January 2012

Pony on a Stick

Megan Breedlove January 30, 2012 No Comments

Two weeks ago, my husband and I took our kids to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. For those of you who might not live near where rodeos are common, this event is a BIG deal in our area and large portions of the state. The stock show and rodeo take up several full pages of the paper each day with pictures and results of the various contests.

You know what the rodeo part means. The “stock show” part involves thousands of animals being shown, some for the purpose of being sold, and some just to win a prize. There are cows, goats, chickens, rabbits, and many others. And, of course, steers. In fact, the “star” of the stock show is whichever steer is judged near the end of the event to be the Grand Champion. This steer usually sells for almost $200,000, which goes directly to the child or teenager showing him.

But if you’re like our family, and you’re not showing any animals, you probably just enter through the front gates. These provide the best access to things other than the animal barns, such as the petting zoo, the midway rides, and the ponies on a stick. I’m not talking about those toys that have a pony head attached to a stick, where you straddle it and ride the pony all over the house. I mean real ponies, harnessed to spokes in a horizontal wheel. For a fee, kids get to choose a pony and ride it as the ponies walk in a circle, rotating the wheel. If you really want to fork over some money, the attendants will take a picture of your child on the pony. Otherwise, you can lean over the railing and do it yourself as your child and his or her pony pass by.

I can identify with those ponies. As a mom, I too feel like I sometimes go in circles, not really accomplishing anything. It seems that I’m there just to entertain the children when they want my attention. The rest of the time, I’m just…tied down. Can’t go anywhere, because the children might need me. Can’t roam free, because I have a job to do. Don’t receive much attention, except when people want something from me. Almost never get a thank you. Not glamorous, and definitely not the star of the show.

It’s easy to feel like that as a mom, isn’t it? Like what we do doesn’t really matter much in the overall scheme of things. It sure isn’t glamorous. Ask the world what it considers a glamorous job, and motherhood won’t make the list. The big money goes to those who do what society considers really important—the grand champions. Not to us. Not to moms.

In my poem “Loving Jesus”, I’ve already addressed one reason why what we do matters immensely. But I want to make a different point this time. We moms may not be the stars of the show. We’re not the ones whose pictures fill up page after page of the paper. Our jobs may not matter much, in terms of society’s values.

But we matter to our children.

If my family ever arrives at the stock show one year to find that the ponies on a stick aren’t happening, my kids will be disappointed, but they’ll find another activity to replace it. But if I am ever not present in my children’s lives for the long term, they will never fully get over it.

We matter to our children, whether they are ours by birth, adoption, or marriage, in a way words don’t fully describe. We fill a space in our child’s heart that was placed there just for us. Children instinctively love their mothers and depend on them in a way that goes far beyond what they know how to express. Sure, somebody else could change their diapers or fix their meals. But only you can touch that place deep within their souls that needs a mom, and not just any mom, but you.

Sure, there are other loving people in your child’s life who are important to your child. But none of them can replace you. God has put a need in your child’s heart for you that cannot be met by any of those other people.

You may never get your picture in the paper for being a grand champion. But you will still have succeeded in your calling, even on those days when you burn their toast. You will have mattered to your children in a way no one else can.

1 Thessalonians 1:4—For we know, [moms] loved by God, that he has chosen you.

Nothin’ But Gum

Megan Breedlove January 23, 2012 2 Comments

My youngest daughter Jessica will be turning four in a little less than two weeks. Yesterday, I asked her for ideas of what gifts she might like to receive for her birthday. She thought about it, then said, “I don’t know.”

“Would you like a toy for your Squinkies?” I asked. “Or maybe the jet for Littlest Pet Shop?”

“The jet for Littlest Pet Shop!” she said. “No, wait. How about…gum?”

“O-kay, you can have gum,” I said.

“Would I have to share?” Jessica asked politely.

“No, this would be your birthday gum,” I said. “It would all be for you.”

