Rejection

No one likes to feel rejected.  It is actually one of the things that I have a hard time with.  I don't enjoy failure, but I have learned that if I fail and gave it my all that it is better than not trying at all.  There is an old saying that says "He who has never failed has done nothing."  Rejection on the other hand is something I have a hard time with.

I even like to beat people to the punch when it comes to rejection, either cut off the relationship or quit the job etc.. 

Tuesday I had the privelege of subbing for the 3-5 year old class.  The afternoon teacher was sick, so I subbed for her.  I always expect the kids to misbehave a bit with me, because I am a sub and they are used to their regular teacher and schedule. 

I know most of the children at the preschool I sub at.  I have had most of them at one time or another either being their teacher or subbing.  On Tuesday there was a 4 year old little boy whom I have had off and on in the past few years.  When he was 2 everyone knew his name, and it was because he constantly needed correcting.  He really does have a huge heart, but he wants all of your attention.  As he has grown his behavior has improved immensely.  Yes he still has his days and has to be reminded, but in general he can be fun in the classroom.

Tuesday this little boy gave me lots of trouble.  The best word to describe his behavior was he was being a little terror.  He did things in which I had not seen in a long time from him.  I ended up having to physically set him down and put my leg on him so he would not tear up the classroom and hurt himself or others.  After he settled down I finally asked him what was wrong.  I told him I was sad and did not know why he was acting this way.  He looked at me and told me that he missed his regualr teacher.  When he told me that I was able to understand and piece everything together. 

The little boy has always had a special bond to the afternoon teacher and normally that would not affect him in such a way, but his Daddy just left his Mommy, and I think the thought of being rejected by a teacher too was too much for him.  I explained that the teacher was sick and that she still loves him very much, that I was just there that day until she could come back.

As an adult I do not deal with rejection very well, and I think it is even harder for a child to deal with it.  Sometimes we just don't see things the same way as a child does.

Mark 10:14  "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Everyone Needs A Mom

I went out to Starbuck's today with a friend.  She is 28 years old and from Iowa.  She gave me a wonderful compliment, she said I was her Arizona Mom.  She is about the same age as my children, her mom is in Iowa and we have a lot in common.  As I was driving home from Starbuck's I realized that I have an Arizona Mom too.

I think most women need to have a 'Mom' in their life even if their mother is out of the picture either through death, or location.  A woman who can talk about things that they have been there and done that or who can be in your corner cheering you on. 

No one can replace your own mother, nor should any woman try, but often times in your life you need an older woman to guide, encourage and comfort you as you go through life. 

I had a few women that filled that role even though I lived close to my mom most of my life.  Aunt Judy helped fill the holes that my mom did not notice was there.  It was nice to tell Aunt Judy things that I did not feel comfortable sharing with my Mom. The more people who are in your corner with encouragement, wisdom and unconditional love the better your life will be.

I stated that women needed other women to fill that role, but my husband had an adopted family too.  When we were dating and first married this family welcomed me as a much as they did my husband.  My husband's parents lived in Arizona and he lived in Iowa so he also had Iowa parents. We were always at his adopted family's house and celebrations.

Yes your family is important, but it is nice to know that God will often provide that Arizona Mom or Iowa family to help you along life's way.

Titus 2:4  Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children.

Punishment versus Discipline

I have started reading the book The Search For Significance by Robert S. McGee.  It is a book about who you are in Christ.  The book talks about how our relationship with God is influenced by our childhood and our relationship with our parents.  Obviously parents are human, sinners and make bad decisions so no one comes out of childhood without some scratches and scars. 

My Aunt Judy and Dr. James Dobson both influenced me upon this as our children were growing up, especially when it came to discipline.  Discipline is different than punishment.  Discipline teaches, punishment makes you pay. 

Robert S McGee has a table of the difference:

                                                              Punishment                    Discipline
Source:                                                  God's wrath                   God's love
Purpose                                                 To avenge a wrong        To correct a wrong
Relational Result                                 Alienation                       Reconciliation
Personal Result                                    Guilt                               A Righteous Lifestyle
Directed Toward                                   Non believers                His Children

So when your child does something wrong are you going to punish or discipline your child??  God always has our best interests and our relationship with Him in mind when He disciplines us.  Some things to keep in mind when disciplining your child:

Am I discipling or punishing?
Am I just mad because my child embarassed me?
Is this a childish thing or defiance?
How can I teach my child from this incident?
Is my relationship with my child being strengthened by my actions?

