Waiting for a Sign

I'm a "rule girl". I try to pretend I'm not, but it's true. No one knows this better than my kids, poor things.

Many of my mom rules I've borrowed from a medley of well-intentioned messages I've read, heard or experienced while watching other moms. As I've wised up a bit (or maybe my kids have just worn me down), one rule in particular strikes a chord even after it's been tested by a teenager, middle-schooler and still remains for my three-year-old: Obey first. Ask questions later.

I think I picked this one up from a parenting class, but if I remember correctly, the reason behind it was that many times our children tend to ask "why" out of defiance instead of truly wanting to know the reason behind the instruction.

But guess what I just discovered? There's much more to it than that!

And guess what else I just learned? "My" rule is stepping on my spiritual toes.

How's that for justice?

I was reading about God inviting Moses to join Him in the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt; God promised Moses a sign.

A sign. We love those, don't we?

When we're waiting on a sign from God, the burden's on Him. We can just bask in the peacefulness of spirituality while we patiently wait. As if speaking to us isn't enough?

Hey, Moses was promised a sign, why not me, right?

Oh read the rest of the story....God said, "This will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." (Ex. 3:12)

Wait a minute. The sign came after Moses obeyed.

After? That can't be right.

In a commentary about this by Henry Blackaby, he so wisely stated, "God's affirmation that He had sent Moses would come after Moses obeyed, not before. This is most frequently the case in Scripture. Affirmation comes after obedience."

That sounds a bit like "my" rule! It seems so simple when I hand that rule over to my kids. The interesting thing is that once I instituted that rule in my household, I began to see it not only as a way to deter defiance by delaying the question "why". My new "go-to" rule had lots of benefits.

That rule is a safety net. I remind my children that sometimes when I give them instruction, it's for their well being. If they are about to plunge into physical harm, there's no time to ask why. They have to trust that I know what's best for them, and obey immediately. No questions asked.

And in return, I promise them we can discuss it after the fact. The after-the-fact discussions can be valuable learning experiences.

At other times, the instruction may not keep them from immediate danger, but they may not be emotionally or intellectually mature enough to be capable of understanding my rationale.

This is starting to sound familiar...

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Is. 55:8)

Oh yes, that's where I've heard it before.

Maybe "my" rule isn't mine after all.

Obedience first isn't easy, but I have a feeling my Abba Father knows what He's doing.

  

Spooky or Shade-Worthy?

"The future is a phantom, seeking to spook you." That phrase was part of this morning's devotional, which focused on having peace amidst an unknown future.

As kids, everyone tells us how bright and wonderful the future is. Remember, "My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!" Somewhere along the path to adulthood, the future can become....spooky.

Part of the reality of becoming an adult (bills, marriage, family) is good; it shows responsibility, growth and maturity.

But what if, instead of naively being excited about the future (as we did when we were children), we could learn to be freely excited and unburdened about what lies ahead because we know the God of the universe holds us firmly in His grip and longs to do exciting things through us (Jeremiah 29:11)?

Now THAT'S a future I can be excited about!



"Future's So Bright...."

Getting Even

 

 

I wish I was writing about the wonderful, amazing, relaxing vacation pictured here, or even expounding on our world's natural beauty that God has just given us, as a gift, at no charge.

But I'm stinkin' angry. Jesus got angry, right? So it must be okay that I do. I'm the kind of "I-want-to-do-something-to-get-even-angry"!

I'm thinking that's not okay.

So, after venting to my husband, I made myself sit down and dig into The Word. But let me say inside I was kicking and screaming. I mean, I was WRONGED.

And on top of that, I was having such a good day too. (Can you see me pouting?)

My devotional this morning said there should be a "lightness" in my step that others can see; that Jesus' peace should be outwardly obvious to everyone I encounter.

So now I'm also angry that this incident, caused by this person, made the lightness disappear. Peaceful? Right. I blew it already, and it's only noon!

So back to The Word....The first verse I read that seemed applicable was Psalm 37:8, "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it only leads to evil."

Yeah, okay. Just stop being mad, right? That's a tall order. And it really didn't seem fair.

So I decided to break it all down, word for word, and this is what I found.

The first thing the verse said was "Refrain". When I looked it up, it turns out it means a lot more than I thought it meant. "Abstain from an impulse to say or do something." But that's exactly what I want to do! I deserve to at least SAY something to express my displeasure, right? Or at the least, send a well-written e-mail that doesn't actually SAY anything, but the message is loud and clear.

I kept reading...

So we have, "Refrain from anger..." Anger. Yep, I know what that is (and I'm a bit surprised I didn't see my picture next to the definition when I Googled the word). I found anger defined as, "a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong." There it was, "aroused by a wrong". So apparently the fact that I was wronged has no bearing on how I should react. My toes are starting to hurt.

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath..." Wrath is, "strong, stern or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation." Wow. That's a perfect way to describe how "the incident" made me feel...fierce and deeply resentful.

Almost done..."Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret..."

So I was left with "fret". I've always considered "fret" as a synonym to "worry". Those words are twins in my book. But apparently there's a lot more to that word than I thought.

I found "fret" defined as, "to torment or annoy; to wear away/consume by gnawing, friction, corrosives; to agitate". Well, that's really what my flesh wanted - to torment and annoy the person who caused "the incident". Nothing would make me happier than to "agitate" the crud out of this person. Or would it?

"...it only leads to evil."

Well, one thing I know, is that I don't want ANY part of that, and I do NOT want to knowingly bring that upon myself.  So, in the interest of self-preservation, I suppose I will stop scheming and planning my super-secret, highly-annoying retaliation plan. And somewhere along the way, I hope my Heavenly Father will look down and be pleased.

Maybe one day, my initial reaction will be to choose peace. Wouldn't it be great if that came automatically?

And get this...my co-worker (who was a witness to "the incident") just stopped by my office door and noticed that I'm smiling again. Maybe people do notice.

Oh, and about the picture of the beautiful view...I simply needed a visual image to remind me of just how peace feels....I suddenly feel the urge to plan our next vacation!