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Adapt – My Word For The New Year

I’m in a group of bloggers and we’re writing about our “Word for the Year.” I’ve been wondering what to write as I venture into this new year, so this got me thinking. Hang in there as I explain how a simple movie changed my perspective and gave me my word.

Lesson Learned From “Pete’s Christmas”

We watched a *”really good” movie at Christmas-time called, “Pete’s Christmas”. Yes, it was silly at times, but overall, the writer/producer got to the heart of human nature and our need to be cared about. The storyline deals with Pete, who “messes up” Christmas but then is given numerous chances to re-live the day until he gets it right. *caveat: “really good” means one thing to one person and another to the next, so excuse me if we differ! :o)

Pete tries and tries, from his own perspective, to “do Christmas right” only to mess up again. But slowly, as the story moves on, he learns to see through the eyes of his friends and family, thus learning to make Christmas perfect by loving them right where they need to be loved. Ah…such a great message….and one I keep pondering as the days pass by.

How to Live “Perfectly”

You want to know the real lesson I got from “Pete’s Christmas”? Every one of us gets to re-live a day, to make it “perfect” every day when we wake up. God gives us a new day, a new week, or month or year in which to live “perfectly” by loving those around us with the everlasting love the Father had for us. That Love that wrapped His arms around a tree and gave up His freedom to love us perfectly!

ADAPT – My Word For This Year.

Why did I choose this word? Because in ALL my searching for the perfect life, I’ve missed the main point of the Gospel. That the only “perfect” is found in Christ. I’ve struggled and worked, wondered and hoped, fought and cried when things haven’t gone my way. But God….only He could bring me to the place of adapting to His story for my life.

I must let go of my story, just the way I thought it would go, and adapt to His plan, His ways, His method of loving me. He loves me enough to NOT let me get everything I want, or have relationships be the way I want, or have my story look the way I thought was perfect! Now, that is true, tough, unending love. Love from the ONE who knows me more than I know myself. He knows just what I need to learn to lean on Him, to depend on Him, to die to myself so I can love others in the same way He loved me!

And so I adapt. I’m learning what this all-encompassing word means every day. Praise God for His good lessons. May we kneel together as we seek to find His will for our lives!

Love to each of you & Happy New Year!

1 Corinthians 2 – And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (vs. 1-5)

…but just as it is written,“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” (vs. 9)

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (vs. 14-16)

Anticipating Christ’s Return…This Christmas!

By livingabovethenoise

The Holy season of Christmas gives me much time to ponder the things of old. Think about that time when men hungered and anticipated the birth of the long-awaited and promised Messiah. How they must have looked forward to that wonderful day, a day above all days when the world would see God’s power revealed! A day when He would claim the earth as His own. A day that had been foretold for centuries.

Now, after many more centuries, the question is begged of us, “What if we anticipated the return of Christ with such expectancy as those believers of old?” It is promised to be a time when Jesus will again show the world His power and claim His reign as King of ALL Kings!

I must admit that I have missed this. What it is to anxiously await the coming Messiah? Yes, He has already entered our world, but He has promised He will come again. We must live in that expectation! Imagine what it would look like to the watching world if we lived with that promise in mind? What excitement it would elicit. How it would change our decisions and plans and actions!

Something as simple as a Babe in a manger. Something as profound as a King coming to reign. All the anticipation of a needy people awaiting their Messiah. All this wrapped together in one beautiful package!

Won’t you join me as we await and long for His return?

Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelations 19:11-16

There’s More To Life …..

By livingabovethenoise

Life…there are a few things we know about it. And there are a bazillian things we don’t. These unknowns are the things that have slowed me down in recent years.

As I began my “family” walk, aka marriage and children, I thought I could control this life. I thought, rather naively I might add, that I could plan or work or study or control what and when and where my family would end up in life.

And it worked for awhile….or so I thought. But all you have to do is read Joni Eareckson Tada’s story, or Elizabeth Elliott’s, to know my idea was ridiculous. The life of a human is filled with “what if’s”….so what if a major accident or trial wasn’t in the cards for me? Then couldn’t I plan and know what life would entail?

Seasons

I was just looking at my Google Analytics, something I don’t do very often for sanity sake. One thing I noticed was the age of most blog readers. The largest reader category was between 25-34 years old. After that age, the stats drop off quickly. Of course, one reason is the lower use of computers after the age of 50-60, but I know it’s mostly due to the changes in life purpose and goals.

Remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting. Ecclesiastes 11:10

There are a few reasons for this change in priorities:

Discovering that you can’t learn it all, that you’re not invincible.
Realizing that real-life people need you, yes, more than cyber friends.
Awakening to the fact that you aren’t going to live forever, so use your time wisely.

I know these sound a bit like shooting myself in the foot as a blogger, but I have to wonder what the best outcome is for me as a blogger, and for you as a reader. What God is showing me can best be summarized from the book of Ecclesiastes. Take time to ponder these points.

Life is short.
There is nothing new under the sun.
Life is all about and for God.
The excess devotion to books is tiresome.

All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-9

Live

Life was given to us to live. To live for God’s glory, not our own. So, please use it well! Please read, in print or on the screen, that which edifies and encourages you to grow right where God has you.

There will be twists and turns in your life. Spend time contemplating what God may be teaching you, not looking to another blogger or friend to see what they’re doing. Yes, we can learn from one another, but if we’re spending more time with authors of blogs or books rather than God Himself, we will burn out. He will reveal our need for Him. Don’t underestimate His power to work in your life, or to show you just what He has for you. He might use a blogger’s experience to help you in your own situation, but mostly, the Holy Spirit was given to us as a teacher and guide. Don’t underestimate this gift Jesus gave us as He exited earth!

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. Ecclesiastes 3: 12-14

Take Time

Take time to listen to God. Listen for His Spirit. He will instruct you in the way you should go. Listen well. This is one reason I’ve been quiet in the blogging world. I’m trying to listen, to hear how God wants me to spend my time, to be sure I’m not wasting my reader’s time. To glorify Him in all I do.

So will I still blog? For now, I think so. But as I’m listening to God’s still small voice, I hear Him reminding me to take time. Time for Him. Time for my children and grandchildren. Time for my neighbor. Time for real interaction with breathing humans. I know you who are reading this are breathing, yet without interaction and visual input, it’s really hard to truly share life and lessons. For now, I will continue to write, if only for me to process my thoughts and lessons being learned. And if it blesses my children someday, or even you today, I will write until God shows me it’s time to stop.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts today. Maybe a bit of rambling….but isn’t that what friends are for? And here’s another great song to lift your soul today!

Christ’s Love to you and yours as we enter a busy holiday season. Enjoy life! Enjoy time with family and friends. Take time to love your neighbors. And don’t forget God in the busyness, for He is the true Giver of it all!

In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.

The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

A Busy Life – Learning to Trust God

By livingabovethenoise

Well, as much as I love to learn and share what I’m learning, God has me in a place where the learning is obviously more important than the sharing!

Again I’m explaining why I’ve been absent from the blogging world! Between family visits, summer trips, and family work projects, all keep me from sitting down long enough to gather my thoughts.

But….those thoughts are still there, just waiting to leap from my fingertips and onto this screen! Thoughts on all the lessons in process like: contentment, peace, obedience, trust, expectations, and more. I’ll be sharing more as I ~~find~~ make the time to process and describe what God is revealing in my life.

From where I stand today, I know God is good. Even through the hard times, He is at work, drawing us to Himself. Revealing His ways, His desires for us. We only need be still and listen. Won’t you listen with me?

And here’s a beautiful song to draw you to God. Listen and be healed.

“Fear Is Easy, Love Is Hard”
by: Jason Gray

Turn on the T.V. for the evening news
They got plenty to fear and nothing to do
Another somebody who’s gone too far
Makes you want to put up your guard
Fear is easy, love is hard

So we draw up another dividing line
We label each other and we choose a side
Peace could come at quite a cost
So we won’t build a bridge across
Fear is easy, but love is hard

Fear will leave you hiding in the dark
But love will bring a light into your heart
So do not be afraid, do not be afraidI’m sorry baby is what he should’ve said
But she wouldn’t listen even if he did
They’ll die without forgiveness soon
But no one wants to make a move
When fear is easy and love is hard

Fear will leave you hiding in the dark
But love will bring a light into your heart
So do not be afraid, do not be afraidIt’s hard to bring your heart to a world that can break it
To offer love to those you’re afraid will forsake it
But a well-defended heart is always looking for a fight
In a lonely war against an endless night
But love can bring a lightFear will leave you hiding in the dark
But love will bring a light into your heart
So do not be afraidIt comes down to a simple choice
Shouting devils or a still small voice
One is spreading fear and dread
Oh but love has always said
Do not be afraid

What has God been teaching you this summer?

Trusting,

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous hand.” Isaiah 41:10

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