"The Reward Is The Fun Part"

On occasion I have heard people say that they like to exercise. I don't understand that. Who really LIKES to exercise? I like the results from exercising, but I do not like the actual exercise. It is hard work. It makes you sweat and hurt and it is no fun. There are other things in life that can be just as difficult. Yard work for example is a pain, but the end result is a gorgeous yard. Over the years I have learned that marriage is the same way. Marriage is a lot of work. It requires a lot of effort. It calls us to die to self, lay aside our own wants and desires at times and serve someone else. Sometimes biting our tongue, letting go of our rights and deferring to someone else is just plain hard. But, the reward of an incredible marriage is so worth the effort. The things in life that produce the greatest reward usually costs us the most effort, work and sacrifice. I was reminded this week that even Jesus had to go through work, effort and sacrifice as he hung on that cross. He didn't want to be there. He even ask His Father if this cup could pass from him to please do so. In other words, if there is any other way please spare me from this grief and yet scripture says in Hebrews 12:2 "for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross." The joy was not found in the moment, but for the joy that was set before Him. For the joy that was to come, He endured the cross. It says that He endured... What are you enduring today? Are you enduring a hardship, a rebellious child, a distant spouse, an estranged friend, a financial trial? For the joy set before you, endure this time. The reward is always the fun part. I have been watching what I eat and been on the elliptical for 3 weeks and I have lost 13 pounds. I will be honest, I hate it. It is hard. It is discipline. It is training my body and my mind to think and act differently. The same is true in other areas of our lives. We have to choose to NOT react in the way that comes natural to our flesh. We must choose to be obedient to scripture and live a life that is above reproach. Sometimes it is hard to bite our tongue with our spouse. Sometimes it is hard to serve when we feel like being selfish and doing for ourselves, but the reward of a loving marriage that honors Christ is far greater than the effort we have put forth. For the joy set before HIM... Choose today to give it all you have and watch and wait to see the reward that God has promised to those who obey Him.

"Has Tired Ever Gotten The Best Of You?"

We spent most of yesterday at the pool. That seems to be our summer routine and we love it. Jacob is learning to swim and our time at the pool is very exhausting for him. We came home to fix supper and Jacob took off his wet bathing suit. I instructed him to put it in the dirty clothes and go and put on some dry clothes. It was taking him a while to come back to the den so we went to check on him. I found that precious little guy completely naked, drawer open, clothes in hand and sound asleep on the floor of his room. He was trying so hard to obey, but tired got the best of him. Has that ever happened to you? It has happened to me. Actually it happens to me often. My heart wants to obey, but my physical body chooses to submit to its own will and the result is actually disobedience. Don't get me wrong, I was not upset with Jacob. He is 3 and he was tired. I am just blessed that he fell asleep while obeying. What God opened my eyes to see however was the fact that "tired" becomes my crutch to justify my own disobedience and I cannot use the excuse of being 3. I want to obey and discipline my children according to God's word, but "I'm tired" so I let their disobedient behavior slide. I want to bless my husband and minister to his needs, but "I'm tired" and I selfishly fall asleep without even a consideration to his plans. I want to be a witness and reach out to my neighbors and to those around me in the community, but "I'm tired" so I quickly move about my busy life and duck back into my house. "I'm tired" seems to be such an easy yet believable excuse. Is it a justifiable excuse? No, not when God requires obedience. Don't get me wrong I know we all get tired and God's design is for us to rest, but tired can never be an excuse not to obey. God requires obedience and even gave us the ultimate example to follow. Jesus was obedient even unto death, death on a cross. I am so thankful that He was not "too tired" to obey that which God had called him to do. He is our example. He is who we follow. We must obey. Pray and ask the Lord Jesus to fill you to overflowing with the desire to obey and the energy to obey. It may require not spending energy on certain things in your life that are selfishly screaming for your attention so that you can do what God requires of you. I don't want to be found holding in my hands the key to my obedience all the while sleeping instead of obeying.

Philemon 1:21 NIV

"Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."

