Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

2016

Running Blind

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

David and GoliathThe way my husband, Phil, tells the story, he and Timmy were getting ready to cross the parking lot to the doors of Wal-Mart. Phil reminded Timmy to stop and look both ways for oncoming traffic, which Timmy did. “No cars!” Timmy announced, then began running full steam ahead.

A short time later, he smacked up against the brick wall of the store, stumbled back, and fell to the ground. “I’m okay,” Timmy said, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. “I just couldn’t see where I was going.”

My husband could think of only one possible reason why that might be the case. “Were you running with your eyes closed?” he asked.

“Yep!” Timmy said cheerfully, turning and heading for the entrance.

Somehow, this didn’t surprise me at all. It sounds exactly like something Timmy would do. Vintage Timmy, if you will. And it was funny (since he didn’t get hurt).

What’s not so funny, however, is when you and I do the same thing and run blind when we should have our eyes wide open.

Sometimes, we effectively blind ourselves because we simply don’t pay attention to what’s going on around us. Other times, like Timmy, we deliberately blind ourselves by choosing to live in denial of what’s happening or what might be about to happen. Either way, our self-imposed blindness means that we put ourselves at risk of getting badly hurt—or of hurting others.

We have to be willing to face the pain and fear of running toward a potentially painful situation and keep our eyes open. Hard? Yes. But let me share with you one of my favorite Bible verses. I hope it will encourage you to run with your eyes wide open as much as it does me.

You remember the story of David and Goliath. Everybody in Israel is afraid of Goliath because he’s way taller (and, presumably, bigger) than they are. Nobody wants to fight him because they’re afraid. Every day, Goliath comes out to taunt the armies of Israel, and nobody does anything about it. Until David shows up, that is. Here’s how the conversation goes (my paraphrase):

David: Hey! Why isn’t anybody fighting this guy?
Israelites: He’s big and scary.
David: So what? He’s taunting God Almighty! Somebody ought to do something!
Israelites: Who? Not us.
David: Then I’ll fight him!
Israelites: You? You’re a kid!
David: Well, you guys aren’t going to do it. Let me do it!
Israelites: Well, okay. But at least wear this armor.
David (putting on armor): This is too heavy. Besides, I don’t need it, anyway.
Israelites: Okay. Good luck.

So David goes out to face Goliath, picking up five smooth stones on the way. Goliath sees him coming and says (my paraphrase): “What, this pipsqueak is going to fight me? Ha!”

And David says (direct quote): “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Then comes the awesome verse: “As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him” (emphasis mine).

Did you catch that? David was facing the scariest human being anybody had ever seen. He was facing what everybody else expected would be certain death. But he ran to meet the danger.

He ran toward danger. He didn’t run away from it. He ran toward it and trusted God to make things right.

Eyes wide open.

In David’s case, the brick wall fell, so to speak. In your case or in mine, God may choose not to remove the wall we see coming. But if we close our eyes as we run, the damage will be much worse. The only way we have a chance to minimize the impact is to keep our eyes open. Either God will show us a way to avoid the wall, or He’ll show us when and where and how to brace for impact.

And when the moment of impact comes, He’ll be there for us, just as Phil was there for Timmy. He’ll pick us up and dust us off…or cradle us close…or, if the pain was really bad and the wall was really hard, He’ll show us His face as we take our first breath in Heaven.

You see, God is always standing right next to the wall. And when we run toward it, we run toward Him, too.

Amen.

1 Samuel 17:48—As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. (NIV)

When You Need to Do Your Part

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

No homeworkIn this story, I’m going to call them Child A and Child B, because I don’t want to embarrass Child A. But I want to share the story with you (paraphrased, mind you) because I have the sneaking suspicion that, if you have any school-age children, a scenario like this just may have played itself out in your home.

Child A: “Mom, my schoolwork is so boring. I hate it. I’ve already worked on it for a little while. Can’t I take a break?”

