Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

Megan Breedlove

Not Quite Right

Megan Breedlove 2 Comments

Timmy with ice cream coneThe other day, the kids and I joined Phil in the cafeteria at his work for supper. The kids got to eat their favorite foods and play on the awesome playground. To top it all off, Daddy announced that he was buying everyone frozen yogurt!

We went to the frozen yogurt shop, where everyone got to have tastes of the various kinds and then choose a yogurt (cone or cup) with whatever kind of toppings they wanted. Even Timmy got some, as I partially filled a cone with vanilla yogurt for him.

Timmy immediately began eating his yogurt, diving right into it with his entire face. He was happy as a clam. Until, apparently, the yogurt level in the cone got too low and he had to find another solution for getting the remaining yogurt out of the cone and into his mouth.

“Mommy,” one of the kids called out, “Timmy’s eating his cone upside down, and he’s really making a mess.”

Sure enough, Timmy had turned the cone upside down to get at the last few bites of yogurt. The only problem was that some of the yogurt fell out the top of the cone and all over him. He had the cone about half eaten from the bottom by the time we discovered him. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the mess dripping down his face and arm and covering his clothes. He was content with having found a way to get at the remainder of his sweet treat.

The way Timmy was eating the cone was not quite right—at least not in the traditional sense. But it served his purposes. The only problem was that it made a huge mess.

You and I sometimes try to eat our cones from the bottom too. What do I mean? Simply this: that sometimes, when something’s not happening the way it’s “supposed” to, we turn to alternate means of getting the results we want.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we need a little creativity to make things happen. The problem comes in when we choose methods that aren’t in line with the way God wants things done. We try to force things ourselves. And when that happens, we always make a mess.

When our husband doesn’t show us the sensitivity or understanding we hope for, we choose to nag him instead of pray for him and speak with him calmly. We make a mess.

When our kids don’t obey us, instead of praying and working on discipline, we yell. Messy.

When we want to feel good about ourselves, instead of seeking affirmation from God and appropriate encouragement from others, we brag. Or we tear others down verbally. Or we gossip. Messy, messy, messy.

It all depends on whether or not God wants that last little bit of ice cream to be eaten. If so, it’s okay to turn the cone upside down. But if He doesn’t—if He’s said there is to be no more yogurt for us—we dare not turn the cone upside down unless we want to make a huge mess God never intended.

Getting the things God wants by using a little honest creativity (upside down cone) is probably fine. Getting things we want but God doesn’t by using that same creativity? Or forcing things to happen that God has said no to? Not okay.

Be careful when you turn that cone upside down. Getting what you want by the wrong means is never, ever as satisfying as getting, by the proper means, what God wants you to have.

Deuteronomy 10:12—And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (ESV) (emphasis mine)

Excluded

Megan Breedlove No Comments

This past week, my son Kenny has been attending a day camp sponsored by our city. He loves their program, which includes games, play time, and various activities in a group of kids approximately his age.

One day, however, when I arrived to pick Kenny up, his teacher asked to talk with me. She explained that some of the other children had been deliberately excluding Kenny from a game, and it made him cry. She told me what she had done to deal with the problem (I was very pleased with her efforts) and said she would be on the lookout in case anything similar ever happened again.

Naturally, on the way home, I talked to Kenny about it. He admitted that he had been sad but said he still wanted to return to camp the next day. The whole incident didn’t seem to bother him too much.

But the point isn’t just Kenny’s amazing attitude. The point is that in the moment when Kenny was crying from the pain of being excluded out of deliberate meanness, Jesus understood. And Jesus understood not only because He’s God, but because He was excluded too.

People didn’t always like Jesus very much. In fact, some people (mainly the Pharisees) hated Him so vehemently they repeatedly tried to kill Him until they finally succeeded. He was completely excluded from their inner circle, despite the fact that He was the one they should have been worshipping.

Even the disciples excluded Jesus at the time of His arrest and impending crucifixion by abandoning Him. They didn’t want any part of Him. And Peter denied three times that He even knew Jesus or was a part of His group.

We know these things about Jesus, but we don’t always think about how Jesus must have felt. Just because He was God doesn’t mean He didn’t feel the pain that comes from being excluded. In fact, the Bible tells us that He was “despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. He knew how it felt in that moment when Kenny cried.

