Not Just For Singles...

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

This verse comes from the book of Proverbs, verse 23. For a long time, I thought that the primary application of this text was for single people. Prior to marriage, people were always saying to "guard your heart" in relationships with the opposite sex. After all, I wasn't supposed to let anyone into my heart until they had fully earned my trust. Intimacy was to be saved until a firm, committed relationship was established.

Very well. That definition of "guarding" one's heart served me well for many years. As singles, men and women certainly should be guarding their hearts, though not hardening them, in their interactions with the opposite gender. It's when we don't guard our hearts that issues like heartache and other unplanned consequences arise.

I've been learning, however, in the brief 14 1/2 months that I have been a married woman, that this verse has universal applications. In fact, I believe that the meaning it now holds in my life is far more significant than the former.

I must guard my heart so that my faithfulness to my husband is not hindered. The devil sometimes tries to get a foothold in my life by bringing to my memory people that I knew in the past. Perhaps these are people with whom I had a romantic relationship or simply an innocent friendship.

He starts to shrewdly whisper into my ear, "What could have been? Am I really following God's plan for my life? Did I make a mistake?" He taunts me with dreams of the past or some imaginary future. Sometimes I am tempted to indulge in these hopeless fantasies, but I have realized that doing so would only undermine my marriage.

I have married a wonderful man. It's a done deal, and there's no turning back. Even if it was a mistake (which I absolutely do not believe; God clearly ordained our union), it matters not. What matters is that I have entered into a covenant relationship with the man of my dreams. I am called to love and respect him until death do us part, and I intend to hold to my end of the bargain.

God is calling me to guard my heart. If thoughts of the past enter my head, I must, I must, I must reject them. To entertain them at all is to allow seeds of unfaithfulness to fester that could eventually throw a fatal blow to our marriage.

And the only way that this will be possible is to draw on the strength of God. If I live by the flesh, I will fail, but the Lord will sustain me in my weakness.

"for when I am weak, then I am strong"

Marveled by God's Grace

The Lord does not need us. Out of His good will, He chose to create Earth and all that it contains. He was not incomplete without it, yet He wanted to embark on the journey with man.

God, all-knowing as is His nature, knew that man would fail. It was no surprise to Him when Eve, being deceived, fell into transgression, followed quickly by her husband, Adam. He knew that Israel would betray Him and seek false gods. He knew that even His most passionate disciple would deny Him on the evening of His crucifixion.

Knowing these things, He still chose to enter into relationship with humanity. He chose to make Himself vulnerable to us and to allow himself to be affected by our actions. What great love the Father has for us! While we were yet sinners, He sent His son to die for our sins. While we rejected Him, in His unimaginable grace, He sought us out.

I was reading in Jeremiah this morning, and I was struck by a profound truth. Chapter 3, verses 12 through 18 or so:

Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, "Return, faithless Israel," declares the Lord; "I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious," declares the Lord; "Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice," declares the Lord. "Return, O faithless sons," declares the Lord; "For I am a master to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land," declares the Lord, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the Lord,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord; nor will they walk anymore after the stubborness of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance."

Even in the midst of their sin, the Lord is reaching out to His people for reconciliation. He is saying, "I love you, Israel. I want to bless you and make you a great nation for My glory. All you have to do is come to me." How patient our Father is! His love is unfathomable!

God wants to bless us. He has big plans for our lives as we know from Jer. 29:11. All we must do is acknowledge our sin, realize that the only way to have reconciliation with God is through His Son, Jesus Christ, and we will be saved! And that is only the beginning - the Holy Spirit is at work in the life of every believer to transform our hearts and minds into the likeness of Christ.

Praise be to God for His marvelous grace!

God and Cars

I have been sharing about how God has been teaching my husband and I about perseverance. First with my job, then with our church, and now with our car.

