Spare Tire Check

“Is God your spare tire or your steering wheel?” I heard this quote recently and it has stuck with me ever since. Do we use God as a back up plan to run to when things go wrong, or are we allowing Him to lead and guide us daily? Who is in control? Who is holding the steering wheel of our lives? We can survive with out a spare tire, but if the steering wheel of our vehicle goes bad, the whole thing is worthless. We need God to be in the driver’s seat of our lives in good times and in bad.

When I was in Bible College years ago I took a class called “The Minister’s Wife.” It was taught by the president’s wife of the college. It was awesome and oh so practical. I learned a lot! She gave us the realities of true ministry and what to expect. She promised good times and bad and equipped us to be prepared for both. 

One thing she did in particular still sticks with me today. Before she started each class she had us sing a song. She said she wanted this song to be cemented into our spirits so that some day when we needed it, it would be tucked inside of us. It goes something like this (from what I remember)…

The Lord knows the way through the wilderness and all I have to do is follow
The Lord knows the way through the wilderness and all I have to do is follow
Strength for today is mine all the way and all that I need for tomorrow
The Lord knows the way through the wilderness and all I have to do it follow

I remember singing this several times over the course of my life. Sometimes it was at the kitchen sink doing dishes feeling distraught and overwhelmed by life, other times it was driving in my car crying over invisible wounds inflicted by others, in the shower, on a long walk… wherever I sang it, God showed up and brought His peace to calm the storms of my life and heart.

God doesn’t promise that when we give our lives to Him that our life will immediately become easier. He does however promise to walk with us through all of life’s journey. No matter what you are facing today, God is faithful!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

What kind of lemonade are you making?

Lemonade is a popular drink in my home.  In fact, it’s almost always available on command.  It’s up there with milk and water for my family.  We don’t like just any kind of lemonade though.  It has to be the sweet kind.  I don’t know about you, but sour lemonade just doesn’t do it for me.  The sour taste just won’t leave me after the first gulp.  It’s like a horrible nightmare that lingers.  Unforgettable… in a bad way!

On the other hand sweet lemonade leaves you wanting more.  My personal favorite kind is strawberry lemonade.  It tastes SO good!   

When I hear the word “lemonade” it makes me think of that old adage…

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

This speaks of the fact that at times, life isn’t kind to us.  Life occasionally can be full of seasons of lemons.  I’m not talking about the sweet kind either.  Nope.  It’s those sour moments nobody loves.  Unexpected circumstances that throw us for a loop and shake our faith… SOUR.  Times of hardship struggling to make ends meet striving to thrive, but barely surviving… SOUR.  Facing hurtful, hateful people on a daily basis because it’s your job… SOUR.  A struggling marriage, the loss of a loved one, a painful past, a broken heart… the list could go on and on… SOUR.

Life isn’t fair.  Bad things happen to good people all the time.  We live in a fallen world where people make bad choices every day that affect others in negative ways.  Just because life hurts at the moment doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care or isn’t paying attention.  He loves you dearly friend.

I have faced my fair share of lemons in life… that’s for sure.  Financial hardship, miscarriage, broken relationships, unfortunate circumstances and unexpected delays, not to mention being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease I have struggled with for the past ten years.  Life has been challenging, but God has been faithful. 

I could have given up, blamed God, ran away, lived in denial, or even surrendered to temptation, but I chose differently.  I chose to trust Him, run to Him, and wait for His rescue.  Some how, some way I knew deep down that God would see me through. 

I don’t know if I trusted Him because I heard it so much at church, read about it in my Bible, witnessed God seeing other people through during difficult times, or felt so secure in my own relationship with God that I just knew.   Others I knew who seemed very grounded in God to me faced seemingly insurmountable circumstances as well, but chose differently sending them down a spiraling path away from God.

When trouble comes, when my world spirals out of control, or lemons start flying… the first thing I do is run TO God.  My hearts cry is similar to that of Psalm 28:7

“The Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust Him with all my heart.” (NLT)

We need to learn to trust God in good times and in BAD.  He is faithful friend.  He has never failed me yet each time I have run to Him for safety from all of life’s storms.

We have a choice when the bushel full of lemons begins to fall.  We can allow the circumstances of life to SOUR us or make us SWEET.  Remember the lemonade illustration I shared before?  Sweet tastes better! 

When we run TO God in our moments of despair, heartache, and frustration instead of AWAY from Him, He promises to meet us there.

“In those moments of surrender our spirit is sweetened and our hearts are restored.”

We may not understand all of the “Why’s” in life, but when we rest in Him and His ability to take care of us, peace follows.

