Dear Me – Just Say Thanks

August 20, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

I needed this reminder today because I really need to get over myself and the way I think things should be. Please tell me I am not the only one who has their moments of wanting to stomp their foot or dig in their heels and say, “No!” or “It’s not fair!” when we don’t get what we want. Especially when we have prayed and waited and prayed and waited. Please tell me I am not the only one who finds sullen contentment in a good pity party? Please? Anyone else?

I am not proud of this in myself. This is my humanity. This is when emotion takes over and my heart runs away with my head, even though I know it isn’t right. I totally get what Paul was saying in Romans 7:15 “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”

Today I needed a “thankful” reminder and God was only to happy to smack me upside the head with it as verse after verse flooded my thoughts replacing my pity party with feelings of humble graciousness. Even, and especially on the days I find myself falling short, God’s grace and mercy cover it all. He continues to bless me in ways that I don’t understand because of my short-sightedness. It’s so easy to lose sight of the haves in the face of the have-nots.

This life is not all about us and our comfort. (Hey me, get over yourself and your ideas of fairness! Yes, life sometimes stinks but you have so much to be thankful for.) God does not promise us contentment in the things of this world but in Him and Him alone.

“Christian contentment, therefore, is the direct fruit of having no higher ambition than to belong to the Lord and to be totally at His disposal in the place He appoints, at the time He chooses, with the provision He is pleased to make.

It was with mature wisdom, then, that the young Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, ‘It has always been my aim, and it is my prayer, to have no plans with regard to myself.’ ‘How unusual!’ we say. Yes, but what people noticed about McCheyne was how content he was to pursue one driving ambition: to know Christ (Phil. 3:10). It is not accidental that when we make Christ our ambition we discover that He becomes our sufficiency and we learn contentment in all circumstances.”
–In Christ Alone, by Sinclair B. Ferguson, pg. 190

Lord, help me keep my eyes on you and you alone.

Encouragement

It’s Really NOT The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

August 18, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

Here is where this week finds me…struggling. This is back to school week and while I hear so many moms singing the praises of back to school I am being drug along, trying to dig my heels in, all the while screaming, “STOP!” No other time of year so poignantly accentuates the passing of time and this year marks both firsts and lasts in our house. The first year of high school and the last year of elementary. I am taking this harder than any other milestone to date, birthdays included. Why? Because I feel like I am running out of time and I’m not done yet!

We have made it through the bickering, he’s-touching-me, she-started-it years. The years I thought would never end have suddenly disappeared and now the floodgates have opened and the days are flying by. Our babies have turned into these really cool people who I love being with. Not just because I am their mom and I have to, but because I like them. Their passions are developing and are contagious, the “why” questions are so much deeper, and harder to answer, but spur conversation and debate and I have always loved a good argument. (Right dad and mom?) Now I have children who are giving me a run for my money. And we’re having fun, big-kid fun, road-trip fun, card night fun, crazy, laughing, singing Zac Brown Band and Lynard Skinnard, and sometimes even Journey, at the top of our lungs fun…and my heart is aching because I know how fast this is happening and I am helpless to stop it. I just want to hang out here for awhile. I am discovering that this is parenting at its best and worst and I love it and I hate it. There are days when I don’t think my heart is big enough to hold it all. And that is where I am. And that is why I am struggling.

The world is a twisted, messed up, broken place and hard as I try I can’t protect them from it but we are striving to give them the tools to thrive within it. Not only do I want them to be the light on the hilltop, I want them to want it too.

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14,16 NLT)

But so often that means saying no when everyone is saying yes, or yes when everyone else is saying no. It’s counter-cultural and attention-grabbing during a time in their lives when everyone is seeking to be invisible or homogenous. And that’s scary…

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10, 11 NLT)

My mom passed down this advice to me which was once given to her…”You think your kids need you when they are little, and they do, but they need you so much more when they are older.” And I am seeing that more and more everyday.

As parents, I truly believe one of the best legacies we can leave our children is prayer. Pray with them, pray over them, pray for them. Pray like it’s your job, because it is. Just pray! They will see it, hear it, and learn it, even when they are pretending otherwise. And I can promise you will feel better afterwards. We are not meant to be in this alone. Through prayer, we invite God into the fray with us. And I know there are days I need all the help I can get, like today.

I shared this Back To School Prayer last year and find it no less true this year. This is a portion of my prayer as I send my growing-up-too-fast kids back to school.

I want more first days, a lot more. I know they are mine for just a moment, but they are yours, God, for eternity. Keep them safe God, and if you would, just fill in the gaps with the things I forgot to say because I was too busy or too distracted. That would be great. That would be really, really, great.