Not only that, precious mom, He knows how you feel when you are excluded. When your husband excludes you, or your friends or family, or even strangers, He knows how it feels. When someone doesn’t want you to be part of their group, He understands. When people don’t want anything to do with you, He feels that pain.

You see, Jesus came to earth not just to take the punishment for our sins, as if that weren’t enough. He also came to identify with us so that He would experience what we as human beings go through. He was willing to suffer rejection and exclusion so He could understand what you feel like when it happens to you.

Those memories about times you were rejected or excluded? He knows how you feel. The pain going on in your heart right now because you are currently being excluded? He understands. He’s felt it too.

What all this means is that you can take your pain to Him and find in Him someone who truly “gets it”. He’s not just going to tell you to get over it; He’ll help you heal. And He’ll do it because He wants you to know that you are not alone in your pain. He will never exclude you or reject you. He’s on your side.

So run to Him. Let Him take you in His arms and love you. Let Him begin to heal your hurts. Lay your head upon Him as He holds you close, and hear Him whisper, “I understand.”

Isaiah 53:3—He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (ESV)

Hebrews 13:5b—He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)

Independence Day

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FireworksThis past week, we in the United States celebrated our Independence Day (usually known as the Fourth of July), the day in 1776 we declared ourselves to be our own country under our own rule. There are as many ways to celebrate the Fourth as there are families in America. Our family’s celebration included burgers for lunch and going to a water park in the afternoon. (Fortunately for us, our Mexican neighbors’ celebration included cooking out on their grill and bringing us a bunch of their extra food.)

Every year when this holiday comes around, the stores gear up for it in advance. They run sales on steaks and sunscreen, chips and beach towels. Families make plans to attend fireworks displays and spend special time together. And all of it is in celebration of the day our ancestors affirmed themselves to be their own nation, a decision with far-reaching consequences and benefits that reach forward in time to this very day.

As Christians, however, we have an Independence Day to celebrate that observes far more than the day we became a nation. Actually, we have two Independence Days. One of them has already come, and the other is still in the future.

Our first Independence Day came when we accepted Christ and He declared us to be His. No longer were we slaves to sin. We were independent from sin, free to choose Christ. As our rector said in church this morning, there are many ways to be enslaved, and before you and I met Christ, we were slaves to sin. But Christ set us free from sin and its rule over us. No longer do we have to obey it as our master. We are now under different rule, a freely chosen government, which is Christ.

You see, accepting Christ doesn’t just mean that Christ frees us from sin so we can live however we want to live, free from restrictions set by anybody. He sets us free from sin for the purpose of inviting us to come under His rule, a rule which guides us into abundant life.

That was our first Independence Day—when we were freed to choose Christ.

Our second Independence Day has not yet come. That’s because the second Day will come only when we reach heaven. In heaven, there will be no more sin. Yes, we’re free from having to obey it down here, but sometimes, out of pure insanity or perhaps misunderstanding of the fact that it has no hold on us anymore, we still choose to obey sin. In heaven, we will no longer choose sin over obeying God.

Already there is no more slavery. But in heaven, there will be no more sin, either.

I’ve already had my first Independence Day, and I pray you have too. (If you haven’t, contact me, and I’ll be glad to introduce you to the One who can set you free.) But I long for the second Day, too. Don’t you?

Galatians 5:1—For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (ESV)

Scripture Stickies

Megan Breedlove 2 Comments

Scripture StickiesScripture Stickies are one of the neatest resources I have come across in a long time. Bible verses printed on stick-it paper, they are professionally designed and extremely helpful. Barely have time to brush your teeth in the morning? Might as well put a Scripture Sticky on your mirror and work on a memory verse while brushing your teeth. Stick them in your car, on your mirror, or over the sink in your kitchen; they work anywhere (and they really do come off easily). Available in different categories of verses, as well as certain foreign languages, Scripture Stickies are an excellent resource for getting God’s Word into your mind. They make great gifts, too! I highly recommend them.

Purchase Scripture Stickies at the Scripture Stickies website here (Update: no longer available).

*I received no compensation for this review other than a free sample of the product.

