Perfection

June 18, 2015June 16, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

If we could have achieved perfection on our own, we wouldn’t have needed Jesus. – Jennifer Dukes Lee

We work so hard to have perfection in every area of our lives. Yet, whose perfection are we working to achieve? Is it the perfection of the Pinterest mom? Do you feel the need to be extra crafty, a perfect, DIY gal, making all the cute little cupcakes and crafts for the party? Is it the homeschool supermom who knows exactly what her child needs in every subject and on every lesson? Is it the grill perfect dad, knowing just when to turn that perfect steak, when to add that very last seasoning to make the meal of a lifetime for all your friends to drool?

Or maybe it’s that perfect businessman, knowing exactly when to press in for the deal and when to walk away, leaving them begging for more? Maybe it’s the A+ college student…you know, the one who can achieve the highest scores in her sleep while writing that pristine perfect 20 page paper in a day, just after she read the 1500 page novel for American Lit! What is this “perfect” that we seek so hard to find??

Too often, it seems, we seek to find the perfection we think we see in someone else. We look. We examine. We analyze everyone else’s perceived goodness and realize our lacking. We compare our faults to their “greatness,” and we are left wanting more. Who told us they are by whom we should measure ourselves??

Who convinced us of their perfection? They are not the answer. They are not the picture of perfection. What they do or don’t do should never be our focus! Who are “they” anyway?? They can never satisfy our longings. They can never fulfill our dreams. They can never transform us from who were once were to whom we are destined to be!

Only the Creator of our lives can bring about perfection. Only Jesus should be our goal of perfection! He is the only one who was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, dies for us, rose again and has promised to come again. Only HE is the picture of perfect by which we should examine our life. Only HE should be sought after for our value of perfection.

The only way we can reach to His perfection is to first be real with our imperfections and realize we can never achieve absolute perfection until He perfects our earthly bodies with a heavenly one. We can only reach to His perfection by becoming more like Him and so much less like ourselves. It’s a daily struggle, a daily walk toward His cross and away from our flesh…It’s a daily journey in realism. Why don’t we try a little real-ness in our search for Him? How about a little authenticity in our daily lives?

Are you ready for a little honesty…a little truth? Let’s drop the games that we play, and let’s get real. Let’s live lives of authenticity. Let’s live lives more like Christ: love, joy, peace, patience and truth…these are the makings for perfection! Let’s chase after Him rather than all those who would try to make us think they are perfect. 🙂

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 4:48

Catch and Release

June 16, 2015June 15, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Catch and release…joy, love, peace, anger, resentment, pain.

Our youngest son loves to fish. He loves to go out, take his fishing pole, cast a line, and catch whatever there is to catch! It doesn’t matter if it’s little fish, medium size, or a great big one… Although, he loves the great big catch! That boy just loves to fish!

I started thinking…Ya know, we need to be more like this is life! What if we were so eager to “fish” for the good things in life…like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness? What if we cast our lines big, expecting those great big wonderful “fish” to latch on for good?

What if we learned to release those bad things that don’t amount to anything? What if we let go of those thoughts of jealousy, those memories that bring bitterness, those concerns and fears that keep us from chasing our dreams? …what if??

How different would our everyday lives be if we “caught” only what was good and “released” all that was bad? How different would we react to those around us? How different would our legacy be to those comintbg behind us?

Sure, life doesn’t always being great stuff everyday. There are storms that come, but it rains for a good fisherman, too! Yet, I’ve heard that’s when some of the best fishing is done, in the rain! You’ve just got to know what to catch and keep and what to release back into the lake!

Why not try it today? Put on your greatest fishing attire. Pull out that sparkling rod and reel, and set out on a fishing adventure of “Catch and Release.” Catch only good…Release all that’s bad, and see how different your life can be today. 🙂

What’s Inside?

June 15, 2015June 15, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

When you’re upset, you upset what’s really in you. -Ann Voskamp

You’ve heard it said, “When you spill the glass, you see what’s inside.” If sweet tea is inside, you see tea, and if it’s sour milk, you surely don’t get sweet tea! 😉 This is so true for each of us. No matter how pretty of a face we paint on, no matter how many smiles we flash, if our character is ugly, when pressures come, (and they will!) ugly is what will come out!

