Where is God? Where Are You?

Something that has really been upon my heart lately that has broken me away from my silence.  I realize I have not written in close to a year, but much has happened this year.  Maybe I'll get into all of that in another post.


But right now, my heart is heavy.  I am so discouraged lately...not by homosexuals or abortionists or even atheists.  I'm greatly discouraged by the "Church."


I guess I expect the world to act like the world, but I expect the Church to act like Christians.  I guess we all have our own convictions and views of what "Christianity" is, and while I see room for slight variances, there is just too much division between us when there really shouldn't be.

1)  Take for example modesty.  Now, we all have different ideas of what is modest, probably based upon our experiences.  However, if we look at a person's wardrobe, you can often tell if they are trying to 1) Please themselves, 2) Please the opposite sex, or 3) Please the Lord.

I am probably slightly stricter than many on modesty, but even when someone does not have as strict as a conviction as I do, I can still tell when they are trying to please the Lord with their modesty.  They do not have to have my convictions to do this.  However, when a Sister in Christ is exposing her breasts, thighs, and figure, it's also very clear to me whom she is trying to please:  the world.  Sometimes it's done subconsciously (for I used to do this), but the effects are still the same.

If anyone preaches on modesty, they are being legalistic.  This is one example of how Christians are out to please themselves instead of God first.

2)  Look at the movies, music, and television shows that are popular among Christians.  I know what is popular amongst Christians because I hear it being spoken about to one another and even broadcasted on Christian radio.  Often, these movies and shows have mostly good endings, but may have cursing, immodesty, sexual scenes or innuendos, and often the characters display the flesh, and not fruits of the Spirit.

I remember as a teen purchasing a DVD player that would remove cursing from the movies.  I was not about to sacrifice my movies, and obviously I knew there were things in the movies that didn't please the Lord, or I wouldn't have purchased the DVD player.  But I just could not imagine giving up my entertainment.  I convinced myself that God wanted me to be "happy."

Another example of when Christians put their own desires above the Lord's.

3)  That brings me to my third example.  God only wants us to be happy if it is in His Will, for His glory.  He doesn't want us to be happy in sin.....even if it's only a small, quick, seemingly meaningless sin.  If our happiness is just a feeling, it's not joy.  It's worldly.  You see, the Apostle Paul encourages us to be content no matter the state we are in.  We are not to change our circumstances to fit how we want to feel, we are to change our feelings around our circumstances.  The problem is, that takes work.  Growing in character means we will be unhappy at times.  Christ did not have emotional happiness dying upon the Cross, but He had JOY knowing He was suffering as a covering of our transgressions.

How can we expect our Savior to live the life He did?  Did He really walk this sinless life so we could have our conveniences, or did He do it so we could have eternal life?  If your answer is the latter, than why are we not following His example?  Shouldn't we be taking up our Cross daily and following His example?!


It is so easy for us to get caught up in what everyone else is doing.  Sister so and so did this and Bro. so and so went there.  We fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others instead of God's Word and to Jesus Christ Himself.  We will not be judged based upon how much less sin we did than everyone else, but we will be judged upon every single opportunity we did not take to preach the Gospel.

Often, when someone shares a personal conviction that someone disagrees with, instead of pointing out Scripture of why they have a different viewpoint, I too often hear a defense justifying something of their opinion (which will clearly not be based off of the Word of God).  Now I'm speaking of Christians.  As Christians, our decisions SHOULD be based off of Scripture, NOT of how we think God should act or would do.  We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, we shouldn't have to justify anything!

I hear the "Church" spending more time defending going to watch a movie, wear an outfit, participating in certain activities, even LYING and DRINKING more than I hear them defending the Word of God.  I used to be apart of this "Church."  Don't get me wrong, I genuinely wanted to please the Lord, but I didn't realize that I wanted to please myself more.  God had to wake me up from my blindness and get me back into reading the Word (which I was not doing regularly, another sign that I was not putting God first in my life).