"I Obey On Thursdays"

Last night as we were preparing to go to bed, Jacob and I were in the kitchen getting what he calls his "bed night drink." I was pouring his juice as he was scaling the cabinets to crawl and perch on the counter top. As I recall I had said maybe twice, "Jacob, get down." Feeling weary from the day and living in apparent parental disobedience I ask a question with great frustration. "Jacob, do you ever obey Mommy?" His reply was priceless. "Yes, ma'am, I obey on Thursdays." Lucky for me today is Thursday right? The more I thought about this the more the Holy Spirit began to speak to me personally through this small voice of truth. In Jacob's mind he does obey. Maybe only on Thursdays, but nevertheless, he would say that he obeys. He wants to be characterized as an obedient child. The same is true for me. I want to be obedient to my Heavenly Father, but it's not enough to just obey on Thursdays. As believers we often fall into this trap as we train our minds to think like Jacob. If I obey in this situation, but tell a "white lie" here (which by the way is code for a big black sin) or allow my mind to wander in this situation, or speak a careless word today, but I still obey most of the time, then can I still be considered obedient? His word is clear that we are to obey His word, follow His precepts, walk in His ways. It's worded in many ways but the meaning is the same. He speaks, we obey. Bottom line! I expect the same from my children. Actually I expect them to obey All the way, Right away and With a Happy Heart. Don't you think our heavenly Father expects no less from us. If we only obey on Thursdays (or in certain areas) but choose to walk in our own ignorant ways the rest of the time, then we are characterized as disobedient. I have hope and faith that Jacob will one day be characterized as obedient. It will take discipline and a mommy who is not lazy, but it will one day happen. I have 3 others that are a testimony of this. Does God have the same faith in me, that I will one day be characterized as obedient? Jacob is able to justify his disobedient behavior, unfortunately so am I. He comes by it honestly. There is however NO way to justify being disobedient to a heavenly Father who gave His very life for me. He deserves COMPLETE obedience. We must choose to walk in total obedience everyday. So the next time a "white lie" will make the situation easier or your tempted to "give that waitress a piece of your mind" or "you don't care that it's wrong because it makes you happy" just remember that these disobedient acts that we have the gift to justify are the very things that held Jesus on that cross. They are the very things that made the nails, the crown of thorns and the flogging necessary. They seem like such little things to us, but the weight of that cross was a really big thing to Jesus and to our Father as He had to turn away and could not even look upon His son. Obedience!! That's my goal. Remember delayed obedience is disobedience so start obeying today, after all it is Thursday.

"Throwing Up With Obedience"

I woke up at 3:00 this morning to the heaving sounds of my precious 3 year old Jacob. He had crawled into the bed with us around 2:00 a.m. I jumped up and grabbed the closest pillow case to catch the forthcoming gift. He held his little hands over his mouth and refused to release what was soon out of his control. After offering him what we affectionately call the "throw-up bowl" that stays tucked away in our closet, he gave into his little body. I asked him why he was holding it in and he said, "I no want to make a mess in your bed mommy." After his initial sickness was over I offered him some Pepsi. He said, "Daddy said me no have Pepsi." "Jacob, I'm sure it will be ok since you are sick." "I no drink it Mommy, Daddy said me no have Pepsi." "When did Daddy say that?" "Last night." I quickly realized it was pointless to argue with an obedient, sick three year old. If Daddy said No, then No it is. So, I fixed him coke and that was that. "Daddy no said no to coke." When Matt came home for lunch he came to check on Jacob and I filled him in on Jacob's absolute obedience. Matt thanked him for being so obedient, but told him that it would have been ok since he was sick. I was blessed beyond measure at his obedience even in the midst of sickness. If you have followed my blog very long, you know that we have had a few struggles with Jacob's obedience. We have spent a lot of time and energy praying over this precious little boy and what a blessing to see his desire for obedience increasing. Don't get me wrong, I am a realist and I know there are still times to come when Jacob will struggle to do the right thing, but oh how blessed my heart was today to hear that sweet little voice making right choices. My continued prayer for Jacob is that he would continue to seek obedience, righteousness and seek a relationship with the Lord Jesus. I have been following Christ for 32 years and I still struggle with complete obedience from time to time. When I am not feeling well, when I let my guard down or I haven't been saturated in God's Word the temptation to lash out in anger, to tolerate or even participate in gossip, to indulge slander and not be repulsed by sin, becomes harder to resist. We as believers are to grieve over sin, not tolerate or participate in it. If sin grieves the heart of God, which it does, then we too should be grieved by it. I want to have the heart for obedience that my precious little three year old has, but it has not just appeared. It was born out of prayer, instruction, rebuke and discipline. As believers in the Lord Jesus we need to spend time in prayer, we need to receive the instruction from His word. We need to accept the rebuke of other believers and we need to graciously receive the discipline of our Father when we have sinned against Him. I desire to be characterized by obedience. I want to make my Father proud by obeying Him even in the midst of trials and sickness. I want obedience to be that deeply rooted within my heart. I have prayed this for my children and I will continue to pray this for them, but I also pray it for myself and for you as we learn to obey the Father.

