Encouragement

A Magnifying Glass and a Mirror

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

I originally wrote this list for my daughter.

She was still single, and articles were always flying around about what kind of man to marry. I would read them and scratch my head. Something was missing.

So,  I started writing, and this is what came out. For everything I thought a husband should be, I realized there was a proper response for the woman. That made sense to me.

Personally, I appreciate reminders like this. We aren’t wrong to want better from our husbands, but let’s focus instead on giving him our best. Let’s put down the magnifying glass, and pick up a mirror. You will see, it is a very different picture.

 

Marriage Musts

1. He must listen to you.
           Be kind. 

2. He must keep growing.
           Be the sunshine of his life. 

3. He must have a grateful heart.
           Be considerate of his needs. 

4. He must care about your personal growth.
           Be willing to change.

 5. He must never give up.
           Be merciful, when he fails.

 6. He must make you laugh.
           Be charmed by his efforts.

7. He must be in love with God.
           Be sure God is your first love, too. 

8. He must be the priest of your home.
           Be his intercessor.

9. He must be affectionate.
           Be his comfort.

10. He must be generous.
           Be a good steward.

11. He must be a provider.
           Be content with what you have.

13. He must defend you.
           Be careful to choose your fights well.

14. He must hold himself to a biblical standard.
           Be “a woman who fears God.” (Proverbs 31)

15. He must have a servant’s heart.
          Be willing to serve alongside him.

16. He must communicate.
          Be a good listener.

17. He must make you feel beautiful.
          Be the woman who makes him feel like a man.

18. He must care about your interests.
          Be invested in his.

19. He must be respectful of your family.
          Be in love with his.

20. He must be kind and gentle.
          Be strong and supportive.

21. He must be transparent.
          Be slow to anger.

22. He must be your Brother in Christ.
          Be first his Sister, than his wife.

23. He must cherish you.
          Be respectful of him.

24. He must share the duties of homekeeping.
          Be a good manager of your home.

25. He must lay down his life for you.
          Be his best friend.

2015-08-02 14.22.24 a

He Is Even For Despicable Me

/ SaxophoneWife / 3 Comments

This has been a hard day.

A hard day, following a brutal weekend. It has not been an easy season for us in the ministry. Either the Enemy is bringing out the heavy artillery, or we are really just failing the Lord. Our heart aches for people we love. We continue to put it all in the Lord’s hands, but it’s not an easy time. It is a terrible thing to think you have made it harder for someone you were supposed to be helping.

And, honestly, we’re tired. It has been a hard season. Personal challenges and ministry challenges aren’t weighed separately. They are measured on the same scale. When someone calls at 1:30 in the morning, in full-blown crisis, you don’t tell them, “I’m sorry, but I’ve had a very long day, I have an early morning, and I’m actually really sick.” Well, I think it’s kind of caught up to us.

And, today was especially hard.

After Doug left for his meeting, I decided to go out and plant sunflowers. Now, there is a problem with planting sunflowers. The only place in our yard where they will get enough sun is on the opposite side of the house from the water spigot. That means I need a very long hose to water. I have a watering can, but the rosette is not very delicate. It disrupts those little seeds. Plus, as they grow they will need more water. Hauling water by the bucketful isn’t very appealing. So, I’ve procrastinated. Daily, I think about how much we will enjoy those sunflowers, but planting sunflowers means hauling out the 50-foot hose to make a 75-foot hose. Where am I going to put 75 feet of unruly garden hose? Plus, “someone” had hung the hose up above my head in the shed. I’m tall, but it was going to be a pain to get down. I don’t know how I got it up there!

But, I was in a mood. I was feeling defiant! 

I was just frustrated enough after the day’s events. So, I yanked and pulled and wrestled. I hooked-up and dragged and conquered. I collected my seeds and discovered my trowel was broken. Never mind! I’ll find something else to use! I was not to be defeated. I might be weary, but I won’t quit! I don’t care about the hardships, disappointments, or failures. It hurts, and I hate it, but I’m going to keep planting!

