Genesis 6:22 “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
This is my third topic today. Being transparent, I didn’t pray before I sat down to write. I came to this creative time with my own thoughts of which topic I would turn into a website worthy post. I wrote, edited, wrote again and then stopped. Each time, determining the words weren’t quite right.
During this timeframe, I also had several interruptions, which required me to take off my writer’s hat and put on my wife and/or mom hat. I became irritated that a closed door meant nothing to the others in my house. After each conversation, I returned to my laptop and expected Godly words to flow.
The problem was, I wasn’t connected to the source of the words that I expected to appear in print. I forgot the most important part of this process. God. So, I stopped and prayed. I asked for wisdom in what story to tell.
One day last week, while reading a daily devotional, I had the realization that my ministry is a bit like Noah’s ark building. Noah didn’t know all the reasons why he was doing what he was doing. He just showed up, followed God’s (very detailed) instructions, and then left the rest up to God.
Several times in Genesis, a phrase is repeated; “Noah did everything just as God commanded him”. Noah was already described as a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. A man that walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Yet, he still needed directions from God. How much more do I, a person who is not blameless, need to stay connected to the giver of instructions?
My website/blog is my ark. I’m building a vessel that will hopefully carry God’s words to the people that need to hear it. I want to be prayerful, not just about the initial building of my ark, but everything that will be put into it. Therefore, I can’t just say “Thanks, God, I’ve got it from here”. I will need to request instructions for each step and humbly follow those directions. Knowing that I am working for God, not for my own purpose.
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people. Colossians 3:23
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Between May and October, I love to spend as many mornings as possible swimming laps in our neighborhood pool. Before beginning, I often have to relocate leaves, bugs, and the occasional pool toy.
And at least once a summer, I also encounter a frog. I’m not sure how it happens, but there he is, swimming frantically, trying to find an exit. Needless to say, I do not want to swim laps with an amphibian companion, so I’m more than happy to help extricate him. However, I’m a bit squeamish and don’t want to actually touch him, so I have to find another method of removal (our pool maintenance crew keeps the net, requiring me to improvise).
On this particular morning, I found a pool noodle lying nearby. I extended the foam flotation device towards the frog, thinking he would be smart enough to realize I was offering him a way out. No such luck. Instead of jumping on, he swam away from the very thing that could save him. Moving frantically in the opposite direction, banging into the side wall, thinking, if he just kept swimming, maybe he could save himself. How often do we do the same thing?
God offers us His wisdom through the Bible, Holy Spirit, and Christian counsel, but we keep swimming, thinking our solutions are better. We move away from the saving grace we are trying to find.
Sure, the frog could technically survive in the pool, just as we could continue making our own choices and trying to live life our way. But, if the frog would just surrender to the help I was willing to offer, he would have had to struggle less. He would have been able to proceed with life in the manner he was meant to be living – on land, not in a neighborhood pool.
I’m not sure why, at times, I forget about Jesus’ offer of the pool noodle. I guess, in those moments, I’m too busy figuring out my own version of the doggie paddle to remember the help I’ve been offered through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Lord, help me stop flailing in the water and take the rescue that is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus, my true and lasting salvation.
When children are young, we, as mothers, do everything. We fix meals, arrange play dates, schedule doctor visits, research preschools, coordinate carpools, read stories, clean laundry, mend wounds, medicate illnesses, and on and on. As children grow older, the duties don’t stop, but the job description changes a little bit. We monitor homework, wash uniforms, perform taxi services, watch sporting events, provide travel opportunities, and pay every kind of fee known to man.
As my boys have gotten closer to adulthood, my role has decreased even more, as it should. While I was once the tour guide responsible for every aspect of their trip, twenty years into parenting, they are now planning their own adventures and seeing the world without me.
My son, a 20-yr old Marine, got married a few months ago (yes, married at 20, that’s a whole other set of blog posts!). He and his new wife have been on a waiting list for married base housing, and therefore, have been living in separate states since the ceremony. But, in less than a week, they will be traveling 2000 miles by car to move her and her belongings to where he is currently stationed.
It took me by surprise when my son described which route they were going to take (which was different from what Google Maps claimed as the quickest option). When I pointed this out (as all good former tour guides should), he indicated that he wanted to take a more interesting path and already had hotel reservations along the way. How did this happen? When did I become a postcard recipient on his life journey?
His younger brother turned 18 today and will graduate in about four months. I’m not quite done being his tour guide yet. We still have a lot of preparation between now and then in order for him to be an independent traveler. And by independent, I mean, not only will he determine his path, but he will not be utilizing the MOM ATM at every pit stop.