Me: “Yes, but you know when it has to be done. If you don’t finish it, you won’t be able to go to Great Wolf Lodge with me and your other siblings.”

Child A: “But Mom, I tried. I really did. And it was just so boring. And schoolwork is always boring.” (Begins to cry.)

Me: “I’m sorry, but you had enough time to do it, if you had gotten started when I first told you to. If you don’t get it completed, you know the consequences.”

Child A (with more tears): “But can’t you just help me? What if I don’t get it done?”

Child B: “Actually, you could be doing it right now instead of sitting here complaining.”

Score 1 for Child B, by the way. And, for those of you who might be wondering, Child A did eventually finish his/her schoolwork with plenty of time to spare (and he/she even told me it wasn’t as bad as anticipated!). But the point is…well, what Child B said.

Sometimes, instead of complaining about a problem, we just have to buck up and do something about it.

As Christians, you and I believe that God will protect us, take care of us, and a whole host of other wonderful things. And that’s true. He will. But too often, instead of taking action to make things better for ourselves, we sit around waiting for God to visit deliverance upon us.

Don’t get me wrong—there are absolutely times we need to wait on God’s timing. But there are also times we need to take action and not just sit around waiting to be rescued.

Take, for example, that day when Moses and the Israelites stood at the shore of the Red Sea, having fled Egypt. Pharoah’s army was behind them; death by drowning was in front of them. Or so they thought. So everybody stopped right there, and Moses said, “Don’t worry! Just stand right here. God will rescue us. You just wait” (my paraphrase).

You would think God would praise Moses for his trust, right? But instead, He said (and this is a direct quote), “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” In other words, He said, “Why are you just standing there? Get going!”

But wait just a minute. That was the Red Sea in front of them. They could have drowned. Didn’t they do the right thing by waiting on God?

Apparently not. Maybe (and this is speculation on my part) God wanted them to trust Him so implicitly that they just waded into the Sea and watched the water evaporate. I don’t know. But whatever God had intended, having them stand there and wait for a divine rescue was not it.

I’m not suggesting that any of us should take action to solve a major dilemma without consulting God, or that we should just run out willy-nilly and make things happen on our own. Not at all. What I’m saying is that we need to be aware of the possibility that God might want us to do something to participate in our own deliverance.

Maybe He wants us to seek counseling and work on our issues, instead of complaining but taking no action.

Maybe He wants us to go back to school instead of merely grumbling that our job doesn’t pay much.

Maybe He wants us to learn how to better discipline our kids instead of spending so much time complaining about their behavior.

I can’t tell you exactly what God wants you to do in your situation, or if He does, in fact, want you to persevere through a time of waiting. But I can tell you that when you face the Red Sea, you (and I) need to be asking Him whether we should wait, or take action, or some combination of both.

Let’s not rush off like loose cannons and try to solve our own problems. But let’s also not presume upon God by standing by passively and waiting for Him to do all the work.

God can, and will, do His part. Always. But let’s make sure we ask Him if we need to be doing our part, too.

(See Exodus 14 for the story referenced in several places above.)

You Know What?

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

FiredI wrote last week about how Timmy (my 4-year-old) said I was the meanest mommy “in all the cities and towns” because I had told him he couldn’t watch a video. This week, I thought I’d give you an update about how things stand between Timmy and me.

Basically, I have been demoted from “best friend” status, then reinstated to that exalted rank, several times. My standing all depends on whether I’ve just tried to make Timmy do something he doesn’t want to do—or tried to make him stop doing something he does want to do.

Timmy is going through a stage where he gets really angry, and shows it. “Best friend” status is apparently something that can get revoked at any time if he wants to get back at me.

Such was the case tonight, when I told him (can you guess what’s coming?) that he couldn’t watch a video. After I had stood firm through several rounds of “But—but—please???”, Timmy marched over to me and said, “You know what? You’re not my best friend anymore!”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, at which point Timmy stomped off to his room and slammed the door.

