Everything you do

I struggle with feelings of insignificance.  What do I do that is important or worthwhile?  Because I like to try and be both therapist and patient, I ask myself what is something that is purposeful.   I think maybe a job would be helpful.  Or maybe volunteering would help fill this seeming void.  Then I realize nothing I of which I think would make me feel purposeful.  While I would be busier, I certainly wouldn't feel any more significant simply because I was filing, maintaining databases, or directing calls.

Recently, I decided to volunteer at the Creation Museum for a day.  I was all excited!  My parents have volunteered there in the past, so I was anticipating maybe a day's work in the gardens, or perhaps being in the office and helping send out mailings to donors.  I anticipated something bright, pretty, and maybe a little fun.  Instead, I was assigned to work in the hot, lonely, windowless cash room where I sat, locked in, and rolled coins for 6 hours.  Thankfully they have a machine that counts out the coins, and all I had to do was dump the appropriate coins in and then make sure the funnel and wrapper were all lined up properly.  "Monotonous" best described that job.  As I sat listening to the endless rattle of change, I became determined to amuse myself.  I decided to sing inside my head since at least four cameras were trained on me, and I didn't want to pain security too much.  I ran through several different hymns and quickly turned to popular Christian music.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your view of things, I starting mentally playing Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Do Everything."  I repeated an endless loop of a portion of the chorus "it all matters just as long as you do everything you do to the glory of the one who made you, 'cause He made you to do everything you do the glory of the one..." for the next 4 hours.  I wish I at least remembered the rest of the song so I didn't have to repeat the same few words over and over again.  It helped, though.  I wasn't discouraged.  I knew that what I was doing was important simply because I was doing it to the best of my ability.  I still felt rather sad at the end of the day because I didn't feel like I'd accomplished anything as people were dropping off that day's worth of coins from their cash boxes.  It is a never ending job!  I am happy I was able to relieve the full-time lady from having to do that for a day, though, so she could focus on her other duties.

In daily life, I have found this song and, more importantly, the Scripture verses, to be helpful.  There's not much glory to folding laundry.  There's even less in cleaning the bathroom.  Practically, yes, these things are wonderful, but when people ask, "So, what did you do today?" and the answer is, "Well...I finally found and removed the source of that nasty mystery smell in the refrigerator..." you don't feel like the most exciting or relevant person.  But, the point is, we all are appointed for or do different tasks.  They might seem inglorious from our perspectives, but everything we do brings glory to God.  Essentially the stuff we do here on earth is done for Him.  We are all caretakers in some way or another, and our work glorifies Him.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31


And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

I do not have to do it alone...

What a crazy few weeks!  Two weeks ago, my dad had to have an emergency appendectomy, both of my aunts were out of town, so my mom and I were responsible for helping care for my grandma.  I have learned a lot during this time, mostly life lessons, and but a few funny things as well.

 Just because I can do it all by myself, doesn't mean I should.  Also, delegation is very different from sitting back and watching people do my work for me.

We'd planned a week ahead to have an ice cream social at my house to celebrate my good friend Charlotte.  It worked out that the party fell the day after Dad's surgery.  Because I had been at the ER and with my grandma Friday, I wasn't able to get as much of the cleaning done like I had wished.  But, because I was determined to do so, I spent several hours to get the house in order.  During this time, I had two offers for assistance.  I did not accept these offers, though, because I was determined to provide a party for everyone to enjoy. Why should my guests have to work?  So, I was rather tired by the time the party started and groaned audibly when I saw one of the guests brought Risk.  Fortunately, my sarcastic sense of humor kicked in to save my guests from embarrassment.
Application: When people offer help and the task at hand is easily divided, take them up on it.  If they didn't actually want their offer of help accepted, they won't offer next time!

The Holy Spirit is a very good cook!

When cooking, I frequently have people telling me to follow my instincts.  In general, this is good advice.  I can call on past experiences, knowledge about good flavor combinations, etc. to increase and improve my current dish's flavor profile.   Throughout my past weeks (were they really only two?) of cooking, I kept relying on a little voice that wasn't "me."  I'd want to add something more to a dish because it was seemingly flat, but I would not because that authoritative voice told me to hold back.  This meal would go over well, especially for the convalescing patient.  But, He advises on more than how to make good hospital food.  Yes, He even guides the making of smoothies and helps improve existing "go-to"/"signature" dishes.  My stove-top (rather than oven-baked) curry chicken, for instance, was the best I've ever made.  My instincts told me to put in a can of diced tomatoes and increase the chicken broth, but the voice said to just stick with coconut milk throughout the cooking process.  What an enjoyable cooking experience!  I partnered with God to make supper!  What a simple yet profound time.

When unsettled feelings and anxiousness take over, turn on some Third Day (or whatever is appropriate), grab a tissue if desired, and plop down supine.