We all know someone who is going back to school, be it a child or a teacher. Would you join me in praying for them?

Encouragement

You’ll Thank Yourself In The Morning

August 14, 2014 RunAndBeStill 1 Comment

Before I go any further, let me say Thank You. You have chosen to read my words and I cannot express how much that means to me. There is so much noise vying for our attention and the fact that you are taking the time to allow me some of that space is not lost on me! I was a bit overcome by that this morning, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday was a good day. I woke up singing the praises of the hours between 6-8 (yes, AM!) because of how productive they have been over the last two weeks. Football two-a-days have had us rising at 5 am and on the road by 5:30 (my dear husband has been out of town for 7 of the 9 days leaving me the sole taxi driver.) But, they have also brought with them these magical hours of productivity. (However, don’t ask me to be anything other than semi-comatose after 9 pm.) Yesterday felt like a gift. We had the opportunity to spend the afternoon surrounded by family at a double header between the Cleveland Indians and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Progressive Field in Cleveland. We had “sweet” suite seats, the weather was custom-made for baseball, and we got to cheer on our neighbor in his first ever MLB start as a pitcher. He has such a feel-good story that we even got our “suite” neighbors on the Andrew Chafin bandwagon, cheering for the away team at a home game! At some point deep in the 3rd inning of the 1st game my 11 year old daughter looked at me and said, “When is the game going to start?” Oh dear child, we obviously have a lot to learn about baseball. I am not sure what she thought had been going on but we all shared a good laugh. One of many for the afternoon. This was our quintessential American summer day. However, with all of the poster-making, jumbo-tron dancing, hot dog eating excitement of yesterday afternoon, it wasn’t until we were on our way home (at 10:30 pm) that I realized I still had two pair of football pants that needed to be washed (spray the Shout, scrub the stains, wash, rinse, repeat if necessary) and more importantly dry by the wee hours of the morning. Fun has a price. So, while I waited on the washing machine to do it’s thing, I thought, “You should pack Ty’s lunch. You will thank yourself in the morning when all you have to do is roll out of bed, grab a coffee, and head out the door.” I also searched out socks (why does this always seem to be the one missing item?) and had his football bag otherwise packed and ready to go because I knew neither of us would be functional this morning. And I was right. And I did thank myself. On my drive back home from the football field this morning, as the coffee began to work and my brain began to wake up I had a thought. I remembered something I had heard a very long time ago and thought it was a great reminder for all of us.

You have to live ready.

Tomorrow may be a good day or tomorrow may be a nightmare. Will you be ready? Is your faith something you are building and strengthening everyday? Is your relationship with Jesus something you are nurturing? Or, are these just things that get dusted off, possibly on Sunday, and otherwise left alone only to be unpacked In Case Of Emergency. Are you waiting for “tomorrow” to explore this Jesus-thing a little bit deeper? If this is where you find yourself, please, wake up!

When the alarm goes off at 5am after too few hours of sleep, is your bag packed? Do you have clean matching socks and a lunch or are you scrambling to pull it together? We have to live ready because we don’t know when the crisis alarm is going to go off. We don’t get a notification in the mail that says, next month you will be diagnosed with a life-altering disease, please plan accordingly. We don’t receive a call that says, please make sure you have appropriate clothing you will be attending a funeral next week. (Maybe yours? I am sorry. That is harsh but it is also reality.) Ready or not, here it comes, with no warning.

We have to live ready! We need to use and strengthen our “faith muscles” every day because if we wait until crisis strikes they will be sluggish and sleepy when we need them most. We will have to dust our faith off and hope that we remember how to work it. It is so very easy to let our faith and relationship with Jesus rest in hibernation, only to be awakened in crisis.

This is a slippery slope, and I know because I have been there. I grew up in a solid Christian home, was involved in church. We were bringing our children up to love and fear the Lord. I thought I got it. Then God let me really have it! Oh, foolish proud heart. I have realized that I had nothing without Him. I am nothing without Him.

The problem with crisis is that we don’t know when the alarm is going to go off. When crisis strikes, your brain tends to go into default mode. So what is your default? You want live ready? Nurture your relationship with God. If you don’t have one, start one! If you don’t know how, ask me, I would love to help you figure this out. Dig into His Word for nourishment, spend time in prayer, communicating with our Father. Listen for His voice instead of just talking at Him. I don’t have all the answers. There is not an Easy 5 Step Plan For Readiness but we can stumble and bumble through this together. There are some things you will never be ready for but with faith you can survive them with hope for a better day ahead. The point is, don’t wait.

