Tag: jesus

  • The Love-Hate Relationship of Anticipation and Routine

    The Love-Hate Relationship of Anticipation and Routine

    Who remembers the song, “The Party’s Over” by Willie Nelson?

    Turn out the lights, the party’s over
    They say that all good things must end
    Call it a night, the party’s over
    And tomorrow starts the same old thing again

    I woke up today with this song running through my head. Yes, I’m weird like that. I’m guessing because it’s Monday after two weeks filled with Holiday parties and excitement, this is how I am feeling.

    As Christians, we’re called to live for today, trusting in God’s sovereignty and goodness. Yet, we often find ourselves torn between two opposing forces. The excitement of anticipating special events, and the comfort of routine.

    On the one hand, Looking ahead to exciting events like vacations, holidays, or milestones can bring us joy and motivation. We eagerly count down the days, imagining all the wonderful experiences and memories we’ll create. The anticipation can be a gift, giving us hope and something to look ahead to.

    On the other hand, an overemphasis on anticipating special events can lead to discontentment with our daily lives. We might find ourselves constantly wishing we were somewhere else. Wanting to do something more exciting, rather than living in the moment. This mindset can cause us to miss out on the beauty and blessings of our everyday routines.

    Routine, while often viewed as mundane, provides a sense of stability and structure. It allows us to form healthy habits, nurture relationships, and grow in our faith. Routine can be a means of worship. We are called to offer our daily lives to God and seek to honor Him in all we do.

    None the less, routine can also become monotonous and stifling if we’re not careful. As Willie Nelson put it, “the same old thing again.” We might feel like we’re just going through the motions, without any sense of purpose or passion. This can lead to feelings of restlessness and discontentment.

    So, how can we navigate this love-hate relationship with anticipation and routine?

    As I was processing this morning, a thought came to me. Whatever the Holiday or exciting event, could we treat each day the same way?

    What brings excitement to holidays and special events?

    • Creating memories
    • Laughter
    • Love
    • Serving
    • Preparing
    • Family
    • Friends

    When I look at this list, I realize, I can have this excitement in my day to day routine. I can experience what I love about the holiday or big event without all the work.

    I should be in servant and in preparing mode, praising Him every day. I can always find ways to serve others, being His hands and feet.

    I can choose to see the mundane of everyday life as a new opportunity. It’s a chance to love, laugh, serve, and create memories. Whether our family and friends are close or far away, we have opportunities to serve them.

    Technology can be frustrating and even a bit scary, but let’s choose to change our perspective. That same technology provides us an opportunity to love and serve others far away. To keep connected with them and check in on them.

    My praise is a direct reflection of the thankfulness in my heart. And, my thankfulness in all things needs to be of equal measure.

    Holidays and special events bring excitement and joy that pretty much smack us right in the face. But, just because they are extraordinary times and give us a rush, doesn’t make them more praise worthy.

    “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”(2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV)

    “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

    Do all things – even the mundane, the day-to-day grind, to the glory of God. Find joy in your day to day journey as well as the big exciting times!

    I pray as we navigate the excitement and mundane of life, that we learn to appreciate the beauty of both anticipation and routine. May we find joy in the everyday moments and trust in God’s sovereignty over all things.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Stop Looking. Start Acknowledging.

    Stop Looking. Start Acknowledging.

    Have you ever noticed that sometimes the more you search for something, the further away it gets?

    Sometimes, with the best of intentions, we go to God looking for answers… for direction… for guidance… and we get…

    Nothing.

    We get silence. We can be quiet. We can listen. We can be silent while screaming inside at the top of our lungs, “WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!”

    We do all we are supposed to do. We follow the rules…pray, sit in silence and yet we get… nothing. We can’t seem to find Him.

    I wonder if I am trying too hard. If I should stop looking. And start acknowledging.

    I start thinking God has gone somewhere. That He has fallen silent and I am doing something wrong. That I need to search for Him and find Him. But really, I don’t think either of those things are true. I think I am just waiting for Him on my terms instead of His.