  

"Your Love, Oh Lord," "King of Glory," and "Agnus Dei/Worthy" provided me with a good refocus time and got me through a day where I was convinced I was going to explode (which would have been messy and just another thing I'd have had to deal with...).  This was the most important lesson I (re)learned.  I'm not exactly sure it was, but I think it was Martin Luther, who would spend hours in prayer daily.  The more tasks he had to complete in the day, the more time he spent in prayer.  When I first heard this several years ago, my practical mind thought it strange.  Now I understand.  The more hectic a day will be, the more overwhelming a task seems, the more I need to make sure I spend time focused solely on God so I can go through my day partnered with Him and His peace.  I feel called to be a beacon of peace and tranquility.  I don't know how well I succeed at that normally.  However, I know I certainly, utterly fail when I figuratively, and somewhat literally, plow over people with an attitude of "don't even talk to me!  I have to get this, this, and this--oh, and don't forget this--done!"  

 "Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep."

 Psalm 36:5-6a

I'll have a normal blog post soon. It's brewing, I just have to write it.

Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line by Abby Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rating: 3.5 stars

Plot (mild spoiler warning):

The subtitle for this book pretty much says it all. Abby Johnson started as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. She had a great desire to help women, prevent them from getting in crisis situations, and to decrease the number of abortions. A recruiter working a Fair at Abby's college convinced Abby she would fulfill these desires by working with Planned Parenthood. As time progressed, Abby moved up the Planned Parenthood ladder until she was director the Planned Parenthood clinic where she started. After participating in an ultrasound-guided abortion, she saw abortion for what it is: the termination of a baby. She has several epiphanies and eventually crosses the literal and proverbial fence to seek help from the local pro-life chapter. And, that is where she is now.

My opinion:

The book was...good. It was engaging--I had a hard time putting it down. I rejoiced in Abby's enlightenment. However, I don't really know if this book is great by any means. It is an account of Abby's reflection. But I kept feeling like I was reading a drama. Perhaps I am too familiar with her story (I vaguely remember when the climax of this book happened). I do not discourage anyone from reading this book. It would be really good for people struggling with whether they are pro-life or pro-choice since Abby discusses both sides fairly. I also see radical pro-lifers (people who cannot understand how anyone can be pro-choice) benefiting from this book for the same reason. However, since the target audience for this book is the average pro-life Christian (I first heard about this book from Focus on the Family, then from Tony Perkins, and then from LifeWay Christian Books, and then Amazon picked up on me being a White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant), she is preaching to the choir.

Bottom line: good book, amazing story, but I feel like the marketing strategy is more to make money than to inspire people. Perhaps this book will get better with time and maybe after Abby has added a few chapters about what she's been doing since leaving Planned Parenthood.

This book did have a comforting Scripture reference in it:

It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24






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They've Survived the Trials and are Now Reaching High in Praise

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Psalm 3:3

As I took pictures of these spring flowers, most of them bulbs, I marveled that these plants had survived so many winters.  They survived freezing temperatures, a warm weather followed by a biting frost, and the current deluge.  Despite all the trials they've endured, they survived by God's provision and awakened this spring in their bright splendor.  While it is probably clichéd, I began to think about how I am like one of these flowers.  When going through trials, God provides a shield for me.  Whether I am feeling physical affliction, having a bad day (or week, or month...), or spiritually down, He is there.  He protects me, helps me brighten, and strengthens me.  Then, at the end of the struggle, I am able to hopefully bless others in ways I wouldn't have been able to without that experience.  They've lifted up their heads towards heaven in praise and glory of God, and, because of God's protection, I can too.

Will do Works for____?

Lately, I have been contemplating why I try to be "good" and "moral."  My thoughts stemmed from several conversations I have had with people who do good things, yet are atheists.  In many of these cases, I looked at their lives and assumed they were Christians based off their actions.  They were honorable people, hard workers, and seemed to have a genuine concern about others. When I found out they weren't followers of Christ, I was initially surprised.  Typically, as I got to know them better, I realized I shouldn't have been surprised.  This has gotten me thinking.  Why do people do good things?  Some might say to promote the good of society.  Others might say because it is the right thing to do.  And others would say because their religion dictates it.

James 2:17, 26: "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (in context)

Then my question returns to myself.  Why do I attempt to behave in a good way?

I would like to think my answer would be because it is proof of my faith living in me.  But how often is it that instead of simply doing what I know I have to do to be considered "good?"  If works are "proof" or "fruit" of my faith, shouldn't they be done without my thinking I should do them?  Shouldn't they come naturally?  But what about when I make myself do something good?   I suppose it is all about attitude.  If I do something I don't want want to do because I am trying to express Christ rather than make myself look good or mold myself into a better, more self-actualized, and societal being, I assume it would be an expression of faith rather than a selfish act.  But then, how does one go about doing something as an expression of Christ rather than dolefully saying "well, the Bible says I have to do it this way, so I guess I have to..."  Perhaps the latter is not such a bad thing initially if we are fighting sinful flesh with spiritual self-discipline.

