A Child's Trust

As I walked this morning, a little girl I have never met ran down her driveway straight to me. Bursting with excitement, she rattled on with her news. I guess she just had to tell someone.  :-)

Sadly, I couldn't comprehend a word she said, because her enunciation wasn't too clear yet. So I just nodded and smiled and told her what a pretty dress she had on.

As I walked on, I thought of what abandon this child had towards me, a stranger, and I knew God was teaching me another lesson. My God isn't a total stranger to me, but do I run to Him with such freedom and confidence that He will care what I have to say, or do I still hold Him at arm's length? Are there still reservations in my heart that keep me from opening up to Him as completely as a small child?

This child believed I would listen and understand. When I pray to my Father God, do I really trust He will listen and understand, or is there a part of me that still clings to distrust?

This child told her heart, and she probably is not worrying right now whether or not I understood her. I too often worry my conversations with people are misunderstood. I will worry about it for days, hoping I didn't say something that may have been taken up differently than I meant it.

As I reflect on all this, it amazes me that no matter how we word things, God just knows. We can babble incoherently, but He knows exactly what we're saying. We can say the wrong words, but He understands our intention. He even knows and understands every word we reserve in our heart and are afraid to say. He reaches into our deepest thoughts that we can't even put into words - every sigh, every cry, every fear.

May our Heavenly Father give us the trusting heart of a little child to run to Him with our every need, whether it's a heavy trouble weighing upon us or a bubbling excitement to thank Him for all He gives us. He is waiting for us with open arms.

A Father's Love Letter to You

What can you learn from a child's trust?

What keeps you from trusting God as a tender, loving, welcoming Father?

A Confident Heart

I'm excited to tell you I decided to join an online Bible Study by Melissa Taylor from Proverbs 31 Ministries. We are working on building God-confidence in our lives. This week we read Chapter 1 of Renee Swope's A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Live in the Security of God’s Promises and answered her discussion questions at the end of the chapter.

Already I have gleaned so much. Some points Renee discusses in Chapter 1 that especially sparked my reflection are:

• "In the shadow of doubt, insecurity paralyzes us..." So true in my life. I have allowed it to stilt my creativity. I disposed of many dreams and passions because of my lack of confidence.
• "He's led me beyond believing in Him to really believing Him by relying on the power of His words and living like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me." I have struggled with this lately. I believe in God, but do I really believe He has the power? Or do I believe more in my feelings and what internal negative voices tell me? Oh, to have the trust of a child! To fall with abandon into my Father's arms knowing He has the power to catch me and hold me up!
• "Praying God's Word has been one of the most life-changing ways I've learned to live in the security of His promises." This is something I need to practice more.

If you struggle with insecurity, I encourage you to at least read the book. Even if you haven't joined the study, I'm sure you can read the comments or even comment yourself since this is at Melissa's blog and also on Facebook. There are so many women who are suffering in their lives and have taken the risk to share their hearts. You are not alone!

What dreams or passions have you not pursued because of insecurity?

What has confidence in God enabled you to do?

Believe You Can Blossom

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin

How often do we remain tight in a bud, concealing the gifts God has given us because the risk just seems too great? Avoidance of discomfort is far more comfortable than speaking out. Yet thoughts buzz around and build up inside of us. We know we should move forward, but... What if I flub up? What will people think of me? What if people don't like something I say or write?

When we allow the ugly beast of insecurity to reign in us, we will sabotage ourselves from ever blossoming as God intends for each of us.

But, yes, it can be so difficult, because sometimes those negative thoughts are having a heyday in our subconscious. We aren't even aware of how much they influence our actions or lack of action. How do we root them out and replace them with positive thoughts?

Have you ever heard of IALAC? I Am Lovable And Capable. Dr. Sidney B. Simon came up with this acronym to encourage children to value themselves. We adults need this same reminder.

Perhaps you never have felt lovable and capable. I didn't as a child, and I often still struggle with it. It's tough to purge ourselves of negative thoughts that will not allow the buds of our God-given potential to blossom.

In God's eyes, we are special and deserving of dignity. In His image, there is something inborn in us that makes us lovable. In His unique creation of us, each of us is capable of achieving. He has given us gifts, and He wants us to use them.

I recently watched a video of David Ring, a pastor and speaker who has cerebral palsy. It's amazing what he conquers through the power of Christ. What the devil meant for evil in his life, God meant for good.

In this inspirational speech, David stressed that we all have a story that needs to be told. If we don't tell it, it will never be told. If we do tell it, we can make an impact in this world.

How many of us have stories that need to be told, but we're too afraid to tell it? Our insecurities take over and we remain in a tight bud. Sometimes we're comfortable to remain in that position, but other times it hurts so much. Pressing within us is a passionate urge to tell others what God has done for us, and it's begging to blossom to God's glory.

I challenge you and I challenge myself today to blossom. Let's let go of the tight bud of our insecurities and brave the unknown. You have something to offer to this world, and so do I. Let's risk everything to bloom for the glory of God.

Do you believe you are lovable and capable? Why or why not?

What story do you have to share?

9/11 Tribute

Truths About Legalistic Christianity

"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." I Cor. 3:6

Legalism, the "strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit," can stilt our growth in Christ.  Our lives can be so enslaved with "dos" and "don'ts" that we miss out on the joy and freedom of living in the Spirit.

In Wisdom Hunter: A Novel by Randall Arthur, Jason is a powerful, influential church leader; but tragedy strikes, and he finds himself in a serious crisis of faith. His journey to find his only surviving relative, his little grand-daughter, leads him on a quest for truth and wisdom. Here are some of the truths he learned about the enslaving hypocrisy of legalistic Christianity:

1. God-in-a-box theology is not aligned with what the Bible teaches us about God.
2. Jason had to learn to "think for himself for a while, apart from the predigested ideas and interpretations found in his books." He needed "to cut through everything man teaches and assumes, and learn what God reveals about life."
3. Jason realized that in seminary he was taught what to think, not how to think.
4. He realized how much he had misinterpreted the Bible, because he looked at it through the filter of traditions.
5. He had become more influenced by peer pressure than by Spirit pressure.
6. Sometimes when Christianity has been in a country for so long, it can become more defined by the country's culture than by Bible teachings.
7. Jesus compares evangelism with sowing seeds, not swinging swords.
8. God is full of love and mercy.

This list could go on, but I'll stop here and leave you to savor these morsels of truth.

What is it like to be trapped in a legalistic system?

If you got out of one, what legalistic thoughts do you still struggle with?

What have you experienced of the freedom of the Spirit?