The Road Less Traveled

A friend gave me a book for Christmas and as I was browsing through it, a quote right at the beginning caught my eye. Partly because it is from one of my favorite poems and one of my favorite poets.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
Robert Frost

I have read that poem and the quote a million times but as I was thinking about it today, I feel like the Lord showed me something different, something new. There was a time in my life (about 10 years ago) that I thought this was exactly what I was doing. I was taking the road less traveled, going my own way, doing things my own way, but now looking back, I see that was totally wrong. Really, I was leaving the road less traveled and going down the road the whole world was going down. When I first started to look at that road, it looked like not too many people had traveled down it. After all, it was my road not anyone elses. It had to be less traveled. I was ready to do my own thing. Make my own rules. Do whatever I wanted to do. In fact, as I started down this road I had one friend ask me what did I think I was doing. Unfortunately, I told her, anything I wanted. How is that a road less traveled? If anything that is a very crowed, lonely road. I traveled that road for a while trying to make myself believe that I was in control. I was happy but if I had let anyone look inside they would have seen it was all just a mask. I wasn't happy. I had no purpose.

But the other road . . . the one that is really less traveled; it's all about purpose. The road less traveled is the one that leads to Jesus Christ. Sometimes when you start down it, it can feel like you are losing yourself but in reality you find so much more. In fact, that is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 10.35, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The road less traveled is all about Jesus and Jesus was all about serving others. That's why the other road seems so appealing. The other road is all about self; self-centered, self-serving, self-confidence. But purpose comes in laying aside self and picking up a towel and a bowl of water and serving others. Jesus served others every where He went. Whether he was feeding the 5000, healing people with leporacy, raising others from the dead or sharing a meal with "sinners". Everywhere He went He served others in order to point them to the Father. So that's what the road less traveled is about. Serving others in order to point them to the Father. I love this quote, "Tell others about Christ and when necessary use words." I don't remember who said it but since I heard it the first time it has had a huge impact on my life. We tell others about Christ by serving them. People hear about Christ much better with their eyes.

What road are you on today?

God Remembers

The other day my devotions took me to Genenis 6 & 7. Noah and the flood. It's a pretty familar passage so sometimes it becomes easy to just read through it and then think, "That's a good story," or "What am I going to learn new in this passage, I've read it a hundred times?" I know not very spiritual of me. But hey, I'm just being honest. So I read through it and was just getting ready to start praying and my eyes floated down to the first verse of chapter 8. It starts with, "But God remembered Noah." Those four little words really made me stop and think about what I had just read. Why was it so important to Noah that God remembered him. I mean, think about it. At that particular moment there were only 8 people alive on the planet. So of course God remembered Noah. But then I started to think about all that Noah had gone through. He had been serving the Lord by building a boat for the last 100 years or so. You know he had to have endured a lot during that time. Gen. 6:5 says, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." The people around him probably weren't very encouraging. I imagine it was much worse than just talking badly about him or making fun of him. But Noah pressed on. He endured and eventually the rain came just as the Lord had said it would. His family and all the animals climbed into the ark and were safe from the flood. God had spared him and his family. So why was it so important that God remembered him.

Maybe it was because now Noah was in that waiting period. He had been working and serving for so long that this just waiting was a little tough. At this point they were just floating around with not a lot of work and serving that needed to be done. You can clean the boat just so many times in one day, if you know what I mean. There wasn't some big project to do for the Lord and Noah was probably beginning to wonder, "Am I going to be on this boat forever, Lord?" Have you ever been there? Been really busy doing lots of things for the Lord and then a time of just having to wait comes along. It may be that you have just fallen into a routine with your serving and you begin to wonder. Is this all I am going to get to do? It's been 150 days Lord? When's all this water going to dry up?

"But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided." The waiting was over. Change was coming. But Noah had to go through the waiting period before the change could come. I have been there. Wondering, ok Lord, what's next? and then not hearing anything right away. Then I start to wonder, Lord have you forgotten about me down here, "floating on this water?" Those are the times, when I am quiet, that He reminds me. "I remember you; be patient, the winds will come and dry up this water. But know, I have not forgotten you."

So if you are in a time of waiting for the winds to come and dry up the waters, be encouraged. God remembers.