In the moments of stress, it’s never a matter of what we know, who we know, or even what we’ve learned. It’s a matter of what we’ve allowed inside our hearts, what we’ve processed and what we’ve consumed. What is within our hearts is what is brought to the surface when we face hard times.

I long for good to flow when I’m spilled out. I don’t like sour milk, never have; yet, when pressures arise, sometimes, sour is all that’s left. It gets messy. I long for purity. I long for less mess, and I’m really working on this; I truly am.

Yet, I have found that it’s not a matter of the mind. You can’t just make yourself act better. You can’t just decide in your mind, “Ok, today will be different. No more spills. No more sour milk. Today, I shall be on a better course. I shall be better!” No, it’s not just a simple making up of the mind, and all is well. It’s a matter of the heart, and, oh, how that heart can be so stubborn sometimes…

I can determine in my mind that I will not doubt. I will not grow angry. I will not be afraid. I can convince myself that this time will be different. I will be different; however, if I’ve only convinced my mind, and I’ve not dealt with my heart, that heart will rebel. That heart will even revolt. When the heat of the moment comes, and my guard is let down, that heart will adamantly revert back to its comfort zone of fear, doubt, anger, or whatever emotion consumes it at the time.

You see, the heart holds all the wounds, all the pain and all the joy. The heart is full of all the emotion, all the wonder, all fear. When troubles come, it’s really the heart that speaks, and this is why it is always a matter of that stubborn heart which determines what will spill out.

This is why Jesus longs to rule our hearts. If He can hold our hearts, He can change our mind. He can transform our will. He can even change the world. If He can have our hearts surrendered to His will, He can consume our whole being.

If we want the inside to be purified, to be empty of the mess, to be as pretty as the outside we paint, we must lend Him our hearts. We must surrender our emotions, our pains, our wounds. We must allow His living waters to wash over our hearts. We must let Him heal us from the inside out, and then, we won’t have to worry when the glass is spilt. There will be no sour to pour. It will only be full of fresh, living water, flowing from His heart to ours, and out to the world.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:27-28

**Note: I did not take picture, nor do not I own picture. Simply taken from google search.

Cloud of Lies

June 11, 2015June 10, 2015 / The WheatandTares

You walk around in a cloud.

Voices are heard. Faces are seen.

Yet you never realize where they lean.

You paint a smile. You wave a hand.

Yet you never recognize where they land.

They run ever fast, but never arrive.

Opinions are spoken. Agendas are made.

Yet they never hear truth inside the raid.

They fight. They scramble for their own selfish sight.

Yet they never listen to anything that is right.

We spill out the words, never making sense.

Abuses are dreamt. Fantasies are taken.

Yet standards of honesty and peace are forsaken

We believe. We trust this is the better way.

Yet our children are being raised within the broken fray.

You walk around in a cloud.

Voices are heard. Faces are seen.

Yet you never know death is knocking; all is serene.

You live your life thinking this is the best.

Yet you never surrender; all are trying to find rest.

Penned – MG – 6/10/15

Shimmers Like Gold

June 9, 2015June 9, 2015 / The WheatandTares

The lake shimmers like gold.

I drove across the lake today. As I looked at the water it seemed to be shimmering, as if it was a pile of diamonds glowing in the sun. It was simply beautiful.

This moment reminded me that there’s beauty all around us, all the time. We just have to open our eyes and see it. We can get so busy in our everyday drives, in our daily routines, and in our weekly habits that we miss the beauty that God placed right in our midst. Do you ever just stop to actually smell the roses? Do you ever just pause at night and look up at the stars?

God placed us here amongst His creation to enjoy it and to praise Him for it. Yet too often these days, I think, we are too busy to even see it clearly. Sure we might pause for half a millisecond to watch a bird on a branch, to hear it chirp it’s little song, but then, we have appointments to make, things to do, people to see, and then we leave, missing out on its beautiful praise.