The Unburdened Heart

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The Unburdened HeartSuzanne Eller has written a book that’s a must-read for everyone struggling with forgiveness—everyone whose heart is burdened by the wrongs that have been done to him or her. We’ve all suffered at the hands of others, and Suzie acknowledges that. In fact, she knows all about that, having endured much in her life that she needed to forgive. Suzie is very open about her own journey and very understanding about the difficulty of the process of forgiving. Through her own stories, others’ stories, and her conversational, come-alongside-you-like-a-best-friend prose, she walks with the reader through every part of the journey. She also includes several questions at the end of each chapter to help the reader work through forgiveness in her own life.  Have you been wounded in the past and aren’t sure why you should even consider forgiving your offender? Suzie covers this topic too, showing readers how forgiveness is not primarily for the benefit of the offender but so that we can move on. I highly recommend this book that has become influential in my own journey to forgiveness.

Purchase your copy of The Unburdened Heart from the Proverbs 31 Ministries Store here or from Amazon.com here.

*I received no compensation for this review other than a free copy of the book.

Sharing with Mommy

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My oldest daughter Ellie loves to read. She enjoys novels, to be sure, but she also enjoys reading magazines and books that tell her lots of information. When she comes across a particularly interesting fact, she likes to come share it with me.

“Mommy!” she’ll say, arriving at my side with an eager smile. “Wanna hear about….” and she’ll fill in the blank with the subject of whatever neat tidbit she has just discovered.

I love that Ellie is so eager to share with me. I hope that continues into her teen years and even beyond, into her adult years. That’s because I love her, and I love connecting with her in a fun and interesting way.

I bet God loves connecting with us in a similar way. In fact, I know He does. God’s always ready and waiting to hear from us when we pray. The only problem is, most of us aren’t interested in sharing with Him very often. When something interesting happens in our lives, we share it with our family, our girlfriends, and the entire world (via Facebook), but we rarely talk to God about it.

You see, God doesn’t just want us to pray when we need something. Just as we wouldn’t like it if the only time our daughter spoke to us was when she wanted something, so God wants us to speak to Him on a regular basis, not just when we need Him to do something for us.

The Bible commands us to pray with all kinds of prayers and on all occasions. But do we really? Most of us confine our prayer life to “thank You for the food” and “please bless all these people on my list”. Do we ever come to God for other reasons? Not very often.

We could, if we wanted to, come to God for anything at all, and He’d love to listen to us. We could talk to Him about our day, about how disappointed we were when our favorite baseball team lost in the playoffs, or about a funny joke we heard. True, it’s not like God doesn’t know all those things already. But remember that the purpose behind talking to God is not to convey information to Him, as Ellie does with me sometimes. The purpose in talking to Him is simply to be in relationship with Him.

It’s hard to have an intimate relationship with someone you never talk to, or whom you talk to only when you have a request. It’s much easier to relate to someone you talk to about everyday things, hopes and dreams, triumphs and failures.

Why don’t we talk to God this way? Maybe we think He’s not interested. Oh, but He’s interested in anything we have to say, simply because we’re His daughters. Maybe we think we don’t have time, but we all have time to shoot up a quick prayer now and then throughout the day, telling Him about something or thanking Him for something.

Do you talk to God on a regular basis? I hope you do. Is your prayer life confined to a list of requests? If it is, you need to broaden your conversations with God and talk about other things as well. God wants to be your Friend, not just your genie in a bottle. And with such an amazing, incredible Friend as He ready to listen to anything you have to say, why wouldn’t you take every chance you have to talk to Him?

Ephesians 6:18—And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (NIV)

Father Cry

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Father CryBilly Wilson understands the pain of those of us who long for spiritual fathers and mothers. He is very candid and vulnerable about his own struggles and need in this area and empathetic to those who also long for a spiritual father or mother to guide them. He describes some of the issues that have contributed to the lack of spiritual parents in our culture, including broken trust among those who should have been these kinds of parents for their own biological children and/or “spiritual children” God had given them to shepherd. Wilson also gives several examples of spiritual parenting in the Bible and the great benefits that resulted. He encourages those who are older (such as Titus 2 women) to step up and become spiritual mentors to those who need it, and he encourages those who need it to seek out such mentors. Wilson’s book is an honest look at a very real need throughout our churches today and an action call to do something about that need. I recommend this book.

You can purchase a copy of Father Cry here.

*I received no compensation for this review other than a free copy of the book. If you purchase the book through the link I’ve provided, I may receive a small commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you.

100 Monkeys

Megan Breedlove 2 Comments

Lindsey's Monkey BirthdayMy daughter Lindsey loves monkeys. I don’t remember when she first fell in love with them, but it’s been going on for awhile now. Since she was first smitten, she has begun building a collection of stuffed monkeys: big ones, little ones, brown ones, blue ones, pink ones, realistic monkeys, cartoonish monkeys—well, you get the idea.

