Monthly Archives: March 2012

Mar18

Trust Issues

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Proverbs 3:5-6 to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” 

This past week, I had the opportunity to see the viral video, Kony2012.com.  You may have heard about this on the news or even seen the video yourself, but, if not, let me briefly explain its content.  Kony 2012 is a campaign by a San Diego-based charity called Invisible Children, and it was developed to bring global awareness of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.  Kony, a self-proclaimed Christian, is the head of a guerrilla group called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) which began in 1987.  The LRA began in Uganda, but has since moved to the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.   Kony claims that success for the LRA would mean a theocracy for these areas with laws based on the Ten Commandments.  But, there is a problem in his view of a sovereign government ruled by our great God.  Kony has used and continues to use extreme violence and immoral activity to fight this war he has raged.  In fact, over the years, Kony and the LRA have kidnapped more than 60,000 children to use as fighters or sex slaves.  It is also reported the LRA forces each child to kill their own parents so they won’t have homes to return to.  Needless to say, the video is heart-wrenching, and it has forced me to think and pray a great deal this week about the immense amount of evil in our world today. 

For me, it is incredibly easy to turn a blind eye to areas where evil abounds.  I like to remain content and happy in my neighborhood “bubble” which keeps me safe and sound.  When my eyes are opened to the horrific acts which are occurring even as I write, my emotions are overcome with a profound feeling of helplessness, and quite honestly, it shakes my faith.  I begin to question God.  But, as I’ve learned, questions can be good – especially when you take them directly to His Throne and allow Him to guide you in His Word for answers.  One word God kept bringing to the forefront of my mind was “trust.”  Do you trust Me Katie?  Despite the evil in the world and the innocent lives being affected as a result, do you trust Me?  I wanted to answer wholeheartedly, “yes!”  But, I really wasn’t sure if I did, and I realized I needed to reevaluate my heart on this issue.

As Christians, trust in our Holy God is crucial in our relationship with Him.  Isaiah 26:4 tells us to “trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”  Nahum 1:7 says “the Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him.”  And, we are also told in the familiar verses of Proverbs 3:5-6 to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”  Trust God.  Acknowledge God.  Seems simple enough – however, “trust” in its very nature, requires unanswered questions.  Therefore, in reality, our trust in our wonderful Heavenly Father is actually based on our acknowledgement of Him.  The word “acknowledge” in Proverbs 3:6 means “to know, to perceive and see, to find out and discern,” but it also means “to be made known or to be revealed.”  It’s not enough for us to read God’s Word and know His scriptures.  Our acknowledgement of God has to also be based on our observations of Him and His ways.  The more we observe Him, the more He will make Himself known.  In turn, our faith and trust will grow – allowing us to be content with our unanswered questions. 

So, yes, we will continue to experience evil in this fallen world – extreme, horrific evil – but, we serve a God who is good and trustworthy (2 Samuel 7:28).  Do I still have unanswered questions?  Absolutely!  But, I recognize my questions are based on what is seen and temporal.  I must continually adjust my eyes to the unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18).  In the meantime, I rest in the words of our Creator in Isaiah 55:9 – “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Amen, my powerful and mighty Father.  Amen.

Until next week, relying on His ways… Katie

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Mar11

Raising Warriors

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Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

As Daylight Savings has come and gone this weekend, I’ve been left wondering – where has this school year gone?  In my mind, it seems like yesterday I was taking my fourth-grade daughter to meet the teacher.  For that matter, it feels like last week that my now 12 (soon to be 13)-year-old son was saying, “hold you” to me so I would pick him up.  Where did the time go?  When did my children grow into the self-sufficient, self-motivated young people that they are, and where was I when this happened?  Ten years ago, I distinctly remember being in the grocery store with my children when an elderly woman said to me, “just watch, you will blink, and they won’t need you so much anymore.”  I think I just blinked.

I’ve been reflecting a lot on time lately, especially as my children are on the brink of innocence lost.  I can almost feel the world knocking at the doors of their hearts, just waiting to be let in.  Oh, how I don’t want them to open that door!  Don’t get me wrong, I want them to experience life – I simply don’t want them to experience the sin that accompanies it.  While our culture offers incredible opportunities to grow in a meaningful relationship with Christ, it also presents many other deceitful, more alluring avenues.  I’ve seen how this world can change a child – a once faith-filled teenager turned faithless wanderer, an all-American girl turned hopeless addict, a humble young man turned arrogant and prideful, a once shy student turned bitter and angry.  I could go on and on, and it leaves me asking myself, “Have I equipped my children for the spiritual war their hearts are about to face?”

