Beauty...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezLzRRsBeUA&feature=related 

 This video really hit home for me. It reminded me of the bubble we in the west especially live in. I don’t even think I know the cultural depths, that the importance of appearance & what one has to attribute to that appearance runs. It has always bothered me. It is true that God does look at the heart and judges it within. Why is so difficult for us?

 Satan has done a very good job in keeping Christians in the west pre-occupied with appearance. I believe that we need to take care of ourselves and present ourselves well, but to what extent? If our life mission is to see His Kingdom come we should be pouring our resources into that -not us. Sacrifice is required. It’s so easy to become us-focused.

More to the women out there.......

 The amount we, as women spend on hair, nails, tanning, spa treatments, new clothes, shoes and accessories is more than likely a great deal more than what the average Christian woman tithes. Or gives to the poor, or gives to supporting indigenous missionaries in other countries. We have forgotten that the true thing that sets us apart is supposed to be our willingness to give up ourselves, our pride in our appearance and replace that with true reliance on our King.

  In 1 Peter 3:1-6 it says, “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For in this way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. “

Wow, what an anti-cultural message. I can just see people cringing. 

First of all, be submissive? What? Calling your husband a master? That sounds so derogatory, how will I get respect if I submit? What if my husband walks all over me? Phil 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who.......made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death –even death on a cross!” Yes, not being a doormat, but healthy submission is Christlike. After all, our goal is to be more like Christ, right? Not more respected or being a right-fighter.  As women, we often forget our  true identity lies in Christ.

 Secondly, I have heard that as long as women don’t rely on the “braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes” but still wear them anyways with that awareness it’s ok. Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting a fashionable haircut or earrings or clothes that don’t have holes in them is wrong. My point is that when the money we spend and the time we spend obtaining these things superceeds the time we spend devoting ourselves to the work of Christ, to time in prayer, to volunteering, to pouring ourselves out for His causes than there’s a problem. When we justify spending obscene amount of money on clothing yet hundreds of thousands are starving from famine as is the case right now in the African Horn countries right now I have a problem with that. And I think if you look at how Jesus asks us to live our lives He does to.  I think we believe the lie that the $100 or the $50 won’t make a difference but it does. We also believe the lie that we can’t feel free to share our faith if we don’t look a certain way. We have forgotten about reliance on the Holy Spirit.  As ambassadors of Christ our job is to point people to Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit and we don’t need to be looking our best to do that.

The next bit of this passage is one I have a problem with. Those of you who know me will know that I am neither quiet or gentle. I have struggled with this for a long time and I have come to accept that Christ has not made me that way for a reason. I think that this gentle and quiet spirit that this passage talks about is again being able to emulate the attitude of Christ. To be in consistant prayer and in the habit of spending good, regular time with Jesus. From this I discover I am not so harsh, judging and my words are more constructive, not destructive. I am more loving and relational to people; I don’t take offense so easily, my walls don’t go up as fast, I am more quick to forgive.  I am more open to the promptings of the Spirit. Please bear in mind that reading this that I have not done any studies or the like on this passage, it’s simply the conclusion I have come to based on my time with my maker. I could, and probably am, missing out on things.

So, an offensive blog? Probably to some. I find that if I offend no one I am usually off the mark in what I have written. 

Sarah & Abraham

The tapestry from underneath

It has been said that our lives, as messy, unpredictable and downright ugly as they can get at times are to be viewed like the underside of a tapestry. Although seemingly senseless when viewed from the underside, when one has the proper perspective & looks down on it from above a beautiful picture is slowly being weaved. All it takes is the right perspective.

Such I tell myself when I think on my life. When I turned 19, my life looked as such; I wasn’t wanting to ever have kids or marry but to work as a missionary in Russia. A marriage, 6 moves & 2 kids in 3 years, an abusive husband and then a divorce, going to school full-time while being an unsupported single mother and remarrying within 2 years only to deal with many other issues in my current marriage I won’t mention here and having to deal with my x-husband being in and out of my daughters lives while having 2 more girls weren’t exactly what I signed up for. Whew. What a horrible, run-on sentence.

So what did I sign up for? Simply, I signed up to be a servant of Christ. I’ve heard that the term “slave” is actually more of an accurate translation –however we veer away from that don’t we? Slave has a poor connotation –one associated with with lowliness and not a trace of pride. So, I signed up to be a slave to Jesus, to be willing, all the days of my life to be transformed one tiny bit at a time into His likeness for His glory, to further His Kingdom –not my own. And I have learned to trust that He knows what circumstances in my life are needed to effect that change.

I understand that some of where I am at is due to simple actions & consequences however I have had a lot more thrown at me than that. All to make me in the image of Christ. And, looking back, I am beginning to see things from the upside. Not that all is behind me, but that I am starting to see things really from a Heavenly perspective and have Romans 8:28 in me, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

I am starting to see that I can relate to those who are alone and broken and going through “stuff” in their lives. And I am beginning to love it. In Matthew 5:14-15 the Bible says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.” I as a sinner saved by grace, want to be that light to our world. It’s a dark, hopeless place. The people I find I am drawn to are not wealthy or have everything in order, but Jesus came for the sick, not the healthy. It’s truly amazing how much I have changed.

I still believe the Lord has put a calling on my life & on John’s life. The past year has been a testament to the power of listening to the Lord’s timing and being patient for Him. Last Sept, I started homeschooling Eva & Grace. At this point they were with their dad & step-mom half the time and she did half the schooling.  A couple of times throughout the year circumstances arose at which I had good, legit grounds to  take my x-husband to court and attain primary care of the girls again. It would have been much better for them as things were rough at their other house but I didn’t have His Peace with doing that. So I trusted & waited and missed them more and more. Then this past July circumstances with my x-husband changed and the girls have been living with me since July 11. Their father has also willingly signed over full custody to me. I am so thankful I waited on Him to be my deliverer. I literally have had the girls given to me. How beautiful.  It has also taught be powerful lessons in praying for those who oppose me and forgiveness. It’s also taught me a lot about having a Jesus attitude.

Since the end of winter I have felt that the “winds of change” as I call them are with us. I don’t know what that means or how it will affect us, but I can’t help if this change with Grace & Eva coming to live with us full-time is part of that. All know is that John and I are willing to go where He will lead.