Spend Yourself

I just finished my lesson for our Bible Study, Living Beyond Yourself. I listened to the message Beth Moore had for us this week and it really struck a chord in me. She ended the message with a passage from Isaiah 58:6-11. I have included it here from The Message Bible. I love the way the message puts some of this. It says:

What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.


The whole message was on the idea that "goodness does." The characteristic of goodness is not just a passive personality trait but it is an action; goodness does. The passage above basically says, we are to spend ourselves on others. There are some things that will happen if we get our eyes off ourselves and on other people. First it says, if we help those around us, including our families, that the lights will turn on and our lives will turn around at once. That is a for sure thing. I don't know how many times that I have been so absorbed in my own stuff that I didn't see those around me who were in need but when I stopped long enough to reach out to them things in my life turned around. Maybe it is because God helped to put things back in perspective, but I know I felt much better after helping someone else. Another thing it says is that your prayers will be answered. I don't want to hinder what God is doing but sometimes I think I miss what God is doing because I am so inward focused. It goes on to say if we quit sinning, blaming and gossiping, if we will be generous and give out of what we have and give of ourselves to others, our lives will begin to glow in the darkness. And don't you know the darkness in this world could use more of us beginning to glow! The next three benefits are great. God will show us where to go, give us full life in the emptiest places (do you have any empty places?) and strengthen us with firm muscles and strong bones. I can't imagine that any of us couldn't use some of those things but it seems a little backwards to the world's way of thinking. We need to spend ourselves and give to others in order to receive these things. Verse 11 is great! It says, "You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry." I think we all have seen the difference between a well-watered garden and one that isn't watered well. What's the difference? Fruit!!!! It is the same in our lives. There will be fruit when we spend ourselves for others.

Tonight at church I saw this very thing. We had baptisms and a gal named Mary was baptized. I sat there crying through the whole thing because it was such a miracle. God used someone else, pouring themselves out, spending themselves, for Mary and God brought forth fruit. I don't know if you have ever witnessed God transforming a life right before your eyes but I saw that with Mary and God chose to use Amber to produce the fruit. It cost Amber. There were long nights on the phone; there were tears; there were times when Amber just didn't know how to help but she was faithful to what God had called her to and now she is able to see the fruit. I was able to witness this from a distance and was there praying for Mary along the way. To watch her be baptized tonight and see the joy of the Lord all over her face was nothing short of amazing. I'll bet if you asked Amber if spending herself was worth it, she wouldn't hesitate to say yes! It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. Are you feeling kind of depressed or just feeling bored with life? Maybe you are too inward focused. God says if we will look outside of ourselves and risk helping someone else, He will turn our lives around. I don't know about you, but I can easily get too inward focused. So in the days and weeks to come, I am looking for ways to spend myself on others.

Coming

This past weekend I was at a women's retreat and my good friend Conni Hudson was the speaker. It was such a great weekend away. The topic was the Eternal Bridegroom. Conni talked about Jesus all weekend from the perspective of Jesus as our Bridegroom. It was so good and has helped me to look at my relationship with Jesus in a new way that I really believe will deepen my relationship with Him. I had always looked at Jesus as the Bridegroom for the church, which of course He is but I had never really thought about Jesus as my Bridegroom. I know that may seem silly that I hadn't thought of Him that way but I am so thankful for this new dimension to my relationship with Him. While I was up at the retreat and all of this was fresh in my heart I wrote something I would like to share.

I want to tell you a story
A love story
Now I know
That may be a surprise to you
I’m not normally drawn
To love stories
But this one
So captured my heart
I feel compelled
To share it with you

It starts
As most love stories do
With a young girl
Happy, innocent, kind of starry eyed
Her life wasn’t perfect
There had been bumps in the road
But life still seemed
Like a great adventure
And she was ready
To take it all in
Her grandmother
Who loved her with all her heart
Always wanted the best for her
And had met someone
The young girl just had to meet
If she could have arranged the engagement
She would have
But the choice had to be
The young girl’s
But the grandmother made sure
Any chance she had
To tell the young girl
About this Man
She took
She told of His love for others
How kind and gentle He was
How strong His character was
When others
Were talking about this Man
The grandmother would take her
To hear all about Him
In hopes
The young girl
Might fall in love with Him
And choose Him