One of my favorite pieces of scripture that Jesus spoke to His disciples referred to keeping a child-like faith in the midst of a self-centered society.  “At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’  He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).  I pray my children will never lose that spirit of humility, and that their love (for Christ and this world) will “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Philippians 1:9).  For, I am desperate for them to grasp our extraordinary God and His Holy Word much sooner than I did!

In the meantime, I sit and wait for what the future will bring, and I try my hardest to be a good leader.  I realize while I have been given the precious privilege of being a parent, my children have only been entrusted to me for a short time.  I must use my time wisely and continue to “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).  I cling to and claim the words of Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”   I pray God will help me guide them to His mighty throne so they will recognize their particular place in His Kingdom and know their Creator has a specific purpose for them to  fulfill.  I need to focus my energy into training my children to not only be Christians, but also be active warriors for Christ!

So, today, as I reflect on the past decade, I am so very thankful for my babies – who aren’t babies anymore.  I cherish what time I have left to influence their decisions regarding their lives, and I recognize the urgency of the role I play.  May they continue to cultivate their relationship with our Heavenly Father and develop their spiritual armor so they will be ready for the battle that lay ahead.

Until next week, seeking to raise a warrior…Katie

Mar4

You Are What You Eat

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

Our bodies are magnificent pieces of machinery.  When our Creator sculpted us in His incredible image, He gave us not only a glimpse into His eternal realm, but He also left us with an amazing amount of imagery that correlates directly with His Word.  I saw this imagery last weekend when I attended a continuing education course on nutrition and our bodies.  The instructor who was leading the course at one point in her lecture said, “Simply put, you are what you eat.”  She continued saying if we make poor food choices on a regular basis, we will inevitably begin to feel awful; but if we fuel our bodies with what they were built to run on (the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, with little processed foods), we will experience a more active, healthier life.  Toward the end of the course, she assured us, if we began to consistently eat the way our bodies were intended to be fueled, we would crave the right foods and never desire to go back to the junk food way of living.  I left the lecture that day thinking about the choices I was making for my health, but then, as He is known to do, God redirected my thoughts.  While my food choices are essential to my well-being, my intake of His nourishment is indispensable to my soul.

As Believers, we know we are spiritual beings, and as such our bodies crave spiritual food – that food consists of two major components – Jesus Christ (John 6:55) and God’s Holy Word (Matthew 4:4).  They are what we were created to run on.  This concept is  illustrated beautifully in the Gospel of Matthew.  “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.  The tempter came to (Jesus) and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’  Jesus answered, ‘It is written; Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:2-4).  Are we, as Christians, getting enough of God’s precious Holy Word so that our spiritual souls don’t starve?  Research shows we aren’t.  In fact, an article published at Christianity.com, showed that the number of Christians who read the Bible on a daily or even regular basis is dropping at an alarming rate.  It went on to state, “Nowadays, it seems, many (Christians) view Scripture, not as a book to read regularly, but as a text book one dips into when wishing to remind oneself of the basis of faith or when seeking an answer to some perplexing spiritual issue.”   What is wrong with us?  Are we just not getting it?!  After all, the Bible is God’s one and only published book – shouldn’t we, as His followers, be immersing ourselves in it on a consistent basis?  Or, maybe we are so used to filling our hearts, minds, and souls with the junk food of the world that we rarely allow ourselves the opportunity to eat the pure, non-processed spiritual food found only in His Word.

We must remind ourselves that reading the Bible occassionally versus immersion in the Word is the difference between a liquid diet and one of solid food.  The writer of Hebrews explains this –  “anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (5:13-14).  There are two phrases in this scripture that give us a hint as to what is expected of us in order to receive this solid spiritual food.  First, the words “constant use” are actually translated “a power acquired by custom, practice, or use; a habit.”  We must make reading His word a daily practice in our life, an act that comes as a natural response to living.  Second, the phrase “trained themselves”  means to “exercise vigorously the faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, and judging.”  Much like an athlete vigorously trains for his sport, we must vigorously train ourselves to be in His Word in order to digest His magnificent gift of solid spiritual food and subsequent nourishment for our souls. 

So, how are you feeling these days – depressed, anxious, sluggish, powerless?  Maybe it has to do with the food you are eating.  Go get His Holy Word and feed your soul today! I have a feeling, like the nutritionist assured me with my food choices, once you get a generous helping of Jesus Christ and God’s Word, you will never crave anything in its place!

Until next week, stuffing my face at His banquet table… Katie