This is what God used to wake me up, and if you're struggling with putting God above all worldly things (which by the way, I still have this struggle with the flesh), maybe this will help you as well:


God showed me that I was looking for the line of sin.  I wanted a Bible that was written like the Ten Commandments, "Can I do this or not?"  Almost like the magic 8 ball that used to be popular.  I didn't want to take the time to study the Word of God or get in my closet and pray and wait for His answer (patience has never been a virtue of mine).  I simply wanted to know, "God, can I go see this movie?, Can I wear this outfit?, etc."  If God told me "No", I would be a "good little Christian" and not do it.  But my heart was not doing it only because I didn't want to do wrong.  I wasn't being obedient out of my love for God to please Him.


I would want to dress as close to the world as I could without sinning.  I wanted to be fashionable and look nice, but I didn't want to sin.  I wanted to be entertained by books, movies, and music...you know, the same type that the world produced, but without sinning.  I wanted to be involved in all of the fun things the world did, as long as it didn't involve sin.  In my mind, I saw nothing wrong with this type of mentality.  I genuinely thought I was "good."  My pride from comparing myself to others blinded me from how God saw me.

God has now impressed upon my heart to not look for the line of sin, but to be as far from it as possible!  You see, God is nowhere near that line of sin.  So when I stand near the line, I may not be crossing it, but I'm still far from God.  When I'm far from God, my judgment is cloudy.  

I live between two towns.  My address is in one town, but I actually live closer to the other one.  No matter what my address says, in my life, I have been more heavily influenced by the town I live the closest to.

You see, I may not have crossed that line of sin, but when I'm closer to the world than I am to God, I'm not glorifying Him.  In fact, sin is not just a direct violation of God's Word, sin is doing anything out of the will of God, and I can promise you, God does not want us anywhere near that line.

So now, instead of asking myself of how close to the line of sin I can get, I try to remember to ask myself "Is this edifying to God?"  When I screen videos for my children to watch, I no longer just try to make sure there is nothing "bad" in it.  I now try to make sure that what they are watching will benefit them in their life.

I find my 2 and 3 (almost 4) year olds quoting Scripture and trying to determine who has to be Pharaoh and who gets to be Moses when they are pretend playing.  Sure, my kids could have spent time learning things in a book or on video that "wasn't bad", but what value would it have for their eternity?

My husband and I both grew up in Christian homes and we are so thankful for that.  But neither one of us were encouraged to read our Bibles everyday.  We spend our times doing things we wanted to do (not "bad" things).  We chose to spend that time primarily for ourselves (convincing ourselves we deserve "me" time, which ended up being most all of our time).  Most of what we learned biblically was within the church.  And unfortunately, the "Church" has gotten away from the New Testament Church that was for the Believer and has now transitioned into an entertainment center to try and convince non-believers to come and see that Christians can have just as much fun.  The problem is, those from the world are coming for the fun, not the Word.  We hope they would get saved in the few minutes we squeeze the Word of God in, but the reality is, these people are changing our churches, we are not changing them.

The Church was set up for believers to encourage, equip, and exhort one another.  If an unbeliever came along, they would welcome them with open arms, but they would not welcome the sin.  They would not tiptoe around the sin.  The purpose of the Church is to equip, encourage, and exhort one another together, so we can go INTO the World and preach the Gospel.  The sinner would be welcome into the Church, and they would either change and stay, or feel so uncomfortable and out of their element from the Holy Spirit working in their heart, they would leave and run from God.  The number one priority of the Church is not actually to win souls (though that is amazing if that happens), but to train the Saints so when the Saints go into their parts of the World, they are taking the Gospel to those people.

The problem is, we want the witnessing to be done in the church.  When we do this, it's a controlled environment, positive peer pressure, and the preacher does most of the work (for that's why we pay him, so we don't have to do our job as much).  If we do more witnessing in world than in the church, we'd have to talk to people (and even though I like to talk, I still get nervous speaking with strangers).  Many Christians are convinced to win others by their life, and while that is VERY important, that is not the only example Christ gave us.  If we truly want to please the Lord, we will GO into the world and PREACH the Gospel with our lips, not just our lives.