I can remember playing Parcheesi with my son and mom, 6 years ago at least. In the spirit of competition there was a little smack-talk going on and my son looked at my mom and told her, “Pack your bags your going home!” This my friends, is great advice, pack your bags. Live ready. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

Talking To Myself

Abide and Avoid Gas Station Trauma

August 8, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

In the first post of this “series” I eluded to some laughter at my expense…so here goes. True story – don’t judge!

I am on the road, a lot, running between home and the kids’ school and activities, 20 minutes away. As a side effect this also means I am at the gas station, a lot. So on one particular afternoon, a few months ago, I zipped into the gas station, grabbed my gas card, and swiped it. The screen read, PLEASE SEE ATTENDANT. My thoughts, “Ok, for real? I really don’t have time to see the attendant and I know this card works, too bad your gas pumps don’t.” (I don’t know for sure that is verbatim but knowing myself as well as I do I can only guess it was along those lines.) I took my card and walked into the gas station, handed it to the attendant and said, very politely (I may think snarky things but they usually stay within the confines of my own head) “I tried to use my card and it didn’t work.” She looked at it and said “We don’t accept this here.” Me: “Since when? I just used it here a couple of days ago.” I am dumbfounded at this point. What memo did I miss?! She handed it back to me and said, “We never have. We have always been a Marathon station.” At this point I finally look at the card I am trying to use to pay for my gas and realize it is for the wrong gas station. I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING! With that, I said nothing else, walked stoically to the car, pretending I was not the biggest flake in the world at that moment and drove next door to get gas at the correct gas station. I am sure the lady thought I was insane, I actually considered it for a moment myself.

There are a lot of things I could try to explain in my defense, but suffice it to say, this is what my brain looks like on overdrive. (Does anybody remember the tv commercial where there is a guy holding an egg and they do a voice over saying, “This is your brain.” Then they crack the egg and scramble it and say, “This is your brain on drugs.” Ok, this is kind of like that only it wasn’t on drugs, it was on “busy.”)

Dear Me,

You scribbled these envelope notes a really long time ago, before you really had a clue what busy was going to look like today. Before you knew how busy, busy can be. Take a moment today and just reflect on what you wrote, sounds like you could use it. Most days you do a decent job of abiding. It’s the premise behind Run and Be Still, stilling your spirit amidst the chaos and activity. Abide in HIM, listening for the still small voice of God. This is how the crazy that is your life these days can become beautiful.

Remember, Satan likes you busy and distracted. This kind of busy is the place where you are producing a lot of action and very little fruit. This is the place where stress, and worry, and exhaustion become the preoccupation. This is the place where you try to force things by your own efforts. This is the place where you go to the wrong gas station.

You know what, self? There is one word which I have already said to you that you need to remember in all of this. It is the answer to the problem of “that kind” of busy. Abide.

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. (John 15:1,4-6)

Abide in God while you are driving, waiting, washing, cooking, mothering, working…abide. The most important end of the branch is not the fruit end but instead at the connection to the vine. Without a strong, healthy connection, fruit will never be produced, no matter how hard we try on our own. Without a strong, healthy connection we will wither, crumple, become brittle, snap easily.

Our minds are always full, what we are filling them with is important. It will shape and color every other aspect of our day. Matt Chandler said these words, “You will live your life, or it will live you.” Inject God into your day, abide in Him. Take back control of your thoughts, even if you can’t help your busy schedule. Begin to think relationally instead of morally. God as your friend to share your day with not a referee making sure you follow the rules and play fair. Do this and see how much can change.

Oh, and for crying out loud, look before you swipe at the gas pump!

Encouragement

Dear Me – Get out of the way

August 5, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

Dear Me,
Remember when this used to hang on your refrigerator? At some point you took it down and put it in a box.

Today, it’s a good reminder to quit meddling. God has heard your prayers and will answer them in His way, in His timing. It may not look like what you have been praying for (re-read the 3rd arrow point) but you know that God is at work, even when you can’t see it. He has plans for your good, hold onto that!

Remember what Moses told the Israelites as they faced the Red Sea…Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. (Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬ NLT). Hey busy body…Get out of the way, be still, quit trying to do this your way!

You know what, self? Because I know you, I know how hard this is for you. Doing nothing when your brain is screaming, do somethingcan be scary. But remember that going rouge never works out well. Maybe you should hang the sign back up.

Father, you know what every single one of us is facing today. You know our struggles and our heartaches. You also see our dreams and our desires. In all of these things, help me to get out of your way. Help me to sit on my hands and quit manipulating things in an effort to speed them along or fix them. Lord, align my heart with your plan. Fill me with patience for your time table. Help me cling to your promise that YOU are able to do more than I could ever dream possible when I surrender all that I am and all that I have for your glory. Amen.

