Fear not

My eight-year old daughter ran into my room last night and exclaimed with excitement, “Mommy, come look at the rainbow!” I jumped up and hurried with her to the front porch. There was a perfect, beautiful rainbow across the sky. While we were admiring and enjoying the beauty of the rainbow, there was a sudden flash of lightening followed by a very loud, thunderous boom. My daughter immediately hurried to my side and yelled, “Let’s go in, mom!”

It doesn’t take long for fear to overcome our other emotions. We can be having a great day, and then something happens that elicits that gut-wrenching feeling, and then fear becomes our dominant emotion. Fear drowns out our healthy, positive emotions. I can be focused on homeschool and enjoying teaching my daughter, and then I remember that I have to pay bills, or submit a form for work, or complete a project. In an instant, fear of forgetting or not completing my tasks creeps in and ruins my positive mood.  In those moments, I can actually feel the stress seep into my being.

Fear of anything can strangle our positive emotions of courage, joy, and hope, and can zap our strength and resolve. Fear is a slick emotion that can overcome us in a second. When I feel fear becoming a dominant force in my day, I remember God’s promises. My favorite one comes from Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

When I’m at work, out shopping, or at home, and I feel frustrated with the way someone is treating me, Hebrews 13:6 reminds me that, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” When the fear of loneliness is present, I remember John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” When I worry that I might not be successful at something that I need to try, I look at James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Fear is always going to creep up on us. We can expect it. The enemy of this world is sly, and he knows just how to get to each one of us. The thing is, we can use God’s promises to help us combat these fears. God’s promises are stronger than any fear. We can crush our fears, or at least stop that fearful train of thought, by remembering God’s promises to us. God gives us power to overcome.

Tackling our fears is not always easy. Most of the time, it’s not. Some days we may have to repeat those promises over and over because our fear is strong. The enemy doesn’t give up. He will keep jabbing at us to break us down and make us feel weak. But God doesn’t give up on us either. We are His children, and with His promises for us, we are able to overcome any fear the enemy throws out. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37.

He wants you

Have you ever thought about how much God wants to call us His own? The message I often hear evangelists, pastors, and Bible teachers talk about is how we must come to God through our faith and accept Him into our lives. This is true. After all, God let’s us a make a choice to have Him in our lives—or not. He is gracious enough to give us a choice. But have you ever really thought about how much God wants to take you into His arms and call you His own?

Psalm 103:11 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.”

Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will He not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

 John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave them the right to become children of God.”

I John 3:1a says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

Ephesians 3:17b-18 says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and deep is the love of Christ...”

There are times that we all feel unloved. Life gets hectic, people in our lives get busy, and days go by. The love we expect from our human relationships can fail us depending on the day, the stressors, and the mood. Just remember that God’s love for you is unfailing, unconditional, never-ending, and meant specifically for you. There is no love like His—for you. You are loved so much.

Good enough

Do you ever hear these words in your mind? Perhaps someone has made you feel this way?

“I’m not attractive enough.”
“I’m not smart enough.”
“I’m not creative enough.”
“I’m not strong enough.”
“I’m not good enough.”

These statements are outright lies, but they seem to be easy for us to believe, and they are lies that we play over and over in our heads at times. These lies beat us down, zap our confidence, and make us less effective in every way. The enemy of this world lurks from person to person, and he quietly weaves these comments into our thoughts. He uses people to drive this point home in us: when we didn’t qualify for a job, or our creativity wasn’t quite what they were looking for, or we just didn’t have the look they wanted. If the enemy can get us to focus on our flaws, our attention is pulled away from our faith. These thoughts lead us to feeling like failures and can paralyze us.

Friend, you are good enough in God’s eyes. He has equipped you to do everything He has called you to do. You are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as written in Psalm 139:14. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God created each one of us with unique abilities and characteristics. Isaiah 64:8 says, “Yet you, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hands.” Romans 9:21 adds, “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” Not only did He create us to be unique, but He also added His strength to help us. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

So when you hear these lies in your ear, and you begin to feel self-doubt or discouragement seeping into your soul, remember who you are to God.  Don’t allow yourself to submit and jump onto the bandwagon of lies and despair. Remember that God is for you. “If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31b)?” Ask Him for strength. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29).”

Ask Him to show you how He sees you.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!And that is what we are!” I John 3:1a

You matter

Have you ever had one of those days or weeks where you just feel insignificant? The world seems to go on around you, and you go unnoticed. Do you sometimes wonder why you are on this earth, if you have a purpose, or what is the meaning of your life? These questions may seem a little philosophical, but I think we all wonder this at times. For some of us, life goes on around us feeling chaotic and moving fast. It can get overwhelming as we try to juggle the many tasks we have to complete in a day. Alternatively, for others, we don’t have many tasks, and instead we have slow, lonely days, many of which are empty.