As I came around the shed, loaded down with all my goods, I sensed the Holy Spirit telling me to look up. It was quick. I almost ignored Him. I didn’t want to look up—it has been a hang-your-head kinda day—but was it the kind of day to disobey the Lord? Never.

So, I looked up, in every direction, beyond the roof line of my neighbors’ homes. I started to cry.

For Me Sky

“For you,” the Lord spoke into my spirit.

We all love a bright, blue sky with puffy, white clouds. I know that sky is a gift for anyone who sees it. But, the Lord knows my particular weakness for a Maxfield Parrish sky. Oh! He knows my heart!

Today, I needed to know that. I needed to know He knows my heart. I needed to know that He as not far from me. I have let people down. I have failed badly. Yet, I am still loved by the One I have failed most. I don’t know how He loves any of us so much, but I needed to be reminded that He does.

I guess I was outside about half-an-hour (long enough to listen to this sermon), and as I came inside I kept hearing this phrase:  He knows our every weakness. I could hear it as a song lyric, but I’m not one of those people who remembers song titles and I’m notorious for getting lyrics wrong. So, I went to Google. I thought the voice in my headed sounded like Kari Jobe. That made it easier to find the song, which was good, because I totally had the lyric wrong.

Well, I almost cannot believe how perfectly that song spoke to what the Lord had done for me that evening. Do you know the kindness of God? He is very kind. I am very grateful. I cannot believe how much He loves despicable me.

I don’t know what you are going through today, but if you feel kinda awful today, or like you have totally failed the Lord, I hope you will know that He is just a cry for help away. Don’t let the Devil trample your faith. Don’t let the Enemy win the battle. The war isn’t over, and I seriously do not know how we are going to make it through, but today He kept me. I am confidant that tomorrow He will keep me, too.

You Scream, I Scream…Um, guys, we all really need to stop.

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1, KJV)

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words cause quarrels.”
(Proverbs 15:1, TLB)

“A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath,
But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.”
(Proverbs 15:1, Amp.)

“A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.” (Proverbs 15:1, MSG)

Knowing God’s Will

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

I would like to introduce you to my Mother.

There’s much I can say about Rev. Stella Lucille Mosqueda, but I will just share the quality I respected most: my Mother was a woman who feared the Lord.

From the time she was a young child, her one desire was to serve Him.  She battled the same demons we all face today, but she would let nothing hinder her from obeying Him and doing His will. Nothing. Not poverty, not pride, not fear, not grief, not sickness, not anything.

My Mother’s last year on earth was very difficult. Lots of health challenges, with many visits to doctors and emergency room; several stays in hospitals and rehabs.  One day, during a rehab visit in March 2012, we started to talk about spiritual things. I realized our conversation was something special, so I turned on my camera and began recording. The video below is a portion of that particular conversation.

As the video begins, I have just asked my Mother about  knowing God’s will.

POST SCRIPT
Knowing God’s will is one of the things Christians desire most, but have the hardest time discerning, because we are not willing to do the work of seeking Him and waiting at His feet until He answers. We often get impatient or allow fear to rule us. We get up and leave before He can answer.

Of course, sometimes we get an answer, but we don’t like what He has to say. We pretend we didn’t hear Him, or we find a way to justify doing what we really want.  Then, our life gets so complicated and hard and frustrating that we start to ask questions like, “Why did God let that happen? Why did He do that to me?” Stepping outside of God’s will is never going to go well for us, but if we are willing to wait on Him and obey when He answers, we will walk in His peace and blessing. That is a very good place to be, my friends!

Remember:  God’s will is not a mystery or a game. He does not hide it from us. However, if we are not walking in obedience now—to what He has already told us to do—why would He tell us more? We’ve already rejected His will through our disobedience.

Yet, God still desires that we know His will, because He still desires that we do it! If you have been seeking God for His will, but feel like He isn’t speaking to you, I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Repent, and put your spiritual house is order.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24, KJV)

Wanting God’s will means being willing to follow Him.
Following Him means being willing to know Him.
Knowing Him means being willing to give Him time.

What does that mean? It means giving our time to the reading and study of His Word, and giving our time to our secret prayer closet. If we cannot give God our time, we should not expect Him to give us His will.

Friends, I pray the Lord bless and keep you, and I pray you will all know the peace that comes from being in His will. Much love!

What an Apology Isn’t

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

Bad things happen.

People make mistakes. Say the wrong thing. Do the wrong thing. React and act out. It just happens. No one is always perfectly behaved, and sometimes our actions hurt other people.

When our actions hurt others, and there is a breech in relationship, repairing that breech and restoring the relationship need to be a top priority. One of the first steps we should take is issuing an apology.

Simple enough, right? We go to the offended party, admit our wrong doing, acknowledge the hurt we have caused, and say we are sorry.

If we are Jesus people, and our offense was sinful, we must also repent to the Lord. That is an absolute must, as our sinfulness also created a breech between us and God.

Still sounds easy, yes?

Well, not always. Repentance is pretty easy, but apologizing right can be hard.

DO YOU KNOW SELFISH SAM?
Sometimes, we are in relationships with people like Selfish Sam. Selfish Sam isn’t a bad guy. At least, he says he wants to be good. Yet, he isn’t really ready or willing or able to either recognize his wrong doing, or acknowledge how his offense has hurt another person’s feelings. People like Selfish Sam seem to think they inhabit a bubble, where their selfish or thoughtless actions only touch themselves.

Or, maybe they think everyone else is made of stone,  with no feelings at all.

I recently witnessed an apology from someone a lot like Selfish Sam, and it spurred this post. His apology  sounded a little like this: “I’m sorry, but there’s only so much I can take of her staring out a window crying. How am I supposed to put up with that?”

Yeah, I was horrified, too.

He went on to to say, “I always apologize. And, I always have a reason why I’m angry, and why I do the things I do.”

Did I mention how self-righteous he was about having an excuse for his wicked behavior? It was painful to watch this display of selfishness and arrogance, without saying something I might regret.

My tongue has almost recovered.

SAYING SORRY
      “How else am I supposed to react, when he does that?”
      “I know I am wrong, but he’s wrong, too!”
“I’m sorry, but she just makes me so mad!”
      “I’m sorry, but it’s not my fault.”
“I can’t help myself.”

When I hear these kinds of apologies, I know I’m listening to someone who still doesn’t get it. They are still not taking responsibility for their own behavior, and until we can own that, we aren’t apologizing well. We are acting like immature babies.

This is what an apology isn’t:

  • An apology is never an excuse for wrongdoing.
  • An apology is never an opportunity to point out someone else’s faults.
  • An apology is never an accomplishment or a reason to boast.

It is going to take time for an immature person to understand that their actions aren’t all about them. Some folks lack empathy, and really cannot see how their behavior impacts others.

In those cases, if a person is really sorry, give them credit for that. It’s an important step.  They may not understand the depth of hurt they have caused someone else, but that’s our opportunity to help them grow into more mature and caring people (Proverbs 27:17).

Note to Remember: our goal should be restoration in any relationship that has suffered a breech. That is not always possible, or profitable, but when it is, it is a responsibility of both parties. Always be willing to do your part.

 A LITTLE EMPATHY GOES A LONG WAY
Sympathy is important. It shows we care that something bad has happened to someone; and it definitely has its place. However, not when we are the offender. The last thing offended an party wants is our pity. The last thing they need is for us to feel sorry for them. They want us to understand the seriousness of what we have done, and do something to show it won’t happen again.

The best way to do that is through empathy.

Empathy is identifying with another person’s feelings. It takes a measure of selflessness to do that, because we have to let our guard down. We have to be willing to suspend our preconceived notions and let go of our own perceptions. We have to be willing to accept that the other person’s point of view is 100% valid.

There may be some errors in their understanding of what happened, and they may be reacting in a bigger way than they should, but an apology is not the time to judge whether or not a person’s reaction is immature or if their point of view and how they feel is 100% fair or right. Explain yourself, correct the facts. In a relationship, there will be time to work those things out.

Saying we are sorry for what we did wrong is good, but understanding how the other person feels—as if the offense had happened to us, but instead of being us, we are them—is so important.  This is not easy to do, but it helps us take responsibility for what we have done, and works to not only preserve our relationship, but strengthens the bond we share with the person we have done wrong.

