Devotions

Being with Mommy

Megan Breedlove January 17, 2011 No Comments

For the past several days—almost a week now—we’ve been fighting sickness at our house. Lindsey came down with it first. Upon picking her up from preschool one afternoon, I found that what we had thought were allergy symptoms had been joined by a 101 fever. She’s been feeling ill since then, and my two other girls have come down with “it” as well.

I’ve written before about how when Lindsey’s sick, she likes to cuddle with Mommy. This most recent illness has been no different. She’s wanted to be with me nearly constantly—by my side or in my lap. She’ll even settle for sitting on the floor next to me when she has to, if I’m doing something like preparing dinner. “I just want to be with you,” she says.

But what I haven’t written about before is a thought that occurred to me this time. As I was bringing one of the girls a glass of water and urging her to drink it, I thought about how when kids are sick, they just want their mommies. And about how utterly ridiculous it would be for my kids to refuse to have anything to do with me when they are sick, because they blame me for their sickness.

If my girls had lain there on the couch and turned their faces away from me when I entered the room…if they had refused my ministrations, like bringing medicine or a glass of water…if they had shouted angrily at me that it was my fault they were sick, then refused to talk to me otherwise…not only would they have missed out on my companionship and healing help (thereby causing themselves to suffer more than was necessary in the first place), but I would have felt awful.

Yet we do the same thing to God that would be ridiculous for our children to do to us. We turn from Him in our moments of need. We refuse to have anything to do with Him because we blame Him for the fact that we suffer—or at least for not stopping it.

God, it’s Your fault. You could have prevented this, and you didn’t. I’m angry. Yes, God could prevent anything He wants to prevent. I’ve had terrible things happen in my life that I dearly wish He would have prevented. But it just doesn’t make sense for us to turn away from Him just because He didn’t stop something from occurring. The reason why sin, death, and even illness occur in this world is because of sin. When Adam and Eve first sinned, suffering entered the world. We didn’t live in paradise anymore. We got kicked out, and began suffering all the things that go along with living in a way and in a place God never designed for us to live. The Bible clearly teaches that things won’t be completely right ever again until we reach heaven. We usually don’t have a problem accepting this until suffering impacts us. Then we turn against God for not making everything okay now. We know in advance that there’s suffering in this world. Do we choose to follow God only as long as he keeps suffering away from us? Do we say, in effect, God, it’s fine if you don’t make everything right at this point in time. It’s okay if You wait until heaven. Just make sure that this suffering only applies to other people, or I’m going to be really mad at You.

Precious mom, I’m not trying to make light of your suffering. You may be going through something right now that’s absolutely agonizing. I’ve been through times like that too. And that’s how I can say this, not just because I read it in the Bible somewhere, but because I’ve lived it: turning away from God because He allowed suffering in your life will only make your suffering worse. It will not help you feel better. You will not feel less betrayed, or less angry. You won’t grieve less. Instead, you’ll be lying on the couch suffering worse and longer than you really have to, because you’re turning away from the only source of comfort that truly matters.

You may wonder how you can turn to God when you hurt so badly. How can you accept His loving embrace and open your heart to Him when it seems that doing so will only leave you vulnerable to more hurt in the future? I’ll tell you my answer. It’s the one I’ve learned in my times of suffering. I share it with you not as some expert in how you should feel, but as a fellow sufferer who has at times been deeply grieved by the results of sin in this world. What I’ve learned is that in times of pain, it’s more vital than ever that I remain close to God. And the way to do it is to bring all my pain to Him, sob it out into His lap, and keep doing that every day, and sometimes all day, for as long as you need to. He’s a really big God. He can handle your emotions. Don’t make the mistake I’ve made and think that you have to arrive at a place of accepting your suffering and being okay with it before you can come to God. Nothing could be further from the truth. You need to do exactly the opposite. You should come when you’re not okay, when you hurt so badly you don’t know how you can survive, and when you don’t even know if you want to. Dump everything into His lap and cry. It’s okay to tell Him you don’t understand why He allowed something to happen. He’s not going to zap you with lightning for saying that. He won’t even condemn you for being angry. Yes, if some of your emotions are sinful, He will lovingly help you correct them. But He won’t get offended and walk out on you. He won’t speak harshly to you and kick you out of His presence. No, He’ll do something far different, and far more valuable—something I think most of us don’t realize that He does.