The young girl was amazed
At the stories
About His love for her
And shocked at the lengths
He went to
To demonstrate His love
For her
The grandmother was right
She couldn’t resist
The love she saw in Him
And the young girl
Accepted His proposal
To be His bride

He had to go away
To prepare a place for her
So she could be with Him
Forever
It was hard to be apart
But He left love letters
For her to read
So she would always know
How much He loved her
They talked often
And she read His letters
Over and over

But as time past
And the young girl grew older
The fire of that young love
Began to grow cold
She tried hard to be true
She longed for Him
To return
But He continued to tarry
And she began
To look to other things
And other people
To fill her heart with love
It happened slowly
At first
But eventually
She turned her back on Him
She walked away
From her first Love
She betrayed Him
She loved herself
More than Him
Even after all He had done
She loved another

He never left her
Though she ran from Him
He still protected her
Though she put herself in harm's way
He still loved her
Though she ran to other lovers
He couldn’t force her
To return to Him
So He waited
And watched for her
Day after day
But her heart
Had grown so hard

But one day
He spoke to her
Through a special friend
And the ice
That had covered her heart
Began to melt away
The fire of that first love
Began to spark and grow
She was so ashamed
How could He possibly
Still love her
Still want her
After all this time
After all she had done
But He had been waiting
And watching
And when she
Turned her gaze to Him
He ran to her
Wrapped her in His love
And that love
That was just a little spark
Erupted into a blazing fire
She remembered His love letters
And began to read
With new eyes
And a new heart
And a pure love
She talked with Him daily
And their love just grew and grew
He reminded her
That He was coming for her
He loves her so very much
And He can’t wait
To be with her
But the time has not yet come
For Him to return for her
So for now
She waits
With eager anticipation
For her Bridegroom to come
And make her
His beloved bride

You might think this story
Is too good to be true
Who could love someone like that
But I tell you
Every word of it is true
For I am the girl
In love with Jesus
My Bridegroom
And one day soon
He will come
For His bride

Forks in the Road

I have been very reflective the last couple of weeks. This month marks my 10 year anniversary of living in Southern California. It is so amazing to me that I have been here that long. I remember at one time saying I would never live in Southern California. Don't ever say you will never do something. We don't always know what God's plan is and sometimes the place He needs to take us to is the very place we don't want to go to. Ten years ago I came to a fork in the road. As I approached it, everything in me wanted to turn left. Left was where I thought my future was but I had to turn right. I was sure I was making a huge mistake. As I forced my car to veer to the right, lots of tears began to flow. You see to the left was someone I cared about; to the left was were I thought I would find love; to the left I thought I had found some security. But I was running from God and I had been running for some time and even though I had taken the "right" fork, I was still running.

Why was I running? I had turned my back on God and everything that I had once held as precious. I had made a choice to live for me and when you are living for yourself there is no room for God. There were people who knew something was wrong and just either didn't know what to say to me or just didn't want to get involved. Not that I blame them. I wouldn't have listened to them anyway. I remember one friend, Jennifer, asking me point blank. "What are you doing?" My answer may be a surprise but I was in a really bad place so I said to her, "Whatever I want!" I was done living by everyone elses rules. I was ready to make all my own rules and I was going to finally be happy. I tried really hard to convience myself that I was happy and that all these choices I had made where making me happy too. But you know what, now, ten years later, looking back, I was not happy. It was probably one of the saddest times in my whole life. I have never cried more in my life than I did during that period of running. I was even physically sick at times too. The ironic part is that all those choices I had made actually lead me to that fork in the road ten years ago.

Even though I thought everything I wanted was to the left, God knew better and even though I was running from the Lord, He wasn't running from me. He was actually running ahead of me, preparing the way and that right turn at the fork was all a part of His plan. I could never have imagined what God had prepared for me, what He had planned for me, but Jeremiah 29:11 says, ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' And what a future and a hope it has turned out to be. I hear people quote that verse all the time, but really you can't read verse 11 without reading verse 10 because verse 10 gives you the context and it even becomes more meaningful. Verse 10 says, “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place." He was telling them that even though they were in captivity and that being in exile in Babylon was a punishment for their sins; He was not finished with them. He would not be putting them on a shelf but when the time was right, He would bring them back because He had a future and a hope for them.
God had a future and a hope for me and yes, there are consequences for my sinful choices, but that didn't change the future and hope He had planned for me. It took me a long time to accept His future and hope for me. I kept thinking He would never want to use me again after all I had done, but that's not how God works. In His loving grace, He opens up His arms of love to us. We just need to accept it and move forward in the future and hope that He lays before us.