The mark of a good apology is one that convinces the wounded party that their feelings are more important than the feelings of the offender. A good apology acknowledges that the other person was hurt, taken for granted, misused, or ignored.

Let me give you an example…

A brother steals his little sister’s favorite doll and uses it to play astronaut. He straps the doll to a rocket and fires it up. The doll falls back to earth in the neighborhood pond. She is lost forever, and the sister believes her doll has suffered a terrible death, and that she has forever lost her best friend.

Being older and wiser, the brother knows dolls do not die. He also knows that his sister will have many best friends in life, and a doll cannot really be a best friend anyway. His temptation is to discount her emotional reaction, because he recognizes it is immature and incorrect. He apologizes for taking the doll without permission and losing the doll in the pond, but he doesn’t acknowledge that his selfishness and poor judgment have caused her tremendous heartache. He just sees her doll as something that be easily replaced. Why should she be so upset? 

This is a lack of empathy. When we are saying to ourselves, or others, that they shouldn’t be so upset, that it wasn’t that bad, or they’re overreacting, we are showing a lack of empathy. The brother doesn’t empathize with his sister’s feelings. He is judging her feelings as invalid, and therefore not putting her feelings first. From his point of view, it was just an inexpensive toy. He does not acknowledge the impact of his actions on her personally. Consequently, he has not gotten to know his sister better, he has not repaired the breech in their relationship, he has not helped restore trust, and has he not learned to be more sensitive to the feelings of others.

What has he learned? Not to launch his rockets near the pond.

ARE YOU THE OFFENDED, OR THE OFFENDER?
In such cases, where a nominal apology has been given, it will seem that all is back to normal. After all, the offender apologized, and the offended has forgiven.

Yet, under the surface there is still an unsettled feeling, and try though they might, the offended is finding it hard to trust the offender, again.  The breech was not repaired. The relationship has been left vulnerable. The next offense, no matter how minor, will bring more destructive. The breech will widen, and it will be harder and harder for that relationship to survive—especially as a healthy relationship.

This is why it is so important for us to learn to apologize in a meaningful and effective way, to be sure we have shown our sincere concern for the other’s feelings. We can only do that through an honest expression of empathy.

You may be reading this is and saying to yourself, “This is ridiculous! I don’t need someone to empathize with me, or understand my feelings. People need to get over it!”

That might work for you, but it might not work for the person you’ve hurt, offended, misused, or taken for granted.

Ask yourself this: do you end up losing more relationships than you keep? Do you find yourself often blaming others for failing you, or forcing you out of their life? I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart. It may be that you are putting your own feelings before the feelings of others, and never realized it. It may not be intentional, but a reaction to your own unresolved heartache and mistreatment. The Holy Spirit can heal that hurt, if we will trust Him with it.

On the other hand…are you reading this and thinking about a wrong apology you have received, or a wrong doing you have suffered? Are your trying to cope with hurt feelings that just don’t seem to heal? Does it seem that you are the only one who can recognize the breech in a relationship?  Do you feel resentment or anger or heartache over a long-awaited apology that still hasn’t arrived?

I want to urge you to go to consider Matthew 5:9, where the Lord calls us to be peacemakers. Partner that passage with Matthew 18:15-17, which instructs the one who is offended to go to the offender.  Your temptation may be to believe the person who owes you an apology also has the responsibility to come to you, but the Bible shows us it works both ways. If you are sitting on an offense, you have an obligation to tell the person. How can it be right to allow that breech to sit unattended, growing wider by the day? Is that being a peacemaker?

Whether it is an unacknowledged offense, or an apology that just didn’t hit the spot, so to speak, go to your brother or sister. Don’t hesitate! “Hey, I know you apologized, but I’m still struggling with this. My feelings were really hurt, and it doesn’t seem like you even care about me.” If they’re clueless, clue them in: “You probably don’t realize it, but when you did/said that, it really made me feel bad.” As I mentioned above, our goal should be restoration in any relationship that has suffered a breech—whether we are responsible for the breech, to not.

