Potty Mouth

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

The joy of potty training.  My little nephew is learning to go “pee-pee” on the potty.  Every hour, my sister runs him to the bathroom, strips him down and puts him on the pot, hoping to catch him before it’s too late.  With great determination and focus, that little boy wills any ounce he can out of himself, and when he is successful, he and his momma shout, “Yay! Pee-pee!”  Oh, the words that encourage!

But how many times do our words do the opposite?  How many times do the expressions from our mouths destroy the joy and hope of others?  How many times, without even thinking, do we allow our tempers or egos to determine what falls from our lips?  While it is true no man can tame the tongue, it doesn’t give us the excuse to be careless with our words.

As a mom of two young boys myself, I can regretfully recall the times I failed to use encouraging words.  I remember seeing the pain in their eyes as my cruel tone and imprudent words crushed their spirit.  I never intended to hurt them – or anyone I loved – but I allowed my emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion to dictate my tongue.  I wanted to give my boys support and build them up, but hasty comments and senseless words often did the opposite. 

It’s incredible to think how much power our words contain.  They can be used to shape and mold a person or situation, and they can be used to tear someone down, or build someone up.  What’s scarier to ponder, is the idea that our words influence those around us, even when they are not directed at that person.  How many times do I speak poorly of others in front of my children – or anyone for that matter?  How many times do I allow garbage to spew from my mouth – like my opinion is the only one that matters?  How many times did God present me with an opportunity to use words that would build, but instead, I chose words that left someone feeling empty and worthless? 

What if instead, I took the time to think about my words before I opened my mouth?  What if I made a point to choose my words more carefully?  What if I truly appreciated the power my words possessed?  What if, in those moments when I’m exhausted, frustrated, hurt, and angry, instead of opening my mouth to let out words of destruction, I bite my tongue?  What if, in those instances, instead of thinking I know best, I shut my mouth and pray instead?

The Bible says, “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” Ephesians 4:29 (The Message)  I love the last part of this verse, “each word a gift”.  What if we began choosing our words more meticulously – the way we do when we are choosing a gift for a loved one?  What would our world begin to look like?

If I could give you one gift today, simply by the words I use, would that gift build you up and make you feel encouraged?  If not, what is it in my heart that needs to change?  Jesus said, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart…” (Matthew 15:18).  Ouch.

I know it’s difficult to bite our tongues or hold back our frustration, but that is what God is calling us to do.  He has given us the means to support one another and build each other up, just by the power of our words.  Imagine how our words could inspire those around us…even when we think others aren’t listening.  “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24.

Dear Jesus,

Please forgive me for the times when my words are unkind.  Please help me to recognize the power of my words and teach me to use only language that encourages and builds others up.  I know I cannot do this on my own, but trust that You will intervene in those moments when I can’t control my own tongue.  Thank You for loving me…potty mouth and all.  Please continue to work in my heart, so that others will see the good work you have started in me.
Amen

I Will Sing, Sing, Sing!

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.”  Psalm 108:1

Have you ever belted out the lyrics (or at least what you thought were the lyrics) to a song while driving in your car?  I mean, all out air drums, power mic, scrunched up face – the kind of singing where you’re not just singing the song, you are the song!  And even if you haven’t ever held your own one-man-band solo concert in a car on the highway, you have to admit, when you see someone else doing it, you have to laugh.  Trust me, I’ve seen people’s reactions to my amazing rendition of Air Supply’s, Making Love Out of Nothing At All, at stoplights.  When you see “crazies” like me, harmonizing (I’d like to think that it sounds that way) in their cars, you have to think to yourself, “Dude! That girl (or guy) is really jammin’!”  (What’s even better is when you have the same radio song on in your car and you know exactly what they’re jammin’ to!)

I love those times when I am that carefree, I just let loose and enjoy the moment.  I think that’s the kind of carefree singing and music making David is talking about.  The kind where we don’t really care what others think, because the joy in our soul is so overwhelming, it releases all inhibitions and makes us want to sing.  I think God likes those moments, too.

