Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

What We Can Learn from Toddlers

Megan Breedlove 0 Comments
AdinaVoicu / Pixabay

It seems that as parents (or, in my case, a godparent) of toddlers, we spend the majority of our time trying to teach them things.

Don’t put that in your mouth!

Hands are for loving, not hitting.

Sweetie, the cat doesn’t like it when you do that.

Teaching our toddlers the things they need to know is good and right.  It’s important.  It’s part of our job.

But I believe that God put toddlers in our lives not only to learn from us, but also to teach us.

Take, for example, an incident that happened with my godson the other day (he’s 17 months old) when I was babysitting him.

Marshall had climbed up onto the piano bench.  He loves to bang on the piano keys and listen to all the different, cool noises they make.  But, being a toddler, his attention span is only so long.  After a few moments of playing, he attempted to get down from the bench.

The only problem was, his technique needed a little work.  Marshall turned onto his stomach on the bench and tried to lower his legs down to the floor.  This might actually have worked, except that the bench was pretty close to the piano.  Marshall wound up halfway to the ground, wedged between the bench and the bottom of the keyboard, clinging to the bench with all his might.  Naturally, he began to fuss, and he was working up to a good cry when I swooped in and grabbed him under the armpits.

You know what happened next.  When Marshall felt my firm grip on him, he released his grip on the piano bench and allowed me to pull him upward to safety.

I think the lesson God wanted me (and you) to learn is this: Marshall did exactly the right thing when he found himself in a scary situation: he cried for help.  But then, when help came, he utterly released his grip on the piano bench.

If Marshall hadn’t believed I could handle his problem, he would have kept clinging to the bench.  But because he trusted me implicitly, he turned all handling of the situation over to me without hesitation.  In other words, he acted upon his trust.

You and I are pretty good about calling for God when we’re in trouble.  But when He shows up, we keep clinging to the bench because we’re afraid He won’t resolve our problem the way we want Him to.

I realize full well that God doesn’t always do what we want.  But it all comes down to this:  Do we, or do we not, believe that God’s handling of our problem will be right and good?

We may say with our minds that we believe it will.  But our grip on the piano bench will show what we really believe.  Will we keep clinging to the bench, as if our efforts to save ourselves could somehow be better than His?

Or will we cling to Him, believing that nothing we could do is better than what He is ready to do?

Psalm 34:4—I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.  (KJV)

When You’re Tempted to Get Good Things in a Bad Way

Megan Breedlove 0 Comments
OpenClipartVectors / Pixabay

I should have known, when Timmy was playing quietly in his room for too long, that something was amiss.

I realized it when I entered his room and saw large, looping swirls all across his carpet—in yellow marker.

“Timmy?” I sighed. “Did you draw on your floor with this yellow marker?”

“Uh…uh….” Timmy ducked his head.

“Pretty much?” I prompted, and Timmy nodded.

“Why did you do that?” I asked.

“Because I wanted a pretty floor,” he said.

Well…that makes sense. Who doesn’t want a pretty floor? It’s a legitimate desire.

But Timmy tried to fulfill his legitimate desire by illegitimate means.

Did he know they were illegitimate means? You bet he did. We’ve had the don’t-draw-on-your-floor-with-markers conversation several times before. Yet he chose to disobey me simply because he wanted what he wanted and didn’t care whether or not he had to disobey me to get it.

Good thing you and I never try to get good things by illegitimate means, isn’t it? Oh, wait…we do.

We try to gain our husband’s agreement by nagging him.

We try to gain material goods or fun experiences by putting them on a credit card because we really can’t afford them any other way.

We try to gain emotional peace by denying reality or refusing to face it.

Is it wrong for us to desire our husband’s agreement, or material goods/vacations, or emotional peace? Of course not. But it is wrong for us to go about getting those things in any way that doesn’t please God.

Jesus knew that, of course. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he offered Him good things: food, a way to convince people to believe in Him, and authority over everything. Was it wrong for Jesus to desire those things? Of course not. He had a human body, so naturally, He desired food. (I can’t go for 40 seconds without eating, but He went 40 days.) He was the Son of God, so He is entitled to all authority, and it’s good and right for Him to desire that people should believe in Him.

But Jesus didn’t succumb to Satan’s temptations because He was unwilling to gain any good thing by illegitimate means.

What about you? What about me? Are some things so important to us that we’re willing to do illegitimate things in order to get them?

Before you say No way!, consider these questions: Do you ever try to gain peace in your household by yelling at your children? (Guilty here.) Do you ever try to gain people’s approval or admiration by boasting—or maybe just by “letting them know” about your accomplishments? (Um, guilty here.) Do you ever try to “encourage” your husband to change by being critical? (No comment. I’m going to plead the Fifth.)

