As soon as we moved into the apartment, I immediately recognized a ministry opportunity before us, but one disaster after another has befallen us keeping us very distracted and increasingly frustrated. So I ask, "Does Satan use the same types of distraction tactics so commonly played by elected officers in Washington, DC? Are these trials sent from the enemy of our souls to keep me from sharing the greatest news on earth with those who desperately seek it?"
So this morning, I remembered to put on the armor of God.
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.As I was exiting my apartment today, that neighbor I have been wanting to get to know better and show kindness to surprisingly extended a warm greeting to me despite our cultural differences. That was the reminder I needed to stay focused on loving Christ and on loving my neighbors while He takes care of all the problems.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:10-18)
So, I have learned through these trials how imperative it is that I remain armored up at all times because on my own, I am weak, easily frustrated, selfish, and volcanic. Thank you, Lord, for your Spirit who comforts and guides us (Gift #341), your peace through any storm (Gift #342), Christ's righteousness which covers us (#343), the shield of faith which protects us (#344), and for Your truth, our greatest and only offensive weapon (#345).
My momentary contentment is strongly correlated with my focus. With so many petty problems within my current surroundings in need or remedy, I must ask, "Am I seeing God's gifts or am I only concerned about my own selfishly rooted irritations? Are my own light and momentary trials or financial frustrations distracting me from being the hands and feet of Jesus to those facing exceedingly more difficult trials?" Right now, a close family member is at a Hospice facility waiting to die as his devoted wife of 48 years sits by his side without having had real sleep in over 10 days. As I grieve over a childhood neighborhood friend who got hit by a drunk driver while she was out walking for exercise and recently passed away after an extended hospital stay and a tough fight against all the resulting injuries, am I faithful to lift up the husband, family, and friends she left behind? What are my little trials compared to the agony of a dear friend who stood by her father (physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.) every moment as he courageously endured the cruel, harsh, rigorous battle against brain cancer only to have it take his life? As I listen to the story of the vibrant youth pastor and his pregnant wife who were killed before their young son's eyes while driving home from youth camp, just one mile from their church, and consider the mother who also died in that wreck leaving her adoring husband and five children behind, how dare I complain about anything? Is my focus on God and His presence or on my temporal circumstances? As the frustration with how each day seems wasted as I attend to problems that should have never happened, I must remember that no work done OF THE LORD is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58), whereas work done only to please oneself is.
"You aren’t wasting your life when you’ve poured out for eternity — wherever you are....There are a thousand ways to be stretched thin and it’s the stretchmarks that a soul wears gratefully that can be these thin places –that give us more of God." Ann VoskampFor whom am I working and in whom am I seeking contentment? Look to Jesus, and bear it all for His name's sake.
All these changes have had me thinking much about our missionary friends. Various families we know well and love deeply, one with a baby on the way, another with four kids under six, or yet another with six kids under ten (and so forth), have each sold all their belongings except that which could fit into one shipping container and a few suitcases. My homeschooling supplies alone could fill up a container, and they homeschool six kids! They sold their cars, home, and possessions and used the proceeds to pay for their expenses on the field. There they live and work in wretched conditions compared to what they knew in America where the language is foreign, electric power is intermittent, the economy is weak, food selection is minimal, medical care is inadequate, and their physical safety is always at risk. Love of God and people and a firm grasp of His vision for their lives compels them and helps them persevere. I have heard their stories, watched their videos, and felt what I thought was empathy, but I have not truly tasted any of their sufferings, not that they would call them "sufferings" for it is all joy when endured for Jesus. Now that I have lost a few modern comforts (internet access at home, operational household appliances, pest control, functional toilets, relatively large living spaces) and faced minor inconveniences like a bathroom that floods once or twice a day and bugs the size of my head (okay, the size of my head when I was much younger) for a rental payment 50% higher than our mortgage was at our previous home which was three times bigger than this apartment, I think life has suddenly gotten more complicated when I should consider how the MAJORITY of the world lives. How would I like a one room mud hut with NO appliances, no running water, lots of bugs in the home which must serve as my DINNER (eek!), and a weekly salary of $2? I have it good y'all.2 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV)
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
When I returned back to the apartment today, I saw a note indicating that a maintenance crew had actually been there to address some of our smaller concerns. They even offered to replace the brand new dishwasher which is defective with a new one, although no replacement date was set and there is no assurance the new one will work either, but at least I can wash dishes by hand with a little more hope now. There's no telling when the pest problem will be addressed, but at least it isn't the swarm of locusts we all deserve. I'm not sure if the flooding in the bathroom and resulting mold/mildew concerns will ever be resolved, but there is comfort in knowing this living arrangement is only temporary as is all of life in this world. (1 Chronicles 29:15) I'm so glad this world is not my home. (Gift #346)
I also wish I could stop following the news (not the corrupt, fake, mainstream news..but more reliable sources) which makes our circumstances seem more desperate, but I simply cannot keep my head in the sand or remain apathetic when my children, your children, unborn children, the basic freedoms that so many brave patriots fought and died to preserve, and God's precepts which were the foundation of this country are cursed, destroyed or enslaved. When my children are paying back the outrageous, immoral debts incurred by my generation, when their very lives are at risk for uttering the name of Jesus, when food is rationed as a result of socialistic leadership, they will not be asking, "Why did Mom just let this happen? Why didn't she care about our future?" They will know that I did everything within my power to resist those who hate the one true God and the freedom endowed by God for each of us. My predictions sound outrageous now, but it seems all those things we feared would happen before but progressives assured us could not happen in America are happening now. Prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes. America is not immune to the cycle we see in so many other civilizations:
- Slavery of the masses + national poverty
- Christ's Gospel penetrates the culture.