On the contrary, when we choose to run AWAY from God instead of running TO Him, our spirits become SOURED by life’s circumstances.  Our countenance can begin to change, our perspective can become gloomy, and our words can become cluttered with negativity.  It’s almost as if those SOUR lemons take root in our hearts and spread like poison ivy over our soul.

Life doesn’t necessarily get easier as we choose to run TO God, but regardless of what happens God promises to carry us through it.  We don’t have to walk it alone and not only that… God gives PEACE, JOY, LOVE, PATIENCE, and scores of other fruits that will pour out of us as we begin to rest in Him.

 Have you ever met one of those people who have faced a lot of hardship yet walk with a glowing smile on their face?  It’s not fake.  It’s almost as if their insides are shining through for all to see… true JOY that doesn’t make sense with all they have endured.  That’s got God written all over it!  That’s someone making sweet lemonade out of the lemons life has dealt them.  That’s someone I want to resemble when trials come my way.

I have a question for you today.  When life deals you a bunch of lemons...

 What kind of lemonade will you choose to make?

  Sweet or sour?

I’m telling you SWEET is so much better when it comes to the beverage and your reaction to the lemons life may deal you!  

Next time the lemons begin to fall do something crazy… run TO God!  You will never regret the peace that will follow.

Will you surrender your lemons to God today friend?  He specializes in making sweet lemonade.

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie

In the Meantime...

“Waiting”… Have you ever met someone who loved the whole idea of waiting? 

Sometimes I’m okay with it and other times I want to scratch my eyes out because I can’t take things dragging on so long.  Have you ever been there friend… tired of the monotony of the “wait”? 

Whether we like it or not, we will all have to face “waiting” at some point in our lives.  It’s inevitable.  Its HOW we wait that makes all of the difference!

When it comes to waiting… I think the most challenging waiting room I have ever sat in would have to be… God’s "Waiting Room”.   

Did you know that God has a “Waiting Room”?   Well, He does! 

Waiting on God is a little different than waiting in a line at the grocery store.  His “waiting” has a more significant purpose.  Many times His waiting is a part of a process.  It’s a process that helps us grow stronger in our decision making and deeper in our faith.

Did you know that God wants to help us make decisions?  The day we committed our life to Him should have been the day we began making our decisions a little differently…. with God in mind.

Isaiah 28:16 says... "Whoever believes will not act hastily." (NKJV)

As Christians when we involve God in our decision making process sometimes He will say YES, sometimes He will say NO, and sometimes He will say WAIT.

God wants to help us make right decisions...  But, why is it so often that we fail to ask Him how He feels about… our relationships, our financial investments, where we spend our time, and the major choices we make in our lives.

The decisions we make today affect our future tomorrow!

I know some of you now are probably thinking… “I need to consult God on EVERY decision that I make… really?” “How can I really know what HE wants me to do if He doesn’t talk to me?”

As we draw closer to God and our relationship with Him grows stronger… we will begin see His direction for our lives more clearly.  We will be able to recognize His voice, sense Holy Spirit promptings to do or NOT do things, and we will become confident in the YES, NO, and more patient in the WAIT.

When it comes to the WAIT... delay doesn't necessarily mean God is disappointed with us.  God's "Waiting Room" isn't a place of punishment.  It’s a place of spiritual growth and direction.  

There are many good reasons WHY God might ask us to wait.  You can check out what some of those might be in a previous blog post I made called God's "Waiting Room".

I have spent A LOT of time in God’s “Waiting Room” on many occasions…

I have waited on direction for my future, a husband, a job, a child, financial provision, a house… when our rental sold (THREE different houses, three different times.  I’m not kidding!), and the list goes on…

Most recently I have prayed for healing for an autoimmune disease I have suffered with for the past ten years.  It is a disease that weakens my muscles. 

At its worst… I was bedridden for up to a year struggling to talk, eat, walk, and care for myself.  I lost 75 pounds in 6 months and dropped under 100 pounds to just skin and bones. 

At its best…(in a sense of remission) I was able to walk the mini marathon 5K in downtown Indianapolis and complete it.  That is a huge deal for someone who struggles with weak muscles!

I have faced many ups and downs with my health over the years.  Needless to say it has been very challenging for me and my family.

"When you are stuck in a bed with no HOPE of leaving your room or even your 

house any time soon, you can begin to feel that your time is WASTED."

I mean who has a couple months or even a year to throw away.  I didn’t think I did!

In each of those faith-growing moments I made a choice to run straight to God. Trust was built in me and my family as He prepared us for the next chapter ahead.

Not to say that it was ever easy by any means.  But with God’s help, we pushed through!

