Excuses, Excuses

"If God loved me, He would not have let things happen to me that hurt me so much."

"If God were real, He would not let so many bad things take place in the world."

"If God was a good God, a kind God, He would make life easier for me. He would take away my pain."

Friends, I too have felt lonely, afraid, disappointed, hurt, and confused. The phrases above are just a few things that some find themselves saying when they consider God's role in life. 

However, until you actually know God, you can never fully understand Him or His role in your life. So, how do you get to know God?

Read the Bible and pray. Sounds too easy? It's not too good to be true. It's the Truth that will set you free.

Many people feel overwhelmed or lack motivation to pick up a Bible and read it. Many are afraid that they won't understand it. Some are afraid that if they do understand it, they will not like what it has to say.

I am my own worst enemy. I also find myself making excuses to get out of spending time with God. But, here's the thing. If I believe God is who He says He is, then how can I NOT spend time reading His Word and talking to Him through prayer?

The Bible teaches that God's Word contains all we need to live. 2 Peter 1:3 states

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (NIV)

God has not left us to fend for ourselves. On the contrary. He has provided all we need to make it through this life with hope and joy. This does not mean there won't be pain. This does not mean that there won't be confusion or sadness. It does mean that despite the trials of this life, nothing can defeat those who trust in Christ as their Savior. 

Take heart. Do not be afraid. God's Word is the light in this dark world. In it there is hope, truth, and grace freely given. Do not hesitate to come to Jesus. No one knows the day or hour they may perish. Don't wait. He's there for you.

He must increase, I must decrease

John 3:30 says 

³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease. (ESV)

Today is my 4th anniversary. I know that's not very long in the grand scheme of things, but so much has happened in these 4 short years. We got married (in Pennsylvania) and moved 11 hours away (to Kentucky) 2 weeks later. We moved into a 500 sq ft apartment for a year and David got a job working 3rd shift at UPS. Then we moved into another 500 sq ft apartment for another 2 1/2 years. We got pregnant and had a son. We named him Tyndale (after William Tyndale). The husband graduated seminary and got a new job as a pastor. When he was just over a year old we moved 8 hours away from our Kentucky home back up north to Maryland into a house. We've been here for 5 months. Four months ago we got pregnant again. Two months ago our baby was called home to heaven before we got a chance to meet him. We've laughed. We've cried. We've had some hard times and we've had some wonderful times. 

All in all, I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the most wonderful husband and a beautiful son.

I started this post off with John 3:30 because this must be my mindset everyday. I am not simply a wife or simply a mom. I am a representative of Jesus Christ. My desire is that when people look at me they see Christ alone.

Fail

So, as you can tell by my blog, I love to try healthy recipes and making healthier substitutions. Well, I tried this again today...and it was a total fail. I mean ew! I made this recipe, but I substituted plain yogurt for the oil, and they turned out just like a sponge! Tyndale (my 18 mo old) even spit it out! Sigh. Oh well, you win some, you lose some:) I hate to throw them away, but I promise you...I won't be eating them.

Also in light of my post's title, I've been thinking about all the ways I fail lately. I'm not the best mom I could be. I'm not the best wife I could be. I'm not the best friend I could be. I'm not the best pastor's wife I could be. I'm not the best me I could be.

And then I remembered.

It's not about me.

It's about letting Jesus work in me to be the best picture of HIM I can be!

I suppose I've been feeling a little down lately. To be honest I think it's because every time I get a new hospital bill I'm reminded all over again about our miscarriage and almost bleeding to death (thank you Lord for blood donors!). I'm trying to remind myself that I shouldn't be viewing that experience negatively, but I should be viewing it through God's eyes. He has greater plans than I can imagine and I must trust Him. When I am trusting Him, I'm not failing, I'm thriving. His Word is the light to my path, but lately I've not been letting it sink in. So, I'm sorry for letting obstacles cloud my vision and I promise to continue this journey to be a faithful female in this world of faithless people. Are you with me???

Phil 1:3-11