Hebrews 12:11  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Stinking, Lousy Jeep

A little over a year ago I was the joyful new owner of a 1995 Jeep.  My husband owned one previously and it got totalled as the result of an accident.  With the insurance money from my husbands jeep we bought mine.  I did not buy it lightly, I prayed about it first.  I asked God to give me the perfect Jeep He wanted me to have.  We looked for the right Jeep and then we saw it online.  I knew it was the right Jeep, I prayed more and then my husband bid on it on ebay and before I knew it I was the proud owner of my green Jeep.

I should have known something was wrong with it when we were getting ready to drive it home and I could not get in the door, the handle on the passenger side did not work.  The salesman quickly fixed it and off we went to take it home.  I thanked God for my Jeep.

I took my Jeep in and had it looked over by a mechanic and they found some leakage from the axle.  It cost about $400, but it is a 95 Jeep with almost 100,000 miles on it.  Then in October the transmission went out on the Jeep, but it is a 95 Jeep with almost 100,000 miles on it.  Then came the door handles on the Jeep.  The door handles on the passenger side and the drivers side of my Jeep were broke at the same time.  So for a week, in order for me to get into my Jeep I had to open the back, climb over to the passenger side and manually open the door (I took the side panel off so I could open the latch manually), then I had to climb out the back and close it, then get in the passenger side and climb over to the drivers side. 

When both door handles were broken, I had it.  I prayed to God.  I said to God, but I prayed about this Jeep, I thought this was the Jeep you wanted me to have.  Then I felt that small still voice say, "maybe it is the Jeep I want you to have."  I laughed to myself.  My idea of perfect is far different than God's idea of perfect.  God saw a Jeep that needs work and brings problems about that will make me rely more on Him.  My husband may not like God's choice, but I am sure God is using the Jeep for him too.

So if you are disappointed in something that you prayed about and felt like it was the right choice such as a job, house, relationship and even a child and can't understand why it is not working out the way you thought it would.  Maybe it is God's perfect choice to perfect you 'in Him'.

James 1:2-4  Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Jonah

It does not take a rocket scientist or an economics wizard to see that our nation is heading toward destruction.  It is only a matter of time; we are borrowing more than we take in, our governments solution is to print more money and spend our way out of debt.  When it became pretty obvious where our country was heading, there was an awakening of a sleeping giant, and normally mild mannered citizens who lived their lives quietly decided to get up and protest and say "NO MORE".  The government and all of the powers that be basically ignored what the people were saying.  Then the elections of 2010 happened and the Republicans got the house majority and got rid of a lot of high spending democrats in the senate.  Many states elected fiscally responsible Governor's who are willing to do what it takes to get their states out of debt and balance the budgets.  The press has been trying its hardest to deceive the American public, but in the end they are even admitting that we are in trouble.  It really is scary.

There are many people in the government who feel like they were called by God to serve and stand in the gap for such a time is this.  I believe God did call them to be where they are, but I don't think they are the solution.  I don't think the Tea Party is the solution.  I don't think Rush, Glenn or Sean are the solution either.  I think the solution is found in Jonah.

Jonah 3:4-10 On the first day, Jonah started into the city.  He proclaimed:  "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."  The Ninevites believed God.  They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.  When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.  Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:  "By the decree of the king and his nobles:  Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth.  Let everyone call urgently on God.  Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.  Who knows?  God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."  When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Our countries answer does not start at the top, it starts with you.  Revivial starts with me coming to terms with my pride and looking more at what the world wants than what God wants.  After me, then it comes to my family, and after my family comes church, and after church comes my neighborhood, and after my neighborhood comes my city, and after my city comes my state, and after my state comes my country.  If you say you love your country and want to do whatever it takes to bring it back to where it should be, look in the mirror, because it starts with you.  Are you willing to humble yourself and repent to save our nation??

I think our nation is worth it.  I think God thinks so too.

Jonah 4:10-11 But the Lord said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow.  It sprang up overnight and died overnight.  But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well.  Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

When Your Husband Gets Home

When our kids were young, our neighbor across the street commented to me that he thought it was nice that I sat outside with the kids and waited for my husband to get home.  I honestly did not think much about it.  When the weather was nice I would sit on the back porch with our dog and the kids would be playing.  We lived on a corner lot and our driveway was situated as such that in order for us to have a completely fenced in back yard we had to open a gate to the drive way.  In general; weather good or bad I would try to listen and look for my husband and run out and open the gate for him. 

I was listening to David Jeremiah today and he was talking about how it is important for a man to feel welcomed when he gets home from work.  I am sure my neighbor across the street knew how important it was for my husband to feel welcomed to his home and that is why he made the comment. 