    I want the control. I want answers, direction, resolution. I want the warm and fuzzy feeling that I think faith should give me.

    I have grown up to believe that if I follow the rules of praying I will get the answers. Of course, the answers in my time and in my way.

    I long to know what He knows. I wait to hear the definitive word so I can step ahead in His good grace. And when He is silent, I think I’ve missed something. And I once again, think I need to find Him.

    Do you notice the control theme in there?

    I want. I look. I expect.

    The other day, I had one of those “Aha” moments when I was driving home. It was an overwhelming day, there wasn’t one thing that seemed to go right. I was tired of the number of things that seemed to not be going how I wanted them to. In the middle of these thoughts, I began taking in the beauty of His creation. I began focusing on all that I am grateful He has given me.

    And then I felt calm, grateful, and serene.

    I had been frustrated, feeling He was nowhere near me and silent. When I changed my thoughts and perspective, I got what I was looking for. Those thoughts, turned my attitude and feelings on a dime.

    And it was then I realized:

    I don’t need to find God. I just need to acknowledge Him.

    I thought He was silent because He wasn’t giving me the answers I was looking for. He wasn’t speaking to what I wanted Him to speak to. I knew what I needed and what I wanted and He wasn’t providing.

    He wasn’t under my control.

    But He hadn’t gone anywhere. I was the one who had moved. I moved from a place of being a servant. I moved to a place of wanting Him to serve me on my time and in my way.

    In that moment I stopped trying to find Him. I found the creator of the Universe who I thought had somehow disappeared. He is EVERYWHERE. I was just looking for what I wanted instead of what He was offering.

    I need to stop looking for Him and started acknowledging Him.

    Stop waiting for my answers and started walking ahead in faith. Stop waiting for Him to give me what I want ahead of time. Trust that He will give me what I need when I need it.

    I don’t need to pack my bag before the trip He has called me to. I need to travel the road He has called me to and trust He will provide for me as I go. I need to acknowledge Him along the path.

    I realize that He doesn’t have to speak to be heard. I need to start listening with something other than my ears. I need to listen to Him with my heart and soul.

    Walking in faith is hard and scary, and I can be okay with that.

    Because hard and scary is His specialty.

    He has called me to focus on the word serenity this year. Serenity is a state of inner peace and mental clarity that is independent of external events. It’s a feeling of calm and tranquility that can help avoid stress.

    “I leave the gift of peace with you, my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts, instead, be courageous.

    John 14:27 (TPT)

    My job is to stop looking and start acknowledging. It is there I will find the serenity that comes from Him.

    What is God calling you to this year? Will you join me in acknowledging Him along the way?

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Love in the Details

    Love in the Details

    Hello. My name is Laura and I am a Martha.

    Jesus and his disciples visit a village where Martha welcomes them into her home. Martha serves Jesus, but becomes distracted and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Jesus responds, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her”.

    Luke 10:38-42( NIV)

    I have the spiritual gift of hospitality. I almost took my perspective of hospitality too far this Christmas. Which, is what makes me a Martha.

    Last week, I wrote a post on “Surrendering our Moments.” In the post I talked about moments when life isn’t showing up how I would like. This Christmas, I almost let my gift of hospitality lead to disappointment. Christmas Eve did not turn out as I initially envisioned.

    I love going with my family to the Christmas Eve church service. It has become our tradition. After the service, we would come home, share hors d’oeuvres, play games, and open one gift.

    Just as in years past, I spend days preparing the perfect Hors d’oeuvres. Everything from scratch of course! It would be cheating to buy something frozen or prepared by the store. At least that’s how my hospitality brain works.

    Christmas eve day, was spent getting everything set up. The tables looking perfect. With just the right decorations and placement of dishes. Lighting the house so it felt inviting and placing candles to show the perfect ambiance.

    Let me set the stage a little more for you. Christmas eve of the past was mostly adults. This year, I knew that Christmas eve would include my one and three year old grand kids. I planned for that as well.