Folks, let’s not hold grudges, or give place in our heart to bitterness. Let’s give people a chance to do the right thing. And, let’s do it ourselves. Be quick to acknowledge hurt we have caused, and quick to show empathy and offer sincere apologies. This will absolutely require being willing to take down some walls, or at least open some doors, to share with the other our hurt, or to acknowledge our failure. In either case, it is ultimately pride that will hinder such intimacy.

Yet, such intimacy can bring abundant rewards. While some relationships will not survive an offense, I believe that if we repair these breeches with healthy apologies and forgiveness, a relationship can prosper in spite of even numerous offenses. Even in a very dark, a place that has perhaps been dormant for years, the light of truth can bring forth new life. And, I believe this because it is my testimony. It is my own story.

I hope and pray you will find something here that ministers to you.

God bless you all!

2015-09-09 16.57.20

Write Your Own

/ SaxophoneWife / Leave a comment

Hey, married people.

Just a reminder: you are one in the spirit. What you do impacts each other, which is why you are allowed/expected/obligated to speak up and act out on behalf of one another’s life, health, spirituality, well-being, etc.

If you don’t want to be accountable to anyone, or for anyone, move into a cave and good luck to you. If you want to be happily married, hold each other accountable. Help each other make good decisions. Tell each other the choices that you think are wrong, and help each other make better ones.

Pray for each other like your life depends on it, because it does.

If he or she says it’s none of your business, show him that ring on your finger. You tell him he made it your business when he asked, “Marry me?” She made it your business when she said, “Yes.” You have a right to not only disagree, but force the issue. You have a right to expect your spouse live a life that conforms to the Word of God.

Marriage is hard. It is harder still for anyone who claims Christ as Lord. Don’t feel sorry for yourself or be afraid, though, when it feels too hard to handle. Just take action. Start on your knees, and keep moving. Fight the good fight of faith for your spouse, for your marriage, for your family, and for your future. God’s gift should not be taken lightly. He or she has been entrusted to your care, and his or her spiritual maturity depends on you.

Period.

Oh, I know, they have a free will. They will make choices outside of the counsel of God. That is absolutely right, and we are NEVER responsible for our spouse’s decision to sin. However, the choice to sin isn’t the end of the story. In fact, in many ways it is just the beginning.

Once upon a time the happily married
—though possibly oblivious—
spouse discovered his/her spouse
had forsaken his/her vows…

How that story ends depends on you.

I am praying for you today. It is God’s will to use your marriage as a showpiece of His love for mankind. No matter how broken your marriage may be today, or how badly your spouse has forsaken you, I pray that hope will overtake doubt, and faith will conquer fear. God is able. I can say that with all assurance, because of all that He has done for me.

 “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.” (2 Corinthians 11:30-31)

 

Little White Lies

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

We have two bathroom scales.

The second scale was a freebie, and we use it for the Bluetooth feature that connects it to an app on our phones and tracks our weight changes. When I discovered that the Bluetooth scale measured my weight about four pounds less than the other scale, I decided I would weigh myself on both—I know the other scale is accurate.

However, I recently noticed that I always manage to “forget” to check my weight on the accurate scale. Apparently, tracking my weight on my phone has become more important than knowing what I really weigh. I gave up striving for any particular weight goal a long time ago, but that smaller number was very alluring. It was so alluring, in fact, that I started telling myself little white lies in order to maintain the delusion!

Maybe, the Bluetooth scale isn’t really wrong?
Maybe, I’m wrong to think the other scale is right?
I know the other scale always matches the scale in the doctor’s office, but maybe the doctor’s scale is wrong, too?

Mind you, all of this is happening in my sub-conscious. I was having a little conversation with myself, right in front of myself! While getting on my sneakers or reviewing my weight record, in the back of mind I was making excuses. I heard myself telling myself this very statement: “Oh, darn, I already put my socks on. I was going to weigh myself on the other scale, but I guess I’ll do it tomorrow.”

It’s ridiculous! I tell myself it will be a rude awakening the next time I visit my doctor, but then I imagine whipping out my phone to show the doc my app. “See? Look at this wonderful, scientific app I use. This is what I weigh in my world.” I don’t think she’ll be very impressed!

I know I do this with others things, too. I think we all do it.  Instead of accepting the reality of a situation, we choose to believe a “truth” of our own making. Have you ever told yourself a little white lie about spiritual things?

I’ll do better tomorrow.
This is the last time.
It’s not that bad.
At least I don’t do what she does,
I’ll read/give/do/pray more next time.
It’s doesn’t mean anything.
At least I know it’s wrong.

Little white lies about the number on a scale are one thing.  The disapproving looks of my doctor cannot compare to the day of reckoning that awaits me if I am telling myself little white lies about the spiritual “compromise” in my life. They may help ease my guilt and veil my shame, but the Spirit of God is not very impressed!

A quick search of the Bible tells us that being a Christian means living in relationship with Christ; being in relationship with Christ means becoming His disciple; and becoming His disciple means becoming more like Him.

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6, NKJV)

I know some have thrown their bathroom scales away, calling  them a false measure of beauty and denouncing the pursuit of physical perfection. I heartily agree! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and physical perfection is as elusive as nitrate-free pepperoni! The Word of God is not something we can throw away, though.  If we are not keeping His commandments, there is no truth in us! Those little white lies we tell ourselves to help us remain complacently in sin will separate us not only from our identity with Christ, but our eternity with Him, as well.  Is that a price worth paying for a momentary comfort?

Oh, it’s not! We know the price of our sin is too high, but we keep gambling with our eternity. Our little white lies convince us we are not like “those people,” you know the ones? They have a sin problem. We’re just relaxing.  Our prayer-starved spirit is too weak to care and too lazy to battle the onslaught of temptation. Our sin-plumped flesh gleefully ignores the call to be like Christ.

Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:16b)

So, what hope do we have? Well, the Bible tells us. When we make the decision to walk as spiritual people, as Christ did, we soon find we lose our appetite for sin. The taste of compromise makes our stomach turn, and we quickly get back into step with Christ. Our sins stand out in sharp contrast to His holiness, but when we are walking with Him we are compelled by His compassion to repent. Fellowship with Christ draws to be more like Him. I don’t want to hide from the glaring truth of my failures. I want to cover them with the blood of Jesus so that nothing can separate me from His presence! I am drawn into His loving arms where I am filled with His love, restored through His acceptance, and transformed by His forgiveness. Oh, nothing can compare! 

Please, make Psalm 139: 23 & 24 your prayer. Let Him search your heart. It is the best prayer we can pray, because it is a prayer in agreement with His Word. He will be faithful to answer it! Don’t be afraid to step on His scale, my friend.  He will not look at your with scorn. He draw you to Himself with His everlasting love!

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139: 23 & 24)

IMG_3784

Is Your Tinsel in a Tangle?

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

A bit of Mary’s wisdom from my refrigerator for us all today. (By the way, I only just remembered to update my calendar today!)

2015-12-24 14.28.12

Pretty good advice, right?

I don’t know about you, but here in New England it’s unseasonably warm—not a flake of a white Christmas to be found in our 70 degree weather. In fact, I may have turn on the A.C. to survive the day. And, I definitely did not get everything done for my Christmas prep. There will mostly likely be the tell-tale “gift certificates” under the tree (well, actually, I didn’t manage to get a tree up). I am sitting here blogging, instead of doing something productive, but whether or not I think I’m ready…it’s CHRISTMASTIME!!! 

As my Christmas cards—which are still in their boxes, because I still haven’t gotten them in the mail—declare:

2015-12-24 14.34.18

It really is, isn’t it?! Five hundred things may be wrong in your life right now, but guess what!?? It’s CHRISTMAS!  And, that means there is SOMEONE who loves you right in the middle of your mess, just like you are, and He looks upon you with DELIGHT!!! Yes, that’s right! With pure delight, He sees you with LOVE and calls you perfect!! His heart longs for YOU!

