All in God's time ... no matter how fast you go!

I've noticed recently that quite a few of our sentences begin with “I wish it was…” I wish it was Spring…Friday…5:00…whatever. I wish my kids could walk… could go to school…could be in youth. And then when we get there we say “Where did the time go???” Ironic, huh! With those thoughts in mind – it seems like we are always looking at either the past or the future – when is it that we actually enjoy what we have right here and now? Every day is a gift – even Mondays!

There is something special about each and every moment that God has given to us. How many of those moments have we rushed through without noticing it. Now, I’m not saying that we have to pay particular attention to each and every second of the day – but how many times have you passed up (or passed by) an opportunity to make something of a moment – but didn’t because of a rush for the future or a glance of the past. A car on the side of the road that we didn’t stop for because we were in a hurry to get to work; let the door shut when we could have held it for someone; didn’t stop and speak to someone because we were rushing to do something else. How many times have we told our kids “Not now, I’m busy!” And all they really wanted was a minute of your attention. It’s hard!! It’s incredibly stressful to stop and chat when you know you have to be somewhere. It’s nerve-racking to let dinner wait to look at the test your child got back. But what could that ‘moment’ have meant – to you or to them – or even to someone walking by that happened to see you take the time. And I guess, that’s the point – TAKE the time. We never HAVE the time – so the only way to get it is to take it. What should we take time for? Only you can answer that question – what is your first priority?

How many times did Jesus stop in the street to chat? How many people did he help along his path? His priorities were the people along the path – not the destination. Don’t be so focused on the end of the path that you miss everyone along the way. You’ll get there – in God’s time – no matter how fast you go!

Have a great day!

TGIF
Thank God I’m Forgiven!

Morgan's debut

Morgan showed me her newest project the other day. She's started writing poetry. Yes, Morgan - who would much prefer science and math than writing - has become quite the little author.

I remember that I was about her age when I first started writing. Reading one of her first poems brought back a flood of memories from that time in my life. In many ways, we're a lot alike. We both try to save the world, are loyal to a fault to those we care about and always root for the underdog.

But her overall view of life is very different than mine was at this age - and her writings reflect that. Drugs ... fear ... abuse ... terrorism - these are things that never entered my thoughts. My biggest fear was not getting to play with my friends or striking out in Saturday's softball game. Death only happened to 'old people' and I was allowed to play outside around the neighborhood all day and be home at sundown. I don't have to tell you what today's contrasts are and the impact they have on how we raise our children - and how their perception of life.

When I was 12 years old, God was in Heaven. He created everything, was watching over us, and waiting for us - if we were good - to come be with Him when we got old and died. Jesus was his son, and was born and died on the cross to save us so that we could go to Heaven - if we followed all of his rules. I said my prayers at night "Now I lay me down to sleep..." because I loved God and I knew he liked it when we prayed. Fortunately, Morgan's perception of God - of true life - is just as different from mine as our fears. She talks to Jesus. She knows that God is in Heaven, but He is here with us every day, too. She may not completely understand it - but then, I'm not sure I always do, either.

Just as some of her poems tell of her fears and concerns, some of them tell of her faith. I can at least find comfort in the fact that if the world has to be so different for her than it was for me, her faith in God balances the equation. I imagine it would be a very scary place to have to deal with the world today without knowing that God is beside us.

Morgan just may be taking over my place one day - here is one of her first poems...

Sometimes

Sometimes we think
Sometimes we joke
Sometimes we sink
Sometimes we float
When you’re in the woods
And you’re all alone
You feel a little fear
In your tone
You think of the days
When you’re in a gaze
And then you think of
The Lord’s grace

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Michele (and Morgan)

Patiently trust

Patience … what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of ‘patience’? I know what I think – I think I don’t have much! In our time of immediate gratification, it’s difficult to have patience … difficult to wait! We want it NOW! We want it faster – work faster, get our food faster, drive faster, fall asleep faster, get to Friday faster. We just don’t want to wait.