Lindsey’s goal is to have one hundred monkeys (she has about 65 as of this writing). Actually, her goal is to have a million monkeys, but she has settled on the number 100 as an intermediate goal. She looks for monkeys everywhere we go, especially if she knows I’m likely to buy her something at our destination.

The other day, we were passing a garage sale on our way home from running an errand, and Lindsey’s eagle eye (monkey eye?) spotted a large stuffed monkey in a box. “Oooo, I want that monkey!” she said eagerly. She didn’t get the monkey that day (it was huge), but I know she won’t give up hope that she’ll get more in the future. She won’t stop looking, either, or hoping to receive monkeys for her birthday or for Christmas. She’ll do everything she can to reach her goal.

You and I would do well to be similarly dedicated to our goals, especially our spiritual goals. The problem is that most of us don’t even have spiritual goals, except in some vague sense. If we do, we usually don’t have much of a plan for reaching them, and if we have a plan, we usually don’t stick to it.

If we don’t have a goal in the first place, that’s a huge problem. We ought to at least know where we want to go spiritually, or we’ll be going in the wrong direction. Failing to have spiritual goals is about as good as having the wrong goal. The Bible teaches us over and over that God’s goal for us is to be holy. To be like Jesus. That needs to be our spiritual goal, first and foremost.

Okay, so we have a goal. Do we have a plan for getting there? Most of us have a rather vague plan that includes going to church and maybe reading our Bible or praying occasionally. So we go to church when it’s convenient, and we pray and read our Bibles when it’s convenient, which is to say almost never. We need to have a better plan than that, and our plan must include regular church attendance, prayer, Bible study, and service, to name a few. Exactly what this plan will look like will differ from person to person, because God made us all different, and our circumstances are all different. But each person’s plan should include at least these things.

Don’t know what your plan should include? Ask God. Tell Him you want to be more like His Son, and you know you’ll need to do certain things to put yourself in a position for Him to work in you, teach you, and conform you to Jesus’ image. Ask Him what those things should be—what you should do, when you should do it, and how often you should do it.

And then be willing to work at it! It does little good to have a plan if you aren’t going to act on it. Even the best plans in the world will fail if you don’t do them. Now, lest you think I don’t realize how hard it is to take consistent action when you are in the midst of parenting, let me remind you that I have five children! I know it’s hard, and I admit that I don’t always get it right either. I fail to do things I know I should do, or I give priority to things that should take a back seat to spiritual things. But God will never ask you to do something that He won’t help you do. So once you know what His plan is for you, ask Him to help you accomplish it. Be willing to set aside your priorities for His. Work at it even when it’s hard.

True, even with all the hard work in the world, you can’t produce godliness in yourself. Godliness is produced in you by God, but it’s a whole lot more likely to happen when you show Him you’re interested.

Lindsey is willing to work hard to reach her goal. Her goal is collecting monkeys.

Are you willing to work hard toward the goal of knowing and serving the Lord your God?

1 Kings 8:61—Therefore devote yourselves completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.

Lindsey's Monkey Suit

Freely Give

Megan Breedlove 2 Comments

My son Kenny loves his Nintendo 3DS. In fact, playing games on it is one of his favorite things in the world to do. He’s even willing to do extra housework in order to earn more media time so he can play with it.

That’s why my husband knew it would be a difficult conversation when he had to sit down with Kenny and tell him what we think might have happened to his beloved DS, which had been lost for days.

Sure enough, when I walked into the room, Kenny was crying. My husband had explained to him that it was possible Timmy threw it away (Kenny had left it somewhere Timmy could reach it), but that whether or not that was the case, Kenny would have to earn money for another DS. So Kenny was not only grieving the loss of his prized possession, he was grieving the possibility of not having it replaced for a really long time.

At that point, Jessica came into the room. She had heard the discussion about Kenny’s having to earn money for another DS, and she went to stand in front of him. She opened her hands to show him a dollar and a quarter—all the money she had. “Here, Kenny,” she said.

That’s the kind of sweet, giving heart Jessica has. She’ll give even when it means she has nothing left for herself. But that’s not the end of the story.

