wisdom

How Well Do You Wait?

/ The WheatandTares

Waiting on Him can be trying, challenging, pressure-filled and, sometimes, downright frustrating. Come on saints, let’s be honest, do you always enjoy waiting on the Lord? Or have you grown “so mature” in your Christian faith that honesty just isn’t part of it anymore?

 

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There have been moments in my life when waiting has been an absolute pain. I’ve not liked it, didn’t understand it, and couldn’t wait for God to bring forth the answer for which I’ve been praying! It’s hard to admit, but there have even been moments in the waiting when I’ve pitched a little temper tantrum for God to see how much I didn’t enjoy the waiting period! Now, that’s not the proper way to respond, because, I know, God knows best, and I should just simply trust Him. However, I don’t claim to be perfect, and I can guarantee you, those times when He has made me wait, I have learned some very valuable lessons for life…

A few things I have learned in the Waiting:

  1. Sometimes, God has us wait, because He is fixing a situation, and we get to see the glorious results when He is finished.
  2. Sometimes, God is working on someone else’s stubborn heart, and it takes a little bit for Him to get through to that person.
  3. Sometimes, God has us wait, because He is fixing our own stubborn heart, and it takes Him a bit to get through our thick skull!
  4. Sometimes, God is working good out of a bad situation from which we will benefit.
  5. Sometimes, God has us wait, because His answer has to be NO, and we’re just not quite ready to hear it or receive it.
  6. Waiting always brings a chisel along to chip away hard places that have formed in my heart.
  7. Waiting, if I allow it to, makes me slow down, reassess, and redirect my thoughts and feelings.
  8. Waiting always brings a new realization of who I am and who He desires me to be.
  9. Waiting, when I allow it to, causes me to see more of Him and less of me.
  10. Waiting always moves me closer to the Father when I am earnestly seeking Him for His answer rather than my own.

When we wait on Him, our future can be secure. When we wait on Him, we learn. We are strengthened, and, quite often, we are transformed. When we wait on Him and His timing, He is able to work on our character and the molding of our heart and mind.

 

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So, if you find yourself in the waiting room of life today, maybe take a moment away from the emotions and struggles, and breathe. Look to heaven, and ask Him to help you through it. He may not bring an immediate desired answer, but I can guarantee you that when you put your hand in His, you will grow deeper through the wait.

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!Psalm 27:14

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The Beauty of Audrey

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

For this second day of the quotes challenge, I cannot avoid deferring to Audrey Hepburn for a few words of wisdom. She was beautiful both inside and out…

Day 2 – 3 Quotes:

I was nominated by Joanna Lynn at Dipping Into the Heart for the 3 Quotes, 3 Days challenge. Stop by and check out her site. Her story is inspirational. I accepted the challenge because it sounds like fun, and I enjoy sharing others’ blogs for you to see. 🙂 For the challenge, I am to nominate three people a day to the challenge and a quote (or three) a day. Here are my nominees:

Day 2 Nominees:

Camelia’s Cottage
Scribbled by M
JonahzSong

These are amazing blogs written by amazing people. Stop by and check out their blogs.

Let me leave you the rules of the challenge:

  1. Three quotes for three days.
  2. Three nominees each day (no repetition).
  3. Thank the person who nominated you.
  4. Inform the nominees.

 

Thank you to Joanna for nominating me for this challenge. It has stretched me to really consider my quote “favorites,” as well as, be reminded of how to do these challenges! 😉

What Are We To Do?

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

So, we find ourselves in this dilemma.

The dilemma of moving forward to the unknown, the uncomfortable, the unfamiliar or remaining here in the regretful, comfortable, familiar present. Neither place is easy. For, the beyond makes us confront, stretch and change, yet, the present seems like an old jacket which we used to love but has shrunk so much over the years that it doesn’t “fit like a glove” anymore…really, it doesn’t fit at all. So, what are we to do?

If we remain, we will conform. We will grow complacent. We will become okay with mediocre, and we will say goodbye to the hopes and dreams we’ve held so dear.

If we step forward, we will be challenged. We will doubt. We will question our talents and our skills. We might even find that our abilities weren’t what we thought they were.

So, what are we to do?

If we are to grow, if we to succeed, we move toward the mark. If we are to fulfill the dreams that burn so deep within our hearts that it takes our breath, we step up and take the chance. It may not come again. This door to the great beyond may slam shut, never to open like this again.

As we look forward, holding dear to heart all that was past, we begin a new tomorrow. We will find hardships. We will find challenges. We might even find an alternate path, but we will not go back. We will not quit.

