Have you read Wild at Heart by John Eldredge? It is a fabulous book; and in my mind, a must-read for all men AND women. I learned so much about Clay and his inner workings from this book.
I was reminded today of the premise of the book as I read my devotional (also by Eldredge). As a Christian society, we have emasculated our men while trying to get them to fit into some "nice guy" mold. We've taken away their courage to explore, squelched their desire to fight, and encouraged them to separate themselves from their heart.
We need to let go of our ideals and what we think makes a good Christian man allowing God to ignite a fire again in our men bringing their hearts back to life. Only then, in my opinion, will we discover the passionate prince charming we gals dreamed of as little girls really does exist.
Easier said than done (at least for me)...sometimes I find it hard to understand or accept parts of Clay's "wildness" - the "wildness of his heart" that makes him a man. It is hard when it doesn't fit into the neat package I was told to seek as a child. It is hard not to wonder what others will think if they learn this or that about him. But when it comes right down to it, I would prefer him to be true to his heart and seeking passionately after God than conforming to some image created by another human. God created us in His image - warrior and beauty - and we need to allow all parts of Him to shine through us.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Seeing James through fresh eyes
I'm reading James right now. Not a new book to me by any means; but this time I am trying to take it piece by piece and really chew on it. It's a book I'm so familiar with that I often fail to really "see" what it is saying.
Start with verse 2: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,"
Pure joy? Why must he describe joy? Probably because many of us don't have pure joy - I know I often don't. We may be happy for someone or joyful about some situation, but there can be an underlying current of pride or judgment. I know I experienced this a lot while we were waiting to get pregnant and others around us kept beating us to the punch. Was I happy for them and the blessing they received? Sure, but I wasn't purely joyful because I was envious. I wanted what they had. There were brief moments during those 3 years that I could see the benefits of the trial of infertility, but I was rarely joyful about walking that road. No, I was NEVER joyful about walking that road. And that was simply a "trial" of not getting what I wanted...I was never hurt, I was never without my needs. How selfish am I?
Then verses 3 & 4 talk about trials developing perseverance and perseverance allows us to be mature and complete. If that's the case, then I am far from mature and complete! I can hardly make it through one of my daughter's fussy days without losing my cool at some point. But I should desire perseverance because I desire to be mature in Christ.
Verse 5 encourages me to ask God for wisdom. Man, I've been doing that constantly these days. Seeking His wisdom and creativity in how to best care for a colicky little girl and still give my son what he needs. But I LOVE that it says God gives generously to ALL without finding fault. So I needn't fear if I've screwed up already that day, He will still give me the wisdom I seek.
Verses 6-8 are really convicting to me because I am often that double-minded man. I know during our infertility years I repeatedly asked God to bless us with a child; but as I look back I realize that I often didn't believe He would choose to do so. I knew He could, but I doubted He would. I doubted He loved me that much. I doubted He would choose to reveal His glory and power in just such a way; and therefore, I was a roller coaster of a mess during those years. One day I was strong and trusting and content with whatever He had for us. The next day (and sometimes just the next hour) I would be in the pit of despair questioning His love and struggling with lack of desire to even talk to Him. I was blown and tossed around by my circumstances...just like the leaves on this windy day. There are many days right now that I am not anchored down and my daily surroundings greatly affect my mindset and heart. The days I fail to sit at His feet or speak to Him throughout the day are days I get easily frustrated and discouraged. And even when I sit at His feet, I often fail to truly trust that HE will give me what I need. I look to my own understanding and my own abilities to make it through the day instead of leaning on Him. I must believe He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do.
Nothing new...studied this before, but I'm still learning. My prayer is that this time I will "get it" more than I did the previous thousand times I've read it!
Start with verse 2: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,"
Pure joy? Why must he describe joy? Probably because many of us don't have pure joy - I know I often don't. We may be happy for someone or joyful about some situation, but there can be an underlying current of pride or judgment. I know I experienced this a lot while we were waiting to get pregnant and others around us kept beating us to the punch. Was I happy for them and the blessing they received? Sure, but I wasn't purely joyful because I was envious. I wanted what they had. There were brief moments during those 3 years that I could see the benefits of the trial of infertility, but I was rarely joyful about walking that road. No, I was NEVER joyful about walking that road. And that was simply a "trial" of not getting what I wanted...I was never hurt, I was never without my needs. How selfish am I?
