It has been a while since my last post....and I am really working on that. So I am asking you to please be patient with me while I attempt to become more organized. Me? Organized? That is truly a lifetime effort!!!!
Today, I want to just mention how thankful I am for my wonderful husband, Brian. God really outdid Himself in bringing us into each other's lives. God knew all that I needed, and with Brian came a lot of other wonderful qualities that I didn't even KNOW I needed!
Just a few nights ago, Brian and I were discussing whether or not a husband or wife could love each other so much that the spouse would become an idol. (loving that person more than God). This was a serious conversation, because, of course, it was about "us". Could we possibly be making each other an idol because of loving one another so deeply? We even talked about the love languages ("The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman). How God can love us with words of affirmation, giving of gifts (the ultimate Gift!!), acts of service, and maybe even quality time (but we have to to initiate that, through spending time with Him). But physical touch? What about that one?
We concluded that, if a husband and wife are both walking with the Lord and have a real relationship with Him, then God is also loving us through our spouse. Okay - so this isn't a groundbreaking moment here. I guess we were just evaluating our own marriage to keep it in check. But what my husband said next just melted me and his love and God's love just surrounded me in an amazing way. Brian said, "Then I need to love you well, otherwise, I would be getting in God's way of loving you too". That is Brian's character. He has so much integrity and is such a godly man, that it "fit" for him to say that. What love! I am so blessed!
I am so thankful for all of you who have been married for many years, and have been able to experience so much of life, love, and living by faith TOGETHER!! I am so encouraged when I think of you! But for you, this may be just another redundant paragraph. However, for both Brian and I, it is a lesson in God's AMAZING grace, in His redeeming love, in His ongoing blessing in our lives. We both went through some very difficult years where we each really needed to cling to God, even though we didn't understand why we had to be a part of a failing marriage, how God could possibly ever use us again (so much of Christendom mistakenly deems every divorced person as rendered useless and un-marriable), and we both desired SOOOO much what we thought we'd never have; a thriving passionate marriage, a loving home, and being able to minister together as a couple.
So.......ladies, can I just encourage you today, if you are married, to realize that you must love your husbands well, so that you don't get in the way of God loving Him too!
If you are not yet married....let this be an encouragement to you to only marry a man who is godly, full of integrity, and who intends to love you the way God wants Him to love you. In today's world, so many young Christian women let down their guard (and their standards) in order to get married within their personal time frame. Don't do it!! Wait prayerfully on God to bring that person into your life. Or, perhaps, to light a friendship on fire! Wait, but don't put your life on hold for that. Be busy serving God and others. It's God's time, not ours! And you are God's princess. He loves you more than any man ever could! Trust HIM!
I'm going into town to meet up with my hubbie for lunch today!!! It was so good chatting with you!! I will write again soon!
Love,
Diane
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
And speaking of God's timing.........
As you know, children can sometimes say the most hilarious things....many times out of innocence. I wanted to share this one with you. In our home, all three children have chores and responsibilites, and one of the things on the list is "20 minutes of reading". So at one point during the day a few weeks ago, all three picked out the books they wanted to read, and they assumed their relaxed, seated positions at different locations throughout the house. At the end of their reading sessions, they each need to report to us what they read about. Kyle, my very creative and expressive stepson comes up to me. I asked what he read. He showed me two very BRIEF pages in a "how things work" book. I knew that it only would've taken him about 3 minutes to read that. I said "Kyle, you were supposed to read for 20 minutes". He looked up at me as innocently as can be and said, "But I DID! I read it very, very slowly"! Inside, I was cracking up!! You know, it's one of those moments when you want to keep a straight face so that you can effectively deal with the situation at hand. ;) I explained to Kyle that he needed to read 15 minutes more, and I then helped him pick out a book that would fulfill his reading obligation for the day. He did it with a great attitude, but here I was thinking "if only he had just read properly from the get-go.....he could be outside playing with Timothy right now, instead of reading for 15 more minutes"! But the next day, when it was time to read, Kyle was sure to check the book with me to make sure it would do!