We must stop. We must get away. We must get alone until we’re not alone anymore. We must seek our Maker, and then, we’ll be able to see and hear what He has for us. His plans, His creation, His ways are so much clearer when we step out from among the chaos of our lives and step into His presence. I think I’d like to see Him today in the shimmering gold on the lake. I’d like to hear Him in the rustling of the leaves. Would you like to join me?

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord…” Psalm 96:11-13a

Tunnel Light

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015 / The WheatandTares

I wonder if the closer you get to the end, the more light that you will see?

Do you feel you’re in a tunnel today? Keep walking. Keep pushing. Keep going. You can make. You will make it. I have faith in you.

Most importantly, God has faith in you, and He is cheering you on. You are His. He created you, and He loves you, no matter who you are, where you’ve been or where you are right now. Trust Him, and just believe.

Romans 8:31, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Friction to Thrive

June 4, 2015June 6, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

There will be no sharpening of iron without friction. – rev. James Robison

It’s a scary place to be…on the edge of a knife. Wondering what to do, where to go, knowing one step can determine our destiny. In that moment, all can be gained or all can be lost. The choice is ours to make. It is never happenstance.

Friction shakes things up. Friction causes change, and friction causes a sharpening which cannot be found in the mundane moments of life. Yes, friction is needed in our lives to transform us from who we once were and propel us to who we are to become.

Often, many will choose to avoid this moment of tension, this moment of inner conflict, this opportunity for change. Some avoid it out of fear. Some avoid it out of pain. Some even avoid it out of sheer laziness. Whatever your reason, I can assure you of this truth: no matter your situation, and no matter your reasoning, every time you avoid that moment of friction, you become dull. You lose your edge. You may even miss the mark for a lifetime.

Sometimes, you can return. You might regain that sharpness. Sometimes, you can resume your cutting edge; yet, you are never guaranteed its return. You are never promised that repeated opportunity. There are some options which only come once in a lifetime, and all too often, those options come with friction.

The decision must be made before the conflict arises. The choice must be made today, not tomorrow. We must have a made up mind before the opportunity comes knocking. Don’t let life overwhelm you. Never let circumstances dictate your destiny. You are not a victim. Your life is not simple happenstance.

Choose you this day. Make up your mind, and chase your dreams. Make life happen all around you, and when you feel that friction, embrace it. Push against it. Stand tall in the midst of it. You will find it’s like a mighty sailboat, caught in the perfect winds on the sea. When the sails, the rutter, and the winds are all caught in perfect tension, that huge vessel will sail with great speed and with ease.

So, find that place of perfect friction. Embrace those conflicts which come with tenacity and vigor. Thrive in that moment of tension, and sail on, my friend. Sail on.

Designed For This Season

June 2, 2015November 14, 2015 / The WheatandTares

No matter the season in life that you find yourself, God has designed you specifically for that season! He has known you before the beginning of time. He formed you. He created you. He has molded you through the years and designed you for the moment you are in right now. Even on your worst day, in your worst season, and yes, even in those death moments, when you wonder if He’s even near, He knew you would be there. He knew what you would need to survive, to make it through and to escape those dark moments.

Trial. Sickness. Childbirth. Teen years. Dying parent. Loss of job. Location move. Loss of friend. He has equipped you to get through it. He has trained you and provided for you the means to conquer and to win!! I used to wonder why God would have allowed me to be a child of a neglective father, a daughter with an opposing personality to my mother, a person who is very flexible, sensitive, quick to shed a tear, and tender hearted toward things that, sometimes, maybe seemed odd to “tougher-minded” people. I didn’t know then that He would one day have me marry a man called to the ministry, that I would encounter people from all walks of life, and be called upon to reach them in some way. I had no idea those wounds, those places of pain that were so hard to endure throughout my youth, would be the very things which helped me to relate to those around me, those who were hurting and wondering if God even cared for them. I never thought that my eyes that so easily shed a tear would one day be the very things that helped me see another’s pain. I never knew, those many years ago in my childhood, that my love for writing would birth a blog-writing passion as an adult, and that passion for writing would be projected from a pulpit on Sunday mornings and end up reaching people I hadn’t even personally met. I never knew that my easy going, yet, love for details-type personality would be tailor made for my strong-minded, type-A, leader husband, and that this same personality would help me to raise our two very strong-minded, independent, and adventurous boys, but it is, and this has been the perfect compatibility to make for a fun-loving, safe, secure and warmth centered home.

You see, each of us are handcrafted to think a certain way, talk a certain way, and even to act/react a certain way. God has designed us to fit the plans He has for us. Now, we can mess all that up, and we can reject His plans for our life, and we can even delay His best when we stubbornly hold onto those things which He desires us to lose. However, if we submit our lives to Him, even through our screw-ups, He is continually working things out for our good. Even through tragedy and other people’s sins toward us, God can still work His good into our lives. It doesn’t mean God makes these tragedies and these wounds happen to us; yet, He does know they will come. He does know when they will happen, and I can’t answer all the whys that we each may have in those moments; however, I can tell you He is a God who knows our pain, feels our pain and can comfort us in your pain. I can tell you He is a God who can take our pain, our tragedies and our failures, and He can mold and create a beautiful work of art from it! He is a Master Potter, a Master Artist…He can work a masterpiece from just a muddy lump of clay!!

Sometimes, I see it as a fine tapestry, which if only seen on the backside, it appears to have no pattern, no design and definitely no beauty that could be apparent to anyone of reason; yet, when that same tapestry is turned over, the most beautiful artwork will appear. When that same tapestry is hung in a great hall to be viewed by many, it brings great admiration and even reverence for its beauty. When placed in the mighty hands of our Creator, our lives can be as this beautiful tapestry. He miraculously weaves and interweaves His beauty to bring forth His beautiful plans for our life.

If you find yourself, in this moment, wondering why your past is as it is, and you wonder if there could possibly be any good to come of your life, I encourage you to just place your hand in the hand of the One who created you. Just take that little step toward Him, and you will find He is already there, waiting on you to call His name. Submit your life to the One who intricately formed and designed you for His purpose and His plan. He can see so much more than we can see. He knows so much more than we could ever know. Why would He not be the perfect One to guide and direct our lives?

The Facade

June 1, 2015September 29, 2016 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

There She Goes

You know the one

She’s got her recipes plastered on Pinterest…all her beautiful cakes and dishes…Her creative parties and house decor…All those perfectly clean rooms and floors…

You know, supermom.

She’s got her status posted everyday of how wonderful life is, how precious her little angels are.

She adores her husband and he adores her.

She wrote just last night of how he brought her flowers for no particular reason.

Her ring is a true rock and her clothes always looks perfect and that hair…

Geez, does she go to the salon everyday?!

She’s not just supermom; she’s super wife!…Super-woman!!

She’s got to have it all and have it all together!

Or so you would think…

Yet, you didn’t see her last night snap at her husband and go to bed angry.

You weren’t there last week when she screamed at the kiddos when they spilt the milk.

You didn’t even know she ran back in the house this morning, make up streaming, baby spit up in her hair, Cherrios crushed down her new blouse, the car out of gas….because some Fridays just really start as Mondays.

You don’t realize she stresses out before every group event, because she’s really an introvert and worries about being accepted.

You don’t recognize the tears that brim as she smiles and slightly turns away so you can’t see.

You just don’t see her under the facade…

She awoke again terrified in the night …another nightmare…

She went straight to the babies’ rooms, scared that he had found her after all these years.

She’s suffered such abuse, such neglect, she wonders if anyone could ever truly care.

She wanders through this life simply surviving breath by breath, minute by tiny minute.

You never see her there, in the dark, all alone.

It’s all a facade.

It’s all a fancy charade to obtain a moment of sanity.

She dances with the emotions and she paints on the portraits.

All the while, she keeps the pain, the agony, the death, hiding there inside.

It’s time to coax her from the shadows, to give her hope for what might be.

It’s time to let go of our perceived perfection and love her for who she is, to help her dream of who she can one day become.

We must show her the hope she can have in Him.

We have to reach her, to be His hands extended, or she’ll forever be lost in her pain.

We’ve got to see past the facade to show her He died that she might live.

We must take off our own masks to let His love pour in; then, she may know His love and mercy that will sustain her, give her life and fill her with her with perfect peace.