Comparing

Must be nice….. She seems to have it all together. Why am I stuck doing _____ and he gets to do something I have been wanting to do for a long time? Why does everything seem to come easy to them and we have to struggle?

Sound familiar? Can you think of a time in the last day, week, or month that you have entertained even one of those thoughts? Have the words “it must be nice” escaped your lips lately?  I know I have thought those thoughts and said “it must be nice” more than once lately.  It is everywhere. We compare our hair color or amount, our dress size, the bulk of our muscles, the make and model of our car or phone. We even compare gadgets. Let’s face it comparing ourselves is the American way. The question is, “is it God’s way?”

Comparing ourselves leads to discontent with what we have and who we are. Suddenly our phone that has served us well and meets our needs is not as “cool” as someone else’s. Maybe our spouse isn’t as helpful or supportive as our neighbor’s spouse seems. We wish we were better at keeping our house organized and we want to be more like our friend or sister who seems to have it all together.  We want to be more free-spirited like our neighbor whose family seems to be having spur of the moment fun constantly.  Most of us have that one person in our lives that we idealize.  We think, he has it all together.  He or she has the job, the house, the spouse, the kids, the dog, the boat, the charisma.  I want to be like him or her…

Oh friends listen to Isaiah, “Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?'” (Isaiah 49:9b)  God has made us for His perfect plan in His perfect way.  God planned your “imperfections” as well as your strengths.  God doesn’t want you checking out everyone else.  Saying if only I could sing like that or it “must be” nice having that car.  He wants usto say with the Psalmist, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14b  He wants us to give back to Him what He has given to us.  He isn’t asking us to be something we are not.  He only wants us to be faithful with the things He has given us.  He only wants all of us!

So the next time “MUST BE NICE” starts to knock around in our brains, let’s use it as a thankfulness cue.  Thanking God for how He made us, what He has given us, and where He is taking us.  What are somethings you are thankful for today?  Comment below.  I’ll start.

Water

I just got back from vacation in Jackson Hole, WY. Let me tell you it was beautiful and cool and we hiked until our seven-year old thought her feet may fall off.

The thing about Jackson Hole is that it is about a mile above sea water and it has NO humidity. In fact it had rained one day we were there and the ground was dusty within hours. Makes for cooler weather but I discovered something on our third day there. I discovered that since it was so dry, I needed to drink much more water than normal. How did I come to this revelation? I started having altitude sickness.  I was nauseated, had a headache, didn’t feel like eating, was somewhat dizzy.  So I forced myself to drink water.  32 ounces of water later (in less than 20 minutes), I had finally perked up.  I felt like myself and ended up going on a two-mile hike with my family when only minutes earlier all I wanted to do was lay down and close my eyes.  I didn’t feel dehydrated, I didn’t look dehydrated, but I needed MORE water.

The point to sharing this story is that in the dry places of life we need more water than normal.  So when you suddenly look around you and you feel spiritually dry.  Your prayers seem to hit the ceiling and bouncing back.  Discouragement beats you down like the blistering heat.  Maybe you are just feeling blue and nothing around you seems right.  You need more water than usual.  You may be saying, but I haven’t stopped praying or reading my Bible.  I am doing the SAME thing I have done before.  Friend, in the dry times you need more.

Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38  Don’t you see that in those dry times Jesus is saying, “Come to me.  Come.  Come to me.  Through ME you have water, but you have to come.”

So you need more Jesus, you need to memorize scripture (don’t tell me you can’t my two-year old is memorizing scripture).  Maybe you need to find a different way to read through the Bible (maybe a chronological Bible or Inductive Bible Study, or any other tool to give you a fresh perspective).  You also need to pray.  Pray more, pray for people you haven’t thought of in a while, pray for whatever is causing the dry time.  Pray for your church, pray for your friends, pray for your family.  Pray for our country, pray for our leaders, pray for forgiveness.  Pray!

Are you saying times are dry?  Are you saying you are feeling worn out, frazzled and discouraged.  You need more Jesus.  Spend intimate time with Him.  Tell Him how you are feeling.  Listen to Him by reading His word.  Meditate on His word by memorizing it.  Are you already doing that?  Do more!  Just like me in Jackson Hole, I didn’t feel like drinking water, I was nauseated.  However when I forced myself to drink more, I got better.  Friend, it may start as forcing yourself to spend MORE time with Jesus.  It won’t end that way.  I found the more water I drank the better I felt and the more water I wanted to drink.  It is the same with Jesus.  The more time you spend with Him, you will find that you want more and more time.  It may start with difficulty, but prayerfully it will end with greater intimacy with our Jesus, the dryness gone, and a new Godly perspective to boot.

How about you?  Have you experienced dryness only to find the answer More Jesus?  Tell me about it!  Or maybe you are in the dry time and need more tools to help bring you to the living water of Jesus.  Let me know.  I’d love to hear your comments!

God is Good…

I prayed that God would use a difficult time in my life to glorify Him.  I didn’t want to go through all that YUCK and PAIN for nothing.  So I prayed He would use it.  I never imagined where that prayer would take me, but let me tell you, I am AMAZED and HUMBLED by what He is doing.

First I had to get over myself.  Seriously, I had decided that God would use my pain and yuck in a way that was easy on me.  In a way that I could glorify Him at the time, but that I could walk through it and be done.  How wrong I was.  God has me writing a book about this very difficult time.  He has me studying how to deal with difficult times and has me walking those roads again.  I am exploring those old emotions, remembering the searing pain, and thanking God for it.  WHY?  Well, for one that road has brought me to my knees and closer to Him.  I am more compassionate and humble now than when I started that road.  That road has taught me that I can’t do life myself.  I need friends to strengthen and sharpen me.  That road has shown me that I can love a God who doesn’t work the way I think He should, but works infinitely better and more detailed that I could imagine.

Through this process of working on writing a book and writing a book proposal and studying God’s word for this book God is humbling me.  However God is also encouraging me.  So often we ask God to help us, but we don’t think to talk to those around us.  We forget that God puts people in our paths for a reason.  I have found the more I tell others about my book the more God blesses me.  I have also found that I have to get over my pride and ask for help.  Oh, I HATE that!  I want to do it on my own, but I can’t.  The more I have asked the more willing help I have found!  Seriously?  You mean it is that easy?  Why haven’t I asked for help before?  I am TOO PROUD!  However God is good.  He is bring my pride down…I must decrease and He must increase as John the Baptist said.

So how have I learned these lessons?  The more people who hear about my book, the more encouragement and publishing contacts I have gained.  Also because I swallowed my pride and my fear and asked, an organization is willing to read my book for a possible endorsement!  Yes, me a nobody in publishing, someone who HATES to “bother” people with my stuff, who is timid and fearful often when it comes to something I have written, was BOLD.  WHY?   2 Tim 1:7 “..God has not given [me] a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”  So as I seek to honor and glorify God, He is encouraging me along this path.  Does that mean this journey will turn up easy and all roses?  NO WAY!  However that means that God is good and faithful.  He is bringing me closer to Him and opening my heart and mind to things I never expected.  He is GOOD!!!  ALL the time!