In a way it was funny, and in a way, it wasn’t. What was especially “not funny” about it was that the exchange between Timmy and me mirrors pretty accurately how you and I interact with God sometimes.

We ask God for something, and He says no. So we get mad. We demote Him from “best friend” status, stomp off, and slam the door. When He’s improved His track record of pleasing us, we let Him be our best friend again—at least until the next time He doesn’t give us what we want.

When Timmy acted the way he did toward me, it was bad enough. But when you and I respond to God that way, it’s far, far worse. That’s because much as I love Timmy, I’m not perfect. Timmy is getting mad at—and attempting to punish—a very fallible human being. But when we get mad at God and withdraw from Him in a fit of pique, we’re rebelling against a completely infallible, completely perfect and holy God.

We say we believe God knows what’s best. We say we want His will in our lives. But just let Him do something we don’t like, or fail to do something we want Him to do, and we show by our reactions that we believe something very different.

It’s as if we’re saying that God has done the wrong thing and deserves to be punished.

But as if that’s not enough for us (myself included) to think about this week, there’s one more point I need to make about this incident, and that’s simply this: When Timmy railed against me, then turned his back on me, I didn’t stop loving him. I didn’t like what he did, but I didn’t stop loving him just because he temporarily withdrew a part of his affections from me.

And you and I better be pretty doggone grateful that God doesn’t stop loving us when we withdraw our affections from Him. Despite the fact that we, figuratively speaking (or maybe literally) stomp our foot at him, lash out verbally, and then withdraw, He doesn’t stop loving us.

When He extended His love to us, He did so for all time, not just for the times when we’re acting like we should. Which is a very good thing, because how often do we act like we should? A lot less than 100% of the time. We need to be very, very grateful that God’s love for us covers 100% of the time, even when our love for Him doesn’t. He puts up with an awful lot from us sometimes.

In the days to come, I expect my status with Timmy to fluctuate, because I’m one of those mean moms who doesn’t always let him do what he wants. But every time Timmy demotes me, I’m going to make it a point to remember that God never demotes me, no matter what. And I’m going to be grateful.

How will you remind yourself to be grateful for His unending love, instead of taking it for granted?

Lamentations 3:22—The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. (NRSV)

When Satan Tries to Bring You Down

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Christ and SatanSome days, the most exciting part of my day is when the kids’ bedtime arrives.

Such was the case the other day. I found Timmy playing games on his computer, and I told him media time was over. The following conversation ensued:

Me: “It’s time to get your jammies on.”

Timmy: “But I want to play on my computer!”

Me: “Sorry. It’s bedtime.”

Timmy: “Can I watch TV after I get my jammies on?”

Me: “No. I’ve told you it’s time for bed.”

Timmy (sadly): “I don’t think you’re my best friend anymore.”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Timmy (sadly): “I think you’re the meanest mommy in all the cities and towns.”

Me: “Hmm, that’s too bad.”

Timmy (sadly): “I don’t think anybody likes you.”

I must admit that I found the conversation funny, in a way. Poor Timmy was trying so hard to manipulate me into doing what he wanted. And for a just-turned-four-year-old, his attempts were actually pretty skillful. I mean, think about it: Timmy took my desire to be connected with him and to have people like and approve of me and used it against me. At four years old, I think that reflects pretty impressive thinking skills.

You know who else besides our children loves to try to manipulate us by using our legitimate desires against us? Satan.

Does any of these statements Satan loves to whisper in our ears sound familiar to you? Maybe more than one?

“Nobody likes you.”

“You’re a loser.”

“You’re not good enough.”

“You’re not capable enough.”

“Anybody could do that better than you.”

“You’re getting it all wrong.”

“You’re a screw-up.”

“If you were just prettier/smarter/skinnier/more talented…..”

