Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Recipe for Success in 2011

I know that it's a stretch to make this post fit the food theme, but as I laid awake last night, I started to think about challenges that I could offer for 2011.  This is what came to my mind.

Don’t pray about things
There are things that the Bible is very clear about not doing.  God gave us the Top 10 list, but there are other mandates that He was also very clear about. These are things that we shouldn’t be praying about.  God has already been very clear.  It would be like a child asking permission to do something that a parent has already said, “No”, to.  There’s really no point.  God isn’t going to change His mind on those issues.  It would seem silly to pray, “God, I’m thinking about murdering someone.  I really need you to give me wisdom about Your will for this area of my life.”  Do you think God ever wants to just say, ”Duh”?  It is equally as silly to ask God’s wisdom and guidance for questions such as “I don’t feel like I want to be married anymore.  Is it ok if I get a divorce?”  “ I know that the person I am in love with isn’t a Christian, is it ok if I continue dating them anyway?”  “It would be more convenient if my boyfriend/girlfriend and I lived together.  Is that ok with you, God?”  “I really don’t feel like going to church.  God, are You ok with me just staying home again this week?”  God is pretty clear on issues like this.  You really don’t need to pray about it.  God has already given you His answer.

Complain about your life a lot on Facebook
We all have struggles.  We all have things in our lives that we wish were different.  Let me be really subtle here.  If you don’t like your circumstance, change them.  If you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude.  My challenge for your Facebook complaints is for every time you complain about your job, your spouse, your finances, etc., post two things that are positive about your life.  I think you will be surprised at how quickly your attitude changes.

Let go of people who you love
There are two different aspects of this challenge.  One is looking honestly at the relationships that you are in and determining whether or not they are healthy and God-honored.  This can be very difficult because our emotions have a tendency to override our sense of what constitutes healthy and God-honored.  I’m not just talking about dating relationships.  Friendships also need to be examined.  There comes a time when you have to let go, even though it’s hard.  Relationships of any kind are not meant to be one-sided, with only one person making an effort, or resulting in other relationships being cast aside.  Love of any kind should be an addition to existing relationships, not result in their exclusion.  As difficult as it may be, it may be time to let go of some of the people that you love.
The other aspect of this challenge is to let go of people that you love and give them to God.  There are people that will be in our lives forever, no matter what happens.  It’s hard when those people are struggling and you feel powerless to help them.  Let go of those people and give them to God.  He knows exactly what they need and will work in their lives.  What He allows to transpire in their lives to get their attention may be very difficult to watch, but continually take them to the throne of God and let Him handle it.

Talk about people behind their back
I really don’t like to hear people talk negatively about my administration.  It’s easy to sit in a place where you don’t know all the facts about a situation and make comments that are neither true nor helpful.  I figure that if you have a legitimate and helpful suggestion, go to that person and offer your help.  If not, keep your mouth closed. This needs to also apply to other areas.  There are times that discussion about an issue are necessary in order to try to help, but the attitude in which that discussion takes place is key to determining whether or not the discussion should be taking place.  If the attitude is one that revels in cutting a person apart with no attempt at trying to solve the problem, then the only person you should be talking about that person with is God.  It’s ok to talk behind their back to Him.

Stay in a relationship with someone who is trying to control you
Every year, I do a series of lessons about dating violence.  One of the areas that I stress is the level of control that a person has over your life.  If a person is telling you who you can hang out with and when, who you can and cannot talk to, where you can go and what you can do with your life, it is not a healthy relationship…cut and dried.  It makes me very sad to realize the number of people, regardless of age, that mistake this control as love or see it as “normal” in a relationship.  The only one that should have that level of control is God.  Stay in that relationship.

Put yourself in situation where your heart will get broken
Heartbreak is difficult and we try to avoid it, when possible, but I don’t think that we should.  There are times that heartbreak is the catalyst for change.
Bob Pierce, a Youth for Christ evangelist, wrote these words in the flyleaf of his Bible, "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."   Ask God to show you what breaks his heart.  Let those same things break your heart and be the motivation for how you live your life.  

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Dirty Dishes

I don’t like doing dishes.  I was married to someone who did.  I guess we made a good match.  I never understood how my husband could like doing dishes…until tonight.
 For the past few days, all of my kids and grandkids have been home. Everyone, except for Justin and Allison, has stayed at my house.  That means 5 kids, 4 daughters-in-law, 1 son’s girlfriend, 6 grandchildren and myself are all under one roof.  That translates into a lot of food and a lot of dishes.  Today, after opening presents, my children spent the day with other family members.  I spent the afternoon cleaning up and catching up on dishes.  As I washed, my mind went back to a sign that always hung in my grandma’s kitchen. It said, “Thank God for dirty dishes.  They have a tale to tell.  While other folks go hungry, we’re eating very well.”  Even though I have to admit I wasn’t thinking about people who may be wondering where their next meal was coming from, I was thinking about the blessing that the dishes represented.  I had a house full of people that I love and the sound of children’s laughter filling the air.  I got to watch my children work together, play together, laugh together and love each other.  My granddaughter prayed for me to feel better when I fell victim to the bug that was being passed around the family.  The untouched snow that once filled my yard now shows evidence of children, big and small, playing.  There are toys everywhere you look, a mountain of towels that are waiting to be washed, a package of baby wipes waiting for the next diaper change, fingerprints and hidden crackers that I’m sure will be discovered for weeks to come. 
Yes, the dishes have a tale to tell.  They tell me that my family is home and that’s the best tale that I can think of.  Maybe my husband was on to something.  Maybe he knew the story that dirty dishes told.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Candy Cane Cookies

It’s that time of the year.  It’s time for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  There are many different ways that people choose to recognize the significance of this time of year.  It may be giving gifts to those they care about.  It may be putting up a tree that may symbolize us reaching to heaven or life’s triumph over death.  The common traditions are observed by people all over the world. However, each family often develops its own traditions that bring the holiday new meaning.   One of the traditions that has been a part of my children’s lives and now mine, is making candy cane cookies.  These cookies feature a sugar cookie dough that been divided into 2 parts.  One part is flavored and the other is colored red and flavored.  Small ropes of the dough are twisted into the candy cane form and baked.  The candy cane has a history of religious symbolism.  The color, the shape, and the stripes all served to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas… the gift of Jesus.

I have to admit that the cookies are quite tasty, but they are so much more.  The candy cane cookies represent the life that my children had before they knew me.  I believe that making the candy cane cookies was an activity that my children shared with their mother throughout their childhood.  Now, for my children, the candy cane cookies take them to a time and place when their mother was with them and what a wonderful person she was.  A cookie serves to ground them in the rich heritage of knowing God personally.  The cookie certainly represents the gift of Jesus Christ, but it also represents the gift that Kathy gave to me…her children.  Yeah, it’s just a cookie, but every time I taste one, I say a silent  ”Thank you” to God for the gift of Jesus Christ and “Thank you” to Kathy for the gifts of Bob, Jeramy, Andy, Corey, and Crystal.