Talking To Myself

You Know What, Self?

August 4, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

A picture is worth a thousand words...my ornery daughter at her "talking-to-myself" age. — A picture is worth a thousand words…my ornery daughter at her “talking-to-myself” age.

If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, or anyone who interacts with children you know that sometimes they come up with phrases and they just stick with you. When my kids were probably 6 and 3 we were driving down the road, I can still see each of them strapped into their car seats, my daughter, looking at her hands and talking, jabbering nonsense really, a mile a minute. Her brother looks at her and says, in an irritated, you-don’t-make-any-sense tone, “What?” She looks at him and very coolly says, with an indignant air, “I was talking to myself, Tyler.” And then, turns away from him and says, obviously to herself, “You know what, self?” and continued with whatever fanciful story she was entertaining herself with. My husband and I totally died in the front seat and to this day that phrase lives on in infamy in our house.

Do you talk to yourself? Apparently I do…more than I realized. Today after dashing through the check out line at the grocery store, through the circus of traffic, and hurrying over to the football field to pick up my football superstar (I am his mom, I am allowed this opinion) my volleyball superstar (again, mom, again, my right) pipes up from the back seat, “Mom, you talk to yourself when you get frazzled.” I didn’t realize I had been narrating our drive. At least not consciously…”Let’s see, I will turn here instead of going to the other light that should be faster…nice blinker…ok person-GO! It’s your turn!” Oh that’s embarrassing! I have read where studies show that people who talk to themselves are extremely intelligent. We’ll just leave it at that…

In all seriousness though this is a subject I have been thinking of exploring now for awhile. Not my sanity, although some may say that needs to be placed before a review board and explored, but the idea of talking to myself. Not about where I am going, instead, looking back at where I have been. Today just confirmed it was time.

The frazzled monologue that we carry on with ourselves says a lot about where we have been. Allowing those things that I have written, everything from old journals to the scribblings of a quote or a thought on the back of an envelope or scrap of paper (I am a saver) to remind me of the “places” I have been, to minister to my needs today. I can hold onto the big picture things, the big life event lessons, blessings, struggles. Those are the things that leave a permanent mark. But there is always little stuff that sifts through the cracks like grains of sand and there are so often great nuggets of wisdom that are lost with them. These are the details that get lost, those “ah-ha” moments when something speaks so deeply to you right where you are, so often encouraging and uplifting, they bear remembering and repeating.

So I invite you to take a reflective journey with me as I “talk to myself.” You may choose to look at me like my son looked at my daughter and say, “What?” but I have traveled a rocky path and made it through with my faith intact and my prayer is that as we look back we can be encouraged no matter what we are facing as we look forward, and possibly share a laugh or two at my expense.

You know what, self? I think this will be fun!

A Challenge

Enough Is Enough!

July 28, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

Ever stop and listen to people? Most of us are blessed with great things, yet we complain about the most ridiculous inconveniences. This light-hearted video from Journey Box Media made me laugh out loud yet challenged me to answer the question in my own life, “When is enough, enough?”

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. (Philippians 4:11)

That’s a tough one…

Encouragement

And The Victory Goes To Chaos

July 23, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

I am a person who compartmentalizes everything. My brain constantly seeks to turn chaos into order and it will turn a thought, problem, or struggle, over and over and over trying to make sense of it…trying to make it work or fit into my own limited framework of reality.

Ahhh, there it is. My own limited framework of reality. I can only draw upon that which I know in my efforts to understand, process, or fix, and then “file” those things in life that don’t fit easily, the things that aren’t “fair,” the things that cause pain. I can only draw on my own understanding, which is so infinitely small in the scope of things.

The Bible is full of encouragement in the void of understanding…

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5-6‬ NLT)

…the go to verse when we don’t understand. Its words meant to be both comforting and instructional.

I also find solace in how over and over God takes seemingly impossible situations and uses what could be called chaos to win the battle. Think of Joshua and the victory over Jericho, Gideon and his victory over the Midianites. By staying obedient, even when it went against all conventional thinking, they were given victory. God redeemed the situation!

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8-9‬ NLT)

God and His ways cannot be compartmentalized. We will diminish what He wants to accomplish in us when we try. I love the way Matt Chandler says it. “Trying to figure out God is like trying to catch a fish in the Pacific Ocean with an inch of dental floss.”