How many sins have we committed in the name of proving ourselves worthy of love, or capable? How many times have we failed to stick to our guns because we didn’t want people to dislike us? How many times have we done the wrong thing, or failed to do the right thing, because we valued our emotional comfort over the spiritual blessings that come from pleasing God?

Our desire for people to like us isn’t wrong. It’s what helps us bond to one another. Neither is our desire for people’s approval necessarily wrong. When our legitimate desires become problems is when we place the fulfillment of those desires as a higher priority than obeying God.

What does Satan whisper in your ear? What is it he tells you that tempts you to make a desperate attempt to fulfill that desire, no matter what you have to do (or give up) to gain the fulfillment?

Whatever it is, I can guarantee you this—it’s probably not even true. Satan is the father of lies (see John 8:44). He will whisper anything in your ear if he thinks it will get you to do what he wants. He doesn’t care if it’s true—he only cares if it works.

When he comes to you and tries to tempt you, you have a choice. You can either buy into what he says, that you would be more emotionally fulfilled if you do what he wants. Or, you can stand firm in your belief that the spiritual blessings God provides from doing the right thing are far more fulfilling than avoiding the emotional pain Satan threatens you with.

And you can remember this: that Satan’s goal is to destroy you. Utterly ruin you. Lay your life to waste. Wipe you out. Anything he suggests you do will lead you toward devastation, if you do it. That’s why he has to get you to think you’re protecting yourself by listening to him. See—even that is a lie!

On the other hand, God’s goal is to give you abundant life. He wants to fill you with a spiritual joy that’s beyond all imagining. He wants to make you a shining example of His goodness and glory in a dark, dark world.

So which will it be? Will you listen to Satan’s voice, or to God’s?

When it comes time to choose, remember this: You can’t reach joy by heading toward hell.

John 10:10—The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)

When You Want to Help…But You Don’t Really Want To

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

BeansWhenever it sounds like I’m doing something fun, my four-year-old son, Timmy, is very eager to help. One of the things that ranks right up there at the top of his “Fun Things to Do” list is cooking. So the other day, when I announced that I was going to make lunch, Timmy asked excitedly, “Can I help? Can I help?”

“Sure, Timmy,” I said as he followed me into the kitchen. I was planning on serving fajitas, so I added, “First, you can help me by putting the beans in this bowl.”

“I don’t think I can do that,” Timmy said.

“Do you want me to help you?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Timmy said, not even looking at the beans.

So I put all the beans in the bowl. Then I said, “Now you can stir them.”

“Uh…you do it,” Timmy said as he stood on the step stool at the counter, twirling back and forth and grinning.

I had thought Timmy wanted to help. And usually, he’s very eager to do anything I allow him to do in relation to cooking. But that time, he was more interested in standing on the stool next to me and playing.

Isn’t that how it often is with you and me, but in relation to God? We tell Him we want to help Him. We tell Him what a privilege it is to participate with Him in His work, and how grateful we are that He would use us. But then when He asks us to do something, we say, “Uh…no thank you.”

Just like Timmy, what we really want is not to help God, but to have fun. If we can do both at the same time, great. But if it comes down to choosing one or the other, far too often, we choose fun over helping God. Either that, or we do what He’s asked, but grudgingly.

We both know how God feels about that. In fact, Jesus told a parable about a man who asked his two sons to help him. One son said no, but then later changed his mind and helped. The other son immediately said yes, but then when it came down to it, he did nothing. Jesus made it very clear that the one who pleased his father was the one who did what his father wanted, not the one who said he would help but then couldn’t be counted on when the time came.

Which son are you? Which am I? Both of us would say we want to do God’s will. But when God asks something of us that we don’t want to do, which son will we be like? Will we choose to do as the Father asks? Or will we show Him that we didn’t really want to help him after all?