I know it’s difficult to be joyful when things seem so glum around you.  But I think those are the times when God is singing over us – watching over us, and loving us through it.  Paul writes in Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (5:22).  Oh, what joy to know the love of the Lord!

I doubt that Jesus queues up his iPod with some cool jams – that’s what the angels are for!  But I bet there is nothing sweeter to His ears than hearing our songs of worship and praise, and our cries for mercy and rescue.  Even if you can’t carry a tune, you have to know this…it all sounds beautiful to Him. 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of joy!  Please help me to be carefree - to lay my burdens down and lift Your name up.  Help me to let loose and simply enjoy the moment knowing You are truly in control.  Help me to stop worrying about what others think, so I can sing, sing, sing and make music just for You.
In Your wonderful, amazing name,
Amen. 

While It Is Still Dark

“She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.” Proverbs 31:15

It was still dark this morning when I went for my walk (yup, kind of like it is EVERY morning I go for a walk…), but as I was strolling along – yes, I said strolling...it was the chunky lab’s turn to walk today – I thought of this verse. Now keep in mind, this was one of those mornings when I was really wondering why on earth I was out here in the dark, at five-something in the morning, walking my fat yellow lab!  But as this verse came to mind, I began reflecting about what it means and what it looks like to get up while it is still dark.

How many times have you found yourself in a dark place?  A feeling of hopelessness?  How many times have you found yourself in circumstances that feel as if they are absent of light?  Gloomy, murky, and bleak. 

Maybe for you, it’s easier to ignore the “dark” than to even think about admitting it’s there – let alone attempt walking through it.  Like if you even begin to think about it, you will break and not find the will to face another moment. 

Maybe your conditions are so bad, that you simply exist through the day – not really putting effort into anything, and really wondering how things could ever get better. 

Maybe you are battling an illness that prevents you from doing the things you want.

Maybe you just feel like nobody understands.

Maybe, like me, you battle with depression. 

Or maybe… maybe you just feel “blah”.

This is the “dark” I was pondering about… and yet, “She gets up while it is still dark…”

She doesn’t give up.  She doesn’t stay in bed.  She doesn’t lie there in despair.  She gets up. That kind of strength and courage must only come from God.  I know for me, there’s no other way I could muster through “The Pit”, if it were not for the grace and power of God. 

He said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Cor. 12:9). 
 

What if those dark moments are necessary to bring us to our knees?  The moments where we feel so low that getting up is the last thing we want to do - what if those moments are what it takes to bring us to the feet of the Most High King?  Maybe those times are necessary so that everyone who sees us – in our desolation and darkness – knows that it is not by our own strength that we press on, but only by the grace of God. 

Because that is what a woman of faith does.  She gets up while it is still dark – even when there is no break of dawn in the distance, she gets up.  She doesn’t complain about her circumstances, or compare herself to others.  No, she simply gets up, and trusts that there is One who can see through the dark – see her in the midst of her turmoil – and not leave her, but instead guide her through it.  

That’s why, even when others cannot see why, she gets up.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for being my light in times of darkness. Thank you for your grace that grants me the strength to continue on – even when I think I can’t.  Thank you for your loving presence, and please help me to see You – the light – when darkness settles in.  Thank you for hearing my prayer.
In your precious name,
Amen

Get up!

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’” John 5:8

Every week day morning my alarm goes off at 5:00 A.M.  signaling me, it’s time to get up and walk the dog (sometimes dogs – yes, I have three.  I know…trust me… I don’t know what we were thinking either!).  Most mornings I am already awake, but sometimes, when the radio clicks on and stirs me from my slumber, the last thing I want to do, is go for a walk. 

I lie there, shut my eyes, and debate with myself about why sleeping for 45 more minutes would be so much better than wrangling my dog away from the rabbits in the neighbors’ yards.  And then I think of this verse.  “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’” Now, I know this is taken completely out of context, but it works for me!

You see, the man was an invalid.  Jesus even asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  And he replied with the excuse – a valid one – that he had no one to help him.  That when he tried to get to the pool, others would go down ahead of him.  That’s when Jesus told him to get up and walk!