So, here's the story:

Dan, my beloved husband, was gearing up to do some routine maintenance on our car last Saturday. In order to keep our stylish 1995 Buick LeSabre looking as good as she does, we have to stay on top of that type of thing. ;-)

He started with the spark plugs. We removed the first one with ease and found it to be in good condition. After reinstalling the first spark plug, we checked the second with equal success. When Dan began applying torque to the third spark plug, he was met with a large amount of resistance, and although the spark plug broke into a few pieces, we were able to remove it completely and replace it with a new one that cost $1.49. No big loss there.

The true excitement was yet to be had.

The fourth spark plug proved to give more resistance than its three predecessors, and after extensive effort with the socket wrench, we heard the sound of the spark plug breaking into small pieces that fell melodically onto the asphalt. Upon inspection, we discovered that the external components of the spark plug were broken off, and we had half of the plug in our engine with no way to grab hold of it from the outside. After doing some research online and consulting with the nice gentleman at the auto parts store, we discovered that in fact there was a solution to our dilemma ("EZ outs" are a true gift from God). At this point it was 8pm on Saturday evening, but after a bit more effort, we were able to remove the spark plug and replace it with a new one.

While combating our spark plug problem, Dan had noticed that our overflow tank for our refrigerant was empty. Thinking little of it, we filled the radiator and the overflow tank with water until it reached a suitable fluid level. Dan had intentions of flushing the radiator within a few days as it was, so we weren't eager to find a permanent solution right then.

The next morning, however, we ventured outside and examined our engine. We discovered that all the water we had put in the car the day before had leaked out into our alley. Again, after some investigation, Dan determined that the culprit was our water pump, which had sprung a leak and was in need of replacement.

After making this discovery, it took about 25 hours of research, shopping for supplies, and actual labor to complete the job. Dan made a huge sacrifice as he worked diligently and without complaint, doing his best to repair our vehicle.

There were several moments when I think both Dan and I were ready to give up and call a professional. Thankfully, though, Dan persevered, and the Lord rewarded us for it. Our car is now working much better than it was before.

This is just another example of God showing His goodness and divine sovereignty even when the going gets rough. He is faithful beyond measure. He will equip us to do His will, whether that be directly ministering to another person or simply repairing our car.

A Season of Change

The leaves are changing, the cool breeze has set in, and in the Pacific Northwest, the clouds and continual light rain have returned. While in this neck of the woods, we tend to only experience sunlight for a couple of months in the summer, I do have a certain appreciation for the overcast skies and wet surroundings. It makes me want to stay home, snuggle up with a good book, and indulge in a hot mug of herbal tea. Fall is also a good enough excuse for me to keep an endless supply of pumpkin bread on hand for friends, my husband, and our colleagues. I plan to make my first batch this week. :o)

In our lives, the weather is not the only thing that is changing. Through much prayer and thought, we have felt the Lord leading us to move away from the church that we have called our home for the past year and a half. This was not an easy decision, considering that the members therein are people whom we love and with whom we have developed genuine relationships. We realize that ultimately the Church exists beyond the confines of denominational and church boundaries, and regardless of our affiliations, we are part of the same Body.

Change can be tough. It is challenging and often painful, but when the change is constructive, growth is typically the result. We hope that through our present trials we will be further refined into the image of our Creator.

I am reminded of Romans 5:3-5:

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

As the leaves wither and the flowers breathe their last breath in the approach to Winter, so also a season of our lives is coming to a close. We are venturing into a new chapter of our lives, and I am in great anticipation of the treasures that we will find on our journey.

Have You Ever Heard of Waterdeep?

Me neither. At least until couple of days ago, that is.

I was poking around on another blog that I like to read, Making Home, and there was a quick blurb about the band. In my curiosity, I went to You Tube and searched for "Waterdeep." Within a few minutes, I came upon the a video of a guy doing a cover of one of their songs, "Hush." Check it out here.

I don't know about you, but that song spoke to me. I found that it is particularly penetrating for someone like me (one of the task-oriented Marthas of the world) because I often need to be reminded to rest in the Lord. He has already conquered death, so why am I fretting about the inconsequential things of this world.