Matthew 21:28-31—“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?” (NIV)

What Jesus Did for You at Calvary That You May Never Have Realized

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

CrossI’m 45 years old. Easter 2016 has been my 46th Easter. I’ve heard the Easter story hundreds of times. I’ve known for many years that “Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins.”

But there’s something about what Jesus did on Calvary that I never realized until this year.

And it’s something I’ve wanted all my life. I just never knew I had it. Until this morning during the sermon.

Before I tell you what I realized, I need to tell you something else: My childhood and growing-up years were very difficult in some ways. By no means was every moment horrible, but suffice it to say that those years were tough. I only mention it here for two reasons: First, it’s necessary to do so in order to explain why what Christ purchased for me with His blood means so very much to me; and second, perhaps some of you have endured similar suffering and long to have what I only recently realized that I had all along (it’s what you had all along, too).

I grew up believing that I was never right unless I conformed to certain standards. That I was never acceptable or accepted unless I acted a certain way. That I must constantly try to please people who would never fully love me unless I could do and be and say exactly what they wanted.

I grew up believing that I was somehow never fully “right.” That any temporary reprieve from the anxiety of having to live up to impossible standards (because I just couldn’t be the “right” person) was just that—temporary.

I’m sure you can see why what I have wanted more than anything else my entire life was to know that I’m “right” enough. That I’m “good” enough. Not that I’m sinless, but just that I’m not constantly wrong.

Today, I got what I’ve always wanted. And in case you’ve always wanted it too, I want to share with you what I learned about Easter that I never realized before, because it’s all connected.

You and I both know that when Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment that we deserved because of our sinfulness. We also both know that God the Father considers Jesus’ righteousness now to be ours as well. We can be counted legally sinless before God because Jesus’ perfect record stands in for us. Even though we continue to sin, we are not guilty.

Jesus was judged guilty. Jesus was sentenced. Jesus paid the full penalty.

Do you realize what that means?

It means that you and I are not always wrong. It means—get this—that in terms of our standing before God, we’re always right.

Because Jesus lived a sinless life and then died on Calvary, you and I get to have what we always wanted. We get to be fully acceptable to someone no matter what we do or fail to do. We get to be fully loved completely apart from the level of our performance.

In fact—and this is where it gets truly mind-blowing—our efforts to “get it right” add nothing to our being right. Nothing, nothing, NOTHING! Because we’re already right!

We are right because of Jesus, not because of ourselves (remember how His perfect record stands in for us?). And because Jesus is incapable of anything less than perfection, we are always right.

Again, “right” does not means we’re not factually sinless. We do sin, and God knows it. Being “right” means that we’re always in right standing with God because of Jesus. Despite the fact that we continue to sin, we will never be out of right standing with God. True, He will not like our sinful actions. He will not be pleased with them. But—and this is an incredible thought for anyone who didn’t grow up this way—He won’t count them against us. He won’t distance Himself from us because we’ve suddenly become unacceptable (because He doesn’t consider us unacceptable, no matter what). He won’t stop loving us because we didn’t do or be or say the right thing.

Let me say it as plainly as I can: Jesus not only lifted our punishment from us, He also lifted from us the burden of always being wrong. Of always not measuring up.

And He made us always right, and accepted, and loved.

He did for me what I always wanted, and I never “got it” until today. But today, I got what I’ve always had.

I hope you did, too.

1 Peter 2:24—“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (NIV)

Why We Should Embrace Unpleasant Consequences

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Jesus with cross“Mommy! Timmy’s being a pest again! He’s lying down on our game board so we can’t play!”

I don’t always get up and do something about it when my kids tattle. Sometimes, I merely explain to the offended party that it’s normal for boys to make noises like that and not something she can tattle about; or that that’s the response the child should expect when he or she starts something and therefore can’t complain; or that sometimes in life, you just have to let things go (which, depending on how I phrase it, might cause one or more children to burst into song).

This time, however, 4-year-old Timmy had been pestering his sisters for quite awhile. He’d been warned  that he’d better be good or else. Now, it was time to make good on my promise.

