Looking for the light

^"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:6-9 NIV

We are currently planning our family vacation, and as much as I love traveling with my husband, I realized that over the past few days I could feel the stress starting to creep into my shoulders.  This morning I was struggling not to complain over insignificant things, and had to corral my emotions as I looked for hotels where we would be staying. I felt as though there was a wasp in my soul, stinging me over and over again.  Taking note, I chose to make a list of blessings before I moved on much further.  As I made a concentrated effort to focus on the blessings I have in abundance, I was finally able to get to the root of my emotional roller coaster.

You see, I love the greater family, and enjoy being able to visit with them. What I don't love is all the odd and old emotions that often crop up as we are planning and as we spend time with them.  We are a diverse group, with many different opinions. As with any group of people who don't always see things in the same way, it can be stretching to spend time together. Finding a well lit path to navigate the sometimes dark and tangled trail, can be difficult, but it's not impossible.

Here are a few things I choose to do to stay on the right track:

• Remember that everyone has a right to their opinion.  Be gracious in allowing others to share theirs, and don't pick up an offense if theirs doesn't agree with yours.  If at all possible, find common ground for conversations, avoiding the "hot" topics. Even if someone seems particularly determined to be controversial, try to steer the conversation back to areas of agreement. If it's not possible to do so, it's OK to say "I don't agree with you, but let's agree to disagree agreeably."
• Be aware that there are some people who like to "bait" and are just looking to argue. My mother used to say "Don't rise to the bait." It's sound advice. If someone is "fishing for a fight" you have no obligation to be the fish.
• Look for the good, even in the one who may ruffle your feathers the most. There are very few people in the world who are truly evil. Even if we don't agree with someone's politics, lifestyle choice, or religion, we can still be kind. Be the one who exhibits maturity and self-control. "A soft answer turns away wrath." (Proverbs 15:1) is a good starting point. Sometimes though, the best reply is to say nothing at all, but to simply smile and love them the way Christ loves us all.
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Be so transparent that only Jesus is seen. Practice what you know to be true in maintaining a right heart's attitude.
• Trust God and thank Him for the opportunity He has placed before you. He is in control and knows everything you are feeling, and what struggles you may have before you. He is also always faithful to His children and will graciously guide us through every one. When in doubt, shut your mouth and sigh a silent prayer for His glory to shine brightly through you. He is able to make the most difficult situation into something of glory if we'll let Him take control.

Hopefully as I find myself in the midst of the darkened arena of life outside of the everyday norm, I will have the presence of mind to remember and to keep looking for the light.

I pray you will be able to do so as well.

May God bless and keep you at all times.

The right choice

"Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And when they had sat her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down ad wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "
He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin not more." Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:2-12


"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? or how can you say to your bother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye' and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Jesus as quoted from Matthew 7:1-6

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen  Matthew 28:18-20

Our schedule has finally slowed back down to a fairly normal routine after a few weeks of being rather busy.  As always, once I have the moment again to sit and digest the events of the past, I am struck by the enormous gratitude I have for God's faithfulness and blessings to me.  I know my own weaknesses, and especially when my schedule has been filled to overflowing, they tend to be revealed in a brighter light. Although grace and mercy is what I desire to demonstrate at all times, allowing the light of Christ to flow through me freely, I am acutely aware of the times my flesh controlled rather than surrendering to the gentle voice of the Spirit. Thankfully, God is gracious and forgiving and always invites me back into His loving embrace as I repent and run towards Him.
I am forever grateful.

But what does all this have to do with the above Scriptures?

A lot!

You see every time the weakness in my own spiritual walk is revealed by the Lord, I tend to want to redirect His attention to those around me.  I want to rush before Him with another's sin and ask Him what He intends to do with it. After all, we're surrounded by the evidence of sin in the lives of others every day. It's easy to become distracted and even consumed by all the wrong others are doing, to the degree that we fail to work on the plank in our own eye.

Distraction. It's the tool the enemy uses over and over again to keep those who are unsaved from salvation, and those who are saved from doing the work they've been called to do.

As the summer unfolds before us, and I look at the schedule for things on the calendar that may prove to be stretching, I need to remind myself to stay focused on what God has in mind. He has promised to lead me, but won't force me to follow.  He gives me the choice every day. At the same time, the enemy of our souls, Satan, will use every tactic in his arsenal to distract me from the path God has placed before me.  To stay on the right path, it will require that I deliberately choose to ignore the distractions, and press on towards the upward calling, no matter how difficult. God will never leave or forsake me. Every path He chooses for me draws me into a more refined, brighter, deeper, more intimate walk with Him.

Choosing to focus on that should keep me busy enough that I won't have time to worry about someone else's walk.  I'll let Jesus take care of that.

May you find the path He has for you, and may you have the courage and tenacity to pursue it with joy. To Him be all the glory now and forevermore.