I read something pretty cool in my devotional (the updated edition of My Utmost for His Highest) and would like to share that with you today.  Some of you may be in a place like this right now.

Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination.  And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender.  Yet we tend to say, “Yes, but – suppose I do obey God if what He asks of me doesn’t go against my common sense, but don’t ask me to take a step in the dark.”

Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits.  If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark.  In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what he says is as solidly consistent as common sense.

By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ’s statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God.  Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it.  We act like pagans in a crisis – only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.

Powerful words.  Be blessed this weekend ladies!

Michelle

I had a lovely chat with my sister-in-law yesterday about life lessons we have been learning, and it reminded me of a sermon I heard by Andy Stanley, the pastor of Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta.  The thrust of the message was this:

Direction, not intention, determines your destination.

If I were to head North from Toronto, I will not end up in Florida, no matter what my intention is.  This is very obvious, but for some reason the principle is more difficult to apply to our lives.  Many people think they are good people based on their intentions, but the direction they are headed reveals reality to be very different.  Here are some questions:

Is your intention to get/stay out of debt?  In practice, do you spend more money than you make?

Is your intention to save sex for marriage? In practice, do you push the line and do everything but?

Is your intention to get into university? In practice, do you skip class and miss assignments?

Is your intention to find a good husband?  In practice, do you jump from guy to guy you meet at bars and settle for those who give you attention instead of those with true character?

Is your intention to be rid of an addiction? In practice, do you put yourself in situations where you have access to whatever you are addicted to?

Is your intention to be a woman of character?  In practice, do you surround yourself only with people who have none?

I think God’s word has a lot of logic and common sense when it comes to the issue of direction versus intention.  Let’s all evaluate our lives this week and change direction if necessary.  It would be a wonderful thing to get to the end of our lives and not have to wonder, “How did I end up here?”

Michelle

My little sister is 11 years old, and is experiencing one of the most confusing times in a girl’s life, that of the “tween.” Several times I have heard her say, “I’m fat” and “she’s SO much prettier than me,” and I have come to realize something.  Girls are not educated from a young age to have a healthy self-image. How cool would it be if elementary schools had a class, specifically for girls, that helped them through these tough “tween” times? Or if churches had a special health program for girls that mixed education about healthy eating, exercise, and self-worth based on the love of Christ?  Teaching girls that body types are different and that a healthy body coupled with a positive outlook on life is very attractive, and that the media is full of lies…these would be valuable lessons for girls that age.

When you were younger, where did you get your ideas about beauty and self-image?

Magazines? Movies? Comparisons with people who were skinnier than you? What the boys said?

If you were to help young girls with self-image/self-worth, what kinds of things would you do? What would you tell them? Do you think something like this would be effective?

Michelle

I just got back from Florida, where I went to my cousin’s wedding and stayed with my grandparents. Usually when I see my grandma and grandpa, I‘m not able to have a lot of quality time with them because the rest of my family is there – the hustle and bustle keeps us all busy.  But this time I had four days alone with them, and got to know them better than I ever have before.  I went grocery shopping with them and looked at old photos with them.  I took a walk on the pier with my grandpa, checked the mail with my grandma, listened to their stories, concerns, and prayers, and laughed at how my grandpa accidentally fell asleep in church.  My grandma’s eyes welled up with tears when I left, and I am so grateful that I got to spend such quality time with them.

When I was on the plane, I decided that I would write them more. Getting the mail is an important part of my grandma’s day, and to get a card or a letter from her grandkids would no doubt put a smile on her face.  I have come to face the fact that they are getting old, and I want them to know how much I appreciate them every chance I get.

If your grandparents are still alive, I’d encourage you to got out this weekend and find them a nice card or write them a letter.  We often take grandparents for granted.  Showing the love of Christ by remembering them is a beautiful thing.

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

I listened to a very inspiring and refreshing interview on the radio this week.  They interviewed a blogger whose blog is a countdown of “the awesome things in life.”  After listening to the interview I felt so positive and uplifted for the rest of the day. These are some examples from his blog (www.1000awesomethings.com) that resonated with me:

• Picking up a “q” and a “u” at the same time in Scrabble
• When you pull to a red light and the guy in front of you nudges up a bit so you can make a right turn
• Eating the last piece of dessert somebody left at your house
• Wearing underwear just out of the dryer
• Rain hair
• When cashiers open up new check-out lanes at the grocery store
• Hearing a stranger fart in public
• Finally getting a piece of popcorn that’s been stuck in your teeth all day out
• A really cold glass of water on a really hot day
• Snowdays
• Getting the eyelash out of your eye
• When you’re really tired and about to fall asleep and someone throws a blanket on you
• When you arrive at your destination just as a great song ends on the radio
• Using all the different shampoos and soaps in someone else’s shower
• When someone lands on the hotel you just built in Monopoly
• Snow falling on Christmas Eve
• The other side of the pillow
• Pushing those little buttons on the soft drink cup lid
• Remembering what movie that guy is from
• Getting into a bed with clean sheets after shaving your legs

It thought of a couple more of my own:

• The sound of rain on a tin roof
• When a puppy snuggles up to you

Often we miss the little luxuries in life, and this was a good reminder for me to keep my eyes open and be grateful. Can you think of any “awesome things” that can sometimes be taken for granted?

Michelle