I believe if God has truly transformed our hearts and lives, we won't be able to keep IT in.  We will be so excited to tell....just like a little kid who heard a good secret.  Man, if sharing the Good News of Jesus was as important to us as it was about learning new, juicy gossip, our entire World would be in revival and our Country would be in a different state.  Our Country is not fallen because of the homosexuals, and abortionists, and evolutionists out there.  Our Country is in a dire state because it no longer looks to God as its Master, but He's more of a God who saved us, so we are thankful and give Him our Sundays as our appreciation.



So to sum it up, the "Church" has me concerned for many reasons:

1)  The Church justifies their sins as opposed to defending their beliefs with Scripture.

2)  The Church looks just like the world, but with designer clothes on.

3)  The Church doesn't agree with the government, but has enjoyed the benefits and freebies it gives them, so it doesn't throw too big of a fit.

4)  The Church has made itself a god over God Himself.

5)  The Church has changed God's Word to align with its new beliefs.



I know this is not every Christian.  However, this is a sad trend that is growing more and more popular as time goes on.  This has happened in the past, and God has always responded with wrath.  God has amazing mercy, but He HATES sin, and sin will be destroyed.


The whole point of this post is for you to ask yourself this question, "Am I trying to please God 100% above all else?", or "Am I trying to please myself and still working within God's standards?"

I never want to go back to asking myself the latter question.  As Christians, we have liberty in Christ.  We are no longer bound to the Law of Moses.  But that doesn't mean that we should take that liberty and do as we please....we should still only want to do things that are pleasing to the Lord.


There are many Christians out there that have stricter convictions than I do myself.  I'm okay with that.  I may not agree with them, but I am so thankful they have convictions and are trying to discern and live for the Lord over themselves and what they believe they have a "right" to do.

1 Corinthians 10:23

" All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."


These conversations are not always comfortable, but true friends encourage us to walk closer to the Lord, even if it points out our own sins.  True friends care more about our eternity and what God will say to us on Judgment Day than what we want to hear today.  What kind of friend are you?

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Motherhood: Don't Overthink It.

 

 

Today I want to introduce to you our first guest blogger!  She is a sweet friend of mine who loves the Lord and tries to serve Him with her life.  I asked her to write a post of encouragement to Christian moms, and BE READY...she is quite the encourager!  So if you feel overworked and/or unworthy as your calling as a mom, this post is for you!  I hope you'll hop on over at her website by clicking here.


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Hi, my name is Bethany. I am 24, married to a wonderful man named Eric and we are missionaries to Haiti. And, can I tell you a secret? I am not a mother.

That’s right, it’s a girl with no children writing to mothers on a mothering blog.

Whew, glad that is out in the open!

With us both understanding that my experience with motherhood being very much on the outside looking in.. Can I share a thought on motherhood with you today? Can I speak for non-mothers everywhere? For all of the rest of us out in this big world who haven’t carried an actual human inside their body? (Which, if you think about it, might be the most amazing thing ever.)

First of all, three things…

You are amazing.

Stop being so hard on yourself.

Stop overthinking it.

I am convinced that America is a tough place to rear a child. Far more difficult than people might think. Maybe not tough in a physical way, but in a spiritual way. Our country is rich in blessings, and we should be grateful for those, but it is also filled with overwhelming expectations for women and mothers alike.

The pressures of the American lifestyle, different cultural expectations, mainstream social media and who’s who of Pinterest crafts are heavy upon my heart... and I’m not even a mom. The decisions you are forced to make each day flood my Facebook feed. Opinions from newspapers and articles, the CDC and FDA, writers and bloggers about various issues. Issues that you, as a mom, must have a stance.

To illustrate, here’s a sampling from my current Facebook feed….

Vaccinations - Yes or no?

Schooling - Homeschooling, private schooling, public schooling?

Teen dress code - Can your young one wear leggings?

Media limitations - Too much TV for your kid? Do they play on an iPad?

Baby body wraps - Are you ruining your child's hip placement?

Baby food -  Best brands? Allergies? Organic?

Oh, goodness.. the list seems to go on forever. I can only imagine it has to get heavy for you some days, right? The societal pressures to measure up to? All the issues to have an opinion on?