When doing something bad in order to get something good doesn’t bother us—or when it does bother us, but we push those guilty feelings away and refuse to think about them—we are most certainly not being like Jesus. We’re not pleasing God. And ultimately, we’re not even pleasing ourselves.

You see, the reason God has told us not to do certain things in order to get what we want is because He knows not only that they aren’t right, but that the more we do them, the more they damage both us and others.

What are you willing to commit in order to get what you want?

We need to throw ourselves on God’s mercy if we’re willing to commit anything less than holiness.

Matthew 4:4—Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (NIV)

3 Fun (and Free!) Ways to Bond with Your Child This Summer

Megan Breedlove 0 Comments
Buecherwurm_65 / Pixabay

Here in Texas, summer is one long stretch of heat that begins in May and lasts through September. Basically, the four seasons of our year, in order, are Summer, Not-Quite-Summer-Anymore, Sort-of Winter, and Almost-Summer-Again.

But whether you live in a place where summer is one extended reminder of why hell would not be a pleasant place to spend eternity, or in a place where summer confines itself neatly to three months out of the year and lets each of the other seasons have its fair share of months too, you—like me—are probably looking for fun things to do with your child this summer.

I would like to offer you three suggestions of great things you can do that will not only be fun, but also bond you and your child closer together, and ALSO be great opportunities for helping your child connect with God. (It’s like fun with a bonus.) And, as the title suggests, you can do these things no matter how much money you have, because they’re all free.

Can’t beat fun summer activities that strengthen your relationship with your child and your child’s relationship with God, and don’t cost a thing, can you? Great! Here are some ideas:

1. Go to the beach! Don’t worry; we’re not necessarily talking an actual beach, although those are great, too. This activity is primarily designed for moms and children who don’t have a great beach nearby (like us). How can you go to the beach when you don’t actually have one anywhere close? You make your own.

Before you start worrying about how you would ever vacuum up all that sand, let me assure you that there’s no actual sand involved. You simply spread beach towels in the living room. You get in your swimming suits, put on sunscreen, and lie on your beach towels wearing sunglasses. Periodically, you go to the kitchen to get refreshments—ice cream, soda, hot dogs, etc.

What about the water? Couple things you can do on this one. You can fill up the bathtub with cool water. You can place a small wading pool (if you already have one) in the living room and fill it with water.

This activity obviously works best with younger kids. But think about it: you get all the advantages of the beach without any of the hassles; you get to wear your swimsuit without worrying about appearing in it in front of other people; and you get to bond with your child!

You can use this activity to talk with your child about the majesty of God’s creation. Talk about many of the Bible stories that involve water or oceans. Talk about the verse that says, “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19, NIV).

2. Go to a baseball game! And you don’t even have to pay for tickets or find parking. Why? Because you’re going to watch the game in your very own front or backyard. Set up some camp chairs or lawn chairs, haul your laptop, portable electronic device, or even your TV outside, and watch the game.

You and your child/ren can take turns walking up and down the “aisles” and offering everyone hotdogs, popcorn, or a cold drink. (Be sure you holler, “Hoooooooooootdooooooogs!”)

Make tickets to the game, and have one child be the ticket taker before you sit down. Bring your purse with you so that one child can be the security agent and examine your purse for unauthorized items (you may want to clear any private items out of your purse first).

If you want to get really creative, invite some friends to watch the game with you. Let everyone bring something (this still counts as free, because you’d have to eat anyway). This activity can work well with baseball fans of all ages. Your kids might like doing this even if they aren’t particularly baseball fans; they will probably find novelty and enjoyment in watching “TV” in the front yard.

A baseball game is a great opportunity to talk with your child about rules. Talk about why rules are necessary in a baseball game and what would happen if the players didn’t follow the rules. Point out that just as rules are necessary in baseball, so they are necessary in life—not to stop people from having fun, but to help them have more fun.

3. Go camping! Again, there’s absolutely no cost—and no special equipment needed. This one works best if you have a fenced-in backyard. Grab sleeping bags (or blankets, or a tarp) and pillows, and sleep in the backyard. If you have camping gear, go ahead and use it—but it’s not necessary. Your kids will do just fine with sleeping in their backyard with very simple gear.

Build a “campfire,” if you want to! You can either build an actual fire (though be sure to practice fire safety), or you can lay a fire and then just not light it. You can sit around it ad tell stories or jokes, or sing camping songs (or any songs, really). If someone in your family plays the guitar, have him or her do so.

Talk about how the first announcement of Jesus’ birth came to shepherds who were abiding in the fields, just as you are abiding in your backyard. Ask your child what he/she thinks it was like for the shepherds back then. Talk about what it would be like to be sitting around having a campout, and then all of a sudden to see an angel in the sky with a wonderful message from God.

***

Hopefully, you will find one or more of these activities fun and helpful for your family. If not, that’s fine—just make up one of your own. The main thing is not which activities you to do bond with your children and teach them about God, but that you do such activities.

