Nae's Notes

Did you ever have an idea or thought that wouldn’t go away? Not necessarily something bad-just a nagging feeling that there’s something missing or something to do that pops up from time to time. That’s what this blog is for me. For about 2 years, off and on, I’ve had the feeling that I need to write a weekly blog. But who has time for that? What do I have to say that people want to hear? Those are the 2 questions that have kept me from blogging regularly. No matter how busy I was or how many things I filled my life with, the blog hasn’t gone away. So, here I am again. I want to say I have great thoughts and insights that will change people’s lives or encourage them in a difficult time. The reality is that I’m not really a brave person that puts herself in situations where I don’t know the outcome or reactions people will have. Therefore, this is out of my comfort zone. The times in my life where I was the most uncomfortable have probably been my times of greatest growth. 2 main examples come to mind.

First, when my kids were very young, my husband changed jobs. His new job was a major schedule change for our family-one that would require me to have a lot of alone time with the kids. I doubted my ability to function through that change and be strong enough to handle the situations that arose on my own. I had 2 things going for me-I have really good kids, and this was part of God’s plan for our lives.

The second one was when I went back to work full time after being out of my career for 10 years. I had worked part-time jobs while my children were little, ones where they could go with me. I decided to leave one of the part time jobs and start substitute teaching again. I was excited at the prospect of a flexible schedule, but somewhat concerned about the financial piece. About 2 weeks after I resigned from my part-time job, I found myself applying for a full time teaching position. What! I didn’t want to work full time. That wasn’t part of my plan. I’d been away for 10 years and wasn’t sure I could handle a full time job and being a full time mom. Yet again, it ended up being a good thing because it was part of God’s plan.

We’ve all had times we were uncomfortable-ended up places we didn’t think we would be or didn’t want to be. It’s in those times that we look to God for direction more than usual, which is why it’s in those times that we experience the most growth. Kids have to grow and change in order to find their place and purpose in the world. That doesn’t change when we get to be adults. If we stayed the same, we would never fulfill our purpose in life. Thankfully, we have 2 things going for us-God has a plan for our lives, and He doesn’t change! That’s quite refreshing considering everything else in the world does! So the next time God leads you to a place that is uncomfortable, take one step at a time and trust that He is leading through your time of growth to the next great thing!

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

Jeremiah 29:11 Message version

 

Several times over the past few months the phrase, “You have not because you ask not” has come up in my mind.  I was drawn to that phrase again when reading 2nd Samuel 11-12. These chapters highlight David’s most notable sin and deception-his affair with Bathsheeba and the murder of Bathsheeba’s husband. David was called to be king of Israel. His reign to this point was blessed. God allowed David to have many military victories. In 12:8 Nathan recounts all the Lord had done for David up to this point in time. The verse finishes with God saying to David, “If that had been too little, I would have added many more things like these!” This implies that if David wanted more, all he had to do was ask–you have not because you ask not.

James 4:2b-3a in the NIV says,” You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.” David probably didn’t ask for more because he had so much. Maybe he didn’t even realize he wanted more. Sometimes that’s why we don’t ask God for more. However, what could we have if we dared ask for the things we dream? There are things, dreams if you will, on the inside of us that most people don’t know and probably wouldn’t believe if they did know. Something we’ve always wanted to do or somewhere we’ve always wanted to go. Maybe it’s as simple as things we’d like to pay off so we can give more. What about the little aches and pains we deal with everyday that don’t prevent us from doing things but are annoying? How about more peace or energy each day? We get to a comfortable place where things are mostly good, and we just deal with the rest. “I have a mortgage, but I can afford the payment and have a place to live.” “I have a pain in my knee, but I can walk.” All true and good. We are thankful for the things we have that make our lives mostly good-surviving. What about the next level- a step up –thriving. No debt so you can help a friend who is struggling. No aches so you can do more of what you enjoy for longer periods of time. No worry so you’re relaxed and sleep well.

The Bible says we can have what we ask for when our motives are right. Stretch yourself this week by asking for those things that can move you out of your comfort zone-from surviving to thriving. Give God a chance to surprise you with things that are yet a dream!

We’ve all had times in our lives where we were waiting for something to happen. There’s a story in the Bible that talks about Jesus going by a pool where people were waiting along the side to be healed. At this pool, the first one into the pool after the waters were stirred would be healed. There was a man sitting next to the pool who couldn’t walk. When Jesus walked by, He asked the man if he wanted to get well. The man responded by saying he had no one to help him into the pool, so someone else always got in first. There were 2 things I noticed while reading this story.