There are many things we can do while we wait on God.  You can check out WHAT some of those things might be in a previous blog post I made called God's "Waiting Room" (Part Two)

Let me give you some ideas of what I did in my long seemingly endless WAIT…

1.  I ran TO God

I prayed MORE.  I read my Bible MORE.  I went to church MORE... as I was able.  I spent MORE time in worship.  I learned to hear and recognize God’s voice and discern the Holy Spirit’s promptings.  I grew closer to God during this season.  And you know what?  …when the time was right for the Green GO light with God, I was close enough to Him to hear the whisper of the next steps He had ahead for me.

All of this didn’t come natural for me.  I had to get some “fight” in me

to push hard for MORE of God.

When we struggle, our natural inclination is to run AWAY or hide.   It takes a huge EFFORT to run TOWARD God when everything in you wants to run the other direction.  Whether you feel it or not, I promise you this is the best place to be in the midst of your “wait”.

What did I do while waiting on God?

2.  I let God LOVE through ME

Don’t allow the length of the “WAIT” or the circumstances surrounding it to cause you to become bitter.  In the midst of your “waiting” time… keep loving people.  Don’t let the stupidity of others scar you and shape who you become.  People can be hurtful and hateful at times… (Believe me I know this first hand) choose to forgive anyway.  Un-forgiveness only hurts YOU.  Choose to let God love through you.

  

What did I do while waiting on God?

3.  I stayed CONNECTED and busy

It’s a natural tendency for us to want to HIDE or isolate ourselves from the world when we are hurting.    But this doesn’t bring healing to our hearts, it only postpones it.  Depression and hopelessness can grow when we bury ourselves away.  Instead choose to stay involved.  Stay involved in your family, your church, in your favorite hobbies or areas of interest, and living.   

I realized in the midst of my long seasons of being sick that my kids needed me.  They needed to “see” me (sick or well), “hear” my encouragement, and “feel” my loving touch.  I mattered to them.  Whether they realize it or not, their special visits to my sick bed brought “life” to my room and maybe even a glimmer or two of HOPE.  They gave me a reason to keep fighting in the midst of my health struggle.  They made life worth living.

My husband has been a continual support to me as well.  One significant thing he did in the midst of my sickness that sticks out to me was keep me busy. 

During my sick seasons he has always found something for me to do to keep busy and distracted from my sickness.  His best investment in distracting me was giving me a laptop and telling me to start writing.  I began journaling at first.  This eventually grew to a devotional style of writing where I shared my life experiences and struggles in hopes of encouraging others.  Later, my husband was so impressed that he challenged me to start a blog so others could read my musings.  In 2010, I joined the blogging world and the rest is history. 

We were never meant to do life alone friends!  Find people to share your life with and invite them to journey with you.  We need each other. 

What did I do while waiting on God?

 4.  I kept moving FORWARD

No matter how many set backs you have… Keep moving forward! 

Forward progress is my word for the year.  Even if it feels like I am taking one step forward and two steps back health-wise, I have determined that I will keep moving FORWARD.

Something that has really helped me keep this “Forward Progress” mind set has been to focus MORE on others than myself. 

Over the years (in my many seasons of waiting) God has developed within me the ability to encourage others through writing.

I noticed that something crazy happened as I shared my raw and real struggles with others on my blog.  They identified with me and felt encouraged!

When I think about all of the days, months, and years that have felt WASTED by being sick with this dreaded disease it puts knots in my stomach.

BUT… when I think about HOW God has continued to REDEEM those seemingly wasted times each time I share my story and someone is filled with hope, I am overwhelmed with awe!

My ultimate God-dream is to write a book sharing my story with others so nothing will ever be wasted and God will REDEEM it all for good!

I am currently finishing up the last chapter of that book called “Surviving Life’s Mud Puddles” and then it will be ready for publication… God willing! 

God sees you friend.  You are not forgotten.  He knows right where you are and He wants to walk THROUGH this journey with you.  He has amazing plans ahead for you. 

Will you TRUST Him with the details of your life? 

Whenever I struggle to trust Him, this verse always comes to mind for me...

Proverbs 3:5-6 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”  (NLT)

He is trustworthy!  He hasn’t disappointed me yet.  I’m looking forward to hearing all of the testimonies of HOW God has redeemed YOUR “wait” for good.  He is good like that!  Hang in there friend!  God has something amazing in store for you and it is SO worth the wait!

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie

A Cure for the Un-fixable…

Broken.  Have you ever been there before friend?  Feeling broken that is.    I have felt broken a lot lately.  Not the kind of “broken” from being hurt by someone or extremely sad.  I have felt “un-fixable”.