Have a great summer!

Deuteronomy 6:7—You shall teach [the ways of the Lord] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (ESV)

How Parenting is Like a Roller Coaster, and How God Can Help You Through It

Megan Breedlove 0 Comments

(Guest post dictated by Kenny Breedlove, age 11.)

KennyHey, Mom, I have an idea for your devotional. You could write about how parenting is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs, and it sometimes has fast and slow moments. Like it’s fast when kids grow up too fast. It’s slow when you have a hard time being a parent. Down is when kids are being bad and you have to punish them. Ups is when you first get your kids, and bonding with your kids and having fun moments with them. Sometimes, you can be scared on a roller coaster, and you can be scared at moments in your parenting life. Like you might be scared or worried when you’re looking for part-time jobs to raise money for your kids. And you’re scared when it’s your first time parenting and you don’t know what to do, or finding the right babysitter when you’re gone and it’s just your kids.

God sometimes plans crazy lives similar to roller coasters, or sometimes just smooth, normal lives like a running river. And if you’re ever scared or afraid, you can look up to Him, and He will help you with your parenting. After all, He planned the life, and He knows everything.

God can also help you know how to teach your kids to worship Him when they’re older, if you don’t know how. Also, if you have a crazy life similar to a roller coaster, God can help you go through it all calm and smooth.

Sometimes, roller coasters go all the way upside down, like your life suddenly changes once you figure out you’re pregnant and you become a parent. Your life is upside down, and you’ve got more to take care of, more to worry about, and a kid or kids to care for.

Sometimes, you have to buy tickets for a roller coaster to get on and have fun, as you would have to buy equipment and things your babies would like for them to have fun.

Sometimes, you have to wait in line to even get the tickets for a roller coaster, like you sometimes have to wait in line to get tickets for your kids’ favorite puppet show or favorite movie.

Almost always, you have to get tickets for a roller coaster and decide how many people get on and who gets to get on. Like in parenting, to get kids, you would have to find a husband, get married, afford to host a baby shower, and afford the bills of a hospital to produce the babies. If you’re a woman, that is.

So moms and future moms out there, if you are having trouble parenting, you can either read this a couple more times, or look up to God, and maybe He’ll have some answers for you. Good luck with your life.

The Ultimate Reason We Hide from God

Megan Breedlove 0 Comments

Timmy hidingThe seven of us had just arrived home from a trip to Houston. Of course, we all had plenty of stuff to unpack and put away. I headed to my bedroom to take care of the things in my suitcase, but the door was, strangely, locked.

So I picked the lock with a toothpick we keep wedged into the upper doorjamb for that very purpose, only to find Timmy nestled into our mound of pillows, headfirst.

‘Timmy?” I asked. ‘Why are you hiding in my pillows?”

Timmy shot me a sideways glance. “Because I thought you were Daddy.”

“Why were you hiding from Daddy?”

“Because he would want me to unpack,” Timmy said.

It’s not like Timmy was well-hidden. But at least he had the strategy right: if you don’t want someone to find you, you hide.

It’s the same strategy Adam and Eve used when they wanted to hide from God, as well as the same strategy that we, their descendants, have been using ever since. When we don’t want to take the chance of coming face to face with God, we hide from Him.

Maybe we hide because we’ve done something wrong and don’t want to get in trouble. We think if we can avoid thinking about God, much less actually talking to Him, then we can avoid whatever consequences might be coming.

Maybe it’s because we don’t want to feel guilty about something we’ve done. If we can ignore God steadfastly enough, we won’t have to feel the burden of guilt which is justly ours.

Those two reasons for hiding are pretty common. But the third reason is perhaps the most common of all: We hide because we don’t want to have to come to terms with God’s authority over us and our lives. We want to do what we want to do, and if we encounter God, we might have to let Him be in charge. So we do our best not to encounter Him.

No matter which one of these fits our circumstances, it’s not the ultimate reason we attempt to hide from God. When it comes right down to it, we hide because we’re afraid.

We’re afraid of God.

Not that we probably realize it. We probably think we’re just afraid of the consequences of our actions, afraid of our emotions, or afraid of losing control.

But ultimately, we’re afraid of Him.

If we truly believed that when God allows us to face consequences, it’s for our good, we wouldn’t be afraid to face Him when we’ve done something wrong.

If we truly believed that God would walk with us through any emotion we face and bring us out stronger on the other side, we wouldn’t be afraid to face our guilt.

If we truly believed that with God in control, our lives would be much better, we wouldn’t be afraid to let Him make the decisions.

It all comes down to what we believe about God.

What does your fear level say that you believe about Him?

1 John 4:18—There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV)

Running Blind

Megan Breedlove 0 Comments

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 0 Comments

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 0 Comments

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 0 Comments

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 0 Comments

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)

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