- Rise of committed Christ followers
- People gain courage to stand up against the tyrants and seek independence.
- Freedom is granted and protected.
- Free enterprise results in great national wealth and prosperity for the masses.
- Greed corrupts leaders who lust for more power.
- God and His absolute truth are denied in the public square so that the people will begin relying upon the government instead of God for their daily bread and for solutions to all their problems.
- The government increases its power by giving hand-outs, funded by the hard working taxpayers, to the new "gimme" generation whose supreme value is entitlement.
- As the government gains more power, the people become more dependent.
- Freedom is abandoned as the greedy populace votes itself down the road to slavery
- The economy falls apart as the masses are impoverished by greedy dictators.
- Return to step 1.
When the government exalts and MODELS lying, cheating, stealing, killing (Benghazi and Fast n' Furious in case you need examples), and sexual immorality (Clinton, Weiner, San Diego Mayor Filner), what will happen to our civilization? It certainly did not bode well for Sodom and Gomorrah. And when a country caters to America's enemies and all haters of God while turning against God's chosen people, the nation of Israel, all readers of Biblical prophecy know what happens. It ain't pretty, folks.
So, the times are bleak, but praise God for the hope followers of Christ have in Jesus. He fights for us. We are on his side, and He wins! (Gift #347) He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). (Gift #348) We are HIS forevermore and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39)! (Gift #349)
Aside:
Unfortunately the majority of mainline churches in America do not preach the Gospel at all. Instead, they mislead their flock, making them think that if they are relatively decent, they will be saved. Friends who are regular attenders of such churches say to me, "I am pro-gay marriage or pro-choice because God says we should love everyone" (without ever considering that true love does not encourage destructive life choices). Or he may say, "I don't think I'm any less of a Christian because I don't believe everything the Bible says" Hello! Maybe he should turn to the last chapter in the Bible and read Revelation 22:19. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today. His truth never changes. And we cannot pick and choose which of His teachings we will accept. It's all or nothing with Him. He is either Lord of your whole life or your enemy. We each get to choose.
I don't care much for politics because in today's translation, the word "politics" is all about deception and corruption. What I care passionately about is the TRUTH. Unfortunately, progressive politics and extremely misguided leftist groups like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are out to destroy everything in our society that is good, holy, and right by distorting God's absolute truth. So as long as they teach people that actions do not have consequences, if it feels good, do it, you are accountable to no one, put your own interests first, truth is relative, there is no God, you are entitled to whatever you want even if you didn't earn it, parents do not have authority over you, yada...yada...yada, I will continue to correct such lies with the God's truth. God's word is not progressive. It doesn't change with each new administration or cultural trend. Take it or leave it but don't try to feign Christianity because if you are lukewarm, He will spit you out of his mouth. (Revelation 3:16) If your church does not proclaim the whole Gospel, if it distorts or ignores any part of God's word or denies the deity and resurrection of Christ in any way at all, if it teaches salvation by works or some form of prosperity gospel, if it exists more as a country club than as a base for equipping all its members for active ministry service, if it does not care about reaching the lost around the world for Christ, if it prioritizes tolerance over real love, then get out and find a gospel centered church. Your soul is at stake.
-End of rant
And if that (our hope in Christ) weren't enough to encourage us (it is!), reading articles like this one by reminds me that plenty of Americans still get it. (Gift #350) They know what freedom is about and what it is worth. Every voter should fully understand the principles outlined in this article before being allowed to vote IMO.
