dignity

Take a Moment to Remember…

/ The WheatandTares / 5 Comments

I haven’t posted yet about all of the events this week because it’s hard to find words. When evil is blatantly obvious, and so many can’t see it, it causes my heart to shift in an unusual way. A life is a life, and when this fact is nonchalantly cast aside, it not only leaves shock, confusion, and anger, but it also leaves a deep seated disgust that takes an extra minute to process through the pain and indignation.

So, I leave my thoughts here tonight not for debate but for reflection. If you disagree, you have the freedom to do so, and so do I with you. That is the beauty of living in the land of the free and the brave, and too many forget that this freedom is as much theirs as it is their neighbor’s…

24 years ago on this day, September 12,
I clearly remember a nation that was broken but united. A nation that was grieving but resilient. A nation that did not agree on politics but agreed on the right to freedom for our country. We agreed that liberty was valued and tyranny was condemned.

What has happened to us over the past 24 years?

Today, our nation is deeply divided, but not in ways it should be. Yes, we have disagreements, but disagreements can cause your beliefs to be proven stronger. Disagreements can challenge your standards to deepend or to be reevaluated for change. Disagreements, when discussed, debated, and deliberated upon, can define right from wrong and clearly refine convictions and values for life.

Yet, when we get to the place that disagreements must be silenced, there is a problem at the core of who we are. When debate is no longer simply words on a platform between two opposing teams, but rather it is replaced with bullets and blood, something is broken at the base of who we are. When a murder is justified or even given moral equivalency to another, our perspectives are somehow skewed. When a death is celebrated because the disagreement felt uncomfortable, convicting, or even appalling, the foundation upon which you stand is fatally flawed.

This is when evil begins to be called good and good called evil. And this is when a nation will be most vulnerable. Not because of her enemy abroad but rather because of her enemy within. This is when a nation is threatening to implode. We are at a dangerous place, on the edge of a knife. And we can do better. We must.

As Christians, which is what I am, we must awaken from our slumber and realize we can remain silent no longer. The days are long but the years are too short. The end draws near, and we will be held accountable. What we do in this hour must not be wasted or neglected. We must stand for what is right. We must speak out for what is Truth. And we must fight for what is good. It is time for us to be the Church He called us to be, to love God, to love our neighbor, and to reach the lost at any cost. And we cannot do that in silence, in fear, or even in intimidation. We must rise up and be the Body of Christ He has called us to be.

Love them enough to disagree with sin. Love them enough to fight against evil. Love them enough to speak out and take action against the rising tide of hatred and lawlessness. If it takes it, love them enough to die with Christ on the cross of His Truth.

Let’s pick up the baton that has been passed to us and finish this race. And let’s not finish alone. May we bring an entourage of new teammates with us! ❤️

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 

2 Chronicles 7:14

May we never forget…

Looks Can Be Deceiving

/ The WheatandTares / 6 Comments

Have you ever been deceived simply by the look of something (or someone)? I know I have. You can scroll on social media for this truth to be revealed in a matter of seconds.

I thought of this reality as I took a picture of part of my lunch the other day…

 Look at it. It looks like such an incredibly healthy lunch. Life coaches all over would be so proud of me eating zucchini, cucumbers, carrots with hummus and a huge bowl full of fruit! Let me tell you, it was delicious, but what I’m going to tell you next might be surprising… I didn’t eat all of what’s pictured here, and I, also, ate a piece of pizza and a handful of fried pickles!

Sorry, only two were left when I thought to grab my camera!

Now, I really didn’t write all this to debate the merits of healthy foods or even brag on what I had for lunch. I am sharing all this to emphasize a point: Looks can be deceiving, and in this modern age, where technology reigns supreme, those looks can become downright atrocious!

The Word tells us to guard our hearts, for everything we do flows from it. (Prov. 4:23) We must keep it honest. We must keep our minds pure. We must maintain a standard of integrity even when we think no one is looking.

Let’s get real. Everything you see posted on Facebook, Instagram and every other social medium, isn’t always the truth. Sometimes, people will post falsehoods to help themselves feel better, to outshine someone else, or to simply draw better attention than they would have otherwise, but what is it worth in the end? Nothing! It only leads to heartache, loneliness, anger and despair.

So, be truthful with one another. Be real. Don’t put forth a bunch of junk. For those who long for a real relationship with you deserve the truth, and even more so, your own soul deserves it. If all we have portrayed is fallacies and deception, the long term consequences are so much worse than the short term truths ever would have been. Your heart needs truth to reign supreme for your life to uphold dignity, grace and integrity.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:23-27

Move from Strength to Strength, Momma!