    I made hors d’oeuvres that included homemade popcorn chicken as well as pull apart pigs in a blanket. I also pulled out the bible stories book from when my kids were little. We were going to read the Christmas story and it would all be just like a Hallmark movie.

    NOT!

    My daughter in law and her parents were involved in both Christmas eve services. This meant they wouldn’t get to the house until 7:30. So, I had to adjust a bit. The grand kids would be hungry and would be too tired by 7:30. So, I began heating up the food I knew they would like and feed them early.

    Needless to say, they didn’t want what was prepared. Made from scratch was not the food they were typically used to. Which I should’ve known since my own kids only liked Kraft mac and cheese. The kids wanted to play and were excited about all the activities of Christmas!

    I began feeling a bit overwhelmed.

    What I am proud to say, is that I showed up and shifted my perspective!

    I knew that how I perceived the moment would be my reality. I wanted my reality to be filled with joy, blessings, and wonderful memories.

    I let go of the perfect table setting and ambiance. I put all the food on the table and told everyone to just help themselves. I played with the grand kids and joined the conversation. We looked at pictures of past Christmas’ and reminisced on the joy filled memories.

    Now, I also didn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, as the saying goes. I also saw the love in the details.

    Love was shown in the time I spent to make everything beautiful for the beautiful people I love. How I took joy in making everyone feel special. With just the right decorations and placement of dishes. Ensuring the lighting in the house was perfect, which made it feel inviting. Placing candles to create the perfect ambiance.

    The point wasn’t to show off my pretty things or to show people what I could do. But to show the affection I feel for each of those who showed up to celebrate Jesus with me.

    I shifted my perspective. My perspective wasn’t one of having everything perfect for them. My perspective was the joy I had for three days of preparation, showing the love I have for them.

    I opened my eyes to see the blessing in the midst of the rubble. He changed my heart. He created that desire in me to let go of what I perceived to be the perfect Christmas. He instead created a desire in me to see that I already had the perfect Christmas.

    I learned first hand what Jesus was saying to Martha. I also learned that it wasn’t about what I displayed for them. It was how I showed them love.

    I will always treasure the memories I shared this Christmas with those I love. The joy I experienced in the preparation and the love I felt this Christmas will stay with me forever.

    I pray your Christmas was filled with joy and love filled memories too.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Surrender Your Moments.

    Surrender Your Moments.

    As I prepare for Christmas , I am reminiscing on Christmas’ past. My parents were the king and queen of making special memories that I will cherish forever!

    If I had to choose my absolute favorite part of our family Christmas, it would hands-down be our yearly Nativity play.

    We had a beautiful baby Jesus that came from a church’s nativity scene after it had closed. It used to sit in our curio cabinet, and was so pretty with the lights shining on it. It became awfully tempting to open the glass doors just to touch it. In fact, there were times I would see one of the kids gently holding the precious treasure that was supposed to be left alone.

    When my kids, nieces, and nephews were little, dad built a small manger to hold the baby Jesus. While mom read the Christmas story, the little ones would each have a role and act out the story.

    The first year, my oldest nephew Alex had the big job of carrying in baby Jesus. He made sure at the appropriate time he would lay baby Jesus in the manger filled with hay. As years went on, the role of carrying in Jesus went to the next in line according to age. Each year, the plays also became a little more detailed.

    Costumes were made and the acting sometimes became more dramatic. Little kings kneeling prostrate on the floor (with no prompting from the adults, mind you… maybe a few chuckles but no prompting). It became a very big deal for the sweet children, and the adults! Often during the year there would be mention of who was in charge of the baby Jesus that Christmas.

    Christmas can also become a time when I have moments when life just isn’t showing up how I would like. As I reflect on the blessing of these memories, I also feel bouts of sadness.

    The kids have grown and now have families of their own. It’s rare that we are all able to gather together. I have lost my dad and youngest sister Sara to Heaven.

    I long to make those kind of memories for my kids and grandkids. The difference for me, is that they are spread out in Iowa, Texas, and Florida. In my longing, I find sadness creeping in and I am not living in the moment. The moments filled with blessings.