How many times do we look to others to help us achieve our goals?  How many times do we use the excuse (maybe not so valid in our cases) that there is no one to help us? 

I gotta be honest.  At 5:00 A.M. there aren’t too many other bodies up and moving around at my house to get my lazy derriere out of bed!  (Except the dog…) 

I guess the point I’m trying to make here is this.  The same spirit that rose Christ from the grave lives in us!  Jesus even says, “I tell you the truth, anyone how has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” 

Sometimes, we just have to find the courage to step out in faith.  So each morning, sometimes begrudgingly at first, I get out of bed, grab my iPod, leash up the dog and go for a walk.  I think it’s in those moments, that I most clearly hear what God is saying to me.  This time of year, the sun is still rising, and the birds are just stirring, and I can hear Him singing over me, as I admire the beauty of His work around me…and in me.

Dear Father,

Thank you for your encouragement.  Thank you for walking with me – not only in the mornings, but through each moment of my day.  I know you have prepared this day for me; help me to be obedient to your call and bring glory to your name.
Amen   

"Son-kissed"

“‘“The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’” Numbers 6:24-26

Friday afternoon my boys and I met some friends at the local pool.  It was the first time I’d been to the pool all summer, so I was a blinding florescent white compared to my golden “sistas”.  But white legs and all, it was so great to just relax in the warmth of the sun and good friendship. 

I love summer time!  I love going outside to feel the warm air on my skin and to see the trees big and full of leaves – providing shade to which later I’ll retreat.  But something about summer beckons me outside; outside where it’s warm and inviting and full of life.

What is it about getting a tan that makes me feel better about myself?  Now, I’m not talking about the orange tint you get from a tanning bed, because I’ve tried that, and it’s not quite the same.  I’m talking about that soft brown glow you get from being out in the sun, and those tiny little freckles that get sprinkled across your nose and cheeks.  Maybe it’s just refreshing to be outside taking in some good ol’ vitamin D.  Whatever it is, for me, there’s something rejuvenating about taking in the sun.

Spending time with Jesus does the same thing.  There’s something about sharing time with Him that brings out a ‘glow’ others tend to recognize.  Oh, they may not know exactly where it comes from, but they can tell there is something different about you.  Something attractive.

But if we don’t spend time in the Son, we begin to lose our glow.  We become pasty and white…and a little dull, like the life inside of us is slowly fading.  We become self-conscious about the way we look, and we try to cover it up – even with a “fake” tan if we can.  We get so wrapped up in ourselves and so self-centered, that our outside appearance is more important than our inside character.  And we find ourselves in a place that is cold and lonely, and we wonder how we got so lost.

Don’t let your Son-kissed soul begin to fade!  Spend time today with the One who warms your heart and lifts your spirit.  Let His face shine upon you!  Take in the Son and feel the tenderness of His love.  Step outside and take a breath of fresh air.  Let Him fill up your lungs and give you encouragement and peace for the day ahead.

Dear Father,

Thank you for your presence. Thank you for warming our hearts and bringing us back to life.  Please be with me today; glow through me, so others are drawn to You.
In Your Heavenly Name,
Amen

The First Time

Okay, so this is probably “cheating” in the blogger world, but once you read it you’ll understand why I had to post them.  These are the lyrics to MercyMe’s new song, “The First Time”.  (For those of you who may not know this about me, they are my MOST FAVORITE BAND of all time – even more than a big-hair band from the 80’s!)  Today’s post is dedicated to my ‘ohana group. I love you guys!

(There are also a couple links below: one for a youtube video, so you can listen to the song with lyrics and another about the band’s journey in putting their album, The Hurt and The Healer, together.)