Later that day, after returning home from a party, the kids each had some candy. The three older ones all had plenty, but Jessica had gotten only one piece. “It just seemed like it was too fast,” she said, the tears running down her face. She was referring to the fact that an adult at the party had been tossing candy into the air for the kids to grab, and Jessica had felt intimidated by all the other kids’ (including mine’s) diving to get the candy.

While I consoled her, Phil leaned down and whispered in Kenny’s ear. I found out later that he reminded Kenny how generous Jessica had been in offering him her money, and he suggested that Kenny offer her some of his candy. Phil said that Kenny froze, and Phil could almost see the thoughts passing through Kenny’s mind: thoughts of Jessica’s generosity warring with thoughts of wanting to keep all his candy for himself.

In case you’re wondering, generosity and love for his sister won out, and Kenny gave Jessica some candy. As he had freely received, he freely gave, just as Jesus commands us in Matthew 10:8.

It’s a good lesson for all of us, because we’ve all had blessings given to us. In fact, every blessing we’ve ever received has come from the free outpouring of God’s generosity to us. Yet too often, when we’re called upon to give freely in return, we don’t do it.

It doesn’t even necessarily have to be money or material goods, though there will be times when those things are appropriate. In the Matthew passage, Jesus was reminding His disciples that they had received abundant spiritual blessings from Him. Because of that, He said, they were to freely bestow blessings upon others, which He gave them the ability to do.

You and I have the ability to bless others too. We might not have much money, but again, that’s not what we’re talking about. (It wasn’t what Jesus was talking about either.) We can all bless others with kindness, with an encouraging word, with a smile or a hug or a look of understanding. We can offer as blessings our own experiences. We can identify with others and empathize with them. Best of all, of course, we can introduce them to the One who made all this possible for us.

When Jesus commanded the disciples to give freely, He knew they would have to take conscious action to do so, and his other words in the passage reflect that fact. Likewise, you and I need to be purposeful about giving freely to others. Otherwise, it just ain’t gonna happen on a regular basis.

Why not start by thinking about some of the blessings you have received, whether material, spiritual, emotional, or some other kind? Then take inventory of what you have that could be used to bless someone else. Finally, determine that you will use those things to bless others. Ask God to show you opportunities you might otherwise miss.

You see, giving freely isn’t just a nice thing to do. Remember that it’s also a command.

Matthew 10:8—“Freely you have received, freely give.” (NIV)

Nothin’ to Say

Megan Breedlove 2 Comments

Yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of speaking to a neat group of Christians about what children need from their parents’ marriage. Afterward, the ladies (and some of the husbands and children) all went out to lunch. One first-time mom named Kelly had brought her infant daughter. She was in the process of sharing cute stories about the little girl when she suddenly stopped. “I’m sorry for talking so much about my daughter,” she said.

We all assured her there was nothing to be sorry about, and Bethany agreed. “I talk about my daughter all the time,” Bethany said, laughing. “If you don’t want to talk about my daughter, we got nothin’ to say to each other.”

Bethany’s point was one we moms all know well: we like to talk about our children, and we talk about them a lot. If someone isn’t interested in hearing about our children, there probably won’t be much of a connection between the two of us.

It’s the same point God wants us to understand. He has a Son who is very important to Him. And if someone isn’t interested in His Son, there’s no connection between that person and God.

The Bible tells us that because of our sin, the relationship between God and us was broken. We could no longer come close to Him because of the huge moral chasm between us. So God, because of His immense and perfect love for us, sent His Son Jesus to take the punishment for our sins so that we didn’t have to. So that we could be reconciled to Him, back into a loving, intimate daily relationship.

If someone isn’t interested in that—if someone doesn’t care about Jesus and what He’s done for them—there’s no connection with God. “You’re not interested in my Son?” God asks. “Then we have nothing to say to each other.”

Fortunately, the reverse is also true. When someone does care about what Jesus did for her, when she loves Jesus and accepts His rule over her life, that connection with God is repaired, and she and God have everything in the world to say to each other.

God doesn’t just save us from our sins and then ignore us for the rest of our lives. He has so many things He wants to say to us. He wants to speak love and joy into our lives, instruction and correction, strength and comfort. But He only says those things to those with whom He has a relationship. And the only way to have a relationship with Him is through His Son Jesus.

Interested in Jesus? A fantastically incredible relationship with the God of the universe is yours for the asking.

Not interested? That’s your choice. But it’s the most tragic choice you’ll ever make.

John 14:6— Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (NIV)

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