Then verses 3 & 4 talk about trials developing perseverance and perseverance allows us to be mature and complete. If that's the case, then I am far from mature and complete! I can hardly make it through one of my daughter's fussy days without losing my cool at some point. But I should desire perseverance because I desire to be mature in Christ.
Verse 5 encourages me to ask God for wisdom. Man, I've been doing that constantly these days. Seeking His wisdom and creativity in how to best care for a colicky little girl and still give my son what he needs. But I LOVE that it says God gives generously to ALL without finding fault. So I needn't fear if I've screwed up already that day, He will still give me the wisdom I seek.
Verses 6-8 are really convicting to me because I am often that double-minded man. I know during our infertility years I repeatedly asked God to bless us with a child; but as I look back I realize that I often didn't believe He would choose to do so. I knew He could, but I doubted He would. I doubted He loved me that much. I doubted He would choose to reveal His glory and power in just such a way; and therefore, I was a roller coaster of a mess during those years. One day I was strong and trusting and content with whatever He had for us. The next day (and sometimes just the next hour) I would be in the pit of despair questioning His love and struggling with lack of desire to even talk to Him. I was blown and tossed around by my circumstances...just like the leaves on this windy day. There are many days right now that I am not anchored down and my daily surroundings greatly affect my mindset and heart. The days I fail to sit at His feet or speak to Him throughout the day are days I get easily frustrated and discouraged. And even when I sit at His feet, I often fail to truly trust that HE will give me what I need. I look to my own understanding and my own abilities to make it through the day instead of leaning on Him. I must believe He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do.
Nothing new...studied this before, but I'm still learning. My prayer is that this time I will "get it" more than I did the previous thousand times I've read it!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Annoying alarms
I often read an online devotional geared toward women called Encouragement for Today found at Crosswalk.com. One statement in today's reading really struck a chord with me. The author, Melanie Chitwood, shared about a day she was busy preparing her talks for an upcoming retreat. Suddenly she heard an alarm going off in her house. I'll let her tell the rest of the story:
Thinking it had to be the smoke alarm, I raced upstairs ready with a plan of action: I would press the reset button, stop the alarm, and get back to writing.
When I got upstairs, I discovered it wasn’t the smoke alarm. Instead, it was the carbon monoxide detector blaring loudly.
I had forgotten we even had this type of warning device in our house. I only gave thought to the danger of carbon monoxide being in our house for about 30 seconds. To be honest, I was mostly concerned with getting this noise to stop so I could continue my work.
All I could think was I don’t have time to deal with this right now and that thing needs to stop! I climbed on a chair, reached up and fiddled with some buttons but had no luck in stopping the alarm. I didn’t think there was a true carbon monoxide threat, so I did what made perfect sense to me at the moment – I yanked that carbon monoxide detector right out of the ceiling. And sure enough; the alarm stopped, and I went back to my writing.
Later, as I told my husband what I’d done, he reminded me that there really could have been carbon monoxide in the house, and wasn’t I at all concerned about that? Well, no… but later when I thought about this whole event, I realized that ignoring the alarm paints a picture of our spiritual lives.
One of the benefits of being a child of God is that He will warn us when we’re entering dangerous territory. Just like the carbon monoxide detector warned me of possible danger in my house, God will warn us of danger in our lives.
God’s warnings come in various forms: a challenging word from a friend; a story from a pastor’s sermon; a still, small voice inside letting you know it’s not right; and the unavoidable truth of God’s Word.
We have a choice to listen to God’s warning or to ignore the warning, just like I did when I yanked the carbon monoxide detector out of the ceiling.
God’s warnings – like the carbon monoxide alarm – are for our good and protection. Despite this, we don’t always want to hear what God says, do we? What are some reasons we might choose to ignore God’s warning? First, we might be set on our own agenda. We have a plan and we’re sticking with it, even if it’s not necessarily God’s plan. Second, the situation might appear to be good. In our own understanding we can’t possibly see how anything bad could result. Third, we might just want to do what we want to do, not what God wants us to do, especially if deep down inside we know what we’re doing is sinful.