For tomorrow is gone, and if the dream is to be grasped, we must proceed to what’s ahead. We must shift from what was and change our perspective. You never know, instead of falling, we might just FLY!

 

DAILY PROMPT:Dilemma

Where Are You Leading Them?

/ The WheatandTares

millstoneLet us never lead a little one to stumble. I have found that this Scripture can be interpreted in so many different scenarios. Literally, it can mean leading small children away in their faith (or in other things, for that matter). It can, also, mean distracting new converts from their new commitment to God’s calling, and it can even be mature Christians being directed down the wrong path by prideful, egotistical or ambitious fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

As Christians, we must be so careful not to lead “little ones” astray from the Word of God and from what He has in store for their lives. The Bible says it is better for a millstone to be wrapped around your neck and you thrown into the depths of the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble! In case, you don’t know what a millstone is, it was one of the large circular stones used to grind grain in grist mills years ago.

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When we are called into leadership, when we are called into teaching capacities, and even when we are placed in situations by God to help someone learn more about Him, our number one goal should be to lead them closer to Him not away from Him! We can only do this as we seek His face and listen for His answers to their questions and wonderings.

Whether we are a parent, a mentor, a teacher, or simply a friend, we should never take lightly a position of influence in someone else’s life. We should boldly walk in the authority He gives us but never because of our own wisdom, strength or abilities. We should approach it with buckets full of humility and grace, lest we get filled with pride and lead one of His precious ones away from what He has in store for them.

Let us be ever prayerful and ever mindful when it concerns someone who is impacted by our words and deeds. Let us always be humble and full of grace, and never let us take lightly the positions of leadership and influence He gives us in someone else’s life.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42

 

PROTECTION

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

My pastor gave this great description of like to share with you:

PRAYER + PREPARATION = PROTECTION

We were actually talking about security in our church when he gave this, but I’d like to take t a step further into our spiritual lives… Both of these steps are vital for our Christian walk. Too often, I believe, we find ourselves in a chaotic mess, because we’ve forgotten one of these two essentials.

When we are so much in prayer, but we don’t prepare for anything, we appear to those around us as spiritual IDIOTS. Please forgive my bluntness, but it’s true. If you are always proclaiming God’s greatness, and you’re speaking your praises wherever you go, but you can’t hold down a job, you can’t pay your bills and you can’t keep your mind and mouth in stability, you’re actually hurting the Gospel more than helping it. Now, I am NOT talking about those who have a tragedy or come on hard times, please understand. Everyone has their battles, and sometimes, we just have to hold onto Jesus a little tighter to make it through the day. However, if it’s a lifestyle of perpetual chaos and instability, you may be missing the mark somewhere. For the Word tells us, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  2 Tim. 2:7

On the other side of this spectrum, if you are so prepared, yet you never pray, your witness will hurt the kingdom, as well. We can be so earthly minded that we do heaven no good. Sometimes, faith isn’t going to look right to the world. Sometimes, prayer is going to seem a little crazy to the carnally minded, and sometimes, prayer is the ONLY thing that is going to bring about victory in your life! If we are so prepared, or maybe I should use the word WISE, in our own abilities and skill sets, we can do damage to our witness for Christ, because we fail to see our need for Him. We rely too much in our own strength and our own smarts. Or should I say, “…for in my weakness He is made strong.”

It takes both the prayer and the preparation to being about God’s full protection. When we have both, we walk in His complete authority. When we have both, we can storm the gates of hell and take back the captives, because it is no longer our own words and our own might, but HIS!

Let us be a people of preparation AND of prayer, and we will watch Him bring forth the victory!

Slippery Slope

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

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We all get angry. Being angry is an emotion. It is a natural emotion that happens when something goes not as planned. It is a part of human nature. Yet, when it becomes a part of your life, a holding which you will not release, and a habit that you simply expect everyone to accept and tolerate, you have entered the slippery slope of failure and eventual disaster.

Anger can be a natural reaction, just as joy, fear and sadness are natural reactions and emotions with which we all live. We can’t truly shut these off, just as we can’t shut off our own breath, without a part of us dying inside. Yet, we can learn to control our anger. We can learn to compress it into submission, and we can choose to embrace joy and life in its place.

Now, let me clarify one thing. There is such a thing as righteous anger, or indignation, and sometimes, you just need to get ill! The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and do not sin…” There will be moments in our lives when we must get angry against things that are just wrong, people who are bringing harm, or just plain stupidity that has brought about danger. For instance, if a child has been intentionally harmed by an adult, and you simply stand around proclaiming peace and prosperity, you’re the one who needs to wake up. If there are people dying at the hands of another, by all means, get upset. Take the action needed to stop the injustice. The proclamation of peace in war times is foolish and nonsensical! Let’s use some common sense here. I am not talking about anger against injustice, violence and hatred against the innocent. These things should never be tolerated! However, I am talking about unbridled anger that brings about rage and unnecessary harm.