I look back on my mothering journey and remember the days when my to-do list felt exhausting, and I longed for them to be more independent. Along the way, they have had periods of time, where they resisted the parenting I wanted to provide. They had their share of ignoring any travel advice I offered, assuming they knew the best route for their lives.
Slowly though, especially in my oldest, I do see that I am becoming less like a tour guide and more like TripAdvisor. He will call to check in with me, to get advice and seek my recommendations, but I know I am ultimately not responsible for his decisions. He determines where he’s going, who he travels with, and what route they will take.
It has been hard to let go of the role of tour guide and just accept the occasional postcards, but I know that’s what is best for them (and for me). This transition is what parenting is supposed to look like.
I’m excited to start planning some trips for two (my husband and I have already created a wishlist). But I will always be ready to answer the requests for travel advice whenever they ask!
“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who says to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’” Isaiah 41:13
I’ve been known to say more than once, “I can be spontaneous, you just have to give me a little notice”. This is said with a smile, but there is more truth to it than I prefer to admit sometimes. I REALLY like to know what’s next…and what’s after that. And, let’s be honest, I want to know every little detail of the next few “after that’s”, after that.
When I don’t know all the facts, or I feel things are happening outside my control, I can panic pretty quickly. Panic becomes negativity, which becomes discouragement, which can circle back to fear. I can react in a flurry of emotions before I remember to use God’s lens of looking at the world and my circumstances.
There are over 350 verses in the Bible that address fear, the key verse is just one of them. When I read these verses, my first instinct is to berate myself for having fear. I think to myself, if my faith were stronger, I wouldn’t have fear. But, rather than chastising myself when I feel fear, I need to remember that the “Fear not” doesn’t simply mean: don’t have fear, it more specifically states that I don’t have to be afraid. Someone else has this, whatever “this” is. God is with me through it all. He is my strength and my source of wisdom and hope. I don’t have to be afraid because He is with me, He loves me, and He will help me.
Faith over fear means I don’t have to control everything in order to lessen my anxiety. Every moment doesn’t have to be orchestrated perfectly by me to achieve peace. I can trust in the creator and controller of the universe, and contrary to my belief otherwise, I don’t have to design each situation in order for God’s perfect plan to be carried out. I don’t always have to be in the driver’s seat in order to get to where I’m supposed to be going.
I can be a passenger as long as I am allowing God to be the driver. Submitting to God rather than submitting to self, and my desire to control. Trusting God rather than my well-planned itinerary. This is a tall order for someone who has “driven” her whole life (even as a toddler, I had very clear ideas about how things should be, or so I’ve been told). But, what I’ve learned after following God for a couple of decades, is His plan is always better than mine. I just need reminders of that from time to time, a gentle nudge to scoot on over to the passenger seat and not give so much driving advice.
Father, I want to peacefully sit back and adore the view and experiences you provide. I want to cheerfully go where you take me. Open my eyes to the scenery you’ve created just for me. Thank you that you’ve planned an amazing “trip” just for me. Help me submit to you today and every day. Help me hear your promptings of where you want me to go. Let me learn to trust your map and not try to jump back into the driver’s seat. Remind me that You’ve got this because You are with me, You love me, You help me, and because of this, I can fear not… You are driving!
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4
Just as I was leaving for work one morning, I received a phone call, during which time, I allowed the caller to speak down to me, to demean me, to question my character. I sat in silence, as I had so many times before, letting this person believe they had the right to speak to me that way.
I tolerated it because, on some level, I believed I deserved it. Even though I knew these accusations were untrue, there was a tiny part of me that thought, maybe, what this person was saying was a little true. For years, I heard negative, critical rants about who I was, but I didn’t know how to say “stop”.
I didn’t know at the time that the words being spewed at me spoke more about the speaker than they did about me. When I ended the call, the words hung in the air, permeated my soul, and clouded my mind. My heart was discouraged and defeated.
I turned on the radio as I continued my drive to work. The song “I Am New” by Jason Gray came on. During the song, the lyrics speak of how God sees us, adjectives include: beloved, worthy, accepted, and chosen. This was the first time I had heard this song, and the tears began to flow down my cheeks unchecked. I pulled the car over and let the words wash over me. That song was a reminder of who I am and more importantly, whose I am. The words were the antidote to what I had just heard. It was love to counteract the hate. It was just what I needed at that moment.
There have been so many times in my life that a song has been a powerful conduit of God’s word. Because I know my Father, I know the sound of His voice, even if it is coming through the radio of my car during my morning commute. I am so grateful that He uses any means possible to let me know I am worthy of His love.
John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow me.