Lately I have just had that “broken” feeling.  My energy has been low and my spirits have been down.  I am envious at times of those who can run non-stop and do whatever they want whenever they want to because I don’t always have that luxury. 

I may not always look like it on the outside, but my body is sick on the inside.  I have an autoimmune disease.  It’s very restricting at times, but I refuse to let it define me. 

I believe God can heal and He does.  I believe He loves me despite my uncomfortable circumstances.  I believe He has a plan for my life.  Regardless of what I might “feel” as I face the ups and downs of life, I KNOW God is faithful and true. 

I love the way the Message version shares this hope I have and know is true in Ephesians 3:20-21 

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”                           

I yield to God’s hands and His plan.  Even though I may not understand all of the Why’s of life, I trust Him with my health.  I pray for healing, but more than that… I seek the Healer. 

I determined a long time ago that even if He NEVER heals me,

I will continue to live for Him.

Can I tell you a secret? … In my deepest and darkest moments struggling with this sickness, God has ALWAYS been there.  He has never left me alone.  He has always been faithful.  Why would I ever walk away from a faithful God?  There’s not a chance.

Do you feel broken?

Do you feel… un-fixable by God?  Have you felt like damaged goods or a lost cause?  If so, I have some good news for you and for me…

God loves broken things...

Psalm 34:18 says…

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

When we feel broken… God is near.  We are not abandoned or left to drown in our sorrow and despair.  He is close by and He cares for us.  He cares enough to rescue us out of the darkness consuming our hearts and lives.

Brokenness may very well be the path that leads to breakthrough.  In our brokenness we position ourselves to be personally rescued by God. 

Broken.

I can think of a few people in the Bible who are “Kindred Spirits” when it comes to feeling broken.  They may have even felt a little un-fixable by God.  They were in desperate need of a breakthrough…

David was broken over his sin and how far he had walked away from God.  Mary and Martha were broken over their brother dying.  Nehemiah was broken over the sad state of his home town.  Esther was broken over the potential annihilation of her people and the burden of her responsibility to try to save them.  Joseph was broken over being re-united with his long lost family after experiencing years of pain and sorrow.  Job was broken over losing everything he held close and dear to him.  The disciples were broken over losing their leader and Mary the mother of Jesus was broken over losing her son.  This list could go on and on.  The Bible is full of broken people.

Feeling “broken” isn’t always a bad thing.  It can actually draw us closer to God and helps us become more dependent on Him.  Think about the people above that I mentioned… How were they drawn closer to God through their brokenness?

Well… David wrote a Psalm and changed his ways to move closer to God… “Create in me a clean heart Oh God…” (51:10).   Martha ran to meet Jesus after her brother had already died.  She implored Him to do a miracle on her brother’s behalf.  Later her brother was instantly healed and brought back to life.  Nehemiah prayed for favor, acted by God’s direction, and rebuilt the city.  Esther fasted and prayed, and stepped out in faith to do her part until God did a miracle.  Joseph forgave years of hurts his family had caused him.  Instead of condemning them, he embraced them, and helped them build a new life together.  Job fell at God’s feet and continued to serve Him regardless of what He lost and God ended up giving him back double what He had before.  The disciples and the mother of Jesus received their beloved back witnessing a miracle that changed them forever.

Broken.  Why do you “feel” broken today?  Is it a broken relationship, a low self-esteem, a debilitating illness, financial trouble, the loss of a loved one, a challenging child, or maybe feelings of rejection or defeat?  No matter what the cause, I challenge you to place it all in the hands of God.  He has the ability to create something beautiful out of our yielded broken hearts and lives.

Matthew West, a contemporary Christian music artist, wrote a song that really connects with my heart on this whole idea of feeling "Broken".  It's called... "Broken Things".  You can listen to it at the link HERE.

It’s hard for me to completely comprehend something beautiful being unearthed from brokenness, but I do believe it’s possible.  Just think about a stained glass window.  It takes a lot of effort and skill to create such an incredible masterpiece like that.

I imagine hundreds of broken pieces laid strewn all across the floor before its artist in a multitude of colors.  Each piece lying there is unique in shape and size, yet still holding its jagged edges.  They are broken and ugly alone, yet when pieced together with others in creative fashion a masterpiece is born. 

The culmination of this artist’s work is revealed the moment the sun shines through the window, in all of its glory, bringing each individual piece to life.  In a kaleidoscope of colors, the image is displayed in its intended form for all to see and enjoy.

Simply Beautiful.  I imagine that is what God thinks when He looks at us in our broken state.  We are broken pieces… in all shapes and sizes, yet when laid, yielded in His hands… beautiful!   

YOU… are a masterpiece in the making friend.  Believe it!