You see, unbridled anger will eventually lead to death, either in ourselves or in someone else. Uncontrolled anger leads to resentment, bitterness and even rage. When you allow anger to rule your life, you are allowing all of these things to follow, not only within you, but around you. It will infiltrate the lives of those around you to the point they must choose to leave you or confront you.

Unbridled Anger is a slippery slope we all must avoid. Choose life. Speak life. Be life to those you encounter. Let that anger slip away to give room for more joy, more love, more forgiveness and hope. If you need help, ask for it. If you need hope, search for it. If you ask the right people, and you seek the right places, you will find it.

“So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.'” Genesis 4:6-7

Daily Prompt: Angry

Do You See A Purpose?

/ The WheatandTares

What is your purpose?

Sometimes, you can dream about your purpose for the future, for the world, for your nation. These dreams are fun, exciting, and if pursued, they can be life changing. Everyone should have a dream and a purpose bigger than they are. When you live your life for a purpose bigger than you, one that is for the greater good of those around you, it’s easier to avoid things like selfishness, arrogance and even self-loathing.

Yet, what do you do when those dreams seem too big, too far or too foreign to the struggle and turmoil of everyday life? What about those lives who are broken and in despair, and the next breath seems too hard to imagine? What about them? What does purpose mean then?

Sometimes, you just have to realize your purpose for the here and now, and set aside those bigger purposes, those bigger dreams for another day. It doesn’t mean those things can’t happen, but when your spouse is lying debilitated in a hospital bed, those “purposes for the future” seem a little farfetched. When your child is suffering from a terminal illness, and you don’t even know if she’ll make it till tomorrow, those “dreams bigger than life” seem a little nonsensical.

At these times, you simply do what comes next, and you do it well. You take care of the one you love and the ones you are with, and you let tomorrow take care of itself. You find purpose in today, in the now, in the value of those around you. That purpose, sometimes, can become greater than any “big purpose” you could find elsewhere.

When things don’t turn out as you imagined, and your purpose seems a little less than you dreamed, just hold on. It doesn’t mean that purpose will never come to fruition. It doesn’t mean your dreams will never be realized. It just means it’s on hold for a little while, and what’s in front of you may need more attention than those “big” things. Your purpose is before you always. Sometimes, you just have to open your eyes to see it.

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“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”  Habakkuk 2:3

 

Daily Prompt: Purpose

The Pursuant

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Reading Jonah 2, it becomes clear to me that God is a God of pursuant love. His love is not stagnant. He doesn’t just “sit around” and wait on us to seek Him. He places things all around us to turn our hearts toward Him. He allows things to happen in our lives that would cause us to look to Him once again.

He pursues us with His love. He longs for us to be with Him. He yearns to have a conversation with us, a moment of communion, a friendship. He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us when He ascended to heaven that He might draw our hearts back to Him when we stray from Him.

It makes me wonder, how much do we pursue Him in this way? Do we only think about Him when it comes church time and prayer time over the meal? Do we only think of Him when we are in trouble and in distress, because, after all, He is a ‘God of answers’ and a ‘God of help?’

He longs for so much more from us. He pursues us, because He wants our hearts as well as our hands. He can catch our hands so easily. It’s easy to catch your child’s hand when they’re young, when they need help after a tumble, and when you need to stop them from running in the street.

However, it’s harder to catch the heart of your teen when they desperately long for independence and have so many new avenues to find that freedom. It’s even harder to win the heart of your grown child if you didn’t quite master the task in their younger years, and now they’ve grown beyond their need for what you have to offer. You have to get more creative, and they have to be willing to come back to you. They, also, have to realize time spent with you is more valuable than they once imagined it might be.

I believe we have this same tendency toward our Heavenly Father. When we first get saved, He is all we think about, all we talk about. We pursue a relationship with Him. Yet, as life moves forward, the responsibilities pull on us, and the priorities of this world knock down our door, we set Him aside for brighter, easier days. We forget about that relationship we once had when we daily communed with Him. We set Him to the side as we pursue the approval of man and the kind words of a friend. We, now, wait till we are in distress to call on His name.

But oh, the sweetness of walking with Him day by day. Oh the joy we miss when we put Him aside. What countless burdens we carry when we do not share them with Him. What needless turmoil we invite when we don’t allow Him in.

He’s still there where you left Him. Seek Him out today. You will find Him. He promised that when you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him.