He grieves with us. Precious mom, our God is not some impersonal God Who is unmoved by what happens to us. He doesn’t say, “Good grief, what are you crying about?” He grieves at the consequences of sin, far more even than you and I do. Can you imagine that? God grieves at what happens to you even more than you grieve about it. I’m going to say that again, so it can soak into our hearts and minds:

God grieves over what happens to us even more than you and I grieve about it.

Did you realize that? I didn’t either, until relatively recently. I knew God would comfort me when I grieved, but I never thought about how He grieves with me. And I sure never realized that God’s heart is even more broken about it than mine is.

No, God doesn’t wonder what He’s going to do now, in the aftermath of tragedy, like you and I sometimes do. And no, he doesn’t ever wonder how He’s going to go on, as is perfectly natural for us. But He grieves in a way you and I can’t even begin to understand.

First of all, He’s holy. Sin grieves and offends Him in a way that we, in our sinfulness, will never fully grasp. God hates sin and its consequences far more than we do.

Second, God loves us. You know how you feel when someone else’s sin impacts your child? Well, magnify that by a million, and you get a glimpse of how God feels when someone’s sin impacts you, His child. I remember a time when another child bit my son, leaving teeth marks that lasted for weeks. I was angry. Very angry. I believe this was a righteous kind of anger. The child had sinned, and He had hurt my child. And if I feel this angry when something like this happens, how must God feel when someone’s sin—or simply the nature of a fallen, sinful world—impacts me far more seriously? How must He feel when we suffer serious illness, a friend’s betrayal, or—may He forbid—the loss of a child? I think these tragedies grieve His heart in a way we can only begin to understand.

Why doesn’t God stop certain sins, certain consequences, from happening? I don’t know. But I do know this—God takes no pleasure in sin, and He grieves over it more than I’ll ever know. He grieves with me when something happens to me. And instead of turning away from Him because He didn’t prevent a particular situation, I want to run to the arms of the One who grieves with me, and promises to make everything right one day, even if, for reasons I wouldn’t understand, it can’t be right yet. And I want to look forward to the day and the place where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Because while I have no assurance that I won’t suffer in this life before Christ takes me home, I do know that one day, I will suffer no more. And I know that He’ll carry me toward that day, holding me in His arms all the way.

1 Peter 5:7—Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.

Revelation 21:3-4—And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

At Rest

Megan Breedlove January 10, 2011 No Comments

My mom was a nurse for many years. Now, in her retirement, she works at Kmart a few hours each week. She enjoys the contact with her customers and would much rather be out interacting with people than sitting home with nothing to do.

Mom once told me of a time when a young couple came through her checkout line. The mother was pushing the cart, and the couple’s young son rode inside. The father held their daughter in his arms. She was sound asleep with her head on his shoulder.

Mom said she thought about how we who are Christians can do the same thing with God that the little girl was doing with her father: be completely at rest, knowing that God loves us and will take care of us.

Indeed. God’s promised over and over in His word that He will meet our needs. His willingness and ability to take care of us are boundless. The only problem is that our trust has definite limits. We don’t see Him providing the way we think we should, so we think He’s falling down on the job.

But sometimes we have a very different idea of what our needs are than God does. We think our needs are anything we deem essential for living the way we think we’re supposed to live—or the way we want to live. God defines our needs differently. He says the only thing that constitutes a need is something that is necessary in order for our lives to fulfill His purpose. In other words, maybe we don’t need a good night’s sleep like we think we do. Maybe what really need is to be awakened by our baby enough times in the middle of the night, enough nights in a row so that we’re driven to our knees in prayer. Or maybe we don’t need the smooth sailing we think we need; perhaps our greater need is to show forth God’s glory by allowing others to see how we make it through stressful circumstances on His strength alone.