Jesus said, "Warm her hands!"

I was in Kroger on Friday. I am sad to say that it was my third Kroger trip of the week. I can't seem to stay organized these days. I had less than 15 items and since I despise the self-checkout I decided to go for the 15 items or less line. It was long, but how long can it really take if everyone only has 15 items. As I unloaded my plunder on to the conveyor belt I noticed the lady in front of me rubbing her hands together. The hands were wrinkled and her knuckles were swollen showing in every crease the long life she has lived. Looking at her hands I wondered how many babies she had loved, how many biscuits she has patted out and how many times those hands had brought comfort to someone special in her life. I noticed that even though her skin was a natural brown or chocolate color, her knuckles were red and she couldn't bend her fingers. She turned my way and I ask, "Are you cold?" "Oh honey, I am freezing. My hands stay cold. They are cold in August, but in December when it is 30 degrees I can't even feel them. They hurt so bad." I offered to buy her some gloves, but she had gloves in the car and that wasn't helping at the moment. I continued to unload my groceries, patiently waiting my turn. As I unloaded the chicken, bread and sour cream I noticed that my hands were really warm Actually HOT! Then I heard Him! The voice of my Savior..."Warm her hands." "I tried to buy her some gloves God, what else do you want me to do?" Again I heard, "Warm her hands." There was no out loud laughter, but in my mind I thought...surely Jesus would not ask me to hold the hands of a total stranger. "I don't have any purell and Jesus what will all these people think?" Again I heard..."Take her hands, hold her hands, warm her hands." I would like to say that I grabbed them right away, but still I wrestled with the question.."Why God, what purpose could you possibly accomplish through me holding a strangers hands." And Jesus said, "She's not a stranger to me." I turned to face my new friend and ask, "Are your hands feeling any better?" "No honey, they so cold." I held my hand out and said, "May I feel how cold they are?" As I took both of those wrinkled, ice cold hands in mine I kept hearing Jesus say..."She's not a stranger to me." Her eyes got big as she smiled and said, "Oh my your hands feel so warm. They are like an oven." I continued to hold her hands and rub them between mine. She thanked me over and over and paid her bill with stiff fingers, but now able to bend them enough to count out her payment. She said, "thank you again dear." And she was gone. I don't know her name, I don't know where she lives and for all practical purposes she would still be considered a stranger to me, but Jesus said, "She is not a stranger to me." I will be honest, I have still struggled with Why God? I mean I like to have reasons behind everything, but was this just a matter of obedience. Yes, I know my Jesus wanted to know if I was listening and would I obey even when I didn't understand. I know now that God was getting my focus off of me. He was broadening my view. I walk in Kroger all the time, check out and rarely give a thought to those in line with me unless they are taking too long to pay or they have way too many items and then I notice "that" with a little aggravation. Jesus said, "She's not a stranger to me." She is not a stranger to the one I walk and talk with everyday. She is not a stranger to the one I long to be with, to spend eternity with. She is not a stranger to the one who knows my inmost thoughts, my coming and my going. If she is not a stranger to Him, then she is not a stranger to me. How many others have I passed by labeling "stranger" when in actuality they are family. (God's family) My Kroger friend may have left there with warmer hands, but I left there with a transformed heart. No longer do I need purell after touching a stranger for that stranger is a friend of God's. I can embrace, I can seek, I can search out and I can obey as my Jesus allows me to be His hands of love and warmth to His people.