 

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Spur Them To Love

/ The WheatandTares

 
What do we do to spur others on toward love and good deeds? Are our words full of truth that brings them toward God or turns them away? Are our words full of conviction or condemnation, love or hate? 

What are our words saying about our fellow man? What do they say about sinners? What do we say about fellow believers? What do they say about God??

Sometimes, as Christians, we can be so bent toward our own opinions and standards that we push “outsiders” away rather than draw them in toward God. We speak our view so forceful and with so much anger that they wonder if there’s any love for them in the message we give. However, more often these days, we can be so passive that we allow them to feel completely comfortable in their sin that they feel no need for a different way or a different outlook. This, I believe, is also to what this Scripture is speaking. 

As of late, I hear fellow Christians “biting” at one another claiming the others don’t show enough grace to the sinner, the message is too hard, that they need to be “nicer…more accommodating…more tolerant.” No, actually the message of Christ has never been too accommodating nor too tolerant. They ended up killing Him for the message He brought! No, the truth doesn’t have allowance for sin, but rather the messenger has to show love will telling the truth. When Jesus spoke to the adulterous woman, he didn’t condemn her of her sin, but His words were convicting, for He said, “Go and sin no more.” He showed her love while telling her the truth. The woman at the well was not congratulated for the numerous marriages she had had nor the current shack-up relationship she was currently in. Christ showed her love while telling her of her need for change. 

What are we telling the world that is spurring them toward love and good deeds? We must show love while maintaining a message of truth and holiness to spur them toward the same thing. We cannot expect them to do what we are not. We must show them Christ in all we say and all we do. Does this mean we must tolerate sin and condone wickedness? For grace’s sake, NO! 

God’s message brings about conviction. It brings about repentance. It brings about change. We must share this message with the world. This is the message that spurs others toward love and good deeds. This is the message that challenges hearts to repent and lives to change. We must be conscientious of our purpose. Their lives depend upon it. Their eternity depends upon it. 

What are we saying to our fellow Christians that is spurring them toward love and good deeds? We must show love to our fellow brothers and sisters, for this is how we show the world we love God! If we are biting, scratching and killing each other, why in the world would the want to be a part of what we have?? Love one another, for this shows the world the love of God… We’ve just been convinced in today’s culture that love is synonymous with agreement, but I digress. That’s another blog for another day… 😉

  

Dream BIG!

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

If you’re going to dream, by all means, dream BIG! Go for broke! Don’t settle for second best, for what is just simply good and practical. Dream the big stuff! Dream the impossible! Dream the unfathomable!

Now, does that mean all those dreams will come true? Does this mean you must hold out for that dream until the day you die? Does it mean everything you dream must come to pass in order for you to have a happy, fulfilled life? Can I answer honestly here? NO, NO, and NO! Just because you dream big doesn’t mean each and every one has to become reality, and just because it’s a great big dream that doesn’t come to pass doesn’t mean it’s the end of your happy and meaningful life.

Sometimes, we can get so fixated on a dream that we miss the real stuff that is right before us. I’ve seen parents who are so filled with wanderlust and so focused on the unfulfilled dreams they had growing up that they forsake the very lives of their children for what they thought they would become. They miss out on the beauty, wonder and joy of their children’s love and “big sky thinking,” because of their own selfish grasp on the “should’ve/could’ve/would’ve” regrets of yesterday. That’s not the kind of dreaming I’m encouraging here. I’m talking about the kind of dreaming that pushes the limits while also drawing others in to join you!

dr seuss quoteWe should dream big simply because it makes us a better person. Dreaming makes us more interesting to those around us and makes us see beyond the reality of today, which sometimes, is a very difficult one to face. There are a few keys to dreaming big: (1) it is to not just dream for yourself, but to dream for those around you, and to allow them to dream big, to imagine the impossible for themselves; (2) to realize it IS a dream, one that may or may not one day be fulfilled, but its purpose is to stretch your imagination to see beyond the practical sensibilities of your present state, to give you the fortitude to reach beyond to where you can be; and (3) to realize the dreaming isn’t always for the realization of the dream, but for the possibilities, the growth and the learning in the process. Unrealized big dreams, sometimes, are more fun to imagine than the actuality once they arrive. Think of Peter Pan. He was always dreaming, always scheming, and even though, all his dreams weren’t completely realized, he had such fun while traveling on his journeys! (Yes, I know this is a fictional character, but work with me here! 😉 )

So, dream with me while living this reality in which we live. Dream big for your family, for your children, for your friends. Encourage them to dream big and to seek after those dreams. Most of all, dream big for YOU. You might be surprised at where it takes you! 🙂

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Daily Prompt:  Dream