Nae's Notes

I’m one of those people who actually enjoys running. There’s something about getting outside and taking a jog that is relaxing for me. I’d been away from it for awhile, especially in the winter. I do run on the treadmill, but don’t find it nearly as enjoyable. I used to think that the conditions had to be perfect in order for me to go running…sunshine, no wind, mild temperatures, favorite workout leggings clean. I woke up one day last week when the sun was shining and decided to go running. I did check the weather to make sure there was no wind. However, that was the only thing I checked. I didn’t check the temperature or make excuses because my favorite leggings weren’t available. I simple got dressed, picked up my phone and my headphones, and headed out the front door. I had no idea how long/far I’d be able to go since I hadn’t been for awhile. I just knew it was something I needed to do before the day got away from me.

Our relationship with God can sometimes follow a similar pattern. The conditions aren’t perfect:

• It will take too long;
• I don’t know where to start;
• I don’t really think it will help my situation;
• I’ve tried it before.

All those things may be true, but today is different. We are experiencing something we have never seen before nor could we have imagined would happen. Many of us find ourselves with more time available to us than we would like. What if we would take 20-30 minutes of that unexpected time and use it to find God? I know that sounds like a lot if it’s not something that is familiar or comfortable. But just as running is good for my health and mindset, spending time with God will be good for yours.

You may say, “It’s been too long” or “I don’t know where to start”. Reading the comfort of Psalms, the wisdom in Proverbs, or the story of Jesus could all be starting places. Let God be your place of refuge in these uncertain times for Psalm 2:12 says, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (NSRV) Couldn’t we all use a little blessing today?

It seems like this has been not just a daily question in our house but sometimes hourly. Things with our old “normal” seem so distant. Last week was our regularly scheduled spring break, which didn’t yield many accomplishments as we all tried to wrap our heads around the status of the world. Now we find ourselves pushed in to at least another 2 weeks of our new “normal”, which is not what anyone wants. The planner in me wants to get back on a schedule and have someone tell me that this will all be finished and worth it in 2 weeks. However, I’ve had to push that side of me to the back and became more “go with the flow”. I’m sure many of you are experiencing something similar. While most of us crave structure and security, those are things that will not be prevalent in the coming weeks if we look with our natural eyes. Many people find themselves going from having every minute of their families’ days scheduled to being only able to see your family members for hours on end. That in itself is a challenge! We had plans! We could see what the coming months were going to bring! We had the security of our health, family and jobs! Now many people are in a tail spin as one or more of those areas faces major changes and uncertainty. So what can help?

For the past few months I’ve been working my way through the book of Job and not really enjoying it. It’s a lot of speeches and back and forth about how Job’s friends think he should feel about his suffering and how Job actually feels. Ironically, I finished the book today and found comfort in chapter 42, the final chapter. Job says to the Lord, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2 NIV). Well said! These are crazy, unprecedented times we are navigating. But, at the end of it all, God remains the same. Even though this event we are in was meant to scare us and derail us from our lives, God plans for us have not changed. He knew exactly where we would be today and what situations would surround us. His plans for us are good! I believe that we will come out of this situation better and wiser than when it started. Take time to find the good in each day and thank Him that his plans for us remain unchanged!

We’re all here for a purpose. Really? What purpose? For some people it depends on the day as to what they say is their purpose. Should purpose change? Dictionary.com gives some definitions for the word purpose when used as a noun and a verb.

Noun definitions included the reason which something exists; an intended or desired result, end, aim, or goal; determination. Verb definitions included to set as an intention, goal or aim for oneself; to intend, design. Individually, each of those definitions are effective. However, they took on a new meaning for me when I put them together in the following statement:

To have a purpose is to determine the reason why we exist. All our lives are designed or intended to find our purpose, so we go forth with determination and set as a goal for ourselves to live out our purpose intentionally-daily.

My conclusion is that purpose shouldn’t change. It may look different from day to day as we encounter different situations. Our purpose should be what moves us through each day with determination and intention in order to thrive not merely survive!

“Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).” Proverbs 19:21 AMP

Cast has been the word rolling around in my head for the past 2 weeks. Then my pastor spoke on the topic of “Casting your cares” this morning. So, what am I to learn from this?

It started 2 weeks ago when, in the manner of 2 days, I had some unusual situations arise at home. 1 day I spent 1 1/2 hours trying to fix a problem with a t.v. Really? I discovered at the end of that time that I missed an opportunity to “cast” and not let the situation bother me. My thought at the end of that was, “Wow. That was a complete waste of time!”

What would’ve happened had I been “fast to cast” and what does that really mean? Without a time machine, I don’t really know what would’ve happened. But, I think I can predict what that means for the next time. The Bible tells us multiple times not to worry. Good advice that is rarely exercised. It says not to worry because God knows exactly what we need. Most of the time, we think we know what we need better than God does. That’s when the worry comes. Things don’t happen just as we thought they should, and we take on the situation and try to fix it in on our strength and our own way. God doesn’t need our help. He needs our trust in His plan and our obedience to the things He tells us to do.

Before you start this week, take some time to reflect on the last time you lost valuable time worried about or trying to fix something that was totally out of your control. I’m sure you can come up with something better to do next time that will actually be productive and move you further along in God’s plan for your life. Next time remember to be “fast to cast”!