Matthew 25:40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

"I Forgot"

"I Forgot!" Do your children ever say this? My sweet little Joshua has recently been "forgetting" a lot. He forgets to pick up his shoes, he forgets he is not suppose to lie, he forgets quickly the things which he is asked to apologize for, he forgets all the Hawkins House rules when it is convenient for him. Don't get me wrong he is still very respectful and obeys very well when our eyes are on him and most of the time when we are not with him, but occasionally (since he started kindergarten) he has moments of forgetfulness. I think sometimes he remembers to forget or forgets to remember. I have been known to do that, how about you? Do you ever forget to remember or remember to forget? (Think about that for a moment.) It is easy to obey and do what is right when eyes are on us or when the "right" eyes are on us, but how about when no one is looking? Are we obedient to the WHOLE counsel of God's word at ALL times? I guess the question becomes, why are we obeying? Are we obeying to fit the mold of who others think we are or are we obeying our heavenly Father who loves us, died for us and will one day return to claim His children? What motivates your obedience? If it is motivated by a heart of love and pleasing our heavenly Father, then why do we "forget" to obey Him so much? I explain it to Joshua this way, "When you choose to disobey Mommy, you are choosing to disobey Jesus, because His word says 'Children obey your parents' so not only are you breaking my heart, but you are breaking the heart of Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. When you knowingly disobey and say that you forgot, you are saying that what you wanted to do was more important than what Jesus has asked you to do. You must obey even when no one is watching because Jesus walks with you and He is always watching you."  (Parents promise me that you will never pull out the whole Santa Claus is watching and he will put you on his naughty list so you better be good. There is one who is always watching and knows not only our behavior, but the attitude of our hearts and His approval is so much more important. I want my children to have eternal hearts and minds, not temporal self seeking hearts.) I want to obey and do what is right because I am obeying my precious Jesus, not because I am trying to win the approval of man. I want to remember to remember. I must know His word and know Him so that I will know what He desire of me. How devastating to stand before my heavenly Father oneday and say..."Jesus, thank you for dying for me and thank you for the gift of eternal life, but..."I forgot!"

Colossians 3:22 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, and do it not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord."


John 14:23 "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.'"

"We'll Leave The Light On For You"

"THIS MUST STOP!" Those were the first words out of my mouth. What must stop? Isn't that the question you are wondering? Well, hang on because I don't think any of us are ready for this one. "The Procreation (Mating) of Roaches in MY kitchen MUST STOP!" Seriously, last night after writing the blog about "Exercise" I became so hungry from the thought of all the endorphins I would soon be releasing that I needed a bowl of cereal. (For some reason, I do not like cereal early in the morning, but late at night it is wonderful.) I walked into my dark kitchen, knowing that my precious husband had washed the dishes and tidied up after dinner. I made my way through the dark, welcomed silence and flipped on the kitchen light. SCREAM!!! (Shattered Silence) There were not 1, not 2, but 3 roach couples using my kitchen as a rendezvous point for their midnight date. And this was not just any date, this was apparently 3 years into marriage, 1 stable job, 1 savings account, 2 car titles and a nice size home celebration date. These roaches were procreating in my kitchen. Now, I will be honest, I have seen a few(?) roaches in my kitchen over the years and when someone who is not afraid to stomp them or beat them to death with a sword or toy is awake, we will do what is necessary to keep these midnight screams to a minimum. Not to mention that little boys love to beat bugs to death.  I have no problem with these creatures gleaning in my fields as long as I cannot see them and they leave me alone. I however am not as kind as Boaz and I do not leave extra behind for them, but if they are there, that is just one more excuse for using clorox in the morning. But, I draw the line at allowing these roaches to raise a family in my kitchen. They had crossed a definite boundary. They had gone too far! So I screamed, got my cereal (hey, the only time in the day I eat alone, don't judge me!) turned out the light and went to bed all the while thinking of my plan for ridding this house of the family that contributes nothing. 1.Buy roach motels 2.Bug Bomb 3.Spray outside 4.Price exterminators. 5.Call exterminator. Those were my intentions for today. Ask me how many of those things I actually did? None, nada, zilch, zero. Do you know why? Because I didn't see the roaches today and other things grabbed and screamed for my intention. That which I was so passionate about at the time suddenly fell to the bottom of my to do list when it was out of my sight. I am still disgusted at the thought and I intend on doing something about it, but I guarantee you if I walked in there tonight those same roaches would be lurking about in the darkness. Do you know what hurts my heart even more and makes me want to scream even louder? This is the way so many of us are in our walk with the Lord. We recognize a sin in our life that we want to make right or a behavior or a pattern of behavior that we want to change and we make plans to change it because it disgusts us. More importantly, we know it disgusts the heart of our Savior. So we make a "new" commitment and we make a plan to change 1.Have a quiet time 2.Memorize scripture 3.Find an accountability partner 4.Join a small group 5.Be faithful to worship with my church. We have good intentions, but when the consequences lighten up and the spot light is no longer shining on that sin it becomes free to lurk in the darkness again and we become content to leave it there. The urgency is gone. Our attention is elsewhere! Our commitment has become a distant to do list that was never accomplished.  So we throw it away, continue in the sinful behavior and hope that no one will turn the light on. After all, if it is dark the roaches don't really exist right? Pray with me that the God of Truth will bring to "light" that which is sin and it will be confessed, destroyed and there will be in its place a new clean heart of obedience. I pray these exact words for myself, my husband, my children and those I walk closely with throughout my life. (However, now that this is public, my circle of friends and family may have just diminished.) Holiness and obedience above all else. That is my heart's desire. SIN "We'll Leave The Light On For You!"