1. Someone came and stirred the waters, which indicated someone should then get into the pool to be healed. We often wait on others to stir us up in our faith. That’s one reason to attend church. At church you can interact with others or hear sermons and songs to help boost our faith. However, we can’t always be with our church friends. We need to be able to stir and activate our own faith based on the promises in the word of God whenever we need it.
2. The man sitting next to the pool said he needed someone to put him in the pool. We often wait for others to comfort or guide us through situations. That is another great thing that happens at church, but our church building is not our work building. Jesus looked at the man and told him to take up his mat and walk- and he did. Jesus met him where his need was and didn’t use the assistance of others. He will do the same for us.

The man at the pool survived many years of waiting to get into the pool. Instead of waiting for someone to come help you, go straight to the source. Activate your faith by calling on the promises of God’s word when you need help or direction. Don’t abandon going to church or isolate yourself from faith friends, but don’t wait on them to stir up your faith. I don’t want to just survive a situation waiting on others when I can thrive each day by calling on God and His word!

My pastor had a series going this summer called “Monday Morning Church”. The idea behind this was to get people thinking about taking God with them outside the church doors. Those who attend a church service on a regular basis feel it is important to have a corporate group in which to learn, worship, and gain support. But what about those who don’t attend church regularly? His challenge to us was to be a carrier of God’s grace and goodness outside the building and past Sunday and Wednesday, or whatever days you attend church. In my notes came the following series of questions:

What does it mean to be a carrier of God’s grace and goodness?

What does that look like?

How important is it to have people visit church with you verses taking Jesus with me?

Being a carrier of God’s grace and goodness means putting aside all the things that bother me or come up against me and being steady through those things. How easy is it to act like those around us? If you work in an environment that is not Christian or ministry focused, the people around you can influence how you act and react, probably in a way that is not steady. That’s not how it’s supposed to be, but that’s reality. I have definitely been guilty of letting those around me influence my reactions. I can complain with the best of them! But that’s not what I want others to see. God has been good to me and my family- I have no reason to complain about anything. I want others to see God’s grace and goodness, not hear me whine about something I don’t like.

All of us were created to be a carrier of God’s grace and goodness. How different would it be if we walked in that everyday? How would that change what others saw and believed about us and God’s goodness? When I get upset about something and react wrongly, that is not showing God’s grace and goodness. That is probably why I want people to come to church. I want them to know what God can do and what His grace and goodness looks like because I fall short. I realize perfection is not what I’m seeking in myself, even though some would call it that. What I’m really seeking is stability and steadiness-the ability to do and say the right thing when things aren’t exactly the way I want them.

Perhaps it’s time to change my actions. I need to take God’s grace and goodness with me and allow Him to keep me steady. I love my church and think everyone who goes there would love it too! However, I can do more by taking God’s grace with me and showing God’s goodness to others where they are because God is not limited to a building!

I recently had a chance to spend some time with some girls exercising. They wanted to exercise before swimming so they would look better in their swimsuits. I had to laugh because they thought their exercise would have instant results. I wish! As I thought more about it, I determined that more people would probably stick with exercising if they did see instant results. Most of the time, people get tired of getting up early or carving out time at the end of a work day for exercise because it can take up to 4 weeks to see results. Who wants to work that hard and wait that long? The struggle is real!

This is not unlike waiting on God. God plants a seed inside us-an idea, thought, or desire for our future. We begin praying and seeking Him concerning this and waiting for the fulfillment. It’s also true when praying for healing or direction. We read, pray, seek-waiting for the situation to be resolved. Most of the time the results are not instant and not even soon. Then we get distracted and discouraged because the results allude us-much like exercising to get in shape. The key to success in exercise is a daily commitment to set aside time to act. The same is true for success in life. We must have a daily commitment to God to seek Him and have Him help us stay focused on the end result.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for and hope in Him) will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings (and rise up close to God) like eagles (rising toward the sun); they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.) Amplifed version

I’ve heard this verse many times, but never read it in this version. There were two things that caught my attention. First, waiting here is described as expecting, looking for and hoping in God. The words in bold are verbs, which indicate action. That means that I’m supposed to be doing something while I wait. To use the exercise reference, I’m supposed to continue exercising while I wait for the results.

Second, it says that those who wait will gain new strength and renew their power. This too can reference exercise because I gain strength and power as I exercise. On a spiritual note, God doesn’t want us to wait and be weak. He gives us new strength and power so we can wait. He knows it won’t be easy when we don’t see those instant results. The good news is He doesn’t want us to survive during the wait. He wants us to thrive during the wait with new strength and renewed power!

Where did February go? Somehow I got lost in the shortest month of the year-for really no good reason! I’d love to say I was super busy doing some really fun, creative things-but I wasn’t.

My February was similar to the weather-some sun-shiny, warm days peppered with dreary, cold days.  I often find it hard to stay focused this time of year because I’m really not a fan of winter.  There was just enough spring last month to make me want to fast-forward to April. Unfortunately, I had to take one day at a time and wait for spring to arrive. I get weary waiting for spring. This is not unlike how we can get weary waiting for God. While reading Joshua 1, I noticed a phrase that is repeated 4 times in v. 6, 7, 9, and 18…”be strong and courageous”. The Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan River into the promised land. They knew the land was theirs, but there were many powerful kingdoms already inhabiting the land that they were going to have to conquer. God started by reminding them that He was with Moses before and that He would be with them; that He would never leave them or forsake them. He then tells them to be strong and courageous. I knew those words were there, and that God had used them to encourage his people before the next step of their journey. However, I never paid attention to the fact that He said it 4 times, even adding “very strong” in verse 7. The first thing that came to my mind was “repeat, repeat, repeat…repeat”. How many times a day/week do I repeat the same things over and over? How often do I get tired of repeating things? The answer to that is often. I wonder why they can’t remember what I said and just do it. Then it hits me…How many times does God repeat the same things for me? The answer to that is also often..more than I’d care to admit. I wish that I’d learned my lesson the first time and moved on to the next thing. I spend too much time repeating the lessons I should have already mastered.

That was especially true in the month of February. Since I don’t like winter, I found myself just surviving everyday while waiting for the warmer weather. I repeated many lessons rather than mastering and moving on to something new and exciting. I don’t want to lose another month waiting for something that eventually comes exactly when it’s supposed to come. This life is a marathon not a sprint. I can’t sprint past the things I don’t enjoy, and I definitely don’t want to keep passing the same checkpoint again and again. I don’t want to survive the race. I want to thrive through the race in order to get the prize!

The verses in Deuteronomy 28:1-15 outline the blessings and good things that will happen when you obey God’s commandments. Verses 16-68 outline the curses that will come by not obeying God’s commandments. Wouldn’t it be nice if it just stopped after verse 15? Who wants to be reminded of consequences when we mess up? Shouldn’t it be enough to know what we gain from obedience and not be threatened with curses? Thinking about these questions reminded me of parenting. Most children know the rules and expectations their parents have for them. They know things are more peaceful when they follow the rules, and they get rewards from their parents. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always lead them to make the right choices. There are times parents have to outline, review, or enforce consequences in order to avoid the undesired behavior that comes from disobedience. God seemed to predict that our human nature wouldn’t always be driven by the blessings of obedience. On the inside we are good and want the blessings and peace that comes from obedience. But God knew there would be times that the idea and reminder of consequences would be what leads us to choose obedience, much like parents and children. You can survive the storms of disobedience and the consequences that come. However, would’t it be much more peaceful and smooth if we worked harder to thrive through obedience? The good news is no matter which one we choose, God is waiting with the blessings when we honor him by following His commandments!

My pastor recently challenged us to read Deuteronomy 28:1-14 every day for the month of January because it contained promises of blessings. The end of verse #1 contains the first promise that God will set us above the nations.  The beginning of the verse contains different words of instruction. I decided to read the verse in different translations to see if any different words were used. The words “the Lord will” didn’t change in each translation. However, a variety of words were used for the first part of the verse which concerned instructions for us. I found words like “listen obediently” and “heartily obey” (Message version), “diligently listen and obey” and “careful to do all” (Amplified version), and “fully obey” and “carefully keep” (New Living Translation). These instructions did not use the words “passively”, “loosely”, or “quietly”. It seems that our different levels of obedience are accounted for in the different versions. Different words appeal to different people. It appears that many bases were covered when the verse was written. It’s like the condition and understanding of today’s society were interpreted and anticipated.

We are so good today at critiquing people’s words into, “What did they really mean?” Things are so easlily misinterpreted or misunderstood. The wording of this verse in different versions clearly paints a picture of our role in God’s plan for our lives. We are to carefully, diligently, heartily, and fully listen to and obey God’s words. There is no open door to halfway with these words. When we do our part…the Lord will! That’s good news! He will…when we will! He’s not going to force us to obey Him. We have to do the first part of the verse- make the first step. We can survive each day by only obeying Him part of the time. However, we will thrive when we carefully, diligently, heartily, and fully obey His words because then He will!

Where to begin? This is something I’ve wanted to do for awhile but been hesitant to start. Questions like, “Can I keep up with a blog?’,  and “Will anyone care what I have to say?” are at the top of the reasons why this has taken so long. A theme in my journal writing emerged last summer, which elevated my desire to do this. I marvel at how many life lessons I’ve missed over the years by just being busy and content to survive. I wanted to stop surviving each day and start thriving through life. “Survive vs. thrive” became the theme in my journal. It’s changed the way I see things and challenged me to think about each day differently. My hope is that this will help you thrive too!