Living Life for Christ Alone

In only a few days we will be flying down to Central America for a nine-day mission trip.  And then we will come home and life as we know it will be rapidly changing as we finish the licensure process for becoming foster parents and begin that new adventure.  Imminent change, no matter how exciting, always has me pondering, processing, thinking...  And then there has been the extra-long to-do list that I have been working on (and then adding to) every chance I get.  Yet, in the middle of this whirlwind of thoughts and to-do's, a nail-pierced hand beckons me to gaze steadily heavenward and allow my soul to rest quietly with Him. A whisper here, something someone said there, a passage from scripture, a phrase from a book... little messages rustling like a calming breeze over a troubled soul.  It's Him, inviting me into His heart -for this is where He has wanted me to come all along. //  "I don't care what God does. It's what God is  that I care abou...

"No, Lord, not them..."  There has been a truth that God has been bringing me back to over and over in the course of this past year, and it's simple:  Yes, them.  Let me explain. Sometimes I wonder why it is that we who are in Christ struggle to feel God's love for us...  Could it be in part because we are not willing to be His hands and feet of love to the unlovable? In motherhood, I have tasted God's love in laying down my sleep, my own nourishment, my own emotional stability, and almost every other basic need, for the needs of a baby. Could it be that in laying down our lives for the people we don't want to love, we will discover more depths to God's love than we ever dreamed possible? It is our human tendency to love to a limit, but no farther. Believe me, motherhood helps me discover my own limits fast. But what if God's desire were to give us a taste of the limitlessness of His love by calling us beyond our comfort zones and set boundaries?   Wha...

I want to serve Jesus. This desire has been mine since my youth.  Maybe this is just a millennial thing (or maybe it's not), but we millennials want to be passionate about something and to go big or go home. We want to change the world. I took that millennial thing and went "Christian" with it.  I wanted to be a missionary and make a huge impact somewhere so that I could come home and talk about it.  I wanted to leave a legacy that no one would miss.  I wanted to be remembered as someone who made a difference. I wanted to feel like I was accomplishing something important for Jesus.  I often pictured showing up before that great throne one day with much luscious, spiritual fruit to offer Christ to show for how my life was spent on this earth.  I feared not having enough to give Him.  But marriage and motherhood has put huge cracks in this dream. They caused me to pause and have to rethink what is actually valuable.  What do I mean by that? Were tho...

The day had been a stressful one, and as it wound down to a close, I felt as though there were still so many loose ends that needed to be tied. Above all, the dishes still had not been done.  We got the girls into bed, and I finally got around to taking my much-needed shower. I glanced over at the kitchen and thought to myself, " Kevin will do them. I'll come out of the shower to a clean kitchen."  But when I came out, I found him on the couch doing some work-related to-do's that had been pressing on his mind.  Yes, I understood. But at the same time, I looked over at the still-messy kitchen and my heart sank. I had been looking forward to settling down to read a good book, but instead, I knew what needed to be done.  "I'll just clear the counters and wash the huge, obvious dishes that are sticking out of the sink, and then I can read,"  I thought.  As I went toward the kitchen, Kevin interrupted me.  "You don't have to do the dishes," he s...

This morning, as I spent my time alone with God, I sat in the van, doors shut, sun rising over the horizon, starting to warm up the place where I sat. One question seemed to dominate my thoughts... How do I know I'm useful in God's opinion?  For the past 24 hours, a feeling had been threatening to dominate my actions. "I don't really matter in the bigger scheme of things." That's how I felt, and I knew that there was only one place this lie could melt away. That would be in God's presence. So, here I was, sitting in the car before God, asking Him my question, waiting for an answer.  I knew that whatever God gives me to do is important. Nothing can change that. But, for some reason, I felt unseen, unimportant to everyone else.  As I opened up my bible to search for His answer to my question, my eye fell upon several different verses that talked about Jesus. 

Serve to be seen --not of men, but of God. Sacrifice, but not so others will love you; do it so they will know God's love and love Him, that He may be pleased. Smile, not to draw attention to self, but to reflect God's great love for you. Give, not expecting anything in return, so that others can know how generous our God is, and that He may satisfy you more with heavenly things. Don't show off your righteousness -you have none of your own anyway. Wear Christ's righteousness, aware it did not come from you, and God will pour His joy into your life. Pray, not to be seen of men. They can't reward you, and God doesn't answer selfish prayer. Pray to God alone with His interests in mind. Fast, not so you can be something great, but so you can have Someone great in your life living out impossible things through you. Love, not expecting love in return. God promised to reward sacrificial love. Do all things without complaint, for His glory, knowing that your r...