I’ll always meet your needs, God promises. Not the ones you think you have, but the ones I know you have. And not necessarily in the way you think, but in the way I know is best.

It’s easy to say, but hard to live. I’ve heard it said that the longest 18 inches in the world is the distance between a person’s head and heart. It’s easy to give intellectual assent to things like God’s goodness and provision, but much harder to rest emotionally in the things we know to be true.

How do you know if you really believe in God’s provision? If you really trust Him? By your reaction when hard times come. Put simply: if you’re not at peace, you’re not trusting. I don’t mean that you’ll be happy all the time. God doesn’t expect you to like every circumstance that comes your way. But He does expect you to continue to trust Him.

Don’t let temporary circumstances cause you to doubt the eternal God and the truth of His unchanging word. When the wind is blowing and the waves are threatening to knock you down, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Don’t look to your circumstances; look to Him. Circumstances can look pretty bad, and emotions can change. But God’s promised you many times and in many ways that He’ll take care of you. And He’s kept every one of His promises to you. Every single one.

Matthew 14:29-31—Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Joshua 23:14—You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

Starting Over

Megan Breedlove January 3, 2011 No Comments

Ahhhhhh…the beginning of a new year. And with it, the chance to start afresh. The opportunity to begin doing the things you should, or stop doing the things you know you shouldn’t. That’s the idea behind New Year’s resolutions—to formalize your commitment to “get it right”.

The only problem is…well, let’s be honest. Most of us are going to fail at our New Year’s resolutions, at least in part. We’ll start out with good intentions, utmost sincerity, and maybe even some prayer. But all too soon, we’ll mess up.

Some of us give up right there. I knew I couldn’t do it. Or, This just isn’t going to work.

Others of us try again. We muster up some hope from somewhere and give it another shot. And then…another failure. Forget it, we sigh, and we resign ourselves to living the same way we used to before we made the resolution.

Take, for example, having a daily time spent with the Lord. We all know we’re supposed to do it, so we resolve that this year is the year we’re going to finally conquer our lack of consistency.

You know what happens next. Maybe you make it a week, or maybe, if you’re really diligent, you get all the way into February before you forget, or you get busy with other things and your quiet time gets pushed aside.

Or maybe you decide that you’re not going to yell at your kids any more. You’re going to be patient. For real, this time. No matter what.

And then one day, you’re fighting a cold, and the baby kept you up all night last night, and you walk into the living room to find fifteen different colors of Play-Doh mashed into the carpet in a thousand places, and…you yell.

Have you been there, at the place where suddenly you’ve bombed out, when you really wanted to succeed? I know I have. I’ve found that my sincerity wasn’t enough to carry me through the testing of my intentions. Whether due to a mistake or because of my sin, I often cause my own failure. Sometimes, I get discouraged at the idea of having to start over yet again on something I’ve attempted many times before.

God gives us a lot more grace than we sometimes give ourselves. He understands that we’re human, and we will sometimes make mistakes. He doesn’t condemn us for not possessing abilities or skills He never gave to us. Other times, we’ll sin, but He doesn’t condemn us then, either. You see, Jesus’ blood paid for these start-overs. And Jesus bought as many as we’ll need.

Think about that, precious mom. The freedom, when it comes to non-moral mistakes, to be imperfect. To not know it all, and not be able to do it all. And when it comes to sin, if we have a repentant heart, we also have an unlimited supply of fresh starts, with no expiration date.

What an incredible gift. We can start over any time we need to, whether or not it’s January 1.

So happy new year, mom. Happy new day. Happy new moment.

Revelation 21:5—And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 4)

Megan Breedlove December 20, 2010 No Comments

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 22—In Greek, the verb phrase that is usually translated “wrapped him in swaddling cloths” is better translated “swaddled him”. Have your children swaddle a baby doll (or a real baby, if you have one, and if your child is old enough) and lay it in a bed. Ask your children what they think Mary would have had to do to take care of her baby. Encourage your children to pick up the baby (you could pretend it was crying), sing it a song, or simply pat its little head. Remind your children that you took care of them that way when they were little, and Mary had to take care of Jesus the same way. End tonight’s activity by showing your child pictures of him- or herself all swaddled up as a newborn. Talk about how you laid your child in a crib, and Mary laid Jesus in a manger.