Have you come to any forks in the road? Do you want to turn left but the Lord is leading you right? Trust the road to the "right", it will lead to His future and hope for you.

New Study--New Challenges

On Monday nights at church we have a Bible Study group for women called Dwelling Place. We have been meeting for almost a year and a half now and God has done lots of great things in the lives of the women who come as well as my own. We are just beginning a new Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself. It is a study of the fruit of the Spirit so obviously the main verses for the study are Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


In this first week (since context is always key in Bible study) Beth is doing an overview of the book of Galatians. I just finished day 2, on Galatians ch. 1 which was titled "Pleasing God." Seemed harmless enough but the Lord knew just where I was and just what I need to hear and learn. This lesson was no exception. It was page 17 that hit me over the head with a two by four. That whole page is centered on Gal. 1:10  Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Why did this verse hit me so hard. Couple of reasons, one, it is something that I have struggled with a lot. As a kid I really tried hard to please others. I really didn't like when someone was unhappy with me. Those same behaviors and feelings followed me into adulthood also and got me into serious trouble at times. It is something that I have tried to surrender to the Lord. He is helping me to see the times when I am working to please people and not Him.


The second reason it hit me was because I had fallen into this behavior again just a few days ago, the first night of the study. When you are trying to please people it is impossible to live out the fruit of the Spirit. In the end I gave away my love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I allowed frustration, irritation, pride, selfishness, harshness and all sorts of other things rule over me. It is not a good place to be. In fact, it is a miserable place to be and I couldn't blame anyone but myself. One of the definitions for the Greek word for please is "to accommodate oneself to". How enslaving is that. The only person I want to accommodate myself to is the Lord. So the Lord had to show me again that my job is to please Him and then serve others. There is a world of difference between serving others and pleasing others. I think I need to make myself a little sign for my office that says, "Please God, serve others." Maybe it would be a good reminder for me and God won't have to use as many two by fours on me.

Fishing

Earlier this summer I was able to go on a fishing trip with some of the guys from church down in the San Diego Bay and I had a blast. I was really worried that I was going to get sea sick so we didn't go too far out but the Dramamine did it's job and I felt great all day. One of the guys just gave me the pictures he took so I thought I would share a few.

I am ready to fish!

Me and the boys. They thought I wouldn't be able to bait my own hook and I ended up baiting everyone elses!

The bait was trying to get away!!

No, I didn't catch that Halibut, but I wish I had!

Here's my Bonita that I caught!

Therefore

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58 I love the word "therefore" when I see it in the Bible. It always means someone is summing everything up. That's what the Apostle Paul was doing here. He was talking about the resurrection of our bodies when Christ returns and explaining that these bodies we now have can't live forever that they will have to be transformed to be like Christ's resurrected body. When that day comes it is going to be amazing and it is going to happen in the blink of an eye. But for now we don't know when it is going to happen. We need to be always looking forward to that time and expecting it to happen but in the mean time, Paul encourages us to be steadfast, immovable and always abounding the work of the Lord. In other words, there is still work to be done here and we need to get to it. These bodies we have are not going to last forever, why not use them up in the work of the Lord. Wouldn't you rather be doing something that will last forever than to just be doing something? I would.

Second Chance

Yesterday at church, Scott, our worship leader, taught us a new song. I love it because it could be my theme song. If there was one thing I could say to the world it would be that God is the God of second chances. Here are the lyrics to the song Second Chance by Hillsong United.

