The Right Thing
30 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized
Over the past week, I’ve had to ask myself this question multiple times: “In the eyes of God, what’s the RIGHT thing to do?” Not what I feel like doing, not what is justified for me to do, not what people expect me to do, but in the eyes of God, what’s the RIGHT thing?
This may sound very simple to those reading this, but when there is a major action required on your part that could change everything in your life, the question isn’t so simple. I’ve lived my life trying to do what’s right. Right in the eyes of God and right in the eyes of others. Sometimes those two things coincide, but many times they don’t. Right in the eyes of God ALWAYS trumps the eyes or opinions of others. And so many more times, THE EYES OF GOD are the only eyes seeing you do the right thing.
God blesses “right-ness”. In fact, the Bible calls it righteousness…right choices… doing the right thing. I’m more committed to doing what’s right in God’s eyes now more than ever. Whether other people see and recognize it or not…God sees, God knows, God blesses our “right-ness”.
I’ve never been a person that’s wrestled with outward, blatant sins. But in the deepest places of my heart, I know whether I’ve done right in God’s eyes or not. I know whether I’ve pleased the heart of God or not. And I also know those times when I’ve chosen to think that some of my decisions or actions aren’t that big of a deal, but when looking back, I realize that I may have disappointed Him. Not in sinning but in NOT doing what was right in His eyes.
So as I faced a very important decision last week, I DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN GOD’S EYES. Most people will never know that decision, but GOD KNOWS. And I think that He was pleased. I could have easily justified doing nothing, much less what was right. But the greatest desire of my heart is to bring pleasure to His heart. It’s not always easy, but it’s always RIGHT.
Be still and KNOW…thoughts from the beach (part II)
16 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized
Continuing my thoughts from our beach vacation 
When I felt God speak the revelation to me about being still….”Heidi, it’s your responsibility to be STILL…it’s My responsibility for you to KNOW”, I began to wonder how many other significant things does God want to tell me, but my mind has been too busy to hear Him?
I don’t think God is holding on to His wisdom, revelations, instructions or knowledge, expecting us to beg for it. I think there is MUCH He wants to speak to us but far too often, we’re just too busy to “be still” and hear Him. My prayer is that I will continue to “be still” in my heart and mind. Even though life continues on after the beach get-a-way, I can purposely STILL my mind and heart to hear Him better.
God reveals Himself, His heart and His purposes to us through stillness.
There’s a passage of scripture in the book of Matthew, that my husband and I read many times over while on vacation. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt. 11: 28-30 Message Bible)
How many of us can relate to those verses?? God instructs us to LEARN (which means we may not currently know how) the UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE. That is now our new mantra: learning the unforced rhythms of God’s grace. His promise to us is that He won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on us. If I feel the “heaviness”, then it simply means that either I’m putting that weight on myself (which is usually the case!! ) or I’m allowing someone else to put it on me. God IS NOT placing a heavy weight on me….or on you.
I find myself at the doorway of an entirely new season in my life. My second daughter is a senior this year and will be graduating and moving away to college by this time next year, which will leave only one teenager at home. I will be facing an “empty nest” before I know it. Spiritually, I’m also facing a new season. So much of what God has spoken to me about assignments He has given me, I am on the brink of seeing those things come to pass.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God is speaking STILLNESS to me at this season of my life. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that He’s helping me to LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE either. I think He knows what will be absolutely necessary for me to walk forward into this new and exciting season: BE STILL AND KNOW…..
Enough about me…..let’s talk about you!
Are you STILL enough in your heart and mind, to hear the voice of God if He needed to tell you something? Do you desire to KNOW Him more, but haven’t been STILL enough to listen? Have you allowed the HEAVINESS of life and responsibilities to weigh you down? Do you also need to LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GOD’S GRACE?
Half of the battle is just recognizing where you are. It’s not too late to begin making some changes in your life. It’s not too late to begin to BE STILL and it’s certainly not too late to begin to KNOW HIM. What are some changes you need to make?