Our mistakes and regrets can also beat us down and can make us feel as if we can’t possibly have a purpose. We assume that people may just look at us and see what we sometimes see: an uncertain path, a lack of direction, an outsider, a lost soul, a nobody.

You may or may not be that professional with a career, that celebrity, that stay-at-home mom, that homeless person, that single or elderly person who lives alone, that addict, that politician, that pastor, that server, or that cashier. The thing is that whatever walk of life you are in right now, whether healthy or unhealthy, your life is significant. Even when you don’t feel significant to anyone else in this world, you matter to God. He says “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3.

At times, the stressors of this life can beat us down to the point that we fall. When we are down and feeling defeated, it is then that we need to look up and ask God for help. He longs to reach down, and wrap His arms around us, pick us up off the floor, dust us off, and give us a new heart. His love for you and me is unconditional and life-giving. He loves us and knows us so intimately that He knows how many hairs are on our head.  In Luke 12:6-7, Jesus says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Anytime you are have a moment of feeling insignificant, remember you are worth a lot to God. You are worth so much that He sent Jesus for you. He longs to surround you with His love and offer you a bright future. You just have to ask Him for help and believe that you matter to Him—because you do.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Lavender Sky— Available now!

Lavender Sky is available now at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com!

Dr. Delaney Bartlett holds onto a painful secret from her past. As an obstetrician, she experiences the joy of bringing life into the world, and she loves her career. As a woman, her secret holds her happiness in bondage and she wonders if she will ever have her own family.  After her fiancé of four years breaks off their engagement, Delaney moves away to the small town of Guntersville, Alabama to make a fresh start.

Ben Montgomery is the handsome surgery manager at the local hospital. He is haunted by memories that leave his heart aching every day. He thought his move to Guntersville might help him escape his painful memories and feelings of loss. But even a few years after his move, he finds himself spiraling downward emotionally. 

Savannah Carter is a young woman who faces a difficult choice. She needs help and has no resources. She is scared and unsure of what she should do, and she is quickly losing hope. 

When God crosses the paths of these three people, miracles happen. The pain doesn’t disappear, but each one finds unexpected kindness, love, and support. Through these new relationships, each one comes to understand God’s love, His redemptive power, and the hope He offers.

Christian Faith Publishing

Memory Lane

Taking a walk down Memory Lane can elicit happy or sad thoughts. This walk can have a lot of sentimental meaning and can bring to surface feelings of nostalgia, as we can sometimes yearn for what used to be. Taking this walk can also cause negative feelings. When our steps down this dusty path remind us of our mistakes, things we did to hurt other people or our past hurts, it only takes seconds for that deep ache in our guts to stir.

Looking back is important. We have to remember lessons we’ve learned from our past mistakes. We are better people because of those lessons learned. What we can’t do is re-live those mistakes by playing them over and over. This is a fast and sure way to fall into a pit of despair. “I shouldn’t have done that, or I should have done that, or if I had only made that decision, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” It’s too easy to look back and see all of our regrets. We all made mistakes, and we still do.

I’ve come to realize over my almost half century of life that looking back is important so that I don’t keep making the same mistakes. However, looking back and dwelling on past hurts and wrong doing will only bring us shame, more pain, self-doubt, and a longing to go back and change things (which we can’t do). God tells us that he separates our sins from us as far as the East is from the West. Psalm 103:12 says “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” The East and West are separated infinitely. God forgives our sins from the past like that and removes them from us when we ask Him for forgiveness.  

If you’re like me, you have many regrets, but I know that because I’ve asked God for forgiveness, He has forgiven me. Guess what else? He has forgotten those sins/mistakes. I used to keep bringing them up by going back to them. I don’t believe God wants us to do that. He wants us to learn from our mistakes, make changes, move forward in confidence, and have joy. John 15:11 says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

So friends, let the baggage be what it is: a lesson to us; but then let’s ask for forgiveness, drop the baggage at the feet of Jesus, and move forward toward the joyful life God wants for us.

Relationship

The other night, my eight-year-old daughter and I were watching an episode of the cartoon, Sponge Bob Square Pants. In this episode, the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom had issued a holiday called “No Sponge Bob Day.” Sponge Bob wasn’t aware of the holiday, and he woke up as usual, turned off his alarm, and went to work at The Krusty Krab. Along the way to work, he saw no one. When he arrived at work, no one was there. He searched for his friends at their homes, but Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, and Squidward were no where to be found. After searching all over Bikini Bottom, he finally gave up and became discouraged. He couldn’t even find his pet snail, Gary. He was lonely. He tried to become friends with a boat, but the boat was unable to return his friendship, as it was an inanimate object.