“Yay!” she said excitedly, a grin lighting up her face.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised at her response. Despite the fact that Jessica loves to play with her toys, especially when someone will play with her, she has frequently shown more excitement over gum than she has over a new toy. In fact, once she received ten dollars from her grandma for her birthday. “Can I buy a gumball?” she asked hopefully.

“Sweetie, you can buy a lot of gumballs for ten dollars,” I said.

“Yay!” she responded.

I wonder how old she’ll be before gum isn’t all that impressive anymore…or before she realizes that she can ask for both gum and toys. On the one hand, I’m very glad she’s content with simple things for now. On the other hand, I want her to know there’s much more available to her.

I bet that’s how God feels with respect to our requests. Certainly He’s glad when we’re content with the basics, as far as material things are concerned. But regarding spiritual things, I bet He wishes we would ask for so much more than we do.

Our prayers tend to be small. Limited. We ask for money to pay the bills, for physical health, or for a new job. Granted, those are all good things, and we should bring these requests to God when they arise. But if all we pray for is physical or material things, we’re missing a huge part of what prayer is supposed to be about.

The Bible tells us that God can do far more than we can even ask or imagine, spiritually speaking. He can grant us spiritual victories over temptation or discouragement. He can produce the fruit of the Spirit in us. He can change our hearts to love someone we really don’t like. He can make us bold witnesses for His Name’s sake. He can fill us with joy despite our circumstances. He can make His own glory shine through us. Yet how often do we ask Him for any of these things?

I know it’s easy to get caught up in the seemingly more urgent material needs that we have. Happens to me too. But if we pray about those things to the exclusion of spiritual things, we’re missing something. And if we think we need our husband to get a job, or need our allergies to stop bothering us, more than we need spiritual strength, we’re mistaken.

What are you asking God for, spiritually speaking? If you’re like me, too often the answer is not much. Or perhaps, again like me, you remember to ask for a few days in a row, but the next thing you know, it’s been a month since you’ve prayed about it.

Will you try something with me this week? Let’s ask God to open our eyes to the spiritual blessings we’re missing out on because we don’t ask. Let’s ask Him to show us what kinds of spiritual things we need to be praying about. Then, let’s ask Him to grant us the desire to do so, and the ability to remember to engage in this new habit.

You see, Satan doesn’t want us to pray about the spiritual things. He’s probably thrilled if we spend all our time praying about our car or our house or our dog. He knows, better than we do sometimes, that it’s the prayers for spiritual things that are the most dangerous to his kingdom. He wants us to forget to pray, or not to realize the importance of it.

But greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. And He who is in us is the one who will go on this adventure with us. Let’s let Him lead us on the most fantastically fulfilling adventure of our lives. Will you try it?

Ephesians 3:20-21—Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I John 4:4—Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Bath Time

Megan Breedlove January 16, 2012 No Comments

I remember a time a few years ago when I had a couple of my kids in the bathtub at the same time. By now, I don’t even remember which two were in there. But I remember hearing the squealing and splashing. Splashing that sounded more like a tsunami, as in huge quantities of water getting moved from place to place.

I went to check on them and opened the door to the bathroom. They froze in mid-splash as I surveyed the mess, waiting to see if they were going to get in trouble. Sure enough, there was water everywhere. And in one of those moments where I really got it right and have been glad ever since that I did, I smiled and said, “Have fun. Splash as much as you want.” I closed the door and listened to the giggling and splashing start back up.

I guess it’s safe to say that my kids love bath time, or at least the time they get to spend playing in the water. Getting clean is just a fringe benefit for them. But I’ve realized something, and that’s what I want to share with you tonight.

Yes, the analogy I want to draw is that of getting clean. Kids get physically clean in the bathtub; the Holy Spirit cleanses us spiritually. But the lesson I want us to learn from the analogy isn’t quite so obvious. It’s simply this: My kids never get out of the tub wondering whether or not they’re clean. They assume they are. On the other hand, when we moms ask God for forgiveness and cleansing, we often walk away wondering whether we’re really cleansed or feeling like we’re not.