December 23—Have your child tell you the Christmas story. If it’s at all possible, record this or take notes. (It’ll be sweet and funny to look back on later.) Your child can physically act out all the characters if he or she is so inclined. If your child is unclear about any part of the story, you can gently re-explain the parts he or she has missed. This activity will not only help them review their knowledge, but also bless your heart.

December 24—Consider letting your children open one gift each on this day. Before they open it, explain to them that every good and perfect gift that comes to them is ultimately from God (James 1:17). Tell them that God gave them the gift they are about to receive. After they have opened it, remind them to thank God directly.

December 25—(Note: advance preparation needed!) Have a birthday party for Jesus. Decorate for His party, sing “Happy Birthday”, and have cake (or another snack). Give Him presents. This will consist of offering Him the gifts you have prepared beforehand. You might make things to donate to the needy; you might collect food; you might think of a way to minister to someone in your own home. Remind your children that Jesus said that whatever we do for someone else, we do for Him, so giving to others is one way we can show Him that we love Him.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 3)

Megan Breedlove December 13, 2010 No Comments

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 15—Matthew 20:28 teaches us that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. Discuss this with your children. Set a designated time limit for each child to practice being a servant to others. You might need to give them some ideas of how to do this.

December 16—Talk with your children about how hard it is to wait for Christmas. Then, tell them that the people of Israel had been waiting hundreds of years for a Messiah. Discuss how they must have felt as they waited. After all, they were waiting for a lot more than a few material things. Discuss what it must have been like for those who knew Jesus was the Messiah to realize that He had finally come!

December 17—Spend some time talking with your children about what it must have been like to have Jesus for a brother. Point out that He was perfect. Yes, it might have been annoying that He never did anything wrong, but it would also have been wonderful that He was also perfectly loving at all times. Talk about what family life would be like if we were all perfectly loving at all times. Have your kids think of ways to show their siblings love.

December 18—(Note: lots of advance preparation needed!) Take your kids to visit the maternity ward at a hospital. If possible, have a nurse allow you to stand in the doorway of a vacant room and look at the nice place women can come to have their babies. Then, visit a barn that houses animals. Talk about the differences between the two locations. Ask your children which place would be better for having a baby in. Tell them that the place Mary gave birth to Jesus was closer to a barn than a modern hospital room. Point out that Jesus was willing to leave Heaven and come be born in a barn so He could walk among us.

December 19—(Note: small amount of advance preparation required.) Have your children draw, decorate, and cut out a large star. Suspend it from the end of a stick (or broom handle, or whatever is handy). Take them outside and tell them that when they see the star appear, they should follow it. Lead them around, holding the stick with the star on it. Lead them over to a place where you have previously hidden the figure of the baby Jesus you have made or prepared earlier (such as wrapping a doll up in a blanket). Talk about finding Jesus in an unexpected place (such as lying on the rear bumper of your vehicle). Point out that the shepherds found Him in an unexpected place, too—lying in a manger.

December 20—Teach your kids the song “Happy Birthday, Jesus”. (This is not just the traditional “Happy Birthday” song with Jesus’ name inserted; there is a completely different song by this name.) If you don’t know it, you can find it on YouTube. It’s a beautifully simple song, yet profound. Discuss why Jesus is the “real” gift (as the song says).

December 21—Have your own candlelight service. Start with one lit candle in a darkened room. Talk about how Jesus was a light shining in our dark world, which was dark because of sin. (You may want to read from John 1.) Explain to your children that as more people came to believe in Jesus, the light spread (light another candle as you tell them this). If your children are old enough, have them take a lit candle, walk over to another candle, and say something simple, such as, “The light of Jesus has come into our world.” Then have your child light the candle. Do this with several candles, until there are several providing light to the room. Point out to your children that the more light there is, the less darkness there is room for. Tell them that as we spread Jesus’ light into the world, the darkness of the world will diminish, too.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 2)

Megan Breedlove December 6, 2010 No Comments

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 8—Make a paper chain out of construction paper, with one link representing each day left until Christmas Day. (If desired, you can make extra links and let your children rip them off until you get to the number of links you need to have.) Point out that just as we look forward to Christmas, when Jesus was born, so we also look forward to His return, when He will come take all those who love Him to live with Him in Heaven.