Here’s a shout out to all the planners of the world! I am one of them. I like to know exactly what’s coming, when it’s coming, and how it’s coming. I could spend hours planning. I can’t say that my execution is always as good as the planning, though, because things come up that interfere with my perfect plans. Welcome to life! So now what?

I heard a line in a song this weekend that talked about how God plans ahead for moments in our lives that are not expected. It’s nice to know God plans ahead, but what about us? I don’t plan for disruptions-I plan for every detail to go just as I want. How can we plan to stay steady in unexpected moments? The answer goes back to God. God doesn’t change. His word doesn’t change. He is not surprised by those things that surprise us. The plan for our lives should include seeking him and reading His word on a daily basis. Then He can handle those things we didn’t plan to see, and He can help us adjust our plans to line up with what He wants for us.

When you’re making your plan for this week, make sure you include time to connect to God, the only thing in life that doesn’t change!

“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Ps 20:4 NIV

What do you expect?

I expect to be able to get up each morning and do the things I need to do for that day with ease and minimal interruptions. I’m sure some of you are already laughing at the “ease” and “minimal interruptions” part. How many days does that really happen? Nevertheless, that’s how most of us start our days.

1 day you wake up with a cold or the flu, and you can’t do your stuff for that day. It may take a few days to get through the sickness, but you expect to be back to normal routines in a few days. So what do you do if that doesn’t happen?

I experienced this last spring. I unknowingly injured myself working outside. I went to bed feeling fine and could barely walk the next morning. I expected to be back to normal after a few days of rest. However, that was not the case. I couldn’t walk without pain; I couldn’t sleep without pain. My first visit to the doctor was 4 days into the event. I missed 3 out of 5 days of work-which never happens. The next week I went to another doctor who felt physical therapy was the answer, even though she wasn’t exactly sure what was causing the pain. Thankfully, I found a place that could get me in at the end of the week. After 1 appointment I was able to finally walk without pain!

That was a difficult time for me. I wanted to instantly be back to normal so my life wouldn’t be disrupted. When that didn’t happen, I had a choice. I could choose to be bitter and angry and give up. I could also choose to keep seeking God and expecting to come out of that situation. There were times that were frustrating, but I chose to keep seeking and expecting. It didn’t happen the way I thought it should. I didn’t get there quickly. God took me the long way around and used other people to complete the plan.

What situation are you facing today that hasn’t turned out the way you expected? God can still get you to the place where you are supposed to be if you stay focused on Him. Be open to the things He brings that might not be what you expected and let Him complete the plan in your life. The only thing He expects from you is trust in Him!

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Psalm 37: 3 NIV

Crave. An interesting word. We mostly think of crave in regards to wanting certain foods. I’m sure you just thought about the foods you crave. However, what if we start to use the word in regards to time?

Dictionary.com gives the following definitions of crave:

1. to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly
2. to require; need

Definition 1 would go with the area of food. I greatly want pizza, chocolate, and steak. I definitely don’t require those things. However, I think both definitions can be true when speaking about time.

Young children eagerly desire the time and attention of their parents. They also need the attention of their parents in order to grow and develop into successful people. As my children get older, the roles are reversed. They are more independent and spend more time with friends. Therefore, I want/crave time with them in order to stay connected.

The same thing is true of our relationship with God. When we start our journey, we need time with Him in order to find purpose and learn how to follow His word. But as our journey continues, we get comfortable in the fact that we know our purpose and His word better and spend less time with Him than we did earlier in our journey. He longs for, wants greatly, and eagerly desires time with us in order to continue to cultivate a relationship with us through the twists and turns of daily life. He requires our time as a show of faith and following. We need to be in communication with Him in order to keep ourselves straight on our path. However, I think the true growth and blessings come when we move from need into greatly wanting and eagerly desiring constant communication with Him. It’s in these times that He can reveal the most to us about what we should do, how we should handle a situation, and what path we should take.

Challenge yourself this week to crave time with Him and actually act on it. You may find that breakthrough you’ve been craving!

“May the God of peace…equip you with everything good for doing His will…”Hebrews 13:20, 21

This was a verse shared this morning in church. There were 2 things that really stuck out to me when I read this.

First, “God of peace”. Peace is illusive in today’s society for the most part. It comes and goes in waves based on whatever situation we have at the time. Things are good, peace is abounding. Something unexpected happens, peace leaves. The words “God of peace” imply 2 things to me. First, God is the God of peace meaning when we are following Him we should experience His peace. I also think it means He is the one who brings peace into our lives. However, we established that this is difficult when things are not good. This brings me to the second thing listed in the verse.

“Equip you with everything good for doing His will”. God is the one who brings good things into our lives. Most people have no problem with that concept. However, even with that knowledge, I reread this verse several times. I couldn’t get away from the words “everything good”. Everything God gives is good. He gives us everything we need to fulfill our purpose in life. And I believe that’s where the peace is. When we walk in the way God has for us, He gives us everything good that we need to experience His peace. It doesn’t mean that we are going to avoid all of the negative things from this world. It does mean that when we take and use the good things He gives us, we will live in peace-peace of mind and peace with others.

Peace is a choice. It is a choice to take and use everything good to overcome whatever seems not so good for that day. Decide everyday to choose peace!

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!