That’s because we don’t really believe that something as simple as a “bath” can get us clean. We don’t fully believe Jesus when He says that by asking forgiveness—by taking a bath—we are indeed cleansed. We figure that what we’ve done is so bad, one bath couldn’t possibly take care of removing the stain. Or we think there has to be something more to it than merely bathing (repenting and asking forgiveness).

But there isn’t. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.

True, my kids will need a bath again soon. Tonight is a bath night, for instance, and I don’t expect them to go the rest of their lives without getting dirty. But the next bath they take won’t be for the purpose of washing away the dirt they washed away tonight. That dirt is already gone. Instead, they will bathe away any new dirt they’ve gotten into since then.

Same with us. Once we’ve repented, asked for, and received forgiveness, we never need to be forgiven again for that same sin. It’s gone, washed away down the drain somewhere. Yes, we’ll need to “bathe” again the next time we sin, but that will be for new sin—not the sin we asked forgiveness for tonight.

That is the kind of cleansing Jesus offers us. He washes our sin so far away from us we can’t get it back. Yet we spend the rest of our lives in the bathtub because we believe our sin isn’t really gone, when in reality, it went down the drain a long time ago.

What sin do you believe is still with you, despite the fact you’ve repented and asked for forgiveness? Hear Jesus speaking to you: It’s gone. I took care of it. It’s down the drain.

Friend, the bath is over. It’s time to stop washing and start praising Jesus and His infinite mercy. Let’s not spend any more time trying to make complete what Jesus already fully took care of. When He says gone, He means gone. Let’s believe Him and get out of the tub.

Psalm 103:12—As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Safe

Megan Breedlove January 9, 2012 No Comments

God has blessed my daughter Lindsey (now five-and-a-half) with a sweet, sensitive heart. The advantages of this are that she cares how others feel and is quick to notice someone who needs a kind or encouraging word. The disadvantage is that she gets easily hurt when others are unkind.

One particular day as I sat at the computer, Lindsey came back to join me with a solemn look on her face. I asked her what the matter was, and she explained that Kenny had been talking to her in some way she didn’t like (at this point, I don’t even remember what it was he said), and that things just weren’t going well between them. I swiveled in my chair so I could lift Lindsey onto my lap. “Do you need some time back here with Mommy?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” she said, snuggling against me. “’Cuz I know nothing will go wrong with you.”

I cuddled her close, infinitely thankful that her little spirit felt safe with me, that I could be a refuge for her when things weren’t going right in her world. Not that I always get it right. But apparently, by the grace of God, I get it right often enough that Mommy’s presence is a safe place for her.

You and I have a safe place too, though our safe place is different from Lindsey’s. Our safe place—in our Father’s presence—is always safe. But we don’t usually think of God as a safe place. We see Him as Someone who is concerned with our proper performance to the exclusion of caring about our spirit. But in reality, though He will indeed convict us of sin, He will no longer condemn us. Jesus has purchased our peace with Him and He freely pours out His love upon us and offers us a place to be at rest.

Wow. I know I sure need a place like that—a Person like that—and I bet you do too. We need Someone with whom we can be ourselves and still be completely safe. One of the most amazing things about God is that He Himself is that Person for us. You know how secure and loved you want your child to feel in your presence? Multiply that infinitely, and that’s how secure and loved you and I can feel in God’s presence.

Why then don’t we take Him up on His offer to be this for us? I think it’s because either we don’t fully understand what He’s offering, or we don’t fully believe He will give it to us. We just don’t grasp the immensity of His love for us. Yet the only reason we are able to love our children is because we are made in His image and therefore possess a fraction of His ability to love.

You want Someone who will comfort you when life’s not going right? You’ve got Him. You need Someone who truly understands you when nobody else does? You’ve got Him. You long for Someone who loves you infinitely, showers His love upon you, and offers you peace not just when things are going well, but always? You’ve got Him.

Crawl up into His lap this week. Better yet, do it today. Rest in His arms as you think about how much you love your children, and realize that He loves you far more. Any ideas of what you want to be for your children are mere shadows of what He is for you. So take Him up on what He offers. Receive His love and all the other benefits that come with being His child. And then, yes, extend those to your children.