And so it is with us, the children of God. Our sense of timing is sometimes SOOOO different from our Heavenly Father's. There are things we pray for, things we think we really need, things we want to do or accomplish. Often we will try to manipulate the situation (sometimes without even realizing it) in order to squeeze it into our personal time-frame. And in those situations where things don't happen when WE think it is best...ohhhh.....we can turn into such untrusting, hurt, offended children!!!
I bet you can think of something right now that you are waiting on God for. Is it an unanswered prayer? Is it a job? Finances? Is it for having a baby? Is it for a child who has rebelled and you have been asking God to bring him/her back into closeness with Him (and you!)? Is it a health issue? Maybe it's a crumbling marriage that you are longing to see restored.
God's Word has many accounts of wonderful people who loved Him sincerely, and who realized that their timing was not HIS timing. In Luke, we read of Zecharias and Elizabeth, who were people who loved the Lord and served Him. They couldn't have children, because Elizabeth was barren (Luke 1:7). So, here they are - probably in their 80's or 90's.....and I am sure that they had, after all those years, "given up" on praying for a baby. After all, most people want to start their family when they're much younger! So I can imagine them coming to the conclusion that God probably didn't desire to bless them with a baby. Can't you? I mean, how many times have we prayed for something, and after a year or two, it doesn't happen, and we write it off as God saying "no"?
So, Zecharias and Elizabeth STILL continued serving God. We can see that they didn't get so offended by God that they decided they would walk away from Him. They continued to faithfully serve Him! So here is Zecharias, inside the temple, carrying out his priestly service of burning incense while worshippers were outside the temple praying. Enter: the angel, Gabriel. He tells Zecharias that God heard their petition (v13). {What? THAT unanswered prayer from a loooong time ago?} He and Elizabeth are about to have a baby, and his name would be John. Gabriel said that John would be a very great man in the sight of God, and would point many Jewish people back to the Lord. Zecharias loved God, but his reponse was doubt. Similar to our response of "what!? You've gotta be kidding!! It would've been good then - but there's no way that can happen now!! Yeah right!!" God caused Zecharias to be unable to hear or speak for the next 9 months, until John would be born. Yikes!!!!! God sure is merciful on most of us when we doubt Him !! If He wasn't, there would be a lot of quiet Christians walking around!!!
Our timing is not equal to God's timing!! But God does delight in giving His children good things, and He delights in using us to bring Him glory. How cool is it when we can submit to that and really allow Him to just go ahead and do these awesome things in our lives? Like Kyle did after "reading the book really, really slow" - having a good attitude and learning that his sense of timing was not Dad's and mine - Can we have a good attitude toward our Heavenly Father when we see that our timing doesn't synch up with His? Can we still move forward expecting that God is working things out for His glory and perhaps to be able to turn more hearts toward Him through us?
And so it is with us, the children of God. Our sense of timing is sometimes SOOOO different from our Heavenly Father's. There are things we pray for, things we think we really need, things we want to do or accomplish. Often we will try to manipulate the situation (sometimes without even realizing it) in order to squeeze it into our personal time-frame. And in those situations where things don't happen when WE think it is best...ohhhh.....we can turn into such untrusting, hurt, offended children!!!
I bet you can think of something right now that you are waiting on God for. Is it an unanswered prayer? Is it a job? Finances? Is it for having a baby? Is it for a child who has rebelled and you have been asking God to bring him/her back into closeness with Him (and you!)? Is it a health issue? Maybe it's a crumbling marriage that you are longing to see restored.
God's Word has many accounts of wonderful people who loved Him sincerely, and who realized that their timing was not HIS timing. In Luke, we read of Zecharias and Elizabeth, who were people who loved the Lord and served Him. They couldn't have children, because Elizabeth was barren (Luke 1:7). So, here they are - probably in their 80's or 90's.....and I am sure that they had, after all those years, "given up" on praying for a baby. After all, most people want to start their family when they're much younger! So I can imagine them coming to the conclusion that God probably didn't desire to bless them with a baby. Can't you? I mean, how many times have we prayed for something, and after a year or two, it doesn't happen, and we write it off as God saying "no"?