Thinking it had to be the smoke alarm, I raced upstairs ready with a plan of action: I would press the reset button, stop the alarm, and get back to writing.
When I got upstairs, I discovered it wasn’t the smoke alarm. Instead, it was the carbon monoxide detector blaring loudly.
I had forgotten we even had this type of warning device in our house. I only gave thought to the danger of carbon monoxide being in our house for about 30 seconds. To be honest, I was mostly concerned with getting this noise to stop so I could continue my work.
All I could think was I don’t have time to deal with this right now and that thing needs to stop! I climbed on a chair, reached up and fiddled with some buttons but had no luck in stopping the alarm. I didn’t think there was a true carbon monoxide threat, so I did what made perfect sense to me at the moment – I yanked that carbon monoxide detector right out of the ceiling. And sure enough; the alarm stopped, and I went back to my writing.
Later, as I told my husband what I’d done, he reminded me that there really could have been carbon monoxide in the house, and wasn’t I at all concerned about that? Well, no… but later when I thought about this whole event, I realized that ignoring the alarm paints a picture of our spiritual lives.
One of the benefits of being a child of God is that He will warn us when we’re entering dangerous territory. Just like the carbon monoxide detector warned me of possible danger in my house, God will warn us of danger in our lives.
God’s warnings come in various forms: a challenging word from a friend; a story from a pastor’s sermon; a still, small voice inside letting you know it’s not right; and the unavoidable truth of God’s Word.
We have a choice to listen to God’s warning or to ignore the warning, just like I did when I yanked the carbon monoxide detector out of the ceiling.
God’s warnings – like the carbon monoxide alarm – are for our good and protection. Despite this, we don’t always want to hear what God says, do we? What are some reasons we might choose to ignore God’s warning? First, we might be set on our own agenda. We have a plan and we’re sticking with it, even if it’s not necessarily God’s plan. Second, the situation might appear to be good. In our own understanding we can’t possibly see how anything bad could result. Third, we might just want to do what we want to do, not what God wants us to do, especially if deep down inside we know what we’re doing is sinful.
God stopped me dead in my tracks when I read she thought she didn't have time for the warning and how she successfully turned it off. How guilty I am of not having time for God's warnings...or even for the "interruptions" He has for me. MY schedule. MY plan. And getting off course doesn't go over well with me most days, and I will often do whatever it takes to stick to the original plan. I'm not a big one for flying by the seat of my pants. But just as her ignoring the carbon monoxide alarm could have been deadly, the cost is great for avoiding the warnings of God. There's a reason those alarms are so annoying...
Fight for your life
From The Ransomed Heart by John Eldredge, page 66 (which is taken from his book Waking the Dead, p. 12-13):
By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn't just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. The offer is life, but you're going to have to fight for it, because there's an Enemy in your life with a different agenda...you were born into a world at war, and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth.
Fight for my life? That means I must be proactive. I must renew my mind daily and put on my armor. I must keep alert, ever watching for traps and temptations. Laziness can lead to injury. Passiveness will lead to a breach into my mind. I'm picking up my sword and shield...trusting He is leading the charge.
The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10)
By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn't just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. The offer is life, but you're going to have to fight for it, because there's an Enemy in your life with a different agenda...you were born into a world at war, and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth.
Fight for my life? That means I must be proactive. I must renew my mind daily and put on my armor. I must keep alert, ever watching for traps and temptations. Laziness can lead to injury. Passiveness will lead to a breach into my mind. I'm picking up my sword and shield...trusting He is leading the charge.
Monday, March 26, 2007
The reason for a second blog
God has been speaking loudly to me lately, and I shared a bit of that on my first blog. I realized that it may be best to separate into two blogs - one for updates and pictures, one for reflection of where God is taking me. So, we'll try it. You may not want to come back here, but it is a place I can externally process what God is saying to me. Maybe He will touch your heart and life. He sure is working on mine!
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