Matthew 7:11—If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Romans 8:1—There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 5:9—And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Not My Will

Megan Breedlove January 2, 2012 No Comments

I promised last time that we would look at what joy and victory in the midst of anguish look like, and we will. We’ll examine the best example the Bible gives us about Someone who went through incredible anguish and yet remained whole, even while His body was torn apart.

The scene takes place in a garden. Jesus and His disciples have come to this favorite location because Jesus is in anguish over what is about to happen to Him. He knows what’s coming and can barely stand it. So He takes His three closest disciples apart from the rest of the group and asks them to pray for Him in His hour of need. He then goes on a little further to be by Himself, and He pours out such anguish to His Father that blood vessels in His skin burst, and His blood falls to the ground like drops of sweat. But as if this weren’t enough to convince us that Jesus knows true agony, Jesus Himself provides a further detail, telling His disciples, “”My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matt. 26:38).

Did you catch that? Jesus was so anguished it felt like the pain could kill Him. And that’s before the cross, before the physical ravages He endured. This is emotional pain He’s talking about.

Have you ever felt that kind of pain? If you have, you know what Jesus is talking about. Sometimes, grief and suffering are so great that it seems like they’re killing us. But did you know that Jesus understands? Not because He’s God and understands everything, but because He’s felt that way?

So then if Jesus knows the kind of pain we’re talking about—because He’s experienced it—yet He made it through, He is our best example for how we can still experience joy and victory even when circumstances are so bad we feel like we’re dying.

First, we need to realize that joy doesn’t mean we don’t feel pain, or that we like our circumstances. Jesus felt plenty of pain, and He sure wasn’t thrilled about what He was about to suffer. So what did His joy look like? It looked like worship. Jesus chose to worship His Father by being obedient even in the midst of incalculable anguish, thereby demonstrating that He believed His Father was still good and still worthy of worship even when His ways cause “sorrow to the point of death”.

When tragedy shatters our happiness, it’s easy to change our view of God. God must not be as loving as we thought, or not as caring, or not as good. But just as Jesus did in the midst of sorrow, we must hold on to our knowledge of who God is and not allow our emotions to determine what we believe God’s character to be. True joy comes only from God Himself, and worshipping Him is the only way we can experience joy in the midst of mourning.

What did Jesus’ victory look like? We know, of course, that He died on the cross and was raised by the Father three days later. That certainly was victory. But that victory began to be won in the garden, when Jesus determined that no matter the cost, He would still worship God no matter what. In that moment, the battle was won, and all that was left was for the details to play out.

We might not experience the victory of triumph over our circumstances until we reach heaven. But we can experience another kind of victory—triumph in our circumstances—even while they still rage around us. This is the kind of victory God offers us now, even though we may have to wait for the ultimate kind. It is not a kind of victory that erases our sorrow, but it is a kind that means we’ve won the battle.

In the midst of terrible circumstances, I would usually prefer that they had simply never happened. You probably would too. But that’s not a choice. We can’t go back and change what happened. The only thing we can do is cling to God and find our joy in Him, even while the tears stream down our faces. We can rely on what we know to be true about Him—that He loves and cares for us deeply, despite the circumstances He has caused or allowed—and derive our joy not from a perfectly designed situation, but from the only One who is a source of true joy no matter how life is going. And we can choose, as Jesus did, to worship Him no matter what, and experience a victory we never would have chosen, but the only one that can comfort our soul in the midst of pain.

I don’t know what kind of pain you are facing today. But I do know that God is there to meet you in it. Choose Him as your joy and victory now, in the midst of your sorrow. You can’t choose different circumstances. But you can choose to worship. No matter what.

Hebrews 12:2—looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

January 2012

Pony on a Stick

Nothin’ But Gum

Bath Time

Safe

Not My Will

You Missed

Priorities

I Wouldn’t Do That

Little Things

8 Seconds