But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense PATIENCE as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:16

Do you have those days?  You know the ones . . . when at the very end, as you are dragging the covers up over your aching feet and your head is still reeling, you know, that today, you have tried the "immense patience" of your God to a great degree.

I have them.  Far more often than I would like to admit.  The reality is that I probably test the "immense patience" of my God every day.  My lack of fruit is blaringly evident when I replay the day's events as the covers are reaching my chin, head falling into my pillow.

Love was lacking, Peace was not spread, Patience was far from my tongue, Gentleness was not my first response, and let's not even go near Self-Control.  They are far from abounding in my heart and mind to the degree that would please the Lord . . . on those days . . .

And then, when I look closer at this verse from 1 Timothy, I see that this "immense patience", this longsuffering for me, His sinful child, is not really for my sake.  It says that I was shown mercy so that others might believe and receive eternal life.

There is so much to unpack there, but I find that notion overwhelming!  God chose me to give His mercy to, bestow His patience on, SO THAT others might see and recieve the same gifts!  That truth should drive all pride right out of my soul and paint me completely transpearant for all to see . . . so that ALL might see.

So what does that mean?  How does that happen?  How do we let others see so they too might recieve what we have been so freely given?

Perfect Peace

You will keep him in perfect PEACE,

whose mind is stayed on You,

because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

My place of "stillness" rested in this verse for many many months while waited to travel and be united with our kids in Uganda.  Now that we are home, I have been reminded of that tender place again. 

Trusting simply means to believe God's plan is bigger and better than mine = Sovereign

I have those days where it feels like my heart, my home and my children are the furthest thing from "peaceful".  But when the Lord draws me back into a place of trust, a place where I can lay down the cares of my days and rely on Him, things become more still, more quiet, and slower in my heart.  I am bathed by inexplicable peace and that flows out to my home and my family.  He is so faithful, even when I am not.

A dear and wise friend was led to send this verse to me along with a stanza of a beautiful hymn.  May it bring you peace today as you find rest through your trust in Him.

"EVERY day the Lord Himself is near me,

With a special MERCY for each hour,

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,

He whose name in Counselor and Power,

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid,

"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure."

This the pledge He made to me"

From "Day By Day and With Each Passing Moment"

By Lina Sandell - Oscar Adnfelt

Sufficient Faith gets a Workout

some notes from a sermon I loved:

Hebrews 11 - FAITH

"by faith" = action

faith requires ACTION!

TRUST that all things God speaks are true = He is TRUSTWORTHY

Faith is really working in our lives when we take action knowing that pain and difficulty will result because we are promised to suffer like Christ.

"Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in me, believe also in Him."

John 14:1

Lack of Faith comes because:

~ I don't understand His Word fully.

~ I don't believe God can see me the way He says He does (through the veil of Christ = without sin)

The Faith we are given is sufficient but it needs to be exercised!

(This was Jesus' response to the disciples request for an increase in faith.)

Luke 17:1-10

Abraham - sacrificing Isaac through FAITH in God's promise of the unseen.

Hebrews 11:17

Abraham's faith produced action causing tribulation/trial...AND he received the fullness of God's promise in JOY!

"We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thess. 1:3

FAITH produces work...actions are the result of FAITH!

Actions do NOT earn faith, or salvation, but are a result of maturing faith.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith."

1 Thess. 3:7

Faith = Action/Work = Tribulation/Distress (sometimes) = JOY (always)

**God will draw others to Himself through the JOY we express as a result of FAITH in and through our trials/tribulations!

What a Holy calling we have!!!

Daddy is not 3

Have you ever found yourself so immersed in speaking toddler language that when wonderful husband comes home you welcome him through the door with the same melodic tone you’ve been using all day?  Does he give you that quirky grin with furled brow that says, “Wow, I need to take you out more,” and “Oh, your poor, poor thing; what has happened to you today?” all with the same look?

This is REAL life…and there is no shame in that.

And it’s not a bad thing to speak in a loving, sing-song voice to our children.  In fact, I find that when my voice stays calmer, softer, and emanates fun in this way that the rest of my body and mind follow suit.  Now I’m not talking the make-you-want-to-puke over-the-top-sweet talk that grandmas do…that is a special grandma language and I have a few years to go before I need to learn that one (but several wonderful translators who I am excited to take lessons from!)  But the mom voice, that says, I know you, I love you, and I am right here at your level…where you are.  And do you see your children respond to it?  Mine do…they eat it up.

So, YES!  Let’s speak “toddler”.  All day if need be….

(Or maybe in your house it's teen-talk, where an entire sentence is substituted with an acronym like a text...hopefully not, but I know it's not that far fetched for a lot of homes.  And I'm pretty sure that kind of abbreviation would fly right over most of our husbands' heads.)

However, as wives, we must be bilingual.  We must also speak “adult” to our husbands.  They are not 3, and they need to see we can be attentive to both, our children and our husbands. 

Song of Solomon (oh yeah, I’m going straight there) depicts the union, the romance, the passion of marriage as God designed it to be.  It is a conversation between a man and his bride, with the occasional chiming in of some supportive friends, and we get an intimate look at the various aspects of relationship that are important to this couple.  In this verse we find the man making a request of his bride:

My dove in the clefts of the rock,
   in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
   let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
   and your face is lovely.

Song of Solom 2:14

Shouldn’t our home be the “cleft in the rock” and a "hiding place" for our husbands?  I know mine desires nothing more than to hear my voice, a sweet voice as I show him my face at the end of his long day while he enters his cleft.  It is so critical to make a switch in our tone, in our body language, in our eye contact, to welcome our husbands home to their cleft.  It is our God-given role, it is his desire, and our marriages will thrive when we live that out.

A few ideas to accompany that “lovely face” and “sweet voice” you plan to present at the door:

Some freshly glossed lips and brushed hair

A cold beverage, maybe his favorite

Food. Yes, even if dinner is on in 20…they will eat again.  So bring a bowl of chips to the door.

A tight hug around his neck and soft whispers in his ear of how you missed him that day

How do you welcome your husband home?