I tried to make him feel welcome by doing a few simple things.  I would make sure the house was picked up, and depending on his work schedule have dinner started or at least planned, the kids all taken care of and save the 'problems' of the day for later conversation if possible.  Aunt Judy used to say, "take care of the disciplining of the children before your husband gets home, he should not have to deal with that after working all day."  She of course was right.  Very seldom did my husband hear about the 'bad' things the kids did during the day, because I took care of it before he got home.  Only for very severe offenses was he brought into it. 

Now my husband has a torn rotator cuff, and he is in pain when he gets home.  I usually say hi and give him a kiss; after that he usually gets a Coke, takes some pain medicine and goes in his study to play on his computer.  I am not offended by it because I know it is how he deals with the pain.  He eventually comes out of his cave, I mean study in a few hours and then we talk.  Me giving him his space is welcoming to him.

I remember my Grandma always welcoming my Grandpa when he got home.  She gave him a kiss and then my Grandpa would sit down in the kitchen and take off his boots.  She often times would have dinner on the table.  It is a wonderful memory.  I hope I gave our kids the same memory of their mom welcoming their Dad when he got home from a long day at work. 

Welcoming your husband home from work is an easy, effective way to show him and your children, that you love and respect him.  It also sets up the tone for the evening.  Save your disagreements or issues for later in the evening.

Proverbs 31:11  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

Be Still

Exodus 14:14 'The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'  That verse is stated right before Moses holds out his staff and the Red Sea parts.  Realize that before God parts the Red Sea he has the Israelites boxed in with the Egyptians chasing after them and no where to go but through the flooded Red Sea.  What does God have Moses do??  He tells him to stop crying out and hold out his staff.  It does not make much sense, but then faith usually does not make sense.  There is usually oppostion, complaining by others and crying out by the person who is choosing to walk by faith. 

This week in my devotions God has been really laying upon my heart to 'be still'.  It sounds easier than it is to do.  I have had some opposition at home and I have been doing some crying out, but the message this week has been clear 'you need only to be still.'  Waiting is not an easy thing to do; being still goes against every fleshly, practical part of me. 

I noticed one thing about being still, and that is to be still and have my eyes on God it is peaceful; the opposite is also true.  My worry gland went crazy when I was not being still and focusing on God.  I listened to Chuck Swindoll who was talking about the trials of Christians and going through 1 Peter; I knew something bad was going to happen.  I heard about the two airmen being killed in Germany and texted my son in England and asked if he was ok.  I could go on but it is quite embarassing and sinful. 

Sometimes when God has us go to battle he wants to use us to fight, and other times He wants us to be still and watch Him fight the battles.  The main thing is to find out His battle plan.

Endure Versus Survive Part II

When I wrote about survive versus endure I was not planning on writing a part two, but when I was doing my devotions something popped out in which I needed to add to the whole endure versus survive issue.  Mark 12:26-27 "Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  You are badly mistaken!" When Jesus went to raise Lazarus he spoke to Martha in John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?"

So as a Christian who believes that God sent Jesus to die and pay the penalty for my sins, the only perfect man who walked the earth, 100% man and 100% God who completed the task that was set before him and died on the cross for me.  When Jesus died on the cross it was not just the end, but the beginning because he was buried 3 days and then he rose again.  He is alive, he did not survive the cross, he endured the cross because he is the God of the living.

I endure trials and suffering, I do not survive because I serve the God of the living.  That is exciting.

Survive Versus Enduring

I have some extra time on my hands so I decided to start going to the parks writers club.  My first meeting will be Friday.  I asked my neighbor across the street about the writer's club and in the course of the conversation she told me the topic this week is to write about something I survived.  Nothing came to my mind.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really have no story about survival.  Then I decided to look up verses in the Bible that have the word survive in it.  None came to mind so I looked in my study Bible's concordance and I could not find the word survive.  I got online and checked Strong's concordance and the word survive was not in there either.  I decided to look up the word survive in the dictionary and the definition that I thought best fit was; to endure or live through.  There are several verses in the Bible about enduring, to endure and endured.  So I looked up endure in the dictionary and the best definition I found was; to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo. 

I think it is interesting that as a Christian we don't survive our circumstances, but the best word is that we endure.  We are sustained without impairment or yielding because we have a mighty and faithful God.  It goes beyond just living through and is so much more.  Shadrach, Meshac and Abindigo did not just survive the firery furnace they were sustained without impairment or yielding because their God was in the furnace with them.  When Daniel was in the lions den he did not just merely survive it, he was sustained without impairment or yielding.  When David was being chased around by Saul, who was trying to kill him, David did not just survive it, he was sustained without impairment or yielding.  I think that is exciting.

If you are going through a tough time and are a Christian I hope you are encouraged by the thought that you will not just survive, but you will be sustained without impairment or yielding.  Enduring the trial always brings forth fruit and brings glory to God.

Colossians 1:11  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.