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

We sang a song in choir the other day that had this verse, “We move from strength to strength…” It was running through my head this morning, and I thought of my grandparents. They have always been pillars of strength and my examples to follow in life. As a mom, these examples have helped me to be a better mom, a better wife, and, in general, just a better person.

My grandfather was a “man’s man,” nothing ever seemed impossible to him. He grew up poor, was ridiculed and pushed himself to success. He founded his own heating and air business, was county commissioner of his small town, retired at a young age and lived out his days enjoying life and traveling with his wife to see kids, grandkids and sights all over the US.

My grandmother was born in the first year of the depression to a commercial fisherman and his wife. She had 3 sisters, and they didn’t have much, but they had each other and their faith. They found that was all they needed. To our family, and to many, my grandfather was always seen as a pillar of strength, and my grandmother has been the epitome of grace; no matter what comes in life, she seems to handle it with grace and dignity. Even before my earliest memories, these two have been a big part of my life; so, it comes as no surprise that a lot of their ways have become mine. Many people say I take after my grandmother, and my husband seems to be fashioned from much of the same mold as my grandfather. One of the biggest things they both taught me over the years was strength and grace.

I believe we can only move from strength to strength when we live by grace. Trying to move from strength to strength, without grace for the moments in between, is like trying to move a sailboat without the wind. You can definitely move it, with oars, of course, but it sure does take a lot more work than if you had wind to move it across the sea. The wind is what brings speed for the vessel and “rest” for the captain. When the wind is pushing the sails, the captain still has some work to do, but it sure makes for an easier time of sailing!

This is how it should be with our lives. We can be men and women of strength, but if we don’t have grace, we’re always struggling with the weight of our task. When we have no grace, we may be irritable, grouchy or even down right mean when it comes to dealing with others who get in our way or those who want to “jump on” for the ride. Grace refreshes our weary souls. It gives us compassion for others who may be on the same path. Grace brings joy in the midst of the trial, and it gives us perseverance for the journey.

Ladies (and men, too, actually), can I challenge you today? Live your days from strength to strength, robed not in your own will power and force but rather, robed in grace which softens you around the edges. Let that grace cocoon your strength to allow it to become a pillar of hope to others along the way, a refuge which brings refreshment to yourself and other “travelers,” and a solid foundation that helps you persevere through whatever life brings to you. When you live through the ups and downs of life with dignity and grace, you leave a legacy that others long to follow.

If I could, I’d like to encourage you in this, as well:  don’t live your life from crisis to crisis. It’s so unbecoming. It’s so unsettling, and frankly, it can even be obnoxious! 😉 This doesn’t mean you have to be stoic all the time, never crying or showing emotion, but when you live from one panicked moment to the next, it is exhausting to you and everyone around you. No one knows how to receive you from one day to the next, and you leave a river of chaos for your children to swim through. However, when there’s a peace inside that can’t be shaken, it gives you stability even through the darkest storms, and it will actually draw others to you. They learn from your strength; they gain the courage to face their own fears and trials, and they even learn how to become a symbol of stability for someone else who may be facing the same situations.

I have definitely found this to be true with my children. When I am calm and graceful through the trials of life, my children are better equipped to handle the hard places in which they sometimes find themselves. It doesn’t mean that I never show fear, or tears, or even that I am always stone-faced without any emotion. (Anyone who is close to me knows I probably shed way more than my share of tears! – both happy and not so happy ones) I am definitely a woman of emotion; however, I also don’t rely on my own strength to carry me through the rough spots. My kids know that my faith rests in my God who will carry me through. They know that when we rely on His grace for our strength everyday, the end result of our emotional well being and the well being of our entire household is a lot better off! I’m hoping they take these lessons with them for life.

The picture I have in my mind, of this kind of strength, is being in a storm shelter with your daddy, granddad, or husband , someone whom you feel is invincible and “can never die.” It may not be the grandest of circumstances, and you definitely would rather be somewhere else in that moment, but you rest in the knowing that no matter what comes on the outside of that shelter, you’re gonna make it, and everything’s going to be alright! You know that no matter what winds come against that door, that man will hold you till your body stops trembling and you are able to stand on your own two feet, and when you’re unable to stand, he will put his arms around you, or even pick you up and carry you until you can.

That’s the picture of strength I’m trying to give you! That’s the kind of strength we need to have. This is what we must pass to our children so they might survive in this crazy world. We must let it flow to those around us so that they might be able to stand and comfort when others cannot.