Many of us, in our lifetime, have known that in order to communicate with someone on the other side of the country involved a pricey long distance phone call or a letter that took about a week to get there. Now, waiting to get on a computer to check e-mail isn’t fast enough – we have e-mail capability on our phones that we carry around constantly. (and then wonder why we don’t have a minute to ourselves – but that’s another ramble!)

I hear far too much ‘Michele, be patient’. And I don’t want to wait. But let me throw a kink in that theory. Let’s associate a different word with ‘patience’ and see if it makes a difference … Trust.
What does trust have to do with patience – much more than you think. We know that God is in control, and we trust Him completely. Patience isn’t so much about not wanting to wait for what we want – it’s about not trusting God to provide in His time – not ours.

What?? No, I trust God – completely. I just don’t want to wait in traffic, or wait in line, or wait on hold. But God knows exactly what He is doing. He has a plan to get us where we need to be, when we need to be there – according to HIS plan, not ours. Impatience is our attempt to interrupt God’s plan because He’s not speaking fast enough for us. It is a lack of trust of God to provide according to His plan – in His time.

The next time someone says ‘Be patient’, don’t think about waiting – think about trusting. Whatever the delay is that is causing us to be impatient, God knows about it. Perhaps there’s a reason that only God’s time will reveal. Perhaps getting stuck in traffic is an invitation from God to have a little chat – when there is nowhere else that you can be. Perhaps missing an exit or making a wrong turn was intentional – to keep you out of harm’s way. Perhaps waiting on hold with the phone company … nope - got nothing there…

But you get the picture – it is all about God’s plan for us. There are delays; there are road blocks, and difficulties that slow us down. Maybe that is His intention. Be patient – trust God to deliver exactly what you need, exactly where you need to be – at exactly the right time.

The difference a comma can make!

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers! What an amazing game!

Last year, I tried hard to incorporate the Super Bowl into our Breakout lesson, and did a little research. I googled “football” and “God” and was actually amazed! There are quite a few stories of football players, coaches and teams (NFL, college and high school) that have inspiring stories about letting God rule their game. It is very refreshing to see some names that even I recognize that are using their influence and fame to honor God. Especially in a time where the most visible stars of the day are in desperate need of our Northstar program!!

One of the first things that I thought of was the time I spent with Morgan cheering for the Rebels. I was very impressed (if not surprised) that there is still a prayer before the start of the games – and I’ve read that many NFL teams pray before their games as well. Also, whenever a player is injured – regardless of which team – everyone dropped to one knee. It’s a sign of respect – to the players, to the team, and to God. It demonstrates that even in the heat of competition, we all still care and respect each other. Perhaps if some of these coaches went from NFL to CFO – our financial crisis might not be so bad!

There is one quote that I read about a player that was seriously injured. Without hesitation, everyone dropped to a knee, and there were audible prayers being heard from everyone – from the fans, the players, the coaches – on BOTH teams. They paused the game and had a time of prayer. The quote is one that rings true in my mind frequently – ‘why is it that they try to take God out of schools, out of public events, and out of our pledge – but when tragedy strikes – the first word is “Please, God”.’ Why is it that we wait for tragedy to say “Please, God” instead of trying to ‘please God”?

We are on a very uncertain road right now – on many different levels. We have a new president and staff; companies are closing their doors, the banking industry is struggling, our soldiers are fighting – and dying. Our church family is struggling – loss of income and insurance; loss of family members; and devastating diagnoses. In short, we are all struggling with the uncertainty that tomorrow will bring.

But we cannot forget – we are still One Nation Under God! It doesn’t matter now if you are celebrating or mourning the election of President Obama … if you are for or against the war … if you agree with corporate bailout or not – we are all in this together. Our president needs our prayers … our military men, women and families need our prayers … the financial industry needs our prayers. Our church family needs our prayers. There are always two sides … two teams, two political parties, two opinions … but we are One Nation. Just as a crisis on the field brings both teams to their knees, it is time for us, as a nation, to drop to our knees – together – under God.