I got up and headed for the living room. Timmy saw me coming, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. “I’m just going to my room,” he said, edging past me.

Obviously, Timmy wanted to avoid the consequences he feared were coming.

I can’t really blame him for that. Nobody likes unpleasant consequences. We do everything we can to avoid them, even when we know we deserve them.

But today, and especially this week, I’d like us to consider Someone Who didn’t try to avoid some horrific consequences, despite the fact that He was totally innocent.

I’m talking, of course, about Jesus. But I may be making a different point than you’ve ever heard before (I hadn’t heard it before, either, until this Sunday’s sermon), so stick with me.

We all know that through most of His sham of a trial, Jesus said nothing to defend Himself. Perhaps, like me, you’ve always assumed that Jesus said nothing because He knew it wouldn’t do any good, or because He had decided to demonstrate amazing self-control, or because He was “better than that.” All of those things are true, of course. But there was another reason Jesus remained silent that we would do well to consider.

One of the (I believe) primary reasons Jesus remained silent and refused to defend Himself was that He wanted the consequences to happen.

Though He was sinless and deserved no punishment, He was well aware of two things: first, that one consequence of His trial would be crucifixion; and second, that the crucifixion had to happen. So He kept silent precisely to bring about the consequences He never deserved, but which God the Father had decreed must take place.

He embraced what had already begun to happen to Him because He wanted it to happen. It’s not that He thought it would be fun. Quite the opposite, in fact—He knew it would be agonizing. But He wanted the results of His crucifixion more than He wanted to avoid the pain of it.

He wanted to gain His Father’s approval and the salvation of the world more than He wanted to maintain His physical comfort.

How does this pertain to you and me? Simply this: We sometimes need to desire the consequences of what is happening more than we desire to avoid the pain of it.

It all comes down to what we want most. Would we rather have a pain-free life, or would we rather experience the intimacy with Jesus that comes from walking through pain?

I’m not suggesting that we should desire pain. That’s just…no. What I’m saying is, that when we do experience unavoidable pain, instead of running from it or trying to eliminate it as soon as possible, we’d do far better to embrace it and let it guide us to spiritual depth, growth, and intimacy that wouldn’t have been possible without it.

But to do that, we have to feel pain. We have to be willing to face it, not turn our backs on it. And that’s scary. Nobody likes to be hurt. Nobody wants to feel pain one second longer than she has to. So we try to make it go away, because we think we have the option of either feeling the pain and being miserable, or feeling no pain and being happier.

In reality, the choice is not allowing pain to make us miserable vs. being happy. The choice is between letting God guide us through the pain so that we heal in some deeper way than we ever knew possible, and gain a closeness to God that we never would have had otherwise; or stuffing the pain down deep and never being truly happy again.

Again, I’m neither saying that we should seek or desire pain, nor that we shouldn’t seek comfort and counsel when we suffer. I’m saying that when pain comes, as it surely will in every single person’s life, we should let it do its work in us, let it bring us to a deeper and more joy-filled place than we would have been by trying to avoid it.

Trying to avoid pain doesn’t really work, anyway. So let’s not deny ourselves the good things God can bring out of it. Let’s follow the example of our Lord, who embraced the pain of what was happening, knowing that glory and joy awaited Him on the other side.

Romans 8:18—I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (NIV)

Hebrews 12:2b—For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NIV)

Nah…Nothing Could Go Wrong

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Timmy and skateboardRecently, I bought my son, Timmy, a child-sized skateboard.

If you’ve read my blog for very long, or followed me on Facebook, you’ve “met” him, and you know why buying him a skateboard means making sure he only uses it outside, where nobody and nothing else is around, and making sure our health insurance is up-to-date.

But after seeing one of his friends get a skateboard, and having the friend’s uncle teach the friend and my kids to use it, Timmy desperately wanted one of his own. So, because I am the kind of mom who figures that bumps, bruises, and even broken bones are part of childhood, I bought him one.

