Blessings Come in Many Forms (#fmf)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17

I want to use these five minutes for this week's Five Minute Friday (check out FMF's new website) to share a few of the blessings that God has given me this week! It seems fitting to do this after a really weird week where nothing seemed to go according to plan, everything seemed to take twice as long to complete, and little odd interruptions kept popping up reminding me to relax (haha, yeah right) and go with the flow and see what God is doing. Not sure if I see any clearer what God is doing today than I did on Monday, but at least it helped me see the blessings in spite of the challenges! And if nothing else, there are great blessings in James 1:17 alone! Every good thing we have is from God. But even better than that, He doesn't change!! He is dependable, sure, steady--no shadow of turning! Sometimes, we simply need to be reminded of that fact!

The gifts and blessings this week that I enjoyed consisted of:

• the giggles of a husband and child secretly plotting together or laughter or shouts erupting from the man cave over some video game move.
• the tender gesture of holding my husband's hand until we fall asleep--it's comforting and reassuring!
• the secret looks of knowing he and I hold the same inner commentary as we people-watch whether live or on TV.
• the never-ending round of Pokemon card game because my child has all the GX/EX cards leaving me with regular cards and little defense.
• a few quiet moments sitting outside on the deck listening to birds chirping and admiring the huge fluffy clouds on unusually mild summer afternoons.
• reading books together with my child and then enjoying a couple books on my own.
• decluttering junk piles that seem to have no end and actually finding an end to it!
• baking several loaves of bread--the smell of fresh bread is as relaxing as the strong coffee smell in Starbucks that sticks with you all day long.
• having friends offer love, encouragement, and support to counter the stressful moments (these friends have no idea how much they showed Jesus to me and our family this week).
• enjoying texts, calls, and sitting-across-the-table visits because it's another sign that life is better without Facebook and there is nothing like face-to-face/voice-to-voice relationships. (My FB account is still disabled for who knows why and the appeals process hasn't worked--it's been 4 weeks without it.)
• going to work--yep, I actually said it! While we have our challenges, I truly enjoy going to work and helping my husband with the business. It's fun seeing our strengths compensate for each other's weaknesses making us a solid team.
• being challenged at small group and seeing what freedom in Christ looks like in an open and inviting atmosphere. I like how comfortable it is to ask questions, even the hard ones or odd ones, and they are met with thought-provoking answers that come from God's Word, experience, and love.
• freshly sharpened pencils (great for writing and doing word puzzles).
• being surrounded by a group of strong, courageous, and inspiring ladies who walk along a similar path and believe along with me that there is something more for our lives so we keep showing up, speaking up, and sharing with one another because we are determined to live into who we were created to be whether it takes months or years.
• God's provision and care for our needs plus a big want (like a new dryer that was almost 'free' because we finally redeemed all those credit card points).
• God's healing hand for run-of-the-mill colds and viruses that have floated in and out of our home this week.
• God's protection in a couple situations.
• wiping tears, listening to the same jokes over and over, laughing over stubbing our toes on something in the house again, and excited chatter from a child who fell in love with collecting baseball, basketball, and football cards this week.
• little victories and successes as God leads the way and challenges me to live a whole and free life in Him.

Yeah, when listed out like that, I have nothing to complain about at all--no matter how weird this week was!!

Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes (although, I usually go longer bcs FMF helps fuel that spark in me to write).  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://fiveminutefriday.com/.  This week's word is "BLESSING."

No Longer an Admonishment (#fmf)

"People with their minds set on You, You keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing." Isaiah 26:3-4 (The Message)

When stressful times hit and life erupted into semi-chaos as I was spinning too many plates, an older mentor would remind me to, "Be steady." It came as an admonishment and I left her presence feeling as if that was one more thing I had to perfect in order to maintain the pristine image that was needed for that ministry. Any time an imperfection of my life was revealed, I'd get that reminder from her. I worked hard to maintain that steady image on the outside all the while deteriorating on the inside under the pressure to perform.

The thing about being steady is that true steadiness that endures time doesn't come from maintaining perfection. It comes from hard work and endurance. You can fake steadiness for awhile (even a long while), but eventually, you lose yourself in the process. You lose your God-given purpose, your dreams, and your passion because you're putting everything you have into maintaining some illusion of steadiness and failing to address the cost of maintaining such an image. That is a lot to lose for maintaining an image.