December 9—Remind your children that some people don’t know the story of Jesus’ birth. Some people may have never heard of Him, or may not realize how important He is. Who does your family know that needs to hear the good news of Christmas? Make plans as to how you might share it with that person.

December 10—(Note: requires advance preparation!) You will need Styrofoam cups, jingle bells, and pipe cleaners. Punch two small holes in the bottom of the cup. Thread one end of the pipe cleaner through one hole. String a jingle bell onto the end that’s inside the cup, then thread that end back up and out through the other hole. Twist both ends together to make a handle. Let your kids have fun ringing their bells. Talk about what a neat sound it is to hear bells ringing. Point out that it’s even better to hear the good news about Jesus. Suggest that every time they hear a bell ringing, they think about the news of Jesus being proclaimed to a world that needs to hear.

December 11—Take a trip to look at Christmas lights. (If you’re really brave, stop and get ice cream and let the kids eat it as you ride.) Admire the beauty of the lights. Talk about how just as Christmas lights light up our dark world with beauty, even so, but to a greater extent, Jesus lights up our world with His beauty. Encourage your children to shout, “Jesus is the Light of the world!” when they see a particularly beautiful display of lights.

December 12—Take your kids to visit a Salvation Army bell ringer at any place you know there will be one. Have them be prepared to put something (any amount you want, whether great or small) into the kettle. Talk about serving others and giving to those in need. If you prefer to support a different charity, feel free to do so.

December 13—Spend some time singing Christmas carols together. Make sure your kids understand the words they’re singing—not just what the words are, but the great, uplifting spiritual truths behind them.

December 14—Talk about the gifts the Wise Men brought Jesus—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Explain to your children the possible meanings for each of these gifts (see Wikipedia.com. Use “gifts of the Magi” for a search term, then scroll down to the section entitled “Gifts”). Discuss what kinds of gifts your children could give to Jesus that reflect each of these meanings.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 1)

Megan Breedlove November 29, 2010 No Comments

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 1—Make sugar cookies. Have fun cutting out, baking, and decorating them. Talk about how delicious and sweet they are. Point out to your children that as sweet as cookies and candy are, Jesus is the sweetest part of the Christmas season. Remind them that even though the cookies will soon be gone, they can experience Jesus’ sweetness throughout the Christmas season, and all year long.

December 2—If you have a nativity scene in your home, use the figures to act out the Christmas story. (If you don’t have one, you can make one cheaply using ClipArt pictures on cardboard backing, and a cardboard stable. When we did this one year, my kids loved it and were very proud of it.) Let each child have a chance to be the characters he or she wants to be.

December 3—Make birthday cards for Jesus, which you will present to Him at His birthday party (which will be the advent activity for December 25). Remind your children that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ birthday, not only about receiving gifts. Display the Christmas cards just as you do your children’s birthday cards.

December 4—Have a “Mall Treasure Hunt”. Print out various pictures of Christmas-related items on a sheet of paper such as candy canes, wreaths, reindeer, etc. (you can use ClipArt). Be sure to include Santa and also a picture of Baby Jesus. Go to the mall, and have your kids look for these items. When they find one, they should cross it off. They will likely have difficulty finding Baby Jesus. Point out that the reason for this is that Jesus isn’t welcome at the mall sometimes. Discuss why this might be (people don’t know Jesus; they don’t want to offend others; etc.). End by talking about what you and your family can do to show people that Jesus is welcome in your home. (Note: if, by chance, you do find a manger scene or two at the mall, point out that the secular symbols far outnumber the religious ones. Then make the point suggested above.)

