All I Ever Have To Be

By MAD21

Fellow blogger Sarah Markley wrote a really good post this week called "Defining Me." It really got me thinking. My young children are beginning to have lives of their own between school schedules and activities like soccer and horseback riding. As a stay-at-home mom, I'm finding I have more flexibility in my time. That's not to say that I have more free time, just that I have a little more control over the insanity.

With this new flexibility in our family's routine, I'm finding that there is a little more time to think about how I'm spending my own life. My family is still my first priority, but once they are off and doing their own things, I'm left wondering what else God has planned for me. Which sometimes brings me to the same question that Sarah asked, "What defines me?" "Who am I?" Am I a mom, a teacher, a financial adviser, an office manager, a runner, a wife, a friend...

But after some thought, I realized the answer is... yes, I am all those things. Why do we have to make things so complicated? I came to the conclusion that who I am determines what I do. So if I want to know who I am, I not only need to look at how I spend my time, but also with what attitude I do it.

I have the amazing blessing of being a wife and mom to the best little girls ever. I take care of our household because I like it and I want to, I'm part of my children's education, and I run because I can. God has put me in this place at this moment, to do the things he's given me to do. And that's all I need to worry about. I don't need to try to be like anyone else, or accomplish more than what I'm doing. Because God has put me right here, right now. When the time comes for me to be anything more than what I am right now, I'll be waiting, with the faith that God will be there to guide me.

Amy Grant sang this song years ago. "All I ever have to be" ...is what you made me. It's the truth. He asks nothing more of us.

Can You Hear Me?

By MAD21

“God? Can you hear me? Are you there?” Wow. How many times have all of us asked God those questions? One has to wonder if He ever gets tired of hearing it. Like a parent who hears their child ask them the same question for the 100^th time. Or even like the cell phone commercial that has the guy walking all over the world in odd places saying, “Can you hear me now?”

Whether you are in a place where everything is going great for you, or you are caring for a sick loved one, looking for a job, or are feeling desperate for any reason, trust me, He ALWAYS wants to hear from you. Just as a parent will ALWAYS want their child to come to them, God will always want you.

If you are a parent, you know how happy you are when you talk to someone you love when you have been away for a long time, but when you talk to your child, that happiness is so intense it can take you to your knees. To hear that sweet little voice (or older mature voice) reaches right into your soul.

So think about it. If we feel that kind of deep, passionate love for our children, how much more does our Heavenly Father feel for us?

If it’s been awhile since you’ve had a chat with God, I encourage you to find the time. He is there waiting for you with open arms.

God's Answers

By Pat

I often hear the term "God answered my prayer," or thanks being given to God for answering their prayer. I've done it myself, as a matter of fact, and you probably have, too. When you pray for someone who is sick to get well, or a friend who is traveling to have a safe journey, you naturally give thanks when the sick person gets well and your traveling friend arrives to their destination safe and sound. That's easy, isn't it?

But what if the sick person you've been praying for dies? What if your traveling friend has an accident? Did God not answer your prayers? That's a hard one, a perplexing and problematic situation that has plagued many Christians through the ages. I've struggled with that issue many times, and I probably will again. But as I try to grow and mature in my walk with God, I have to remember that even if a prayer does not get answered the way I want it to, it's still answered, because God answers ALL of our prayers. Sometimes the answer is "no", but it's still an answer. God's answer.

No matter how difficult, I am trying to remember that God is in charge and He knows what He's doing and what his plans are. I have to adjust my prayers accordingly and instead of praying for what I want, pray for what God knows is best, completely trusting that God will answer, and that the answer will be the right one.

What Does Jesus Look Like?

By Pat

Christians have always wondered what Jesus really looks like. Artists through the ages have painted their inner visions of Jesus, and alleged experts have debated and speculated on what our Savior looked like when he walked the Earth.

Well, the other day I was watching a talk show host interview a 12 year old boy who observed the great wastefulness of food while at a restaurant with his parents. He asked the manager what happens to uneaten, unused food, and the manager told him that the law requires it be thrown away. The boy, appalled, pursued the issue. He spoke with attorneys and local government and after much persistence and diligence he helped to change the law. In his area, restaurants are now able to distribute leftover food to the homeless and the needy.

As I watched and listened to this incredible child of 12, I knew with complete certainty that Jesus looks just like him, a red-haired, freckle-faced boy with a heart the size of Texas. Jesus also looks like the homeowner opening his home to a stranger in need, the teacher who hugs a crying child, and the neighbor welcoming the new family with a freshly baked plate of cookies and a big, genuine smile. You see, since Jesus is working through us, Jesus looks like us. I hope that someday, someone will say about me "Now THAT'S what Jesus look like!"

Change From The Inside

By Pat

When I pray, I often ask God to help me to have more patience, or to be less judgmental. I frequently ask Him to help me to not be snappy and quick-tempered and to keep me from saying any words that are hurtful and un-Christlike. And sometimes it works! When I feel stressed, sometimes I am able to hold my tongue and take a deep breath and settle down, or I am able to look at another person and chase unkind or judgmental thoughts and feelings away.

But that's just not enough. Although it's nice to exercise self-control, isn't it un-Christlike to have those feelings in the first place? What good does it do to simply ACT a certain way? We may be fooling other people, and maybe even ourselves, but we're certainly not fooling God. If I am seething inside and have to bite my tongue and paste on a phony smile, am I really better than the hypocrites Jesus often scolded?

I can't imagine Jesus was like that. Jesus had a right heart. He didn't have to TRY to act loving, kind and patient; He WAS loving, kind and patient. He saw through the eyes of God. I began to alter my prayers after this revelation hit me and God opened my eyes to my error. I began asking God to, as the psalmist said in Psalm 51:10, "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Acting a certain way isn't BEING a certain way. Now when I pray, I ask God to help me to see others through His eyes. I ask Him to take away my quick temper, not hide it by the way I act. I ask Him to give me a peaceful heart, not the ability to hide my stress and anxiety. And little by little, God is changing me, and for that I am grateful! I don't want to just act like Jesus. I want to BE like Jesus!