As with any milestone in my children’s lives (or even, for that matter, anything of even minor significance), I took a picture of Timmy holding his new skateboard, and I posted it on Facebook. The caption read, “Today, I bought Timmy a skateboard. What could possibly go wrong?”

Comments from my friends who know Timmy included, “Do you have a bed reserved at the hospital?” “Time to test the insurance,” and, “Hey, Mom, watch me jump off the porch! Are you watching, Mom? Look, Mom!”

We all know that childhood carries with it a certain amount of…well, injuries. Those are par for the course. Most of the time, they don’t stop us from allowing our children to do the activity in question. We might require them to take precautions (such as, in this case, a helmet and pads), but we give permission anyway, because the risk is overshadowed by the reward.

Following this strategy in terms of childhood activities is one thing. Being guided by it in terms of decisions about spiritual things is another matter, entirely.

If I let Timmy learn to skateboard, and he breaks an arm in the process, it’s no big deal. We’ll take him to the hospital and get the necessary treatment, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to help him accomplish his daily activities while he still has the cast on. But ultimately, arms heal, and he’ll be fine. Good as new.

If I make an unwise spiritual decision, however—if I’m single and I decide to marry someone I have doubts about; if I’m married and allow myself to become attracted to another man; if I decide that I don’t need to go to church anymore; if I choose a group of friends who supports my drinking to excess, or my using drugs—then I may very well wind up with permanent consequences.

That’s because spiritual scars are a lot more painful and take a lot longer to heal than physical scars.

Discounting the potential consequences of buying your child a skateboard—saying, “Even if he gets hurt, more than likely, he’ll heal completely and be just fine”—is one thing. But discounting the potential consequences of a spiritual decision? Saying, “That will never happen to me,” or “I’m a strong Christian; I can get away with that,” or “Who cares? I’ll take my chances”? Dangerous ground, indeed.

Satan loves it when he can get us to minimize or discount what might happen to us as the result of a risky spiritual decision. Look at Adam and Eve in the garden! What was the serpent’s (Satan’s) strategy? He convinced Eve, then Adam, to think that the consequences God had promised wouldn’t really happen to them.

Yes! Consequences can really happen to you (and to me). Yes! Even strong Christians fall when they never expected to. Yes! Playing Russian Roulette with sin’s consequences could very well result in disaster.

So don’t do it! Consider your spiritual health of far more importance even than your physical health. Trust the God Who’s already weighed the consequences of everything and told you to abstain from certain activities, rather than your own desire for excitement or your own ability to bead the odds.

Just as I expect Timmy to obey me because I know far more than he does about what is safe for him, so God expects us to obey Him because He sees the end from the beginning, whereas we don’t.

Let Him be the One to decide what’s safe for you.

Don’t just get out there with no helmet and no padding and hope you’re okay.

Genesis 3:4-5—And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (KJV)

1 Corinthians 10:12—Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

How Not to Worry

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

worried womanThis past Friday night, Lindsey and I were lounging on the couch together, just hanging out. She, of course, wanted to stay up late. But much as I wanted to continue our time together, I knew it would be better for her to get plenty of sleep.

“You’re going to have to get up early tomorrow,” I said.

“Yeah,” she said. “That’s why I’m tired.”

“You’re tired in advance?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said again. “It happens.”

Indeed, it does. I, too, have had times where I thought ahead to something that was coming up and got tired just thinking about it. You’ve probably had those times, too.

It’s understandable. The only thing is, we have to be careful about letting tomorrow affect today too much.

Apparently you and I aren’t the first ones ever to do this, because two thousand years ago, Jesus cautioned listeners now to let tomorrow mess up today. “Do not worry about tomorrow,” He said, “for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34, NIV).

