MY BLOG POSTS
Clean Slates are a Messy Business
The good news is that we can have a clean slate anytime we want – we don’t need to wait for January 1. But the not-so-good news is that cleans slates are a messy business.
Over the last decade or so, we have had several friends decide the lives they were leading just weren’t satisfying. So they threw aside their friends, their wives/husbands and kids, and “started over”. Meanwhile, their spouses and children were left devastated, their friends left wondering “why?”
“I want a fresh start.” Our society allows for that answer. At times, they encourage it. Like a computer whose hard drive is wiped, we want to delete our past and move forward into a new future. Leaving the past behind, especially when that past is messy, is SO much easier than cleaning up the messes we have made.
In our 17+ years of marriage, Dave and I have had plenty of times when we’ve gotten so frustrated, so “messy,” that I’ve thought, “I’m done! This is too hard.” It seems easier to just “restart.” But we are both committed to Christ and committed to marriage, so we have cleaned up those messes we have made – through seeking forgiveness, seeking counsel, talking through hurts and regrets. And our marriage is stronger because of it.
Maybe there are major mistakes in your past – mistakes you want to bury and get as far away from as possible. Please hear me when I say those mistakes can be forgiven, but they MUST be dealt with. If they are too big for you to handle on your own, talk to a pastor or a counselor.
Maybe you have a spouse or parent who has hurt you repeatedly. You’re done. Tired of dealing with the same issues. While you can’t change someone else, you can make sure you are responding to the situation in a way that honors God. You can make sure that you are doing all you can to live at peace with that person. That means forgiving them, seeking to restore broken relationships. No one benefits from grudges held.
There are times you need to walk away from a person who refuses to change. But there is never a time when we are permitted to live in anger toward someone. Christians are told to love our enemies, to be kind to those who mistreat us, to forgive seventy times seven. That is, I know, incredibly difficult. But God knows it will make us stronger, make our relationships stronger, our churches and families stronger.
Start the New Year seeking a clean slate – but with an eraser in hand and not a trash can. Clean up those messes, restore what was broken. Don’t set aside your past – redeem it.
What Christmas is All About…
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!
Luke 2:1-20 (The Message)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Writers are Readers
riters are readers. Big-time readers.
I read A LOT. Sometimes as much as a book a day, but almost always at least a book a week.
I read a wide variety of works: mysteries, historical fiction, chick-lit, young adult, science fiction, classics. I also read non-fiction, mostly Christian works about being a mom, a wife, about theology and doctrine and Christian living. I love biographies, too. And histories. Really, just about everything.
Sometimes, I have to check myself because I read other books and think, “This is SO much better than my stuff!” But that, as I heard a singer say once, is just “an opportunity to grow in humility.” So I ask God to help me appreciate other writers’ talents rather than being jealous of it.
I also read books about writing so that I can grow in this craft, become more like those writers I respect so much.
I read a writer’s blog once and she said she read everything — even cereal boxes and bumper stickers. I TOTALLY related. And the more writers I get to know, the more I see that is a common thread.
Does that mean every reader is a writer? Not necessarily. I know plenty of readers who have no desire to write. But if you’re reading this and do want to write, then keep doing what you’re doing…read, read, read!
I’m always looking for new books to read, so feel free to share your favs with me!
Passing the Test
The Christian life is like that. There WILL be tests – also known as trials (James 1:2-4) . Those trials come in many forms – losses, hurts, mistreatment, disappointment. Jesus faced trials – as did all of his disciples and millions of other believers throughout history. Sometimes those tests are made to strengthen our character, to teach us and mold us more into Christ’s image. Sometimes trials comes as a result of other people’s sin: a parent’s divorce or a friend’s betrayal. But whatever the reason, they are difficult. And, sometimes, if we aren’t prepared, we can fail those tests: We turn away from God when He is trying to draw us closer to Him. We get angry when God is asking us to respond with grace. We withhold forgiveness when God is offering us the opportunity to love the way He loves.
The best way to be prepared to “pass” these tests is to listen to the Teacher every day. Take notes. Talk with other students. Fill your heart and your mind with the words of God so you can cling to those when the storms of life come. Tests aren’t easy, but you can come into them prepared to succeed.