And, this is the time of the year when THE WHOLE EARTH acknowledges His great love for mankind.  Okay, okay, I hear you there in the back row. You’re saying the whole earth hates Jesus, Blahbucks won’t give you a Merry Christmas on your cup, the tree in the town square is a “holiday” tree, blah, blah, blah! Listen, the very fact that anyone rejects celebrating Christmas is evidence of it’s power. Tell me the last time anyone protested against Kwanzaa or Diwali? It doesn’t happen! And, their protests just don’t matter! Christmas is happening anyway, isn’t it?! It’s right there on my calendar!

Coolest factoid ever: whether we believe in Christ or not, the reality of His love for us is unchanged. He doesn’t love us, because we love Him. He loves us, because He IS love—love personified, come to earth in the flesh, and laid down as a living sacrifice for us all! He is the One who delights in us and longs for us! Yes, you, even if you are sitting there in the dark, hiding under that pile of dirty laundry.

Listen, December 25 is right around the corner. It’s coming whether anyone likes it or not, so get with it! Throw off those smelly old clothes, my friend! Toss off that yucky despair, nasty depression, and icky disappointment, and BE HAPPY this Christmas! JESUS LOVES YOU!!! Nothing will ever be bad enough to counter the power of the LOVE that He has for YOU, just as you are right now. And, NOTHING will ever cause His love for you to cease. Think about that and I dare you to be bummed.

Before I go, I want to share one of my very favorite Bible verses and a prayer that you not only feel, but personally know, His great love for you today!

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:7)

 Merry Christmas!!!

Sometimes, A Mess Is Joan of Arc

/ SaxophoneWife / 3 Comments

You were twelve, and you were very serious.

Over the years, I realized the reason for your decision was more unction of the Holy Spirit than you understood at the time.

Your passion for purity wasn’t a passing fad or a piece of jewelry. Others took those vows alongside of you, but so many left you standing. Alone. I know their compromise hurt you. They said they had your back—then laid down their swords and gave up, surrendering their fight.

Is there anything more frightening, than standing on a battlefield alone?

And, loneliness amplifies the chorus of discouragement and despair. It is tempting to forget why you entered this battle in the first place. The faith that got you this far has grown stale, and that doesn’t help. Looking over your shoulder, you see the others going on with life. They don’t look so bad off, do they? They survived, didn’t they? Is it really so wrong to decide to give up the fight? Resistance begins to seem futile.

Now, I don’t want to put upon you the burden of saving France. You don’t have to be Joan of Arc—being you is quite enough. I just want to remind you that, like Joan, you are fighting a holy war. You are a warrior. God is not testing you; He is asking you to trust Him. You’ve taken a stand—a very public stand—and it’s not easy. You just have to decide if it’s still worth it.

Remember: whether you quit or stand your ground, this battle will eventually end. The future will be your testimony.
Dearest, I know your heart is bruised and your hope has suffered from exposure, but you are more like Joan of Arc than you realize. You’re stronger than you think, and maybe more courageous than you know.
Look up! Do you see? There is another fighting ahead of you. He is not your True Love, but your First Love. He is fighting for you, going before you to clear the way. Just follow Him. He really does have your back.
 

(I first published this on 8/4/13, dedicated to my daughter.
I am thankful she kept fighting.) 

Coping Isn’t a Bad Word

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments
2014-07-28 10.50.47 (1)
Main Entry: 3cope
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): coped; cop·ing
Etymology: Middle English copen, coupen, from Anglo-French couper to strike, cut, from cop, colp blow, from Late Latin colpus,alteration of Latin colaphus, from Greek kolaphos buffet
Date: 14th century

intransitive verb 1 obsolete : strike, fight  2 a : to maintain a contest or combat usually on even terms or with success —used with with   b : to deal with and attempt to overcome problems and difficulties —often used with with <learning to cope with the demands of her schedule>  3 archaic : meet, encounter

Coping.  It’s a good word.  It means you’re trying. You haven’t given up. That counts!

You know, most of us have something in life we have to cope with, something that is testing us, confronting us. Problems and difficulties are just a sign of life.  Some days are easier than others. Some days are so much harder than we think we can bear! But, we don’t have win every battle to win the war.

We just have to stay in the fight. And, there’s something about that imagery that really works for me.

Blessings, dear friends!

❤️