December 5—(Note: advance preparation needed!) For this activity, you will need white 10-gallon trash bags, plenty of newspaper, Scotch tape, cardboard paper towel rolls or toilet paper rolls (two paper towel rolls or four toilet paper rolls per person involved), construction paper or a paper plate (one per person), and a marker. You will be making sheep so that you can then go abide in a field (your front or back yard) with your flocks. Stuff the trash bag with crumpled newspaper until it’s the desired size of your sheep. Twist off the remainder of the bag and secure it by wrapping tape around it. (If there is much extra bag left, cut some off, leaving the remainder for a tail.) Use four toilet paper rolls (or two paper towel rolls, cut in half to make four pieces) for the legs. Tape them onto the bottom. They won’t be completely stable (pun intended), but who cares? Use the paper plate or construction paper to make a face and—you guessed it—tape it onto the sheep body. Now, you have sheep. Go out to your front yard and abide in it with your flocks. Talk about how the shepherds must have felt when they were minding their own business, tending to their sheep, and suddenly, an angel appeared with an incredible announcement, and then a multitude of singing angels! If you have a front porch, let the kids take turns going up on the porch and being the angel making the announcement.

December 6— If you have a sleeping baby, great. If not, prepare a doll in a doll bed if possible. Go out your front door and be the shepherds on their pilgrimage to find the baby Jesus. Travel around to your back door and go inside. Marvel at the sleeping baby.

December 7—(Note: requires advance preparation!) Cut out the shape of a large Christmas tree and several shapes for ornaments (no need for these to be complicated, unless you want them to be). Put the Christmas tree up on the wall. Each time your child sees someone else in the family do something that makes Jesus happy, write it on an ornament and tape it to the tree.

Walking by Sight

Megan Breedlove November 8, 2010 No Comments

Apparently, campouts are one of God’s favorite ways to illustrate His spiritual truth. That seems to be the case in my life, at least. Take, for example, our recent church campout. Even before we left, God had already reminded me of a lesson we all need to learn (see last week’s devotional). On the campout itself, He continued to speak. In fact, He taught me that walking by sight can be a good thing. Let me explain.

My husband was leading Kenny and Lindsey to the small building that housed the bathrooms. Fortunately, they were not only well-maintained, but also close by. It was dark at this point, so my husband was supervising the use of a flashlight to light their way. He reminded the kids not to shine it in people’s eyes (which they have a tendency to do on accident) but instead to shine it directly on the path in front of them.

One of them took the flashlight and pointed the beam of light toward the bathrooms up ahead. “No,” my husband said, “you have to shine it right in front of you. Otherwise, you might trip over something that’s in your way.”

“And you always follow the light,” Lindsey added.

That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? Keep the light pointed right in front of you, and follow it.

God will often illumine two things for us: the goal and the first few feet in front of us on the way to reaching that goal. Just as the kids’ flashlight could either have lighted up the bathrooms or the path right in front of them, so God often shows us only those two things. He usually doesn’t light up the entire pathway on the way to the goal. He wants us to walk by sight to the extent of moving forward as far as He’s illuminated our way, and to walk by faith in terms of trusting that He will continue to light our path as we proceed toward the goal.

Sometimes, God doesn’t even illuminate the goal. In that case, we have to walk by faith that we will reach the goal He’s set for us. In those circumstances, we are to continue to follow the part of our path He’s made known (the part right in front of us), and trust that each “next step” He lights up will bring us not into danger, but closer to where He wants us.

I know it can be really hard to walk this way. But it’s what we have to do. Fretting about not being able to see the whole path won’t cause God to light up any more than what He’s already lit up. God knows that He’s given us enough light for what we need right now, and we simply have to believe that that’s true and trust that He knows what He’s doing. It really is as simple as that. It may not be easy, but it is simple.

Is there an area in your life where you’re having a hard time believing that you know enough about what’s ahead? Are you worried or anxious because you can’t see farther than a few steps ahead, or because you’re not even sure of your next step? Why not make a decision of your will to trust God that He’s taking care of you? That He knows the entire path ahead, even though you don’t, and that He’ll show you what you need to know, when you need to know it?