    I’m sure we all have had moments when life just doesn’t show up how we would like or envision. I think it also safe to assume at times, it feels like more than just moments! 

    Whatever I am struggling with, how I choose to look at the moments ultimately determines how I live my life.  How I enjoy the moments.

    Our life is precious. A gift from God. Living in gratitude and surrendering our struggles to God are the foundation of creating moments of joy. 

    I know it is easy to focus on what is going wrong. Especially when those things going wrong are the biggest part of our moments.  

    I have found the most powerful way to fight the negative perspective is to first show up. Show up with a goal to not focus on what is going wrong but focus on what is going right.  

    Show up and shift your perspective.
     
    How I perceive my life and life moments becomes my reality. How I see things becomes my truth.  

    What is your reality? What is your truth?
     
    Whatever you are struggling with, let me remind you, if you are still here on earth, you have a purpose to fulfill. You have memories to create and blessings to share.

    This Christmas, I am remembering to see the blessings of the memories I have. The blessing of having those I have lost in my life for the time I did, and the blessing of being reunited with them in eternity. I am also going to create new memories with those I am blessed to share Christmas with in the moment. Memories that not only I will treasure, but they will treasure too.

    People will respond to me based on the attitude and perspective I bring to this life. The attitude and perspective that I bring to each new day will create the experience of our moments and ultimately the moments of those I come in contact with. 

    I am learning to appreciate the chaos as well as the simplicity of my moments. That being thankful in everything is more important than being thankful for something. 

    The first step is to show up and ask the One who gives me everything to help me see everything the way He sees everything. 

    I pray that God will help me make that choice. I ask Him to open my eyes to see the blessing in the midst of the rubble. I ask Him to change my heart. To change my vision. To create the desire in me to be joyful when I am feeling lonely or longing for what was. 
     
    I surrender my moments to the one who has the ultimate plan for my life.  He is the biggest Christmas blessing of all!

    Friends, join me in looking for the blessing in the hay!

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Shoo Birds

    Shoo Birds

    The last couple of months, my ministry partner and I have been on a sabbatical. A sabbatical is an extended period away from work for personal growth and reflection. It is a time for us to be intentional in seeking God’s call and provision for 2025.

    There have been many times over the last couple of months where I have been intentional in being still. Being still so I can hear from God. During the times of being still, I find my mind trying to control my thoughts. I have tried to stop the thoughts and the worry that creeps in by praying and giving it to God. Yet the minute I stop praying, my mind is back to trying to figure out next steps.

    Has that ever happened to you?

    Then I came across this quote…

    You can’t prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. ~Chinese Proverb

    I changed the word sorrow to worry and I decided that it appears I’ve got some birds of worry swarming around. It also appears that they are taking up residence.

    I have found over the last several years that worry is NOT from God. If I truly have faith and trust Him like I say I do, then I have to let go. I have to let go and surrender the situation to Him.

    Fear, worry, and anxiety are all weapons of Satan. They keep us from experiencing the full life God has for us. These emotions tend to overwhelm us and keep us paralyzed.

    1 John 4:18 (NIV) says, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears in not made perfect in love.

    They say faith is believing without seeing. I think it’s also believing without feeling. It’s believing in those moments when our hearts ache, worry consumes us, and our tears betray us by spilling over. When we know better, but feel the worry and/or pain any way.

    Faith isn’t a feeling. It’s believing despite our feelings.

    So what’s the answer?

    I have to do more than pray. Praying is one step in combating worry. I have found that getting into His word and reading all His reminders and promises is also an important step. His word gives me what I need to combat what Satan is trying to do to stop me.

    But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

    When I read His truth and promises, the feeling of love, security, and peace take over. These feelings allow me to be still, listen, and Hear from Him.

    Have you been trying to be still and hear from God? Pull out your bible and read His promises and truth. Talk to Him. Hear from Him.

    Oh, and by the way, it also helps keep the birds from building the nest in our hair!

    With love and joy,

    Laura