I also suppose another main thing is motivation.  Is my desire to be "good" or to be "Christ-like?"  Am I trying to be shiny and pretty on the outside?  Or am I trying to express my soul that has been purged clean from the inside out?  If I am simply trying to be "good" because it is right and what people expect from me, that is wrong.  I need to stand on the foundation of Christ, and then my actions should follow as godly because I am desiring to stay on that foundation and follow the narrow halls built on it.

I cannot be good on my own.  In this life, perfection is out of the question.  But Christ washes away my sins and instills His Holy Spirit inside of me to guide me.  I should focus on following Christ rather than trying so hard to look like I am doing it right--that is when I fall the most anyway.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10 

The Great Romance (yeah, I've been reading the Circle Series)

You walk into a room, and a smile creeps onto your face.  There she is.  Your eyes meet, and she smiles and walks toward you.  You ask how she is, and your conversation flows in low tones.  Everything seems perfect.   Then he enters the room.  Her voice trails off as her gaze follows him.  Your heart sinks. She continues listening and distractedly adds to your conversation.  You try to hold her interest, but she excuses herself from your conversation and crosses the room to meet him.  You watch, downcast and concerned.  They begin talking, and she seems shy at first, glancing over her shoulder in your direction occasionally.  As those looks become less frequent, he grasps her hand.  She starts speaking with animation and awards him with such smiles you've only wished she would display for you.  Your heart aches, not simply because she has devoted to another, but because he is not worthy of her.  He will never fulfill her and will eventually leave her feeling empty and alone, forced to find another relationship.  How can you make this clear to her and win her back?


Something similar to this has likely happened to you.  Most people have some instance of unrequited love or affection.  Many have been in the situation of loving someone who they felt loved them at first but slowly slipped away towards someone who is not right for them. And you are left wondering if s/he ever cared to begin with, if you will win him/her back, and if your heart will ever heal.  This experience is definitely temporally painful, and I believe God feels it far more intensely when his children dedicate themselves to other gods. God is jealous for us.  He is El Qanna.   When we begin devoting ourselves to other gods--whether they be an actual idol, or a god of education, god of money, god of attention, or a sex god like the one to which the Israelites turned--He seeks to win us back to Him.

  ¹⁴ “ Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.  ¹⁵ I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ “ And it shall be, in that day,” Says the LORD, “ That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ ¹⁷ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. ¹⁸ In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.

 ¹⁹ “ I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; ²⁰ I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD."

 Hosea 2:14-20

This Christmas, let us make sure to focus on God.  Ask Him to show you in what areas you might have "stepped out."  He alone can help you turn back to Him.

Unto the Lord

‘Then it happened, as [Moses and Elijah] were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. ³⁵And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” ³⁶ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.’  

Luke 9:33-36

   Friday at Ab Initio, Beth Bentley taught us a Bible study method using Luke 9:28-36 and having us work along with her.  Since then, I have been thinking about the portion of this passage when Peter speaks, particularly the portion after “Master, it is good for us to be here.”  I have gone through several interpretations of what “not knowing what he said” might mean, but one idea has remained prominent in my mind.  Peter seemed to focus upon earthly needs instead of seeing the heavenly things happening around him.   He focused on wanting to provide shelter for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah instead of hearing the discussion of Jesus’ death and the salvation that would entail. 

  
   I think this stuck with me because I know I am frequently guilty of the same thing.  I often format my work to please whoever my immediate earthly authority is instead of looking at the bigger picture.  Even while doing this practice exercise on Friday, I kept stopping my thoughts because I wanted to make sure I was getting the type of answers Beth would want.  Now, there is nothing wrong with trying to please people, but I definitely should have been willing to share the answers I felt God was providing rather than thinking, “Oh, this cannot be what she wants.”  Once I realized I was doing this instead of focusing on what God was trying to reveal, I resolved to apply this interpretation immediately.  I’m working to be more aware of realizing who the real authority in a situation is.  Learning to focus on the heavenly will also help with having a better attitude.   If I look to see what the long-term is and look to see what God is doing, the difficult or annoying situations won’t be as frustrating. 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” 

Colossians 3:23

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 

1 Corinthians 10:31

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” 

Psalm 118:8   

Every Day is Thanksgiving

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 
² Day after day they pour forth speech; 
   night after night they display knowledge. 
³ There is no speech or language 
   where their voice is not heard. 
⁴ Their voice goes out into all the earth, 
   their words to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19:1-4a

This time of year, many people set time aside to draw closer to God in humility, thanking Him for the material and spiritual things He has given them.  He delights in our praising Him, in our acknowledging Him to be the good, holy, trustworthy, loving God and Redeemer He is.

As the crowning glory of God's creation, let us learn from the skies and heavens and praise the Lord, profess His holy name, and declare His glory day after day, night after night-- always.

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his Sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1, 6