You’ll make it to the goal. God will see to that. But you can determine the measure of peace you have along the way. You can either trust God completely, and therefore know that you have nothing to worry about; or you can decide that the fact that God sees everything isn’t enough, and that unless you see everything, you cannot have peace. But who are you—who am I—to think that we ought to feel safer when we see things than when the Almighty God of the Universe, Who is Master of all things, sees everything and says that it’s okay?

Precious mom, let’s turn things entirely over to God. Let’s determine that when He sees things, that’s good enough for us. Let’s resolve deep within our hearts and minds that when He’s leading us home, we’re just where we ought to be, and nothing can befall us that’s outside of God’s control.

For after all, God is leading us home. Every step we take under His leadership brings us closer to heaven. And then, we will see everything, because there will be no more darkness. There will be no difference between walking by faith and walking by sight. Instead of reaching a wooden shelter at a campground, we’ll reach the loving shelter of His eternal embrace. And we’ll realize that we were in His hands all along.

Isaiah 42:16—And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Doesn’t Apply

Megan Breedlove November 1, 2010 No Comments

Our church recently held its annual fall campout, and this year, for the first time, our family was able to go. Our kids were all finally old enough that we thought camping with the whole family sounded like a good idea, so we packed up and headed out to a state park a couple hours away.

We all had a great time. Too soon (yes, seriously) it was time to come home. We lugged everything into the house, and I began the task of unpacking and getting the kids to help me. I put a load of stuff that belonged to the girls into their room and told them to start putting it away while I took care of something else. A few minutes later, I saw Lindsey bounding by on one of those large rubber balls with a handle, where you sit on it and bounce along. “Lindsey,” I said, “you need to clean up. I told you girls that already.”

“Oh,” Lindsey said innocently. “I thought you just meant Ellie and Jessica.”

Oh, no, she didn’t. She knew what the spirit of the law was. But because I hadn’t specifically named each girl, she saw a way to claim that she believed the letter of the law didn’t apply to her.

Sounds kind of like what we adults do, doesn’t it? Oh, we might not go as far as Lindsey did, and claim God’s law doesn’t apply to us, but we often give ourselves far more grace than we give others in determining what level of compliance is necessary in order to meet His standards. We may not say, “God’s law doesn’t apply to me; I don’t have to be loving.” But we might very well say, “Yes, God’s law applies to me, and I’m doing a fine job of fulfilling it.”

We act as if God’s law says “be more loving”, and then we figure that applies to other people who really need it, not to us who are already doing a good job. Or we proceed as if it says “be more patient”, and assume that also applies only to others who aren’t doing as well as we are.

But in reality, God’s law doesn’t say, “be more loving.” It says, “be perfectly loving (or patient, or kind, etc.),” and we fall far short of perfection. We are not “good enough”. There was only one “good enough” Person Who ever walked this earth, and that was Jesus Christ. He was the only One Who perfectly fulfilled God’s law. The rest of us fall woefully short.

I’ve often heard the phrase “we’re not under law; we’re under grace”. That’s true. But it doesn’t mean that God’s standards are any less. Yes, if we’ve acknowledged Christ as the Lord of our lives and asked Him to forgive us of our sins, His perfect sacrifice stands in our stead. He took our punishment so we wouldn’t have to. But His standards are still the same. He doesn’t say, “Now that you’re a Christian, it’s okay for you to be less than loving, because you’re under grace.” Quite the contrary. In fact, the Bible declares that people will know we are Christians by the love we have for one another.

God’s moral law still applies. And it still applies to us.

We would do far better to spend our time asking God to reveal the sin in our lives and repenting of it than to spend it deciding where other people have messed up and what they should do about it. I don’t mean that we should never confront others’ sin. There is a time, a place, and a way for that. But I do mean that confronting sin should start with that which we find in our own lives.

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Help me to know it, too, and to spend more time searching it than searching the hearts of others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Matthew 7:3-5—Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Anything Else?

Megan Breedlove October 25, 2010 No Comments