Whatsoever Things. . .

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
(Philippians 4:8, KJV)

I have a hard time accepting big, bad companies and organizations invading my status quo. Take today, for instance, when I had to use the "big" Post Office in a nearby city. Now, I've never been one who felt comfortable about going to new places by myself. When I was a teen, it was a huge ordeal the few times my mom sent me into the grocery store where I'd been countless times with her or my dad. I would get shaky even before we entered the parking lot and later emerge relieved and tired from the emotional stress. Well, I don't get shaky anymore, but I really have to be in the right mindset to go some places. I get a general idea of what it will be like, and just do it.

Today, I needed to mail some things while we were out and, rather than pass our house to go to our tiny local post office that shares a building with the gas station/pizza shop, we stopped at the grandiose two-story historical post office in the town where we had done a little shopping. I had a couple hurdles once inside, but I was okay. I dealt with them. I'm adaptable, right? Well, then it came time to pay.

We prefer to use credit cards for a few practical reasons, and are very careful to pay our balance monthly. Apparently, though, it is no longer acceptable to the USPS to "sign" your credit cards with "Ask for ID," even if you have five other forms of identification on you. I did not know this, but the pleasant lady behind the counter was very patient and helpful as I decided to use cash instead.

While I managed to maintain grace throughout the situation, the stress of the entire experience began to hit me as I was on my way out the door. By the time I was back to the car I needed a release! I wanted to cry! scream! pound my fist! All of which I did, I'm sorry to say. And to what end? It seems so foolish. It certainly didn't glorify God.

But "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are the called according to His purposes." (Romans 8:28) First, I knew I needed to just repent of that response I had had before I could go on with the things I needed to accomplish. Only then could God begin to work in me again. Later, it just so happened that another project related to BibleStoreBrowser.com took me to the verse in Philippians above. When I read that, I knew it was for me, and that it needed to be shared.

It's easy to get overwhelmed in circumstances over which we have no control. Whether it's home rage, road rage, office rage, or post office rage, the important things to remember in those situations are that they ARE beyond our control, and no amount of screaming and pounding our fists will fix it. What's done, is done. What's declared by the powers that be is, for the most part, decided and not worth such wasted energy, unless it can be approached with a level head and a calmly-stated inquiry to the decision maker(s). Most important is what I hope to remind myself the next time those feelings come knocking, and I know they will: When we feel those little tinges of anger begin to well up, we've got to beat them back by thinking on the "whatsoever things" instead. But if we do happen to "lose it," there is forgiveness, and maybe even a blessing to others from our dumb mistake.

What are the "whatsoever things" you'll remind yourself the next time you are tempted to let out your unrighteous anger:
*On the road? *At work? *At the store? *On the phone? *With your spouse? *With your kids? *With your parents? *With the customer service representative?

Lessons in the Tree

As a mom of two young children, sometimes I just have to steal my moments with God. Today, I took a few moments to just close my eyes and sing a praise song in my heart as my younger daughter played before me in the floor. When I opened my eyes, I was drawn to look to the window where I noticed something I'm certain had been there all day, maybe longer, if only I'd taken time to look. After a relatively mild winter, buds, some even dotted with a hint of green, have begun to form on the weeping cherry just outside our front window.

I went through my afternoon thinking about that most welcome sight, one of the harbingers of spring, and how I'd been too wrapped up in my indoor activities to notice. I think this has more than one lesson for us. Maybe God will reveal something else to you, depending on your situation. Please feel free to contribute!

First, God is always there--just as that tree was there waiting for me to notice its efforts--but we have to adjust our gaze toward Him. Question 1: Have you had your quiet time today?

The second is one that reminds me of a concept I first learned from Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. God is always at work. If we want to join in his work, we need to look around and see where he's already working. Once again, if we're not actively seeking, we may just miss out on a fantastic opportunity. Question 2: Where is God already at work around you?

I discovered the third lesson quite serendipitously as I was thinking about a passage someone shared in one of the Orkut communities:

For as the rain and the snow comes down from the heavens and do not return there, except it waters the earth and make it bring forth and bud, and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in what I sent it to do! (Isaiah 55:10-11, LITV)

Here, the bud is the fruit of God's Word. Question 3: If someone were to look at your life right now, would they see the buds--fruit yielded by the watering of the Word?

Making Pancakes

I received a story in email that I thought went really well with my recent blog on Aligning Your Ministry with the Word of God. If you haven't read that, I suggest checking it out first over at BibleStoreBrowser.com, which, by the way, has a new design AND my promo and review of the book From Blushing Bride to Wedded Wife by my friend Marla Taviano.

Making Pancakes

Six-year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.

He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.

He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn't know how the stove worked!. Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him.

Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!

That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour.

Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes" for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried...