truth

Perfection

/ 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

What’s Inside?

/ 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

/ 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

Power of Reflected Light

/ The WheatandTares

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The lighthouse has such a powerful light which shines across the sea; however, it’s actually not because of a particularly bright light bulb. Rather, it is because of the mirrors in place which cause the reflected light to shine brightly into darkness.

Just as a lighthouse is not bright simply because of a powerful light, a person cannot truly be strong simply because of his or her own strength, and a church cannot be strong simply because of a good program, a popular song service or even a great man behind the pulpit. When founded in Christ, the only true strength is when we reflect the praise we receive upon those with whom we are joined to minist, and reach those who are lost.

When the church body, the leadership, and the pastor are constantly reflecting upon each other all the light that is brought upon them, and especially when they are reflecting that light upon Jesus, the strength of that is enforced and brightened beyond imagination. We, as Christians, have too often, gotten into competitive relays with each other, always trying to better ourselves for the sake of gaining numbers, or taking them from another body of believers, rather than, bettering ourselves for the sake of our Christian walk and lifting Him up so that He might draw them to Himself. We’ve worked too hard to soak up the spotlight which has been show upon us rather than reflected that light upon those around us and upon Christ. Let us each learn a lesson from the beautiful lighthouse!

The power of reflected praise: Any praise you get should be reflected onto someone else! The church grows stronger by the power of reflected light!

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

Fall Into It (1)

/ The WheatandTares

Fall Into LOVE

Fall into love like you fell into those piles of autumn leaves as a child, or maybe, you’d prefer that snow to make snow angels. Either way, you wanted nothing more than to keep falling over and over and over. You wanted nothing less than to get right back up and fall again. That is just how our love should be, falling deeper and deeper with each new day…with God…with family…with our spouse…with children…with nature…with LIFE.
Our problems with people are not always the people. Too often, when we have a conflict, we like to tell ourselves, it’s because we haven’t loved enough. We haven’t tried enough. We haven’t sacrificed enough. When all we need is more of Him and so much less of us. If we’d just fall into love with Him, He would love through us. He would speak through us. He would reach through us. So, fall into Him; so, your heart can love them.

Expectancy

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

Expectations.

We all have them.

We all set them.

Sometimes, they’re set too high,

And we grow frustrated and angry, sorrowful and discouraged.

Sometimes, they’re set too low,

And we act shocked, amazed, elated and even indignant.

Expectations.

We all receive them.

We all survive through them.

Sometimes, they make us feel warm, welcomed and embraced.

Sometimes, they leave us weary, battered and confused.

Expectations.

Maybe, if we could learn the difference between grace and judgment,

They would be easier to give.

Maybe, if we realized the perfect balance is found in love and absolute truth,

They could be easier to live.

Penned – MG – 11/24/14

Let Me Be Found True

/ The WheatandTares

Oh, Lord, how do I love thee?

Let me count not the ways

 

I speak of You in public grace

Yet, ignore You in the secret place

I praise You when it’s convenient

But neglect You when it’s intimate

I look to You when I remember and when I’m in need

However, forget You when my schedule is in the lead

 

Oh, Father, please forgive me from this wretched sin

Cleanse my heart and mind from within

Let me not be a person of works alone

And have not a single seed yet to be sown

Change me from this life of chaos and pride

Transform my soul to one in which You may abide

I give You my life, my heart and my breath

I surrender my dreams, my future, my death

 

Oh, my King, how do I love thee?

I pray You can count the ways

 

I desire to serve you in all my ambitions

Yet, we all have fallen short of Your suppositions

I long for the day when our eyes shall finally meet

But I fear for Your glory burns so awfully deep

I yearn to be found worthy, righteous and true

However, You spoke of many by whom Your words would be doomed

 

Oh, Yahweh, please conform my plans to Your ways

Mold me, make me into Your earthen vessel of clay

Redirect my words, my thoughts, my actions and deeds

Set anew my wants and reconstruct them to Your needs

I give You my life, my heart and my breath

I surrender my dreams, my future and my death

 

Penned – MG – 6/30/03

The candle

/ The WheatandTares / 5 Comments

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The candle burns bright into the darkened room.

It chases away the shadows, bringing comfort to the tiny heart.

The candle burns long to shine a path across the plain.

It leads the way home, weary travelers returning from unknown parts.

The candle flickers as it’s battered by the wind.

It resolves to stay lit in spite of the threat.

The candle flickers on as the enemy tears at your soul.

It stands firm within your heart, preaching a sermon, casting the net.

Trim the wick.

Pour the oil.

Fan the flame.

Don’t let the trials lessen your foundation, silencing your claim.

Light the fire.

Shield with truth.

Block the gale.

Don’t give the enemy a foothold, causing you to fail.

Liebster Award Nomination

/ The WheatandTares

INTRO AND THANKS                                                                   

This week I received two nominations for the Liebster Award from these bloggers:

Thank you so much!! I am incredibly honored to accept this award!

The Liebster Award has German origins. The word “liebster” has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, sweetheart and boyfriend. It aims to discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. Bloggers award other bloggers.

HOW IT WORKS

It aims to discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. Bloggers award other bloggers. Here are the rules for accepting the Liebster award:

  • Post the award on your blog.
  • Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.
  • Write 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers.
  • Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions.

MY RANDOM FACTS

To start, I give you 11 random facts about myself:

  1. I am a “Southern girl” to the bone, but I have many friends who are “Northerners.”
  2. I may be from the South, but my favorite seasons are Fall and Winter.
  3. Last note about my Southern roots…I hate to be cold, but I absolutely love wearing boots, sweaters and hats.
  4. I am very cold natured…I am usually comfortable in long sleeved shirts when it’s 77 degrees outside
  5. I hate tomatoes, but I love anything made with tomatoes (ie. spaghetti sauce).
  6. I am outnumbered in my house: 1 female vs. 3 males.
  7. I once jumped off a 20 ft. cliff into the Etowah River (Tennessee).
  8. I love flavored coffees, hot teas and desserts.
  9. I have a CD titled, “City of Gold,” which I love listening to, because it talks about what heaven might be like.
  10. I love to hike to waterfalls and mountaintops and drive through little mountain towns.
  11. My husband is my very best friend, and we try to go on a date each week…this is how we keep TRUE LOVE alive!

MY ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FROM THE BLOGGERS WHO NOMINATED ME (X2…You don’t have to read all of these if you’re pressed for time.)

IN RESPONSE…  to my nomination from The Crafty Lady In Combat Boots (Check out her page for more great reading!)

  1. What is your biggest dream in life?  Make it to heaven
  2. Are you planning to make it happen and how?  Yes…by loving my God and my “neighbor”
  3. If you could live in any other country except the one you are from, what would it be?  New Zealand
  4. If you became a millionaire, what would be the first thing you bought/invest in?  A ranch home with land
  5. What is the most embarrassing moment of your life this far?  I really try to forget those…fell UP the stairs at college, spilling my books DOWN the stairs
  6. What is your favorite sport (to do, not to watch)?  Hiking…is that considered a sport?
  7. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard/read of?  sex trafficking…that a person could actually be comfortable with doing this to another human being
  8. What is the biggest reason why you decided to accept this challenge?  It looked like fun
  9. What would be your dream job?  I have it now…wife and SAH (stay at home) Mom to my kids
  10. What is the scariest thing that has ever occurred to you?  that people could become so desensitized to the value of life that they’re ok with killing the “insignificant” and using the innocent
  11. What would you do if you found a brand new iPhone 6 on the street that someone has lost?  Look around for owner, see if store near by where they may have bought it, return to an Apple store so they could possibly look up owner.

IN RESPONSE…  to Write Out of the Darkness (Check out her page for more great reading!)

  1. How are you, really?  I’m doing really great!
  2. What is your favorite part about today so far?  Hugging my sons and kissing my husband
  3. What is your favorite joke?  Knock-Knock…Who’s there?…Jamaican…Jamaican Who?…Jamaican me CRAZY!
  4. What is the best prank you’ve ever pulled?  Made my husband think I had disappeared in the woods at a summer camp
  5. What do you think is one of the most undervalued professions right now and why?   genuine teachers and authentic preachers…because they invest so much into the lives of people who can choose to not listen and throw away any wisdom they might give
  6. How do you feel about public speaking?  scares me to death, but I’ve done it many times
  7. What is the first thing you notice about people?  their eyes and their smile
  8. When you open someone’s blog for the first time, what makes you keep reading?  their About page
  9. What is your blogging pet peeve? (And you better not say awards…. just kidding. If it is, you can say it.)  tonight, it would have to be setting up links…because apparently, I am a novice, and I don’t know the easy way to do this! ugh.
  10. If you could go back in history, who would you like to meet?  There are actually several…Esther, JRR Tolkien and Ronald Reagan
  11. What accomplishment are you most proud of?  Having  two boys who are passionate about their faith…I can’t really take credit on this. It’s more of a “God thing.”

IF YOU WERE NOMINATED BY ME, START REALLY PAYING ATTENTION HERE

The rules are to select 11 nominees; however, I am going to nominate 7. This really goes against my “rule-following nature,” but in order to allow for more blogging time tonight, I’m going to follow suit of those who nominated me. 🙂

If selected, you are, of course, free to reject my nomination. You have no obligation to accept the Liebster Award. No worries if you don’t. You are also free to pick new questions or choose questions from all the questions I answered. After all, this will be your blog not mine. You get to decide what goes on it, who is linked to it and how you spend your time on it. Thanks for playing! ❤

My nominees are:

And my questions are:

  1. If money were no object, and you could not fail, what would you do?
  2. What is your favorite part about today so far?
  3. If you could live in any part of the world, where would it be?
  4. What is your greatest fear?
  5. What do you hope people remember about you when you die?
  6. What is your favorite song, and why?
  7. What is the first thing you notice about people?
  8. When you open someone’s blog for the first time, what makes you keep reading?
  9. Read any good books lately? Please share the title and author.
  10. If you could go back in history, who would you like to meet?
  11. What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?

If you have been nominated and agree to accept, here are the rules again, because, this is a REALLY long post, and your memory might have gotten “lost in the shuffle” by now:

  • Post the award on your blog.
  • Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.
  • Write 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers. (Let them know by commenting on their About page though!  🙂 )
  • Answer the questions I gave you and ask your nominees questions of your own.

Whew! I have completed the task. This was a lot of fun; however, it would have been quite a bit easier had I figured out that “linking thing” before tonight! haha!

I look forward to reading your answers seeing who you choose!