Watching this episode actually gave me an uncomfortable feeling. I imagined what life would be like without other people, without relationships, without love. It made me realize two things. First, I wonder if God was lonely before He created us. Since I can’t fully understand God’s nature, I can only make assumptions. However, God did create us to love us and for His glory. Jeremiah 31:3b says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Romans 9:23a says, “What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory.”

The second thing I realized is that God meant for us to have relationship with Him and each other. Just thinking about it on a basic level, I know that when I was single for many years living alone in Idaho, I used to grow weary of coming home after work to my empty house. I’d have to turn on a movie for background noise. I’d vocally talk to God a lot. I’d find myself reaching out by phone to my mom, dad, and siblings, because I was lonely. I had a few good friends that I made sure to spend time with. I made time in my schedule to visit friends in other parts of the country. These relationships were important to me. In fact, they partially helped me define who I was.  I was a daughter, a sister, and a friend, in addition to having my doctor and single person status. Having those relationships gave me people to turn to when I was lonely or discouraged and when I had some exciting news to share. Much of what I felt or did mattered more in my ability to share it with someone. It felt good to belong to something bigger than just me. Although I lived alone, I belonged to a family and to a community of friends. The relationships made a difference.

At the end of the Sponge Bob Square Pants episode, Sponge Bob is desperate for interaction with someone. He has become depressed, discouraged, and he is agonizing over his loneliness. Just when he thinks he can’t handle the situation anymore, a bus pulls up and all of the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom step off the bus. They tell him that they were gone for the day on this holiday. They are happy to see him and Sponge Bob is relieved and happy again. His friends have returned. He is no longer alone.

I didn’t particularly like this episode, but it was a good reminder of why God created us for relationship. I’m so thankful He gave us family, friends, and community. It’s hard enough to live in this world having to face it alone. I’m glad we have loving people in our lives to help us through tough times. God knows what we need, and He wants a relationship with us. He wants you.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” II Corinthians 1:3-4.

Battle

I don’t know about you, but anxiety is something that creeps up on me almost daily. When I was single over ten years ago, I felt like I had more control over some things in my life. I didn’t worry about kids and a husband going to and from school or work. I didn’t have to prepare meals for anyone but me. When I left the house clean in the mornings, I would come home to the same clean house. My finances were less stressful because the only person I provided for was me. Going to church on Sunday mornings was a peaceful, quiet event. There was no one to whine or complain about the dress I picked out for her. I wasn’t late for church or in a hurry.

When Mark and I married almost ten years ago, I gained a nine-year old stepdaughter who came to live with us full-time at the age of ten. She recently moved out to go to college. In the second year of our marriage, Mark and I adopted our daughter, who is now eight. Two years ago, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she came to live with us. She has an apartment in our basement. My nephew, who is now almost seventeen, came to live with us two years ago. We have a dog, Zoey, who was added to the family four years ago. Did I mention that I also work full-time and homeschool my eight-year old?

I am currently reading a devotional about anxiety detox called the “7 Day Anxiety Detox” by Brittney Moses (http://brittneyamoses.com). She says, “Just because the thought exists doesn’t make it true.” I have pondered this statement many times since I read it.  It seems simple and makes sense, yet I find myself believing negative, untrue thoughts and reacting to negative feelings. Last night, after I slaved over dinner (at least I felt like I did), I cleaned up the dishes and left the kitchen clean the way I like it. A few hours later, I entered the kitchen only to find dishes piled in the sink (although the dishwasher was empty), some substance spilled on the counter, and the empty milk carton left out on the counter waiting for someone to put it in the recycling bin. I honestly felt frustrated and angry over this. I could feel my anxiety building as the thoughts circulated in my head. “Why does everyone leave their dirty dishes for me? Can’t they see they spilled something on the counter? Does the empty milk carton have my name on it? Am I the soul recycling person in the house? Why does everyone dump on me? I work hard, and I’m tired. I feel so disrespected.”

I had to catch myself as my thoughts started to go on a rampage. Usually these thoughts end in anger, a few choice words to my husband and kids about their inability to clean up after themselves, and I feel worn down from the disrespect. My thoughts were negative and the emotions that followed were draining. Then I realized that this is one of the exact ways that satan attacks us. He finds our triggers, the very ones that he knows will start this cascade of negativity. Suddenly, what started out as a mole hill becomes a mountain as we allow our thoughts to overwhelm us.

I took a deep breath. I uttered a small prayer for help. Then I worked hard to intellectually and forcefully remove the negative feelings behind the thoughts. I had to try to replace them with something more positive, and I actually walked away from the kitchen without cleaning any of it or reacting negatively toward my family. I told myself that I am not responsible for everyone’s messes, and that, in time, these messes would be cleaned up by someone other than me. I popped a bowl of popcorn, and I went back to the movie I had been watching before I entered the now-soiled kitchen.

In Brittney Moses’ devotional, she says “You can pause, momentarily separate yourself from your thoughts and begin to discern what’s healthy and what is not; and discard the following.” She gives four steps to work through anxiety: identify the trigger, write down the thoughts that follow (or think about them), note your reaction to those thoughts, and then bring yourself around to reality. We can’t let our negative thoughts dictate our feelings and reactions. I find that this is a hard lesson and one I have to be conscious of on a daily basis. There are many battles that occur in a day, and satan tries to attack us especially when we are weary and overwhelmed. It truly is a spiritual battle, and half of the battle is just knowing when you’ve entered the battle. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  II Corinthians 10:4-5

What are your battles? Do you recognize them? Do you worry about the safety of your kids, finances, work, health, home maintenance, keeping up with everything? Remember that you can demolish these thoughts that cause anxiety by asking God for help. The feelings may still linger, but don’t allow the negative thoughts to overwhelm you. Believe in God’s sovereignty and His ability to rescue you. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7

More than a carpenter

I recently joined an online community called The Campfire through www.thecouragecourses.com. The community was launched by Kirk Cameron, the actor known for his role in Growing Pains and other movies, including one of my favorites, Fireproof.  Kirk shares five of the most influential books in his life. One of them is “More Than a Carpenter,” by Josh McDowell. Kirk shares that he read this book when he first became a believer. He says he had to overcome many intellectual hurdles. As a youth, he had been taught not to believe, so he had to overcome the doubts he had on an intellectual level.

I can appreciate his honesty about his initial doubts, since I have had some of the same doubts. I think many of us can easily see the tangible things in this world, and because we can see them, we know they are real and believable. The intangible, untouchable things in this world are harder to believe.

This week, I sat down and read the new edition of “More Than a Carpenter,” by both Josh McDowell and his son, Sean McDowell. This book brings Jesus alive and makes him tangible. He isn’t just part of a story that happened long ago. In fact, he is a real person, who lived on this very earth, and who was submitted to all of the good and bad elements of living here. He came here, by choice, to be an example to us of who God is. He conveyed God’s character to us by showing His great love, forgiveness, and healing. He showed mercy to and accepted people who we might judge as even the most filthy of the human race.

There are some questions addressed in this book that I often hear. I’ve even wondered about them myself in the past.  If God is such a loving God, why won’t He just accept people for who they are? Why would a loving God send people to hell? Why is Jesus the only way to a relationship with God?

This book answers these questions by first saying that people seem offended by the exclusivity of the claim that Jesus is the only way to God. Then it adds that the deeper issue is that most people really just don’t understand the nature of God. The writers go on to say that most people understand that God is loving, but that’s where they stop. God is not just a God of love. He is also righteous, holy, and just. By His character, He cannot coexist with sin. The writers explain this further by saying, “He cannot tolerate sin in His heaven any more than you can tolerate a filthy, foul-smelling, diseased dog to live in your home (p. 152).”

The writers say that we know God through His attributes. However, we need to understand that His attributes can not be compared to attributes we have. We may possess attributes of kindness and courteousness because those are good attributes to adopt. God’s attributes are who He is. He didn’t adopt these attributes, they are part of His being and flow from His nature. “When God loves, He is not making a decision, He is simply being Himself (p. 152).”

The Bible tells us that when God created us, He did so out of love. When sin entered the world, though, Adam and Eve left God’s love and protection because of their choice to sin. God then faced a dilemma. He loved us so much, but He could no longer be with us because of sin.  We would not be able to survive in His holy presence.  The answer was for Jesus, God the Son, to become human, live a sinless life, and become a sacrifice for us. When he died for us, He took our sin and defeated death. Justice was done. A penalty was paid on our behalf.

When someone hurts you, and you make the choice to forgive them, is there a penalty to be paid? Yes, although you forgave that person, there is still the residual hurt from the insult. You pay the price by experiencing pain, but you still choose to forgive and move past the insult. In the same way, a penalty had to be paid for our sin.

So God doesn’t love anyone less. He doesn’t send people to hell. In fact, He has provided a way for us to escape hell and be with Him. We make that choice.  We make the choice for hell or we make the choice to accept God’s gift through Jesus and then have the promise of an eternal life with Him.

If you get a chance, pick up a copy of “More Than a Carpenter,” by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell. I bought my copy on amazon.com. It’s a great read that answered many of my intellectual questions about the world, sin, God’s love, and many why questions. Thanks for the recommendation, Kirk Cameron!