Today, if you are struggling to make sense of something…turning it over and over in your mind, beating it to death with your thoughts, I encourage you to turn those thoughts to prayers and invite God into your battle. He is capable of victories beyond our understanding if we allow Him the latitude to move within our lives and remain obedient in the void of our own understanding.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ NLT)

Uncategorized

Emmanuel – It’s not just a Christmas thing

July 15, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

…and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

I (mistakenly) thought I heard the strains of a Christmas song this morning coming from the radio in another room and after clarifying that it was definitely NOT a Christmas song it made me think about a couple of things.

First, Christmas in July. I know it’s coming up and I really don’t get it. Is it an ode to Christmas decorations? A reason to not have to take them down after the real season is over? A clever way for retailers to put a hand back in our pockets with a random July sale? Yes, we are at the halfway point between last Christmas and this upcoming Christmas, this is really no reason to celebrate. I am sure there are some folks who are still paying for last Christmas. So anyway, please do not mistake this for a Christmas in July message. It is only coincidental because my hearing is apparently going bad.

The real thought that stuck was the idea of Emmanuel, God with us. We talk a lot about this at Christmas, Jesus coming down to our level, inserting Himself into our mess, so that He could be with us. But this is an ideas that we need to hold onto today, just as much as in December. With us, in all of our chaos, and in the quiet. With us, when we are struggling and when we are celebrating. With us, whether we notice His presence or not.

This quote used to hang on our refrigerator years ago. I don’t even remember where it came from but I latched onto the idea almost immediately. “When it’s so easy to be overbooked, overstretched, and about to snap, STOP! Otherwise you will bulldoze right past some of life’s most precious moments.”

I am sure there are many of you who just read that and thought YES! But let me share with you a truth from my life today…Sometimes it’s impossible to “STOP!” I would love to just quit life for awhile and smell the roses but that isn’t a reality at this stage in the game. That is called vacation, not real life. I know I am not alone in this. This is our time to Embrace the Crazy and I am learning to love every crazy second of it because all too soon it is going to STOP! and my house will be quiet and I will have all the time in the world. (The idea that this too shall pass…)

Here is where the meaning lies in “Run and Be Still.” Run (literally or metaphorically,) be busy if you must, be crazy, but find some time, even (especially) “in the midst” to quiet your mind amidst the chaos. You don’t have to cease moving to “be still.”

Emmanuel, God with us. Invite God into the crazy, into the chaos, into the fun. This is where something beautiful begins to happen…not just God with us…us with God. When we include Him, weave Him into the fabric of our everyday life. I have found that with God’s calming presence, the overbooked and overstretched doesn’t have to result in a “snap.” Sometimes in our family we do get wound a little too tight which means we get to practice forgiveness (both giving and receiving.) We can use our failures as teachable moments for grace and mercy and humility. This is where faith intersects with life, where God gets taken off His Sunday shelf, and invited into the present. God with us…us with God.

More than ever, I have a desire to do more than just manage my days. I want to experience life. I want to open my heart up to be present in today, not bulldoze through it in anticipation of tomorrow, or next week. I want to make this very moment count. I want to allow my soul to awaken to the thrills of the Lord’s presence as I move through every crazy day. I love Jacob’s words in Genesis, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” These words echo in my heart as a reminder to take a deep breath in the chaos and notice Emmanuel, God with us. It’s not just for Christmas!

Embrace the Crazy, Encouragement

Joy Ride Challenge

July 12, 2014 RunAndBeStill Leave a comment

According to a study I found online (which means it’s 100% accurate) I read that children laugh 400 times a day compared to adults who laugh 17 times a day.

Sometimes life gets a little rough, but we all need a bit of joy in our lives. We often talk about the more solemn warnings of the Bible…how to live our lives or how not to live our lives. But the Bible also talks about joy and laughter.

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) Laughter is good for the soul even though, as it says in Proverbs 14:13, in laughter the heart may be in pain. A cheerful heart is good medicine. (Proverbs 17:22)

Today I have an assignment for you,The Joy Ride Challenge, should you choose to accept it. It may or may not be easy depending on where you find yourself today

Here’s how…If you haven’t yet, watch the Joy Ride video. Then, pick something from the video and go out and do it! Blow bubbles in your milk, make a splash, do a silly dance…

I would love to know what you pick. Laughter is contagious, so please share.

God knows your struggles, let him have them for today, even if it’s just for a moment while you take a deep breath and maybe find your laughter.

EMBRACE THE CRAZY!

Cease Striving…Be still…Know God (Ps 46:10) Sounds peaceful, right? Peace-filled is more accurate. "Still" has little to do with activity and everything to do with state of mind. Welcome to my crazy life!