You called my name
Reached out Your hand
Restored my life
And I was redeemed
The moment you entered my life

Amazing grace
Christ gave that day
My life was changed
When from my shoulders
Fell the weight of my sin

So it's with everything I am
I reach out for Your hand
The hope for change
The second chance I've gained

On You I throw my life
Casting all my fears aside
How could greater love than this
Ever possibly exist

Consume my thoughts
As I rest in You
I'm now in love
With a Saviour
Bearing the marks of His love

So I'll wait upon You now
With my hands released to You
Where a little faith's enough
To see mountains lift and move

And I'll wait upon You now
Dedicated to Your will
To this love that will remain
A love that never fails

Here is a link to hear the song on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKIT4KPS-VQ&feature=related

I know all of us at different times are in need of a second chance, it would be nice if like when we were kids we could just say, "Do over" and everything went back to the beginning. Well, I have found God lets us have "Do Overs". Everything doesn't go back like it was before but He does give us second chances. Those second chances aren't conditional. When I used to play volleyball and basketball sometimes I would mess up or not be playing very well and the coach might give me a second chance but it was always conditonal. If I didn't do better I wouldn't get to stay in the game. Sometimes we think when God gives us a second chance He is the same way. That we had better "play" great or we won't get to be in the game any more. God doesn't bring us back to watch from the stands, sit on the bench or to just play once in a while on the second string. He brings us back to "play" in the game. He still has a plan for us. He never gives up on us and He is able to take all those mistakes and use them for good. That just blows my mind sometimes. Do you need a second chance. All you have to do is ask the Lord. He is the best at second chances.

What are you building with?

As I was doing my Bible reading last night these verses jumped out at me. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
I like what these verses say to me. They serve as a reminder that I need to always be aware of how I am building on the gospel that Christ left for us. Are the things that I am doing helping to make the building stronger or weaker? If I am doing the things that God wants me to do, then I am building with gold, silver and precious stones but if I am doing my own things, thinking only of myself then I am building with wood, hay and straw and those things will perish. Now that doesn't mean I will lose our salvation. That's not an option. That was settled the day I invited Jesus into my heart. But from that point on, how have I been living? I hate to admit it but so many times I find myself living for me. Jesus gave everything so I could be saved and live with Him forever, I need to live in such a way that honors Him. When I stand before Him on that Day, the Day He puts all my works to the test of fire, I pray it doesn't look like a forest fire. I don't want to waste my time here on earth. I want to build wisely and the wise thing to build with would be gold, silver and precious stones. So what about you? What are you building with?

Idols

Last night I was reading in Acts 17:16-34. I was really struck by verse 16, "While waiting for them (Silas and Timothy) in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city." The Message Bible actually says it like this, "The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got--all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols." Those are strong words but Paul was aware of what all those idols meant in the lives of the people. Those idols were the very things that would keep them from trusting God. They put their trust in things that were created instead of the one who created all things. I started to think about the different idols in our world today. They are everywhere! People are turning to them right and left thinking that they will fill some void or hole in their lives and they only make the hole bigger. It's kind of like that saying, "You can't dig yourself out of a hole." We all have idols in our lives. An idol is anything that takes priority in our lives. If it takes priority in our lives then it has taken the place that belongs to Jesus. I have had to really think about this today and I have been trying to identify the different idols in my life. (I wish I could say that I don't have any but that would be a big fat lie.) Sometimes my job becomes an idol. I love my job and sometimes it takes a lot of my time and energy and I will use that as an excuse to skimp of skip my time with the Lord. It doesn't always seem like an idol because I am serving the Lord. Surely that counts for something. Actually, it doesn't. It is still an idol. I have others, things like being a perfectionist, my down time, time with my friends, the list can go on and on. What about you? What are the idols in your life that you need to surrender to the Lord? It is one thing for someone who isn't a follower of Jesus Christ to have idols in their lives but it isn't good for us, especially if we would like to have an influence on others. When the Lord shows you an idol in your life, it is important that we surrender that idol and get our priorities back in line. That priority list always beings with Jesus. Make sure you have put Him at the top of your list.

Getting Started

I have decided to hop on this band wagon of bloggers and have my own blog. Since I don't have a family and kids to talk about and I don't think anyone really wants to hear about my crazy cats; I thought it would be best to just talk about things that I am learning through my times reading God's word and studying. If you happen to stumble across my blog or you actually sign up to read it, I hope that you can be encouraged by what I am learning and maybe we can do some journeying together! Hope you have a blessed day!