Are you “feeling” broken today?  If so, I challenge you to lay your brokenness at His feet.   Beauty awaits the broken heart completely yielded to Him.  Will you join me in yielding to His perfect plan today?

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie

A Modern Day Miss Clara

We are currently doing a special small group series at our church on the movie the “War Room”.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to watch it.  It’s a movie about the power of prayer and it’s amazing!

The movie was inspiring, however I think what has changed me the most has been discovering the back story of it all.  In the last couple weeks I had the chance to read an article (read it here) about the real-life Miss Clara (the elderly prayer warrior in the movie) that the movie was based upon.  Her name in every day life was Molly Bruno. 

Molly was a ninety-year old radical prayer warrior.  Prayer was more than an event or a duty for her.  It was a lifestyle.  She took time daily to cultivate a personal relationship with her best friend… Jesus.  Each morning she started off with coffee with Him.  It was a sacred daily appointment she never missed. 

In a video interview(see it here), Molly relays when speaking of her relationship with God that it is as if… “He is waiting for me every morning saying… Molly, where are you?”  She spoke with tenderness of her love for God.  It was evident on her face that they were very close.  She shared boldly for all to hear…“When you have Jesus you have EVERYTHING!”

Molly had more than a morning meeting with Jesus every day.  She walked with Him all day long.  She took Him with her everywhere she went, sought His guidance in all the decisions she made, and listened to His heart for her and others.  This relationship was by no means one-sided.  She beamed when she spoke of Him.  She was head over heels in love with her savior.

God did amazing things in Molly’s life.  Soon others began to notice and they started requesting her to pray for their needs as well.  Even kids at school would send prayer requests home to her through her children.  She definitely was NOT your ordinary mom.

As I watched the video something stirred with in me.  She looked like a typical elderly grandma, but she was far more than that.  Just seeing her and hearing her heart for God broke something in me… it was a longing for MORE.

Molly's Bible & note cards with scriptures written out to meditate on daily.

She had something with God that we all have access to, but few pay the price to experience.  It cost her!  It cost her… time, effort, commitment, sacrifice, and probably even some sleep. I’m sure if we asked her if it was all worth it to her, she would say … “ABSOLUTELY”.

With that in mind, I have a question for you… and even for me.  If we knew we could have an amazing and close relationship with God like Miss Molly… would we be willing to pay the price?  I wonder.  Am I willing to pay the price to know Him MORE?

Choosing to pursue a relationship like this takes hard work.  I’m sure she had to make some changes to her schedule.  She probably re-evaluated her priorities often and even lost a lot of sleep because she got up early or stayed up late.

 

I bet this kind of radical prayer life and relationship with God didn’t happen overnight.  It had to be cultivated… cultivated daily as Miss Molly made choices to move toward God instead of away from Him in all of the decisions she made.

What were the rewards of her sacrifice and commitment?

~God became real to her

~She could hear His voice clearly and confidently

~God answered prayers and she witnessed many miracles

~God used her to reach out to others

~She trusted Him completely

~She was full of faith to believe God for impossible things

~God became her best friend (she loved being with Him)

And the list could go on and on…

When you look at this list, it all sounds good, but what holds us back from really going there with God?  Is it distractions?  Are we content, complacent, or comfortable with where we are?  Are we afraid that God will mess things up if we get too close to Him… maybe even convict us of things we should change? Are we too busy, too stressed, or too lazy?  What is it?  What is keeping us from this amazing, radical, relationship with God?

In the video interview Molly was asked an interesting question… “What would you say to someone who feels like their prayer life is flat or they don’t really know how to pray?  

Her response was simple yet powerful.  She said, “They have no desire.  It’s not a ritual.  They’ve gone away from their first love.  It’s not real to them.” 

 Her advice was this…

“They need to seek the Lord from their heart.  Desire Him and He will answer you.  Say I can’t take this anymore.      

I want YOU!”

Molly passed away before the movie ever hit the theaters, but she got to see the final cut and pray everything through.  She left us with more than a great movie, she left a life changing example for us to follow to know Him better.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a change.  I’m ready to shake things up with God and push forward for MORE.  I know it won’t happen overnight, but I’m willing to begin cultivating the kind of relationship that Miss Clara and Molly Bruno had with Jesus.  I want to leave my boys a legacy of prayer.

Are you willing to pay the price to know Him MORE?  What’s holding YOU back?  When we really think about it, I think in most cases we will find that the only person truly holding us back is ourselves.  Choose today to make a move TOWARD Him and cultivate your relationship with God.  I have a feeling that as you do, your life will be turned upside down in a good way.  I invite you to join me on this journey.

Living to leave a legacy,

Julie