the proper time": Timing, I've discovered, is key with God's work. I'll be the first to admit that I have struggled with patience (or a lack thereof), and I've had to learn that waiting on the proper time--i.e., God's time--brings about the best results.

We are such an instant-results oriented society. Sometimes even the microwave doesn't cook our food fast enough. I think it's become habit to immediately expect results from our good works or our prayers. Sometimes God DOES provide results or answers right away, but I think those are exceptions rather than the rule. There may be some results that we have to wait months or years before we can see them. And in some cases, we won't see the results until we're in Heaven.

"we will reap a harvest": One thing to keep in mind is that although we WILL reap a harvest, it may not be the harvest we expect. Sometimes the broken relationship we're praying about IS healed; sometimes the wayward child DOES return home; sometimes we DO get the raise and promotion at work.

But sometimes those things don't happen. We don't receive the harvest we are hoping for. The good news is that the harvest that God gives is inevitably far greater that what we could hope for. However, it may take months or years (or entering into Heaven) before we are able to understand that.

"if we do not give up": Here is the condition of God's promised harvest--we must not give up. Perseverance is one of the great virtues of our faith, lauded by Paul throughout his epistles. While we wait for the proper time for our harvest to come to fruition, we must continue to labor with the expectation of that harvest coming.

Perhaps you are experiencing a weariness in doing good right now. Maybe it's that relationship that you're ready to give up on. Or that boss who never seems to give you the recognition you feel you deserve. Or the people you minister to who, instead of being grateful for your ministry to them, only voice complaints. I hope that this reminds you that our good works do not go unseen. There IS a harvest to come. Let us perservere in doing good, and trust God to provide the fruit in His time.

Meeting My Needs

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not a big fan of change, at least not when it's not by my own choosing. Last week I found out about another big change in my life, this time affecting my family. Over the past seven months, I've experienced more change than I wanted to, particularly dealing with losses of various kinds.

On the bright side, it has definitely been a learning experience of depending solely on God to meet my needs, whether they be material, relational or spiritual needs. God has used a couple of verses in particular to minister to me this week:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2)

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

He's also used several messages, through my preacher, radio programs and articles, to bring me reassurance this week:

-Buddy delivered a great sermon about how God is with us in everything, and the difference that makes in our lives.

-I read a good article about how worry and anxiety cloud our thinking and steal our joy.

-Another good article was this one about prayer and thanksgiving.

-I've been greatly encouraged listening to Chip Ingram's current series on contentment.

Of course, God has also used my friends to encourage me this week as well. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with how God demonstrates His love for me by speaking to me through these various messages. Once again, I am reminded that although people may change, circumstances may change, I am loved and cherished by an unchanging God who is with me no matter what. What an incredible reminder!