I've been learning a lot lately that God never intended for us to strive for all the things we strive for in the Christian/church realm. He loves us--no striving required to have that love. He is there for us--no striving required to make sure He sees us. He comforts us--no striving required to receive it. He leads us--no striving required to figure it out. He wants a relationship with us--no striving required period because the key word is *WANTS*...He removed all the striving so we can simply come to Him. I'm being reminded all over again just how "simple" a relationship with God is and how complicated it got because of religion and tradition (and maintaining images to keep leadership roles--yeah, mixed up priorities, I know). It is man and our fear of man that keeps us striving when God consistently says, "Come!" and that is an action you take, not something you have to strive for.

Isaiah 26:3-4 (above) talks about how God is the one who keeps us whole and steady on our feet because our minds are on Him. It's "in the Lord God [that we] have a sure thing." If that's the case, true steadiness doesn't come from our striving. It comes from us choosing to lay down our striving and choosing to rest in that relationship with Him...nothing more, nothing less (although, it's one of the hardest things to do)! Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll earn to live freely and lightly."

Merriam Webster (student definition) defines steady as firmly fixed in position; direct or sure in action; showing little change. Being steady isn't jumping through hoops to maintain the perfect Christian leader image based on what someone thinks it should be. But "be steady" means firmly fixing your mind on God. "Be steady" means knowing exactly who it is you're wanting to follow, love, and serve above all others. "Be steady" means not taking your eyes off God and finding your rest and your everything in Him and Him alone.

I wonder what difference it would have made in my life and in our area of ministry had this mentor took the time to discover and explain what "be steady" meant in light of the God that we were serving together rather than use "be steady" as a form of admonishment because my life wasn't looking so perfect as I was struggling to keep up with the image we were supposed to be projecting to those we were ministering to. I'm sooo thankful that God has been showing me the difference and that He doesn't want any of my striving...He just wants me and He wants to create that steadiness within me that changes the core of who I am so it flows outward to others. I don't have to do anything but choose Him...it's all too simple sometimes (once we get past all the wrestling for surrender)!

Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes (although, I usually go longer bcs FMF helps fuel that spark in me to write).  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://fiveminutefriday.com/.  This week's word is "STEADY."

Ditch the Expectations (#fmf)

I am in a season of life where I don't know what to expect next. Each day is different from the last, and it holds unique challenges and blessings, appointments and interruptions, and highs and lows. When I entered this season of healing and rest, I expected it to last for a couple months and then I'd be back on my feet and life would go on as usual. But it was through resting (aka something I rarely practiced) that I began working through various areas of my life where I tend to get stuck and unable to move forward. It became evident that this not going to be one quick walk in the park as expected.

I expected that focused prayer, lengthy Bible study, and stopping all ministry for a short period of time would be enough to overcome these difficult spots. But as the days went on, I began seeing that the journey to wholeness is a process. It's not something that can be rushed and what is expected is least likely to happen.

But in order to create that deep life change so we don't keep getting stuck in the same place, the journey teaches us early on how to let go of our expectations. From there, we can either embrace or resist the process. If we resist, misery begins to set in. It comes across as impatience, frustration, simmering anger just below the surface, or an "it's not fair" attitude as we watch everyone around us living their lives as usual while we're stuck fighting for even the next moment. And before we know it, we are right back where we started, no changes made to our lives, and resigned to expecting the same things we've always known.

But if we embrace the process, we find ourselves beginning to empty our arms in order to reach out for something different. We find room there to claim God's promises in new and personal ways. Isaiah 43:18-19 says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." That verse always makes me want to drop everything, including the secret expectations of how I think things should be, and look for those new things!

Why do I hang on to my expectations for so long when I can let go and see what God has to offer me? And what if in letting go of those expectations, I find something better than I could ever dream of because it's not something limited to my creativity or control? What if I discover that ditching expectations opens my life up to deep mystery and child-like wonder with each new discovery? And what if it's in the discovery where life slowly changes, old messages are erased, and healing happens all because I dared to embrace the hope of something new over the confines of my expectations?

Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes (although, I usually go longer bcs FMF helps fuel that spark in me to write).  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://fiveminutefriday.com/.  This week's word is "EXPECT".