It’ll Change Your Life

Be better. Do better. Don’t get angry. Don’t be stressed. Do you meditate? There’s an app. It’ll change your life. Here, read this book. I think it can help you. Have you tried eating sardines with bone broth for breakfast? Eat 6 cups of organic kale each day to ward off carcinogens. This supplement costs $50 per day, but it will change your life! Make sure you teach your kids how to tie their shoes before they’re 2 or their little psyches will be forever scarred. Have you read the article, “How to Grill a Better Hot Dog”? It’ll change your life! 

I’m out. I need everyone to know that I. Am. Out. I’m taking myself out of the busy-ness and spending more time reading my favorite book and breathing. Loving God and loving others is enough. I am already enough and you are already enough. God loves us right where we are. And I am in a season of transition. I’m trying to be the best mom and wife I can be while dealing with chronic symptoms. Good thing I’m a chronic Christian. I try. I strive. But you know what my fave reading material says? Psalm 46:10 Cease striving and know that I am God. Whaaaaaaaa? I don’t even hafta try to be amazing. God already is and I’m created in His image. Hot diggity dog! 

I don’t need to google everything on this planet. It’s truly stressing me out. Does anyone else feel like they have too much knowledge? I didn’t know there was such a thing until it happened. I felt my brain expand to a point of no return this morning. Nope, nope, nope. No more. I think it was the grilled hot dog article on Pinterest. Who needs to know this? And why? Do I need a perfectly carmelized hot dog? Ok, admittedly, it sounds pretty good. But am I gonna buy the gadget they’re trying to sell me? Nope, nope, nope. (Did you just google that?) 

I need quiet for my brain. For my body. For my entire well-being. And I’d be willing to bet that you do too. How do we get there? I believe we can by turning off the noise, whether it’s coming from our TV or cellphone. (Kids don’t come with an off switch. I’ve looked everywhere.) Fasting from noise. God said be still. Jesus went up on a hill. Maybe this way we won’t need a pill. (I was on a roll. We like wordplay in this house.) Are you taking care of yourself? Or are you letting anything and everything rush into your brain? Images, words, thoughts, and ideas don’t simply fly past our heads. All of these are stored in our memories. It is for this reason, I think that I’ve reached overload. I can and will choose what I allow into my brain and system. I’m making a conscious effort to slow down, both my body and my brain, because quite honestly, it can’t keep up at this pace. For the next 5 minutes, I’m going to sit and focus on the wonder of God-given breath streaming into and flowing out of my very own nostrils. Right after I pee. 

Hungry Lions

I know everyone’s probably still reflecting on the stone that covered the tomb, but I have opened my Bible to “Daniel in the Den of Lions” for the past 2 days. I found myself reading about the stone that was brought to place over the opening of the den after Daniel was thrown in with the lions. My NIV Bible says they placed it there “so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.” If ever there was a situation I’d like changed, it would be if I were hangin’ out in close proximity to some hungry lions.  

Let’s think about it because this is one of those stories I hadn’t paid much attention to since Sunday school days. Anything resembling food catapulted near some large cats would soon be non-existent, right? I’ve seen those kitties chase down some pretty quick creatures on TV. If indeed, that meal was set before them on the proverbial “silver platter,” what would keep them from chowing down? Their instincts would take over. If an animal is hungry, it’s not like my 4 year-old who has to have a certain shape of gluten-free mac and cheese, it’s not going to be picky. Daniel should have been rare, dead meat. It wasn’t a “what” but a “Who” that kept them from dining in. Daniel had a real relationship with the Almighty. 

People face “situations” all the time: death, depression, anxiety, sickness, past trauma, stress, the list goes on and on. Why aren’t they instantly rescued? Why do they have to endure so much? I’ve found myself in a place where I get aggravated, to the tune of: “If You can, WHY don’t You?” Many of you, I’m sure, are uncomfy speaking to the Creator of the universe in this manner and I get that, but me and God, we’ve been through some stuff. He’s the One that’s been there no matter what and I can’t say that about too many. Even a close family member physically can’t be there every single time you need them to be. So why isn’t God plucking people out of these precarious tragedies and showing the world how awesome He is? 

In my ponderings, I go back to Daniel 6:10 that says once ol’ boy learns that there’s been a new rule made, he goes home to do what he always does 3 times every single day: gets down on his knees and prays and thanks God. Are we doing anything like this? I saw a meme the other day that said complaining about God not speaking to you with your Bible closed is like complaining you’re not getting any texts when your phone is turned off. This hit me as absurd—who’s turning their phone off?? Could this be the problem? Have the cat videos, as cute as they may be, taken up valuable space in our lives? Do we really need more gardening quick tips or can we just go out and plant the garden? Do we require more recipes on variations for “Crack Chicken”? Silly, I know, but I dare you to keep track of how much time you spend looking at your phone. I’d be willing to bet it’s more than 3 times a day. 

Can we do more to build up our faith and put our trust in Him and His perfect plan? Daniel’s situation did in fact change drastically…despite the big bad rock. And yours can too. Believe it. 

 

Doubt-Filled Shoe

There’s a line in a song, Do It Again by Elevation Worship, that I simply can’t let go: “I’m still in Your hands, this is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet.” Now, let me start off by saying that I adore this song. I truly want God to “do it again” when it comes to my healing. When I read about Lazaurus or the woman with the blood issue, I think “God, where’s my miracle? Do it for me too! Do it again!” And I believe that He will. There’s a super-good reason He hasn’t done it completely. And even if He doesn’t heal me, for whatever reason, I’ll be ok with that. (It took me YEARS to get to this point in my thinking.) So even though I love this song, there’s a sticking point for me. It’s in the 3-letter word: “yet.” 

“Yet” is defined in the MacMillan dictionary as being “Used in something that has not happened or is not true at a particular time but will probably happen.” (Emphasis added by me.) Isn’t that just like us? God has NEVER failed us, but we, being the faith-filled believers we are, need to leave that space there…juuuuuuuuust in case. Like we’re waiting for the other doubt-filled shoe to drop. It’s been a few years, you know, of God being God and never once has He ever failed anyone, no matter the situation. BUT we have this “confidence” that seems a little twisted to me. We have confidence that He’s never failed any of us…yet? 

There’s power in our words (Proverbs 18:21: The tongue has the power of life and death) and some can say, “Oh you’re overthinking this” which guaranteed I am. It’s what I do. And then I write about it. 

There have been many times in my life when I’ve thought (and prayed) “God! If you can, then why aren’t you??” If you can heal me, why am I dealing with this pain? If you can save that guy, why is he going through all this mess? If you can calm the storm, why is it still raging? I don’t have a problem telling you this because I don’t think I’m alone in my thinking. And I know there’s a reason, but I don’t know it. And that’s another issue I have, WHY in the world can’t I know the reason, God?? (I’m chuckling as I type this, picturing Him shaking His head, amused. He gets me.) 

I don’t think adding “yet” to the statement that He’s never failed us screams confidence of any sort. It’s amazing how much doubt a 3-letter word can hold. It speaks to our level of faith. We have to leave that door open, just in case. What if we’re wrong? What if we’re wrong about all of it? What if THIS is the time that God is going to fail us? We certainly can’t tell we’re trusting in Him by the words that come out of our mouths at times. If we truly believed that God has never and will not ever fail us, would we speak differently? Act differently? Go about our days and life goals differently? Of course! Where is our faith? He’s never failed me. He’s never failed us.