James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."

"Choosing to Obey ALL the Way"

Matthew is 10 years old and he is a very obedient young man with a precious heart for the Lord. However, he is very pokey! Getting ready for school in the mornings requires blasts of dynamite, lighting fires under his feet, showers of ice cold water and a bull horn. Well, not really, but I have considered all of these things at one time or another. Caleb and Joshua can get up, shower, brush their teeth, dress and eat breakfast, whereas Matthew is still sitting on the floor of the shower mumbling. Now, I must be honest, I kinda know where he gets it from. OK, so I really know where he gets it from. I HATE MORNINGS! I am trying and doing better. Raising young men, Matt and I want them to be disciplined and prompt. As a result of this goal, Matt has decided to enforce the morning routine a little more. The understanding is "if you are not at the table to eat by 6:50, you will be grounded." Wednesday morning Matt went to check on Matthew and he was sitting on his bed in his underwear and socks watching cartoons. (Stop gasping, yes we have a television in our child's room. It's either that or he plays playstation in the den. Uh NO!) Well, Matt grounded him from T.V., friends, video games and computer, lit that imaginary fire under his feet and hurried him along. When he came home that afternoon, he did his homework, read for 20 minutes in his book, had his quiet time with the Lord, helped me with some chores and then had nothing to do. (It was raining outside!) I had forgotten about the grounding, but Matthew reminded me. I suggested that since he couldn't play video games, that he go and sit and watch Caleb play. His response was, "Well, daddy said that I was grounded from watching T.V. and since Caleb's games show up on the television, I feel that I would be disobeying daddy because technically that is watching a T.V." Well didn't I feel like the serpent that said, "Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden." Matthew heard his father's words and he knew his father's heart and he chose to obey ALL the way, even when his father's eyes were not on him.  He did not choose to justify and say "well, daddy said not to play video games, he did not say I could not watch them." He chose to stay as far away from evil and the appearance of evil as he could. He wanted to obey with a sincere heart out of love and respect for his earthly daddy and his heavenly Father. Do we do that? Do we obey ALL the way? Do we choose to do the right thing even when eyes are not on us? Do we justify getting as close to sin as we possibly can? Do we twist words and actions so that technically we have obeyed God, even though we know His heart and what He would  really desire of us? "Lord Jesus, I pray that I would have a heart for obedience. Father may I know your word and know your heart and desire to obey you no matter what. God I pray that I would choose to obey you ALL the way."

Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."

Colossians 3:22 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, and do it not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart andt reverence for the Lord."

John 14:23 "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.'"