Thankfully, God is still alive and at work today! During one weekend of great discouragement, God reminded me during church worship that He is still in control. Our church commissioned 75 people on five different missions teams headed all over the world during that one service after sending out many other teams throughout the year. (Gift #351) Our boy's spiritual maturity astounded me that morning as he explained the significance of the bread and the cup and demonstrated an understanding of the attitude with which it must be taken. (#352) And after months of rain which was delaying the grading for our lot and making it nearly impossible to close before our rate lock expiration date, the sun actually came out that day! (#353) A church friend with kids at our kids' new school offered to help me shop for uniforms so that I don't waste money on items our daughter will not wear, and she also showed me around town and took me on a test run through carpool at the new school since it is so much more complicated than our kid's previous school. All these blessing that day reminded me that no matter how fallen the world may be, God is still and always will be GOOD, and His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3: 22-23)! (#354)
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One of my sources of frustration since moving into the apartment has been that rascally rabbit of ours. We had to move him inside while we are renting, but he tends to kick his hay, litter, and poop balls outside of this cage. They eventually get circulated around the apartment by our cooling system and fans, so I end up sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting at least five times a day to keep it under control. It's impossible to keep his paws clean in that small cage and with his daily hops about the tennis courts, so he needs regular baths which are so messy. Cleaning out the cage (at least two times a week) is an atrocious chore which creates a huge mess. And when I hold him, he usually scratches, bites or pees all over me. He's already scratched my favorite pieces of furniture. When I get irritated with him, he'll do something exceedingly cute like beg, hold up his paws in his trance position, wash his face, or some other precious pose to manipulate me into spoiling him again. And when he takes a bath, he looks so pitiful, I can't help but love him. The little stinker.
I'm not sure if it's the need to file his ever growing front teeth (apparently the chew sticks aren't enough for him) or the quest for freedom that drives him, but he spends much time each day chewing on the wire rungs of his cage. As he chews it looks like a Houdini bunny, feverishly trying to escape.
Another frustration has been various illnesses. The day after having to take both my daughter and I to the chiropractor where I spent another $1K on yet another treatment plan, I had to take her to the doctor for swimmer's ear and me to a specialist for some annoying skin rash inside my eyelids (probably due to stress or the air quality in our apartment). Of course, we are living in a new town now, so I had to search all over the internet for new providers in the area, calculate travel routes, call to find someone who could see us on short notice, transfer all medical records, designate a new PCP for each family member, and fill out all new paperwork with each new provider. But the gift in all that is that in one day, I established our family in our new town with a pediatrician, GP, eye doctor, and pharmacy. (Gift #355)
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The kids are taking a genetics class this week and looked at me closely to see if they got their dimples from me. While tracing the laugh lines in my face with his fingers, my son said, "You have big dimples, Mommy!" All these recent family changes and stressors have physically aged me, but praise God for the eyes of a child that can't see the wrinkles of an aging, weary woman. (Gift #356).
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Speaking of genetics, I keep finding more ways that my daughter is like me. For most of my life, I have been lovingly teased for my tendency to multitask. I did 90% of my reading/studying for my engineering degree while working on out cardio equipment at the university gym. Now I do most of my blogging, freelance writing, scrapbooking, reading, emailing, banking, and misc. other laptop work while working out on my elliptical trainer. When my friends hosted a baby shower for our expectant first born, the shower games involved mommy multitasking, complete with stopwatches, supply carts, and standard operating procedures as any good old fashioned industrial engineer would expect.
So when I saw my daughter rollerblading around the tennis courts outside our apartment while reading a book, it was if looking in the mirror.
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Inspired by the genealogies found in the Scriptures and a youthful imagination, our 9-year-old wrote out a series of genealogies for each of her brother's stuffed animals. Instead of the Biblical pattern of "{Name} begat {name}. He lived {#} years and died.", her version went like this:
"{Stuffed animal name} found {funny made up wife's name}, and they came together, fell apart, and had {son's name} who was {character adjectives describing the son}. Then {wife's name} died." Repeat until you have many sons, lots of coming together and falling apart, and a heap of dead wives.
Thank you, Lord, for giving my daughter an extra dose of silliness. (#356)
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We have decided to keep our kids at the same gymnastics studio even though the move put us 35 miles away from it, and we must go there 2-4 times a week. During all that driving time, the kids ask crazy questions. Last week they asked, " How old are Oldsmobiles?".
Gym classes last 2.5 hours, so the younger siblings of all the gymnasts keep me amused while I wait. Last week, I got to listen to a first grade boy explain to my 6-year-old how to tell if a hamster is male or female. He also said that his mom wishes his pets would stop having babies, and then my boy explained how we stopped our bunny from making baby bunnies. Both boys are very naive, yet they were accurate in their observations using descriptive language so innocent you might hear it at church. You just gotta love the innocence of a child. (Gift #357)
May we never lose sight of your many gifts all around us, dear Lord. Keep our eyes fixed on You and our hearts innocent before You through your perfect work of redemption and free gift of sanctifying grace.
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