The First Time

Day after day, I try to explain you, like I contain you in so many words
You are the ocean, I'm on the shoreline, thinking I know you like you could
Be learned
It's so amazing, that you'd ever save me
I thought I knew your face, I thought I tasted grace
But I have never felt anything close to this.
Just when I'd seen it all, new mercy breaks the door.
With eyes open wide, it feels like the first time, first time. it feels
Like the first time, first time.
After all of my searching, all of my reaching, I'm left with nothing,
Nothing of worth.
You treasure the broken, over and over, and give me a hope that can never
Be earned.
It's still amazing, that you'd ever save me.
I thought I knew your face, I thought I tasted grace
But I have never felt anything close to this.
Just when I'd seen it all, new mercy breaks the door.
With eyes open wide, it feels like the first time, first time. it feels
Like the first time, first time.
Your beauty, no eyes see. your majesty, your worthy. your love for me, is
Healing, your god.
I thought I knew your face, I thought I tasted grace
But it was nothing like this.
Just when I'd seen it all, new mercy breaks the door.
With eyes open wide, I feel life for the first time, first time. it feels
Like the first time, first time.

Dear Father,

I am forever in awe of You.  Thank You for saving me, and showing new mercy every morning, and the moments that remind me of the first time I met You.
Amen
 

Here the song here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJxw6k_d25Q&feature=related

Read about MercyMe’s album, The Hurt and The Healer, here:  http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/album-promo/mercyme-the-hurt-the-healer/

Loser

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”   Psalm 103:12

I’d done it again.  I’d opened my big mouth without using my “filter” and hurtful words spewed forth.  I was embarrassed and ashamed.  I know no man can control the tongue… but really?  Again?  Ugh.

And that’s how I felt…ugh.  What made it even worse was that my nine year old son, not only noticed, but called me out on it!  That took me straight past “double-ugh” to “ugh-ly”.  And then that feeling just lingered.  It stuck with me through most of the next morning, too. 

And what really bothered me, was that I couldn’t take it back. I couldn’t “un-say” what had been said or call a mulligan. What was done was done. 

I tried to shrug it off as one of those, “Well, it happens” moments, but it continued to nag at me.  I couldn’t ignore it anymore; it was time to deal with it.

Yesterday, I wrote about forgiving others, because I think (or at least hope I’m not alone in thinking) most people do struggle with that.  But how many of us struggle with forgiving ourselves?  How many of us continue to hold onto the garbage from our past to the point we miss out on the “presents” of today?  How many of us choose to be losers?

David writes, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  Most of us believe that…well, at least we believe that for others.  But why do we often refuse to believe that God can do that for us…personally? 

Or maybe it’s just me?  Maybe I am the one with the pride issue.

Maybe I’m the only one who wallows in my sin, choosing to believe the enemy’s lies that I cannot be forgiven.  Maybe I’m the one choosing to lose out on God’s mercy because I think I’m the one that grace cannot reach.   Maybe I am the loser…because I choose to be.

Christ died for you.  And Christ died for me.  He willingly and obediently shed His blood for the sins He knew I would commit – whether I want to admit them or not.  Sometimes we feel we’ve fallen so far, it’s hard to believe our sins can be forgiven – let alone removed from us as far as the sunrise is from the sunset.  But who are we to say what God can and cannot do? 

And yet…here I am again.  Sitting in that place with which I’ve become too familiar; all the while, choosing to lose out on the best things God has planned for me, because I’m too stubborn to admit that I messed up…again.  Frustrated with myself, and trying to imagine how disappointed He must be with me, too. 

But then I remember what all these years as a loser have taught me.  I am never too far from God that His hand cannot reach down and pick me up when I’ve fallen, rescue me when I’m trapped, or hold me when I’m broken.  There is nothing that can snatch me from His hand.  And when I remember that, then, then, I truly am the loser…the “has-been”.  Because in His hand, I lose my embarrassment, my shame, my guilt, my “ugh-liness”…my sin.  Confessed before Christ, they become removed from me as far as the east is from the west.  And if that’s what it means to know Him and His love, then that is the kind of “loser” I want to be. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for loving me enough to die in my place.  Please forgive me for the sins I have committed and the ones I (gulp) have yet to commit.  Help me to remember Your love, and accept the Truth – that Your grace can reach a wretch like me. 
I ask this in Your Holy Name,
Amen