My friend Rachel at findingjoy.net writes to mothers everyday. If you are a mother, her blog is a must follow.  I love her platform of “being real in motherhood.” And with Christmas here and gone, culminating in the biggest gift-giving holiday of the year, I think of all of you moms out there. Rachel wrote a recent letter to moms everywhere about the Christmas season:

“A dear friend told me yesterday “don’t dwell on all the big things just choose one thing to do and find joy in that.” So, yesterday I took my boys out for a bit – just because – and that was a moment that mattered. We talked about presents, family, and how much I loved them in all things. We didn’t do anything crazy. In fact, I spent $9 at Starbucks, wandered the toy aisles, and their highlight was the whole clementine orange sample at Target.  It was time given. Not stuff, not presents, not perfect trees, not twinkling lights, not gluten free cookies with royal icing, not any of that – it was me and them doing life together.  You know what? While we drove home through the snow they told me they had a great day. And my Elijah throughout the day kept saying best mom ever even though earlier in the day I was feeling like the worst. He didn’t see the undone stuff, the imperfect stuff, the stuff I wish was different. He saw his mom.”

The rest of us non-moms can see you without the blinders of this pressure filled and opinionated society. So can your kids.

We see you, tired and needing to sleep for an hour, but instead taking time to clean the dishes. We see you washing perfectly clean clothes for the third time because your children keep putting them back in the hamper. We see you teaching your child every moment of the day, repeating one word over and over, sounding like a crazy woman, and finally rejoicing when it’s finally repeated back to you. Your children see you hold open doors, say please and thank you, and put their blocks away at the end of the day. Your husband sees you clean and clean and wonder if there are sock-stealing elves that live in your dryer.

We see you giving your all. We see you loving beyond the barriers of your heart, and you are amazing.

One of the multitude of lessons that Haiti teaches is the beauty found in the small things. Beautiful is the mother who kisses her child’s forehead and prays for their future. Beautiful is the mom who disciplines, even when it has to be in public. Beautiful and precious is the mother whose heart is big enough to serve every day.

In America it’s easy to get caught up in the opinions and blog posts. It’s easy to be distracted from what really matters. With that in mind, here’s my final thought:

Don’t over think this whole motherhood thing.

Sure, think and pray and research and have opinions and platforms and passions and fight for your children and spouse and family and friends. But don’t over think whether you are good enough.

Don’t be distracted from the simple moments. Don’t over think those little moments. The moments that count. The moments that aren’t 27 presents on Christmas morning or the biggest dress in homecoming court.

The moments that are real. Moments that are burning eggs on a Sunday morning and, with a laugh, grabbing a sugar-filled pop-tart instead. Moments that are holding hands across the street and praying before bed. Moments of giving medicine for a cold and crawling in bed at night. Moments of soothing nightmares and peaceful walks at the park.

Those are the moments you’ll remember. Those are the moments when you find yourself resting in your calling as a mother. Those are the moments when we non-moms see you. Those are the moments your kids will hold dearly in their hearts as they grow older.

So today, as you begin the journey that awaits in 2014, remember these words:

You are amazing.

You are real.

Real isn’t perfect.  

Don’t be so hard on yourself.

We see you.

You are beautiful.

Don’t overthink it.

Just be real, have real moments.

Give love, be light.

Be you.

And everything else will work out just fine.

 

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I hope you'll check out Bethany's website here.  You can help support Bethany most importantly with your prayers!  Head on over to her website and let her know you are praying for her!  If you would like to support her financially, you may do so on her website or you can purchase products to support her and their mission in Haiti by clicking here.  If you think you might be interested in going to Haiti or helping out with her mission, what are you waiting for?!  Find out more information about mission trips here!  You can also get information about adoption in Haiti by clicking here.  I hope that you'll help her efforts in Haiti! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Bethany is a wife, missionary, writer and book collector. Living and working alongside her husband as missionaries between two separate worlds – small town America and the Caribbean nation of Haiti, she works hard to daily bridge the culture gap between the two. When not in Haiti, she enjoys drinking iced chai and relaxing with a good book. But her heart is most content when she is in Haiti, working to build relationships with children in orphanages and people in communities around the country.

http://ericandbeth.us/

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