Do ONE thing each day to STILL yourself. Turn off the radio/music in your car and just listen with your heart. Take a moment to simply sit down and BE STILL. It will take some time for your mind to settle down but be patient….it will happen. Get up a little earlier, just to sit and listen to what God wants to say to you. Take a walk outside (in the cool of the day, of course!) without your ipod, and BE STILL in your mind and heart, enjoying the creation of God.
It is simply amazing what STILLNESS will do for you!!
“BE STILL and KNOW that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
Be still and KNOW….thoughts from the beach (part 1)
10 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Culture, faith, God, Life Tags: margin, quiet, stillness
Our family just returned from a two week vacation to the beach. Out of 22 years of marriage, this is only the second time we’ve been able to get away for two consecutive weeks, and I must say….it was pure bliss!!
My husband has been teaching a series on Sunday mornings entitled “Margin”, speaking about the absolute necessity of creating margin in our lives. He’s not teaching on this subject because we are the experts on it, in fact, just the opposite. We both have strongly felt God’s leading to make a conscious decision to create more margin in our own lives. Life is just too busy, especially in ministry. Too many appointments, too many phone calls, too many demands on our lives……we just need some more margin.
As we left for our vacation, I purposefully shut my phone off and decided to forgo any other means of social media….facebook, twitter, blogging, etc. I needed not only physical rest, but more importantly, mental rest. Now let me say this….we’ve been in a great season, seeing God do great things in us and through us, but my mind has just been too busy.
When I was a young mom, with young children, I purposefully set areas of margin in my life because if I didn’t, I was certain to go crazy!! But I have found that as my children have gotten older (one in college, the other two in high school), their demands on my time have lessened a bit as they’ve grown more independent. Instead of continuing in those areas of margin, I (not realizing what I was doing) filled up any extra margin with doing more and more. Now mind you, the more and more were good things….in fact, VERY good things, but as the last few years have gone by, my areas of margin have become less and less.
As we left for our vacation, I was weighted down a bit in my mind over many decisions that needed to be made once I got back. There were many areas that I needed divine clarity and direction. I had prayed about these things but could not seem to get the clear answers that I was looking for.
The second day that we were at the beach, with my beach chair sitting at the edge of the water and my toes curled up in the sand, I just sat and began to ask God for the direction that I so desperately needed in so many areas of upcoming ministry. At that moment, it seemed as if heaven opened over me and a flood of answers began coming to my mind. In only a matter of minutes, I got complete clarity of the direction and strategy of our upcoming women’s bible study. I sensed a very strong leading of the Holy Spirit for my message for our Sept. SPA night, and I even got an adorable idea for a children’s book!!
I was totally blown away by how easy and clear everything had come to me, after months of fretting about all the areas that I needed direction. I began walking down the beach with such gratitude and thankfulness to God for His continued faithfulness to me, despite my worry. I was reminded of the verse in Psalm that says, “Be still and know that I am God”. As I walked and prayed and pondered that verse, I felt the voice of God speak so clearly to my heart. This is what I sensed Him say to me: “Heidi, it’s YOUR responsibility to be still. It’s MY responsibility for you to KNOW.” As I pondered His words to me, the revelation of it become more and more clear. God is not sitting in heaven holding on to all of His wisdom, revelation and knowledge. It is His desire for us to KNOW Him. But so many times, we are too busy to receive the wisdom He has to give us. MY responsiblity is to be still. As I learn the discipline of being still, God will be faithful to give me the KNOW.
I’m still a bit in awe of that day on the beach and how easily His wisdom came to me. It is God’s greatest desire to share Himself and His heart with us….we only have to BE STILL.
I’m not unrealistic enough to think that I can sit on the beach for the rest of my life and just hear God share all His wisdom with me. But I am now determined to make purposeful decisions to BE STILL. That’s all God is asking of me…be still in my heart and in my mind and let Him give me the KNOW part. I just have a feeling that there’s a lot more of the KNOW that I need, and I can’t wait to hear it!!
(I will continue these thoughts next week Thoughts from the beach, part II)