Why would Jesus tell us not to do something that comes so naturally for us? First, worrying won’t change anything. In the verses just before the one cited above, Jesus illustrates this fact in several ways: We can’t add to our height. We can’t add a day to our lives. We just. Can’t. Do. It.

Not only does worry accomplish nothing, Jesus says, but second, we know that everything we need will be provided. All we need to do, He says, is focus on God and His priorities, and God will take care of the rest. It doesn’t make sense to worry when we know that we’re going to be taken care of.

Third, worrying destroys our peace. It churns us up inside. It’s useless (that was the first reason), it’s pointless (that was the second), and, third, it’s destructive. God doesn’t want us to harm ourselves like that.

So how do we stop worrying (which is often much easier said than done)?

First, let’s realize that Jesus wasn’t saying to stop thinking about tomorrow; He was saying we should stop worrying about it (huge difference).  Thinking about tomorrow is okay; worrying isn’t.

Second, we have to admit that worrying is a choice. It’s not required. Even when we’re facing something potentially difficult, we have a choice as to the perspective we choose to take. We can choose not to let thoughts of what might happen tomorrow ruin what is happening today.

When we find ourselves tempted to worry about the possibilities, let’s choose instead to focus on the fact that today, it isn’t happening. Today, there are things to rejoice in and enjoy. There is life to be lived.

Yes, what happens tomorrow might be awful. But it might not. If it is, then God will meet us there, with His incredible love, comfort, and wisdom. We will be cared for. We will survive.

If it’s not…well, then there was no point in ever worrying about it in the first place.

Matthew 6:34—Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)

When You Need Practice

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Football practiceI didn’t think picking up Cheerios was such a big deal.

Apparently, it was, at least to Timmy, who didn’t want to pick up the bag of Cheerios he’d dragged into his room for use with his Cheerios book.

“Please pick up the Cheerios and put them away,” I said.

“Aagghh!” Timmy yelled. “I’m mad! And angry! And shout-y! And I’m never going to clean up anything!”

“Oh, yes, you are,” I said firmly.

“I’m bad at cleaning up stuff,” Timmy grumbled in a last-ditch protest.

“That’s why you need practice,” I said.

There then ensued an hour-long battle over whether Timmy was or was not going to pick up the Cheerios. I told him he could sit in his room until he was willing to put the package back on the counter; he refused and kept escaping from his room; I kept putting him back.

The problem was eventually solved by Jessica, who went into Timmy’s room while I was otherwise occupied and convinced him to pick up the Cheerios. But that’s not the point.

The point is that I think that God sometimes has to do the same with us—that is, give us opportunities to practice things we’re not good at.

I don’t know why most struggles and trials happen. I don’t know why we sometimes have to keep dealing with the same thing over and over and over. But I bet that sometimes—on occasion—the reason God allows us to keep facing the same issues repeatedly is because we need practice in dealing with them.

Sometimes, it just takes us awhile to get things through our heads. Sometimes, we know in our heads how we ought to speak or think or act, but we’re not yet ready in our hearts to put those things into practice. And even when we are ready, and have the best of intentions, we still mess up.

We need practice.

It’s kind of like studying for a test or training for an athletic competition. We study, or put in the physical effort, beforehand, so that when the time of testing comes, we’re ready. Likewise, we need practice in dealing with certain issues so that when they arise, we can handle them right, or at least better than we did last time.

Not that practicing is fun. It’s not. Nobody likes struggling to hold back the words she really wants to say, or to have a good attitude when she wants to scream. Nobody wants trials or struggles. But we all want the ultimate result—being able to handle even negative situations without getting upset, and in the process, pleasing Christ.

So we’re going to have to practice. “Practice” may or may not be the purpose in our struggles. But as long as we have to struggle, let’s not waste those opportunities. Let’s use them as a way to help us progress toward the ultimate goal of being like Jesus.

God wastes nothing. And neither should we.

Hebrews 12:11—No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (NIV)

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