So, Zecharias and Elizabeth STILL continued serving God. We can see that they didn't get so offended by God that they decided they would walk away from Him. They continued to faithfully serve Him! So here is Zecharias, inside the temple, carrying out his priestly service of burning incense while worshippers were outside the temple praying. Enter: the angel, Gabriel. He tells Zecharias that God heard their petition (v13). {What? THAT unanswered prayer from a loooong time ago?} He and Elizabeth are about to have a baby, and his name would be John. Gabriel said that John would be a very great man in the sight of God, and would point many Jewish people back to the Lord. Zecharias loved God, but his reponse was doubt. Similar to our response of "what!? You've gotta be kidding!! It would've been good then - but there's no way that can happen now!! Yeah right!!" God caused Zecharias to be unable to hear or speak for the next 9 months, until John would be born. Yikes!!!!! God sure is merciful on most of us when we doubt Him !! If He wasn't, there would be a lot of quiet Christians walking around!!!
Our timing is not equal to God's timing!! But God does delight in giving His children good things, and He delights in using us to bring Him glory. How cool is it when we can submit to that and really allow Him to just go ahead and do these awesome things in our lives? Like Kyle did after "reading the book really, really slow" - having a good attitude and learning that his sense of timing was not Dad's and mine - Can we have a good attitude toward our Heavenly Father when we see that our timing doesn't synch up with His? Can we still move forward expecting that God is working things out for His glory and perhaps to be able to turn more hearts toward Him through us?
" 'For I know the plans I have for you', delcares the Lord,
'plans for welfare and not calamity
to give you a future and a hope' ".
Jeremiah 29:11
Have a wonderful day !!
~Diane
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Hurry up and be still !!!!!!
We live in a hurried world, don't we? Everyone wants "instant" this, "immediate" that....and my DSL is never fast enough! I was reminded this week of how I would love to have a washing machine that would do laundry in 5 minutes (instead of 45) and a dryer that would process wet clothes in such a way that they would be dry and fluffy in no time at all and would have a built-in "no wrinkle" mechanism for those times when you remember (an hour AFTER the dryer stops) that you had all your husband's work-shirts in that load !!!!!!......... Oh - and I would definitely add the feature that keeps every sock paired with its partner!
How interesting is it that wayyy back before the world had any of its modern conveniences, God thought it important to tell us to "Be still and know that I am God"! (Psalm 46:10) This is a chapter where the psalmist illustrates the power and might of God, and how He is worthy of our praise and our trust. We are exhorted to acknowledge that He is our refuge, our strength, even amid all the craziness of our lives.
Think of all the things that women had to do to get their clothes clean during the time this was written. And what they had to go through to get a meal on the table!! They had to have been so much more busy with the things that we now declare to be "mundane housework". We have a way of filling up our days though, with the stuff of life. Appointments, television, friends, telephone conversation, being a taxi-driver for our children's activities, church ministries....the list goes on.
I wonder....how much of this "stuff" (even the really good stuff) is putting our relationships with God at the back of our "to do" lists? Do we take time to "be still" and acknowledging that HE is the one we can trust to give us strength and HE is the one we can always run to for refuge from life's storms? Where are our priorities?
May the Lord bless you today, as you serve Him and remember who He is and what He has done! I encourage you to take time to build your relationship with Him !
Love,
Diane
How interesting is it that wayyy back before the world had any of its modern conveniences, God thought it important to tell us to "Be still and know that I am God"! (Psalm 46:10) This is a chapter where the psalmist illustrates the power and might of God, and how He is worthy of our praise and our trust. We are exhorted to acknowledge that He is our refuge, our strength, even amid all the craziness of our lives.
Think of all the things that women had to do to get their clothes clean during the time this was written. And what they had to go through to get a meal on the table!! They had to have been so much more busy with the things that we now declare to be "mundane housework". We have a way of filling up our days though, with the stuff of life. Appointments, television, friends, telephone conversation, being a taxi-driver for our children's activities, church ministries....the list goes on.
I wonder....how much of this "stuff" (even the really good stuff) is putting our relationships with God at the back of our "to do" lists? Do we take time to "be still" and acknowledging that HE is the one we can trust to give us strength and HE is the one we can always run to for refuge from life's storms? Where are our priorities?
May the Lord bless you today, as you serve Him and remember who He is and what He has done! I encourage you to take time to build your relationship with Him !
Love,
Diane
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