Here are the lyrics, for some closer inspection:


Waterdeep - Hush lyrics
When you feel like the days just drone on and on and on
And you feel like the nights are quickly gone
And on the inside your heart is gaping wide
And on the inside you feel like no one's on your side
Well, I am

When you thought you could rest, but you found out you were wrong
And there's another need another battle
Another one more thing that comes along
And on the inside You hear the fall but you hate the falling sound
And on the inside You can't pick another broken piece up off the ground
Well I know

CHORUS
Hush little baby don't say a word
Daddy's gone and bought you a great big heaven to rest in
He's bought it with blood and put the seal in your heart
It'll give you the hope you need to get up and start again

When all the things you thought you left behind are still hanging on
And everything you try to do right ends up all wrong
And on the inside everyone else seems basically fine
But on the inside even they won't let go of the dead and cling to what's alive
Well I AM

I'd love to hear feedback from anyone else that connects with this song.

Blessings!

The Sameness of God

This past weekend, the women's ministry of my church held our first-ever Ladies Retreat. We travelled up to Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island, WA. How beautiful it was to look out the window of our lovely (gigantic) house and watch deer grazing in the yard and sailboats out in the water just 500 feet away! I could get used to that. :o) It was so serene.

The theme of the weekend was "Loving Well." We used Beth Moore's "Retreat in a Box," and although I was at first a skeptic of using a template, it proved to be amazing. The Lord truly blessed us with that resource. Beth explained to us the importance of loving others (they will know we are Christians by our love...), and that the only way we can do that is if we are continually allowing God's love to fall on us. We must take time to receive God's ministry to our own hearts. It was beautiful message, and I think we all received it with openness.

The Lord totally blew me away with how He answered prayer for the retreat. From the beginning of the planning phase of the retreat, Psalm 127: 1 was our credo. Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. We knew the truth of this passage, and we were in prayer the God would show up and change our hearts. We were quite aware that regardless of how much planning we did, if the Lord was not present, we would be wasting our time. I praise You, Jesus, for joining us this weekend and being our honored guest!!!

What a special time... This morning, I am back into the daily grind. I got up with my husband, prepared his breakfast and lunch and got him out the door, did a short workout, and then I started to get in the Word. The interesting thing is that I found myself resorting to some bad habits I had before this amazing retreat. I found myself unsure where to study, unsure of my standing with God, and with little confidence to even talk with Him. These are doubts that I believe that the Devil plants in my head to keep me from drawing close to God.

As soon as I realized what was going on, I had to make a deliberate mental acknowledgement that the God that I knew so intimately on our retreat this past weekend is the same God that I meet in my living room. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow; just because my mood or my feelings about God vary does not mean that He is any less consistent. He is always there when I want to talk.

The Lord Jesus is powerful to produce a sustaining work in my life regardless of where I am and what I am doing. Lord, please help me to remember this truth. Oh, how I long for you to produce fruit in me that lasts!

Where Does Your Strength Come From...?

The Lord has been teaching me one powerful lesson after another lately. I feel like I am continually going to the woodshed with Him as He reveals yet another way that I fall short of His standard of perfect Love.

The one message that is abundantly clear in all of this is that ALONE, I WILL FAIL. I have not the strength within me (despite my grandest attempts) to ward off the attack of the devil.

If I try to go it alone when it comes to loving my husband, serving in my church, or working in ministry, I may look like I have it together for awhile. I may fool many people, including myself, and think that I don't really need God after all. But the truth is that any strength that I have to do anything good - it is from the Lord. And if I fail to acknowledge that, I will also fail to seek renewal in Him. I may put up a pretty facade at first, but eventually what little strength I have will run dry. I will get burnt out, and bitterness will begin to take hold of my heart.

That said, I am being challenged to seek renewal in Christ continually. I have been asking that the Holy Spirit would fill me and equip me for every good work in Christ Jesus. Prayer is an important part of that and so is getting in the Word. We must be reminded of our frailty so that we remember to draw on God's strength, not our own.